The Male Slave of House Sianella - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: An Unfamiliar Elf (1)

After stroking Sione’s hair for a moment, I gently pushed her away.

Sione released her arms from around me and stepped back.

I immediately checked my clothes.

I’d been worried the blood from Sione’s dress might have stained my uniform, but…

Though I felt slightly grimy, thankfully, the blood on her dress seemed to have dried, and mine was still clean.

Sione tilted her head, looking up at me like a confused puppy, as if wondering why I’d pushed her away after such a tender moment.

I glanced at her bloodstained dress and said,

“Perhaps you should change out of that dress first.”

“Ah.”

Sione seemed to finally remember the state of her attire.

Not only was the front of her blue dress stained brown with dried blood…

But the skirt was also torn and ragged, having been ripped during the fight. Her pale, slender legs were exposed.

I didn't think it was particularly scandalous. Bloodstains were inevitable in a sword fight, and…

Her skirt was still long enough to reach just above her knees. It wasn't as if she were indecently exposed.

But Sione groaned and lowered her head, as if finally realizing how she’d looked while clinging to me.

I patiently took care of my high-maintenance master, helping her change out of her bloodstained dress and into a clean set of clothes. Once she was presentable again—

She slipped into bed.

Sione chatted with me for a bit while lying in bed, then, exhausted from the day’s events, drifted off to sleep.

I was about to get up and return to my own room to rest…

“…Ray.”

Sione, half-asleep, opened her eyes slightly and, looking at me with a drowsy expression, took my hand. As I tried to stand, she gently tugged on my hand, as if wanting me to sit back down.

“Will you stay with me?”

Stay with her? After I was so exhausted I could barely move?

“I pushed myself quite hard, so even my own body feels heavy…Wouldn’t it be best if I rested as well?”

Absolutely not.

I was sorry, but I needed to rest.

***

In the end, I stayed by Sione’s side until she fell asleep. Once her breathing evened out…

I immediately left her room and returned to my own.

Thud.

I collapsed onto my bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

I was exhausted.

So exhausted that even the soft comfort of my bed couldn’t alleviate my fatigue.

“I’d rather fight another arachne…”

I was utterly worn out from the constant string of incidents over the past three days.

On the first day, I’d gone dress shopping with Sione and ended up entangled with Noah.

On the second day, I’d accompanied Sione to the banquet, been singled out by the princess, and nearly lost my virtue to my drunken master.

And yesterday, I'd attended Adelheit’s coming-of-age ceremony with Sione and ended up in this mess.

“Honestly…”

What was Sione’s deal? She’d been causing trouble non-stop since we arrived in the capital.

She was more of a headache than the demon worshippers at this point.

“Ugh…”

I sighed, finally releasing some of my pent-up frustration.

Well, it was too late for regrets.

I just had to endure.

With that thought, I closed my eyes, then opened them again to check the status window that had appeared.

[Quest Completed.]

The first thing I saw was that single phrase.

I cleared away all the unnecessary details and checked the reward for the “First Historical Alteration” quest.

The reward was…

[Adelheit Aisilia will begin to deviate from the original course of history.]

[History will begin to shift in a more positive direction.]

[The heroes who were destined to fade before their time will have a chance to shine brightly.]

More powerful allies to fight against the coming demon invasion.

And—

[History will begin to change drastically, centered around you.]

[Your connections with key figures on the continent will deepen.]

[The probability of encountering these key figures will increase.]

“…Shit.”

One Sione was already more than enough.

Now I had to worry about encountering other important figures across the continent?

I’d checked the status window hoping to relieve some stress, but it had only made things worse.

I angrily dismissed the window and buried my face in my pillow.

Please, I prayed, let tomorrow be a peaceful day.

***

A new day dawned.

A refreshing morning breeze blew in through the slightly open window, clearing my head…

And the cool autumn air helped chase away the last vestiges of sleep as I finished getting ready.

I decided to leave my sword behind today.

I certainly wasn’t going to bring my bow either. What kind of attendant would wander around the royal palace with a bow and quiver?

Security had been tightened, and there were no active quests, so there was no reason to expect any danger.

There was no need to carry those heavy, sharp pieces of metal around.

I left my room and headed towards Sione’s quarters across the courtyard.

It was still early morning, so aside from the occasional guard…

There were few people around, and no one seemed to notice or whisper about the “male knight” from yesterday.

I relaxed and enjoyed the morning sun as I walked, and…

“That blonde hair…”

An elf.

The same elf who had smiled and waved at me yesterday.

She was walking towards me.

I frowned discreetly as I watched her approach.

‘Oh, damn it.’

This was troublesome.

Elves could sense the scent of spirits.

To use their own words…

They could smell the fresh scent of grass on someone who’d formed a contract with a wind spirit.

And the scent of burning wood on someone with a fire spirit.

If that elf got any closer, she would undoubtedly smell the scent of burning leaves on me.

‘It’s too late to avoid her…’

Her turquoise eyes were already locked onto me, observing my every move.

Elves never let go of someone who’d piqued their curiosity.

If I tried to run, she would undoubtedly chase after me and try to talk to me.

I focused on concealing my spirit energy, avoiding her gaze and staring straight ahead as I walked.

But as expected…

Just as I was about to pass by her…

“Excuse me—”

The elf, her face suddenly lighting up with a bright smile like a child who’d found a new toy, turned towards me and called out.

“—aren't you the one who cut down those demon worshippers yesterday?”

I forced my expression into a mask of indifference and faced her.

“…Yes, I was lucky enough to kill a few.”

“I knew it! You were amazing yesterday. So cool. Like a…male knight, as humans would say?”

“You flatter me.”

“Flatter you—?”

The elf's eyes began to gleam with a predatory light.

“You’re a human, not a powerful beastfolk…and a male at that. To achieve such a feat…And especially when that first attacker tried to ambush the princess.”

Judging by her words…

This elf had been watching the entire incident unfold.

“That demon worshipper’s attack was so swift and heavy…I didn’t think anyone could block it.”

Her green eyes narrowed, her smile still fixed in place.

“But you not only blocked it…

“—but you deflected it with ease.”

A sharp, piercing intensity entered her gaze.

“I thought…you must be able to use mana. And quite skillfully at that.”

As expected…

This elf seemed to realize I could use mana.

And that was precisely why this was troublesome.

Elves, as arrogant as they were about their own race, were also incredibly greedy.

A human male, who’d managed to kill two demonically empowered humans…and who could clearly use mana, despite being male…

To a possessive elf, I was undoubtedly a highly desirable pet, or perhaps a valuable treasure.

Knowing the trouble that would come from being entangled with an elf like this…

I forced a natural-looking smile onto my face.

“Mana, for a mere man like myself? You flatter me too much. I don’t know what to say.”

The elf, her blonde hair gleaming in the morning sun, ran a hand through her hair and leisurely stroked her chin.

“You say that, but your smile…isn’t it a bit stiff?”

“I…I don’t understand…”

“Well, you possess a power far greater than mana, so I suppose simply being ‘skillful’ with mana wouldn’t be very satisfying. So let me ask you—”

The elf took a step closer, then another, closing the distance between us.

I retreated with each of her steps, but…

Swish!

She caught my sleeve and pulled me towards her.

Sniff. Sniff.

She inhaled my scent, a seductive smile spreading across her cherry-red lips.

“Mana…I’ll overlook the mana…But human, how can you, a human who is not an elf, exude the scent of spirits?”

Next Chapter

Index

Previous Chapter