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On the streets of Noctar.
Neil, Roperman's secretary, was walking through the city. He had been ordered by Roperman to find an elf.
In his search, Neil had visited the Adventurer's Guild and even talked with underground organizations, but it was a complete waste of time. As expected, there were no elves in Noctar.
Even if he did find an elf, that would be a problem in itself.
It was not like swatting a mosquito that flew into a room. Could you easily catch one just because you spotted it? Unless it was an exceptionally weak elf, it would be far from easy.
I'll just kill some time and head back.
Neil's cunning mind was working overtime.
As he wandered aimlessly, a group caught his eye.
They were children. Some dirty-looking kids were talking with clean-looking ones.
What could this be? Are those well-off kids bullying the slum kids?
Well, they say human malice reaches its peak when they're young. But I suppose watching such things can be entertaining.
Neil casually walked towards them, pretending to be a passerby. As he got closer, he could hear the children's voices more clearly.
"I'm telling you, if you become Big Brother Karami's slave too, you can sleep somewhere warm!"
"Really?"
"That's what I'm saying, you know? Look, we're all clean now too."
Neil couldn't help but admire the scene of children persuading others to become slaves. To take children as slaves, raise them, and then use those slaves to create new slaves.
It was a revolutionary idea.
This Karami person was no ordinary individual.
But while the master might be one thing, for friends to try and sell out their friends? As the saying goes, like master like slave—these kids were quite something too.
"Hey, don't fall for it. Doesn't everyone know that becoming a slave means working your whole life just to die?"
At that moment, a large boy stepped forward in opposition.
"You couldn't become a slave even if you wanted to. Big Brother Karami only takes girls."
Matthew made a face as if he wasn't interested in the boy. Ignoring him, he turned his attention to the girls beside him.
"Think about it, girls! You won't have to give money to scary older guys anymore, and you can dress up all pretty, y'know? See?"
Matthew pointed at Hanni. Startled, Hanni hurriedly struck a pose. A peace sign.
The girls seemed tempted.
Judging that he might lose the girls at this rate, the boy shoved Matthew with his arm.
"You better watch it. Slaves are just broken freaks that nobody else wants. You're all just freaks."
In response to this blatant insult, Lala stepped forward boldly, hands on her hips.
"No wayy~ Only amazinggg people can become Big Brother Karami's slave~ Even the pretty elf big sis is his slavee~"
"Hey! Big Brother Karami said not to talk about that!"
"Oops!"
Lala quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. A long shadow fell over the girl's head.
"Oho, an elf slave. How interesting. Would you mind telling me more about what you just said?"
***
Days passed without much change.
After breakfast, I would go to the forest with Alfia and then we would shoot arrows until sunset.
Of course, things didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. Occasionally, Alfia would complain of pain and drink the alcohol she had brought from the tavern, forcing us to halt training due to her intoxication.
We only had a brief window to continue training after her elven detoxification had cleared the alcohol from her system, but before the spirits fully awakened.
It was a cumbersome and tedious process.
You'd think she would be exhausted from the constantly fluctuating mental state, but Alfia committed herself to training diligently without any complaints.
Alfia shot an arrow.
It flew wide, flying past the tree she had targeted.
Although she missed the mark, she didn't seem to mind much. At least it didn't plunge into the ground or soar into the sky. In just a few days, her arrows were now flying straight and true. She'd be hitting the target in no time with just a bit more improvement to her aim.
I'm glad Alfia's taken an interest in this.
It seemed something had changed in her mind, seeing as the displeasure she had initially shown was now gone. Her expression was completely different now.
When she narrowly missed, she would sigh in disappointment, and if the arrow flew off in the wrong direction, she would pout her lips in frustration. Then, with a serious expression, she would adjust her posture.
Given the circumstances, we couldn't get a proper instructor, but even without anyone teaching her, Alfia seemed to know what mistakes she was making.
Her progress was beyond what you could call rapid improvement. To reach this level through self-study, it would be more appropriate to say the reincarnation of a master archer had picked up a bow.
"Huu…"
Alfia nocked an arrow, drawing the bowstring back until her hand rested near her cheek.
She felt the flow of the wind.
Letting out a small puff of air, she held her breath for a split second.
In that moment of perfect stillness, she found her mark.
Twang.
Alfia gently released the bowstring.
Swishhhh!
The arrow sharply cut through the air, its speed defying even gravity.
In a straight line rather than the usual arc, it instantly flew towards the target and—
Thunk!
—buried itself in the tree.
"Wow!"
Alfia let out an exclamation of amazement before she could stop herself.
It wasn't dead center.
The arrow was just barely on the outer edge.
But it had struck the tree, and that was all that mattered.
Alfia quickly turned to face me. She must have been surprised herself, as her already large eyes had grown even wider.
"I hit it!"
"Indeed you did."
"I really hit it!"
"That's right, Miss Alfia hit the target."
"What should I do??? Could it be… have I been a bow master all along?!"
Alfia made a big bluff, clearly delighted with herself. It seemed she had shot away her serious demeanor along with the arrow.
"It's a shame. I suppose I won't be able to see Miss Alfia looking all dejected because she can't shoot a bow anymore."
The previously tomboyish-wild Alfia suddenly went quiet. Her cheeks turned slightly red as she fiddled with her hair. Glancing at me, she said.
"…It's in your memory… so that's all that matters, right?"
Oh…
That's quite a romantic thing to say.
I never expected Alfia to say something like that. She must have been thinking about what I said before.
I guess that meant the invisible wall between us had crumbled a little. All that money to get her drunk was worth it. That came out wrong… but moving on.
"Ahem! I'm gonna shoot again, so don't distract me, got it?"
Alfia picked up her bow again as if trying not to forget the sensation she had just experienced.
And she was clearly smiling as she did so.
***
"You know that feeling when it just clicks? That 'Ah, if I shoot now, the arrow will hit' feeling. So I released the bowstring and just as I thought…!"
On the way back to the city, Alfia was still riding her high. She made gestures in the air, mimicking herself shooting a bow.
Was hitting the target really that exciting?
If she was going to be this happy, I didn't understand why she resisted at first. Well, I guess she didn't know she'd end up like this either.
"This is just the first step. Let's move on to the next stage after you've completely mastered this."
"I know, okay? Is it so wrong to enjoy it a little?"
Alfia grumbled, kicking small stones on the ground as she walked.
A momentary silence fell in the conversation. I could feel Alfia glancing at me.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"Huh? Oh, w-well you know…"
Alfia's lips quivered as she debated whether to speak or not. After briefly hesitating, she seemed to have made up her mind and cautiously asked.
"Did you… do anything while I was asleep?"
…What's this about?
Did she notice me touching her ears?
Elves were known for their sensitive ears. I had heard that for some elves, they were even erogenous zones. Since she was groaning in pain, I had been stroking her head to comfort her, but curiosity got the better of me and I touched her ears. Don't tell me she was actually awake?
No way. If she had been awake, she would have yelled at me for touching her. From the way she was acting, it seemed even she was unsure whether it was a dream or not.
"No. I didn't do anything."
"Really? Hmm, then what could it have been…?"
Alfia tilted her head, pondering. Fortunately, it seemed she had fallen for it.
We returned to the Peacock's Night Gathering, Alfia's doubts still unresolved. As usual, we were about to sneak down to the basement when… something felt off.
The usual customers were missing.
Instead, the children were in the tavern, looking guilty.
The old man stood beside them protectively.
At one of the tables, a plump man sat, with another who looked like his attendant standing nearby.
It was someone I knew.
Or rather, someone whose face I recognized.
Roperman, the head of the Desert Rose Merchant Group.
The man who, in the original story, kidnapped Alfia and broke her. Roperman had come to the Peacock's Night Gathering, bring with him rough-looking men.
Why did he come?
It seemed like some problem had arisen.
"Why is everyone standing around like that? Your legs must be tired."
"B-Big Brother Karami. Well, you see…"
Lala fidgeted nervously, twiddling her fingers. She looked like a child who had broken a plate and was about to confess to her mother.
That alone was enough for me to guess.
So you're the one who let slip about the elf.
I figured the children might have trouble keeping a secret. I just assumed if anyone would slip up, it'd be Matthew, not Lala.
Sorry, Matthew.
"P-Pleased to meet you. I'm Roperman, head of the Desert Rose Merchant Group. You must be the famous S-Slave Reaper. I've heard a lot about you. T-To think you were in Noctar…"
I knew he stuttered in text, but he even stuttered when speaking. It was kind of funny to listen to.
"Haha, I'm honored that such a distinguished man knows of me. If I may ask, what brings the esteemed head of the merchant group?"
"It's nothing much, but I heard there's an e-elf among your slaves. Perhaps the one beside you…?"
Roperman looked at the robed Alfia.
It was impossible to keep up the charade at this point. I nodded to Alfia, who was looking at me for guidance. Slowly, Alfia removed her robe, revealing her flowing golden hair and pointy ears.
"Ooh…! A r-real elf indeed!"
Roperman's eyes lit up as he fixated on Alfia. Uncomfortable under his gaze, she involuntarily winced, her eye twitching slightly.
"Lord Roperman."
"A-Ah, yes. Where are my manners."
At his attendant's words, Roperman barely managed to tear his gaze away and turned to me. He tried to put on an air of importance that didn't suit him at all.
"I-I'll get right to the point. W-Where did you acquire this slave?"
The first wind of change created by the butterfly had caught up to us.