episode_0072

Lawier had a blank expression for a moment at the word to come out.

No matter how much he cherished him as his subject, wasn’t this practically an order?

It was the moment he was about to scold him.

“……Uh, it’s Elves. Forest Elves have come to visit.”

“Elves, you say?”

Lawier’s expression relaxed at the word Elves.

First of all, it wasn’t important why the Elves had come here.

The fact that they had come was more important than the reason.

“Elves……, Elves.”

Elves inherently have bodies that are sturdier than humans. They might be the optimal slaves for someone like himself, who enjoys torturing others.

Their appearance is not much different from humans, and most of them boast far superior looks to humans.

In short, they were the optimal slaves.

“Let’s go out for now.”

He didn’t know what kind of Elves had come, but it was an opportunity to obtain some pretty good slaves.

He had no intention of missing the opportunity to see it with his own eyes. Lawier stood up from his chair and immediately followed his subject.

“Where are the Elves?”

“They are currently at the main gate of the castle. A guard reported that an unfamiliar carriage had arrived.”

“A carriage?”

The fact that they came in a carriage meant they weren’t Elves of ordinary status. There weren’t many Elves who would ride in a carriage to human lands.

‘Perhaps it will be even more enjoyable.’

He moved his feet towards the main gate with great anticipation.

Many people were already gathered at the main gate. Because it was an opportunity to see Elves, precious beings that were hard to see in a lifetime, most of the capital’s citizens had gathered.

“There are many people.”

“Wouldn’t it be a rare spectacle?”

“A spectacle, you’re not wrong.”

Those words would soon become reality. For whatever reason, by whatever means, that Elf would fall into slavery and become a spectacle.

Lawier was going to make it happen, betting his name and position on it.

When the emperor, Lawier, appeared, the numerous people gathered at the main gate scattered in all directions.

The position of emperor was such a position. A position that inspires fear, difficult to face.

It was a position where one had to worry that their head might be cut off if they were seen wrong.

“Y-Your Majesty.”

Starting with someone’s cry, everyone gathered lowered their heads.

It wasn’t an action Lawier had particularly intended, but that was the overwhelming presence that the position of emperor gave.

Of course, Lawier nodded as if he was used to it.

His gaze had been fixed on the carriage since earlier.

“Tell them to come out. I came myself.”

Since the emperor himself had come out, the other party had to show that much courtesy.

The guard immediately spoke to the Elf soldier sitting outside the carriage.

“Summon the person you are serving. Our emperor has arrived.”

At the word emperor, the Elf soldier briefly met his gaze directly.

“How dare you look at His Majesty the Emperor like that!”

The Elf soldier’s eyes contained an intense gaze. If the emperor were to become enraged, they would have to take all the responsibility.

Naturally, they couldn’t help but react sensitively.

Only then did the Elf soldier realize his mistake and lower his gaze.

Fortunately, Lawier didn’t seem to care much.

His gaze was still directed at the carriage.

‘Come out quickly. Elf.’

Soon, the door of the carriage opened. The appearance of the Elf walking out from within was enough to move Lawier’s heart.

He could see simple-looking attire boasting a plain pattern, and looks to support it.

Neatly groomed hair, dazzling blonde hair, and even blue eyes.

Everything was like the ideal he had always dreamed of.

Moreover, the overall balance of her body also seemed very good.

“The Princess is coming out.”

“A Princess?”

He couldn’t have imagined that an Elf Princess would come all the way here herself.

Moreover, he couldn’t hide his surprise when he saw the male Elf coming out with her.

‘Hmm, this is going to be quite fun?’

There were few people who could ride in the same carriage as an Elf Princess.

Really close guards, family, or perhaps a husband.

Judging by the fact that he was male, it was unlikely that he was a guard. In that case, he was at least family or a husband.

“Thank you. Oberon.”

Judging by the Elf Princess’s last words, he wasn’t family.

Judging by the way honey seemed to drip from her eyes, they were at least lovers or a married couple.

It was as if those who could be called the optimal slaves had rolled in on their own feet.

A natural smile spread across Lawier’s face.

***

“Thank you for coming such a long way. I am Lawier, Emperor of Aman.”

“I am Natasha, Princess of the Elf Kingdom. This is my husband, Sir Oberon.”

The answer was husband. That meant they were a married couple, and it meant that Lawier would be taking in an Elf couple that was hard to find anywhere, and even a Princess couple, as slaves.

“I don’t know what brought you to human lands, but let’s go inside and talk over a meal.”

When the emperor came out quite humbly, Natasha also nodded.

Natasha took Oberon’s hand and stepped into the Imperial Palace.

Unlike the relatively simply decorated Elven territory, the Imperial Palace was the epitome of splendor.

The golden ornaments and wooden furniture placed throughout the palace boasted enough majesty to overwhelm Natasha and Oberon’s gaze.

‘……It’s lavish.’

It was like a space designed to completely overwhelm the hearts of those who entered.

“The meal will be ready soon. I don’t suppose Elves can’t eat meat, can they?”

“Ah……it’s okay. That custom disappeared hundreds of years ago.”

“That’s right. I only ate vegetables when I was very young, but now I enjoy eating meat.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Lawier smiled at Natasha’s answer.

“Fortunately, it seems like I will be able to feed you without problems……”

“Pardon? What did you just say?”

“No, it was just that the meal would be coming out soon.”

She thought she had heard something strange, but Natasha just brushed it off as a misunderstanding.

A little later, food came out in succession, filling the table to the point where the table legs would break.

“……Isn’t this too much?”

“That’s right. We are just……”

Because they had come to borrow troops, they had no choice but to put down their pride and come in a humble manner.

But when they received such great hospitality, it was very difficult to bring up the topic.

“Too much? You are precious beings that we would be lucky to see even once in our lives. This is just a light reception.”

“……I understand.”

“More than that, could you tell me what brought you all the way here?”

Lawier asked, expertly cutting the meat. His smile held an unknown composure and mockery.

Inwardly, Natasha felt an uneasiness settling in one corner of her heart.

What would happen if she failed to borrow troops?

What about the future of the Elves?

Perhaps……

It was when this uneasiness was gradually consuming her body. Her husband, Oberon, asked Lawier.

“The Elves are currently at war with the Orcs.”

“Oh dear, I didn’t know that.”

“For that reason, we want to receive help from humans. I remember that humans also received help from our Elves in the past. Now it’s your turn to repay that favor.”

Lawier barely managed to hold back the corners of his lips from rising as he listened to Oberon’s words.

It had already been hundreds of years since humans had received help from Elves.

In the first place, those who received help back then were not them. They were not their ancestors, but just one of the ancestors of another country that had already been destroyed.

They were demanding that they repay the favor for something that had nothing to do with them, just because they were the same humans.

‘……How amusing. They are like pointy-eared fools who don’t even know properly about human society.’

If they had even a little understanding of human society, they would know how ridiculous their demands were.

No one tries to repay the help that someone else received, instead of themselves. It was a very simple and obvious fact.

But for now, he had to let them think that they were the superiors, as if they were the victors.

Originally, a bird that flies high falls harder when it falls.

If an Elf is that arrogant, something is bound to break when they fall.

That was what Lawier wanted.

The sight of them falling the most painfully, suffering desperately, and finally wailing.

It was a sight that no woman had ever shown him.

To do that, he needed Natasha, the perfect slave, and her husband, the audience.

An audience who would enjoy watching his wife slowly fall into despair.

“I understand. Let’s talk more about the military after we finish eating.”

Their expressions brightened at Lawier’s answer.