Ch.35Dark Elf Mercenary Red Hood #6

“Huff……”

I swallowed a dry gulp and held my breath. Despite being wedged between sacks of grain and struggling to breathe, I somehow managed to endure.

The wagon loaded with grain had already left the territory and was heading toward the frontline base.

It would be better if the military supplies could be delivered peacefully like this.

Even though it was another country’s civil war that I normally wouldn’t care about, it now felt close enough to touch.

However, fortunate or not… when the supply line reached about halfway, a commotion began to break out.

“They’re here! The elf bitches! Run… gack?!”

The supply unit had been divided into several groups, each taking different routes. It was a natural measure to minimize losses.

Though passive in relying purely on luck, the problem was that there weren’t enough resources to spare for the supply unit.

The reason being that pulling forces from the battlefield would create gaps in their defense.

“They’re com… coming out!”

“I know! Just hold your sword tight and stay put.”

I had originally intended to advise immediate escape, but changed my mind when told that our own side might execute us for desertion.

The supply soldier who first met me hadn’t considered this possibility and gaped in surprise.

Of course, I was equally surprised.

So, though passive, we agreed that I would hide the soldiers in my shadow.

The other soldiers seemed to sympathize with the idea of taking a gamble if they were going to die anyway.

“Whew……”

As I emerged from rummaging through the sacks of rice, a truly astonishing sight captured my eyes.

Gray skin that shimmered in the moonlight and long, slender limbs.

What was particularly impressive was how they skillfully drew their small bows or used magic to cut off their enemies’ breath.

Judging by the sound of the rough wind, they seemed to be using that type of magic without even chanting incantations.

It looked like the result of spirit magic, which had become almost exclusive to elves.

Spirit magic is classified as magic for convenience, but it’s said to be fundamentally different from ordinary magic.

While conventional magic involves somewhat complex processes, spirit magic is essentially closer to the power to freely manifest one’s will.

I took a step forward as I watched the dark elves who had taken down the supply soldiers and were quickly closing the distance.

Meanwhile, the other soldiers were trembling behind the large rice sacks. It was natural to be afraid with death approaching.

As they say, those who have died once die better—it was natural for those without experience to be clumsy.

“Stop!”

I quickly raised my voice when I saw the opponent showing signs of using magic.

Thanks to my steel mentality, I felt less fear and more calmness, but I couldn’t die here in such a ridiculous way.

Normally, people don’t stop just because someone tells them to.

That’s why incidents where this phrase became popular were often ridiculed.

Even on the internet, it was used to mock others sarcastically or to make the situation itself humorous.

So I expected this group of dark elves to ignore my words and shoot arrows or use magic.

But reality differed from my expectations. They approached slowly with a curious gleam in their eyes.

Wait, they actually stopped?

“Well. I stopped because you said so… but you’re more arrogant than I expected. Or are you just naive?”

“That could be. But I’m concerned about something else.”

They talked among themselves before dismounting and approaching right up to my face.

When that seductive yet slender body came close, I almost swallowed air involuntarily.

Even from an objective perspective, she was extremely attractive.

“You don’t look very old, and judging by your delicate appearance and demeanor, you don’t seem like the type to be wandering around here. Who are you?”

A woman with distinctively fox-like eyes smirked and stroked my chin.

Her behavior suggested that she already held my life in her hands and I should act accordingly.

To this, I answered in a calm, low voice. Though my spine trembled at her moist, soft fingers, I acted with composure.

“I am Jion Altram. I come from Soter, next to Bluenail.”

“Soter…? Why come all the way here from there?”

“I came here to meet you… or more precisely, Ellen.”

Dark elves are often despised as dirty because of their distinctive skin.

From a modern perspective, one might wonder what’s wrong with having gray skin, but the people here couldn’t accept it that way.

No matter how attractive they might be, it didn’t matter.

To help understand their thinking, imagine approaching a woman covered in excrement.

“Ellen…? You know Ellen?”

“I’ve never seen her face. But the commonly known ‘Red Hood’ is neither her family name, nor do I think she would prefer to be called that, so I intend to address her by her name.”

I answered the woman who tilted her head with sincerity.

Elves, like nobles, have family names, but unlike humans, they typically use the name of the village they live in.

For example, if the village name is Green, she would be Ellen Green.

The two women showed a peculiar expression for a moment after recognizing my sincerity.

Though it was very brief, I could detect a somewhat friendly disposition.

It might have been my imagination, but I definitely felt that hint.

“…Where did you learn about that?”

“Through rumors and books. I thought that since you and Ellen are elves, you would naturally follow the rules. You are elves, and elves take their surnames from the names of their villages.”

I emphasized the word “elves” in my answer. This caused another crack in the women’s expressions that had just regained composure.

They seemed to be in a precarious state, as if they might lose their emotions and unleash something at any moment.

They seemed to realize this too, flinching before suddenly adopting a hardened expression.

They weren’t angry, but something clearly bothered them.

“You seem to know more about elves than most humans… but didn’t you think we might be offended by that term? After all, dark elves aren’t actually…”

“I have no intention of judging you by your skin color. My apologies to the regular elves who firmly believe in the superstitions about dark elves.”

They are viewed with fear or contempt as symbols of ominousness and filth.

I knew these were the attitudes directed at dark elves, but I thought I could gain some favor if I didn’t act that way.

Of course, I spoke with as much sincerity as possible, not just pretense.

And they say sincerity gets through.

The fox-eyed woman smirked and pointed at me, asking. Her expression, as if teasing someone, was striking.

“Fine. I’ll take you. But we’ll have to restrain you to prevent any mischief. What do you say?”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

“Wow… not even a flinch before answering? I like how straightforward you are.”

She pointed at me with her finger and summoned a spirit.

Though invisible to the eye, the disturbance in the air and the change in mana revealed its presence.

However, I found myself unable to move before I could leisurely sense its presence. More precisely, my upper body felt as if it was tightly bound by ropes.

It was clearly restraint through magic.

“Olivia. Are you really going to take him?”

The woman with the somewhat gentle impression, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.

It was the first time I heard her pleasant voice since she first voiced her doubt.

She seemed reluctant to take me to Ellen.

It was understandable that she would be suspicious, given that I claimed to be from a neighboring country and showed no sign of panic despite being restrained.

Excessive composure would naturally arouse suspicion.

“Yes. It’s interesting. He didn’t even show discomfort when I touched him earlier, rather he looked like a puppy begging for more, don’t you think?”

“Did I… really?”

“What? You didn’t notice? I’m telling you he did. Besides, his words feel sincere. Don’t you think so?”

“I can tell he’s not lying, but still…”

They suddenly began arguing among themselves, raising their voices.

They were so calm that it was hard to believe these were the same people who had buried countless others here, or that they were facing an enemy.

Their composure was chilling.

“Anyway, let’s take him. Besides, he wants to meet Ellen, so we should at least hear what he has to say. The content is predictable, but I’m curious about his conditions.”

“True… we can’t turn him away if he’s come to make a request.”

They swiftly concluded to take me along.

Like experienced veterans of war, their decision-making was quite fast.

An ordinary person would have been caught up in suspicion for much longer.

While I was grateful for their decisiveness, there was one request I had to make before leaving:

to spare the lives of the soldiers who had trusted me and brought me here.

“Hmm… the soldiers, huh? Why not. It’s only to their disadvantage if they talk about you, and if they say they escaped well enough, they’ll probably be forgiven. We do cut off supply lines, but we don’t annihilate them.”

The woman, Olivia, implied that they deliberately avoided total annihilation.

Because of this, I was lost in deep thought even as I mounted the horse with her help, and as the horse galloped away.

The question of why they would deliberately do this kept circling in my mind.

“You’re really strange, you know? I can understand about the fingers, but you’re not bothered at all with me pressed against you like this?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m not bothered. Having a girlfriend, it pricks my conscience to be held by another woman like this.”

Suddenly, I felt the pressure of soft flesh against my back and answered with a sense of guilt.

Though not as good as Helena’s, it was more than sufficient, making me feel as if I were cheating.

Additionally, the sweet scent that invaded my nostrils made me wonder what she ate to smell so good.

“Oh? You have a girlfriend? Who is she?”

“Her name is Helena. She’s a charming woman. You’re quite beautiful too, Olivia, but not as much as Helena.”

“…Ah, is that so?”

While it might sound like annoying bragging about a lover, I meant to imply that she was pretty too.

Though it made me cringe inwardly, I composed myself to increase the chances of success.

Fortunately, it seemed to have some effect, as Olivia’s voice took on an awkward tone.

Seeing her lose her composure and become stiff, it seemed I was halfway successful.

“We’re here.”

Under the quiet night sky, with only the sound of hoofbeats echoing, Olivia stopped at the entrance to a forest.

Being not too far from the high ground, it would have been possible to launch a surprise attack through the forest.

Of course, those fighting in this area would have known this as well.

But seeing that the owner of the high ground remained unshaken, it seemed likely that any such attempts had failed, assuming they had tried to use the forest for surprise attacks.

“You stay here.”

Olivia dismounted and seated me under the shade of a suitable tree.

Her touch felt considerably more thoughtful than before.

“Dana. I’ll go bring Ellen, so you watch this man and make sure he doesn’t do anything foolish. I don’t think he will, but you never know.”

“Okay. Don’t worry and go.”

After asking another dark elf to watch me, she rode her horse alone toward the high ground.

Since she left to bring Ellen, it seemed that the person I was waiting for would be in the temporary camp set up on that high ground.