Nina and I went back to our inn room, which I renewed for another week, and we are currently discussing a strategy for the job while enjoying a bath. Sunset is fast approaching.
"I think it's a waste of time dealing with shady slavers – we're outsiders and finding the elves that way would be slow. I'd rather go in under the cover of darkness, exterminate everyone where they're being guarded, and bring the slaves to your old nest for temporary questioning and protection. We'll deal with any fallout there, then return them to their homes." (Mizuki)
Nina looks surprised by my proposal, but then seems to make it make sense to herself.
"Is this because the people keeping the slaves are crafty schemers like you, and you don't think they're worth the risk of trying to out-scheme?" (Nina)
I nod. I'm glad that she gets it.
"Yes. Also, based on Gerard's description this will be basically nothing but kidnapping victims and children. I'm not happy about the more mainstream slavery, but this is especially grotesque. Even if I knew I could get the same results by scheming and sparing them, I don't particularly want these slavers left breathing." (Mizuki)
For some reason, Nina finds that amusing.
"Fufufu…compassion or absolute destruction, you really know no compromise between the two, do you Mizuki?" (Nina)
Well…I think there might be some truth to that. I roll me eyes and then smile at her.
"You might not be entirely off the mark there." (Mizuki)
"So, what do you recommend doing first?" (Nina)
"First, and please don't get jealous, we need to go see Ilina and Klaus. I doubt it's a coincidence that there are suspected elf slaves in the same city she claimed to have business in. I want information from them about the situation before I go rushing in." (Mizuki)
Nina seems to purse her lips at Ilina's name, but she doesn't say anything. Instead, she nods her agreement.
"After that, I will use the same ability I used earlier today when tracking Levi. For him, I just tracked magic signatures, but that's not specific enough for this. If I can find an elf to practice the ability on, like Klaus, then I can learn to track where the elven slaves are anywhere in the city." (Mizuki)
Nina raises her eyebrows at that, impressed. Then, something seems to occur to her, and she smiles.
"So, since you've never been to Cedonia, I guess we can't teleport. Am I finally going to fly you somewhere in my dragon form?" (Nina)
Ohhh…right, she doesn't know.
"Uhm…actually it would probably be faster if I fly us, and I can do it while invisible." (Mizuki)
Nina looks surprised, but then smirks and continues.
"Fufufu…I'm impressed that you can fly, but I doubt that it's faster than me, Mizuki." (Nina)
I smile at her smugly.
"Oh, yeah? How long would it have taken you to fly from your nest to Elmesia?" (Mizuki)
Nina leans back in the tub, obviously impressed with herself.
"Only an hour, Mizuki." (Nina)
Truthfully, that's faster than I thought, but she still can't beat me. This is going to break her heart.
"I'll admit, that's pretty fast. However, the first time I came to find you I did it in, like, 20 minutes." (Mizuki)
Her eyes go wide in shock, not believing me, and she leans forward. However, after a moment she sees that I'm not joking and hangs her head dejectedly.
"Fine, we'll have you fly us." (Nina)
Poor dragon. Don't worry, though, I have a feeling we'll need you to fly us later for this job. I don't tell her that though.
After wrapping up our bath and grabbing some food, sunset is finally upon us. We gather our gear, and I teleport us to my training spot just outside Elmesia.
I focus on sending my magic sense out as far as I can in a roughly sixty-degree arc north to northeast, and I try detecting high elves. I get exactly one signature almost 400 km northeast of our location. If I'm gauging correctly, it seems like Ilina is already in Cedonia. Perfect.
I pull Nina close, then I activate my stealth flight skills and take us above the tree line. I orient us towards Ilina's signature, then take off at max speed.
Nina is in shock at the speed, and so am I, honestly. It's notably faster than the first day I used it. In what seems like twenty minutes, we can see the large city of Cedonia ahead of us.
In the dark, it looks like Elmesia minus the dense forest environment – a large city surrounded by a massive wall. I direct us towards Ilina's location within the city, and we arrive above a nice-looking inn towards the middle of the city.
[Nina, I'm going to set us down nearby. To avoid attention, I'm going to keep the concealment spells on us, so stay close to me. We're going to sneak through the inn, up to their room. Got it?] (Mizuki)
[Fufufufu…sounds fun!] (Nina)
I set us down on an empty part of the street near the inn, and I disable everything except the concealment spells. I wait until the foot traffic is lighter, then I walk us to the front entrance of the inn. I grab Nina and teleport us through the door to avoid ghostly activity.
Tracking Ilina's signature, I make my way up to their room on the third floor. When we arrive at their door, I scan the room with magic sense, just in case – yup, two people. I drop the silencing part of my concealment spell, then knock on the door quietly. I hear shuffling inside, then Klaus opens the door with his full cloak on.
While Klaus is looking around confused, I whisper while still invisible.
"Klaus, it's Mizuki. Open the door and let us in." (Mizuki)
Klaus's eyes go wide, and he seems to hesitate, but he does as I ask. When we walk inside, I drop all my spells and Klaus closes the door behind us. I look around and see Ilina leaving one of the beds in a nightgown, but she quickly puts on her cloak. She walks over promptly with surprise on her face.
"Mizuki? Lady Nedonera? I'm glad that you two seem to have made a decision, but could it not wait until morning? Also, why all the sneaking?" (Ilina)
I nod at her apologetically. At this point, Klaus seemingly decides that tea will be important, and he goes to start making a pot. Nina responds to Ilina before I do.
"Yes, hello again elf. We haven't come to bring you a decision. Mizuki just had some questions about another matter, so please discuss that with him and we promise to be on our way quickly." (Nina)
That was borderline polite for Nina, especially towards Ilina. She must figure that's the quickest way to leave.
Ilina gives me a quizzical look.
"Ah, yes, it's as Lady Nedonera says. We don't have a decision for you yet. However, I wanted to ask you, what was your business in Cedonia that you mentioned wanting to attend to?" (Mizuki)
Ilina narrows her eyes at me thoughtfully, as if trying to decide something. After a couple of minutes, she hasn't responded. I need to move this along.
"Is it about abducted elves being held as slaves here?" (Mizuki)
Her eyes go wide in surprise. So that's a yes.
"I'll take that as a yes. Do you know where they are being held?" (Mizuki)
Ilina seems to recover, and she tries to redirect the questioning towards me. Guess I can't blame her.
"Mizuki, what is this about? How do you know these things, and why do you need to know more? What are you doing here?" (Ilina)
Well, time to go for broke, I guess.
"Ilina, I once promised you that you'd meet the Elder Dragon you sought, and I delivered. I'll now promise you that, if you answer all my questions honestly and let us move quickly, those slaves will be free and safe by morning." (Mizuki)
Ilina's mouth is now gaping in shock, but she seems to find the words to speak after a moment.
"Mizuki…I appreciate the sentiment, but that place will be heavily guarded. There's no way to get past all the guards and free the slaves without them noticing you. Then, they'd have your description and would eventually track you down." (Ilina)
I give her a very serious look.
"I expected as much. However, if we kill every guard, completely dispose of their bodies, and transport all the slaves to safety right after, those concerns disappear. The scene left will be as though everyone suddenly disappeared through magic. By the way, we're doing it with or without your permission. Your help only improves the slaves' safety." (Mizuki)
Ilina's face goes pale, and she glances at Nina who nods back to her. After a minute, Ilina sighs.
"What do you want to know?" (Ilina)
Klaus finishes making tea and we all sit down at a table while I question Ilina.
She doesn't know where the slaves are being held, but she also has intel that there are elves and wolf-kin children among the slaves. She also suspects that it's on the outskirts of the city, and the actual slaves may be kept underground. The facility is heavily guarded by probably ten or more mercenaries.
In addition, the slaves probably all have a slave contract that forces them to obey the guards, and it causes them excruciating pain if they disobey or leave their cells without permission.
The slave contract is technically a type of magic spell, and Ilina doesn't know any way to undo it without the master of the contract, whom she doesn't know how to find. I think I have a way to deal with that, but I won't be able to test it until I'm there. It can't be helped.
At this point, it's two or three hours after sunset. Prime time for a jailbreak. So, I just have one more order of business.
"Klaus, please give me your hand." (Mizuki)
Klaus looks surprised, but Ilina gives him a nod to cooperate. I take Klaus's hand and close my eyes to concentrate on tuning my magic sense to him. Honestly, I'm being a little sloppy at this point, but time may be critical for the slaves, and Ilina hasn't been hostile to me in a while.
"Alright, Lady Nedonera and I will be leaving now. Thanks for everything Ilina. If you'd like, we can come get you and bring you to the slaves in Elmesia later by teleportation?" (Mizuki)
Ilina looks grateful, and she nods approvingly with a smile. However, there's also a tinge of unease in her expression.
"That would be great, Mizuki, thank you. Also…are you ever going to tell me why or how you're doing all this?" (Ilina)
She looks at me hopefully. Yeah…I've been sketchy tonight.
I smile at her lightheartedly and adopt a playful tone to lighten the mood.
"Nah, probably not. We're kind of friends, though, and you want the slaves freed, so I just figure you'll have to forgive me for that!" (Mizuki)
Ilina looks at me dumbfounded over my cavalier attitude, then shakes her head in exasperation. However, when she looks up again, I can see a slight smile on her face. I think we're good.
I wave at the two of them, then walk over next to Nina and cover us in concealment. Then I grab her as before and teleport us into the sky above the inn and instantly activate the stealth flight spells.
I use magic sense to search for elves in the city, and I sense a cluster of them towards the eastern outskirts. Without another word, I fly us towards them.
As we make our there, I sense Nina's agitation, and she doesn't waste time explaining it.
[So, you and the elf girl are friends now, hmm, Mizuki? That's very interesting, you see, because you used to insist that we were just 'friends'. Do you remember all the things you used to do with me, your 'friend', Mizuki? I was just curious, what kind of friends are you and the elf then?] (Nina)
I'm trying to suppress my amusement, so she doesn't sense it through our connection.
[No need to worry, I was mostly joking. I promise you that our relationship will always come first. By the way, I was very impressed with how polite you were, and I appreciate your restraint! As a thank you, I promise to grant you any request within my power after all this is over. So, are we good?] (Mizuki)
I sense a flood of emotions from Nina during my message, but it ends with excitement from her. After a moment, she responds.
[Yes, we're good, Mizuki, and I already know what I want to ask for!] (Nina)
Her tone could be described as mischievous, and it is unsettling, but I don't have time to worry about that now. We're approaching the slaves.
We seem to be at the very outskirts of the city, in a less developed area. There are lots of large barn-like structures, presumably storage warehouses. I use a combination of magic sense and my vision to discern the warehouse that I think is our target. From what I sense, the elven slaves are indeed underground.
I broaden my magic sense to all magic signatures, and I scan the area around our target warehouse. From what I can tell, all nearby people are just outside the warehouse, inside it, or under it.
[Nina, it's easier for me to remain concealed if I just set you down on the roof of the target building while I clear the place out. You'll need to refrain from moving on the roof, since you won't have concealment. Please use your bow to very silently take out any guards that I miss, or any others that start coming this way. Is that all okay with you?] (Mizuki)
I feel Nina squeeze me, and sense that she's still abuzz with excitement.
[Sure, no problem!] (Nina)
Alright, that was scarily easy, but I'll take it. I lower Nina to the roof of the target warehouse and drop her off near the edge overlooking the front entrance, so that she'll have a good vantage point. Then, I set myself down on a side of the warehouse with no guards. Showtime.
I pull out my katana, then activate max body and weapon enhancement, concealment with wider ranged silencing, and max time slow. I use magic sense to plot out my route around the building…there are four outside guards patrolling.
I take off as fast as I can towards the nearest one and he comes into view around the corner of the warehouse. As I get behind him, I see his expression start to change slightly in slow motion. Before he can fully realize anything, though, I stab him through the back of the neck and drop his body.
I continue around the building like this as quickly as I can until all four guards are dead, then I drop the silencing and time spells and listen. No yells or alarms. I check magic sense for people, and there are no more outside the warehouse. The ones inside seem mostly stationary.
The first part is clear.
[Nina, keep watch please, I'm heading inside!] (Mizuk)
[Got it!] (Nina)
I reactivate my silencing spell, and I make my way to the warehouse door. I can't see through it, so I've got to open it. I check with magic sense, and nobody seems to be near the actual door. I expand my silencing spell to include the warehouse door, then I slowly open it just enough to slip in and shut it behind me.
Inside, there are several boxes and bins near the doors, and towards the back I can see six armed guards. Magic sense confirms that they're the only other people on this floor. Most are sitting on the floor chatting, and two are walking around in a kind of patrol. They should die first.
Nobody seems to have noticed the door, probably thanks to the boxes around here and the silencing spell. I reactivate my max time spell, then lunge towards the nearest guard.
I stab him through the front of his neck, then immediately move to the second patrol and stab him in the neck from behind. As I glance back at the first patrol, I see in slowed time that his body is most of the way towards hitting the ground. I've got to hurry. I lunge towards the three seated guards and begin taking them out the same way.
By the time I'm about to stab the second seated guard, the third one is already starting to stand up in slow motion. As I stab the second guard, I expand my silencing spell so the last guard can't call for help. After I do, I lunge forward and stab him through the front of the neck. Then, I keep the silencing spell but drop the time spell. After his body settles on the floor, I drop the silencing spell and listen.
Silence.
I check magic sense for people below, and they're pretty much all stationary. However, one starts to move quickly through the area. Crap, that last guy must have made sound.
I widen my silencing spell to cover most of the warehouse, and I wait for the guy to emerge as I track him with magic sense.
After another moment, I see a floor hatch swing open near where the guards were seated, and another guard emerges while calling out.
"Hey, is everything okay up here!?"
As he notices all the bodies, I activate a max time slow and spring forward to stab him through the front of the neck. Then, with my katana still in him, I pull his body out of the hatch and toss it near his friends. I don't want to scare the kids down there.
I clean my katana on his clothes and sheathe it, shrink my silencing spell back closer to my body, then descend the steps of the hatch.
Below, I can see lines of cages along both walls, there are about six female elves that all look at least 17, with the oldest looking mid-20s, and about 4 wolf-eared children of mixed gender, ages roughly 6-15. It's my first sighting of wolf-kin, and the kids basically look like human children except for the ears and odd hands that seem to have clawed fingers.
Looking around, I don't see any other slaves or guards. Perfect.
I make my way back upstairs and open the warehouse door for air flow, then I drop my time and silencing spells. I do one last check for people in the surrounding area with magic sense, and there are only the ten slaves below me and Nina above me.
I make my way back outside and dispose of the bodies, equipment, and bloodstains around the warehouse with my alchemy spell. I don't want to scare the kids when I take them through here later.
Once the place seems cleaned of evidence, I repeat the process inside the warehouse until I'm similarly satisfied. Looking around, I think it's time to deal with the slaves…err, former slaves, I guess.
I teleport back up to Nina, grab her, then teleport her back inside the warehouse with me. After she gathers what happened, she sighs and messages me.
[Mizuki, you really should start warning a girl before you handle her like that. By the way, this place looks abandoned, nice job!] (Nina)
[Fufufu…thanks, and sorry, I'll warn you from now on. Stay up here while I go negotiate with the slaves? I still need to break their contracts if I can.] (Mizuki)
Nina nods at me with a smirk.
[Sure, sure. I'm curious to see if you can do it. If so, you'll have to explain it later!] (Nina)
I nod back at her, then reapply full concealment and make my way down to the slave cages. I search for the oldest elf again, then I walk over by her cage and kneel. I expand my silencing bubble around just the two of us, so we can talk without being overhead. I whisper to her while still invisible.
"Hey, I'm invisible right now, but I'm here to help you. I've made it so that we can talk privately, since you seem to be the oldest one here. I don't want to scare the children, but I've already killed all the guards in the warehouse." (Mizuki)
The elf girl's eyes go wide in shock, and she jumps a little bit, but then her eyes narrow while she listens. After I'm done, she responds.
"Why should I trust you? For all I know you could be another disgusting human. Plus, our contracts won't let us leave these cages without permission." (…)
That's…not an unreasonable question.
"Well, I promise not to lie to you, so let me start by admitting that I am human. However, I am on your side, and I'm friends with the Second Princess of your kingdom, Ilina Ophelle. I'll even bring you to her after this if you want. I'm going to try to break your contract, then I'll open your cage. I just need you to trust me until then." (Mizuki)
The elf girl recognizes Ilina's name, but she remains suspicious. Then…
"Very well. I don't trust you, but I'll promise to cooperate for now." (...)
That's good enough.
"Okay, the way this spell works should destroy the contract, but it'll also make you completely powerless. Also, I can't promise that it won't hurt or even kill you. I've never done it before, but it's the only way I can think of to help you. Nod if you're ready." (Mizuki)
The elf girl seems to take a deep breath, and then nods.
I will my magic to surround her in a bubble, then I imagine it sucking all the magic inside to its surface. After a moment, I begin to feel resistance, like a vacuum cleaner without enough suction. I pour more magic into my spell, and I will it to attract the magic inside even more strongly.
The elf girl begins to grimace and waver, but I keep going. Eventually, she collapses to the side, but she seems to be breathing. After a few minutes, she recovers enough to sit back up.
Time to check if it worked.
"I'm sorry to do this to you, but I'm going to open your cage now, and I want you to check if you can leave. I need to know if the contract was broken." (Mizuki)
The elf girl nods. I use my enhanced katana to cut the lock of her cage, then I drop all my spells except body enhancement. I pull her cage open and step back.
Now being able to see me, the elf girl's eyes open wide. At this point, the other slaves have started to notice as well, and a lot of whispering is going on.
The elf girl takes another deep breath, then starts dragging herself out of the cage. After a second, she's out fully, and she slowly stands up to face me.
She's blonde and few inches shorter than Nina, with blue eyes and a petite build, but she looks roughed up. She's staring at me with a very conflicted expression.
"Thank you for helping me, human. My name is Alto. I'll trust you long enough to release the others and get us out of here…unless you give me a reason not to." (Alto)
I smile at her appreciatively.
"Thanks, Alto, you won't regret it, I promise. Could you help me by going around and explaining the situation to everyone? Make sure to tell them that they need to be quiet, and what the contract breaking procedure will feel like, so they don't get too scared. Can you do that, and then I'll follow behind you and release them?" (Mizuki)
Alto nods, then goes around doing as I asked. Eventually, all the slaves seem excited and are murmuring quietly. A few of the elves are looking at me suspiciously, but I can deal with that later.
I begin breaking the contracts one by one, but I leave the cages closed. I'm vulnerable when focusing on the magic draining spell, and ten of them could really cause trouble if they wanted to. They need a few minutes to rest after the spell anyway.
After all the contracts are broken, I make a second trip around and start breaking open cages. Eventually, everyone is free and mobile, and they are standing in a group at Alto's direction. She turns towards me with suspicious eyes.
"Why did you leave them in their cages after breaking the contracts like that?" (Alto)
"Because they're all rightfully desperate, most of the elves seem to hate my guts on principle, and the wolf-kin are scared children. I didn't trust them not to attack me while I was focused on breaking your contracts. I know that sounds mean, but I promised not to lie to you." (Mizuki)
The honesty approach seems to work well with Alto, and she nods her agreement.
"Okay, I need you to get them to follow us into the warehouse area upstairs. My partner is up there, so make sure everyone knows that she's a friend. After that, we're going to move you all to a safe place and get you set up with some food and shelter. I'll explain anything else that you want to know once we're there. Are you okay with that?" (Mizuki)
Alto appears to think it over, then nods her agreement. I make my way back into the warehouse upstairs, with everyone following behind me. As we emerge from downstairs, Nina smiles and waves, and I sense surprise from her.
"My, my Mizuki, I can't believe that you managed to break the contracts. Fufufu…I expect an explanation later." (Nina)
"Yeah, sure thing. Let's get everyone here to safety first. Alto, I know it's going to be awkward, and I can see that a lot of them don't trust me, but this is extremely important. I need you all to crowd around me as tightly as you can, okay?" (Mizuki)
This time, Alto nods without hesitation. She tells everyone what to do, then steps in and hugs me tightly as a show of good faith. Nina raises an eyebrow at that, but she says nothing and just joins her.
Eventually, all twelve of us are in a tight circle.
"Alright, everyone needs to stay really still until I say otherwise. You're going to be surprised, but try to stay calm!" (Mizuki)
With that, I teleport us all back to Nina's clearing.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Back at the clearing, I have all the kids stay huddled near the forest's edge while Nina makes a series of huts in a circle using her weird earth magic. Meanwhile, I go around collecting firewood from trees I cut down, then pile it into the center of that circle of huts. I use a few fireball spells to set the logs ablaze, and eventually we have shelters arranged around a warm bonfire.
I tell all the refugees that they can start picking huts to sleep in and hang around the bonfire. After a few minutes, Alto comes up to me.
"Mizuki, was it? I'm almost afraid to ask, but where are we?" (Alto)
They'll find out anyways, so no harm in telling Alto.
"We're deep in the Delmura Forest." (Mizuki)
She goes pale, but she recovers surprisingly quickly.
"That's…no, it's obviously possible. Sorry. Are we safe here with all the dangerous monsters and minimal shelter?" (Alto)
Man, she's really rolling with the punches.
"Yeah, don't worry. No other monsters would dare come around here, it's the nest of the Elder Dragon of earth." (Mizuki)
Alto shows a healthy amount of fear and shock at that, but she presses on with her questions anyway.
"A-A-And…is the dragon going to come back and be upset that we're here?" (Alto)
Oh, I can't miss this chance.
[Hey, Nina, can you come here?] (Mizuki)
Nina was making sure children didn't get too close to the bonfire or lake, but she leaves an older elf in charge of that and comes over to me smiling.
"Hey, Mizuki, did you miss me?" (Nina)
She addresses me with a coy voice, and Alto looks on in confusion.
"Of course, but Alto wanted to know if them being at your nest was going to be a problem." (Mizuki)
Nina smiles at Alto as she walks up behind me and hugs me. How unusually restrained.
"Fufufufu…no, I don't mind. I live with Mizuki now anyways." (Nina)
As this exchange happens, Alto's face progresses from confusion to shock, to fear, and back to confusion. After a moment, she addresses Nina.
"S-So, you're Nedonera?" (Alto)
Nina nods at her and smiles. Alto looks back to me, and I nod as well. After a minute, her expression turns somewhat fearful, and she addresses me.
"Mizuki, who are you really? What do you want with us?" (Alto)
Well, that's a little hurtful, but I get it.
I smile at Alto as warmly as I can, then respond.
"I'm human, if that's what you mean. I haven't lied to you once tonight, and I won't start. As for what I want from you…I would like you all to feel safe tonight. Then, I'll want each of you to tell me how to return you to your homes. After that, I'd like you all to move on and forget this terrible experience. Most importantly, I want you all to know that you owe me nothing." (Mizuki)
She stares at me in confusion and fear, and she seems deeply conflicted.
"I find that hard to believe." (Alto)
I sigh deeply. Trust issues are tough. At this point Nina notices kids being too close to the bonfire again and leaves Alto and me alone to go address it.
"Well, I get it, that's fine. I hope I earn your trust eventually. In the meantime, I want you to know that no matter how scary I may seem, I'm not your enemy. I'd even be your friend, but I know you don't like humans and that's okay. If there's anything I can do to put your mind at ease about me, just ask." (Mizuki)
Alto's expression softens quite a bit as she looks at me. She stares at me for several moments, like she's trying to read my true nature on my face. I just smile at her patiently.
After a moment, she smiles back the tiniest bit. Then, she looks like she remembers something.
"Well, now that you mention it, you said that you were friends with Princess Ilina and could even take me to her. Could you do that now, by chance?" (Alto)
Hmm…I do need to get information from them about how they were captured, and about whether other slaves have already been moved from their location. As I think that over, I can see Alto looking at me hopefully.
"Yeah, or very soon, at least. I need to ask you some questions first. Would that be okay with you? I know asking right now makes this seem like I'm holding your visit to Ilina hostage, but the questions are time sensitive, and I'm just worried about others like you."
Ilina raises her eyebrows at me. She's not exactly eyeing me suspiciously, but it's not a look of trust, either. She responds with a skeptical tone.
"So, you're not insisting that I submit to an interrogation?" (Alto)
I make a show of sighing deeply.
"No, if you really insist, then I'll take you to Ilina now. As I said before, earning your trust is important to me. However, if you insist on that, I ask that you don't hold it against me if others die or become slaves because I didn't get information from you quickly enough." (Mizuki)
Her eyes go wide, presumably at the implication that her actions would be to blame for something like that.
"N-No, I don't mind answering a few questions first if it may help others." (Alto)
Good choice. That was a little manipulative of me, I admit, but this is important.
"Great, I appreciate it. First, are there any other elves that were originally captured along with you and later separated from your group? In other words, are you missing anybody that I need to go try saving before it's too late? Second, how did they abduct and transport you?" (MIzuki)
This question seems to go a long way with Alto, and I even see the beginnings of a smile on her face.
"No, I apologize for not considering that. If anyone was missing or separated recently, I would have told you immediately. We don't all know each other previously, and we weren't all abducted at the same time. However, we were all in the demi-human country when abducted, and I think they probably abducted us in two or three groups. I was in the first group of captures, and I haven't seen anyone go missing, elven or otherwise, since they took us." (Alto)
In the demi-human country, why? I'm glad I don't need to do another black op tonight, though.
"That's a relief to hear, thank you. Why were you in the demi-human country? I thought elves preferred to say in your country borders away from humans, where it's safer?" (Mizuki)
"You're correct, but we also sympathize with the demi-humans. A very small number of us will occasionally make quiet trips to the demi-human villages here to lend aid. Education, medicine, sanitation, carpentry, defensive measures, and other things like that are common areas we want to help them with." (Alto)
So, a bunch of kindhearted elves doing charity in a less developed country. In that case…
"So, there were probably other elves of different ages and genders with you all when you were abducted, but they were either ignored or killed because they didn't fit the…uses…the slavers had in mind. The children may have just been opportunistic captures from areas you were trying to help. Is that correct?" (Mizuki)
Alto nods solemnly.
"I see, I'm sorry. I won't ask about what happened to you while you were under their care. However, before I take you to Ilina, I have one last question. Do you, or any of the others, need anything? Healing, a warm bath, food, water, clothes, or anything else like that? We can get you water using magic, and I was going to try and get food from Ilina or a nearby tavern tonight if I could." (Mizuki)
In response to this, I'm surprised to see Alto chuckle. What's funny about that?
"Fufu…you're an odd human, Mizuki. You rescued us from slavers, took us out of the dangerous human country, gave us shelter and warmth. You are mentioning food, water, and even getting to see the princess. On top of all that, you're willing to arrange something as frivolous as…new clothes and a bath?" (Alto)
She's nearly in a full laugh by the end. I really don't think that's crazy, but I guess that Azura and Earth have different standards.
"Well, if that's a no, I can take you to Ilina now." (Mizuki)
Nina chooses this moment to finish building an earth railing around the bonfire to keep kids out. Thus, she hears this comment about going to see Ilina as she walked up.
"Fufufufu…I'm sorry what was that, Mizuki? I know I didn't hear you suggest sneaking off to see that elf alone and leaving me here?" (Nina)
That's…not good. Alto looks confused, probably because she doesn't realize that Nina is the crazy jealous type.
"Well, I did promise Alto. She held up her end of the deal, and I'm not going to break my word. If I go, then obviously you need to stay here to protect everyone. What else would you have me do?" (Mizuki)
Nina's face scrunches up in thought, like she's trying to solve a hard math problem, and I sense frustration from her. After a moment, she walks over to Alto with an annoyed expression then addresses her aggressively, with direct eye contact.
"Tch…listen here, Alto, was it? You better make sure that elf princess doesn't get all familiar with Mizuki if you want her to keep having limbs attached to her pretty little body. You understand?" (Nina)
Alto goes pale and nods vigorously to Nina, who looks pleased with the response. When Nina turns to walk away again, Alto shoots me a scared and bewildered expression like 'is she sane?'. In response, I shake my head in exasperation, like 'no, not at all'.
"Yeah…so, Nina is kind of the jealous type. Don't worry, though, Ilina won't do anything familiar with me. While I consider Ilina and myself somewhat friendly, I wouldn't call us close friends, and we're definitely not romantic with one another. I promise, it will be fine. You ready?" (Mizuki)
Alto nods her head absentmindedly, as though still in a state of shock. Eh…that'll do.
I walk over next to Alto and, realizing that we're about to leave, she grabs onto me. I then teleport us to just inside the door of Ilina's and Klaus's inn room in Cedonia.
When we arrive, Klaus and Ilina are sitting at the table talking and having tea. Both have dressed themselves in their normal day clothes since my departure. I guess they were hoping for news from me tonight.
Seeing us appear suddenly, they both jump in surprise. However, when Ilina notices Alto, her eyes go wide, and she runs over towards us. When she gets closer, it looks like her eyes have become misty. She turns to look at me.
"Mizuki…how many are hurt? Did you lose anyone…?" (Ilina)
Before I can answer, Alto does something like a curtsy and interjects.
"Princess Ilina, it's good to meet you. I'm Alto. Please do not fret, this man retrieved every elf and wolf-kin child from where we were being held. None of us died, and nobody was injured." (Alto)
Ilina looks relieved beyond expectation, then turns to me and…lunges at me for a hug!? As she wraps her arms around my neck, I can feel a little bit of wetness on my shoulder. I guess she couldn't fully hold the tears in.
"Thank you so much, Mizuki! I…really thought the worst would come to pass." (Ilina)
I awkwardly pat her on the back while she squeezes my neck. Glancing at Klaus, he seems…uncomfortable. That's fair. On the other hand, Alto looks…terrified!? Ohh…right, Nina did threaten to rip off Ilina's arms if something like this happened. Time to try using thought communication with someone other than Nina.
I look at Alto and focus on her hearing my thoughts.
[Alto, let's not mention this to Nina if we want Ilina to live. Okay?] (Mizuki)
Alto makes a shocked face at hearing me suddenly, but then nods gratefully.
Ilina pulls away from me and wipes her eyes. Then, she turns to Alto. She glances at me briefly, then speaks to Alto.
"Alto, are the children and everyone else okay, emotionally? I'm glad everyone is physically fine, but I'm sure the scene…that man…left was a slaughter. There's also the matter of how I thought you'd be under contracts. Did he have to torture the contract master to release you?" (Ilina)
Somehow, Ilina's voice feels, off? She also seems to be avoiding using my name. 'That man', really?
Wait…could she be speaking Elvish to try and talk about me right here!? Azazel promised that I could understand and speak all languages. Realizing that must be the case, I can't help but chuckle out loud.
Ilina glances at me when I do, puzzled. I smile back at her as I respond to clarify that I'm not actually mad.
"Fufufufu…Ilina, you'd talk about me like that while I'm right here? I did exactly as I told you that I would. There's no evidence that anyone was ever there. No bodies, no weapons, no bloodstains, nothing. I made sure to take care of that before I let out the kids, to avoid scaring them. As for the contracts, Lady Nedonera and I found another way to break them. We didn't torture anyone." (Mizuki)
Ilina's face goes pale, and she stares at me with her mouth and eyes wide open in shock. Klaus and Alto are equally surprised.
"M-M-Mizuki…you can speak Elvish!?" (Ilina)
I smirk at her and shrug. She looks shaken, and turns back to Alto with a questioning glance, like 'is all that true?'. Alto nods in response. I take the opportunity to interject.
"You know, Ilina, if you'd merely asked, I could have prepared a space for you to talk to Alto without me overhearing. I'm not so naïve as to think that you didn't want to privately question her about me." (Mizuki)
Ilina looks confused as well as embarrassed, but before her or I can comment further, Alto interjects.
"Pardon me, Princess, but I don't want to answer any questions about Mizuki, and I certainly don't want to talk about him behind his back. This is my wish, not a request from him. Despite how suspicious of him us elves have been, he's been nothing but incredibly kind in return. He's also prioritized honesty with me, so I have no desire to hide anything from him if he's implicated." (Alto)
Ilina and I both exchange shocked glances. I'm the first to speak.
"Well…uhm…thanks, Alto. I hope you know that I meant what I said. You owe me absolutely nothing, and I prefer it that way. If you wanted to answer anything and everything that Ilina asked about me, I won't be upset with you or consider it a betrayal." (Mizuki)
Ilina seems surprised that I feel this way, but Klaus just smirks like he was pleasantly proven correct. Alto smiles like she's trying not to laugh at me again, then shakes her head.
"No, Mizuki, you don't have to worry. I believe everything you just said. I didn't make that statement out of obligation, it's just the way I feel." (Alto)
I can't hide the grin on my face as I respond to Alto, and I also can't pass up the opportunity to make fun of Ilina.
"Alto, I'm very honored, and I'm glad to hear that you trust me at least that much. Can I assume this means that I have a new friend? I'd like to know another elf that's nicer to me than Ilina. Don't worry, it's a very low bar, so there's no pressure." (Mizuki)
Now Alto chuckles, and nods when addressing me.
"Fufu…yes, I think that would be okay. Just don't tell any other elves that I'm friends with a human, they might get the wrong idea about me." (Alto)
Is she giving me shit? Yeah, I've decided – Alto's cool. Before I can respond to her jab, however, Ilina blurts out as though offended.
"Mizuki, what are you talking about!? I'm nice to you!" (Ilina)
I suppress the urge to laugh…she actually looks worried. I can't let her off the hook this easy, though.
"I don't know, just now you said the meanest things about me while I was standing right here. Also, you were so prickly towards me as soon as we first met. Klaus, do you remember when she called me a pervert and implied that I was a sex slaver?" (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes go wide at the allegedly foul language from her princess, and Ilina's only getting more flustered. Before she can defend herself, Klaus, who seems to be thoroughly enjoying the situation, responds. He shakes his head as though truly appalled at how Ilina acted.
"Oh, yes, she was so terrible to poor Mizuki. Called him a pervert, a slaver, and even told me to kill him once! Truly, she was ruthless." (Klaus)
Ilina is practically squealing with frustration at this point, and her face is completely red. Klaus is laughing so hard he can barely see straight, and Alto is just looking at me with pity. Damn, Klaus, kind of ironic to call Ilina ruthless.
I can't help but chuckle internally at the whole sight. Ilina is not pleased.
"That's so unfair and you both know it! That's all out of context! Also, Klaus, what are you doing you traitor, you're supposed to be on my side! Mizuki…you don't really feel that way about me, do you?" (Ilina)
As she says the last part, her voice lowers, and she looks at me like she's genuinely concerned. Well, now I feel bad.
The truth is that I don't feel that way, anymore at least. Aside from being suspicious of me constantly, she's been nice lately…cooperative, even. It's probably about time that we built some trust.
I sigh deeply with my eyes closed, then open them and smile at Ilina. Some of her concern is replaced with confusion, and she looks at me expectantly.
"No, Ilina, I don't. I'm just joking with you. We would be friends if I had my way." (Mizuki)
Ilina seems surprised by my answer, then she looks at me with a serious expression. After a moment, she speaks.
"Honestly, I don't think you trust me enough for us to be friends." (Ilina)
She eyes me carefully as she responds, like she's skeptical, but also really wants to have an honest discussion. I hold her gaze and respond evenly.
"I think it's fair of you to say I don't trust you that much. It's not that I think you're untrustworthy, just that there are unknowns about you that make me wary. Despite that, I'm confident that you'd never intentionally harm me without provocation. That's exactly how you feel about me, right?" (Mizuki)
Ilina's face stiffens a little bit, and she wears a conflicted expression. If I had to guess, she's frustrated by our dynamic, and wants to fix the hesitant way we interact with one another.
"If you're frustrated by that, I might be able to help. We're both distrustful because we're keeping too many secrets to understand one another well. Similarly, we are unwilling to share our secrets because we don't trust each other. So, the only way I see forward is sharing enough about ourselves to build some trust." (Mizuki)
Ilina nods solemnly, expressing her frustrated agreement. Okay, guess it's on me if I want this to change then.
"In that case, I'll be the one to trust you first. If you join me alone on the couch for a chat, I'll put up a privacy barrier to block sound. Then I will answer every single question you ask me. No lies, no half-truths, no schemes, no ulterior motives, and no question dodging." (Mizuki)
Ilina's face is in complete disarray at the offer – to call it shock wouldn't do her reaction justice. Similarly, Klaus is thoroughly surprised, and Alto looks more amused and curios than anything. Honestly, the more I hang around Alto, the more I like her.
After a minute, Ilina seems to come to a decision. She gulps and nods towards me. Her expression seems equal parts curiosity and fear, like someone afraid of what they might learn. Then, she responds.
"Yes, I'd appreciate that."