Chapter 216

216th Episode

The Silver Rose

216 – The Silver Rose #4

“Starting the massage. Lie down. Fairy.”

“Hmm-.”

At my instruction, Elpride looked quite skeptical and lay down on the bed.

As a result, her round back of the head, her silk-like flowing hair, and the white nape of her neck visible between them came into sight.

My gaze slowly slid down from there and soon reached her small back, her narrow waist, and the prominent backside that bulged out under the tight leather pants.

Since she wears tight leather pants every day, it hinders her bl**d circulation and she suffers from cold hands and feet due to poor circulation. I’ve told her many times to change this habit, yet she hasn’t listened.

For some reason, it irritates me, so I slapped her rounded buttocks with my palm.

Slap-

As expected, an unexpectedly crisp sound rang out.

It’s true. There’s no better way to describe the sound than to say it “rang out.” As if her buttocks were some grand instrument, they seemed to cry out in response to the slap of my palm.

I could even feel the impressive elasticity through her leather pants and gloves; it was truly extraordinary. Her buttocks certainly lived up to their reputation as the “Madonna of adventurers,” exuding an unmistakable aura of dignity.

“Huh? Why are you hitting me?”

But Elpride glared at me with a look of incomprehension, as if filing a complaint. Of course, I had anticipated this reaction.

“It’s a home remedy. Stimulating the skin to encourage proper bl**d circulation.”

“What… is that…?”

“It’s the latest form of physiotherapy.”

Of course, I just wanted to hit her, but lightly spanking her might actually help her circulation, so it’s not entirely false.

Anyway, her hindquarters were quite satisfying to smack. Back when I was her slave, I could never have imagined being able to do something like this.

Freedom is indeed good.

I contemplated smacking her again, but decided against it. Even in this special situation, revealing my true identity might be risky, so I reluctantly held back.

“Turn your head the other way.”

I turned her chin toward the opposite side, then gently placed my bare fingers on her cold wrist.

It was extremely icy, like someone who had just come out of a refrigerator.

Ding-

「Name: Elpride Desmund Lv. 35 22

Strength: 12 7

Agility: 11 7

Health: 12 8

Personality: Sadism, Separation Anxiety, Atheist

Condition: Frozen Shoulder, Raynaud’s Disease, Irregular Menstruation, Mark of the World Tree」

Her condition is dire.

Her level has dropped from 35 to 22—a reduction of 13 levels. Elpride’s physical state seems to be in terrible shape. When did this start? Wasn’t she already like this when we reunited?

Reflecting on it, I can understand why she managed to hold her own in the fight at the tavern between me and Luna.

Elpride is currently in her worst condition.

Considering this, purely in terms of physical prowess, she’s no longer a Silver Tier adventurer but closer to me—a Bronze Tier adventurer.

So, how did things get this way?

The only possibilities come down to the four conditions listed: frozen shoulder, Raynaud’s disease, and irregular menstruation.

These have been issues Elpride has dealt with since the time she was my slave. But the likely cause of this massive level drop is probably the last one.

The Mark of the World Tree.

I don’t understand at all what this actually is.

Earlier, I think it was Callidur who had something to do with the World Tree. But his wasn’t a “mark”; it was a “seal” of the World Tree.

Seal versus mark.

They seem similar, yet subtly different.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to undo it, but I’ll try.

Today, I will settle the debts between us, Elpride.

With that resolve, I placed my hands on her waist.

Groan-

Even through her clothes, it was clear her muscles were tightly knotted. Instead of toned, her body felt stiff from disuse.

A bit of stretching would do her good.

Elpride is essentially a homebody who doesn’t like to move much. She has good physical abilities but avoids exercise at all costs.

Groan-

“Ugh…”

“If it hurts, tell me.”

“…Who, would ever say this hurts? Hmmph..”

Using my thumb and the heel of my palm (thenar), I pressed along her slim waist all the way up her back.

Modern humans often end up with hunched backs and protruding necks due to smartphones and computers. Similarly, upon closer inspection, Elpride’s posture wasn’t so great either. It looked like she often read books in an unstable position.

Even without examining her further, I can tell how she spent the past two months.

“Sitting with bad posture while reading is not good. Do you read more than three hours a day?”

“…How could you tell?”

“I’m skilled. I can see everything at a glance.”

“Hooh?”

The tension that had previously filled Elpride’s body gradually eased.

Simultaneously, the wand she had been clenching tightly loosened and rolled weakly on the bed. Relaxation is important during a massage, and conversations help in calming the mind. In the absence of professional tools, this type of interaction can be quite effective.

I need to hurry and work on releasing her tension.

With that in mind, I pressed her shoulder blades, shoulders, and neck with my thumb.

“Huuuuuuh…”

In response, she quivered, almost like a wet kitten.

Having watched this reaction daily for the past two years, it wasn’t exactly surprising. But knowing I was massaging Elpride while hiding my true identity gave off an odd sense of betrayal.

It feels like I’m doing something incredibly bad.

Moreover, despite all the animosity between us, her aura was so captivating that my desires started stirring.

Maybe because I’ve recently been touching a lot of women’s bodies for sensual purposes, my urges are now uncontrollable, almost Pavlovian, whenever I massage a woman.

If this goes on, I might have to quit being a masseur.

Calm yourself, man. Remember who this is.

But it was hard to suppress.

She’s Elpride. This is just a massage, she’s a customer, my enemy.

Though I tried to remind myself of all this, once the bl**d started rushing, it was hard to stop.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t deny that, despite everything, Elpride was undeniably beautiful. Typical of elves who symbolize abundance, she had a good bust.

That said, due to Elpride’s peculiar habit of wearing clothes that are one size too small, it’s hard to tell how big or small her br*asts are from the outside.

However, I’ve had a glimpse of her br*asts once when she changed clothes; I know what lies beneath.

Swear. This isn’t the time for such thoughts.

I refocused on the massage, deliberately pressing her shoulders with great force to drive away lewd thoughts.

“Huuuuh, Auuhhh, Huh, Auuh…”

A voice filled with indistinguishable pain and pleasure escaped from Elpride’s lips. Meanwhile, I recalled the acupressure points for alleviating her frozen shoulder.

“Huuuu… Huuuu…”

“Shoulder massage is done. Next, I’ll work on your legs and feet.”

I slowly lowered my hands from her shoulder.

As far as I remember, Elpride’s favorite type of massage was the foot massage.

She particularly enjoyed having her calves, soles, and Achilles tendons gently massaged.

Even back when I lacked grace, my massages were a regular way for her to relieve fatigue. Now, with the grace bestowed upon me, how would she react?

Absurdly curious, I moved my hands toward Elpride’s calves and tried to remove her snug sandals.

Shh-

Suddenly, a sharp tingling sensation spread through my palm.

To my surprise, Elpride glared at me with obvious anger. I had just been slapped on the cheek with her palm.

“-What the hell do you think you’re trying to touch?”

“Huh…?”

I was bewildered.

Elpride loves foot massages. She herself is aware of this, yet she’s refusing me.

“Foot massage. Most fatigue disappears; it feels great.”

“Shut up, there’s no way you can just touch that—it’s off-limits!”

“What?”

I was well aware that women on the Gaia Continent generally don’t let others see their feet lightly.

However, Elpride was an elf from beyond the Continent and was once a slave to Hassan, who casually asked her to massage his feet. So why this reaction now?

And yet, I had a sneaking suspicion that resolving the “Mark of the World Tree” required pressure on her feet. Now that this crucial step is blocked, I couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated.

“Foot massage is necessary. Show me your feet.”

“No, I won’t. If you keep this up, I’ll call for someone.”

Elpride’s resolve was firm. She got up from the bed and aimed her wand at me, a fiery aura building at the tip.

A fireball spell?

d*mn, who would have guessed I’d run into this while trying to give a foot massage.

If this continues, I won’t be able to complete the request to massage Elpride and gather information about the named monster from Delphina.

So, with a last-ditch effort to convince her, I spoke.

“The Mark of the World Tree requires pressing the feet to cure.”

“…What?”

Elphride, who had been on the verge of casting a spell with her magic wand, seemed shaken for a moment. Exploiting this brief hesitation, I added.

“The Mark of the World Tree. Pressing the feet could facilitate treatment.”

“The Mark of the World Tree… How could you know that…?”

“I’m just skilled, alright?”

Did Elpride know something about this condition, the “Mark of the World Tree”? Knowing the method to cure her own situation, she might finally relent and allow the foot massage.

Elpride’s feet…

“Still no, I suppose. Please leave now.”

But with a deep sigh, Elpride clearly refused.

Ultimately, I had no choice but to leave the room.

What the hell is going on?

…

…

…

“Seriously? Elpi refused the massage?”

Once outside the inn, I spotted Delphina nearby. Having no choice but to recount the events as they happened, I felt particularly frustrated about failing what should have been an easy request.

“What were you trying to massage exactly? Were you trying to grope her chest or something?”

“Are you insane? I just tried to touch her feet.”

“That’s even crazier. Elpi absolutely hates people touching her feet. Even as an old comrade, you apparently didn’t know that?”

“Really?”

What’s going on?

For a moment, I wondered if I’d ended up in a bizarre alternate universe where Elpride despised foot massages.

Had I somehow become a dimensional traveler without realizing?

Of course, that was absurd.

I simply couldn’t grasp the situation. The only certainty was that obtaining information about the named monster was now off the table.

d*mn!

Despite all the effort to meet personally, it seems that forcing someone into an unsuitable role doesn’t pan out.

As I silently stewed in frustration, Delphina, who had been glancing toward the inn, spoke up.

“Unfortunately, this means the mission is a failure. I can’t pay you the agreed fee.”

“So, whatever, it’s just how it is, I guess.”

“But you did fix my back so well. I’ll give you half the fee and probably share half the information.”

“Half the info?”

“Something like the location of the monster.”

“Delphina, you’re not as bad a person as I thought.”

“Where have I heard that before?”

With a furrowed brow, “Alright fine,” Delphina brushed off my comment and added a few words.

“At the northern gate of Sodomora, there’s a large canyon and cliff somewhere where powerful undead dwell. Apparently.”

“Undead?”

“Not just any undead; they’re d*ath Knights. Silver tier-level monsters that Pluto personally created, the Knights of d*ath. Sound familiar?”

“Not really.”

“Well, we decided to go eliminate them in three days. Me, Elpi, and those two others you know?”

At Delphina’s words, I recalled the brusque and taciturn fighter and the somewhat simple priestess. They were planning to head out on a hunt in three days?

“If I decide to take them out before then, would that be a problem?”

“If you can, go ahead -. Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Samaritan. Hurry up and rise to our level. The real adventures begin at the Silver Tier.”

With that, Delphina returned inside the inn.

The mask and robe I was wearing belonged to Delphina, but since she didn’t ask for them back, I decided to keep them.

Haha, d*mn it, I think they cost about one gold altogether, so this wasn’t a bad deal.

What a great guy Delphina turned out to be.

By the way, d*ath Knights, huh?

“This is about to get interesting.”

[Author’s Note]

I had planned to take a day off, but after daily serials got me into the habit, taking a break felt like committing some grand sin…

This must be what they call workaholic syndrome…

Thank you for the coupons, comments, and recommendations that keep me motivated!

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