Ch.30Dark Elf Mercenary Red Hood #1

After a raucous initiation ceremony, we returned to the domain only to receive a severe reprimand from Ise Krauser.

It was only natural, considering we had picked a fight with another duke immediately after becoming one ourselves.

Just because the other side provoked us first doesn’t justify our declaration of war. It was clearly wrong—profoundly wrong.

Moreover, Ise seemed incredulous that Helena, who had always maintained a flawless and composed demeanor, was the main culprit.

Helena’s mind is ill.

Though her condition hasn’t worsened, it hasn’t been cured either, and she displays these tendencies uninhibitedly whenever triggered.

I had known this all along and could only sigh and accept it, but Ise couldn’t do the same.

He had only seen Helena’s personable side and knew nothing of the madness she harbored within.

Nevertheless, Ise eventually accepted the situation.

After all, he had already formally passed on the title of duke, and he couldn’t reverse a decision that had already been officially certified.

Besides, one never knew what the other party might demand in compensation if we expressed any regret.

Above all,

“Father, I… I simply cannot forgive that woman.”

Perhaps Helena’s first revelation of her true face behind the mask had been a great shock to Ise.

In any case, the root cause of this escalation lies with me.

Had I recognized Agnes’s face, I would have fled the moment I encountered her in the rose garden, potentially avoiding this troublesome situation.

But since I didn’t, we ended up in this predicament, and I belatedly familiarized myself with the nobles’ profiles to gauge whom I should avoid in advance.

They say humans only regret after things go wrong, and I was the perfect example of that.

“Ah.”

Once you mount a tiger, you must remain vigilant until it stops moving.

While pondering what I could do during the remaining time, a lightning-like thought flashed through my mind.

“Helena.”

“Hmm…? What is it?”

Helena was resting after completing a training session in the Krauser backyard that was twice as intense as usual.

She looked at me while exhaling slightly labored breaths.

The sharp atmosphere around her, which seemed capable of cutting one’s hand with the slightest touch, was an added bonus.

“I’m planning to visit Bluenail.”

At that moment, I felt the air in the backyard rapidly grow cold.

She clearly found it difficult to accept the idea of visiting the Bluenail Kingdom, which was not only in the midst of civil war but also quite distant.

Helena, who had already been as sharp as a honed blade, emanated an even more intense killing intent upon hearing my words.

“Why? For what reason?”

“To bring back Ellen Redhood from there.”

Some might think this is a crazy idea, but I believed that the current situation actually provided a good justification for bringing Ellen here.

With over half a century of mercenary experience and her notorious reputation, combined with her innate elven powers, she could surely secure victory for us.

Additionally, I could gain the advantage of observing one of the key figures in the collapse—if things went well.

“Ellen… Redhood? That dark elf woman? Why? For what reason? Do you perhaps like that type? What about me? What about me?”

Ellen’s notoriety is quite well-known across the continent.

Helena was already somewhat familiar with this information, which is why she approached me muttering in an eerily damp voice.

Her tilted head, the light fading from her eyes, the incessant “why” flowing from her lips, and the chilling air that seemed to press down on my shoulders—everything was the embodiment of terror.

If I didn’t have nerves of steel, I might have backed away long ago.

Inwardly sighing, I calmed myself further before grabbing both of Helena’s wrists as she drew close enough for our noses to touch.

Then I spun around and pushed her against the dense tree shade.

“Ji—mmph!”

I blocked Helena’s lips as she tried to call my name and forcefully kissed her.

It was a fierce kiss, like that night, intense enough to ignite a fire at any moment. It was so passionate that it left us both breathless.

“Mmm… chu…”

Despite the sudden ambush, Helena eagerly intertwined her tongue with mine as if she had been waiting for it. The wet sounds assaulted my ears.

Light gradually returned to her eyes, half-closed and trembling at the corners, and her cheeks flushed increasingly red from the heat of our kiss.

“Haah…!”

After a considerable time spent in this endeavor, I finally pulled away, involuntarily taking a deep breath. Helena did the same.

As our lips parted, I could see a transparent thread connecting them.

“Does this make it clear how I feel about you, Helena?”

“…Yes.”

Though it was something I did in a somewhat forceful atmosphere, it was effective.

I had tried what I considered a drastic remedy, and it seemed to have worked smoothly without awkwardness. Otherwise, Helena wouldn’t have softened up this much.

I decided to maintain this momentum and, with my forehead pressed against Helena’s, slowly and carefully separated my lips from hers.

Having gained the upper hand with the kiss, it was time to conclude matters.

“Helena, if I had acted more wisely, none of this would have happened. I deeply regret that.”

I believe I did my best when I first met Agnes and dealt with the situation.

But doing one’s best doesn’t always yield good results. Sometimes, like now, it can cause flames to rise uncontrollably high.

It may not be my place to say this, but everyone makes mistakes.

Just as I did, or as anyone else might, we all make mistakes.

The difference may lie in whether they can be undone or not, but mistakes always follow people around.

It might be self-justification, but I had no intention of stopping at mere rationalization.

And in this case, the aftermath wasn’t completely impossible to manage.

The duel hadn’t taken place yet, and we had ample time.

So I wanted to help by recruiting a powerful fighter I knew.

Moreover, I had anticipated this outcome from the moment I fell into the ant lion’s pit. So I couldn’t just sit idly by.

“Jion, that’s not your fault…”

“No, it is my fault. Although I believe I did the best I could… the result is as you see.”

Helena closed her mouth as she looked at my dejected appearance.

Now that her calmness had returned, she could think normally, and it would be difficult for her to deny that my words weren’t entirely wrong.

“The duel has already been established, and it can’t be canceled now. So… at least allow me to help ensure victory in the duel.”

“But…”

“Helena, I want to be a man who isn’t ashamed to stand by your side. As much as you’ve called me your fiancé, I want to confirm to myself that I can at least help you.”

I tightened my grip on her wrists and brought my face even closer, our noses touching.

We were close enough for our breaths to mingle and become one. I also put strength into my voice to show that my determination wouldn’t waver.

It seemed to have an effect, as Helena asked with a subdued expression, as if frightened:

“Still… you don’t need to go that far, do you?”

“I do. I absolutely need to. Even if it’s just for me to forgive myself. For my own sake.”

If it had been the Helena of the past, or if I hadn’t grown to some extent, things might not have flowed this way.

No, there wouldn’t have been room for such incidents in that period. After all, we were staying within the Krauser duchy then.

But time passes, and people grow and venture outside. It’s because we went out that we collided with others, leading to today’s situation.

And since I was the one who caused that collision, I had to take responsibility.

Even if realistically I couldn’t bear all the responsibility, I still had to.

Also, though I didn’t mention it now… I was thinking of revealing my true feelings to Helena upon my return.

“…If you insist so strongly, I have no choice. You won’t listen no matter how much I try to stop you, will you?”

“Probably not.”

“Then… I have no choice but to permit it.”

◎◎◎

Immediately after receiving Helena’s permission, I visited Altram’s mansion. More precisely, I went to see Chess, who was staying there.

“You bear significant responsibility for not properly restraining Lady Helena. You’re aware of that, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m well aware.”

“Being young, she might have been prone to such actions due to her passionate nature…”

Chess gently reprimanded me with a long sigh.

Judging by his lack of accusation, it seemed his faith in me hadn’t completely cooled.

“Even so, it’s like buttoning a shirt wrong from the start. And to catch the eye of Lady Agnes, who’s notorious for her promiscuity…”

Chess, also familiar with Agnes’s reputation, lamented with a shake of his head.

He seemed to share my thought that we would have avoided her had we known her face in advance.

Furthermore, he expressed regret that Helena hadn’t been more involved in social circles. With his head deeply bowed, he looked extremely troubled.

“…Sigh. Complaining like this serves no purpose. The words have already been spoken; it’s water under the bridge.”

After lamenting alone for quite some time, Chess raised his head, saying it was all meaningless.

Unlike before, his eyes now held strength, as if pleading that it wasn’t yet time to give up.

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

“I intend to go to the Bluenail Kingdom. I plan to recruit Ellen Redhood and bring her back.”

“You mean that unholy dark elf?!”

Chess slammed the table the moment I mentioned Ellen’s name.

It was a moment that freshly reminded me that the perception of dark elves as unholy is not much different between elves and humans.

Of course, I don’t think dark elves are unholy at all.

But discussing that would be a waste of time. So I simply explained my reasoning for this decision.

“Even if she’s considered unholy, you can’t deny the achievements Redhood has made. Father, you must know this well.”

“Hmm. That’s certainly difficult to deny. She’s a monster who has been rolling around battlefields for over half a century.”

She’s a mercenary who has survived everything from minor duels to assassinations and wars of all scales.

Though she has faced defeats, she always survived, and her victories far outnumber her losses.

The experience and strength she has accumulated are among the finest on the continent.

So I was confident that by bringing in her power, we could secure a definite victory.

“That’s why I’m going. I’m going to bring her back.”

“…Do you think there’s a chance of success?”

This is a time when practical strength is needed more.

While there are excellent knights within the Krauser duchy, they are clearly several steps behind Redhood, who commands spirits and magic.

That’s why it seemed Chess recognized its value. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked about the chances of success.

And my answer to that was:

“I can’t be certain, but I believe there is.”