episode_0081

What is an elf?

Generally tall.

She has pale skin and is a beauty that does not discriminate between men and women.

Because they can communicate with other living things, they are reluctant to eat meat through killing and are passive about eating meat itself.

What else?

First of all, it is not a race that is extremely difficult to find.

It is rare, but you can see it, especially in crowded places like Superbia.

But if it’s common, it’s not.

There are people who live in uninhabited frontier areas without ever seeing an elf.

Nothing is known about where they come from or how long they live.

Even the imperial family could not understand their roots.

I also know only that much about elves, at a common sense level.

Other than that, all I know is the characteristics of Mercy, rather than the species called Elf.

A bit playful.

I want to be of any help.

The way he speaks is unique.

Things like that.

however.

That Mercy… .

“… A princess?”

“Ahaaa, no?”

Mercy denied in a voice that was awkward for anyone to hear.

“… Since when?”

“ Well, I don’t know because it’s not true? Even if you ask me? Huh?”

“Princess Mercy! You’re safe!”

“Your Majesty has been very worried since that day!”

The elves waiting inside also heard the commotion and came out.

“Princess?”

“Are you really Princess Mercy?”

“You’re a princess!”

Young, mature, blonde, red-haired, black-haired, all kinds of elves came out and recognized Mercy.

“Oh, no, isn’t it? No, it’s not… ?”

“… Excuse me for a moment.”

I asked the elves for their understanding and dragged Mercy with me.

The elf group did not chase after them, but instead lingered in front of the door, then stampeded inside.

Only after reaching a deserted corner did I let Mercy go.

“Yes, you are a princess.”

“Oh, didn’t you say no!”

“So, are you saying that those elves collectively had a hallucination?”

“Maybe… ?!”

“Hmm. That’s a very promising story.”

“… Haha.”

Mercy let out a deep sigh.

“Well, yeah… ! I am the elf princess… ! Hurry up and be polite!”

It seemed like the strategy had changed.

“Yes, princess. It’s an honor.”

“Now, don’t keep calling me that… .”

Mercy suddenly blushed and muttered.

“… Well, which beat should I go to?”

“Hmm… .”

As if he had made up his mind, he sighed again and leaned his back against the wall.

“… Ian. How much do you know about elves?”

“Well. You may not know this, but I probably only have common sense when it comes to the species called elves.”

“… … .”

Mercy, who was contemplating with her arms crossed, looked up at me with a serious expression.

It’s been a while since Mercy was this serious.

“The lifespan of elves is unknown, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the same for us elves.”

“… Huh?”

“As an elf myself, I don’t know how long elves can live. This is because no elf has ever died naturally.”

“So do elves live forever?”

“Maybe. However, no elf has lived long enough to be considered eternal. Because the elf who lived that long… .”

Mercy smiled awkwardly.

“It’s because they all commit suicide.”

“… Suicide?”

“Ian. Not knowing the end of life is quite painful.”

… There was something I could sympathize with in those words.

It may be completely different from the end of the elves that Mercy talks about.

For me too, it is impossible to guess when my end will be because of the time limit.

“100 years, 200 years, of course, up to 500 years. We can live that long, but we cannot fully endure and enjoy that time. In the end, we feel the boredom of life in the eons of time.”

Because of “, we don’t burn our lives as passionately as you humans do. The techniques and secrets you’ve honed for 50 years are just a moment for us.”

“So there’s no need to fight with anyone. So you should commit suicide. If I don’t kill him, I don’t know how long this boring life will continue. We often mock ourselves and say that we are ‘cursed by time’.”

For the first time, Mercy opens up about the elf species.

It was no different from his past.

Neither I nor Mercy were particularly curious about each other’s past.

Like Kati, Mercy was just with me.

“In order to endure the curse of time, we elves tend to cling to one thing and cling to it. Something I can hold on to until I die. Have you ever seen an elf cooking the same dish for 300 years?”

“… no. I’ve never heard of it.”

“There are many elves of that type. To forget eternity. And among them… .”

Mercy looked straight up at me.

Blue eyes sparkled brightly even in the dark shadows of the castle.

“There are elves who come out to ‘Yuhee’ because they are curious about the fleeting moments of you humans.”

“Then… .”

“Yes. I am one of those elves.”

I was speechless.

An elf who came out to watch humans burn away in order to relieve the boredom of life.

However, what she experienced in human society must have been too unpleasant to be called entertainment.

Mercy seemed to know my intention and smiled playfully, just like before.

“Don’t worry. I found something to relieve the boredom of my life. Well, it’s a taboo among elves… .”

“… It’s a taboo, but is it okay?”

Mercy looked up at me at that question.

“Yes. Of course.”

“… Yeah, well.”

“Aren’t you upset? Because I didn’t tell you… .”

“Something like that. Just because I know, it’s not like I’m going to do anything to you.”

“… What are you saying about me?”

“No, it’s nothing to do!”

“Hmm… .”

Seeing that you’re playing around with nonsense again, it looks like your mood has returned.

“Then… . Where are the elves from? Should I call it a city? Is there such a thing?”

“Yes, there is.”

“You didn’t want to go back? Is there any reason not to do so?”

“… huh. There is that too.”

Mercy grinned.

It was a smile that suited him as always.

I understand that “ is worried about those elves because of me, but it will be okay. They too have to make their own choices.”

“Should I stay in human society or go back?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Hmm… . okay. It doesn’t mean it’s the kind of thing we should step in and help with.”

It’s terrible to come out to play in human society and experience something like that.

And I have to remember that for a long time, maybe until I die… .

It’s pitiful.

“Okay, I’ll deliver it to Wolf Gang then. Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Umm… . Specifically? Although we are special, we are not that different from you humans. In order for a wounded person to adapt to this place again, they will need a place or people they can trust. That’s all.”

“Hmm. Yes.”

I felt like playing around for some reason.

“Thank you so much, princess.”

“Ha, didn’t I tell you not to do it? !”

“Why were the other elves okay when they did that?”

“Well, that’s right… . Because I don’t usually call you that!”

“Now that I know you are a princess, it’s natural.”

“Ah, anyway, if you don’t want to do it, don’t do it!”

“I’m picky because I don’t think she’s a princess.”

“… … .”

*

I sat across from a man in a simple prison cell in the basement of the castle.

“Andrea?”

Andrea di Fiorene.

The eldest son, known as the only superhuman among Lorenzo’s blood relatives.

“What.”

… But, it’s a bit harsh.

It feels different from the noble arrogance characteristic of nobles.

“Speak when called. Don’t hold the weight with your mouth closed.”

I feel like I’m seeing an adolescent boy who has grown up to be good but has become tainted by delinquent and harsh words and actions.

He seems to be older than me, but he acts like a brat.

“As soon as you arrive, won’t the military police grab you and start yelling at you? What is your father rebelling against? What happened? I wonder if that makes any sense… . I’m annoying people for no reason.”

Instead of answering, I glanced at the Wolfgang who was observing the meeting.

He shrugged his shoulders.

It seems like this is his original personality.

“… Can I just stay with you for a moment?”

“In principle, it is impossible… . I’m in a hurry to go to the bathroom, so I guess that’s all I can do.”

“Please go slowly.”

Wolfgang slyly left the room.

As soon as the door closed, I slowly stood up.

“What should I do?”

Andrea looks at the closed door and at me and then sneers.

I didn’t know she had such a different personality, but I know a few things about Andrea.

First, he is clearly a superhuman with talent that Lorenzo admires.

Second, they have talent but are lazy and have no will to hone that talent.

In other words, he is much weaker than me.

-match!

First, a slap on the cheek.

“Evil! what… !”

-match!

Two cars.

“ this shit… !”

-match!

Generation.

I slapped him silently without saying anything.

Even though Andrea reflexively raised her arm to block, it was no use.

All you have to do is blow off the cheek along with the arm.

“This new… !”

-match!

Even if you raised your mana, you were still weaker than me.

After about ten years, Andrea did not say anything or protest, but just sat there and trembled.

It finally makes sense now.

“This is my first and last verbal warning.”

He went back to his seat and sat down again.

“I have no intention of pleasing you like your father or servants, and I am different from the military police who do not mess with you because you are a reference. If I let you get my hands on me one more time, it won’t end in your cheek, so please know that.”

“… Yes, I understand.”

Andrea answered slurredly, wiping the blood flowing from her mouth with her sleeve.

By then, Wolfgang had returned.

He looked back and forth between me and Andrea.

For a moment, an unexpected look of anticipation flashed across Andrea’s face.

“Hmm. You guys stayed calm.”

Andrea’s expression darkened at Wolfgang’s calm words.

“From now on, I’m going to ask you some questions, and if you answer them correctly, nothing much will happen.”

“Yes… .”

“But if I see you stuttering for an answer or rolling your head to make excuses, that Wolfgang will have to go to the bathroom again. I hope you cooperate nicely, even if it means thinking about the Wolf Gang.”

“Yes, going to the bathroom frequently is not good for your health.”

Now Andrea seemed completely resigned.

“Andrea di Fiorene. Is it you?”

“Yes… .”

“Lorenzo’s eldest son. How old are you?”

“… It’s 32.”

“… okay. Well, are you currently working as a hero? So is it late?”

“No… . I was just hanging out with other noble friends.”

“… I see.”

Somehow, I feel like my personality has been cruelly trampled upon… .

“Does Lucia know?”

To that question, Andrea, who had only answered calmly and immediately, trembled slightly.

But there was no delay in answering.

“Yes.”

“He would have known what Lucia’s position was in the family.”

“Yes.”

“It was your doing, right?”

“Yes?”

“You requested a curse.”

“… … .”

Andrea spoke for the first time.

Wolfgang also looked at me as if he was questioning the word curse.

I didn’t give Andrea time to think.

“I told you not to roll your head.”

“Ah, that… .”

“Answer me.”

“Ma, that’s right… .”

“What is the parameter?”

“In my room… .”

I knew it would be like this.

Lucia, who was fine, began to suffer from illness after moving into Fiorene Castle.

And, I thought it wasn’t an ordinary illness, as it wasn’t cured even with that elixir.

Perhaps Lorenzo was not completely unaware of Lucia’s talent.

Andrea would have known this too.

Andrea, who was jealous and worried about this, placed a curse to keep Lucia in check… That was my hypothesis.

Because there is no one other than this guy who has the authority to do something like that.

“Wolf Gang. Please ask me to search this guy’s room.”

“I understand. But please explain… .”

“It’s a long story… . I felt like there was a curse on the person I recruited this time named Lucia, so I stabbed this guy who was the most likely suspect. It is possible for a curse that inflicts disease to maintain its effect through a ‘medium’.”

When I pressed Andrea with my eyes, he opened his mouth again.

“It is a wooden sword-shaped decoration… .”

“You’re a little more obedient now.”

When Wolfgang returned from giving instructions outside, Andrea added a word.

“I… . Actually, I also have a unique curse… .”

“… What?”

Wolf Gang, who had been looking down at Andrea pitifully, also frowned.

“Now it’s a unique curse… .”

“This crazy bastard is really… .”

*

After leaving Andrea half crippled, he left the room.

Wolfgang was watching, but it was okay.

Unique curse.

It is one of the types of witchcraft that is legally taboo in the empire, and it is a crime that cannot be said even if you are caught red-handed by the military police.

Depending on the severity of the crime, it may also be a death sentence.

As the name suggests, ‘unique curse’ means a unique curse that is only one in the world.

Curses that come from witchcraft have various operating methods, and the same curse only has one operating method.

For example, in the case of the ‘Seal of Silence’ seen in Arke Village, it works by engraving a spell on the tongue of the subject.

How to do it is also simple.

All you have to do is erase the shape of the magic circle engraved on your tongue in any way.

So the method I did in Arche Village is also simple.

The ‘Fire Hand’, which emits flames from the hand, is emitted extremely weakly and burns the surface of the tongue.

Anyway, in order to do something like this, you need to know how the curse works.

What makes that impossible is the ‘inherent curse’.

A curse in which the practitioner creates a unique operation method for just one curse.

It is impossible to do it unless you are the creator.

‘If you feed the elixir and take the potion, you can maintain it at a normal level, but it is impossible to completely cure it… .’

Of course, the shamans who do this work anonymously, so it is difficult to track them down no matter how much they rob Andrea.

Andrea, who was half sick, was arrested as a criminal by the Wolf Gang, and I came to the room where Lucia and the group were waiting.

I thought for a moment whether I should tell you this or not.

Because it’s a truth that you might be better off not knowing.

However, it would have been presumptuous for me, a stranger, to judge whether the person concerned was better or worse based on his or her own affairs.

“Lucia. I found out the cause of the lesion, but if you don’t want it, I’ll just keep it a secret.”

I called Lucia aside and asked her about her intentions.

“What do you want to do?”

“I will listen. Well, it got a lot better… . I’m curious.”

Thanks to taking additional elixir and destroying the medium, the condition was definitely much better.

However, traces of the original curse still remained.

The skin is red, as if it has been burned.

“More than that, I want to hear it in front of other people.”

“Do you mind?”

“We will be together in the future, wouldn’t it be good if we all got to know each other? I think it would be better to have as few secrets as possible.”

… Are you already thinking about it that way?

So, I called everyone in the group and told them what Andrea had done.

Vivian felt depressed and stroked Lucia’s back, while Helena showed her anger with a sad yet angry face.

It was a strange scene where the victim, Lucia, was the most calm.

Lucia asked.

“Then, is this a problem that cannot be solved at all?”

“Not at all… No, but the probability is not high.”

Maybe if I go to the Magic Tower, I can somehow find a solution.

Even if it’s a bit uncomfortable to look at that guy’s face, it’s probably right to go if there’s a way.

I’m trying to decide my next destination is Mtap… .

Mercy quietly raised her hand.

“Mercy? Why?”

“That… . If it’s a curse, I think I can help… ?”

“… you? Did you know how to use witchcraft?”

“That’s not it… . That is, when I go to my hometown. There are many such experts… .”

Those words reminded me of what Mercy said earlier.

An elf who has been cooking the same dishes over and over again for 300 years.

What if there is an elf who has studied magic for 300 years?

“… Oh.”

Mercy came up with an unexpected solution.