Chapter 35: I’m curious about that elf (2)

The orc in his “criminal cosplay” seemed really down. So, I decided to comfort him.

“At least we’re not being treated like slaves, right? We’re more important than that.”

“True. Even though we’re with the Cheonma, the Battle mage, and the Saintess, we don’t want people getting the wrong idea.”

Hearing that, the orc clenched his fist in determination.

“No, I don’t want to feel like I’m becoming a pimp either!”

“Pfft, your opinion doesn’t really matter here. Where do you think you can just chime in when the humans are talking?”

This is why orcs are often called brainless.

“Are you treating me like a monster right now?”

What does he take me for?

I don’t mix things up like that.

“What are you talking about? You used to be human, right, Orc?”

“Everyone, be quiet. The elf might hear us.”

Oh, right, we’ve been making too much noise while tailing the elf.

Only the Cheonma and I are behaving normally.

Our priority now is to continue following her.

The elf seemed kind of absent-minded.

The way she carried herself in the city was different from how she seemed back at the gallery.

Maybe she felt safer here, but I didn’t expect her to not notice us trailing her all this time.

Especially with the giant orc right behind her.

People passing by started whispering about the orc.

“Look over there, those women caught that huge thug.”

“Wow, even pretty girls are tough these days.”

“Tsk tsk, losing to women with that size? Pathetic.”

This time, he got criticized for a different reason.

The orc cried, but none of us comforted him.

It’s just too bothersome.

As we kept following the elf, she eventually sold her mana stones at a shop and walked a bit further.

The place she stopped at was a residential area near the Returnees’ apartment complex.

With the pension she gets as a returnee, why does she live here?

It’s not bad, but something feels off.

I doubt her returnee pension would have run out already.

“We’ve arrived, Saintess.”

The elf finally stopped in front of a house.

“Is that the elf’s house?”

Standing in front of the house was a strong-looking middle-aged woman.

The elf awkwardly smiled at her.

“Uh, hey, I’m back.”

“Do you see the time? You’re a minute late.”

The stern woman pointed at her wristwatch.

Was she really upset over one minute past 6:00?

“I made a lot of money today, really.”

“How much?”

“I think I made about 40 million won.”

40 million won?

That’s impressive just from selling mana stones.

Since we gave her a big portion, the rest of us should have gotten a nice amount too.

“40 million won? Good. You should have earned that much sooner. I have a deadline to meet, so heat up your own dinner.”

“Aw…”

The elf frowned.

Is 40 million won just pocket change for her?

Earning 40 million won in a day means she could make hundreds of millions in a year if she did this just once a month.

“Do you have a problem?”

“No, ma’am. I’m sorry.”

The elf clasped her hands together in submission, bowing to the human woman.

Quite a sight.

Honestly, it’s a bit sad.

Erin would probably foam at the mouth seeing this.

A noble elf of the Great Forest bowing to some lady like this?

“Do the dishes, clean the house, and do the laundry.”

“But I’m tired.”

“You were just piggybacking off the other hunters because of your looks, weren’t you?”

The elf’s wife said that, clearly angry.

I have no idea how their household works.

Maybe the wife has a reason for treating the elf like this?

Or is she just a controlling tyrant?

It’s hard to tell, but it’s strange to see her so harsh over such small things.

“Deadline? What deadline, I wonder?”

“Doesn’t seem so bad, actually. If she’s talking about a deadline, maybe she’s working on something like a novel or a comic. Doesn’t seem like the wife’s doing anything shady.”

Too bad.

It would be more justifiable if the wife were a terrible person and they got divorced.

But leaving all the house chores to her like that doesn’t seem right either.

But what if everything we thought was just a misunderstanding?

That’d be annoying.

“Really? Let’s keep watching a little longer.”

“Wait, is this really okay?”

“What’s the big deal? As long as we don’t get caught, it’s not a crime.”

I’ve already dealt with some nobles in the royal capital without getting caught.

Even if we do get caught, we can just “convince” them to stay quiet.

So, sneaking into a single household shouldn’t be difficult.

“You’ve really gone all the way as a Saintess, huh?”

That’s what it means to be a Saintess.

After overcoming trials and even defeating the Demon Lord, sneaking into someone’s house isn’t really a crime.

Of course, I don’t really plan on breaking in.

“I do have some morals, you know. I’m not actually going to go in.”

“Really?”

Of course.

Why would I enter a place like that?

With a body like mine, why would I step into such a shabby house?

I puffed out my chest and declared proudly…

“A flawless goddess like me wouldn’t just enter any random house, would I?”

“Ugh, you’re so full of yourself.”

“As far as I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be any real conflict in the household.”

Said the Cheonma.

She had a point, but you can’t be sure about everything from just this.

Still, what else are we going to do?

We’re jobless anyway.

“So, we’ll use this telescope I borrowed from the Hero without his permission.”

“You mean stole?”

“I only borrowed it. And now it’s mine, of course.”

What’s his is mine, and what’s mine is mine.

That’s the rule.

“Wow. Your morals are…”

Ignoring the Battle mage’s snarky comment, I took a peek inside.

The elf had gone into the kitchen and was crying while eating instant noodles.

I mean, ramen is perfect for when you don’t feel like cooking or heating anything up.

The elf was sorted, so I turned my attention to the wife.

She was upstairs in a room, typing furiously on a laptop.

Adjusting the angle, I could see she was writing a novel.

“Hmm, she’s writing a novel.”

“A novel?”

And, of all things, it was a hero fantasy story.

“Yes, it’s a hero fantasy. A classic one at that. No wonder she’s not making any money.”

In a world where returnees exist, writing hero fantasy stories?

Tsk tsk.

Still, it’s clear she’s trying to make money.

She even mentioned a deadline, so it looks like she’s under contract or something.

“So, does that mean the elf is just being paranoid? Maybe she’s watched too many dramas or something.”

The Cheonma’s remark made sense.

There was a survey once that said returnee women were obsessed with dramas.

K-drama must have been revolutionary for them—something they’d never experienced in the other world.

But maybe they just didn’t have the time for it.

Judging by the situation, it seemed like the elf had been under someone’s control even before becoming an elf, back when she was still a man.

“Maybe there’s a bit of misunderstanding and confusion mixed in here. Something about their situation must make the elf feel this way.”

We should investigate the wife further.

“Is that so?”

Up until recently, the elf’s personality was exactly as it was before.

And it’s only been a short while since they reconnected.

There must have been times when they were in contact with their family after reuniting.

Maybe there’s a reason behind the wife’s behavior.

Even I can’t just go smashing heads left and right without cause.

“So, is there anything we should do about this?”

“We need to help.”

“Why?”

There she goes again, the Battle mage, with no sense of loyalty.

“Look, the elf is basically trapped and can’t even speak up. That’s why there’s a communication breakdown and all these misunderstandings.”

Once someone’s caught in a situation like that, they’ll never escape.

The elf will probably have to bow her head to her wife for the rest of her life, right until her death.

In the hero world, especially among mercenary couples, they were always under their wives’ control.

It’s kind of pitiful to see the elf so downtrodden.

“Is that so?”

“If we’re going to help, what’s the plan?”

The plan is simple.

“We’ll go directly to the source.”

“What?”

“Here’s what we’ll do. Tomorrow, the Cheonma and Battle mage will take the elf with you. Whether it’s a dungeon or somewhere else, have some bonding time with her.”

The elf is unemployed.

If we don’t drag her out, she probably won’t leave the house.

I’m guessing the wife has placed some conditions on the elf’s career.

That’s probably why she has a strict curfew, too.

The requirement to earn money by 6:00 p.m. probably means she wants the elf to have a job that earns money before then.

But let’s be real, no regular job would allow that.

A returnee with limited skills can’t just land a job with a 6 p.m. curfew.

The pension would be more reliable.

“And what will you do?”

“I’ll have the orc keep watch outside while I sneak into the house.”

I’ll sneak in unnoticed and handle things discreetly.

“Sneak in and do what?”

“I’ll bash the wife’s head in—”

SMACK!

The Battle mage’s fist slammed into my head.

I mean, she’s the Battle mage, but still, hitting someone with that much force is overkill!

“That’s insane! You can’t just go around committing murder!”

Ah, I could spare her, though.

If she lives, it’s not murder, is it?

There’s a good skill called “respawn field,” after all.

I don’t actually have a reason to kill anyone.

I’m not a psychopath, and it’s troubling if you think I’d enjoy killing people anytime.

What good would it do to bash some random lady’s head in, anyway?

But the Battle mage was eyeing me suspiciously, like she didn’t trust me.

Ugh, maybe I should just start calling her “Young-hee”!

But if I said that, she’d probably respond with a blow to my head in defiance of non-violent resistance.

So, I denied it.

“Oh, I’m just used to saying things like that. I misspoke. Don’t worry. Even I don’t go around killing people for no reason in residential areas.”

I waved my hands wildly to emphasize it.

“Isn’t it absurd that a saint is even having a conversation about murder?”

Wait a second, that makes me sound like some kind of killer.

And besides, bashing someone’s head in isn’t meant in that way!

“Stop teasing the saint so much, Young-hee.”

“Hey, you’re serious!”

Oh, as expected, my true friend, the Cheonma!

“I’m just joking. In reality, I plan to give her some serious feedback on her novel.”

“What’s your plan?”

“I’ll tell her she can’t live off writing trash like this. If that’s how it’s going to be, she should just quit.”

Back in the other world, I did all sorts of things to make money.

I even wrote novels during my travels.

The content?

It was also a hero fantasy.

I based it on my time in the hero party, except I changed the elf Erin and the mage Maria into men.

In other words, it was BL (Boy’s Love).

And that BL novel became a huge hit.

Especially among noblewomen, it was considered a must-read at their tea parties.

Of course, I kept it a strict secret, so the hero party never found out.

There were even rumors among some of the noblewomen that the hero might be gay.

Ah, those were the days.

Even though the money I earned was spent on the hero party’s charitable causes.

They were always donating mysterious sums of money to orphanages.

Anyway, I’m planning to crush the elf’s wife mentally.

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“I’m kidding.”

“So, what are you going to say?”

Well, I’ve written my own works, so I know how devastating a reader’s reaction can be to a writer.

I’ll approach her pretending to be a reader and then—

“This is boring. I’m dropping it.”

Whack!

Another bump appeared on my head.