Chapter 59: The Unwanted Touch: A Journey with an Elf

It was time to carry out the plan I had originally intended.

Since the destination wasn’t far and I didn’t expect it to take much time, I planned for a one-night, two-day trip and packed light.

In fact, other than the assassination outfit I packed just in case, there wasn’t anything particularly important.

The most recent trip I had taken was when I first enrolled in the academy, and my hideout was swept away by the Deretia family.

At that time, I had to hide my actions, so I secretly ran there overnight, but this time, since I had plenty of time, I decided to take the carriage and travel leisurely.

Clunk!

Unlike the expensive magic carriages I had ridden when visiting my friends’ estates, this rickety carriage, squeezed with other people, shook with every bump, and the impact went straight up to my bottom.

Realizing that I was starting to miss my friends’ carriages, I couldn’t help but admit that I had become quite the materialist.

Still, since the distance wasn’t far, I comforted myself knowing that I wouldn’t have to ride for too long when I felt a sensation that someone was watching me.

The carriage wasn’t wide to begin with, and there were only four of us inside, including me.

Since my senses never lie, I raised my head to find the owner of the gaze.

It didn’t take long to find her—no sooner had I looked up than I met her eyes.

A woman sitting directly across from me was staring at me intently.

At first, I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just a fleeting glance, but her gaze wouldn’t leave me.

The blatant stare was uncomfortable.

Rather than making unnecessary trouble, I furrowed my brow and indirectly expressed my dissatisfaction about being stared at.

However, the woman in front of me seemed unfazed by my gaze and, with a sly smile, got up from her seat and moved to sit beside me.

The already cramped carriage became even more uncomfortable as she squeezed beside me, especially with the luggage taking up space.

The man who had originally been sitting next to the window, scribbling something, frowned at her actions and moved to the spot she had vacated, continuing his work.

“Miss, you’re not from Defel, are you? What business do you have?”

The woman, whom I had just met today by chance, without any manners, pressed her large chest against my arm as she leaned in and spoke to me.

No matter how beautiful the woman was, and regardless of whether I was a man or not, I couldn’t be swayed by such sudden and rude behavior.

Instead of answering, I subtly lifted my bottom and moved as far away as I could in the cramped seat.

Despite my glare and my actions, she wasn’t deterred. She moved closer to me again, as though she was deliberately trying to close the distance.

“Heh, you’re a cute one. You look young, how old are you?”

Although she seemed to be around the same age as me, her words were ridiculous.

Her behavior wasn’t funny at all.

Ignoring her words, I continued to move away from her, but after reaching the edge of the seat, there was no further place to retreat.

I considered getting up and scolding her several times, but her behavior only became bolder.

Slick.

“Ah!”

Even though I was wearing pants, I couldn’t help but let out a startled sound when her hand touched my thigh, and I glared at her.

“Hey, let’s keep it quiet.”

The man who had moved seats earlier spoke in an irritated voice and returned to his work.

“How rude can you be?”

I scolded her in a voice barely audible to the man beside us.

“Hey, aren’t you being a bit too sensitive for a woman? We have time to kill before reaching Defel, and I just wanted to get closer and be friendly.”

Her words, so nonchalant, made me briefly wonder if it was normal for women to touch each other’s thighs like that.

But then I remembered how sometimes Yuri or Celian would naturally place their hands on my thigh, and it seemed that this level of skinship might indeed be common among women.

“You’re being rude. It’s uncomfortable, so please stop.”

But such ordinary behavior is only acceptable when there’s mutual familiarity between people.

“Ah, don’t be so sensitive. You look really young, how old are you?”

Despite my rejection, the woman continued to rest her hand on my thigh, talking as if it didn’t matter.

Since there would be another hour until we reached Defel, I figured that maybe if I responded casually, she would calm down a little, so I finally spoke.

“…I’m 18.”

“Wow! You’re even younger than I expected?”

It was somewhat amusing to be called a baby, especially since we probably weren’t that far apart in age.

However, as I turned my head to unintentionally check her face, I noticed something unexpected.

Through her green hair, I could see the slight tips of pointed ears.

“An elf?”

“Hehe, are you surprised?”

I couldn’t help but be intrigued. Elves are rarer than humans and are difficult to meet due to their inherent reclusiveness.

Now I understood why she had called me young. From an elf’s perspective, someone who’s only 18 years old would likely appear like a child.

Of course, I couldn’t tell how old the elf in front of me was. I doubted she could be several hundred years old, but I couldn’t be sure.

It felt like my fantasy of elves was starting to crumble, especially since the elf in front of me was acting in a way more fitting for a middle-aged man.

“Mm? You’re curious about my ears?”

The woman raised her hand and swept her hair behind her ear, revealing the sharp points of her elven ears.

Not wanting to admit defeat, I stayed silent, but perhaps my expression revealed everything, as she grinned mischievously.

“Do you want to touch them?”

It was an enticing offer.

When would I ever get the chance to touch an elf’s ears again? Since this elf had no problem touching my thigh, maybe it was okay to do this much.

“Well, just once.”

I hesitated, justifying myself as I slowly moved my hand toward her ear.

“Be gentle, the ears are sensitive, you know?”

As my hand approached her pointed ear, I gently touched the tip.

“Ah!”

Her sudden exclamation startled me, and I quickly pulled my hand back.

The man sitting across from us briefly glared in our direction before returning to his own business, while the other woman sitting beside him silently stared at us with a flushed face.

“Just a little more… Can you touch them a bit more gently?”

Her voice, now softer than before, made me feel a bit embarrassed, but my curiosity about the elf’s ears was stronger than ever.

Since she mentioned that her ears were sensitive, I carefully placed my fingers on her ear this time.

“Haah…”

Thankfully, she didn’t make a loud sound like before.

I gently bent the ear, rubbing it with my fingers to touch the elf’s ear.

How long had I been touching it?

It was a bit fascinating at first, but aside from the pointed shape, I quickly realized that an elf’s ear wasn’t that much different from a human’s, and my interest started to wane.

Having satisfied my curiosity, I pulled my hand away, feeling awkward as I wasn’t sure what to say.

But that awkwardness was broken by the elf, who took a deep breath and spoke up.

“Hehe. Well, now that you’ve touched my ears, we’re friends, right?”

The elf had become a bit more blatant, stroking my thigh, but she didn’t cross any further lines, so I didn’t stop her.

Perhaps that was enough for her, as she silently continued stroking my thigh until we reached our destination.

“It was nice meeting you. I don’t know why you’re in Defel, but if we have a chance, let’s meet again.”

“…Well, I’m not sure if we’ll have a reason to meet again.”

Once we arrived at our destination, the elf finally removed her hand from my thigh and gave me a farewell as she got off the carriage.

Though we had gotten a little closer, she still felt uncomfortable to me.

After all, I was only planning to stay in Defel for a day or two, so I would likely never run into her again.

The other woman who had been in the carriage with us seemed to be part of the elf’s group, as they walked side by side into the city.

The elf turned around as if she had something to say and approached me.

She got close, leaned in next to my ear, and whispered softly.

“Elf ears are sensitive erogenous zones, so next time, be a little gentler when you touch them.”

What was she saying? I was still confused when the elf quickly turned back to her companion.

Then, I saw her hand suddenly grab the woman’s backside, and the woman clung to her, walking closely together.

No way, this is completely psycho, perverted lesbian behavior!