57. The Elf’s Sinner
No one wants to let a bounty hunter, who has just been given a task to “kill me,” stay in their residence, especially when this is someone who, with just a slight recovery of power, could unleash a domain-level attack at any moment—a “Saint.”
You’re already strong enough to have everything you want; why bother being a bounty hunter for money? Is that what interests the strong? I didn’t ask much more, because understanding what I should learn from the elf sorceress Ilushir required some preparation on my part. So, after she said, “Since it’s a commission, I’ll accept it,” which was her way of agreeing to my request, I left her in the care of Kephiel and Nilu, who would take turns watching over her.
As for me, I immediately left to find a certain self-proclaimed “Queen of the Night”—the Blood Fairy Yaseroth.
There was no choice; after all, we were still under her roof. It wouldn’t hurt to appease this angry fairy. After all, just moments ago, Yaseroth’s attitude towards that elf was visibly terrible.
As I followed the connection to Yaseroth, who had already become my fairy, I found her sprawled on a table in the garden, yawning incessantly yet still fuming. Thankfully, it was a cloudy day; otherwise, this sun-fearing fairy might have melted away without even realizing it.
As I approached, I noticed: this bear-like midget was not only angry but also maintained her usual haughty attitude towards me.
“Hmph!”
It’s precisely because of this attitude that you get bullied by the other fairies. Being arrogant without the strength to back it up—where does this bear midget get her confidence?
I shook my head.
“I’ve already dealt with that bounty hunter. Before I figure out how to extract the information I want from her, let her stay here.”
My response clearly did not satisfy Yaseroth. The next moment, this bear midget was no longer sleepy or yawning; she slammed her hands on the table and glared at me with displeasure.
“Why not just kill her?!”
Seeing an enemy and killing them—that’s what a hero does when facing a demon king! I’m not that!
“Why should I do that?”
I countered, “If you clarify your reasons, I will naturally consider them. Otherwise, the bounty hunter is in my grasp, and since our agreement did not mention what to do next, it should now be my right to dispose of her as I see fit.”
“Hah!? This is the Merli United Kingdom, and the place you’re in is my territory! I’ll have you…”
“But you are my fairy now.”
Rose seemed like she wanted to retort, but unfortunately, my words left her speechless, and she could only sulk back, her reaction far cuter than that of the fairies from Alsace who would exchange harsh words with me. Perhaps it was because Rose was an early “wild fairy” who had once had a master, making her views on the master-servant relationship quite conservative and rigid.
“Sigh… I don’t want to make things difficult for you; mindless killing won’t solve anything, Rose.”
After a pause, I asked, which was also the second purpose of finding this fairy.
“And besides, our agreement has been fulfilled; now it’s your turn to uphold your end.”
Previously, I hadn’t forced Nilu to make Rose divulge what she knew about the history and events concerning the white-haired fairies. Instead, I had taken a gentle approach, agreeing with her that when I captured the bounty hunter, she would tell me everything in detail.
And now, the time had come.
“Tell me what you know about the ‘white-haired fairies.’ It will help me decide how to deal with this bounty hunter, Rose.”
After puffing out her cheeks and glaring at me, Rose finally resigned herself and sat down. Before long, she pushed an umbrella across the table to me, waving her hand weakly.
“This sun is making me dizzy; hold the umbrella for me~”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
I finally understood why this fairy had been unable to find a master for so long. To be honest… it seemed that apart from me, no one could tolerate her personality.
Of course, I didn’t have time to comment on Rose’s terrible demeanor, especially since she soon earnestly fulfilled her promise and answered my questions.
Among them was, naturally, the information I most wanted to know: the white-haired fairies.
“Urasiru, Ludwig, the two names you mentioned earlier, were the princesses of the white-haired fairies at that time, and… the Sword Saint.”
Having long prepared myself to “withstand the impact of insider information,” I wasn’t particularly surprised when Rose, with a complex expression, clarified the identities of those two white-haired fairies.
Naturally, I immediately noticed something even more important.
“You just said ‘princess’; does Urasiru have any sisters?”
“…At least as far as I know, there were three.”
Rose glanced at me, not questioning why I was “so calm.” Perhaps the topic of the white-haired elves was simply that important to her. She focused and continued.
“The second princess, Your Highness Adreel, and as for the third… hm, didn’t you just meet her?”
【Ilushir is the third princess.】
At the same time, she was also the “necromancer” currently working as a “bounty hunter.” What Rose knew aligned perfectly with what the script had told me.
Phew… What Rose knew was indeed a secret that should not be easily spoken of. If possible, this “answer” could keep me pondering all day, but right now, I needed to sort out the situation immediately.
I had no doubt about the truthfulness of Rose’s words; it was just that the situation with these white-haired elves was far more complicated than she imagined. First and foremost was Ludwig; she was probably no longer the “Sword Saint” in Rose’s mind. According to Kephiel, the current Ludwig was merely a “body” displayed by some monster. Clearly, the elven Sword Saint had been stripped of everything by that monster, just as if it had taken away part of the Moon Fairy’s power, even her body had become someone else’s.
With Rose’s earlier explanation, I already had a vague answer in my mind about what kind of identity this “monster” had.
Because of this, I wouldn’t mention it to Rose; it was better not to say anything that would further confuse her.
“So… what about you, Rose?”
“My masters were them… no, my master was the entire ‘kingdom.’”
When she spoke of herself, a flicker of pride flashed in Rose’s eyes. Though it was brief, I caught it clearly. “I was the fairy of the most noble elves at that time, the esteemed symbol of the entire kingdom~ hm, in my eyes, your fairies were nothing but commoners. Back then, did they dare to bully me? Just a glance at me would earn them punishment!”
Yes, yes, I know you’re very noble, is that enough?
Go on.
“So… I will never forgive Ilushir, nor her sisters…”
After that fleeting pride, what Rose revealed was unmistakably hatred!
“They are the sinners among the white-haired elves, traitors! They were supposed to set an example and lead their people, yet they… destroyed the entire bloodline!”
“Though I don’t know why the loyal Sword Saint would be mentioned by you, it sounds like you’re implying she’s complicit! But those three sisters, I will not let any of them go!”
This probably had nothing to do with complicity; at least from what I could see now, the Sword Saint in Rose’s mind was likely “sacrificed for the country.”
“Did those elves become ‘history’ because of these three sisters?”
Location, naturally, is the underground of the Kingdom of Meri, which also explains why Linka has unearthed so many “relics” from below.
My question shouldn’t have been too strange, but Rose’s reaction was intense!
“It hasn’t become history yet! Hmph, how could those three eliminate all the bloodlines? The existence of the white-haired elves will not perish.”
“Then…”
However, when I pressed for more, this midget suddenly fell silent, seemingly unwilling to answer.
“That’s enough! I’ve already told you plenty! So hurry up and take down that b*stard Ilushir! Pretty boy!”
[Rose wasn’t lying.]
The script appeared, and that was precisely what surprised me.
There were no extra white-haired elves around Rose; if there were, she would have certainly told me. The script indicated that she was not lying or hiding anything.
So how did she know that the bloodline of the white-haired elves was definitely not severed?
——
I enjoy digging pits.
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