Chapter 246

246th Episode

The Elves of Albrheim 246 – The Fairies of Albrheim #6

Sssllr-.

As Delphina drew a thin blade from its sheath to inspect it, her gaze remained fixed on the blade’s azure glimmer as she inquired.

“You. You said this mission was about protecting Elpride, right? But is that all there is to it?”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

“I’m asking if you’re really doing this just because of the mission.”

“So, what else could there be?”

“…”

At my response, Delphina sharply returned the blade with a thud.

“Well, I’d say that answer’s enough to understand. We’re stepping back from this matter.”

“What?”

“With inspectors from the Kingdom possibly arriving, we can no longer afford to cause any trouble. As of today, Elpride is expelled from the party.”

“No way-.”

I couldn’t help furrowing my brow, hearing an utterly unexpected story. Expelling Elpride from the party? Wasn’t that akin to cutting ties?

These guys must think Elpride will harm their group, and so they are immediately ready to part ways with her. For some reason, this made me angry.

Why, exactly?

Perhaps it’s because I know Elpride struggled hard to save them, breaking through the darkness.

Yes, it must be because of that.

Elpride didn’t hesitate, even in life-threatening situations, for the sake of these people. Yet, when they realized she might harm them, they are immediately ready to cast her away?

Certainly, Delphina’s decision is correct.

Coldly speaking, these uncivilized and barbaric individuals act based on their own gains and losses. There’s no gauge safer than that.

Even I reflect upon whether I’d be here talking about this if it weren’t for Kalidur’s mission.

“…”

While I was lost in these thoughts, Delphina said,

“Well, that’s all, then. We each have our own kind of future, you know. If this situation causes more trouble, our adventuring careers are over. In that sense, you can be the one to tell Elpride—no, Elpride herself—that she’s been expelled from the group, Samaritan.”

“Hey, Delphina-.”

“Shut up, Edwin. This is a decision made as the leader. If you don’t like it, you can leave the party with Elpride.”

Delphina immediately cut off her teammate’s opinion. From the look of it, I could tell that this whole matter had dragged various relationships to a point of no return.

Though everyone seemed to have something to say, the room fell momentarily silent.

Quietly observing weapons or the window, they remained mute. Parties forming and dissolving are common in the adventurer community, often for various reasons, and most of those reasons are similar.

This is just another such case. It’s not the entire party dissolving—just Elpride being expelled.

Looking at Delphina standing alone with such a firm stance, you’d think the other teammates would speak out against it or raise objections.

But they kept quiet, making me feel there’s some reason they’re sticking together as a party.

Perhaps they weighed that reason against Elpride and decided to let go of the lighter burden. They must have been setting their priorities this way all along, which is why they reached the higher rank of Silver Tier adventurers.

I understood all that, but I suddenly felt the atmosphere from before, when they were teasing me, was far preferable to the stress of this current conversation.

I came in relatively carefree, only to hear entirely unforeseen stories, which made my shoulders feel heavier.

Untangling the threads of my thoughts like earphone cords, I organized my own opinions and responded.

“Well, that’s adventurers for you. I understand your stance. I hadn’t expected this turn of events, but there’s nothing to be done about it.”

“Good to hear you get it quickly, Samaritan.”

I severely downgraded Delphina’s image in my mind, compared to when I thought highly of her earlier. She turned out to be a run-of-the-mill adventurer driven by livelihood.

Lately, after experiencing various things, I’d held a faint glimmer of hope for this world. But perhaps Luna, Hippolyte, and Paranoi were the exceptions, and this was the norm.

“Well then, rest up.”

With that, I left the room. Behind me, Edwin, the lax-eyed magician who’d been jittery until now, spoke up.

“Elpride will likely be on the roof.”

Even though I didn’t ask, once I heard it, I couldn’t ignore it in good conscience.

*

Ascending to the roof, I saw a woman’s silhouette watching the world under the sunset. Even just from her back, I could tell who she was.

“Delphina?”

She spoke to me, mistakenly believing I was Delphina just from my presence.

“Unfortunately, it’s me. Elpride.”

Her shoulders twitched as if startled. She turned her head to look at me.

Bathed under the weak sunlight, her usually pale face was flushed red like she had a cold, with beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

“…Hassan, what brings you here? I never expected to see you.”

The unintended visit seemed to fluster her as her exposed ears beside her hair twitched.

She’ll be more embarrassed when she hears what I have to say.

“Let me be straightforward. You hate people dragging things on, so I’ll get to the point. And I hope you don’t misunderstand what I’m about to tell you.”

“You’ve already stretched it out this far. What’s going on? Not visiting me because I’m sick, are you?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“What? Alright, if that’s the case, then spill it already. If you hate dragging things on, let’s hear it.”

“You might d*e soon. And there may be less than six hours left.”

“…What?”

Elpride furrowed her already reddened forehead.

In sharp contrast to her usually tranquil demeanor, her scowled face was so different that it was quite intimidating—even to me, who had observed her face for two years.

“You dying?”

“It’s true. The elves of Albrheim are here. Are you aware they’re already in this district?”

“Albrheim….”

At the mention of Albrheim, the tension on Elpride’s forehead relaxed slightly.

“Albrheim, huh.”

She turned her back to me once more and gazed out at the world.

I only saw the back of her head, so I couldn’t tell what she was looking at or what expression she wore.

“Well, it seems the inevitable has arrived. Though it’s later than expected.”

“So.”

“It sounds like you already realize they burned the World Tree, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So then, those trackers are probably going to drag you back to Albrheim, aren’t they?”

“No, from what I’ve heard, they made a deal with the Kingdom. Apparently, they are planning either to execute you or make you a slave.”

“What?”

The calm voice cracked.

“Me, a slave? Who do they think they are?”

“I don’t know about that. Anyway, it seems utterly ridiculous for you to ask me, Elpride, about life and d*ath. But your existence has come to an end, Elpride. However, at least today isn’t that day, since I’ve been commissioned to protect you.”

“Commission? The more you talk, the less it makes sense. And you protecting me? If the trackers chasing me are either Flash or Lightning, they’ll crush anyone in an instant.”

Flash and Lightning are the nicknames of Kalidur and Daltor.

Because those were pretty dreadful nicknames, I had them ingrained in my mind, and hearing Elpride mention them confirmed they were famous human trackers among the elves. Of course, such grand nicknames wouldn’t stick if they were anything but renowned.

Elpride said,

“You think you can stop those merciless trackers just because you’ve been pretending to be some adventurer lately? People like you would be broken in a single move.”

“But I’m your only ally right now. I’m your last lifeline. Should you dismiss me like that?”

“What?”

I got irritated with the clueless-looking Elpride too.

Why is this world full of so many idiots? Maybe it’s because they lack proper higher education, or they don’t even know the shape of the planet.

“You just got expelled from your party, Elpride.”

“…”

Elpride stopped talking, still turned away.

I continued speaking towards her back.

“I just spoke with Delphina. They seem to want to avoid fighting the trackers from Albrheim. So, you’ve been booted out of the party. Now you’re all alone.”

“…”

Elpride, who had been talking all along, now fell into complete silence. She must be processing a lot in her mind right now.

Though she could suspect my words are lies, Elpride isn’t stupid. She’d likely piece together what happened between me and Delphina and draw her conclusions.

“Eventually, it’s come to this again. d*mn it. The only one I can trust is you. Should I cry or laugh about that?”

“I can only delay the execution for a day. Even that might not be guaranteed. Anyway, is there no other way?”

“Way for what?”

“To shake off the trackers or run away. Escape the city limits, for instance.”

“Even if I do that, it’s just a matter of time. I’m just tired of this endless life of running. I don’t know if anything good will come from living like this. Maybe-”

Elpride kept repeating the word “maybe.” I could sense her muttering something else in her mouth—probably about wanting to give up.

Being chased by someone must be exhausting. But Elpride’s lack of motivation is troubling for me.

“If you give up, I won’t be able to complete my commission.”

“What commission? That’s none of my concern. Living like this is really, truly exhausting now. Coming to Gaia Continent had its moments, and I’ve done enough already. It’s probably for the best to end it here.”

“You’re talking about d*ath?”

“Execution or enslavement. You know better than anyone what lies ahead for me, Hassan.”

I imagined Elpride sentenced.

Execution—

But in Elpride’s case, it’s more certain that she’ll be enslaved.

I have to admit, she’s so beautiful that she can bewitch people’s hearts. She is known as the seductress among elves.

There will likely be a lot of people willing to pay to claim her as a slave out of greed.

So, she won’t face execution.

As I mentioned before, being beautiful provides certain unspoken advantages in this world.

But what about being a beautiful slave?

Even if saving her life sounds appealing, the treatment of slaves varies. And for young female slaves, the treatment is pretty consistent. The reason for purchasing a beautiful slave boils down to one thing.

“You won’t last a single day in slavery, Elpride.”

“Ha, don’t laugh. Hassan, if you think you can endure for two years and I can’t make it through a single day, do you think that’s funny? Do you really see me as that pitiable?”

“Elpride, not all slave owners are like you. It might be nearly equivalent to d*ath, or it may be worse. Dying might even be better.”

“Then how about me, someone like me?”

At this, Elpride’s delicate shoulders trembled. Was she afraid? Or perhaps angry? Regardless, her emotions were in turmoil.

“I’m asking how you justify someone like me.”

“…”

I paused briefly to think, but Elpride couldn’t wait. In a flood of words, she continued,

“How is someone like me supposed to be lecturing you? Like some merciful fool who rescues a dying slave but then flees irresponsibly, causing you confusion? Someone who gets slapped again upon meeting? And now, someone who only has you as their ally because you’re a moron?”

Clutch-clutch.

Elpride gripped the railing tightly. People react in different ways when they hit a crisis.

From what I know, Elpride has a strong self-destructive tendency. She’s often characterized as wild, much like fire.

There’s no better word to describe her.

Elpride’s inner flames burn everything—the World Tree, her relationships, and even herself.

“Don’t patronize me. Seeing you act like my ally now makes me want to vomit. Because you shared meals with me a few times, did you think I’m like you? Did rolling around in the abyss with an uneducated brute make you think we’re the same?”

“Don’t pretend to be on my side now. Seriously, the sight of your face makes me want to puke. Do you think I’d thank you if you suddenly hold out your hand now? If so, why didn’t you-”

Didn’t this situation occur before? It seems like my conversations with her always take this route.

In the past, I would’ve reacted with anger too, but for some reason, I remain calm like a vast, quiet lake.

Even as Elpride throws stones into the depths of my soul, not a ripple forms in my heart. This serenity surprises even me.

Perhaps because I can foresee the fate awaiting Elpride, feelings of compassion toward her have emerged.

With this step of distance that’s grown between us, I can now see things I couldn’t before.

Memories flood my mind of standing at a podium and making a girl cry, or accidentally kicking a blanket in the heat of youthful arrogance, mistakes I’ve repeated.

“Hey, Elpride, do you maybe… like me?”

[Author’s Note]

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