Chapter 248

248th Chapter

Elves of Albrheim 248? Fairies of Albrheim #8

Until just now, Elpride, who had been thrashing violently, became surprisingly calm as soon as she entered this enclosed and dark room.

Could it be because she hit her head on the floor when I threw her to place her on the bed?

For a moment, I panicked, wondering if she had suffered brain damage, but when I looked into her ruby-colored eyes, which were silently glaring at me with a frown, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Elpride was currently simmering in anger.

The stages of Elpride’s anger, which I had named during my time as a slave, are divided into three levels.

First is the Small Anger (小怒).

This is the stage where she merely frowns and starts making noises like “Hah?” Elpride often enters this stage when I deliberately ignore her words or if I oversleep.

The frequency is about once a day.

During this time, she occasionally curses or slaps her forehead with her palm. It’s surprisingly easy to soothe her when she’s in this Small Anger stage; a simple apology or a shoulder rub can calm her down quickly.

Then comes the Medium Anger (中怒).

This stage occurs when I accidentally step on Elpride’s foot or if I lazily refuse to comply with her orders.

Her furrowed brow and flushed face begin to show her irritation, and now, instead of mere sounds like “Hah?”, actual curses start to spill from her lips, and her hand twitches toward the whip at her waist.

The frequency is about two times a week, and soothing her during this stage is quite difficult; if I don’t serve her well-grilled meat along with vegetable salad, her anger lingers for a long time.

And if this Medium Anger doesn’t dissipate, what follows is the Great Anger (大怒).

As I saw earlier, this stage erupts like a volcano, throwing punches at me and hurling curses indiscriminately.

Usually, this happens when I gossip about her as a “Kanf,” or when I try to play coy while dodging her whip.

During times like this, nothing I do can placate her rage.

I just have to endure the beating.

Like a young bird waiting for the storm to pass, I can only bury my head in the ground and tremble.

Fortunately, Great Anger only occurs about once a month.

“…”

I looked at Elpride, who was sitting on the floor, fidgeting with her forehead, with anxious eyes. She had finally grown silent after going through the Great Anger.

This was a realm beyond the three stages of her anger, a state of silence.

Having flipped 180 degrees in rage, she then devolved into a complete calm, returning to her original state of fury, akin to completing a full rotation.

As such, she appeared almost serene.

I hadn’t yet named this state.

I had only witnessed it once myself. That was when I declared my freedom from her.

Since there was no longer a reason for her to be angry, I hadn’t bothered to assign it a name, but now it felt as if an appropriate title was needed.

She appeared to be downcast, like she had fallen to the ground, becoming eerily subdued. Perhaps “Elpride’s Fall Down Mode” would fit.

But why am I seriously contemplating this nonsense?

The fact that Elpride was angry triggered a defense mechanism in my mind, filling it with useless thoughts that seemed to serve no purpose.

If I lose to Elpride like this, it would mean nothing.

I am no longer this girl’s slave, so there was no need to accommodate her anger.

Thus, I spoke nonchalantly.

“Come on, show me your foot, Elpride.”

“…Why should I?”

“Aren’t your feet meant to be shown casually? They won’t wear out; just show them to me.”

“….”

Elpride looks up at me from below with her arms crossed.

My goodness, who would have thought there would come a time in my life where Elpride would be looking up at me like this? It feels both surreal and somewhat touching.

Slick.

However, Elpride’s foot, clad in slippers, slipped right underneath the floor-length dress of the infirmary outfit. It resembled a snail retreating into its shell for safety.

“Go to hell. You idiot. I won’t listen to a word you say.”

She then stuck her tongue out at me, making a poorly executed provocation. The sight was enough to bring back memories of the girls from my elementary school days who used to bully me.

While it was undeniably childish, the sheer rawness of the provocation almost made me snap.

“d*mn it. Why do you have to act all defiant when someone is trying to help?”

How about I just let myself be caught and face the fate of becoming a slave to the elves, or even a public execution? Then I wouldn’t have to see her face anymore, which might actually be a good thing.

I left the city of Kolkata to get away from her, and the thought of her showing up even in Sodomora had stressed me out so much that I would often wake up suddenly.

If this girl were to be captured by the elves, I would no longer have to see her face, and perhaps I could return to my own daily life.

Ignoring what would happen to her would be the best course of action for me.

“Are you going to help me? For what reason exactly? Because of a request? Just how extraordinary is that request for you to be doing this? Just abandon me like you did last time. You’re good at that, after all. You’ve done it once. It’s easier to abandon someone a second time than the first.”

d*mn that Kanf girl…

If I just abandon her, I would be so much freer.

I know that well, yet why do I respond this way to her? I simply cannot comprehend it.

Perhaps she feels like a curse to me; a curse I can never forget, one that follows me relentlessly.

If I were to let her go, wouldn’t that mean I would be forever tied to this curse, living life as someone who has been defeated by her?

Living forever as a loser is quite a terrifying thing.

For an ordinary person like Hassan, it might not matter, but for Hassan of Samaria, who is destined to become a hero, being shackled to a curse and residing in a position of defeat doesn’t suit him at all.

Alright, I’ve calmed down a bit.

Just as I was about to speak, Elpride suddenly stood up and sat on the bed, looking at me with a cheeky expression.

“Isn’t it you who likes me?”

“What?”

“You must like me, considering you can’t give up on me no matter how much I curse and insult you.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Why would I like you?”

“You like being hurt, Hassan. You enjoy getting cursed by me.”

“What kind of crazy talk is this?”

“Isn’t that why you keep clinging to me? It seems that ridiculous pink-haired girl doesn’t work well for you?”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up Luna? No matter how much you flail around, you can’t even come close to Luna’s toes.”

“Oh really? Is that so? Have you two slept together or something?”

“What?”

In that instant, I felt the food I had eaten in the morning climb back up my throat. Is there anything more embarrassing than this? I was so flustered that my mind went blank.

“No, that’s not true.”

“I already noticed you two living together. It’s obvious what happens when a man and a woman share a roof. Did you sleep together?”

So Elpride had figured out that we were living together. Was it back then? When she came to my cabin pretending to ask for a favor of introducing her to Hippolyte?

It seemed like she had been watching the furniture in my bathroom or bedroom carefully. She was indeed astoundingly perceptive.

Hassan, who has violated a purity vow.

If that fact gets out, things would get quite messy. Therefore, I steadied my mind with superhuman patience and composure and replied casually.

“Luna is a purity vow taker. She’s completely different from a girl like you who shows her feet to just anyone.”

“What?”

Elpride, who had just been attacking me, frowned again.

“W-What are you talking about? I don’t show my feet to just anyone! What bullshit are you saying?”

“Why, I’m sure you know the answer. You said feet are just a body part. They don’t get worn out, so doesn’t that mean you’ve been showing them off to anyone?”

… .

Elpride’s expression was boiling over again. I felt a wave of satisfaction. Elpride had gotten a taste of her own medicine.

Determined to sink her completely, I came up with the finishing blow.

And I unleashed it from my belly, through my throat, and with a powerful thrust of my tongue, it shot out of my lips like a torpedo.

“Do I like you? Don’t make me laugh. I wouldn’t even flinch even if you were completely n*ked.”

… .

Elpride fell silent, unable to respond further. This signified my complete victory.

I had beaten Elpride in a war of words. Look at her, blushing and speechless. She seemed thoroughly angry.

Lost in the delight of my victory, I suddenly felt something was off.

Elpride’s earlier angry expression began to soften, and she was smiling.

Wait, what?

Just as I seemed to be caught in some unfathomable maze or trap, Elpride spoke.

“Then prove it.”

“What?”

“Prove to me that no matter what I do, you won’t react. Prove to me how much you truly love that girl Noxdotty.”

“How am I supposed to prove that? I can’t just pull out my heart to show you.”

“If you really mean it, then you won’t react no matter what I do. You’re not in love with me. However, if you do respond to me, it means you do like me.”

Sitting on the bed, Elpride extended her leg in my direction.

Her slipper, loosely hanging around her ankle, dangled as her leg moved, gliding over my calf, knee, and onto my thigh.

I felt a hint of tension, worried she might accidentally kick me, but thankfully, nothing like that occurred.

Elpride said, “Showing you my feet means nothing to me. There’s no stirring in my heart because I have no feelings for you. You’re just a slave. Just an object. But what about you?”

Swish, swish – .

Elpride’s foot began to move playfully between my legs. As a result of those movements, her slipper, which had been precariously perched, fell off and hit the floor.

Now, with her bare foot, Elpride began to rub against my knee and thigh, seeming completely at ease.

Is this girl completely oblivious to modesty? How can a grown woman show her bare feet to a man like this?

Is it really that Elpride finds showing her feet to me completely inconsequential?

In fact, previously, when I had massaged her for Delphina’s request, she had hidden her feet from me.

The more I learn, the more confused I become, as if I’ve fallen into Elpride’s trap like a puppet.

“Why so quiet? Are you nervous? If you are, admit it and just d*e. Even with that girl Luna beside you, in the end, you can’t forget me. So, you’ve come back to me like this, haven’t you? You couldn’t bear to see me become someone else’s slave.”

… .

“You want me, don’t you, Hassan? How dare you, the former slave, now desire to have me? That girl Luna is just someone you meet to help you forget me, isn’t she?”

Seeing her so smug, I felt an urge to not let this go any further. I had known for a long time that Elpride enjoyed the attention of men and manipulated it for her gain.

At this point, her attitude was really excessive.

“Then let’s make a bet, Elpride. Let’s see who reacts first, as you said.”

“Hah? A bet? Sure, go ahead, idiot. Do you really think I’m scared just because you said that?”

“Just don’t start whining later, you Kanf girl.”

In response to Elpride’s words, I grabbed her ankle, which was brushing against my leg with my hand. It was surprisingly slender, as I’d always noticed.

Who would have thought I’d be able to grab it again?

To prove my pure feelings for Luna, I now had to go after Elpride.

I slowly started to move my hand, unhesitatingly caressing her foot with my fingers.

Soft.

Tender and slender toes.

The curve of her arches was always fascinating whenever I touched them. Her feet were still cold.

Slippery.

I ran my thumb across her foot’s surface.

I was curious about her reaction, and I glanced at Elpride, who was maintaining an aloof expression.

Elpride said, “The first one to react loses.”

“First?”

When I expressed my doubt, slick.

The other foot slipped out of the slipper and soon began climbing up my thigh.

“If you stand up, I win. According to you, I can do anything, and you won’t get excited, right?”

[Author’s Note] It seems the bond between Hassan and Elpride is deeper than I thought…

I now regret not giving Hassan the power of Hypnosis in a Greco-Roman style…!!!

It’s time for that crazy girl to take a deep breath and dive back into the deep sea..!!