Chapter 132: Accident(2)
Chapter 132: Accident(2)
When Arwen awoke, her eyes met Kerry’s. But she was only half-conscious and didn’t recognize him.
Kerry had managed to escape quickly, but it had been a close call.
“I’m so sorry, Benefactor! That elf… I don’t know how she managed to break free from the charm, despite being so weak! This has never happened before.”
Perhaps it was because Arwen’s mana was abnormally high, even if her other physical abilities were trash.
In any case, I didn’t want to blame Nabi for this.
“Don’t worry about it. We avoided the worst-case scenario. I think we can figure something out.”
Nabi was just doing what I asked…
I was the one who’d told her to capture the elf. Nabi had simply acted on her succubus instincts.
What’s done is done.
This wasn’t the time to tear my hair out over what had already happened. It was time to think about the aftermath.
Arwen was an elven princess.
“She’ll stop at nothing to find the man who tried to assault her.”
I might even be declared a public enemy of the elves. Of course, since she didn’t get a good look at me, I might not have to worry about being caught immediately, but I couldn’t let my guard down.
The persistence of elves was well-known. They were known to raid black markets just to avenge their kin who had been sold into slavery.
Arwen was an elf, too. She wouldn’t give up easily until she discovered the identity of the man who tried to attack her.
“What am I going to do?”
I couldn’t spend the rest of my life trembling in fear of the elves’ relentless pursuit.
It wouldn’t be strange if Arwen, after fully waking up, recalled my face.
A woman’s intuition is a scary thing. I had to do something before that happened.
Still, there was no need to be terrified. It wasn’t as if there was no way to shake off a persistent pursuer.
When faced with a relentless opponent who doesn’t know when to quit, you just have to let them catch their target.
Someone else, of course. Not me.
“As it happens, there’s a perfect guy to take the fall.”
Long ago, in the annals of history, there was a time when High Elves insisted on incest to preserve their bloodline. It was an era when the incest of common elves wasn’t considered a problem, as their population was small.
Of course, now that the negative side effects of inbreeding have been revealed, elves have banned the practice.
But recently, after Arwen was born, there was one person who tried to repeal that ban.
That person was Arein.
He never said it outright, but everyone knew of his love for his sister.
The elves whispered that Arein was the reason there were no men around Arwen.
Thanks to that bit of gossip I’d happened to overhear, a good scenario came to mind.
“I’ve made my decision.”
Arein. That piece of trash finally gave in to his lust and tried to assault his own sister.
What a despicable scumbag!
*
Kerry returned to Scandinavia.
Just then, a cheer erupted. The remaining elves began to flock to the entrance of Scandinavia one by one.
Kerry, of course, also went to the village entrance.
The elves who had remained in the village shouted with joy.
“Princess Arwen has returned!”
“Princess, where did you go again? Did you run away from home this time, too?”
At the mention of running away, the elves burst into laughter.
“I did not run away! Do you think I’m going through a rebellious phase forever?!”
The elves who had been searching for Arwen, having heard the news, could be seen returning one by one.
The gathered elves asked Arwen.
“Princess! We thought you’d matured and wouldn’t run away like this anymore. Where have you been?”
“Did you run away again because the Queen grounded you? Hahaha.”
“I told you, I didn’t run away!”
Perhaps because Arwen had run away from home several times before, the elves didn’t seem to think this incident was a big deal. Arwen, too, was stronger-willed than she looked; rather than being shocked, she was furious.
That man… the one who tried to assault me. I’ll never let him get away with it!
Of course, she had been so surprised at first that she could only freeze on the spot, but that didn’t last long.
The elves looked at Arwen strangely as she stood frozen like a statue for a moment.
Arwen made a decision. She would tell everyone what she had experienced.
“I have something to tell all of you.”
Arwen spoke with a serious expression, a far cry from her usual mischievous self.
It was shameful and something she didn’t even want to recall, but she had to do it. If she didn’t, there would be other victims like her.
Arwen didn’t want something like that to happen to her friends and neighbors.
“…There’s a pervert in the forest who commands a succubus. Everyone, please be careful. Especially the women.”
“I was lucky enough to break free from the charm. But I’m worried… that others might fall victim. In any case, you must be careful!”
*
“Aaargh! Where is that son of a bitch! Where is he?!”
Arein was on a rampage. He had heard what happened to his sister. The other elves were just as furious. They raged that they had to catch the pervert.
The news naturally reached Lina’s party as well. Natasha, who saw a bit of her former self in Arwen, spoke with a slightly angered face.
“What kind of man commands a succubus?”
“…”
Lina, who had been quiet, spoke up.
“It might be them.”
“Them?”
“The organization we’re chasing.”
“!”
“We’re probably being watched by them. We’ve already destroyed several of their hideouts.”
“But why would they target Princess Arwen…”
“It’s a form of… retaliation and a warning, I suppose. I should have been more careful…”
Lina searched her memories. In her past life, the Saintess had also been retaliated against by the organization and was killed in a humiliating way.
“It’s not your fault, Lady Lina!”
Natasha comforted Lina. The rest of the party also said that if they became gloomy, Arwen would only feel worse, and they should try to stay strong.
Kerry, of course, kept his mouth shut.
His conscience hurt too much to even open it.
“I plan to inform the Queen about this as well. It might help in tracking down the pervert.”
This was getting bigger and bigger.
I had a feeling I needed to hurry up and set the stage for Arein.
I felt sorry for Arwen, but having a brother like Arein would only make her life miserable.
And that was saying something, considering elves had long lifespans.
Thank god Arein is such a piece of trash.
If Arein had been a kind or decent person, my guilt would have multiplied several times over.
Lina spoke with a troubled expression.
“There’s a high probability that this pervert came here because of us. Our schedule is tight, but… I don’t think we can just pretend we don’t know about this.”
It seemed Lina wanted to help catch the pervert. Victoria nodded and said.
“What are you going to do about the Spirit Sword Endymion, Lina?”
“In this situation, it would be difficult to even bring up the subject of Endymion, wouldn’t it?”
Just then, Lina looked at Kerry and spoke.
“But you’ve been very quiet, Sir Kerry. Is something wrong?”
Had I been quiet for too long? But I wasn’t shameless enough to run my mouth right now.
“…”
As Kerry was wondering what to say, Natasha hugged him from the side.
“It’s because my husband is so kind. He’s become quiet out of concern for Lady Arwen. Right, Husband?”
“…”
Victoria also looked at him with pity.
“Kerry, don’t worry so much. It’s not your fault, is it?”
Kerry couldn’t lift his head. The party must never find out about this.
I had to come up with a plan as soon as possible. Before they caught my tail.
The White Witch and the Legendary Grade Magic Storage Orb.
With a combination of those two, there might be a way.
Kerry decided to visit the Witch at night.
*
The now-familiar white bedroom.
Kerry entered the white bedroom. It was late. The White Witch’s bed was draped with lace curtains.
Kerry quieted his footsteps and approached the bed. He pushed aside the white lace and carefully sat on the edge of the bed.
He could see the White Witch, beautiful even in her sleep. For a while, Kerry just sat on the bed.
Then, the White Witch tossed and turned. Her bangs slid down her forehead.
Kerry gently brushed her bangs back into place.
At that moment, the White Witch slowly opened her closed eyes.
“…You’ve come, Kerry.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Your voice lacks energy. What is the matter?”
“…”
Kerry didn’t answer.
It seemed to be the first time the White Witch had seen Kerry so down.
“Is it something you cannot tell me?”
She wanted to tell him to confide in her if he had any worries.
The White Witch wished he would. But Kerry’s lips did not open easily.
The White Witch felt a little disappointed. She thought they had gotten quite close. Was it just her own delusion?
Kerry noticed the White Witch’s feelings and spoke. It was impossible not to, with her lips pouting out like that.
“…It’s a bit difficult to explain the details to you, my lady.”
“If it is difficult to speak of in detail… then tell me in brief. Seeing you so dispirited concerns me.”
Kerry seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.
“…I lost.”
“To what did you lose? Did you meet a greater mage than yourself out there? Do not concern yourself with that. You are still a novice as a mage…”
“It’s not like that. I lost to myself.”
“You lost to yourself… Continue.”
Kerry couldn’t bring himself to say that he had lost to his lust and assaulted Arwen. In the end, he had no choice but to beat around the bush.
“I was swayed by a mere emotion and made a mistake. I couldn’t control my surging feelings and… I almost did something I couldn’t handle the consequences of.”
What am I, Victoria? To lose to something like lust.
“Were you so angry… that you killed someone?”
“…”
“It seems not. But it appears to be something quite serious.”
“Yes.”
The White Witch stared intently at Kerry.
Kerry sat quietly on the bed. Seeing him slumped over like a rain-soaked puppy was utterly heartbreaking.
“Kerry. I do not know what happened outside, but remember this one thing.”
“…”
“I shall always be on your side.”
To the White Witch, the concept of ‘others’ was Kerry himself. Because for the White Witch, there was only Kerry.
Kerry was the only one who had ever been her equal, the first person she had ever gotten angry with, laughed with, and chatted with.
And, of course, the only one she had intimately shared her body with.
Therefore, the White Witch wanted to be on Kerry’s side no matter what he had done.
Though she would never say it out loud, as even she found it cringey.
“…Thank you, my lady. That gives me strength.”
It really did give him some strength. Looking into the White Witch’s eyes, he could feel her sincerity.
I can’t stay down in the dumps forever.
You can’t put spilled water back in the cup, but you can wipe it up.
“My lady, I need your help. I need a powerful magic spell that can turn this situation around. I came here thinking it might be possible with a spell powerful enough to be stored in the Legendary Grade Magic Storage Orb.”
“Have you acquired the Aether?”
Kerry shook his head. But he had already made arrangements. Before entering the elven forest, he had asked the madam to look into Aether for him.
I hope the madam handled it well.
“But I might be able to get it somehow soon.”
“Already? Hmm. I understand. So, you want me to tell you what kind of magic can be put into the storage orb, is that it?”
“Yes!”
The White Witch shot up from the bed, a confident smile on her face.
“At the legendary grade, even my greatest spells can be inscribed into that orb. Fufufu.”
Like the magic otaku she was, she seemed full of energy now that she had a chance to show off her magic.
“What kind of magic do you desire? Do you want a spell that can wipe a small castle off the map in a single cast? Or perhaps you want a spell that can freeze your enemies in a glacier of eternal ice that will never melt? Just say the word. Fufufu. I shall make you realize what a great mage I am.”
Of course, the spells the witch mentioned were of the highest tier and consumed an enormous amount of mana.
So much so that Kerry, with his current 20 years’ worth of mana, couldn’t even cast them once.
But even if he could, he didn’t need spells like that right now.
“Not that kind of chuunibyou magic. Don’t you have anything with more utility?”
“Chuunibyou? What does that mean?”
“In my homeland, laughing like ‘fufufu’ while grandly explaining your magic, just like you’re doing now, is called chuunibyou-like.”
“…Every time I hear about it, I become truly curious as to where your homeland is.”
After that, the White Witch continued to ramble on to Kerry about how amazing her magic was.
They were all incredible spells. But they weren’t the spells Kerry needed right now.
At this rate, this will never end.
“Do you happen to have any records of your spells? I’ll look for one myself. I asked you to recommend a useful spell, but how can you only mention spells with increasingly higher attack power?”
“…Is not powerful magic the most useful magic?”
She wasn’t entirely wrong, but a powerful spell wasn’t what he needed at the moment.
“…”
The White Witch handed the documents to Kerry and then turned away in a huff.
“Hmph. Do as you please. You don’t even know the aesthetics of magic…”
The White Witch sulked and muttered to herself, but Kerry didn’t have the luxury of comforting her right now.
Kerry carefully examined the documents the White Witch had given him, one by one.
As befitting a legendary archmage, there were many incredible spells. She said she had developed all of them herself.
Not this one, not that one.
“Huh? This one… this one looks useful.”
At Kerry’s words, the sulking White Witch turned her head.
“Fine. Let us see what great spell a man of your high standards has chosen.”
The White Witch approached Kerry. Then she examined the document for the spell he had selected.
As soon as she saw it, a question mark appeared on her face.
“Reconsider. The spell I recommended, which summons a part of hell to burn everything, is far better than that!”
“No. I told you, I don’t need a spell like that right now.”
Kerry was quite pleased with the legendary-grade spell he had chosen. Even if it weren’t for the situation with Arein, he felt he would have considered this spell.