According to rumors, elves are said to guard nature, communicate with spirits, and are exceedingly noble beings.
Of course, few people actually get to see them, mainly because the number of elves is so small.
But even so, the elf in front of me now is taking things a bit too far, isn’t she?
With her absurdly aggressive nature, tendency to suddenly sexually harass others, her penchant for liking women—making her part of a lesbian relationship—and her work in the underworld where all sorts of illegal activities take place, she truly stands out.
Is it this particular elf who’s unusual, or should we instead question the scholars praising elves and the ancient texts glorifying them?
I tried to ignore the disruption to my understanding and refocused on my original purpose.
Anyway, due to the recognition-lowering magic, she wouldn’t recognize me, so I didn’t see the need to pull my mask all the way up to cover my face, though it remained mostly concealed.
“Now, what brings you here?”
Instead of answering verbally, I took out the insignia I had shown when I arrived.
“…An access pass?”
“I’m selling this.”
It’s essentially useless to me anyway. It’s possible I might need it later, but my immediate concern is with the money in front of me.
Though it’s an access pass that allows entry into the Dephel underground, I thought it might fetch a decent amount, so I came to see.
The elf took the pass, inspected it thoroughly, then slid it back to me.
“Uh, well… it is a genuine pass, but all we can offer is scrap metal value for its weight.”
“…What?”
“If you really wish to sell the pass, you could use the auction house. With a simple identity check, they should be able to process it. Not sure how much it will sell for among those who are already in the underground.”
That’s problematic. I’d rather avoid leaving any traces behind as much as possible.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I picked up the pass I had placed on the table and returned it to my pocket.
“Is there anything else you need?”
At the elf’s question, I contemplated for a moment, but I couldn’t think of anything else. I had no money to buy anything, nor anything else to sell.
“Alright then.”
Just as I was about to turn and leave, the elf’s next words stopped me.
“Well, it seems like we’ve handled your business, but how about we chat for a bit? Meeting again like this must mean something, you know?”
“…You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
Startled, I checked my mask, but the recognition-lowering magic was working fine.
“You have interesting items, but they’re useless to me. Still, don’t worry too much. I need to eat too, so I won’t go blabbing about anything. I swear this on the World Tree.”
Though it’s funny to hear this trouble-making elf talk about the World Tree, given its significance to all elves, she’s likely telling the truth.
“Hmph…”
I glanced around, but there was no one else in the narrow room. I sensitized my perception to check the walls for any hidden devices, but there was nothing unusual.
I couldn’t simply kill this elf, but if she shows any goodwill, having a casual chat might not be too bad.
“Didn’t I just say it? I’m just glad to see you. Come on. While money or items are a bit pricey to give away for free, if you have any questions, I’ll tell you one piece of information for free.”
The elf said this, then sat down at the inner table, tapping the seat next to her.
Why does she want me to sit next to her rather than across from her? I already know the answer to that, so I deliberately ignored her hand and took the seat opposite.
“So, what’s the real reason you stopped me?”
“Oh my, that tone makes this big sister sad.”
Though her expression showed genuine hurt, I had already experienced more than enough of her cheeky nature.
As I leaned back in my chair, the elf realized her act wasn’t working and switched her expression, continuing her story.
“You see, I just wanted to know where you got this access pass. It moves around so much, and no one really memorizes the details, so it generally doesn’t matter. But upon closer inspection, these passes do have unique numbers.”
She was right. There were small letters and numbers inscribed on the back of the pass—details I had previously overlooked.
“But I remember issuing this particular number.”
She rested her chin on her arms, which were propped on the table, and smiled.
Idly fidgeting with the necklace around her neck, she continued:
“You, what’s your connection to the Black Moon?”
And then she channeled mana into the necklace.
The mist emanating from the necklace made the already dark room even darker and more secretive.
Without making a sound, I drew my sword, pointing it at her neck.
A slight movement and her thin neck would fall to the floor.
But even with the blade at her throat, she remained calmly seated.
“From now on, I’ll be asking the questions. If you hesitate or play any tricks, I’ll slice your neck right off. So be careful.”
Under no circumstances should anyone discover my true identity.
Mentioning the organization made me unconsciously act. I regretted not playing it cooler, but the deed was done.
Yet I can’t kill her. If I did, I’d officially become a fugitive.
While the recognition-lowering magic isn’t foolproof, my entry into the city is on record. If Dephel’s underground started digging, they might uncover my identity.
I’ll figure out how to deal with the consequences later. For now, I’ll determine just how much this elf knows.
“How do you know about the Black Moon?”
“That’s not really what I wanted to know… Think of it as a security procedure to establish mutual trust.”
Even with the blade at her throat, she didn’t flinch.
She’s either confident she can escape easily, knows I won’t kill her, or both.
“To be blunt, I’m an investor. I didn’t expect it to fall apart like this.”
Is she telling the truth, or lying? Her calm delivery makes it hard to discern.
“I accidentally got into business with the previous Master. When the Black Moon fell, I was rather disappointed, but instead of failing, I find a cute young lady has taken over as the new leader.”
“…New leader?”
“Oh dear. I didn’t know there was a cute young lady involved, but regardless, aren’t you also part of the Black Moon? Whether you were away on a mission or not, you brought the access pass of the guild Master, so you must be the new Master, right?”
“Why assume I’m with the Black Moon? Maybe I just happened to get my hands on this by chance?”
Since there’s no point pretending anymore, I decided to ask outright.
“You wouldn’t have reacted so strongly when I mentioned the Black Moon if there wasn’t some truth to it, right?”
“…Damn.”
“So, can you please lower that sword? It saddens me to have a new business partner dislike me like this.”
She stopped channeling mana into the necklace and returned the sword to its sheath.
The room returned to its regular dim state.
“The Black Moon is gone now. I have no intention of being tied to a defunct assassin guild.”
Seeing no need to maintain formalities, I relaxed and spoke freely.
“Then there’s no reason to outright reject a new business partnership, right? As I mentioned earlier, I can always give you some free information.”
Returning to the seat across from her, I sat down with a thud.
“What if I take this information and destroy any trace of having received it?”
“One piece of information is offered purely out of goodwill, so it’s fine even if you do that. Of course, things might be different if you officially become my partner.”
I considered her words. So far, there’s no real reason to distrust her.
She didn’t call for security when I drew my sword, and she’s shown consistent goodwill.
But I still don’t know what to ask.
A way for me to revert to my male form?
Since the only known TS mage has died, there’s no guarantee other mages are researching such magic. Moreover, I don’t want to risk revealing my true identity unnecessarily.
If she finds out I’m pretending to be Elysia Frentz, it would only add another vulnerability.
Then what should I ask?
While pondering this for a while, something brushed against my shins, knees, and thighs.
“What the hell!”
I jumped up, only to see her giggling. Her bare foot, which she’d apparently taken off under the table, appeared in my line of sight.
“Hey, we’ve done plenty of things like this before, remember? Didn’t you let me touch your thigh in the carriage?”
“Just because you’re an elf doesn’t mean it’s okay to touch me like some pervert…”
“Excuse me, is there some law stopping elves from doing this? You just don’t know, but some elves out there are even worse than me.”
An elf who works in the underworld, sexually harasses women, and is worse than this…just imagining it makes me dizzy.
“Are you even a real elf?”
“After all that fondling of my ears, you still doubt me? Oh? Would you like to try touching them again?”
I might not have known better before, but now that I’ve directly heard from the elf in front of me that ears are erogenous zones, there’s no way I’d indulge such a perverted desire.
“Anyway, how about you look into information about the Prentz House? The more detailed, the better.”
Considering my last meeting with the Emperor, I need to know more about the Prentz family.
“Well, this isn’t something we currently have on file, so I’ll have to investigate and let you know later. Once I’ve gathered enough, I’ll visit you personally, as a service.”
“In about six months, then.”
There’s a good chance she just figured out my true identity, but frankly, it doesn’t really matter. She’s already seen through the recognition-lowering magic and knows my face, and given her job with handling information, finding out who I truly am is easy for her.
I’d just rather avoid the hassle of a visit during the school term, so let’s give it plenty of time.
“Oh yeah, what’s your name?”
“Nice of you to finally ask. It’s Lindy. You can call me Lindy.”
“Alright. See you next time, then.”
As I stood up to leave, she also stood and spoke.
“Ah! Don’t worry, I’ll keep today’s meeting a secret. But…”
She hesitated for a moment, fidgeting with her fingers, then resumed speaking.
“My behind… could I touch it just once?”
The shy tone, absent when she was outright harassing me, made an appearance.
“You perverted woman!”
Of course, there was no reason to continue listening, so I ignored her, turned around, and headed toward the door.
And just as I grasped the door handle…
“…Will you really keep this a secret?”
“Of course I will! Definitely!”
Her previous disappointment was replaced with a cheerful grin as she approached, practically skipping.
Even though I know she’ll keep the secret, it never hurts to confirm…
