Chapter 69 : power-hiding trope

Naier Proudmore is a Dark Elf.

The Dark Elves who live in the Shadow Valley are said to be as rare as dragons, but among them, she, who holds the position of the Queen’s

daughter, is an even more special existence.

She could succeed her mother and become the Queen, and she was treated as special even among the Dark Elves, whose number does not

exceed 500.

Thus, if her behavior were to change drastically, it wouldn’t just be seen as a simple change in personality—it could be a major event that

might alter the future of her race.

“I’m, I’m sorry!”

Clang! One of the young Dark Elves who was attending to her dropped a dish. The young maid, thinking she would be scolded, lowered her

head deeply and trembled.

Even if their number is small, she is still a member of the royal family. If an ordinary beastkin, not even a Dark Elf, made a mistake, getting a

few hits would be natural. However, what reached her ears was not a harsh scolding.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt… no, are you injured?”

“Y-Yes, yes? Ah, that’s…”

“A little blood is coming from your finger. I’ll call someone else, so you can leave if you want.”

The maid, momentarily looking confused, bowed and quickly walked out before she could change her mind. Naier sighed as she watched the

maid leave.

Outside the door, the faint whispers of the servants could be heard. “The young lady has changed. Something’s definitely different.”

Even though she tried to hide it, that voice reached her ears.

Naier slammed the door shut with a bang and grabbed her throbbing head.

“Sigh…”

Lately, there have been rumors about her. They say she has become a completely different person, or that her behavior and manner of

speaking have completely changed.
Her once mischievous, lively personality had transformed overnight, so it was only natural that rumors were spreading.

Some Dark Elves speculated that she had grown wiser after barely escaping from humans, but no one knew for sure since she never explained

the details of her escape.

Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing. It was something to celebrate if someone with the heir’s position started acting accordingly, so it wasn’t seen

as a strange change.

Her once hurried and carefree strides had turned more graceful, and her posture and mannerisms were much more refined. Though it wasn’t

perfect, others accepted it as a good change.

Who cares what the cause was? As long as the result is good, that’s all that matters. All Dark Elves were satisfied, with one exception.

‘I should just quit.’

Alone in her room, Naier sprawled out on her bed, thinking this. The behavior she had been practicing over the past month felt horribly

wrong to her.

Her once lively and curious nature made these recent days feel like hell. Uncomfortable clothes never suited her, and the slow pace of her

movements was frustrating.

She wanted to quit right then and there, but she was still enduring and controlling herself. She was waiting for the day she would meet that

person again.

The value of a Dark Elf is something Dark Elves themselves know better than anyone. From skin to blood, heart to bone fragments, there isn’t

a part of them that isn’t precious.

What would have happened if she had been sold to someone else on that black market that day? Whether she died or lived, it wouldn’t have

been a good situation.

She could have ended up as a test subject in the mage tower, or worse, become a s*x s*ave or breeding stock for a monster-fighting arena.

Despite all this, that person had set her free without asking for anything in return.

• “That’s because it’s not noble.”

• 300 billion. Even though she, who knew nothing about human currency, didn’t fully understand, she knew 300 billion Rena had great

• value. Could she ever earn even half of that by saving all her life? Probably not.

• She was set free simply because she was not noble, and Naier still couldn’t forget that person. Treya Ludbeck, her name.
  It wasn’t strange for her to imitate the person she admired and wanted to resemble.

• ‘I have to repay the favor.’

• Dark Elves are not the kind of race to forget a favor. What is she doing now? Naier, not knowing her whereabouts, could only imagine

• her noble and graceful figure, trying to imitate her even a little.

• She dreamed of meeting her again someday. Imagining her made her heart race. What amazing things was she showing, even now,

• without Naier knowing?

“Damn it, this is nonsense.”

The written exam results were only revealed just before leaving the academy. There were many names densely written on the paper stuck to

the wall, with no regard for human rights.

Even if one didn’t want it, their grades were publicly displayed, which was a terrible structure. Students either rejoiced or pulled their hair out

as they looked at their rankings on the wall.

My name was also among them. The result… my name was just below Teferi’s. My eyebrows instinctively rose.

[Do I have to grant one wish?]

“No, that’s not right. We both scored perfect marks.”

I wasn’t denying it out of spite. We both had perfect scores. The ranking next to our names was the same. Teferi’s name was above mine, not

because of the score but because of the order of names. She mumbled, looking at our names.

[Then, we can grant each other’s wishes…]

“If that’s the case, I’ll use my wish to cancel yours.”

[Tch.]

How could this happen? Of course, this test was unusually easy, subjectively speaking.

With the demon attacks, the difficulty level dropped significantly, and some subjects weren’t even tested. I didn’t make any big mistakes, so

getting 1st place wasn’t that difficult.

Still, from what I remembered, Teferi was always in the top ranks, but I didn’t think she was first. Could it be that she worked so hard just

because I said I’d grant a wish?

‘The protagonist… hides their strength.’

She’s an amazing person who can do anything if she sets her mind to it. Magic, popularity, and now studying too. How much more does she

need to consume to feel satisfied?

If I had gotten even one question wrong, I’d have been seriously upset regardless of the wish.

[Well, the real competition will be decided in the final exams. I’m looking forward to it.]

Our bet, which had seemed simple, was turning into an extended game. Now that we had come this far, there was no backing down. It felt like

I was wasting energy on something pointless. A sigh escaped my lips.

“What wish are you going to make? If it’s something simple, I’ll just grant it and be done with it.”

[Hehe, that’s troublesome. If you do well, don’t you benefit too? I’ll tell you my wish when the time comes.]

“…If it’s something weird, I’m ignoring it.”

Even though she grew up in a village, she wouldn’t ask for something absurd like giving up a title of a duke. I couldn’t give that away even if I

wanted to.

I couldn’t think of anything related to money, so what could it be? Maybe I should’ve had these kinds of bets with friends before.

“At least I have this…,”

Comparing herself to someone worse off might be considered a petty act, but right now, it wasn’t about comparison—it was genuine advice.

Honestly, isn’t this too much?

I searched for a long time and finally found Amitir’s name among the many names on the wall. She glanced at me, but there was no sign of

embarrassment on her face.

“You’re also first place, at the very end.”

“No matter how much I look, my name isn’t at the end. I have to go up quite a bit before my name shows up.”

“Okay, fine. You’re 5th from the end. Does it matter that you just guessed everything?”

Whether her grades were bad or good didn’t matter to her, and Amitir’s grades were horrible. I thought it was a joke, but she really must have

just guessed everything. In a way, I kind of envied her.

In fact, grades didn’t matter to me either. So, in a way, she might be wiser than me. If only I hadn’t made that ridiculous bet…!

“What’s important to me isn’t the marks on the paper, but what will happen in a few days…”

“I know, you idiot.”

Tonight, a pumpkin carriage would arrive in front of the academy, carrying two princesses. It would sound its horn and head toward the city

of crime.

After that, I’d have to immediately go to the Elf Kingdom with the diplomatic delegation. Someone had perfectly coordinated the timing.

Why is it that I don’t get paid at the academy? Everyone else was relaxing after their exams, but I couldn’t smile at all.

The breeze seemed resentful.