Episode 77: A Bow is Stronger than a Sword (3)
If it weren’t for Chaewon providing such a great idea, I might have wasted even more time.
“Hem, pay attention… What I’m about to say is really important…”
The elf blacksmith, who until now had seemed like a quiet problem-solver capable of fixing any weapon-related issue you trusted him with, shed that stoic image.
“This Frostbite Sword will make a beautifully crisp sound like stepping on thin ice every time it’s swung…”
He kept emphasizing the planned Frostbite Sword incessantly.
【Alright, that’s settled. Can we leave already? It’s suffocating in here. How much longer do I have to listen to this old elf’s meaningless chatter? Not like there’s anything else to see here anyway.】
That’s right.
But I felt as if I was getting closer to uncovering some truth about the Black Gates that I’ve encountered so far.
The Black Gate is different for me than it is for others.
Just a few months ago, I probably experienced the same Black Gate as everyone else. But after obtaining System’s Blessing technique, the meaning of the Black Gate has changed.
“Excuse me-”
“Auntie, can you fix this? Just tell me the bottom line. Someone is waiting outside.”
I wanted to ask the elf blacksmith more about the eternal ice.
However, Triche, unable to bear the elf blacksmith wasting our time with useless talk, interrupted the conversation between me and the blacksmith.
“Hey, let me ask too…”
I couldn’t quite say that out loud.
【Why did you stop talking? It’s annoying.】
“It’s not like that at all.”
I felt wrongfully accused.
Triche pulled me along with her right hand and quickly exited the forge.
Though I had various things I wanted to ask the elf blacksmith, since they weren’t immediately important and wouldn’t help me by hearing them now, I complied with Triche’s lead willingly.
After all, a weapon can’t be repaired just because it’s in the forge.
The moment the idea of using the System to repair the weapon crossed my mind, Chaewon’s insistence on leaving the forge as soon as possible returned to normal right after stepping out.
Like the Lekka dragging me out, Triche also grabbed me and rushed forward. Irlya quickly followed behind, seeing this.
A refreshing breeze swept past me as we left the forge.
“Irlya, where are we going now?”
“It’s perfect timing to arrive at this hour. It’s getting very late, so don’t fall asleep while following me.”
Irlya said while boldly asserting her chest, as if she expected us to just follow her.
Knowing that her body had grown significantly after drinking my blood, Irlya seemed to subtly emphasize her chest.
“You don’t fall asleep either, and just properly guide me to where your friend is…”
No matter how much she emphasizes, it’s only a middle schooler’s small chest, which wouldn’t make much of a noticeable difference.
“…”
Triche just chuckled quietly at the sight of such Irlya.
‘Even though she calls you her young master, look at her attitude.’
【Does this mean that small masters aren’t treated properly here? I’ll have to keep that in mind…】
“Tsk! Anyway, you there. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look around elsewhere…”
“Look around?”
I looked down at Irlya as she spoke.
【Why is she saying not to look around? Where exactly are we going?】
“Hmph… I see.”
Triche seemed to have already caught on.
“Do you know where we’re going? Irlya isn’t saying much…”
Upon hearing my words, Irlya opened her mouth but hesitated, looking like she had reached her jawline or throat.
“You’ll see when we get there.”
Just like when she revealed that the Elven Kingdom was called Heblon.
This time again, Triche beat us to it, preventing us from hearing Irlya’s response.
【Why are we excluding a companion like this? Is it a taboo place? Is that it? Is the friend of that mosquito girl working in some kind of taboo place?】
“Just tell us already… Is it really that big of a deal to make people curious?”
It didn’t take long for my curiosity about where that place was to be resolved.
The back alleys of Heblon.
As we moved away from the city square, the magnificent tunes flowing from plucking guitar strings gradually quieted down.
Because of this, the fairies’ voices blending with magic and announcing that today’s time was almost over disappeared as well.
Not hearing the performances that seemed like ordinary background music made the desolate back alley feel especially distinct to me.
As the deep, thick darkness of the night enveloped everything without a single beam of light from the sky, the number of people on the streets decreased.
This was particularly true the closer it was to the square.
Thinking the opposite, during the day, the place which usually had the highest population density—like the square—had its opposite in the back alleys, where the population density was almost non-existent during the day.
But as night falls, the situation reverses.
Rather, the back alley boasts a higher population density at night.
The predominant gender is male.
Why are there many males in Heblon’s back alleys at night?
There might be a few Elven males there, but generally not many.
The main customers are human males.
Why ‘customers’?
Because it’s a shop that only operates at night.
It isn’t a black market dealing in mysterious herbs or clandestine magical tools.
What I, Irlya, and Triche were heading towards was an Elven brothel.
A shop that sells sexuality.
It was located in an exceedingly secluded spot, clearly operated through some implicit methods.
I noticed that the women Elves enticing men outside the brothel wore red dresses with most of the back and front cleavage cut out, leaving nowhere for the eyes to rest.
Why? Because most of the nearby female Elves were employees of the brothel wearing such revealing dresses, designed to seemingly offer any kind of service.
Their clothes only differed in color, undoubtedly crafted solely for the purpose of attracting the opposite sex.
“Whoa…”
I now understood why Irlya and Triche had acted and spoken the way they did.
It wasn’t just mildly provocative.
Even though I had never experienced nosebleeds from sexually stimulating sights since I was young, I finally understood why such sights could cause a nosebleed.
Although I wasn’t actually bleeding from the nose at the moment, it was close to that feeling.
“Whoa. Are they even wearing clothes? These pointy-eared ones… Aren’t they cold?”
It seemed Chaewon was surprised in a different way.
“…You’re also surprised at their clothing.”
“Huh? Did you say something?”
“Never mind.”
While I and Chaewon were exchanging words, Irlya and Triche had already moved quite far ahead.
Irlya was heading naturally towards the Elven brothel, as if she had visited it many times.
Triche, on the other hand, seemed to be pretending and acting familiar.
She must be quite flustered too.
“Or maybe not.”
I completely forgot Irlya’s warning not to look around and found myself dazedly looking at the surrounding female Elves while walking.
The nearby female Elves tried to emphasize their cleavage by pushing their chests together, showed off their legs, extended their butts forward, or performed mock hair-binding gestures that highlighted their bare backs.
Because of this, I couldn’t look in front and ended up walking with my head turned to the side.
And that became the root cause.
At some point, remembering that I should follow Irlya and Triche, I turned my head.
Bang!-
As soon as I turned my head, I slammed my face into some kind of mysterious pillar.
“Ah, what the… Why is there a pillar randomly standing in the middle like this?”
“Haha, you’re such a fool! It’s hilarious, hahaha… Good one!”
Chaewon was busy mocking me.
Because of the unexpected impact, curse words escaped my mouth without my intention.
The impact had been too strong, and my lip had burst.
I hastily wiped the blood on my lip with the right sleeve of my clothes.
“… Now, my clothes have bloodstains.”
“You shouldn’t wear white clothes you never usually wear. It’s embarrassing… They’re hard to maintain anyway.”
“But it’s just outerwear. And how do you know I don’t wear white clothes often?”
“All things have a way, it’s trade secret.”
I was still wearing the white gown given to me by Harin.
Should we call it a couple’s coat? I wasn’t sure about the exact type of outerwear, but it was warm, so it didn’t matter much.
“As long as it’s warm, it’s fine, right?”
I quickly hurried to catch up with Irlya and Triche.
“Let’s go inside!”
Irlya powerfully opened the door of the Elven brothel and declared.
When we first entered the Elven brothel, contrary to the secluded back alley, the interior was extremely luxurious.
Crystal-like lighting enhanced the elegance of the atmosphere.
Though, the actual activities carried out inside here would be as lowly can be.
Irlya called over a female employee of the brothel and booked a room.
The employee glanced at Irlya and asked, “Will the referral be the same person again this time?”
Irlya nodded in response.
We were led by the employee to the assigned room.
A closed space. Walls plastered with hearts.
They made me harbor strange thoughts.
Irlya grabbed the right sleeve of my clothes.
“Hey, what is this blood? It looks like it’s yours…”
“Ah, this… I bumped into something on the way-”
“I told you not to look around!… Rather, didn’t this body tell you not to look around?”
“Well… Sorry. Honestly, I didn’t expect there to be a pillar in such a place.”
“Is your lip bleeding too!”
“I appreciate your worry… But are you licking your lips?”
Is Irlya concerned for me, or does she want to drink the blood flowing from my lips?
Only she herself knows the truth.
“Hmm… A lot has come out, hasn’t it? Let me gently suck it, so come closer…”
I tried to step back to avoid the approaching Irlya,
But somehow, I couldn’t move backward anymore.
“Hurry up and end it.”
Triche was pushing my back from behind.
“Ha… Now there’s no way to escape?”
Irlya dove at me like a starving wolf, latching onto the split on my lips and sucking the blood that oozed out.
“Wow, quite a bit came out, huh?”
At a glance, it looked like a kiss.
But don’t misunderstand.
It’s not exchanging saliva, but rather, one-sided suction of saliva.
– SLAM!
The only exit to the enclosed space, the door, suddenly opened.
“Irlya, I’m here!”
An elf who seemed to be Irlya’s friend entered.
“Uh-oh.”
Triche muttered under her breath.
“…Irlya?”
Irlya seemed to ignore whether her friend came in and continued to suck the blood from my lips, focused on her precious blood-sucking time.
“Indeed…”
【Huh? What’s she saying? It’s hard to make out… Anyway, quickly, detach that mosquito girl, it’s uncomfortable to look at.】
“Sucking and pressing flesh to flesh like this… Isn’t this almost the same as having sex?”
“!”
The door opened abruptly.
“Irlya, I’m here!”
An elf who appeared to be Irlya’s friend walked in.
“Trouble.”
Triche muttered.
“…Irlya?”
Irlya ignored her friend stepping in and remained focused on sucking blood from my lips, clearly not wanting any interruptions during her precious feeding time.
“That much…”
【Huh? What’s she saying? Hardly audible. Eh, never mind, just quickly detach that mosquito girl; it’s uncomfortable to watch.】
“Sucking and sticking flesh together like this… Isn’t it almost the same as sex?”
The only door in the closed room suddenly slammed open.
“Irlya, I’m here!”
An elf who appeared to be Irlya’s friend entered.
“Damn.”
Trice muttered under her breath.
“…Irlya?”
Irlya, seemingly oblivious to her friend’s entrance, kept on sucking blood from my split lip, as if not wanting to interrupt her precious blood-sucking time.
“Indeed…”
【Huh? What is she saying? Can’t hear properly… Anyway, just quickly detach that mosquito lady; it’s uncomfortable to watch.】
“Sucking and having skin to skin contact like this… Isn’t it almost equivalent to sex?”
