Ch.106Insurance (2)

Though only moonlight illuminated the bedroom, Gartz quickly assessed the dark elf who had appeared without warning.

Demons naturally possess the ability to penetrate darkness, so this level of blackness posed no problem.

Unlike the childish Rain, she displayed a mature figure without restraint, with white hair and golden eyes that contrasted strikingly against her tanned skin.

Finally, her partially severed ear was adorned with earrings.

According to rumors, dark elves had a custom of wearing earrings at certain ages. While Rain’s ears were bare, the woman before him wore exactly three earrings.

Unlike Rain, she was likely a trained warrior. The way she had approached undetected, fooling both magic and senses, meant she was no easy opponent.

“…You’d better remove that hand.”

After a blood-chilling standoff, the woman spoke coldly, pressing her dagger closer. Her husky, low-toned voice indirectly revealed her maturity as an adult.

Additionally, her gleaming golden eyes contained intense hostility. If Issac’s eyes sparkled brightly, Cyris’s eyes glowed threateningly like a predator’s.

But Gartz didn’t flinch even as the dagger moved closer to his neck. Instead, he smirked and spoke with disbelief.

“You dark elves all have strange hobbies. One steals things, and another just watches.”

“…”

“Th-that voice… Cyris? Sister Cyris?”

Rain, still pinned down by Gartz, squirmed and asked urgently. Apparently, the newly appeared dark elf’s name was Cyris.

And since Rain recognized her, they must be acquainted. Gartz considered their relationship briefly but moved on as it wasn’t important now.

What mattered was how to handle Rain and prepare for contingencies. With Cyris’s appearance, he preferred to avoid combat if possible.

‘The manuscript must not be damaged.’

Having confirmed it was the Biography of Xenon manuscript, he couldn’t allow even the slightest damage. For demons, it was beyond a national treasure—something to be protected across generations.

To achieve this, he needed to understand Cyris’s objective and decide Rain’s fate. Gartz pressed harder on Rain’s throat.

“Ugh…!”

“…If you don’t release her immediately, you won’t like what happens.”

Apparently, Cyris had a close connection to Rain. As soon as Gartz applied more pressure, Cyris’s killing intent began to seep out.

Despite the terrifying murderous intent beyond mere hostility, Gartz maintained his composure. Though he appeared disadvantaged, he clearly held the upper hand.

Above all, if his throat were cut, Rain’s fragile neck would snap helplessly. Exchanging lives would be fine since Cecilly was already aware of everything and could handle the aftermath.

Though a major war might erupt between dark elves and demons, he was a Reaper protecting Helium. He was willing to sacrifice his life.

“You don’t seem to understand who holds the knife handle here. If you remove that blade from my neck, I might consider letting her go.”

“…”

“And can’t you assess the situation? This brat committed a wrong, and I restrained her to prevent it. Isn’t that self-defense?”

As Gartz pointed out the facts one by one, Cyris furrowed her brow. Every point was valid, leaving her unable to refute.

This incident clearly resulted from Rain trespassing into someone else’s mansion. Even with bias, this was a fact Cyris couldn’t deny.

“Above all, do you know what this brat was trying to steal? Surely you’re not going to claim ignorance.”

“…”

“I’ll take your silence as confirmation. As you know, this is like a divine blessing bestowed upon us demons. The crime of attempting to steal it deserves death.”

“I-I wasn’t trying to steal it! I really just wanted to check…! Ack!”

Rain pleaded her innocence, but Gartz responded by pressing on her neck.

Looking down at Rain with cold eyes, he spoke in a chilling voice.

“Nonsense should be limited enough to be received as nonsense. Even if that were true, your actions are absolutely unforgivable. What you were attempting is equivalent to declaring war on our Helium. Besides, you previously stole the manuscript of Volume 1, so we have good justification.”

“Th-that was… to please the Queen…”

“Like a true child, you know one thing but not another. Dark elf education must be quite something.”

“…”

Despite the continued factual bombardment, Cyris offered no rebuttal. More precisely, she couldn’t.

Rain had stolen the manuscript with purely good intentions, and when things went awry, she worked to return it.

Until then, Cyris hadn’t intervened and simply watched. Though the method was wrong, her attempt to take “responsibility” was somewhat commendable.

And if Rain had tried to steal the manuscript, she would have stopped her immediately. Last time ended with a light punishment, but this time would have resulted in “severe punishment” had she committed another wrong.

Fortunately, it seemed Rain hadn’t intended to steal the manuscript, but the situation had become hopelessly complicated. The high-level security magic specifically in this room had been suspicious from the start, but it was too late now.

In this situation, Cyris had only one option. She looked at Rain pinned to the floor with a complicated expression, then slowly withdrew her dagger.

“…What do you want?”

“Now we’re talking.”

The initiative had completely shifted. Gartz slightly raised the corner of his mouth hidden behind his mask.

Then he gently released the pressure on Rain’s neck and spoke to Cyris.

“As much as I’d like to take this immature brat’s life…”

“That’s absolutely out of the question.”

“Yes. That’s what I expected.”

Gartz accepted this nonchalantly, as if he had anticipated it. This only made Cyris more anxious.

Rain was the connection to the Elf Queen, Arwen. Arwen was working to accept the previously ostracized dark elves, with becoming Rain’s guardian as the first step.

But looking at the current situation, that step was already faltering. And due to Rain’s fault, not Arwen’s.

Though their homeland had abandoned them, dark elves still harbored feelings for it. If they couldn’t return to Alfheim during Arwen’s reign, they might have to wait until the next generation.

[What should we do, Princess?]

[Hmm…]

While Cyris was internally anxious, Gartz had been reporting the entire situation to Cecilly via telepathy throughout his conversation with Cyris.

Cecilly, after briefly focusing on the performance, approached the situation seriously as it grew more complex. The highlight of highlights was coming soon, but the treatment of the dark elves was more important.

[Even a child must be held accountable for wrongdoing. If you don’t want to hold the child responsible, return her to the adults.]

[But they’re dark elves, Your Highness. They might harbor resentment.]

[Our response depends on where that resentment is directed. If it’s toward our benefactor, we’ll spread everything, hiding nothing. Then… well, you know?]

Cecilly didn’t finish her sentence, but Gartz understood what she meant.

Currently, the Biography of Xenon was causing worldwide sensation even though it wasn’t complete. A hiatus alone caused nationwide protests, so what if the culprit behind the manuscript theft was revealed?

Alfheim would face tremendous diplomatic pressure, and if today’s events were also revealed, war could break out. Of course, Issac could stop the war if he asked, but that indicated the gravity of the situation.

Gartz, understanding Cecilly’s intention, glared at Cyris. Though Cyris maintained her cold expression, a hint of anxiety had crept into her golden eyes.

“What we want is simple. If you don’t want to sacrifice this girl’s life, show us something equivalent in return. Surely you’re not going to be shameless after committing a wrong?”

“…”

“Tell your Queen this: When all performances end and we return to Helium, come to Helium with this child. We won’t accept apologies from the Queen. Apologies should be directed to our benefactor, not us. You just need to take responsibility.”

In reality, even if Arwen knelt and apologized to Cecilly, it would mean little. They were merely protecting the manuscript; Issac was the one who nearly suffered harm.

Therefore, this was essentially a threatening deal. If Arwen and the dark elves severely punished Rain, the matter would be forgotten; if not, they would tell Issac everything.

If that happened… the outcome was predictable. It would nearly lead to war, causing Alfheim significant diplomatic damage and potentially ruining relations with the dark elves.

Cyris wanted to prevent that above all. But another problem arose.

‘This means Rain will…’

Just as laws exist in Alfheim, “disciplines” exist among dark elves. Minor issues might result in fasting for days or other punishments, but this was a matter affecting the fate of their race.

And not only Rain but also Arwen would suffer greatly. Arwen had been somewhat lenient with Rain due to her mission to unite with the dark elves, but now the worst-case scenario had occurred.

Within dark elf society, Rain would need to rot in prison for at least several hundred years, and Arwen would need to exile Rain to atone for the sin.

[Accept the proposal.]

“?!”

As Cyris was biting her hidden lips in anguish, Arwen, who had been watching the situation through magic, sent her a telepathic message.

Cyris was startled by Arwen’s sudden voice, and then surprised again by her tired-sounding permission.

[Y-Your Majesty? Since when…]

[I used magic to check when you and Rain didn’t return for a long time… I never imagined the manuscript would actually be in this domain. It’s my oversight.]

For Arwen, it was a series of shocks. First, learning that Issac was the author of the Biography of Xenon, and second, that Rain had infiltrated to verify the manuscript.

She intervened to calm the situation, but a terrible storm would follow. It was better to quickly resolve the situation and leave.

[B-but…]

[No. This is a mistake made by Rain and me. I’ll prepare to return to Alfheim immediately, so bring Rain back as quickly as possible.]

[…Understood.]

Arwen seemed to have made her decision. Cyris completely withdrew her dagger and looked at Gartz.

“…I accept your proposal.”

“A wise decision.”

*Press*

As Cyris made her decision, Gartz completely released his grip on Rain’s neck. Of course, he didn’t forget to press his thumb against the back of her neck.

It wasn’t a wiretapping spell, but Helium’s coordinates for future contact. Therefore, Arwen would need to bring Rain when coming to Helium.

“S-sister…”

As soon as Rain was free, she ran to Cyris with tears in her eyes and clung to her arm. Cyris looked at Rain’s glistening eyes, filled with fear, with a complicated expression.

Would she understand the pain awaiting her? Even as a child, she had essentially activated an item capable of mass destruction magic, and discipline awaited her to atone for that sin.

Cyris gently stroked Rain’s wheat-colored hair, then looked at Gartz and spoke in her characteristically low, husky voice.

“…I’ll keep the promise. When?”

“The Princess said exactly one week from now. Until then, punish that brat and let us know.”

“…Understood.”

“Now get out. And it would be best not to set foot here again. Next time, I’ll take your life immediately.”

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

At Gartz’s dismissal, Cyris slowly backed away with Rain. Eventually, they blended perfectly into the darkness beyond the moonlight and completely disappeared.

Unlike Rain, her stealth was perfect, undetectable even by detection magic. Gartz inwardly marveled at the dark elf’s formidable abilities.

[Phew… it’s all over.]

[Good work. Now clean up and come back.]

After making his final report to Cecilly, Gartz received her encouragement. As he pondered something deeply, a question occurred to him.

[If I may ask, how is the performance going?]

[Hm? It’s already over.]

[…]

[You should have seen it—it was such a shame you missed it. The choir sang at the end, and it sent chills down my spine. I’d like to see it again.]

I should have killed those black-eared bastards. Gartz gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger.

But he controlled his rage through practiced restraint. Then he bent down to organize the scattered manuscript on the floor.

‘Fortunately, it’s not crumpled. Still, I should use restoration magic just in case…’

Gartz paused while organizing the manuscript. If this was truly where the Biography of Xenon was written, wouldn’t there be unpublished manuscripts as well?

Although Issac had decided to take a hiatus, he might have written other books, like the published side story.

‘…No. I must resist.’

An ordinary person might have searched for manuscripts, but Gartz was a demon—a Reaper member with unparalleled patience. He strongly suppressed his desire to search for manuscripts and shook his head.

The priority now was to carefully place the nearly ruined manuscript in the desk drawer. The new volume would be released within a few years anyway, so he just needed to wait patiently.

‘Still, securing it with just a lock seems insufficient… I should suggest something to the Princess.’

There was no guarantee that today’s incident wouldn’t happen again. Moreover, people were beginning to discover Issac’s identity.

Having faced this issue directly, Gartz couldn’t help feeling slightly anxious. He returned the manuscript to its original position, securely locked it, and stood up.

*Bang!*

“Ack!”

Perhaps due to rising too quickly, Gartz hit his head on the corner of the desk and let out a sharp scream.

Even with a demon’s superior physical abilities, getting hit by a desk corner was unavoidable.

Fortunately, he had already cast a soundproofing spell, so the knights outside didn’t hear him, but he groaned in pain for a while.

“Ugh… how annoying…”

It was an unlucky day for Gartz.