Ch.23Crossroads

# 23. Crossroads

I set my goal and determined my direction. All that’s left is to walk straight ahead.

With the immediate headache gone, I brought back to the surface something I had worried about before but had been pushed down in my priorities.

It wasn’t that I particularly enjoyed creating problems for myself, but as a raid leader, I needed to see the forest, not just focus on individual trees.

‘What was the purpose of whoever dropped me here? Just entertainment for the gods, something like that?’

Or maybe it’s like a brain in a vat within a vat within a brain.

Or perhaps the process of climbing the tower itself is part of some grand ritual.

Or maybe there’s nothing like that, and Menshima was just pissed off and wanted to mess with me.

‘There seems to be some pattern to it.’

*** Not a classic, but what could it be?

“Unni. Come to think of it, there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

“How many confessions have you received?”

“What? Hey! Why are you asking something like that?”

I’m not just sitting here by myself because I feel awkward interrupting their conversation. Really, I’m not.

“Oh, come on~ This is what people talk about. Should I go first? I’ve barely received any!”

“No way, Yuri? As pretty as you are?”

“Pfft! Well, that’s true.”

Seax, true to herself, confidently agrees. I didn’t want to deny it either.

Because she is pretty, after all.

I had already stopped my contemplation and was now eavesdropping on their conversation in a somewhat creepy way, pretending to be deep in thought.

Of course, I’m keeping watch as the raid leader, so feel free to continue talking!

“Apparently I look scary? They say I look like I’d beat someone up saying ‘Who do you think you are?’ if they confessed to me. I did receive a lot of chocolates, snacks, and candies during school, but those rarely led to actual confessions.”

“‘Rarely’ means it wasn’t completely nonexistent, right?”

“Of course there were some! Having absolutely none would be frustrating in its own way!”

If she shortened her school uniform and stood with one leg crossed, she’d look exactly like a delinquent girl.

Still, brave souls exist everywhere, I guess. Yes, that’s how heroes win beautiful women.

“So? What happened?”

“Unfortunately, he was shorter than me. I’ve always preferred guys who are at least taller than me, both then and now, so I just turned him down simply.”

“Heh, how tall are you, Yuri?”

“Now I’m about 173, 174 cm? Back then I was probably already 170.”

That’s almost average male height, Seax…

Due to women’s physical structure, at the same height they appear taller than men, and Seax, who clearly has good proportions, gives the impression of being close to 180 cm.

“Aren’t you popular now too?”

“Nah, after lectures I go to the gym, study a bit, play games, and then sleep—that’s my whole day. I never go to gatherings except for orientation and welcome parties, so there’s no opportunity for that.”

And dating would cut into my gaming time—Seax added with a mischievous smile before asking:

“Now! It’s your turn, unni!”

“…Huh?”

“I was honest with you! You can’t back out now, right? Right?”

That’s right!

Seax is right! When else would I get to hear this kind of story!

Cutjukyeora made a troubled expression, but when Seax kept pestering her, she finally gave in and opened her mouth.

“I don’t remember all of them…”

“Wow. You don’t remember all of them? Wow~ How many did you receive?”

“Yuri, if you’re making fun of me, I won’t tell you.”

“Okay, okay! My lips are sealed!”

Seax playfully mimicked zipping her lips.

“Hmm, I think it was more than ten.”

“I knew it! I knew you would—”

“On average.”

“On average…?”

Seax closed her mouth at this unusual and overwhelming scale for an answer about the number of confessions received. I was already silent, so it didn’t show, but I was also shocked.

‘I expected it would be a lot, but that much?’

Cutjukyeora’s face had turned quite red.

“My parents were quite strict and focused a lot on my grades, so dating wasn’t even a dream for me. I did want to date out of rebellion, but it seemed strange to go out with a guy I didn’t even like just for that reason.”

“Right. That would be unfair to the guy too.”

“Yeah. So I rejected them all, and then some not-so-nice rumors started going around. Ahaha.”

The confession stories from the two beauties ended with a somewhat bitter taste. By then, we had already passed the crossroads and were on the path to Albrant.

The terrain, which had been an open plain for a while, was gradually changing back into forest. The conversation I thought had ended resumed.

With me as the target.

“Wait a minute, I just realized the raid leader conveniently avoided this topic. Don’t you think, unni?”

“You’re right. He was about to slip away after just listening to our stories?”

No, I wasn’t? I didn’t bring up the topic first, and I never jumped in or out of the conversation?

My silent protest was thoroughly ignored. They persistently questioned me. But I betrayed their expectations.

“All-boys middle school, all-boys high school, military, engineering college… So that tech tree actually exists in real life? Not just an incel meme?”

“Hey! No comments that hurt countless men across the country!”

“But… what about, you know, work! You work at a company. There must be lots of women there.”

Alas, Seax.

There’s no rosy story like you’re hoping for.

If I told you why I’m so careful around women, why I don’t even have expectations, it wouldn’t be interesting at all.

But since they showed no signs of giving up until they heard my story, just as I was about to open my mouth to give them a taste of the bitterness of working life—

Tatatata—

The sound of rustling leaves and light footsteps reached our ears.

Seax had already raised her axe and was staring ahead, while Cutjukyeora and I immediately pointed our weapons and surveyed our surroundings. We looked like a proper adventurer party for once.

But contrary to our expectations, the source of the sound wasn’t a monster.

“Haa- haa- haak-“

“…An elf?”

“Help… me…!”

Thud-

The elf fainted after just one plea for help, leaving us completely bewildered by the situation.

‘There weren’t any quests in Kairend Plains?’

But a game is a game, and the Tower is the Tower.

Quick assessment and appropriate commands are the virtues of a raid leader.

I gave instructions to my confused raid members.

“Someone running away this desperately means there are pursuers. Let’s take defensive positions and observe the situation.”

“For an elf who normally hates even speaking to other races to ask for help, no matter how urgent the situation, definitely suggests this isn’t normal, right?”

“What about just ignoring this and continuing on our way?”

I was momentarily tempted by Seax’s suggestion but shook my head. We were already on our way to Albrant, and this elf was coming from the direction of Albrant.

In other words, even if we ignored this and continued, we’d likely encounter whatever was chasing this elf.

Better to use this elf to our advantage than to suddenly meet something unknown.

Seax nodded at my explanation and took position in front of the collapsed elf. Cutjukyeora also prepared herself fully, and soon several figures approached from the distance.

They, specifically three individuals, were also elves.

They frowned at the sight of the collapsed elf, then clicked their tongues openly when they saw us.

As we stood our ground without saying anything, the elf in the center stepped forward and spoke.

“Humans. Whatever you’re doing, if you don’t intend to protect that elf, step aside.”

“Elves. I don’t know what you’re doing and I don’t care to know, but this elf asked us for help, so could you at least briefly explain what’s going on?”

“What did you say?”

Elves.

A race associated with various images: the race of beauty, longevity, passive skills in archery and spirit magic, tree-loving vegetarians, and so on.

The game didn’t deviate much from these tropes, but there were some annoying aspects: their elven supremacism or chosen people mentality, and their strict adherence to principles (basically, they were uptight jerks).

Of course, as with any group, there were exceptions, but the three before us seemed to be typical elves.

“You dare interfere in elven affairs? Despite being an inferior race, we showed mercy. I won’t say it again. Step aside.”

‘What should I do?’

It was better to stand firm against these guys. If you yield once, they make you keep yielding and act like it’s only natural, which is incredibly infuriating.

Standing firm is also annoying in its own way, but at least it increases the chances of getting what we want.

“You don’t want bloodshed near your sacred land either, right? If you’re a superior race, wouldn’t it be more sophisticated to prioritize dialogue over violence?”

“Silence your impudent tongue, inferior one.”

“Just tell us briefly what’s going on. Then we’ll leave.”

If this were a game, messages like (The elf before you seems enraged) or (The elf before you seems to be contemplating) would have appeared.

In reality, my words weren’t baseless bluffing. Elves truly despised bloodshed near their territory of Albrant.

If someone invaded, they would eliminate the intruder without hesitation, but this wasn’t such a situation.

So now that elf was probably conflicted between “Should I listen to this inferior human?” and “As annoying as it is, this inferior human has a point.”

‘Damn it, can’t you decide faster?’

Despite my confident exterior, cold sweat was running down my back. These guys only avoided bloodshed; they were experts at killing without spilling blood.

We might have to fight if things went wrong.

Gulp-

I wonder who made that sound.

The elf responded with perfect timing.

“That elf violated our rules and refused punishment, becoming a fugitive. Satisfied?”

Ah.

A moment of clarity.

[Quest ‘Fugitive’ has been updated.]

[Quest Content – Decide your attitude toward the elven fugitive]

[1. Protect them.]

[2. Abandon them.]

The quest message finally appeared as we were about to cross the entirety of Kairend Plains.