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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Aftermath
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"—So."
A bandage on her cheek.
Her shoulder wrapped tightly in bandages.
Even her steel gauntlets were slightly dented.
Every detail testified to the fierce battle she had fought.
The dark elf maid, whose body bore the evidence of it all, spoke with a deadpan expression.
"While I was locked in a life-or-death struggle with two high-ranking Awakened, you were just playing around, Young Master?"
"Hey, I wasn't playing around. I was busy in my own way."
"Yes, busy looting an empty purgatorium, I'm sure."
"After all that trouble, it would've been a waste not to collect some spoils, right?"
"To be so shameless, securing your money first regardless of whether your personal maid lived or died… I bet a sword would bounce right off your face."
"Parsha, what nonsense is this?"
"..."
Perhaps it was the injustice of it all—after a desperate fight to defeat the black knight and Ruba, she had wandered the Labyrinth to help Dion.
Parsha, who had been spewing venom without restraint, fell silent.
It was Dion, the very target of her criticism, who came to her defense.
"It's alright, Arsha. It's true I didn't help Parsha, so she has every right to say such harsh things."
"She does not."
A personal maid is meant to assist her master, not expect his help.
Arsha spoke calmly yet sternly, adding another remark with the utmost politeness.
"Especially when we consider the grace you've shown by rescuing our people from the Purgatorium, my lord."
After dealing with Sillan, Dion had taken Arsha and headed straight for the Purgatorium.
Since all the soldiers had already been mobilized for the search and met untimely deaths, it wasn't difficult for the two of them to rescue the dark elves.
But that was only possible because Dion had acted swiftly.
If he had delayed too long and the commotion had been discovered, they would not have been able to free the hundreds of dark elves.
Moreover, he had covered their tracks by passing through several gates and had willingly accepted their migration far earlier than planned.
It was only natural for Arsha to express her gratitude to Dion, but…
"Don't call it grace. I was just taking what's mine."
"...Of course."
"...?"
For some reason.
Hearing his nonchalant reply, Arsha averted her gaze slightly.
She briefly cast a suspicious glance at the boy, who was smiling brightly as he looked at her bandaged neck.
Parsha spoke with a blank expression.
"It's good that you've brought our people here, but don't forget that this isn't over yet."
"I figured as much."
"There's no way the Lord of Soma Castle will let this slide."
Dion had turned the Lord of Soma Castle's son to ash, annihilated 300 soldiers including two high-ranking Awakened, and even plundered the Purgatorium.
At this point, it was practically a declaration of war.
It wouldn't have been surprising if the Lord of Soma Castle flew into a rage and came to tear Dion to pieces, but…
"I have a feeling the Lord of Soma Castle won't care as much as you think."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Think about our family. If I died right now, do you think anyone would care?"
"..."
"Indeed, I agree with you, my lord."
Arsha agreed with Dion's relaxed assessment and calmly elaborated.
This whole incident escalated because Sillan attacked Dion.
If Sillan were alive, it might be a different story, but the Lord of Soma Castle wouldn't risk being accused of treason for a dead son.
Especially since he has plenty of other children to replace him.
Parsha didn't deny the fact itself, but she added coldly.
"The Lord of Soma Castle may want to let it go, but someone else will not."
"That is..."
"Hmm, someone else, you say."
While Arsha wore a complicated expression, Dion asked casually, as if it were no surprise at all.
"So you think one of my brothers or sisters was behind that dog bowl?"
"You think they weren't?"
"No, they probably were. The Lord of Soma Castle might even be involved in this too."
"...So you're saying Gongja Sillan tormented our people not just because of me."
"That dog bowl wouldn't have dared to touch the people of Unlight without someone backing him."
They didn't know who was behind it.
The chance to torment Dion.
That alone was enough motivation for more than a few of his siblings to pressure the dark elves.
Of course, there was one very likely suspect.
That was why Parsha warned him.
"Then you must also know that *they* will make their move now."
"Probably. Now that I've dealt with the dog bowl, they'll have realized I've Awakened."
"...Is that something to be so nonchalant about?"
"It's fine. No matter what my brothers and sisters do, they won't be able to harm us directly."
"The problem is that they'll cause harm elsewhere instead."
"That's why I said it's fine."
"..."
"..."
The more his siblings stirred up trouble in 'unexpected places,' the more time he could buy.
For a moment, she looked at the casually speaking Dion as if he were the scum of the earth.
Parsha finally turned her head away.
Then she looked at Arsha, who wore an indescribably subtle expression.
"...The Young Master is a shameless lunatic, so I'll let that slide, but what on earth are you thinking, Mother?"
"What do you mean, what am I thinking?"
"I'm talking about how you acknowledged the Young Master's nonsense about you being his concubine."
"Th-That was..."
Perhaps because she never expected the topic to be brought up again now.
Parsha spoke to the troubled Arsha with a voice colder than a winter blizzard.
"You're old enough to know better. Have you gone senile?"
"...You know as well as I do, Parsha, that it was the best option at the time."
"Declaring yourself the concubine of a young master who isn't even an eighth of your age?"
"There was no better justification for safely rescuing our people."
"That would have sounded plausible if this whole mess hadn't happened because of it. What a shame."
"..."
Arsha avoided her daughter's gaze.
She had put on such an act to resolve the situation smoothly, but in the end, it had only incited treason.
Of course, no one could have known Sillan would do something so crazy...
But now that things had turned out this way, there was nothing she could say.
Riding the momentum, Parsha continued her interrogation.
"The problem is your attitude, Mother—that you don't care what disgrace you have to endure."
"It's nothing compared to the disgrace the Young Lord will have to endure if this lie is exposed."
"Being treated like a harlot who was toyed with and abandoned by an idiot?"
"To protect our people, I must endure that much."
"Are you even listening to yourself?"
A mother prepared to bear any stigma for her people, and a daughter who couldn't stand her sacrifice.
As the dark elf mother and daughter argued back and forth.
The boy who had been listening in silence tilted his head.
"Hey, I noticed something strange while listening."
"What is it?"
"When did I ever lie?"
"...?"
"Have you already forgotten? I'm talking about that nonsense of taking my mother as your concubine."
"That wasn't a lie."
"...??????"
"...What did you just say?"
"I said I never lied."
Silence.
As if their brains couldn't process what they had just heard and had short-circuited, the two identical-looking dark elves froze.
Dion continued with a broad smile.
"I already told you, I'm completely captivated by the charms of an older woman."
"You said that just to, to get through that situation..."
"Who would tell such an embarrassing lie? Of course I was serious."
"..."
"Ah, come to think of it, is this how I'm supposed to say it?"
Perhaps because she had never imagined he could have been serious.
The dark elf chieftain's eyes widened.
No, the boy averted his gaze from his new wife.
And he asked his nanny, maid, guard, and sole vassal.
"Daughter, will you give me your mother?"
"..."
"Well, she's already mine even if you say no."
No take-backs.
Now that she had agreed to be his, there was no turning back.
Looking at the boy who spoke with a grin.
The dark elf mother and daughter could only freeze, their faces stunned as if they had just been scammed into a marriage.
Name: Arsha
Race: Dark Elf (High)
Title: [Last Daughter of the World Tree].
Class:
[Spirit Master]☆☆☆☆ Lv0 (Inactive)
[Lord]☆☆☆ Lv2
[Civil Officer]☆☆ Lv6
[Archer]☆☆ LV10
[Village Chief]☆ LV10
Traits: [Noble Beauty (SR)], [Jack-of-All-Trades (R)], [Blessing of the World Tree (R)] (Inactive), [Rapid Fire (N)], [Management (N)]
[Noble Beauty (SR)]
1. Charm Correction ↑ (Large)
2. Governance Correction ↑ (Medium)
3. Plant Affinity ↑ (Small)
4. Discord Instigation ↑ (Medium)
5. Deception Correction ↓ (Large)
—A beautiful flower is revered for its inherent nobility, but it will attract just as many insects.
***
Janwol City, the Land of Darkness, famed for its perpetual night.
On one side stood a castle that shone brightly at all times, regardless of day or night.
It was the Castle of No Night.
A castle befitting the domain of the Vlad, the Blood Night Demon Clan, it was exceptionally large and extravagant.
But contrary to its splendor, the atmosphere in the Castle of No Night had recently grown unsettled.
It wasn't just because the gatekeeper, Gerald, had died overnight. Untimely deaths were common in Odobaekryeong.
The problem was what happened a few days later.
Some all at once.
Others with a few days in between.
All sorts of people—from servants and maids to soldiers, stable hands, and kitchen assistants—had suddenly vanished.
Even high-ranking Awakened were among them.
Thus, the current atmosphere in the Castle of No Night was like walking on thin ice. Everyone held their breath, wondering if they would be next to disappear.
That was why.
The gatekeepers were conducting their inspections more thoroughly than usual.
Since the whole incident had started with Gerald, their sense of crisis regarding the disappearances was also heightened.
All the more so because they had a vague but certain idea of what these recent 'disappearances' meant.
*Clang.*
"Who goes there?"
"State your identity and origin."
In that sense.
It was only natural for the gatekeepers guarding the main gate to block the unfamiliar visitor.
They were only being formal because the visitor was clearly a noble; had it been a commoner, they would have been driven away immediately, such was the sternness of their mood.
And the visitor's answer to the polite yet strict gatekeepers' questions was simple.
*Crack!*
"...Huh?"
"Aargh!"
As the gatekeepers with broken legs collapsed and screamed.
The visitor looked down on them as if they were insects.
"How dare these lowly things ask for my identity. They don't know their place."
"M-My lady. They didn't know who you were. They were just doing their duty as gatekeepers."
"Fool. Their ignorance of who I am is their crime."
"But..."
"Are you arguing with me now?"
"N-No! Of course not."
Flinching,
the maid behind her, pale as a corpse with dark circles under her eyes, wore a frightened expression.
But whether out of a sense of duty as a personal maid or fear of what was to come,
she cautiously asked while studying the visitor's expression.
"But it seems it'll be difficult to be escorted in now. What should we do?"
"I don't need an escort."
"Wh-What do you mean by that...?"
Leaving the maid filled with anxiety, the visitor stepped forward.
And she gave a chilling smile to the figures who had suddenly surrounded them, their red eyes gleaming.
"—If my pathetic little brother doesn't have the decency to come out, I'll just have to make him crawl out."