Ch.135135. Spring Outing (3)

The woman before me was someone I had met before. But having a mere acquaintance with her didn’t mean I felt any gladness at seeing her.

I slowly took in her appearance.

A woman with teal eyes and golden hair. Her beauty possessed an elegance that transcended race.

And indeed, she openly displayed her long ears, revealing that she was different from humans.

Friel Arielt.

She was none other than an elf from the Great Forest.

‘…Why on earth is an elf here?’

The elves of this world are a reclusive race.

Settled in the Great Forest between the Kingdom and the Empire, they rarely show their faces in human society.

At most, they only attend significant events like the First Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony or the Emperor’s coronation in the Empire. They live leisurely in their own territory, as if the affairs of short-lived races are none of their concern.

This would be no different for Friel Arielt. After all, she too is just an elf…

The relationship Friel wanted with me was that of master and servant.

Or more precisely, I remember she wanted to treat me like a pretty object or pet.

No matter how strong an elf’s greed might be, they wouldn’t leave the World Tree just to acquire a mere pet.

My thoughts grew deeper.

Nevertheless, I nodded briefly in response to her greeting and asked a question.

“…How did you identify us?”

After seeing the plum blossoms, we had returned to town with our robes concealing our identities again.

It would be quite difficult to find us without exceptional insight.

“Hmm.”

Clearly, Siabel was also interested in the subtle distance between me, Sione, and Friel, as well as her insight.

Even if that weren’t the case, Siabel was staring at the elf’s ears with feigned indifference, as if seeing an elf for the first time.

Friel glanced briefly at Siabel’s demeanor before answering.

“I’ve always had good intuition since childhood… and Ray, the scent emanating from you has grown stronger.”

Friel’s artificial smile deepened. Then her great interest melted into her gaze and washed over me.

‘Tsk…’

It was a natural reaction.

The elven race itself is quite unique in that they can detect the scent of spirits.

My spiritual energy had become more pure, and the skills I could manifest through it had also increased.

My spiritual energy tickled the nose, mixed with the gentle breeze.

The fresh wind and the humble scent of burning firewood.

It wasn’t strange that an elf who detected this fragrance would ignite curiosity about me.

So while it wasn’t strange that she took interest in me… I just found this situation quite annoying.

‘This is troublesome.’

Friel had already boldly told me to join her side during a morning walk on an empty path.

If anything, she was showing even more interest than that day.

Though she wasn’t openly displaying her greed due to the crowd around us, it was obvious without seeing that she was currently floundering in intense desire.

If I weren’t sticking close to Sione, Friel would surely approach me and spout more nonsense.

‘She should be stuck in the Great Forest. Why come all the way to the county to do this?’

While I was inwardly disparaging her burdensome interest, I noticed Sione’s reaction.

Flinch.

“…Scent?”

At Friel’s mention of the scent growing stronger from me, Sione’s body briefly trembled.

Sione’s tone as she whispered the word was cold.

Though spring had arrived and the bitter cold had supposedly returned north with Aria, a bone-chilling coldness still remained in Sione’s small voice.

Unless those pointed ears were mere decorations, Friel must have heard Sione’s cold whisper.

Yet she smiled kindly as if nothing was wrong and said:

“There are many watching eyes here… it would be difficult to remove your hoods. Come, shall we go inside the church and talk for a moment?”

“Let’s… have a conversation.”

Unlike when she was chatting and playing with me and Sione, Siabel—like Ainel when handling business in her office—

Stripped of emotion, leaving only cold reason, she was the first to accept Friel’s question.

Siabel pushed back her hood and slowly entered the cathedral, with Sione and me following behind.

Meanwhile, my mind was racing to make sense of this sudden situation.

Why an elf was here.

‘An elf, and according to Ainel, the Arielt family is—’

…surely one of the three families recognized by the High Elves.

A family not only entrusted with the important duty of protecting and managing the World Tree, but also having the authority to share the blessing of spirits with the High Elves.

‘…There must be some circumstance.’

For a daughter of such a family to come all the way from the easternmost part of the kingdom to the westernmost.

Those high-and-mighty pointy-ears who only ever live in forests where the World Tree’s roots reach.

And for one of the even more distinguished pointy-ears to leave their sanctuary and come all this way…

It surely meant there was some important business that required the personal attendance of such a high-ranking individual.

‘I don’t know what duty brought her here.’

But I could tell it was certainly not trivial.

Siabel and Friel, who had entered the church first, conversed.

After exchanging names and gauging each other’s approximate social positions, once the conversation had opened up sufficiently,

Siabel, whose face had been numbly expressionless, showed puzzlement.

“The county received no notice that someone from the Great Forest, especially an elf from the trusted Arielt family, would be visiting… Had you sent word, you could have entered our territory with a proper welcome. If it’s not impertinent, may I ask why you came to our territory without any prior notice?”

The elf was an unexpected guest.

Also not someone you’d meet without any connection in front of the territory’s church.

“The reason I came to the territory without notice… is quite a serious matter that I’d like to discuss at length with the head of House Sianella. Siabel, my lady? Could you perhaps accommodate that?”

However, Friel avoided giving us that answer, and Siabel quietly exchanged glances with Friel Arielt.

In Friel’s teal eyes, the image of blue pupils was captured. Conversely, in Siabel’s blue eyes, the image of teal pupils was captured.

For the two of them, peering into each other’s depths was a faster method of confirmation than speaking.

The two exchanged glances, sharing either trivial or quite official conversations.

During this, Siabel glanced briefly at Sione and me, then asked Friel:

“You seemed to know my sister and Ray…”

At Siabel’s uncharacteristically trailing question, Friel Arielt finally smiled brightly as if the awaited topic had arrived.

“How could I not? On the day of the Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony, Lady Sione and—”

Friel tilted her head slightly and met Sione’s eyes.

At that momentary meeting, Sione’s expression grew cold.

“I personally saw a brave knight protecting the Princess from closer than anyone else against the ruffians who dared to attack.”

Friel, who had been staring intently at me after looking at Sione, began to elegantly brush back her golden hair.

“The loyalty that shone from both of you was so bright that it momentarily captivated my attention.”

Friel’s smile as she said this was directed at me.

“On my way to the territory, I heard news. They say Lady Sione has overcome a wall as an archer… congratulations.”

“…Thank you.”

Sione slightly raised the corners of her mouth at Friel’s words. However, her eyes didn’t smile and coldly regarded Friel.

Sione, usually like an adorable puppy, was uncharacteristically sensitive like a finicky cat.

A few pats on her head would normally calm her down, but given the atmosphere, I couldn’t place my hand on her head.

I could only quietly observe Friel skillfully handling the situation and Sione spreading subtle tension.

Friel nodded to Sione with a refreshing smile.

“Moreover—”

Her teal eyes rolled to embrace me.

“I’ve heard so much about the knight?”

“……”

“A man who can handle magic… and who caught a demon with just a single arrow…”

Friel smiled as freshly as a budding sprout, just as she had shown Sione.

“So… I thought you were a loyal knight-like person. But on second thought, ‘prince from a fairy tale’ might be more fitting. You’re truly impressive.”

But I found her smile more artificial than anything else, so far from being captivated by the elf’s smile that was renowned for its beauty, I only felt increasing aversion.

And as soon as those words ended, a priest from inside the church began approaching us.

A silver-haired man. Sion Sianella.

Seeing him approach, Friel shrugged and continued speaking.

“I’d like to talk separately with the lady and Sir Ray sometime. It seems quite some time has passed… my colleagues who came with me to the county must be waiting for me. I should go now.”

“May I ask when you plan to visit the count’s residence?”

“I was thinking of visiting this evening, would that be alright?”

“I’ll speak to my mother separately. Our county… will welcome House Arielt.”

* * *

Sion joined us, and Friel Arielt left the church.

In the short time that had passed, Sione clearly felt something weighing on her mind.

Frustration and slight anxiety.

All these minor negative thoughts stemmed from what had happened last autumn.

The scenes she witnessed when she left the lodging because Ray’s return from his private audience with the Princess was excessively delayed.

Ray standing unnecessarily close to Friel Arielt.

His coldly frozen expression and Friel Arielt’s eyes filled with possessiveness.

That possessiveness, so intense it was ugly, was too blatant to match the elves widely known for their purity and flawlessness.

And that possessiveness was directed at none other than Ray.

—I’m sorry… but I have absolutely no intention of becoming yours, Lady Friel.

She didn’t like it.

The very fact that someone else coveted what had finally become wholly hers.

That’s why, while Sion and Sister Siabel were exchanging greetings,

I left the church on the pretext of getting some fresh air and seeing Friel off.

Pulling my hood down deeply to cover my hair, I approached Friel.

She faced me as if she had expected this.

“Lady Friel. I haven’t forgotten what happened in autumn.”

Friel stroked her chin and tilted her head.

“What happened in autumn?”

The elf was smiling.

“Today, I noticed your gaze was particularly fixed on Ray. So I thought I’d have a word with you while seeing you off.”

“……”

“I’d like you to stop coveting Ray. He is—”

My current attitude. My voice shooting straight at her with a blunt tone, it might seem a bit rude…

But didn’t Friel first commit an extremely rude act toward me last autumn?

That’s why I continued my words without hesitation.

“My possession. A slave solely belonging to me.”