Ch. 274

“Don’t even joke about calling you my master. It’s unpleasant.”

“Hehehe… If you’re not enough on your own, I’ll lend you my Spirit.”

[…Please don’t laugh like that. Surely you don’t mean to lend me… Ah, no matter how I think about it, it can only be me! What about my opinion!]

“Even I think you’re a bit wicked for a Spirit Mage….”

“Aren’t you spitting in the wind?”

“The support is appreciated. I’m sufficient on my own.”

Actually, even I didn’t think he needed help.

That’s what they said when they sold Zekarda at the auction house.

The best assassin.

Indeed, he possessed extraordinary martial prowess—to the point where I’d once mistaken him for Rovenin—and since he could also use Spirit Magic, his chances of winning against Rovenin would be higher than mine.

At least he’d be able to see the tip of the sword, so he could dodge it.

‘If Zekarda and I were to fight… I’ve never fought a Spirit Swordsman before.’

“You’re an intermediate Spirit Mage, right? Wind and… earth?”

“Correct. I wield an intermediate Wind Spirit and an intermediate Earth Spirit.”

Would his chances of winning be a little higher than fifty percent?

The fact that I could summon a high-level Spirit also meant I could almost neutralize Zekarda’s intermediate Spirits.

“Wind and earth is unusual. Aren’t they a bad match? How is such a structure possible?”

“That’s for humans to worry about.”

“You’re so annoying….”

‘Someday, I’ll let this guy know what makes humans superior to Elves! Even if there isn’t anything!’

Elves weren’t just pretending to be superior; they were actually born better than humans.

Their lifespans alone were more than five times longer, and their magical aptitude, physical abilities, and everything else they were born with were different.

It was an unpleasant fact, but there was a clear difference in species in this world.

Humans occupied the middle of the pyramid in that they had the largest numbers and various talents, and the most powerful race was, without a doubt, the Dragon.

“But how did you get caught? Someone like you should be able to handle not just hundreds, but even a thousand slave traders. It would’ve been easy to shake them off, if not kill them.”

That was my question ever since I saw Zekarda at the auction.

How did a whale get caught in a shrimp boat?

It was as absurd as me being caught by slave traders.

No wonder Zekarda wore such a humiliated expression.

“It’s all because of that bastard. If it weren’t for that damn guy, I wouldn’t have been caught…!”

“That guy?”

“I ran into a thug. I was attacking the slave traders and escaping. I was running through the forest when some pitch-black guy appeared, blocked my path, and suddenly demanded a fight.”

“Pitch-black… thug?”

That sounded familiar somehow. Like I’d seen it a few seconds ago.

“I was in a hurry, but he was being a nuisance. I tried to take him down quickly… but he was formidable. The strongest human I’ve ever met.”

“Oh, so you lost?”

“…I was hit with a poisoned arrow!”

The sound of him grinding his teeth in frustration was loud enough for me to hear.

A saying suddenly came to mind.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

“Judging by the scent, he was definitely human, but the power carried in his sword transcended humanity. He didn’t seem to be part of the slave traders’ group, so I can only assume he was a radical who hated non-human races.”

“Were there any other distinguishing features?”

“Features? Why are you asking that? Oh, he used a unique sword with a black blade.”

‘Nice to meet you… friend….’

“It wasn’t easy to determine the victor. I managed to inflict a fatal wound to hin, but I lost, and when I woke up, I was in this state.”

Zekarda looked down at his wrists, bruised from the shackles, and clenched his jaw again and again.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent, as if he would never forgive the thug who had beaten him and handed him over to the slave traders.

“As soon as I fell, he left as if he was done with his business. I can still see his back… I want to gouge out his eyes.”

“I know that feeling!”

I walked up to Zekarda, who was holding his body rigid as he swallowed down his anger, and hugged his big, stiff frame tightly. He was more solidly built than he looked.

“What is this?”

“Geenie…?”

He seemed confused by my sudden affectionate hug, and Ash, standing behind him, looked even more bewildered as he touched my shoulder.

I hugged Zekarda around the waist and sparkled my eyes.

“By any chance, was that human! A redhead?”

If my voice sounded especially excited, you heard correctly.

“…I don’t know because he was wearing a hood. His face was covered with a mask.”

“You saw his eyes, though. They were gold, right?”

“That’s right!”

“Could it be him?”

Like a deer, I skipped over to Rovenin and yanked off his dark hood.

The reason Rovenin didn’t avoid my touch was probably because he recognized Zekarda too.

[Ta-da!]

Rai provided the sound effect I was thinking of.

The two men’s gazes met in midair, and I couldn’t hide the sly smile wedged between them.

“You…!”

Rovenin didn’t even blink, but Zekarda’s face turned savage in an instant, like a beast.

He must have recognized Rovenin as the thug by his scent and unique aura.

It’s even easier to pick out the aura of someone you’ve fought before.

“I’ll kill you!”

[I hear applause somewhere…? It sounds like it’s coming from Master’s heart.]

Zekarda was spewing murderous intent like he’d met his parents’ enemy, but Ash subdued him before he could even lunge.

“Let me go! Human!”

It really wasn’t easy to fight with Ash around.

I knew from experience—his defense was no joke.

“Please! Just calm down for a moment…!”

“I’ll kill you too!”

Zekarda unleashed the insane strength that had torn apart iron bars, but surprisingly, Ash held him down.

A battle of strength between men was always fun to watch.

[That’s amazing. Can Ash tear apart bars too? I really thought Zekarda was stronger.]

[Considering Rovenin, who discriminates based on strength, is somewhat yielding, he must be useful to some extent, right?]

[Ash doesn’t show his strength much, so it’s hard to tell.]

It seemed Ash couldn’t subdue him gently, because before long Zekarda was pinned to the ground, Ash pressing his knee into his back as he apologized over and over.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry.”

He was restraining him, but it was obvious it wasn’t enough, so he asked me for help.

“Geenie! Say something!”

“Why would I?”

“He’ll listen to you!”

“Zekarda? If you kill that guy, I’ll release you immediately. I’ll give you freedom without question!”

“Geenie!”

There were rumors that Rovenin was injured by a thug during Toomdra.

I’d thought the thug was some decent person back then, but that thug was Zekarda… According to Zekarda, Rovenin wasn’t the one attacked by a thug—he was the thug… Anyway, he was still going around picking fights.

“Calm down and listen to me… Calm…! Stop it! Zekarda!”

“Shut up! A human like you isn’t allowed to call me by name!”

“Alright. But you are a Dark Elf, and we are humans. And we have an agreement! Have you forgotten the Krancia Peace Accord between humans and other races? It clearly states that we will not interfere in each other’s politics! We will absolutely refrain from any actions that could influence politics!”

“…What does that have to do with anything right now?”

Zekarda’s resistance stopped the moment the topic of the accord came up.

Not just a treaty between nations, but the Krancia Peace Accord concluded between races.

Its weight was naturally different.

The scale of war that could result from violating it was on another level.

Wars between races were rare, but they had still occurred steadily every few thousand years.

And when war spread along racial lines, the problem was that no other race stood on humanity’s side.

It was only natural that humans, always isolated when racial wars broke out, had no friendly races—after all, they loved expanding their territory and oppressing other races, relying on sheer numbers.

“Your anger is justified. I understand your frustration…! But that person… is a direct descendant of the Duke, the eldest son and a strong successor. Attacking him would be a violation of the accord! Do you really want to be at odds with the Elan Empire?”

“That human is a noble?”

“Yes! That is an undeniable fact. Elan also gave you a license to kill according to the accord. And he is a high-ranking noble of Elan.”

Maybe it was because of Ash’s honest tone.

His words were persuasive.

As if confirming the truth, Zekarda looked toward me.

I wished it were a lie to escape the immediate crisis, but it was true.

I gave a small nod, and Zekarda punched the ground in frustration.

It was so heavy I mistook it for an earthquake, which only made me more disappointed.

‘I would’ve cherished him if he’d torn Rovenin apart with that strength….’

[Tch, what a shame.]

[I know. It was almost a done deal!]

[Let’s try again when Ash isn’t around.]

[Is that possible? Ash is watching Rovenin like a hawk, afraid he’ll fight.]

[Should we give him a sleeping pill…?]

Zekarda having fought Rovenin once before was unexpected, but it was helpful to me.

It was also true that he’d inflicted a serious injury, even if he lost.

Soon, Zekarda, having reined in his murderous intent, rose from his knees, and Ash offered him a hand to help him up.

But picky as ever, Zekarda ignored it and stood on his own, brushing off his clothes.

“I apologize on behalf of the Duke. It’s understandable that you feel wronged….”

“Shut up. Humans are always petty.”

“…I’m sorry.”

After growling once, Zekarda approached me.

It seemed he hated all humans, but he preferred me over Ash or Rovenin.

‘I’m not exactly happy that he likes me more than Rovenin… that comparison is just too awful.’