Chapter 430 The Wyrope Assassins ③
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”W-wait, hold on. Just let me wrap my head around this,” the man stammered. “Did you say an Elf? You actually have an… Elf wife?”
”How many times do I have to say it?” Kento replied. “Yes.”
We were deep in the royal palace dungeons. The man before me – the suspected assassin from the Wielope Empire¹ who’d tried to jump us during the victory parade – was staring at me, his eyes darting in sheer shock. I kept my cool, but the news clearly hadn’t sunk in for him yet.
”What kind of Elf is she?” he asked, his voice low.
”Hmm… Let’s see,” I said, thinking it over. “She’s devoted, she’s radiant, her magical skill and knowledge are absolutely terrifying… she’s beautiful, a bit of a space cadet sometimes, and just… yeah, she’s wonderful.”
”Are you… delusional? Is this some pathetic fantasy?”
”Believe me, there are days I think so too,” I muttered. “But no, it’s the truth. Oh, and for the record? We’ve got a baby on the way.”
”…!?”
That pushed him right over the edge. He looked up at me with a look of pure, unadulterated bewilderment, like his brain had just short-circuited. Behind me, I could hear Muse, my maid, stifling a giggle. Honestly, for a professional killer, this guy had the best reactions.
”Fine… let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you’re telling the truth,” the man said, finally finding his voice. “Who the hell are you, then?”
”They introduced me earlier, didn’t they? I’m Kento Harvest, the newly minted Viscount. Though, between you and me, I’m just a glorified shopkeep who struck it lucky. I run a little magic circuit² shop ssu.”
”A magic circuit shop…?”
”Yep. A magic circuit shop,” I said.
”How does a shopkeeper become a noble? No… did you actually develop something that significant? I suppose your presence here is proof enough. But still… an Elf wife?”
For a second, the mask slipped. I caught a glimpse of the man beneath the assassin, his mind reeling as he tried to reconcile the pieces of this puzzle. I got it. It didn’t make sense to me half the time either.
”Let’s get back to the point,” I said, leaning closer to the bars. “You have an Elf in your family too, don’t you? A foster parent, or someone who raised you, I’m guessing. Not exactly the ‘wife’ type.”
The man went silent.
”That’s fine,” I said. “You don’t have to say a word.”
He clammed up again, retreating into a stony silence. He wasn’t about to say anything that might hurt his superiors – or maybe he was just protecting the Elf he called family.
”You might have realized this already, but the magic that shut you guys down? That was Elven magic,” I continued. “My wife has some connections, and she asked them to keep an eye on things during the ceremony.”
The assassin remained quiet, but I saw a flicker of realization in his eyes. Tania – my beautiful wife – had told me that if the enemy was using Elven magic, they’d recognize the ‘signature’ of the counter-spell immediately. The gap between modern human magic and the stuff Elves use is like comparing a candle to a blowtorch.
”Here’s the thing,” I said. “Magic as powerful as what you used takes a lifetime to master. To teach someone to use it that effectively… well, that implies a very close relationship between the teacher and the student. An Elf doesn’t just hand that kind of power to a stranger.”
The man kept his face like stone, giving nothing away. But it didn’t matter. I just kept following the script Tania had given me.
”As you know, once an Elf decides they care about you, that bond is deeper than anything. If you’ve got an Elf in your corner, then picking a fight with us is a losing move. My wife told me that if anything ever happened to me, she’d spend every single second of her long life hunting down the person responsible and cursing them to hell.”
The man swallowed hard.
”So, basically, I’m here with an offer,” I said. “How about we just stay out of each other’s way? You’re human, right? You really want to buy a ticket to an Elf’s eternal grudge? We’re not talking about a curse that lasts a few years – we’re talking about your kids, your grandkids, and every soul that shares your bloodline being haunted until the end of time.”
This was exactly what I’d told Her Majesty after Tania explained it to me. An Elf’s love is deep – and so is their hate. Tania is the perfect example; she’s been protecting the Canaria Royal Family for generations just because of a promise she made to the first King. That’s great for the royals, but if you’re on the receiving end of that kind of dedication? It’s a nightmare. I don’t even want to imagine being hunted for a thousand years by an immortal who has nothing but time.
”You don’t have to worry,” I said. “Her Majesty the Queen has already given the green light. Provided you and your… ‘Mother’ play ball, of course. If we can agree on a policy of non-interference, she’s willing to let you go home in one piece.”
The man was chewing on that. The proposal was so bizarre that he needed time to process it. He sat in silence for a long time, lost in thought. I stayed where I was, waiting for him to speak. My legs were starting to ache, and I was just about to ask for a chair when he finally looked up.
”…Mother might agree to those terms,” he whispered.
”I see. So ‘Mother’ is the Elf who raised you?” I asked.
”Yes. She is precious to me… truly precious. She’s the one who raised me. No… she is my mother.”
His voice was strained, thick with conflict and a clear, deep love. Just like Tania said – the marks of someone truly loved by an Elf. I still didn’t know what his mission was or if he’d been the one aiming for Sister Amelia, so I couldn’t exactly trust him. But I did feel a weird spark of kinship.
”Elves really are something else, aren’t they?” I said. “Mine once told me she wanted to ‘spend eternity guarding my grave.’”
”Are you… truly married to one? And you have a child?”
”I’m telling you, man. It’s the truth,” I replied.
Despite the weirdness, we actually ended up swapping “Elf stories” for a bit. If we couldn’t kill each other, we had to find a way to coexist, and that required at least a little bit of trust. We talked without really knowing why we were even having this conversation. But I could tell he was trying to be as honest as his position allowed.
”We live for the ‘Great Cause,’” he said eventually. “If you and this kingdom can be of benefit to that Cause, Mother won’t stand in the way.”
”And what exactly is this ‘Great Cause’?” I asked.
”I cannot say. To speak of it would be to reveal our true identities.”
”Which means you can’t tell me who ‘we’ are, either.”
”Correct,” the man said.
”That’s a bit of a problem. Hard to negotiate when we don’t know who we’re talking to.”
”Then use your imagination,” he countered. “If you guess wrong, they’ll deny it. If you guess right and the word reaches Mother… she will send a proper response.”
”Fair enough. I’ll pass that along to Her Majesty. You’ll have to stay cooped up here for a bit longer while we figure this out, so don’t take it personally.”
”I understand,” the man said. “We didn’t come here expecting a warm welcome. But… if it’s possible, could you tell my comrades what’s happening? To some extent?”
”Yeah, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll talk to the Queen.”
I let out a long, exhausted sigh. Negotiation handled. I caught Muse’s eye and turned to leave, but the man called out one last time.
”Wait. One last thing.”
”Yeah?” I asked.
”How did you… how did you manage to woo an Elf?”
”Honestly? You wouldn’t believe me, and you’re better off not knowing,” I said.
”Tell me anyway. I’ve realized I don’t understand Elven values as well as I thought I did.”
”That’s not what I meant…” I sighed. I guess he wanted to understand her better. But Tania and I? We’re a special case. Whatever. If I didn’t say anything, it would just look suspicious. “Well… I asked her if she’d be a test subject for my ‘Adult Magic Circuits’…”
”…What?”
His face went completely blank. It was, without a doubt, the most bewildered expression I’d seen all day. He was still shouting, “Wait, come back! Explain that!” as I walked out the door, not giving him a second glance.
—
Summary:
Kento interrogates the captured assassin in the palace dungeon, revealing his unconventional marriage to an Elf. Realizing the assassin was also raised by an Elf, Kento uses this shared connection and the threat of an eternal Elven curse to broker a temporary non-interference pact. The chapter ends with a comedic beat as Kento reveals his ‘Adult Magic Circuit’ origin story to the stunned captive.
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Trivia:
- The assassin is specifically from the Wielope/Wyrope Empire.
- Tania (Kento’s wife) is the one who orchestrated the Elven surveillance during the ceremony.
- Elven grudges are literal magical curses that can haunt bloodlines for over a thousand years.
- The ‘Great Cause’ (Taigan) is a term the assassin uses but refuses to define specifically.
- Kento is officially a ‘Viscount’ now, despite his self-identification as a shopkeeper
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Character Insight:
Kento displays a cunning side by leveraging Elven lore to intimidate the assassin without violence. The assassin, previously robotic, shows deep emotional vulnerability regarding his ‘Mother,’ humanizing the threat from Wyrope.
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Behind the Scenes:
The contrast between the grim dark dungeon setting and the ‘Adult Goods’ punchline is a staple of the author’s tone-shifting style.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Kento – Lord Harvest—the unassuming owner of the Harvest magic tool shop (with a discreet adult goods side). An isekai’d Japanese salaryman resembling Kazuma Satou, with dark hair and basic magic for crafting. Recently triumphed over a Great Dragon; now juggles his harem, tinkering, and ties to Amelia and the Queen at Ddo-Buddy Manor.
• 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.
• 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.
• Amelia – A light blue-haired Sister of the Church of Demon-Subjugating and Kento’s shy harem member. A newly awakened “Saint” from Holy Sleep, modest and easily embarrassed with red ears and neck. Wears her habit and treasures Kento’s ring on a necklace.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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