<Chapter 6>

The young elf, now a bit intrigued, turned her gaze and accidentally met Laren’s eyes. Flustered, she flapped her ears and whipped her head away. Watching the elf’s profile, Laren couldn’t help but burst into soft laughter.

“It must have been about a month later—she let me hug her without kicking me away, just staying still. So I asked her name. Of course, I already knew it, but I wanted to hear it in her own voice.”

“…Why?”

“Hmm, because for that whole month, she hadn’t let me hear her voice even once. I kept asking for another month, and finally she told me. It took a full two months just to learn her name. What a rotten personality, right? Oh, and for the record, it’s still rotten.”

The protagonist of this story was none other than Kana, who was probably grinding her teeth back at the Mercantia ducal estate.

What kind of reaction would she have if she knew I’d shared this tale? Imagining Kana’s face, Laren shook her head. I don’t really want to know. I’d rather stay ignorant forever.

“It’s the same even now. We’re both adults, so she doesn’t kick me anymore… but instead, she attacks me with her glare all day long—it drains the life right out of you. Look at my wrist; doesn’t it seem like I’m low on blood?”

At the exaggerated gesture of thrusting out her wrist, the elf let out a small giggle. Feeling inexplicably proud, Laren grinned back, only for the elf to harden her expression as if she’d never laughed at all.

“Can I ask your name?”

“….”

“Do I have to ask for a month too? Cut me some slack here.”

At the elf’s silence, Laren’s face fell into a pout. As her shoulders visibly slumped, the young elf’s expression softened just a little.

“…S.”

“Huh?”

It was mumbled so quietly she couldn’t hear. When Laren leaned her ear closer, the young elf whispered.

“Naias.”

With even that faint wariness easing, Naias slowly shifted her body from being pressed tightly against the wall into a more relaxed posture. The way her tiny form wriggled was utterly adorable.

“And you?”

“Oh, me, me…? Me? My name is….”

Laren was visibly flustered. She’d forgotten to think up an alias for her transformed appearance. She couldn’t very well say Laren Mercantia with this face.

“I’m, uh, um…. Ren, I’m Ren!”

Naias gave her a puzzled look at the stammered response but soon nodded. For a name blurted out in haste, it seemed passable enough. Laren let out a secret sigh of relief. Thank goodness it’s not too hick-sounding.

“Hey, Naias.”

Called softly, Naias met her eyes without replying. The fact that she was looking straight at her made Laren’s heart swell a bit.

“Um…. I want to get you out of this place.”

At Laren’s suggestion, Naias’s expression darkened immediately. Had she not understood? As Laren tilted her head, Naias’s voice came even lower.

“…No point.”

“What?”

“I have nowhere to go even if I get out. …Humans destroyed our forest.”

From Naias’s matter-of-fact reply, it was easy to guess the rest without further explanation. To capture elves of high monetary value, the caravan must have raided Naias’s forest.

“Mom and Dad were killed by humans too….”

For a child to speak so stoically about her parents’ death—what kind of world was this? Anger boiled up at the ruthless humans who harmed lives for profit, and at the fact that she belonged to the same species as them.

Elf society had similarities to human society. Each forest group formed its own unique culture and society, often excluding other elves. It was likely they wouldn’t accept even a young one, and surviving alone made capture by slave caravans like this all too common.

Naias had already known this and resigned herself to staying here. A deep nausea churned in Laren’s chest.

“…Naias.”

Meeting the gaze fixed on her, Laren roughly ruffled her own hair. She wasn’t good at clumsy comforts, nor did she want to offer them. After agonizing over how to start, Laren decided to just throw a fastball.

“Um… well…. My family’s pretty well-off, with plenty of empty rooms, and if staying feels like a burden, you could learn some other work. Ah! That half-elf I mentioned would treat you well too. Probably? So….”

Further explanation proved difficult. As her words started twisting into knots, Laren gave a wry smile. What am I hesitating over something like this for? With a self-deprecating exhale, Laren extended her hand.

“It’s hard to ask you to trust a human like me, and it might be forcing it, but I’d like you to believe me anyway.”

“….”

“Come with me.”

Naias didn’t answer for a long while, and Laren waited silently with her hand outstretched. A quiet stillness settled over the warehouse.

The young elf slowly alternated her gaze between Laren’s eyes and hand. Facing the sincerity in those blue eyes, tears began to well up in Naias’s own.

At the sight, Laren stretched her hand even farther. Naias grasped the offered hand and leaped into her arms. Her small shoulders trembled faintly, and her grip tightened. She was unleashing all the emotions she’d held back until now.

This child, willingly taking the hand of a human she’d just met—Laren couldn’t even begin to imagine how brutal and cruel the world Naias had endured must have been. Laren patted Naias’s back for a long time.

“Um, excuse me…. How exactly are we supposed to escape?”

“Can we really get out?!”

As the elf’s sobs subsided, the people in the warehouse who’d overheard the conversation began gathering around. Calming the crowd, now buzzing with hope of escape, was overwhelming. If the mercenaries outside caught wind of the commotion, it could be disastrous, and cold sweat trickled down Laren’s back.

“Please be quiet; unnecessary noise could ruin everything. If you want to escape, return to your spots and act as usual.”

The stern voice coming from right beside her made Laren’s blue eyes widen. The one who decisively quelled the warehouse’s unrest was Herr Helian.

‘Good grief, is that who she really is?’

“If we aren’t careful, we might arouse the mercenaries’ suspicions, so please refrain from any related conversations as well.”

Having seemingly steadied her emotions, Herr Helian displayed a resolve in her expression that showed leadership far beyond expectations. Laren, who had been blankly watching the people disperse, led Naias back to their original spot. Naias, now settled quietly at her side, kept glancing around before whispering.

“…Why is that human boy glaring at Ren?”

‘Human boy?’

At the sight of Naias, her eyes still puffy and radiating hostility, Laren let out a fake cough. Similarly, Laren herself was curious about Kar’s sticky glare fixed on her. Was it because she’d only hugged Naias? His plump cheeks were adorably puffed up.

“Kar, what’s wrong? Come here?”

She extended her arms, but as expected, she was miserably ignored. After a long wait, what emerged from Kar’s lips was a question whose intent was unclear.

“What are you?”

His deep navy-blue eyes, sunk low, turned toward Laren. In that moment, she realized something she’d missed while lost in his cuteness.

Kar possessed eyes that were somewhat world-weary and empty for a child. Wondering if this kid had his own circumstances too, she reached out to stroke him again, and this time he didn’t dodge. Though his gaze sharpened a bit more.

“Hmm, the righteous beauty come to save you all… no, handsome boy?”

At the flippant reply, disgust flickered over Kar’s round eyes. Laren felt a deep wound pierce her heart. Depressed by the disdainful look, she felt Naias gently tug at the hem of her clothes.

“Ren, so how do you plan to escape from here?”

“Well…”

I’m going to smash everything to bits. Swallowing the rest, Laren whispered.

“I’m a mage, ta-da!”

As she summoned a tiny flame at her fingertip, Kar and Naias’s pupils dilated. Their wide, rounded eyes were incredibly cute. Had she always liked kids this much? She didn’t think so.

Glancing at Naias, Laren suddenly recalled that elves could summon spirits. Though some elves wielded magic or swords, most used spirit arts to call upon spirits. Kana, back at the ducal residence, didn’t fall into that ‘most’ category and handled a sword instead.

“Naias, have you learned spirit arts?”

“Yeah. But I can only summon sylphs and undines so far…”

Her voice trailed off smaller, as if she thought two types weren’t enough. Lower spirits like sylphs (wind spirits) and undines (water spirits) could at least cause some disruption during the escape.

“No, that’s plenty.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Naias is an essential elf for the plan!”

Delighted at the recognition, Naias beamed and clapped her hands. How could anyone hand such an adorable child over to a slave caravan? Grinding her teeth, Laren whispered while layering vow upon vow to destroy the slave caravan.

“Do you see that woman with the orange hair over there?”

“The human lady in the dress?”

Naias, getting serious in turn, whispered back. Her plump cheeks puffed up even more gravely, nearly making Laren burst into laughter.

“Yeah, she’ll help with the escape later. So, Naias, call forth the sylphs and undines to harass the bad humans—can you do that?”

“Can I splash water with the undines?”

“Splash away, as much as you want! Shove water right up their nostrils!”

“You mean the holes in their noses? Got it!”

Laren stroked Naias’s head as she nodded with determined eyes. But soon, her arched blue eyes turned toward the warehouse entrance. With the auction time approaching, commotion stirred in the hallway.

“Hey, time to get the slaves ready.”

“What about the ropes?”

The noise outside grew closer, and the heavy door swung open. Several mercenaries entered the warehouse, carrying cloths and ropes.

“If you don’t want to die, get up! We’re moving!”

“Aah!”

One mercenary kicked a young boy and began binding the people inside with ropes. As cloth covered Laren’s blue eyes, they flashed with light.

Blindfolded with cloth, they were moved to a waiting room-like space with no windows at all. Since they had to proceed to the auction hall, their bodies weren’t fully bound—only their wrists were tied.

‘…Sloppier than I thought. Should I just escape right now?’

Staring at the door that looked like it could be blasted away with one spell, Laren shook her head. Nothing would be more troublesome than mercenaries swarming in a confined space. If even one child was taken hostage, the whole plan could go to waste.

“Everyone’s been transferred properly, right?”

As the mercenaries glanced around the waiting room, the caravan leader opened the door and entered. A quick peek outside revealed a hallway, so it wasn’t outdoors. Laren’s blue eyes, sneaking a glance, narrowed.

“Send out the elf kid last, and that white-haired guy right before her.”

As expected, the slave caravan placed high value on the young elf. That would be a problem. Her makeshift plan would fall apart. The moment the caravan leader made his decision, Laren sprang to her feet.

“Wait a second! Sir, ugh!”

“Ren!”

As Laren desperately approached the leader, one of the guards kicked her in the abdomen. When the mercenary tried to kick the curled-up Laren again, the leader stopped him with a simple gesture.

“Tsk, you’ll damage the merchandise.”

“Cough, s-sir. Please listen to what I have to say.”

The crouched Laren crawled awkwardly toward the leader. Seeing the boy, who had been so defiant before, now groveling abjectly sparked interest in the leader’s eyes. Laren, her head slightly bowed, felt the corner of her mouth twitch.

‘Oh, life…’

Even if it was an act, bowing her head to someone like this filled her with self-loathing. Leaving home sure brings hardships.