Riser
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🕑 Added 2025-05-31 20:00:52 +0000 UTCEP.66 Outing
Katrina had left, taking my fake letter promising cooperation.
Now, all that was left was to make separate plans.
“The problem is… I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do alone…”
The princess had also returned to the royal palace.
She said she had a lot to prepare.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t see her at all, but she no longer appeared throughout the day.
On the other hand, it was hard for me to do much of anything.
I was still a rookie lord, and I’d just promised to cooperate.
“I’m bored. Maybe I should visit Milleiyu for the first time in a while…”
While I was lost in thought,
the office door suddenly opened.
“It’s been a while.”
“Ah… yes…”
I barely had time to speak.
Since I hadn’t said anything out loud, I guess it was more of a thought.
The one who came to my office was Milleiyu.
“But… what brings you here?”
“You hadn’t come to see me, so I came myself. I thought maybe you were busy, but it seemed like you were taking too long…”
Hmm, it was hard to explain.
I could have said I was busy.
But most of my time had actually been spent enjoying myself with Katrina.
Even I knew that was just an excuse.
“I was just about to go see you… but you came directly.”
“Hearing you say you were coming to see me makes me happy.”
A warm, sun-like smile.
Her approaching steps radiated kindness.
She was still the gentle queen.
“But… how did you know this was my office?”
I’d placed the teleportation magic circle somewhere appropriate.
If she had wandered around the mansion looking for me, a servant would have found her.
“Ah… I just found you right away with magic.”
“I see. None of the servants saw you?”
“No, no one did.”
“That’s a relief. If word got out that an elf had visited at this time, it would be a headache…”
There probably wouldn’t be any problems.
In fact, her sudden visit was welcome.
I’d been feeling bored anyway.
“You seem worried about that issue?”
“Hm? You know about it?”
“Of course. Princess Elena has contacted me several times.”
It wasn’t anything special.
Cooperation with the elves was already part of the plan.
There was no need to tell me everything I didn’t know.
‘It means things are proceeding well on their end.’
I decided not to think too deeply about it.
Bothersome things like inter-country cooperation were outside my domain.
“But is it okay for you to be here, Milleiyu?”
“Our side’s work is almost done.”
“It’s a shame I can’t help you.”
“Hehe… You look bored, being cooped up in the mansion.”
A gentle hand touched my head.
The slow stroke of her hand felt nice.
Her motherly touch made me feel like a child again.
“I guess it’s because there’s nothing to do. Things are going more smoothly than I expected, too.”
“Then why not go out?”
“Hmm…”
There probably wouldn’t be any problems.
Things had run fine before I arrived, after all.
Even if I went far, I could come back easily.
As far as I knew, no one could match Milleiyu’s magic.
“Maybe taking care of some business while I’m out wouldn’t be so bad.”
I could just have fun in the mansion,
but a good idea came to me just then.
“Where do you want to go?”
“With you, Milleiyu, I could go anywhere. Going to the neighboring country isn’t a big deal, right?”
“Of course, that wouldn’t be a problem… but is there something you need to do?”
“Sometimes it’s good to take care of annoying things in advance.”
If I were alone, staying put would be best.
But now it was different.
The queen of the elf nation was by my side.
“…?”
“I was thinking, what if we went on a little reconnaissance? It’s a bit lonely to play by myself.”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“They won’t know my face. And… it’s not like I have no connection with you, Milleiyu.”
While working, I’d come across some suspicious records.
They were related to elf slaves.
There were traces that, under the previous lord Kabache, some had been moved all the way to the Bastil Kingdom.
“It seems there’s a noble in the Bastil Kingdom who’s actively buying elf slaves.”
“But it won’t be easy to deal with that right now.”
“That’s why we can’t do it officially. It’ll just be the two of us, Milleiyu, sneaking over.”
There was no definite proof.
It was just a high probability.
If we found nothing, we could just treat it as a trip.
‘Since the activity is concentrated in one place… the odds of finding something are high.’
If we succeeded, it would help if the worst happened.
It would give the elves a reason to help proactively.
“Ugh… I’m kind of nervous. It feels like we’re on a secret mission together…”
“That’s actually true.”
“Really? That makes my heart flutter a bit… I’m looking forward to it…♥”
“We’ll make it our goal not to get caught, even if we do find something. With you, Milleiyu, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
I didn’t plan to make a big deal out of it right away.
But Milleiyu seemed to think differently.
“Don’t worry. If we find evidence, I’ll just fix things with mind-control magic.”
“…Is that possible?”
“It’s impossible on experts, but it’s easy enough on untrained lords or non-combatants.”
She said it with a smile but in a chilling voice.
She didn’t even seem to realize how dangerous that ability was.
Maybe I’d crossed a line without knowing it in the past.
If I’d made a mistake before, who knows what would have happened.
“I’m glad it doesn’t apply to me.”
“…?”
Milleiyu tilted her head, not understanding.
“I meant I’m glad I’m not the one getting hit with magic.”
“I’d never do that to you. I’m so happy just to be going with you, Eldric!”
She was actually more enthusiastic than I was.
She stood me up from my chair.
‘In a way, that’s a kind of magic, too.’
I could feel her kindness in even the smallest things.
She even asked carefully if I needed anything.
It felt like a lighthearted trip, but I felt a bit sorry for the lord at our destination.
“Hehe… It feels like a date, so I’m a little excited.”
Right before teleporting,
Milleiyu gently hugged me.
“Not enough! Not enough!”
A lavishly decorated underground room.
Even the usual dampness was gone; the place was special.
It couldn’t have been made without considerable effort.
“Kuh… just a few more and it’ll be complete…”
Dredley bit his nails as he looked into the iron cages.
Inside every cage were elves.
“I’m sorry, Master Dredley.”
The scrawny servant apologized repeatedly.
In this place, Dredley’s word was law.
Disobedience wasn’t an option.
There wasn’t even time to admire the elves’ beauty.
‘He’s been getting angry a lot more lately…’
The reason was simple.
His supply of elves had been cut off.
“Kabache did a good job, but with him caught, everything’s a mess…!”
“It’s unfortunate, sir.”
“They say some brat named Eldric took over, but it’ll take time to stabilize things again… This is the worst…!”
Dredley had a nickname.
Among the servants, he was often called the Elf Maniac.
He was obsessed with collecting elves.
The luxurious space itself was designed to keep elves captive.
Sometimes dozens of elves would serve him.
There was even a huge area decorated like a tavern.
Elves who couldn’t resist were forced to serve drinks and smiles.
Even when they were let out of their cages, they couldn’t escape the underground.
“I’d love to capture that elf queen, too…”
“Sorry, my lord, but as I’ve said before…”
“I know! The risk is way too high! That’s why I’m content with a few dozen elves for now!”
The servant stopped himself from saying more.
In truth, things were already dangerously out of hand.
Dredley’s obsessive collection of elves was a serious problem.
Slavery was common across the continent.
But elves were rare and hard to catch.
Dredley was a special case.
“My dream of an elf harem is almost complete… but I have to wait with it right in front of me…”
“Why not just enjoy the elves’ service for now? With talk of cooperation, it should happen soon.”
“No! Check if anyone in the domain owns elf slaves!”
The servant thought his master was relentless.
He’d known him long enough to be sure.
With no more supply, Dredley planned to take them from within.
Of course, it would be theft, not trade.
“Yes, sir. I’ll look right away.”
“Also, tell the soldiers and anyone else who might see an elf to report it immediately!”
He didn’t seem very hopeful.
It was always like this before a new shipment.
Dredley knew it, which made his voice even more annoyed.
“And tonight, I’m going to have a big party, so let them all out to serve me!”
“Yes! Everyone, come out and serve the master!”
Dredley was soon surrounded by dozens of elves, all serving him.
