You Have to Trust Me. (3)
Erenes was full of curiosity toward the human she was seeing for the first time. Ghislain noticed that while they were fighting.
Unlike the Erenes of the future—who had gone through countless battles and boasted incredible strength(?)—the current Erenes clearly lacked experience.
So Ghislain decided to take advantage of that side of her. If it worked, it might allow him to stay in the forest a little longer.
Ghislain, who had been watching Erenes' behavior in secret, inwardly rejoiced. Erenes had really taken his side.
'Nice! I've got a chance! Now let's come up with a plan!'
At Ghislain's words, Dark and Astion also joined in, and an emergency meeting began. As soon as the elves withdrew, they would need to persuade Erenes.
Astion was the first to speak urgently.
– What if you just ask her out? If you start dating her, of course she'll take your side! Please!
Like a guy obsessed with romance, Astion's first idea was to go straight in with a confession. It was just the kind of idea you'd expect from someone who'd never even been in a relationship.
Of course, for Ghislain and Dark, who actually knew Erenes, it was a terrible idea.
Dark freaked out and stopped him.
– Do you even know who that elf is? Don't be fooled by her beautiful appearance. Even if you somehow manage to win her over, that's not the end. If you piss her off during a lovers' quarrel, you're just dead.
Even in the future, when Ghislain used his true form's full power, he couldn't guarantee victory against her. Among the many powerhouses of the Lutania army, she was exceptional.
And yet, she kept growing stronger with time. It was said that even then, she hadn't regained her full power.
To Dark, Erenes was truly a monster among monsters. And if Astion were to date someone like her?
He could guarantee it—if he so much as annoyed her, she'd crush him without hesitation.
But Astion, already love-crazed, couldn't hear a word of it.
– I don't care if I die!
– ...You do realize she's probably way older than you, right? She's an elf.
– Younger guys are trending these days!
– ...
– You're all gonna leave anyway! Can't you do at least that much for me before you go?
Shockingly, Astion was being sincere. If Ghislain got into a relationship now, once he left, Astion could continue it peacefully.
It was a trick he came up with because he had no confidence in seducing a woman himself.
Clicking his tongue, Dark offered a new suggestion.
– Master, this guy's brain is completely filled with romance. Totally useless. Just listen to me instead.
'Got a good idea?'
– Let's keep it simple. That monster-like elf is weaker than you right now, so just subdue her and take her hostage. Then announce to all the elves that you'll kill her unless they hand over the Holy Stone.
'......'
– Master, you always go off the rails anyway!
People misunderstand something about Ghislain. He doesn't act recklessly without thinking.
He only ignores common sense to maximize efficiency and get good results. If the result is bad or the side effects are too great, there's no reason to defy common sense.
Dark, who didn't understand that distinction, was just advocating brute force.
'...You guys are no help at all.'
At this point, it was no different from three idiots trying to brainstorm. The elves were withdrawing, so they needed to come up with a convincing story to persuade Erenes—fast.
Astion tried to combine both ideas into one.
– Then how about we subdue her first and take her hostage, and then ask her out? It's a combination of our ideas.
– Wow, you are the worst. You piece of trash!
Dark was the one who originally suggested the idea of subduing and taking her hostage. But hearing it from someone else's mouth, it really did sound awful.
Dark quickly distanced himself, trying to show he was different from Astion.
Astion shouted like he was having a breakdown.
– You came up with the idea! I just added something! At least I didn't say we should kill her!
– Ugh, what a psycho. Why are you so extreme?
– Shut up! It's your fault! You're the ones who made me like this! You hijacked my body and kept causing trouble without my consent!
Neither Ghislain nor Dark had anything to say to that. Honestly, even if Astion acted insane sometimes, they had to give him some credit.
Thanks to Ghislain, Astion was growing stronger with ease, which was a reward in itself—but the problem was that his reputation was getting worse by the day.
But now wasn't the time to be comforting Astion. Ghislain pressed his temples and growled.
'Cut the nonsense and let's build a scenario already!'
– T-then how about we just keep complimenting her until she feels good? Compliments are the best, according to "A Romance Guide for Lonely Mages."
– Yeah! There's a saying: even dragons dance when praised! Let's compliment her to catch her off guard and then subdue her!
Still useless. In the end, Ghislain dropped the keyword: "Prophet."
With that, the three quickly constructed a workable scenario.
Once the rough outline was ready, Ghislain introduced himself to Erenes as a Prophet.
Naturally, Erenes didn't believe it. It was such an absurd claim.
Seeing her skeptical gaze, Ghislain wiggled his finger.
"I know it's hard to believe. But the fact that I know your name—that's the proof."
"It is strange that you know my name... but how do you know it? And how does that prove anything?"
"Because your name appeared in the revelation!"
"R-really?"
"Of course! The revelation told me to find you, Erenes, and solve the problem in the northern forest together."
At that, Erenes was shocked. There was indeed a problem in the northern forest.
A stranger not only knew her name but also about an issue no human should know—she was genuinely starting to get confused.
'Could he really be someone who received a revelation?'
It was true that elves were ignorant about the outside world, but they weren't fools. Still, faced with such an illogical situation, Erenes found herself slowly falling for Ghislain's lie.
She went ahead and questioned a suspicious detail.
"Then why didn't you come to the forest openly? Why sneak in? You could've just said my name and offered to solve the northern forest's issue."
"Hm, that part's a bit long to explain… but I'll keep it short. The city's external affairs officer strongly opposed us entering the forest."
"Lord Cylan? Why? If you explained the truth, he would've surely granted permission."
That wasn't possible. Ghislain had only learned of the northern forest problem after sneaking in.
He couldn't recklessly mention Erenes' name either.
With a controlled expression, Ghislain mixed in a bit of truth.
"The revelation said the elves' Holy Stone was needed. Even the pope believed me and provided full support. I was sent as an official envoy. But Lord Cylan refused outright without even hearing the details."
"The Holy Stone? You mean the blessing stone?"
"B...lessing stone?"
"Yeah, we call it the Blessing Stone. It's a legacy the goddess left behind to protect each race."
"...Aha."
It was similar, yet different from what the pope had described.
Well, that's mythology for you. Everyone tells it differently, interprets it in their own way.
Ghislain, in truth, had no real interest in myths. He just needed to retrieve the Holy Stone and see how it would affect Deneb.
"Anyway, that's why I had to sneak in. I had to find you somehow and save the elves."
"But you're saying you also need the Blessing Stone? Why is that?"
"Hmm, the revelation said it was necessary to solve the problem in the northern forest. I don't know more than that. Revelations are usually vague, right? But I'm sure it'll be the key to solving everything."
Time was short, so he hadn't prepared a more detailed scenario.
Still, calling himself a Prophet wasn't entirely a lie. Ghislain did know the future.
Deneb had to awaken, for the sake of saving humanity. And saving humanity wasn't all that different from saving the elves.
That was why Ghislain could say all this with such confidence.
It was a natural flow—at least, Ghislain thought so. Feeling a little proud, he asked Astion and Dark in his consciousness,
'Well? How was my acting?'
– I just want to talk to a girl, too.
'...…..'
– Master. That girl's gonna be a pain in the future anyway, so how about we just beat her up now and establish dominance? Forget the stone, just knock her out and run.
'...'
Both were hopelessly focused on their own desires. Ghislain no longer saw any point in continuing the conversation.
Erenes, after listening to Ghislain's explanation and thinking for a moment, finally nodded.
"Hmm… is that so? Yeah, I see."
Judging from her expression, she seemed to accept at least part of what Ghislain had said.
Ghislain looked at her with a curious smile.
Then Erenes asked again.
"Alright, so what do we do now?"
"We'll take a look around the northern forest first, you and I."
"And then?"
"Once we confirm what's wrong, we'll look for a solution. You know revelations are usually vague, right? What's important is that I'm supposed to do this with you, according to the revelation."
"Got it. So first, we go check out the northern forest?"
"Yeah, just the two of us, solving the problem together."
At that, Erenes gave a soft smile.
Life in the forest had become unbearably dull to her. This kind of adventure was exactly what she had longed for.
Of course, she hadn't completely let her guard down around this human. She had been rigorously trained, after all.
Suddenly, Erenes grabbed Ghislain by the collar and yanked him toward her face.
She had heard again and again that humans were easily swayed by an elf's beauty.
With a seductive smile, Erenes whispered in a low voice,
"If you're lying to me, I won't forgive you. But… if this all works out, we might end up getting pretty close. In all kinds of ways."
Her low voice tickled Ghislain's ear. He blinked in surprise.
The Erenes he knew would never have shown seductive gestures like this to anyone.
But now, she was boldly displaying charm uncharacteristic of an elf.
Perhaps it was due to her youth—she was certainly more daring. Or maybe it was something she could only do at this stage in her life.
Erenes smiled triumphantly as she saw Ghislain's blank expression.
'Humans really are so…'
The human in front of her looked completely entranced by her beauty.
And she knew very well how beautiful she was.
Even among elves—who placed little value on outward appearances—her beauty was often mentioned. That alone made it undeniable.
Of course, the elves' comments came with a note of caution. A quiet warning not to let human hearts be swayed by superficial beauty.
But to Erenes, such warnings didn't matter.
'No reason not to use what I've got.'
She was the kind of elf who could utilize even her own beauty without hesitation.
The problem was—Ghislain wasn't an ordinary human.
'What the heck? Did she eat some weird forest fruit or something? Where did she even learn this stuff?'
He was so baffled, all he could do was stare in disbelief.
Ghislain wasn't someone who could be charmed by appearances. He had been through too much for that.
Even Erenes' beauty meant nothing to him. In fact, gender meant nothing to him.
Enemy or ally.
That was the only thing that mattered to Ghislain.
Unaware of any of that, Erenes drew his face a little closer and pouted.
"Got it?"
It felt like the scent of sweet fruit was spreading around them. Ghislain held back a laugh and gave a nod.
"Got it."
– Yes, ma'am!
He ignored Astion's voice responding enthusiastically from inside his mind.
Only then did Erenes release Ghislain and turn around. She felt a little shy, but she was certain now that this human male had fallen for her.
Everything she had heard about humans helped. She had even practiced many times on her own, wanting to try it out once she went out into the wider world.
As she walked ahead, Erenes gave a cold smile.
'A revelation? As if I'd believe in something like that. But this is fun, so I'll play along a little longer. Soon, he'll tell me everything—how he knew my name, how he knew about the northern forest's problem.'
She had no intention of using force just yet. The goal was to make the human fall for her and spill everything willingly.
It was something she had really wanted to try, ever since hearing about the outside world.
For now, the priority was to enjoy this little adventure.
Erenes took a deep breath to maintain her composure. The sense of guilt from breaking the rules gave her an indescribable thrill.
Following her, Ghislain's lips curled up in a smile as well—remembering the strange smile Erenes had shown when she accepted his words.
'Erenes… you were already this cunning, even back then, huh?'
He had already seen through her act.
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