Chapter 61: The Elf’s Unlikely Offer

According to rumors, elves are often depicted as protectors of nature, communicators with spirits, and extremely noble beings.

Of course, few have actually seen them in person. This is because elves are rare.

But even so, the elf in front of me was taking things a bit too far.

With her sudden, insane behavior of groping me, being a lesbian who liked the same woman, and working in the dark underground world where all sorts of illegal activities took place,

Is it the elf in front of me who’s strange, or should I point out the flaws in the many scholars and ancient texts that praised elves?

One of the common truths I knew was breaking down, but I did my best to ignore it and return to my original purpose.

Since the magic to dull recognition would prevent her from recognizing me, I pulled my mask down to just below my eyes, trying to hide my face as much as possible.

“So, what brings you here?”

Instead of speaking, I took out the token I had shown when I entered.

“…A pass?”

“I’m here to sell this.”

It’s something I don’t need anyway. I don’t know if there will ever be a need for it later, but for now, money right in front of me is the priority.

Still, this pass can get me into the shadows of Dephel, so I thought it might be worth something, so I came to try and sell it.

The elf took the pass from me, inspected it carefully, and then slid it back toward me.

“Is this…?”

“Well, I can see this is a real pass, but the amount we can offer for it is just the scrap metal value.”

“…What?”

“If you really want to get a price for the pass, you should use the auction house. After a simple identity check, you should be able to register it. I’m not sure what the going rates are, though, since this is all happening in the underworld.”

That’s problematic. I want to avoid leaving any traces of myself.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I grabbed the pass and put it back in my coat.

“Anything else you need?”

I briefly considered it, but there was nothing left for me to do here. I didn’t have money to buy anything, and I didn’t have anything to sell either.

“That’s all.”

As I turned to leave, I was stopped by the elf’s next words.

“Well, since it seems like your business here is done, how about having a little chat before you go? It’s a chance meeting, after all.”

“…You’ve mistaken who I am.”

I checked my mask in surprise, but there was no issue with the recognition-dulling magic.

“I have an interesting item, but it’s of no use to me. Don’t worry, though, I’m not here to chat just for the sake of it. I’m not foolish enough for that. I swear on the World Tree.”

It’s funny hearing a rogue elf speak of the World Tree, but she’s probably not lying. The World Tree is special to all elves.

“Ha…”

I looked around the small room, but there was no one else. I heightened my senses in case there were any hidden traps beyond the walls, but nothing seemed out of place.

I can’t kill the elf, so it might not be a bad idea to talk while she’s showing me some favor.

“As I said earlier, I just wanted to say hello. Now, now. Come over here? I can’t give you money or goods for free, but if you need information, I’ll give you one piece of it as a special favor.”

The elf said this while sitting at a table inside and tapped the seat next to her.

Why is she trying to make me sit next to her instead of sitting across from me?

I already know the answer to that question, so I ignored her hand and sat down across from her.

“So, what’s the real reason you grabbed me?”

“Oh my, if you’re going to act like this, you’re really going to make me sad.”

Her expression seemed genuinely hurt, but I had already experienced enough of this elf’s shamelessness.

Without answering, she leaned back against the chair, realizing her acting wasn’t working, and then quickly changed her expression to continue the conversation.

“Actually, I was curious about the pass you brought. I was wondering where you got it. It’s just a pass that gets handed around, and no one really memorizes it, so it’s not that important, but if you look closely, it has a unique number on it.”

As she said, there were small letters and numbers written on the back of the pass. I didn’t think much of it, so I had just ignored it.

“But that number, I remember it because I issued it.”

She raised both arms on the table, resting her chin on them, and smiled.

She absentmindedly fiddled with the necklace hanging around her neck.

“So, what’s your connection with ‘Black Moon’?”

Then, she infused mana into the necklace.

The mist that leaked from the necklace made the already dim room darker and more secretive.

The sword she pulled out moved silently, aiming at her neck.

If she made even the slightest move, this elf’s delicate neck would fall to the floor.

But despite this, she just sat there calmly.

“Now, I’m going to ask. If you make any rash moves, I’ll slice your neck right off, so you’d better be careful.”

No one should know my true identity.

The mention of the organization’s name made my body move without thinking.

I wonder if I should have kept pretending until the end, but it’s already spilled milk.

That said, I can’t kill this elf. If I do, I’ll surely become a fugitive.

The recognition-dulling magic isn’t foolproof. There’s a record of me entering this city, and if Dephel’s underground people really start searching for me, they could easily find out my identity.

I’ll have to think slowly about how to deal with the aftermath, but for now, let’s figure out what this elf knows and how much of it she understands.

“So, how do you know Black Moon?”

“You probably don’t want to know that information, but… well, think of it as a procedure to establish mutual familiarity.”

Despite the sword’s blade at her neck, she didn’t even flinch.

Either she’s confident she can easily get out of this situation, or she already knows I can’t kill her, or maybe it’s both.

“If I had to put it simply, I’m an investor. I didn’t expect it to fail so badly, though.”

Is she telling the truth or lying? Her calm tone makes it impossible to tell.

“I ended up in a business relationship with the previous master. So when I found out that Black Moon had collapsed, I was disappointed. But I never imagined that someone as cute as you would end up as the new owner.”

“…New owner?”

“Oh my. I didn’t know someone as cute as you was involved, but anyway, you’re still part of Black Moon, right? I’m not sure if you were away on a mission, but since you brought the pass the guild master had, it seems like you must be the new master.”

“How can you be so sure I’m part of Black Moon? I could have just gotten it by chance.”

Since there was no need to pretend anymore, I decided to ask openly.

“If that were the case, you wouldn’t have reacted like that when I mentioned Black Moon, would you?”

“…Damn.”

“So, could you put the sword away now? It’s making me sad to be disliked by my new business partner.”

She stopped infusing mana into the necklace and also sheathed the sword that had been aimed at her neck.

The room returned to its usual dimly lit atmosphere.

“Black Moon no longer exists. I have no intention of being tied down to some failed assassin guild.”

There was no need to use polite language anymore, so I spoke casually for the first time in a while.

“That said, there’s no need to refuse a new business relationship, right? As I said before, I can give you some information for free.”

I returned to the seat across from her and plopped down.

“What if I take the information and stay silent?”

“One piece of information is purely out of goodwill, so I wouldn’t mind. Of course, if you become my official partner after that, things will change.”

I paused to think about her words for a moment. Based on her attitude so far, it didn’t seem like something untrustworthy.

Even though I had pointed a sword at her, she hadn’t called security. Instead, she consistently showed a friendly attitude.

But when it came to what I should ask, nothing came to mind.

A way to return to my male body?

Considering that the only TS magician is dead, there’s no guarantee that there’s another magician researching such magic, and I don’t want to leave any chance for my real identity to be exposed.

After all, if she finds out that I’m the fake Elysia Frentz, it just gives her another weakness to use against me.

So, what should I ask?

While I was thinking silently for a while, something touched my shin, calf, knee, and thigh.

“Hey, seriously!”

I jumped up from my seat, and she chuckled.

Through the table, I caught a glimpse of her bare feet as she took off her shoes.

“Why are you so surprised? You let me touch your thighs back in the carriage.”

“I’m trying to think seriously here, and you, this elf, are acting like a pervert…”

“Oh my, is there a rule that elves can’t do this? You just don’t know, but there are elves who are even worse than me.”

The thought of elves, who thrive in the underground world full of illegal activities and are more perverted than those who harass other women, makes me dizzy just imagining it.

“Are you really an elf?”

“After touching my ears like that, you still doubt it? Ah… do you want to touch them again?”

If it were before, I might not have known, but after hearing that an elf’s ears are erogenous zones from the elf in front of me, I’m not in the mood to satisfy the perverted elf’s desires.

“Forget it, just find out more about the Frentz family. The more detailed, the better.”

Just like when I faced the emperor, I need to know more about the Frentz family for sure.

“Hmm. It’s not information we’re currently keeping, but I’ll look into it and let you know. Once it’s thoroughly investigated, should we visit you? I can offer that kind of service.”

“I’ll have you visit in about half a year.”

She probably figured out my identity from my question just now, but…

I don’t really care.

After all, she broke through the magic that reduces recognition and saw my face.

Given her job dealing with information, if she wanted to learn my identity, she could easily find it out.

But visiting during the semester would be burdensome, so let’s just give it plenty of time before we do.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“You’re only asking now? It’s Lindy. Call me Lindy.”

“Alright. See you next time, then.”

I stood up and was about to leave the room when she also got up and spoke.

“Ah! I’ll keep today’s matter a secret, so don’t worry. But… there’s one thing…”

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, fiddling with her hands before finally speaking again.

“Could you… touch my butt just once?”

Her voice had a shy tone that wasn’t there when she was openly harassing me.

“You perverted woman?”

Naturally, there was no reason to listen any longer, so I ignored her words and turned toward the door.

I grabbed the door handle.

“…You really will keep it a secret, right?”

“Yes! Of course!”

She smiled brightly and bounced toward me, looking much happier than before.

Though I’m sure she’ll keep her secret, I can’t be too sure…