56. I Suspect There’s a Problem Here

Is it because I didn’t pay much attention to the limits of using fairy powers that I collapsed? The frequent use of fairy magic led to the gradual shattering and disappearance of the domain created by the white-haired elf. When the elf herself fell, seemingly losing consciousness, I too closed my eyes and lost all awareness.

I had boldly declared at the start that I would protect my wife, yet in the end, it was my wife who had to carry me back. How pathetic is that!

When I woke up the next day and recalled what had happened, that was my only thought. Fortunately, the two great figures were magnanimous and didn’t hold my dragging them down against me. Moreover… my timing of collapse wasn’t that terrible.

Perhaps it was because Kephir and Nilu were too strong, causing the elven sorceress’s “domain” to be unable to sustain itself for long? In any case, for reasons I didn’t know, the elven sorceress lost consciousness at that moment. After that, Kephir and Nilu didn’t intend to hastily “execute” the sorceress but instead brought her back to Rinka’s home, planning to deal with her once I woke up.

Thanks to my wife’s understanding! After all, for me, this elf was not just a “defeated necromancer.” The secrets she held were part of the “main storyline” for me, Kephir, and Nilu!

At this moment, in Rinka’s home.

When I arrived, fully dressed, at the room where the white-haired elf was being held, not only were Kephir and Nilu there, but even the fairy Rose was present. Kephir and Nilu were responsible for taking turns watching the elf to prevent her from escaping or going berserk, as someone of this caliber as an “elven sorceress” could hardly be contained by an ordinary person.

As for Rose…

This fairy clearly had some personal vendetta against the sorceress, and at that moment, she looked like she had encountered her father’s murderer. If Kephir and Nilu hadn’t been there, she would have likely lunged at her immediately. With such an attitude, I clearly couldn’t communicate normally with the elf, so I had to handle it this way.

“Rose, could you step out for a moment? Once we resolve this ‘issue,’ I’ll relay the message to you.”

“Huh!? This is my territory! I can’t wait to… ugh…”

Halfway through her sentence, it seemed she finally remembered our “master-servant relationship,” and the humbled Rose had no choice but to comply. However, while she could comply, she had to maintain her pride.

“Hmph!”

With a haughty snort, Rose stormed out, fuming.

Phew, that’s better. I certainly couldn’t let Rose stay here; her earlier script clearly stated [Blood Fairy Rose wants to kill the Elven Sorceress], which was dangerous. As for why she hated the sorceress so much, I’d save that question for later. Because…

The most important thing right now, for me, Kephiel, and Nilu, is the “main thread,” which is the elven sorceress before us.

I looked at the elven girl in front of me.

Compared to my pathetic state of sleeping for a whole day, this elf had woken up early. Should I say, “Truly a clever one, easy to communicate with”? After waking up, this elf didn’t try to escape or immediately launch an attack; instead, she calmly accepted the outcome of her defeat and obediently stayed in the room until now.

If I had to point out something that I found hard to accept, it would be: this elf’s adaptability is just too good! What kind of mindset allows her to accept her current situation so honestly and quietly? Kephiel mentioned that last night she even expressed a desire to take a bath!

And then, it turned into the situation we have now.

After changing out of her bounty hunter attire, I could clearly see the elf’s full appearance. She looked like a girl of about ten years old, but the beauty and long ears that belonged to elves beneath her short white hair clearly indicated that she was definitely not as young as she appeared.

Is it because of this connection? Even after being captured, this elf looked completely unfazed.

“Are you the master of these women and fairies?”

What master or anything—at least use the word “partner” for me.

I rubbed my forehead: “It seems you haven’t grasped your situation at all.”

For an enemy like you, who already has a “kill me” script, if I weren’t so insistent on “asking,” Kephiel and Nilu wouldn’t spare you.

“Well then, if you can still understand your current identity, just tell me what it is.”

“Mm~ Of course I know, I must have lost, right?”

The elven girl placed her hands on her hips. “Although it’s my first time, I know that in the bounty hunter business, if you lose, you have to admit it—this much I understand~ As for names and such, it doesn’t really matter if I say them.”

Though I doubted whether this big girl truly felt she had “lost,” the “main thread” was here, and I couldn’t afford to let my thoughts wander.

“My name is Ilushir, a bounty hunter from the kingdom. Since I lost, the target I was aiming for was you. Someone hired me to kill you, and I went along with it, but I lost—it’s as simple as that.”

“Just like that?”

“Mm~ Just like that, what else do you want?”

The elf Ilushir looked at me with a “Is your head not working?” expression.

This girl, just “like that”? Clearly, to be able to kill me, she even resorted to using “domains,” a saint’s technique! The purpose of all her actions was merely for a task!?

Your sense of professional ethics as a bounty hunter is a bit too high, isn’t it?

I shook my head and didn’t think too much about it. After all… it was precisely because of this that my suspicions grew harder to suppress.

“Since you want to ‘kill me,’ why did you fall for my trick yesterday?”

This fairy had already suffered a loss at my hands before. Yet yesterday, even though she knew I was “disguised as Rinko,” she still chose to attack me. This was no longer just a matter of being “foolish,” but rather… her actions were somewhat “strange”!

And this suspicion, I felt, was on the verge of “awakening,” yet I could never find the answer! However, my question did not receive a straightforward response from this fairy in the next moment.

“Eh? Is that so?”

She scratched her head a bit shyly, “Ah haha~ Maybe I just slipped up! By the way, why are you so fixated on other people’s weaknesses? Are you trying to show off how clever you are?”

I’m asking why your brain isn’t working properly!

Looking again at the script: [Ilushir knows nothing], I had no choice but to give up on finding an answer. Today, I had rushed in unprepared, so it was only natural that I couldn’t extract anything from this fairy.

Thus, before I could adjust my approach to “search for the main storyline” and come back to ask this fairy, I needed to take some “precautions” to prevent any unexpected incidents, even those that might endanger Kephiel and Nilu.

“In any case, fairy, your mission has failed, but I don’t intend to give any orders like ‘kill you.’”

“Mm! Thank you~ Because if you really thought that, I would definitely resist~”

Her response made her seem surprisingly easy to communicate with, but… I still felt that something was off about her.

So…

“So, for the time being, I’m hiring you.”

“Um~ I don’t take long-term jobs…”

“Then it’ll be day by day. I’ll hire you every day! All you need to do is stay here and not go anywhere, of course, I’ll have someone keep an eye on you. Then, whenever I have a chance to ask you something, you’ll answer me truthfully.”

Pausing, I looked at her and said,

“This is the content of my employment for you. Do you accept? Or… should we have another fight?”

This was the best way I had come up with to deal with this fairy.

Because the script has already given me the answer!

【Ilushir harbors the secret of the white-haired elf!】