Ch.BONUSStrange Elf

Northern Forest.

Once considered a dangerous land comparable to the Demonic Land.

It was natural, as it was the habitat of ferocious beast-men. Among the frontier people, it was rare to find someone who hadn’t lost at least one family member to the beast-men.

But now, more than 20 years after the great migration of the beast-men ended, it was merely recognized as a buffer zone with the Demonic Land.

And for some people, it wasn’t just a buffer zone.

Many dreamed of success through this place.

People who entered the forest seeking forest resources, underground resources, and rare medicinal herbs.

It was true that it was dangerous because demonic beasts from the Demonic Land frequently appeared, but even those demonic beasts were an important source of income for some.

Among the many who rode the trend of northern development, the most successful was surprisingly not a human but an elf.

The elf Silvina, the archer of the previous Hero’s party.

She was the pioneer of northern development. Though connecting elves with pioneering seemed very awkward, it was naturally accepted in this region. That’s because she had been active on the frontlines for such a long time.

And she was also the protagonist who had achieved solid success over those years.

“Wow…! Is this really Silvina’s factory?”

The question was asked by a border official who visited Silvina’s tanning factory with a disgruntled expression.

Silvina nodded indifferently, as if wondering what was strange about it.

“Yes. I established it for convenience.”

“Convenience… you say.”

“Raw hides contain salt and fat, so they tend to rot quickly. To maintain quality, processing them as quickly as possible is best. …In the past, I hired a few tanners to handle the work, but at some point I felt it wasn’t enough, so I established a factory.”

“Wow.”

The official’s expression was one of genuine admiration.

There was good reason for his reaction. Silvina’s tanning factory was actually of considerable size. Even Erick Wellesley, who came for inspection last year, was surprised.

“You have quite a number of workers.”

“A total of forty factory workers. They work in two shifts. I plan to hire more soon. And I’ve also sent people to find new suppliers for salt, lime, and tannic solution needed for the work.”

“I can only say it’s impressive.”

“It’s stranger that you’re amazed by an ordinary tanning factory.”

“No. It’s not the factory itself that’s surprising, but you, Silvina. …After all, you’re the one supplying the hides to this place. I’ve heard of your reputation, but this is my first visit, so I’m quite amazed.”

“Ah, that.”

Silvina nodded in understanding.

It was true that she caught an unreasonably large amount of game.

Of course, she didn’t do it alone; she employed several hunting assistants and pursued thorough division of labor.

But fundamentally, it was a business that could be maintained because of Silvina’s transcendent hunting skills. She was skilled enough to catch any species she wanted in any quantity she desired. Sometimes it seemed like animals and demonic beasts gave up and offered their lives to her.

Thanks to this, her business was thriving day by day. Leather, magic stones, and other by-products.

And she wasn’t just making a lot of money; her influence was also growing.

The border official’s visit was due to that influence.

“Um, Silvina. Actually, I came on the instructions of the Border Count.”

“What is it?”

“We’re planning to establish a logging site. For that, your assistance is absolutely necessary. Both for designating and managing areas where safe logging is possible, and also for initial capital…”

“So you need my cooperation and investment.”

“Yes, that’s right. Of course, we could receive interest-free policy funds from the Industrial Prince’s office, but we’d rather collaborate with you, an important figure in the region. Naturally, we’ll share the profits with you later.”

“……”

It seemed she would now expand her business to include logging.

Silvina crossed her arms and fell into thought for a moment.

She wasn’t stalling to assess the business feasibility. She already knew that the current Empire needed a lot of quality timber.

Silvina was simply wondering if she needed more money than she already had.

‘To live comfortably alone, what I have now is enough… no, more than enough.’

Silvina was an elf who found happiness in simple things, both then and now.

Delicious food… especially meat. And alcohol. If there was a new hobby she had developed over the years, it was desserts. She had discovered that sweet foods could provide pleasure beyond meat. The magic of sugar surpassed meat.

But no matter how much she ate, Silvina was ultimately alone.

Even with considerable luxury, she earned more than she spent. She even paid her employees generous wages.

If she only thought about her own happiness, there was no need to earn more.

‘If I only think about myself, there’s no need to accept. But that’s not it.’

After contemplating for a while, Silvina finally made up her mind.

“Alright. I’ll cooperate.”

“Thank you, Silvina.”

She thought there was no harm in earning more money here.

Unlike humans who found value in accumulating wealth for its own sake, she had a different purpose.

It was to take care of friends who had already faded from the world’s awareness but who were, after her own happiness, most important to Silvina.

Those friends were, of course, her former comrades from the Hero’s party.

“I should go visit them while I’m thinking about it. Thank you.”

“Pardon? What do you—”

“Never mind.”

As she answered, Silvina smiled.

Since Silvina looked like an elf after all, the young male official’s face went blank for a moment. But Silvina’s brightened expression wasn’t because of the official in front of her. She was simply excited at the thought of catching up with friends she hadn’t seen for over five months.

*

A week later.

Silvina called for a wyvern to go to the Papal State.

Of course, it wasn’t a wild wyvern, but one controlled by a human rider. There was even an adult harpy attached.

This was one of the changes that occurred after the Hero King Erick Wellesley defeated the Demon Lord. After the succubi, who had been subjects of the Demon Lord’s army, chose peaceful coexistence with humans, wyverns began to be tamed one by one as well. The same went for harpies.

Some people even started businesses using them.

“You said you’re going to the Caderia Islands? Is Lord Millia still working there?”

The harpy, flapping her wings and trying to be friendly, spoke to her.

Her name was… Rica, wasn’t it? Since Silvina traveled to the Papal State quite often, she had memorized the harpy’s name. She was secretly grateful because it allowed her to see her distant friends frequently.

“It’s surprising that you even know Millia’s name.”

“You’re the only one who requests a wyvern to visit acquaintances in the Papal State, Silvina. There aren’t many people with that kind of wealth anyway.”

“I see.”

“In any case, thank you for using Valkyria Logistics. …Wow, are all these gifts for your friends? I’m jealous!”

A harpy trying to socialize with an elf. It was quite absurd, regardless of convenience.

Come to think of it, there were many unfamiliar things in the current Empire. They said that in the capital, there were several men who had married succubi or taken them as concubines.

The former subjects of the Demon Lord’s army who had successfully settled in the human world.

Rather than a full integration, it was closer to being controlled within the boundaries permitted by the Empire, but the fact that they had abandoned the Demonic Land and lived among humans was true.

‘It’s truly remarkable.’

Who would have thought such a big change was possible in just over 20 years? It wasn’t the achievement of humans… or rather the human race itself, but the change brought about by the Industrial Prince Erick. Everything in the Empire was in that human’s grasp. When Erick Wellesley came to the north for inspection a few months ago, Silvina had briefly encountered him, and thinking back, he was an unusual human.

Silvina had no particular complaints about the current changes. Without these changes, it would have been difficult to see her friends who had settled in the Papal State even once every few years.

Humans already had short lifespans. It was heartbreaking to see her friends develop fine wrinkles around their eyes after not seeing them for just a year.

But now she had less worry about her friends. All she had to do was meet and take care of them as often as her abilities allowed.

‘When I go this time, I should stay for about a week, even if it’s pushing it. I can hunt more diligently after returning from the Papal State.’

While she was packing with such leisurely thoughts, the harpy and the wyvern rider were glancing at her curiously.

“What’s wrong? Is something strange?”

“No. I was just thinking that you’re indeed very wealthy, as I’ve heard. …My goodness.”

They were surprised by the gifts Silvina had prepared for her friends.

Potions, scrolls, magical tools. Two boxes of premium wine that even the wealthy could only drink on special occasions. And even an elixir she had purchased as a gift for Millia’s son, who was born after she turned thirty. It was more like capital than gifts.

Silvina understood why they were surprised.

A rich elf who had become a business owner and employed humans.

Silvina took it for granted since it was her own life, but it seemed strange to others. Perhaps she appeared even more unusual than the demons living among humans.

…In fact, her friends in the Papal State often expressed burden because of her excessive gifts. “Do you know that these two bottles of wine are equivalent to my monthly salary?” they would say with an awkward smile. They said it wasn’t right to give one-sidedly, even among friends.

But Silvina intended to keep giving, regardless of whether they felt burdened or not.

It was because they were friends with whom she had shared the darkest period of her life.

Silvina was enjoying a luxurious life thanks to good fortune, but the other three had to endure all sorts of hardships in unfamiliar lands away from home. Even though they had completely settled down now, that was the result of investing their entire youth.

And now they were in their mid to late 40s, entering the latter half of their lives.

It was right to do her best while there was still time to be together. Silvina calmly reminded herself as she climbed onto the wyvern’s back.

“Hurry up. If we arrive early, I’ll add to your fee.”

“Yes!”

Shortly after, the wyvern carrying Silvina took off with powerful wing beats.