Chapter 161
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Taming the Elf Maiden (1)
I rested soundly with my companions for two days. After that fierce battle with Barroc, we needed to recover from our fatigue. Rushing things could lead to lasting injuries.
When I announced today that we should set out on our adventure, a few voiced their complaints. The elf maiden was the prime example, letting out a whine.
“What, already? How long have we even rested? Common sense dictates we should be recognized for capturing one of the Four Heavenly Kings first, right?”
*I want to show off in front of everyone!* She openly revealed that desire. Did she want a parade in the capital's square or something? Unfortunately, this wasn't the time to be so leisurely. I silenced her complaint with a single sentence.
“Then feel free to join the war effort right now.”
“Ugh, I'd rather not...”
Ilensia clamped her mouth shut. She must have calculated that wandering around in a travel mood was better than suffering on the battlefield. That took care of her, but mentioning the war set the others off.
“We can stop adventuring then, right?”
“The battlefield calls to me...”
“...”
Baken and Crow, true to their battle-crazed nature, wanted to head straight for the war. It seemed I could let the B-team go their own way, but to save time, they needed to keep working for me. I'm not that bad of a boss, am I? I take good care of you, don't I? So just shut up and follow.
“You guys... surely you felt something during that last fight, right?”
They must have realized the strength of a Heavenly King. Even when we all combined our strength, we couldn't take him down easily. A single misstep could have cost us a couple of lives.
In other words, we're still far from strong enough. It's true they're among the strong, but on a battlefield, they could find themselves in peril in the blink of an eye.
A stray arrow could hit them, and even if they aren't Heavenly Kings, the powerful demons under them are above S-rank. If they ran into those, even ten lives wouldn't be enough.
“Hmm, I can't deny that.”
“You're right. I need more training...”
Having been through such a harsh ordeal, they were a bit more reasonable. I could only thank Barroc for the intense lesson. At this rate, until this is all over, they'll be my slaves... no, they'll be faithful in their role of supporting the A-team.
The basic plan remained unchanged. The key was for the A-team to tackle difficult dungeons, while the B-team handled the relatively easier ones. If they completed the events that occasionally popped up along the way, they wouldn't lack for stats.
“I'm all ready!”
Aruru fidgeted in front of me. The sight of her with a backpack on was impossibly cute. That backpack was probably stuffed with snacks to munch on whenever she got bored.
Led by our little cutie, everyone started to gather one by one. They were all seasoned travelers, so their preparation time was relatively fast.
I quietly watched the princess, who was the last to join us. Everyone had fought desperately against Barroc, but her burden had likely been the greatest.
Would just two days of rest be enough for her? I knew she was stronger and tougher than me, but since she was a girl, I couldn't help but worry.
“I know what you're thinking. I'm fine. My condition returned to normal yesterday. You can tell just by looking, can't you?”
She read my mind before I could even speak. We'd somehow reached a point where our minds were connected. Huh? Why? I haven't done anything, but it just happened? This makes me feel so wronged I want to actually do something!
Anyway, she looked fine on the outside. I could see she was pretending to be okay, but there was no end to it if I pressed the issue. For the time being, I'd just have to work harder to cover her share.
There was someone else I was worried about. My love, Ceria, kept catching my eye. She hadn't participated in the fight against Barroc. Her level wasn't high enough to dare interfere, so she had fought his minions instead.
That alone meant she'd done her part, but it seemed she didn't think so herself. It seemed her self-esteem had taken a hit because of the gap that wouldn't close, no matter how hard she tried to catch up.
How should I console Ceria? If I could, I'd just spoil her future for her. She would definitely become stronger. In the original story, she defeated me when I appeared as one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
I believe she'll grow quickly if I just take care of her mental state. Hmm, to become mentally stable... there's nothing better than being held by your loving boyfriend, right? Don't think of me as a pervert. What am I supposed to do when no other method comes to mind?
“Have a safe trip.”
“We're counting on you!”
The few remaining students and faculty members sent us off with their cheers. With the outbreak of war, the majority of students had already been conscripted.
Students scheduled to join certain knight orders would fight under their command, and those who weren't would receive suitable ranks in the army and head to the front lines.
The ones slated to join my family's knight order had already said their goodbyes and left. I'd paid them a bit more attention than the regular students, so I hoped they would be safe.
With bittersweet feelings, we left the academy. Much had changed, and I didn't know what other changes the future held, but with this team, we could overcome anything.
Just as I had a feeling something good was about to happen, something good actually happened.
[Fame +3000]
[Fame +5500]
[Fame +9000]
[Fame +12000]
[Fame +15000]
[Fame +40000]
[Fame +100000]
[Fame +220000]
[Current Rank: High 4,300,000/9,999,999]
“...”
An excessive, overflowing wave. At this point, it was a natural disaster on par with a flood. It's great and all, but isn't this too sudden? What in the world is going on?
I belatedly recalled a certain fact. Right now, they must have publicly executed Barroc. I could picture the scene: the people who watched it cheering that the Hero was their only hope.
*People of Earth, lend me your energy...* I got that kind of feeling, and it really felt like power was surging within me. There was only one way to repay their support: defeat the Demon King and end the war as quickly as possible.
To do that, I had to travel diligently. If I skipped the relatively less important events and just cherry-picked the good stuff, I could finish this much sooner.
***
The adventure proceeded smoothly. Since I knew the location and strategy for every dungeon, there was no reason for delays. However, a small internal conflict arose, and Ilensia was the culprit.
-Who am I? The woman who took down a Heavenly King!
She kept gloating with that kind of attitude. She was so adorably annoying I wanted to bite her. Maybe then she'd quiet down?
It goes without saying, but the more the elf maiden acted like a fool, the more displeased the other companions' gazes became. At first, they'd found it cute, but...
“You all just have to trust and follow me! Got it?”
“...”
By the time a week had passed, it was starting to get on everyone's nerves. Normally, I'd shut her up with a sharp remark, but this case was complicated for various reasons.
“Ugh, stop it! We're the ones who did all the hard work, so why are you making such a fuss?”
Our little cutie couldn't take it anymore and shrieked. To piss off the fox beastkin who always lived as if the world was a joyous place—that was a talent, if you could call it that.
Ilensia paid no mind to the criticism from Aruru, who was basically her designated bully. Instead, she proudly puffed out her chest.
“Hmph, but... I'm the one who caught him, right?”
“---!!”
Faced with that invincible logic she brought up at every turn, there was no good comeback. An undeniable truth. No one had expected anything from her, but she had delivered results, which made it all the more awkward for those trying to argue with her.
Her allies had worked their asses off dealing damage to get him to low health, and the ranged dealer who was just watching from the side simply landed the last hit, but aiming for the final blow was, in its own way, a skill.
A truly hopeless troll couldn't even manage that. In that sense, Ilensia had done her part.
Unlike my cold analysis, her companions seemed to find it dirty and cheap, but it couldn't be helped.
That was the nature of an archer. Sniping from a distance was her best option. It would be a bigger problem if the ranged dealer was messing around at the front.
Anyway, Ilensia's behavior had crossed the line, and the others were seriously pissed off. Their complaints had piled up until their patience reached its limit. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario—the girls grabbing each other by the hair and fighting—didn't happen.
“Um, it looks like you'll have to solve this.”
“Hurry up and put that arrogant elf in her place!”
“It is a bit... troublesome.”
“The party's atmosphere is being ruined. As the leader, I think it would be best to deal with this decisively. Make an example of this case...”
“...”
They rose up as a group. How should I take this? First, it was admirable that they were still maintaining their reason. Instead of overpowering the elf maiden with force, they came to me first.
However, no matter how nicely I framed it, they were just dumping the problem on me. I'm grateful that you always rely on me, but... solve something like this yourselves!
Of course, that was just a vain hope. I could only picture them coming to blows. They must have guessed as much themselves, which is why they were asking me to "do it for them!"
What should I do? This is a pretty sensitive issue. For the Hero's party, harmony was more important than anything. A situation where I had to quell the other companions' complaints without hurting the elf maiden's feelings.
The difficulty level was surprisingly high. I'd rather face another Heavenly King; I wanted to avoid situations like this if at all possible.
This time, even I couldn't come up with a plausible solution. In the end, we put our heads together. And so, while Ilensia was away, an emergency meeting was held.
“Should we just take her spirit away?”
Aruru suggested a drastic measure. Taking the spirit from the elf maiden would be a huge blow, so it would certainly be effective. However, it obviously raised concerns about serious side effects.
My little cutie. I know how you feel, but please calm down. When you're angry, this master of yours gets sad. I only want to see you smile, you know? Now, how about you wag your tail for me?
Was it a coincidence? The fox beastkin began to wag her tail. Not with its usual gentle sway, but filled with anger...
It was hopeless. She was too agitated to understand my feelings. Even that was cute, so I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
“Aruru. We're companions. It would be best to resolve this as peacefully as possible.”
“Ugh, I know, but...”
While Ceria was calming Aruru down, I carefully offered my opinion.
“Ilensia just wants to be acknowledged, right? What if everyone just praised her a little? If we satisfy her need for validation, she might quiet down...”
Even as I said it, I didn't have high hopes. If they were the type to meekly accept this method, the problem would have been solved long ago.
“Will that really work? I'm highly skeptical...”
“That's right. She might become even more arrogant than she is now.”
“You want me to praise that elf? That's physically impossible for me!”
“...”
Hmm, how should I put this? At this point, I even started to suspect that she was being subtly ostracized. They weren't close to begin with, so it wasn't that strange. Still, it would be a problem if it got any worse.
For a moment, I felt sorry for the elf maiden, but anyone could see this was her own doing. She was probably a good girl at heart, but her tendency to flaunt elven superiority had earned her their dislike.
From my perspective, she was an elf, beautiful, and a girl, so I could cut her some slack, but it seemed the other girls wouldn't give her an inch. In the end, I had no choice but to make a sacrifice (?).