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Chapter 95: Nyx || Harem in a Labyrinth (Repost)
🕑 Added 2025-04-16 16:14:47 +0000 UTCThe girl feels so familiar, especially after reading her name through Appraisal... but I can't quite place where exactly I have seen her before.
"Customer, you are in luck! Our shop is displaying one of our rarest stocks today," the Level 6 Slave Merchant says enthusiastically, though I notice him sneakily wiping sweat from his face.
"Is she the one you are talking about?" I ask as I step into the room, which is empty except for the merchant and the girl. As I approach her, I realize I easily tower over her. She is quite small, her height comparable to Sherry's—probably under 5 feet, closer to 4'8''.
"Yes, sir. My shop is exhibiting someone from a very rare tribe today," the merchant says dramatically, as though trying to build suspense. "Her name is Nyx. And she is a Dark Elf!" His smile is wide, but his nervous eyes dart to me, gauging my reaction.
"Hello, sir," the girl greets me, her voice dull and lifeless, half her face still obscured by the hood of her cloak.
"A Dark Elf?" Anastasia exclaims in alarm beside me, her hand flying to her mouth.
I myself am stunned. Dark Elves? Not only do elves exist in this world, but there are Dark Elves too? I am sure there wasn't a race like that in the original story.
But wait… shouldn't Dark Elves be, well, dark?
"Is she really a Dark Elf?" Anastasia asks skeptically, her gaze sweeping over the girl, who maintains a blank, unbothered stare. "But her skin is white," she points out bluntly.
Ugh. That was exactly what I was thinking, but I didn't want to say it out loud and risk being called racist. Anastasia, on the other hand, clearly doesn't care about such concerns.
"Ah, well… she had a lighter skin tone from birth compared to others in her tribe," the merchant explains with a sheepish smile, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "But I assure you, she is truly a Dark Elf." He gestures toward Nyx as if to prove his point.
"I am Nyx, from the Dark Elf tribe," she says in a low, monotone voice before reaching up to remove her hood completely.
With her hood gone, I get a clear view of her face. It's beautiful, though her cheeks are slightly sunken, making her look like a malnourished child. Her dull, purple eyes catch my attention again, but something else stands out even more—the markings on her face, now fully visible.
"So, those are the cursed marks... She really is from the Dark Elf tribe," Anastasia mutters beside me.
"Cursed marks?" I repeat curiously, leaning in to get a closer look.
The light purple, tattoo-like markings cover her forehead and both cheeks, blending subtly with her pale skin. It's no wonder she was wearing a hood—those marks would draw attention anywhere.
And seeing those markings triggers my memory. Suddenly, I know exactly who she is. She's Nyx, the Dark Mage from the Fire Emblem games! Nyx the Nefarious, the Dreaded One!
"No, no! Those are just rumors. These aren't cursed marks at all," the merchant says hurriedly, wiping his sweaty forehead again. "Damn those lying elves," he mutters under his breath, though I catch every word. "Customer-san, please don't believe such baseless claims! These are just tribal marks that some members of the Dark Elf tribe are known to have," he adds, his voice desperate.
"Oh, really?" I murmur to myself, my thoughts racing.
Fire Emblem—a game I never played much, but my friend was absolutely obsessed with it. Most of what I know about it comes from his endless rants and the way he splurged his pocket money on Fire Emblem waifu figurines. I still remember how he cried in despair and joy every time they introduced yet another waifu.
The game itself was a typical RPG: Dragons, Legendary Weapons, Kingdoms, Magic, and War. Nyx was introduced in one of those games… Fire Emblem Fates, if my memory which with time is strangely getting unusually sharper in this world, is accurate.
In the game, Nyx was a prodigy of dark magic, from a clan of famous Dark Mage's, who started experimenting with her craft on innocent people, taking countless lives in her youth. But her brilliance became her curse when she crafted a spell so powerful it granted her eternal youth, trapping her in the body of the past for decades if not centuries.
I glance at Nyx again—her dull purple eyes, small frame, and the markings on her face. She looks exactly like the Nyx from Fire Emblem. And in that game, those markings were the sign of her curse. It seems a similar belief exists here too, but it weirdly extends to all of the Dark Elves.
"Sir, I assure you, these marks are not a curse. And Nyx here is a powerful Shadow Caster who would be of immense help in the Labyrinth," the merchant says, looking at me earnestly.
I half-hear his words as I try to recall more details about Nyx and the Fire Emblem series. But the mention of the Shadow Caster job piques my interest, as there was no such job in the original novel.
Just as I am about to ask Anastasia about it through our mind link, she speaks up.
"Shadow Casters are powerful, yes, but no one would willingly take one into their party," she says, her sharp gaze fixed on the merchant. "They are notorious for betraying their companions at the worst moments. There are also countless rumors about them dying because of their 'curse,' especially in labyrinths."
"Those are just rumors…" the merchant stammers, now visibly sweating under Anastasia's piercing glare.
This is the first time I have seen Anastasia this way—she seems to be overwhelming the Slave Merchant, who is taller and older than her. She also seems to be far more vocal than usual, a stark contrast to her quiet demeanor before as a silent observer during our visits to other slaves. Was it the Merchant's half-truths or something else that triggered her?
I shift my focus to Nyx, who appears completely disinterested in the ongoing discussion about her. Her gaze is fixed on the ground, detached from her surroundings.
"So, Nyx, have you been to a labyrinth before?" I ask, offering her a gentle smile.
"Yes, I have," she replies in the same dull tone. Now that I am paying closer attention, I notice how her eyes barely meet mine or Anastasia's. Most slaves tend to scrutinize potential buyers, especially today—every slave I had seen, particularly the women, had kept their eyes on me. The only exception had been Setsuna. But Nyx's demeanour was not lifeless like Setsuna's; it was more disinterested, lethargic and dull.
"But I probably won't be of much help to you, sir," she adds, her dispirited gaze returning to the floor.
"Ahaha, don't listen to the girl," the Merchant interjectes quickly. "She is just a bit pessimistic, but her power is the real deal. She has trained extensively in the labyrinth, so her Shadow Caster job won't hold you back at all, sir." he says, avoiding Anastasia's disbelieving glare.
Since I couldn't immediately recall much about Fire Emblem or Nyx's character, I turn to Anastasia for answers. 'Can you tell me about the Dark Elf tribe? Are they connected to the Elf tribe in any way?' I ask her telepathically.
'Master, the Dark Elf tribe is mostly known for their curse, how most of their members die very young, and they are said to even bring death to their party members in the labyrinth. They are also disliked in most cities and villages, though I have heard rumors of a large Dark Elf village somewhere in the south,' she answers concisely.
'And are they related to the Elves?' I press further.
'Master, I am not entirely sure, but I know that Elves look down on humans, and they dislike Dwarves, but they outright hate Dark Elves. They even call them 'Cursed Monsters'.' She answers somberly.
That piques my curiosity even further. It was definitely consistent with how Elves and Dark Elves often clash in fictional stories. It also explains why the Elf Adventurer I saw earlier stormed off in disgust, muttering something about a curse.
I can't help but recall the High Elf Representative Council from the original story—a group of noble Elves tasked with increasing their race's power and influence within the Empire. They wield considerable political influence, and if they wanted to, they could easily spread such rumors about Dark Elves being cursed.
Still, the notion of a curse—and the markings on Nyx's face, which undeniably resemble cursed symbols—gives me pause.
The only other 'curse' that was shown in the original story was the so-called Divine Punishment on Miria. That had been nothing more than the Temple meting out its punishment for thievery, disguised as divine retribution. I had proven as much when I changed her job with ease, bypassing the guild's contract system entirely.
There was also my 'Cursed Mansion' that I had heard everyone constantly mentioning, but that was more in the realm of a local ghost story than anything credible.
So, are Dark Elves truly cursed? Or are those markings on Nyx's face just tribal tatoos? It's hard to say for sure right now. Especially as those marks were a part of Nyx's backstory from Fire Emblem, but in that game, she was human, not a Dark Elf.
'And what about the Shadow Caster job? Can she cast magic?" I ask another quick question, leaning more towards the idea that it might be a racial job unique to Dark Elves.
'Sorry, Master, I only know that people consider Shadow Caster an evil job, which is another reason why no one wants them in their parties,' she replies apologetically.
Shadow Caster certainly sounds like an evil job. But the 'Caster' part intrigues me. In the game, Nyx's job was Dark Mage, a role specializing in magic. However, I don't think this world has anything quite like that. The only magical job that is public knowledge here is Wizard, and that is why people are so obsessed with them, especially with its exclusive multi attack skills. So it seems unlikely that Shadow Caster would mirror the powerful, multi target-attack Dark Mage role from her original game.
"Even if you consider the rumors—which I must stress are false—Nyx is still just 18 years old," the Merchant says, wiping sweat from his forehead. "So she will surely be useful to you for many more years to come. And, sir," he whispers, leaning closer, "she is a virgin who has agreed to serve as a sex slave. If you can overlook the markings, then because of her fair skin it will be like you are enjoying your time with an Elf instead—very cost-effective, wouldn't you say?" He mutters slyly.
I glance over at the girl. Her form—her body—looks so small and frail. She is wearing clothing similar to what Sherry had worn when I first saw her, which makes it clear that her breasts are even smaller than Sherry's. She is truly petite.
Her elvish ears are hidden beneath her dark hair, which cascades down to her waist. But now that I am looking more closely, I notice her hair isn't black—it is an extremely dark shade of purple, so deep that it could easily be mistaken for black at first glance.
In fact, I remember the original story mentioning how Michio was the only one with truly black hair. I am not sure if that still holds true in this alternate world, though.
Overall, she has the typical 'loli' appearance. If she had a brighter aura or even bigger breasts, she might stand out more, perhaps even become charming in her own way. But as things stand, she is so quiet, so withdrawn. She has hardly spoken a word since we have been here, and her disheartened, lethargic demeanor is hard to ignore. It weighs her down, turning what could have been a positive into a significant drawback.
"Okay, I have heard your points," I say with a nod to the Merchant.
I steal one last glance at Nyx. She is still staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact. But as I turn to leave, I catch a small movement out of the corner of my eye. She pulls her hood up again, casting her face back into shadow, as though retreating even further into herself.
"Please bid for her, sir," the Slave Master says, bowing as we exit the room.
"Master, are you seriously thinking about buying her?" Anastasia asks once we were outside the room. "That Slave Merchant was clearly a scammer. There are people like him at every Big Auction, trying to offload defective or cursed slaves that won't sell otherwise." she says with a scornful face.
"Is that why you were so upset earlier?" I ask, looking at her. Anastasia's long, light purple hair was a stark contrast to Nyx's dark purple locks.
"I... I just couldn't stand him trying to cheat Master so blatantly," Anastasia mutters, looking down.
"I don't mind. In fact, I enjoyed seeing my fierce Anastasia," I say, winking at her. Her cheeks flush pink in response.
"But I am still going to buy Nyx."
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The Poll has now considered ended and I am pleased to announce that Roxanne has won with more than half the votes!
Please comment and give me more ideas to conduct polls about!
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This is a previous pending week's chapter!
