Martial Elf

After educating the audacious ones who boasted of their grandeur, I returned to my room and not long after, received a visit from King Priegoss.

Unlike our first meeting, Priegoss had been visiting periodically and now showed politeness as if treating me as his superior.

“That actually makes it more uncomfortable.”

The conversation, as always, was nothing remarkable. It was mostly trivial matters that didn’t interest me and questions about whether there was anything uncomfortable.

He hadn’t uttered a single word about martial arts, which he probably originally wanted to discuss, and he left with the soldiers he came with, after asking Alia to take good care of me.

After King Priegoss had left, I took off my outer garment and lay down on the bed.

I felt a pleasant drowsiness from the soft sensation and warmth that tickled my skin, as well as from the plushness of the bed.

The bed in the room I had stayed in upon arriving in Pohelrn was made of a rough textile wrapped around a filling like straw, while the bedding I was currently provided with was made entirely of woven lamb’s wool and stuffed with wool or feathers, making it soft and fluffy.

This was a rare luxury since starting a new life in this world.

In the Central Plains of my previous life, it wouldn’t have been impossible to obtain expensive fabrics like silk, as long as I had the right amount of money.

Relative rarity aside, in terms of the total production across the entire Central Plains, the annual silk production alone would amount to at least tens of thousands of rolls, not to mention all sorts of cheaper fabrics.

However, in this world where both elves and humans still faced extremely poor production circumstances, even decorating a bedroom like this was a luxury.

I recalled the room that served as the meeting chamber when I first visited this mansion, which claimed to be a palace.

It was typical for kings or emperors to embellish their authority with grandeur, filling the room with various precious items to intimidate visitors, but this room was just plainly large enough to accommodate many participants.

It was still uncertain if Pohelrn was indeed the best city held by humans, but compared to the village I had stopped at before arriving here for my trade, it was certainly more developed, although most human lives appeared to be quite rustic.

There was no shortage of rags that barely covered the slaves seen before coming outside, and the clothing of most humans living in the city seemed to bear signs of constant repairs.

Moreover, the fabric not only lacked surface area but also thickness, making it embarrassingly flimsy when it rained.

It was rare to find neatly intact clothing, and observing the human way of life, it seemed hardly anyone managed to eat two proper meals a day, let alone three.

As I shifted my gaze from the table where I had conversed with Priegoss, a modestly sized porcelain vase caught my attention.

It was porcelain that still looked inadequate in terms of shape and coloring, much like the tea cup I had received.

Even with a small lid placed on top of the vase, a sweet fragrance wafted through the gaps, reaching my sensitive sense of smell.

The scent of fragrant honey—a treat I enjoyed, perhaps he had investigated that without saying a word.

He wasn’t like a king with a legitimate lineage that had inherited from past dynasties but rather a warlord level person who had emerged from the city.

With textiles for clothing even scarce, he certainly wouldn’t have sufficient funds to procure metals to sufficiently arm his soldiers.

Even for his soldiers, just having leather armor, a helmet, a sword, and a cuirass would be more than they could handle.

In fact, I remembered that a significant number of his soldiers only had swords and leather armor.

It indicated a chronic shortage of funds.

Moreover, there stood Alia with a smile that left me uncertain of her thoughts, as if she was one of the columns of the mansion, entirely unfazed.

Hadn’t she originally been said to be Priegoss’s aide?

Despite there not being a well-established hierarchy yet, she could be considered to hold a position equivalent to a minister or cabinet secretary in terms of her external status.

Considering she was a woman leading a strong race of succubi, she was a hidden trump card that played a significant role in establishing Priegoss’s current stature.

That being said, she had been ordered by Priegoss to perform tasks that seemed almost like pestering me.

What kind of connection did she and the succubi have with Priegoss that led such a being to obediently follow?

It didn’t seem that Priegoss held any special hidden power either.

A human in a king’s position knelt down and bowed his head before me.

Even if humans have yet to properly classify themselves by status and their attitudes reflect that lack, a human used to commanding others would likely choose methods other than bowing their head.

I was honestly surprised by his sudden gesture of bowing, despite not expressing any hostility.

In any case, it was evident that they were making an effort to treat me well.

From my experience in my previous life, subjectively, it wasn’t such a grand kindness; however, considering the present situation of humans, objectively, I was being treated like a guest of honor.

“I feel it’s rude to those humans who are treating me with such hospitality, but it feels like I’m being treated exquisitely by barbarians.”

Perhaps I felt that way more because I could see their ulterior motives hidden behind their pretense of kindness.

Nevertheless, their attitude of indirectly requesting that I teach them martial arts was certainly courteous and respectful.

They were showing thorough care not only towards me but also to Duberv, who was known as a disciple, and even to Rudolf, who was merely a deer.

Facing such transparent intentions head-on was uncomfortable.

If they had resorted to using force, alongside the succubi, it might have felt easier mentally.

“I’m also curious about how strong Alia is.”

Unlike Lamia, who would sneak into the shadows, the succubi didn’t seem to hide their power, making it easy to gauge their strength.

When considering the amount of power Alia possessed, she had more latent energy compared to any of the six high elves besides me.

What would happen if someone with such power utilized higher-level magic than the strange spells employed by Lamia?

While it might be regarded as sorcery in the Central Plains, I was curious how it would allow a human to traverse through shadows.

Above all, Alia’s aura.

Visually, her demeanor seemed like that of a renowned noble’s daughter, but my intuition betrayed me.

Her calm exterior belied an unsettling inner power that felt formidable.

She was not merely a beautiful woman as her appearance suggested.

“Wasn’t it referred to as Einherjar?”

That was a word I caught among the whispers of the succubi as they gazed at me.

The succubi often compared Alia to me.

Alia and the succubi who followed her, like Lamia, seemed to share a relationship akin to that of high elves and leaf elves.

Succubi didn’t appear to fall under the conventional natural order like elves, who were beings of the World Tree, or titans, who were giants under the realm of Terato, but seemed to be a race spawned by equivalent beings across the sea in the continents.

Considering the overall context, Einherjar likely referred to the first progenitors, similar to high elves.

Although I had faced titans and succubi, she was an entity born from the same lineage as high elves from the very beginning.

How incredibly overwhelming high elves are as singular entities in the natural world was something I was more aware of than anyone.

High Succubus? Or Succubus Queen?

I didn’t know the exact title, but honestly, I wanted to clash with her at least once.

“Oops.”

Following a sudden surge of competitive spirit, I hurriedly suppressed the energy that had begun to flow.

A chill—

In an instant, a sinister feeling that felt wicked stimulated my senses.

It existed briefly enough to be mistaken for a hallucination before vanishing, but my gaze was directed toward its source.

At the very end of my sight, Alia was looking at me with the same indecipherable smile she always wore.

“Is there anything you need?”

A calm response as if nothing had happened.

However, unlike her usual finely arranged aura, Alia’s energy was swirling roughly.

“I’ve made a mistake.”

When I couldn’t control my emotions and thoughts, my energy moved of its own accord.

In decisive moments, to attain rapid responsiveness or to reach an emotional connection, one’s energy needed to be trained to move simultaneously with thoughts.

However, perhaps because the affinity for the energy of high elves was so strong, even my fleeting thoughts saw an excessively nimble response.

My internal power and knowledge, along with my physical talent, were sufficient, but it was evidence that I was still undertrained.

Alia’s sharply agitated energy rapidly calmed and returned to its usual serene state.

I felt that she had entered a battle posture in response to the pressure from my aura but then relaxed.

“Um… I apologize.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Is something the matter?”

Her reaction was as indifferent as if nothing had happened.

It was hard to believe that she had just turned into a beast ready for battle from being exposed to my intimidating aura for even just a moment.

“I don’t get it.”

Both the issues regarding Priegoss and this ambiguous situation left me full of questions.

What could possibly be lacking in such a powerful being that made her follow Priegoss?

Honestly, when encountering the ominous aura or sorcery like spirit manipulation typically associated with succubi, I had thought perhaps they were puppeteering the humans.

However, that was not the case, and she wasn’t even a business partner but was following Priegoss’s orders instead.

Was the current world not just savagery itself?

Above all, in a world where strength took precedence, I couldn’t comprehend why she was found beneath an inferior race.

“…If it’s not too presumptuous, may I ask a question?”

“If it’s something I can answer, I’ll respond to anything.”

Her answer came without delay, just as her words ended.

I was both astounded by her thoroughness and eager to satisfy my curiosity and opened my mouth.

“How did you come to be here?”

“…”

“You mentioned crossing the sea to the east. And… you seemed to know about the energy coming from the east.”

Alia stopped her affectation and fell silent, folding her previously cheerful smile.

Normally, she would have replied quickly, but now silence filled the room, almost suffocating.

As time passed without a response, the awkward atmosphere became uncomfortable.

“Well, having turned my back on my homeland, I’m sure you have your own reasons. I’m sorry for prying.”

With that, Alia slowly turned her head and resumed her usual expression before speaking.

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