Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Still Four Years Too Early (5)
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Svetlana was gathering information based on the familiars she had released deep inside the labyrinth. The magic used by demonkin was generally more powerful than humans' and wielded strength closer to the essence of mana itself, but that didn't mean it could fully unleash its power even in a labyrinth where connecting the inside to the outside was so difficult.
In the end, she could only collect information on a highly limited scale, but she couldn't just ignore a labyrinth that seemed poised to play a critically important role in her goal of resurrecting the Demon God.
The filthy hot summer in Astraea. For fear her identity might be exposed, she wandered the outskirts of the city, and it was literally hellish.
"Tch. Carthis and Danil are dead, and the others are off doing whatever they please, so I can't even handle things on the side."
Unlike humans, her robust body wasn't frail enough to die from mere heat, but discomfort was an entirely different matter. Even as she magically flicked away the sweat pouring from her, she couldn't help but grimace.
This won't do. Time to watch some Julius home videos—my latest hobby.
Switching the connection to the familiar where she'd invested everything in stealth to avoid detection by the extraordinarily perceptive Julius, she spotted the pint-sized kid who'd been her source of recent amusement.
Watching her agonizing alone over lust and a subtle affection was just hilarious, making her a favorite little star in her own right. But today, the girl—who must have gotten it from somewhere new—was wearing lingerie she'd never donned before, twisting and turning in front of the mirror.
It wasn't ordinary underwear either. Slits ran through all the key spots, so parting them made it no different from being naked—a tool clearly specialized for bedtime fun.
What a genuinely ridiculous girl.
Svetlana watched as Karin struck various poses before apparently succumbing to self-loathing and flopping face-first onto the bed. Burying her nose in the sheets to sniff, then rolling onto the floor—it made all her pent-up fatigue evaporate.
This is why I can't quit voyeuring humans.
That bracelet the shorty had recently acquired looked related to the Demon God. If she tempted her with the promise of power to connect her with Julius, wouldn't she plausibly take the bait?
"Love is blind. It drags you into irrational, illogical nonsense."
Today felt like a day for good ideas. She jabbed her pinky into her temple, stirring her brain for a moment, and a delightful sensation washed over her for the first time in ages.
***
Kiss was reminded once again just how stark the hierarchies were among elves. Sure, compared to their own peripheral tribe—little more than abandoned offspring—they were decent, but when an elf from Elkart, directly tied to the World Tree, showed up, she inevitably ended up as the lackey.
Fortunately, relations with the Empire had improved for once, so there was no urgent need to flee, and no more struggling to feed the kids. If something like that had happened recently, she'd have been tempted to bite her own tongue.
The southernmost tip of the continent, a place she hadn't visited in ages. Here, where the World Tree stretched toward the dizzying skies overhead, Kiss was whiling away the time, chewing on fruits Elli had packed for her.
"Ugh, it's taking forever."
Wasn't there a human proverb about cursing the king when he's absent? Cursing the daughter of another tribe's chief was fair game.
Of course, she had no confidence in weathering the backlash if caught, so she kept it to grumbling rather than outright profanity.
She'd gladly lay down her life for her tribe and honor, but she had no interest in losing her head for insulting a prestigious family's daughter.
The damn high-and-mighty Elkarters apparently had no intention of recognizing elves living barbaric daily lives like hers as fellow kin—they wouldn't even let her into the village, and it had already been three days. Perched in a tree on the outskirts, she'd have been starving by now without Elli's fruits. Just as that thought crossed her mind, the elf she'd been waiting for finally appeared.
"Whew. Looks like quite the uproar."
"Yeah. Mom grabbed me by the hair."
"Why on earth would noble Elkart's chief...?"
Mina's pretty blonde hair was a bit disheveled, and she had a scrape on her face. Pouting, she climbed onto the horse Kiss had ridden, settling into the rear saddle without a second thought.
It was a tad infuriating that she had no intention of taking the reins herself, but among the highborn, she was one with few complaints or gripes and a solid baseline of decency. Kiss mounted in front without protest and urged the horse forward.
Mina smeared something over her wound to treat it, then spoke up.
"Lucky I know the cafe manager."
"You mean Julius? On a tribal level, you could call him a benefactor."
"Mm. The manager's excellent."
"Yes. With that striking blonde hair and powerful build, it's exactly the look that makes elves swoon."
"Great personality too. Though being kind to everyone is a flaw."
If they were just friends, kindness to all wouldn't be a flaw, Kiss thought.
Of course, it wouldn't convince this girl with logs jammed in her eyes. She took a sip from the waterskin she'd prepared in advance.
"But I did manage to stop Mom in the end."
"How?"
"Ta-da."
It was a photo of Julius's face.
No way.
"Said I'd bring the manager along, and she calmed right down."
"...As a marriage prospect?"
"Yeah. Hurry and bring him, she said. Humans age so fast."
"At Julius's level, he could probably extend his lifespan however he wants, but..."
"Mm. That's not the point."
Her small, pretty frame made even that nodding agreement look utterly adorable, but the content—extending a human's life to bring him to an elf village—was somewhat terrifying.
Survive, Julius. Friend of our tribe.
"Heard the news from Astraea?"
"No. What happened?"
"Oh, nothing major. Julius has been in periodic contact about demonkin movements ever since we took down Crasis together. You might not know the latest."
Mina, sitting behind her, suddenly wrapped her arms around Kiss's waist and poked her head out to the side.
"I wanna hear. Tell me."
She really acts like a little sister.
Kiss swallowed that impression and recounted the events from exploring the labyrinth, the strange magic artifact they'd obtained.
And how a woman named Karin had been carrying on lately, among other things.
"Karin. Just as I thought. She's fallen for the manager's charm."
"You're taking it better than expected."
"Girls like that are surprisingly easy. When a good guy treats them nicely, they think he likes them."
The words weren't harsh, but they were awfully rude, so Kiss fell silent. She got along steadily with Julius, but considering the subtle ferocity of the women around him, the current situation looked perilously unstable.
Friendships often shattered over romance, and even without that, love triangles around one man never ended well.
Especially since they were all gathered from people with substantial social power and martial prowess—if those mind games turned real, it'd be a nightmare. Kiss prayed for Julius's repose in advance.
The hero of the era wouldn't die on the battlefield, but in a woman's embrace.
"The magic artifact obtained from the labyrinth itself is bothering me, but I haven't heard the details yet."
"Whatever it is, I'll go take care of it."
Glancing back at the confident Mina, Kiss felt a sensation bordering on awe. She'd said she was borrowing power from the World Tree, and it looked like she'd received something genuine.
Not the usual gold that symbolized the goddess's power, but green—the mark of strength transformed through the World Tree.
A green aura emanated from her entire body, and where it touched Kiss's own, a profound comfort washed over her—like the long-lost stability of her mother's embrace.
The true home of all elves was the World Tree itself.
That must be why it felt this way.
She could surely handle any half-baked demonkin or shard of the Demon God.
"Now I'll help for real."
"Has Lady Mina received help from Julius too?"
"I have. Not material things or in battle, but my heart... he's helped it a ton."
A debt of the heart.
The hardest kind to repay, Kiss thought with a sigh.
"The manager doesn't care about his own losses. If it's something that needs doing or helps others, he'll handle it, no matter what."
"Now that you mention it, that's the vibe. On our side too."
"He's the same everywhere. No distinction between front and back."
That's why he teamed up with Spiegel to smash Crasis.
Kiss nodded, realizing every word from Mina perfectly described the man named Julius.
"Well, the manager getting chummy with humans is unavoidable."
"Yes."
"But with elves? No way."
At those words and the killing intent flying from behind, Kiss nodded vigorously.
Kiss wasn't entirely uninterested, but that was only to the extent she'd accept if Julius confessed to her—not enough to plunge into some thousand-year romance on a whim.
"The manager has the goddess's power. I have the World Tree's. Perfect match. Perfect."
"Aww, sure. You two suit each other great."
Kiss decided to bend for survival.
The pair's mutual admiration and bootlicking continued all the way to the Empire's border.
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