"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
The Elf Maiden, suddenly breaking the surface of the steaming water, coughed violently from choking on the bathwater.
The moment her teary eyes snapped open, the incredibly compromising, intimate scene she saw taking place in the water right in front of her made her coughing fit exponentially worse.
Regulus also calmly looked at the soaking wet girl who had just crashed into his lap. Her delicate face was currently flushed a brilliant, burning red—whether it was from the physical discomfort of nearly drowning or the sheer embarrassment of the scene before her, it was hard to tell.
However, looking at her up close, it had to be said: this Elf Maiden was exceptionally beautiful.
The still-coughing Elf Maiden immediately turned around, splashing frantically to avert her eyes. It was a long, awkward minute before she finally caught her breath and felt a little better.
'I was too careless!' Shion mentally scolded herself, burying her burning face in her hands. 'Even if I had completely familiarized myself with the surrounding terrain and topography over the years... even if I could navigate this forest with my eyes closed... I shouldn't have been so reckless with that jump!'
"I... I'm so sorry for suddenly intruding... and profoundly disturbing you!" the highly uncomfortable Elf Maiden stammered, apologizing haltingly to the two of them with her back still turned.
After her frantic words fell, she quickly scrambled out of the steaming stone basin and jumped directly down to the forest floor below the massive boulder, wanting nothing more than to disappear into the earth.
Given this highly disruptive situation, Regulus naturally no longer had any intention of continuing his 'game' with Sphinx.
After casually drying off and getting dressed, he gracefully hopped down from the boulder and stood before the soaked, trembling girl.
"Hello... I'm really sorry about earlier..." The girl kept her head bowed. Her face was still flushed, and a deep flicker of shame danced in her emerald eyes. The scene she had just crashed into was simply too stimulating for her maiden heart.
"Let's not dwell on that," Regulus waved his hand dismissively, though an amused smirk played on his lips. "You seemed to be in a frantic hurry earlier, jumping through the trees. It was probably because of those strange monsters, right?"
He gestured toward the shredded, blue-glowing carcasses of the Mabeasts littered across the clearing.
The Elf Maiden finally looked up, her eyes widening at the carnage.
"Yes," she nodded rapidly. "Because these specific monsters are highly attracted to light and mana. So, after seeing the sudden burst of firelight from the woods, I immediately ran over to warn whoever was here, just in case they were ambushed. But... it seems my worries were completely unnecessary."
Her words contained a mix of genuine relief and deep vexation. Fortunately, the two people in front of her were clearly monstrously strong, and the Mabeasts posed absolutely no threat to them. But what vexed her to no end was the embarrassing scene her 'heroic' warning had interrupted.
Regulus became a little interested at this point.
He hadn't been in this world for too long, but in the time he had spent wandering various battlefields, he had encountered many horrific beasts and magical creatures. However, this specific type of glowing, plant-bone hybrid was entirely new to him. They didn't look like naturally born creatures at all.
Of course, compared to dissecting the monsters, what he was infinitely more interested in was naturally the soaking wet Elf Maiden standing in front of him.
Sphinx, who had quietly dressed and floated down beside him, also noticed the familiar, predatory change in Regulus's expression. Her dark gaze fixed on the Elf Maiden in front of her, calculating her worth.
Putting everything else aside, purely in terms of physical appearance, this elf was definitely qualified to enter the mansion. But it was only normal for her to be qualified; after all, the Elven races were naturally known for their outstanding, ethereal beauty.
"What's your name? And why are you wandering out here alone?" Regulus asked smoothly.
"My name is Shion. As for why I'm here..." The Elf Maiden's expression instantly became very dejected.
"Actually, I'm a traveling merchant who trades goods across various regions. About five years ago, I was passing through a nearby abandoned village in these wetlands. I originally planned to rest in the village ruins for just one night and then leave. But when I woke up the next day, a massive horde of these completely unfamiliar monsters had suddenly spawned and surrounded the area."
Shion's expression became incredibly pitiful. "In my panicked, desperate escape, I was forced to leave my carriage, all my trade goods, and my entire life's savings behind in that village."
She was utterly unwilling to give up her property. Even if she wanted to abandon it and start her business over somewhere else, without her initial capital, she wouldn't be able to do anything. She would starve.
As for why she didn't just go to a city and report this to the Royal Knights?
It was just a remote, entirely abandoned village in a dangerous swamp. There was zero chance that the arrogant authorities would mobilize an army to clear it just to save one merchant's cart. Not to mention, what if her precious cargo was discovered and stolen by scavengers while she was away seeking help? Then she would truly be finished. So, she had stayed nearby, surviving in the woods and waiting for an opening that never came.
"Are the monsters particularly strong?" Regulus asked, glancing at the shredded remains.
"Their individual strength varies; some are very strong, others are slightly weaker," Shion explained. "But what's most troublesome is their sheer numbers. And worst of all, after killing them, they will mysteriously revive in about a day's time. So, permanently clearing all the monsters at once to secure the village is basically impossible without a full battalion of regular Knights. But the Knights..."
She trailed off, wanting to say more but holding back. It was basically impossible for the army to be dispatched for her sake, right?
"The only thing to be thankful for is that these monsters seem to have a highly specific range of activity and won't leave the village perimeter too far."
Hearing this, Regulus could easily understand why the Elf Maiden, who clearly had decent athletic and self-preservation abilities, couldn't retrieve her belongings alone over the past five years.
"We can help you get your things back," Regulus offered casually.
"Really?!" Shion's eyes sparkled with desperate hope. "But..."
"Don't worry, they're just a few reviving pests," Regulus smirked. "However, I am not a charity. In return for us helping you retrieve your life's savings, you must also pay appropriate remuneration."
"That's no problem at all!" Shion agreed eagerly. "Although the physical goods that have been stored there for five years are definitely rotted and unusable, I still have my coin savings hidden in a locked chest. I can give you half of all my savings as a reward!"
"No, no, no," Regulus wagged his finger. "I have no need for your money."
"No money?" Shion looked at Regulus in deep confusion. "Then what do you want?"
Regulus smiled, his eyes gleaming. "I'll help you retrieve your property, and in exchange, you will become my person."
Shion was utterly stunned for a moment, her mind short-circuiting.
Become this man's person?! Did he mean...
"No! No! Absolutely not! I absolutely cannot agree to that!" Her attitude instantly became extremely firm, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.
Even if there was a half-elf girl standing right by this man's side, she would never willingly choose a human as a lover!
It wasn't about racial discrimination or anything petty. It was purely an agonizing issue of lifespan. Don't let her maidenly appearance fool anyone; she was already sixty years old. At sixty, an elf is still in a very young, adolescent stage, and living for several more centuries would definitely not be a problem. Humans, on the other hand, can at most live for about a single century.
For Elves, a mere hundred years is truly too short a blink of an eye. And precisely because of this tragic reality, she couldn't understand why some of her kin would willingly choose short-lived humans as life partners, only to be left completely alone and heartbroken a few decades later.
"You seem to have completely misunderstood my meaning," Regulus chuckled, highly amused by her frantic rejection.
"Eh...!?"
"When I said I want you to become 'my person,' I meant for you to become my subordinate," Regulus clarified smoothly, though he had entirely known what she would assume. "Recently, I've been looking for a highly capable, trustworthy merchant who can handle the upcoming, massive trade routes between the Demi-Human alliance and the human Kingdom. But I haven't found a suitable candidate yet. Are you interested in being my lead merchant?"
"Oh... oh!"
Shion's face turned completely red, steaming like a kettle. She was incredibly annoyed with herself for having misunderstood him so presumptuously!
But there was nothing she could do about it, was there?! After literally crashing into them having their way with each other in the bath, and then hearing this handsome man say he wanted her to 'become his person,' it was incredibly easy for a maiden to get the wrong idea!
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Give me powerstones.
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