“What the hell does this elf want so much?”
The mustached staff member grumbled as he carried meals toward the prison, or rather, the not-so-prison.
Choose the menu, pick the cooking method, and serve drinks. Is that captured elf? It feels more like a customer visiting a restaurant.
Ropermong who happily fulfills every request is also a problem. Just because it’s a precious elf, they want everything done for them. There are no parents to be seen. It might not be long before they let her roam free.
Clink.
The staff member began to unlock the locks secured thrice on the door.
The food could easily be slid through the hole at the bottom of the door, but the man chose the more direct route of opening it. Observing the helpless elf up close felt good, and the pleasant fragrance wafted around.
The devil’s temptation of ‘Should I just kidnap and escape?’ occasionally whispered in his ear. But in the end, even Noktar wouldn’t be able to escape and would get caught anyway.
Click.
He opened the last lock and loosened the chains. As he opened the door, a refreshing scent of the forest spread out.
Hmm, that smell.
The scent chased away all the day’s fatigue. He wanted to keep one of those in his room.
“Hey, meal… is it here?”
The man’s voice trailed off foolishly.
It felt strange. The room looked extravagant. What this meant was that he had never noticed the appearance of the room when the elf was present. He was too preoccupied with tracking the elf’s form.
But now it was different. He could only see the room. The elf that should have been there was gone. The chains connected to the pillar were lying abandoned on the floor.
It was then he realized that something was wrong.
“What, what?!”
The staff member rushed into the room as if being sucked in. The haphazardly dropped dishes spilled onto the floor.
Checking the chains, the staff member noted they weren’t broken. Instead, they were neatly unlocked, showing signs of having been opened with a key.
‘No way…!’
Someone kidnapped the elf before I could!
Was it that bastard Marco?
Or was it Tram?
How dare these guys get ahead of me! If I can’t have her, neither can you!
The man turned his body to report the situation immediately.
“Oh?”
He locked eyes with Carami, who was trying to quietly leave the room while closing the door.
“You, you…?”
Carami smiled sweetly at the stammering man.
“Please take a good rest. The air is nice and the facilities are great. The food… it’s been three seconds, but you won’t die from eating it.”
Prefering work over relaxation, the man jumped up and ran, but the world didn’t wait for him. Uncaringly, the door remained shut.
The man strained to open the door, but it only rattled. As Carami clung to the door, Arfia locked the latch.
Sounds of angry shouting came from within, but no one paid attention. They were too busy escaping.
“Let’s hurry.”
Whoosh.
They were eager to escape the building before being discovered, but a gathering of black mist suddenly blocked the corridor.
“Why are you coming out from there?”
Emerging slowly from the mist was a Dark Elf. It was Reinard, who had received Ropermong’s commission to capture Arfia.
Reinard’s chilling blue eyes froze the air as they locked onto Carami.
“You definitely went out under Ropermong’s escort, didn’t you?”
“I came back. I couldn’t just leave my slave behind.”
“But there was no sign of life.”
“That’s because you’re incompetent.”
Reinard’s eyebrows twitched momentarily. Carami’s “plausible words” weren’t just skills applied in negotiations. His irritating comments were enough to unnerve even a trained assassin.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll just put you back inside.”
Reinard moved his hands, drawing out two daggers he had crossed at his waist in reverse grip.
“The elf has escaped!”
Moreover, hearing this commotion, Ropermong’s lackeys began climbing the stairs.
Arfia kept her gaze on Reinard, rolling her eyes. The current location was a linear corridor. If they continued like this, they would be surrounded from both ends.
Then something caught Arfia’s eye—the window in the hallway.
“Hey. No… Master?”
“Yes?”
“We’re going to escape, so cover your face with your clothes to avoid injury and hold on tight, big sister.”
“What do you mean…?!”
Before he could ask, Arfia’s actions were quicker. Swinging her bow, she smashed through the window, pulled Carami along, and threw herself outside.
At first glance, it could be mistaken for a suicide jump. Especially to someone who didn’t know she was an elf.
Elves, who leap from tree to tree all their lives, are best described as forest spirits or wingless angels of the woods. They do not know how to fall.
Even in decay, Arfia was still an elf. After hopping between trees next to the building a few times, she landed as softly as a leaf riding the wind.
Carami was frozen, eyes wide in surprise at the sudden act. Arfia asked with a small smile.
“You’re not scared, are you?”
“No, of course not. I’m just surprised at how well you climb trees…”
“Silly. I’m an elf~”
Arfia tossed her hair dramatically, but unfortunately, there was no time for a leisurely talent show. There was another elf on the other side.
As people looked down as if they were chasing a chicken, Reinard made his move.
The black mist that spread outside the window flowed onto the building’s roof. Once again moving with the mist, Reinard looked down at the two while turning his back to the moonlight.
Arfia frowned.
“What’s that? A spirit?”
“Correct. It’s a spirit known as a dark cloud. They particularly follow Dark Elves, but their weakness is light attributes.”
“How do you know that…?”
“It’s in the spirit compendium. I hear they give achievements when you fill it out? I’ve done quite a few elf rerolls to collect them all.”
Reinard’s disdainful gaze shifted toward Arfia. She flinched, unable to meet his eyes.
“Is this truly the master you trust?”
“I decided not to think about it deeply. What do I care? As long as he treats me well.”
“What do you mean by that? Just because he’s a slave doesn’t mean he treats you well?”
“Master? Please, just keep quiet and run toward the tavern. I’ll handle things here.”
“Haha, I guess I’ll be in the way if I’m around. Then I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Carami, who was trying to avoid acting foolishly, called out to Arfia before departing.
“Arfia.”
“What?”
“Your master always believes in you.”
Seeing him wink, Arfia let out a small laugh.
“I already know that without you saying it.”
Carami took off running down the path, while a concerned Arfia kept a watchful eye on Reinard.
“You’re tasked with capturing an elf, right? Then wouldn’t it be perfect to sacrifice yourself? You’d complete the mission and it would make that guy feel good too.”
“What the client wants is your white elf, though.”
“What a discriminatory human. Our master doesn’t care about that. How about it? Would you like to be a slave too? As a senior elf, I’d treat you nicely. Ah, of course, you’d be in trouble for pulling a knife on our master, but…”
“I can tell you’re just trying to stall, but there’s no need. I have no intention of chasing you.”
Reinard watched as Carami moved further away. He knew exactly where she was heading. It was certainly the Duke of the Night’s hideout.
With several members of the organization already waiting, capturing her would be no trouble. He only needed to focus on dealing with the elf in front of him.
“I’ll warn you in advance. Drop the bow and accept your fate. You, who cannot handle spirits, cannot defeat me.”
That may very well be true.
Arfia had only been handling a bow for a few months, and all her training had been limited to practical sessions. Trying to defeat the skilled assassin, Reinard, was perhaps an overreach.
‘But so what?’
Carami believed in her.
Was further explanation needed?
No.
Arfia nocked an arrow. Aiming at Reinard’s brow. It was time to show the fruits of her training.
Arfia released the bowstring.
The elf’s arrow cut through the night.
*
“Isn’t that cheating?!”
It was pointless.
The arrow shot forth with vigor was effortlessly deflected as Reinard merely tilted his head. After dodging the attack, he glanced back without any excitement, almost as if to say ‘slow’ with his gaze.
It wasn’t advantageous to shoot from below. Thinking this, Arfia clambered up the wall to the roof.
She hid her body in the gap of the roof. Angling her bow slightly, she prepared to shoot.
Whoosh.
The arrow flew completely off target, heading parallel to Reinard.
But just as the arrow slipped past Reinard’s field of vision, the wind picked up. The arrow veered at a drastic angle and came back like a boomerang.
It dove toward Reinard’s temple.
Reinard didn’t even flinch. Without looking, he swung his dagger, and the arrow was severed in half. Arfia’s critical shot was split asunder.
Even for the Dark Elf, Reinard was skilled at reading the flow of air. With regular archery, it would be impossible to hit her.
Reinard frowned down at her. Arfia flinched.
The black mist writhed, cloaking the figure of the dark fairy. The fog that surrounded the master surged forward, diving straight at Arfia.
“Tch!”
Arfia ran along the rooftop, resembling a thief come to steal jewels. Even as she ran, she nocked another arrow, jumped, and shot backward.
Whoosh.
The arrow pierced through the mist. Whether she shot in quick succession or in a burst, the results were the same. She couldn’t inflict any damage. Reinard moved freely within the mist, evading her attacks.
‘How can I win?’
Arfia bit her lower lip anxiously.
“Is it fine for me to just watch like this?”
Meanwhile, at the Duke of the Night’s estate.
At an outdoor table, two men raised their goblets, illuminated by the moonlight. Surrounding them lay beings swallowed by shadows.
Victor, the one responsible for the carnage, observed the black-and-white fairies dancing freely over the rooftops. While Arfia showcased her exceptional archery skills, her opponent was no pushover.
As an assassin, Victor could more accurately gauge Reinard’s level. Someone of Arfia’s caliber would be among the top in the assassination guild.
Especially Reinard’s black mist.
If one couldn’t handle the mystical, there was no way to counter it. This was absurdity at its finest.
He wanted to intervene; after all, he held some affection for Arfia. Emili also liked her. But Carami adamantly opposed.
“This is her role. Do not interfere.”
“What if something goes wrong?”
“That’s for her to handle.”
One could not simply spoon-feed everything. It would hinder Arfia’s growth and distance her from complete freedom.
Having done enough, all that was left was to trust and wait.
“You’re more forceful than I expected.”
“After all, giving an extra rice cake to an ugly fellow or hitting a pretty one just once is the way of the world.”
‘Is that so?’ Victor pondered as he sipped his drink. With a change in the battle’s dynamics, he turned his head.
The distance between the two fairies had finally narrowed. It was difficult to evade Reinard, who glided through the mist on foot.
Emerging from the mist, Reinard’s upper body appeared, and he slashed with his dagger diagonally. Arfia bent down, narrowly avoiding the attack.
However, due to her center of gravity leaning forward, her balance collapsed. Arfia fell to the floor.
Reinard did not aim for a blind spot. Like a venomous snake with its mouth agape, he lunged forward with a pair of daggers that resembled massive fangs.
“Gah!”
Arfia reflexively raised her bow. Thunk! The bowstring collided with Reinard’s wrist. The blade stopped mere inches from her face. Arfia twisted her head, straining to shake it off.
Yet the daggers only trembled at her resistance without yielding.
“I have no hobby of killing my kin. Give up. That’s my final mercy.”
“Is selling out one’s own kin mercy?”
“Isn’t it better than dying?”
“Elves are bound to one for life, you know? I’d rather die…!”
Objectively speaking, Arfia’s archery skills were quite decent. Her formidable ability could hold its own in real battles.
But her opponent was formidable. Being devoid of a spirit in an elf battle is akin to being unable to use magic in a wizard training.
‘If only I could do something about that mist…!’
Carami had said that spirits were weak to light.
Within herself lay several spirits. Surely, there might be a spirit of light among them?
Arfia concentrated on drawing out the spirit that had been hiding within her. The spirit struggled against her.
Their kicking and battling was overwhelming.
But she didn’t stop. No longer holding back. How long had she suffered?
“Pay rent if you’re going to invade my body!!!”
With her cry, one spirit was forcibly pulled along the path. A soft white light flowed along the marked line.
When the light completely enveloped the mark…
Boom─────!
A light brighter than flash illuminated Noktar’s night.
