I sat there on the log bench, trying not to think too hard about the direction this whole novel was heading to.
If things keep going like this, I thought, the plot's definitely steering toward me being sold off as rent to those Black Serpent Lords.
Ten young men a year… yeah, that suddenly sounds me. Fresh meat delivered with a bow on top.
"So Obsidian Hollow has fallen to the level they can't capture a threat just because of a little aura?" a youthful male voice cut through the hall.
And every head in the hall turned.
A young pure elf stood in the doorway; his blue hair falling in soft waves to his shoulders, and his golden eyes sharp and luminous.
Honestly, he looked almost divine: with delicate features, flawless pale skin, slender but toned frame wrapped in a light blue robe that draped elegantly over his shoulders and cinched at the waist with golden cords.
Golden accessories glinted at his wrists, throat, and ears: bracelets, a thin choker, dangling earrings shaped like crescent moons.
The robe's sleeves were wide and flowing, the hem brushing his calves, but slits at the sides revealed glimpses of lean hips and long legs as he moved.
Behind him stood five dark elf girls; all silver-haired, and dressed in the tribe's usual barely-there style: cropped tops that left toned stomachs exposed, with short skirts or loincloths that flashed their thigh with every step.
Each carried a weapon: Short spears, curved daggers, and light bow slung over one shoulder—their grips tight and their eyes narrowed in protective fury.
"What is this, Nova?" Suwaira asked calmly, though his massive frame tensed a little. "Can you not see I have a visitor?"
Nova's golden eyes locked on me, in a glare.
Why the glare, though?
"In visitor," he said coldly, "you mean this brute that killed my Great Black Cat and raped my sister in open air?!"
Eh?
Was he talking about me? I didn't kill or rape anyone, though!
"Don't raise your voice before my Master, little mortal."
Eirene's soft and dangerous voice came from behind him.
She stood there suddenly. With her finger pressed lightly to the side of his neck.
No one had seen her move.
And now, dark, smoky flames licked around her form, eerie and cold, leaking from her silver hair and the folds of her robe like living shadows.
The air around her grew heavy and oppressive.
And, sure enough, Nova froze.
The five girls behind him hissed, their weapons half-raised, but they couldn't quite do anything.
"E-Eirene, that's enough, okay?" I said quickly, my palms up. "Please calm down."
She looked at me, with her eyes softening instantly back to their usual emotionless silver.
The dark flames vanished, and she returned to her seat beside me without a word, her robe settling around her like nothing had happened.
Yabai. I hadn't even seen her leave my side.
Nova was still shaken, his golden eyes wide, and his breathing shallow. Also, the girls behind him looked ready to murder Eirene any moment's notice.
"Sorry, Suwaira—" I started, bowing my head. And Nova glared again, possibly because of how casually I addressed the chief. "M-My partner doesn't like me getting bad energy and stuff. Ahaha."
[Please don't behead me, Eirene!] I begged her mentally, as I once again referred to her as my partner.
Suwaira laughed, with a deep, rolling, and unbothered voice.
"I don't particularly mind. She seems loyal to you, and that's more valuable than gold."
Then he turned to Nova.
"Sora has told you times without number: despite her foolhardiness and deep immorality, she doesn't condone bestiality."
What?
Nova's face flushed with anger and embarrassment.
"But Father!" Father?! Nova was his son?! "Seth was in heat! He was not a bad cat, and he was only supposed to guard Sora!"
Ah, the pieces began to click.
They explained the matter to me:
Sora had left the village to negotiate on behalf of them, and the cat followed her. But then the Great Black Cat—Seth—attacked her suddenly.
She'd tried to subdue him, but got hurt in the process, and then I'd showed up and killed him thinking he was a threat.
"Because she's just too cute," Nova muttered, glancing at his sister. "Even a beast like Seth cannot help himself."
Vaelora rolled her eyes. "Something tells me Sora falsified the whole event because she sensed a man nearby and wanted them to step on her."
Sora flinched so hard she nearly staggered, gripping her skirt tightly.
"I-I-I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!!"
I gawked at her in shock.
So… I'd killed an innocent cat in cold blood?
"If the dirty cat was what made you regard my… M-Master with such bloodlust," Eirene said calmly, raising one of her pale palm, "here. Have it back."
She flicked her wrist, and an adorable, fluffy small black cat rolled out of thin air, with sigils faintly glowing on its forehead.
It tumbled across the floor and bumped against Nova's boots.
"S… Seth?!" Nova dropped to his knees, scooping the cat up. "You're alive! And cuter!"
The little creature purred, nuzzling his chin... And crying...?
"Such magic…" Suwaira's eyes suddenly went wide. Every elf in the hall also stared at Eirene in stunned silence. "Did you just form a body for the magic beast's soul?"
"Hm? I did," she replied politely. "When my Master killed it, it attempted to regenerate. But my master's magic was rapidly eating it away. So I planned to make it Master's sex slave—I mean, just regular slave. And, thus, enslaving its soul."
Hey, what was that about a sex slave?!
The hall erupted into murmurs and shock, from what Eirene said, some of them were in awe, but some were clearly scared of her.
Uhm, hey, guys… I'm the protagonist here!
"Lady Eirene," Suwaira said solemnly, "would you like to abandon Master Shirogane and marry me?"
"No, thank you," she answered instantly, her voice soft but firm. "My Master needs my services. And I wish to serve no other man. Sincerely."
Then she leaned slightly toward me—