Chapter 428 The Wyrope Assassins ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”You’ve done a fine job, Lord Harvest,” the Queen said.
”My paranoia simply proved its worth, Your Majesty,” I replied.
It was the day after the triumphant return of the Great Dragon subjugation force. I had been summoned to the Queen’s office for our customary debriefing, though I arrived with my legs feeling like absolute jelly. I was there to hear the official word on yesterday’s fallout.
On my way through the palace, I’d been slapped on the back by people who’d seen the ceremony and subjected to hushed whispers from those watching from afar. I’ll spare you the details, though; I’m trying not to let the attention get to me.
”Do not be so modest,” Her Majesty said, crossing her arms with a pensive frown. “I never dreamt the Elven Auxiliaries would offer such unreserved cooperation. It wouldn’t have gone nearly so well if not for you. I suppose I shall have to find yet another way to reward you…”
On the day of the attack, I’d used my connection with Tania¹-the elf-to secure help from the reinforcements currently staying in the city. Apparently, pregnant elves are such a rarity that they were more than willing to pull guard duty for Tania’s sake. It seems they used some ancient elven magic to suppress the enemy assassins… though even the maid, Muse, who was right there, couldn’t quite grasp the details.
As a bit of a magic-user myself, I’m dying to know how they did it, but the technique apparently touches on some shared elven ethics that even Tania won’t talk about. Well, now that I’ve got an “in” with them, maybe they’ll let me in on the secret eventually. After all…
”In that case, it would be a huge help if you could grant them some official dispensations,” I suggested. “They’ve already told me they’re dying to see the baby once Tania and I have our child.”
”Hm. Of course, I must show the elves my gratitude as well,” the Queen said. “Tell them my Royal House will hold this debt in our hearts for generations… though, ideally, I’d like to find a way to repay it while I’m still drawing breath.”
”Ah… I didn’t quite mean it like that. I meant that doing them a favor is effectively a reward for me.”
”Oh? And how is that?” Her Majesty asked, tilting her head.
I laid it out for her. First of all, it turns out that among those reinforcements, there are people born from couples just like us-one human, one elf. They don’t call themselves ‘Half-Elves’; they use a term that roughly translates to ‘Mixed-Mundane’², and apparently, they’ve had a rough time of it.
Our child will likely face the same reality. These wandering elven groups are the ones who can teach our kids about elven culture and how to navigate the world. Tania will teach them what she can, obviously, but having a broader community will be a huge asset for the little one.
The problem is that elves, being so long-lived, are often totally out of touch with modern society. That leads to friction with us ‘mundane’ humans. It’d be great if the Crown could step in and smooth things over when that happens. Her Majesty listened, nodding with genuine interest.
”I see… I had no idea elves maintained such social networks. I always pictured them as a race of lone wolves who rarely socialized, even with their own kind.”
”Yeah, it surprised me too. I mean, there are still plenty of the antisocial ones out there, but…”
”Fumu. Regardless, I understand. My house already has ties to the elves through Lady Tania’s favor. If this allows us to forge even deeper friendships with their kind, then so be it.”
”I appreciate it. These are the people who’ll be mentoring my child, after all. Plus…”
”Hm? There is more?”
”Well… it looks like a bunch of them are about to become regulars at my shop.”
”…I was under the impression that elves were a race of… subdued carnal desires,” the Queen remarked.
”That’s what I thought, too…”
”…Truly, the world is full of things I do not know,” Her Majesty said, her expression becoming a bit strained.
Yeah, tell me about it. Tania had mentioned it might happen, but as early as this morning, several elves were already in the shop buying up stock. They said they wanted to follow the path blazed by their predecessor, Tania.
When I dug a little deeper, I found out that these specific reinforcements are actually very pro-human. In fact, many of them are ‘Human-philes’³-elves who find humans more attractive than their own kind. They wanted to study our merchandise to better understand human intimacy, especially since our libidos are so different from theirs.
I’d heard whispers from Tania, but I didn’t realize it was this widespread. Combine that with the elven trait of being intensely curious and obsessive once they find something they like, and my shop is about to have a new demographic of power-users. It kind of ruins the ‘mystical elf’ image, but hey, it’s good for business.
”Ahem! Regardless of your shop’s… inventory… I must ensure Roland hears of this debt,” the Queen said, clearing her throat.
”Definitely. It’s only right that Prince Roland is the one to pass the word along. I’ll mention it to him as part of his ‘Social Studies Field Trip’⁴. Maybe he could even learn a thing or two directly from the elves.”
”Kuku… A King who studied under the elves? That would certainly lend him an air of legend. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale.”
Apparently, those kinds of stories exist in this world, too. Watching Her Majesty laugh, I realized she’s actually a bit of a romantic. But she’s right-it’s a good look. Power and dramatic legends always go hand-in-hand.
You see it in the legends of the First King who slew the mountain dragon, and Tania herself is a living legend. I remember stories from my old world about a King receiving a holy sword from a Lady of the Lake-though I think she was a nymph, not an elf.
Plus, it’ll give Prince Roland something great to write about in his letters to Lady Unia Greter. She’ll definitely eat that up. She might even demand to meet the reinforcements herself.
I’d been planning to start his magic lessons eventually, but my knowledge is pretty niche, so I was worried. This solves that problem. Maybe I can even use it as an excuse to learn some elven magic myself…
And hey, maybe His Highness can grow up to be a good ‘big brother’ figure for the kid Tania and I are having. I was starting to get carried away with these dreams when Her Majesty’s face suddenly went stone-cold serious again.
”Umu. There is much to look forward to, but we have a mess to clean up first… specifically, the assassins from the Wyrope Empire⁵ that the elves captured.”
”Right… we need to handle that. Is it confirmed? Were they definitely from Wyrope?”
”I am certain of it…”
She explained that this was the same group that had attacked the Saints during their journey. Muse had recognized the leader’s face. But that was where the trail went cold.
”They are incredibly stubborn. I suppose that is to be expected of professional shadows, but to a man, they all say the same thing: ‘Whether you torture us or execute us, our lips are sealed.’”
”So they’re a dedicated unit specifically trained for this,” I said.
”Precisely. It is frustrating, but as they say, conventional methods will likely yield nothing. Still, after what they’ve done, we cannot simply let it slide. It is a grim business…”
Torture, huh? It brought back some dark chapters of history from my old world-not exactly the kind of common ground I was looking for. But, fortunately, I had a specific proposal for Her Majesty on this very subject.
”Regarding that… would you mind leaving them to me?”
”What? To you? I should warn you, Harvest… your ‘products’ won’t help here. Even if some of them are women…”
”That’s not what I meant at all!!!”
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Summary:
Following the dragon subjugation, Harvest meets with the Queen to discuss rewards and the recent capture of Wyrope Empire assassins. Harvest leverages his connection with the Elven reinforcements to secure political favors for mixed-blood elves. The tone shifts from humorous observations about elven s*xual curiosity to a grim discussion on how to interrogate the stubborn prisoners.
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Trivia:
- The Elven reinforcements are only helping because they are fascinated by Tania’s rare elven pregnancy.
- Harvest is technically a ‘magic-user’ but his knowledge is very specialized/niche.
- The term ‘Mundane’ refers to ordinary humans in this world’s hierarchy.
- The ‘Saints’ mentioned were previously attacked by this same group of assassins.
- The protagonist is using the captured assassins as a way to potentially learn elven magic or further his own agenda
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Character Insight:
Harvest shows growth as a diplomat, thinking about his future child’s social standing and the long-term integration of elves. The Queen reveals a duality between her pragmatic monarch role and her appreciation for romantic legends.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Human-phile’ trope subverts the classic ‘pure and distant’ elf archetype commonly found in high fantasy, grounding the race in more human-like obsessions.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Tania – An Elf adventurer who, despite her race’s reputation for low sex drive, is secretly quite passionate. She initially seemed ‘wasted’ (emotionally dry) to her friend Raika, but was easily introduced to the pleasure-items sold at ‘Harvest.’ She is easily embarrassed and attempts to maintain a dignified facade, despite her recent, frequent purchases. She wears practical but light armor over a simple cloth tunic and short pants, highlighting her grace and agility. Her primary relationship is one of friendly senior-junior with Raika.
• Muse – Cecile’s trusted attendant and chief maid, Muse handles sensitive, discreet tasks like espionage and product acquisition. Have sharp, black eyes, wearing maid uniform, and have expressionless face.
• Roland – he younger brother of Queen Cecile and the heir apparent to the Canaria throne. Clean, golden-blonde hair, same color as the Queen, innocent, beautiful face that could be mistaken for a girl but dressed in a boy’s formal wear.
• Unia – The third daughter of the house of Duke Greiter. Has blonde hair tied in an intricate style, dol-like beauty, and expressionless face.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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