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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“I feel like I’m being watched.”
This was probably the most attention I had ever received in my life. I thought as I walked through the streets of Nua Dhil.
Every dark elf I passed glared at me with open hostility. Even without Uthmund’s explanation, I could tell their gazes were unfriendly. One of them even had his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Isn’t it a bit much to react like this before I’ve even done anything?”
“It’s unusual for a human to enter Nua Dhil in the first place. Didn’t you see the faces of the guards at the gate? They looked like war had broken out.”
“It was quite a sight.”
“It was more than just a sight. You would have been in serious trouble if it weren’t for me.”
“Are you fishing for a thank you?”
“No.”
Uthmund replied in a disgruntled tone.
His manner of speaking was more polite than before, the result of another well-placed kick to the groin after he annoyed me with his overly formal speech.
“That’s why I advised you to conceal your face in the city.”
“Is that necessary?”
One of the perks of being a Holy Knight was that people were less likely to mess with you, even if you flaunted your identity.
Moreover, I had heard that Ured was in the Great Forest. If I made my presence known, I could lure him here.
Ured was an idiot, but a powerful idiot. He would be useful. He was probably here to capture me, the deserter. Like some kind of military police.
The Pope wouldn’t send an Inquisitor just to capture a paladin. The only people who would go through such trouble were Belwin or…
‘Ophelia.’
It was Ophelia who sent Ured. That was my guess. The Saintess of the Holy City wouldn’t come here herself, so she must have sent Ured to bring me back.
“By the way, Uthmund.”
“Yes?”
“Do dark elves… normally walk around wearing nothing but rags?”
“….”
Nua Dhil was in the game, but it was just a small icon on the map. There was only one dark elf companion character, and I hadn’t seen any dark elves since arriving in this world.
So, this was my first time seeing their attire. And it was… revealing, to say the least. The women’s chests were practically exposed, and some were even walking around completely topless.
Having spent so long in the prudish Holy City, my inner conservative was about to burst.
“Why is that guy walking around with his crotch out?”
The problem was that the men were just as scantily clad as the women. The streets of Nua Dhil were filled with half-naked people of all ages, resembling a cheap red-light district. It was incredibly unpleasant.
Uthmund chuckled wryly.
“Dark elves are similar to us in many ways, but… hedonism is rampant among them.”
“…Hedonism? Do they have intercourse with anyone?”
“Yes. But only within their own race. They wouldn’t touch a human.”
Uthmund’s gaze lingered a bit too long on a passing dark elf, so I showed him my fist.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“….”
Uthmund quickly averted his gaze. Come to think of it, the dark elf Mark bearer character in the game had said something similar.
She wasn’t particularly powerful, so I rarely used her, but she was popular due to her playful and charming personality.
Of course, even she wasn’t as revealing as these dark elves.
“Even the Elven King finds their attire… distasteful.”
“Is that so?”
I quickened my pace, unable to stand the sight. I was heading to the largest building in Nua Dhil. Elderian had only told me that there was a dark mage in Nua Dhil, not their exact location. So, I was going to a place where I could gather information.
“Is this it?”
“Yes.”
The only shaman guild in Nua Dhil. I handed my backpack to Uthmund. We were in the same boat now. I didn’t think he would run away.
“What’s your plan?”
“I’ll try to talk to them nicely.”
“Can I trust you?”
“Don’t.”
I wasn’t confident myself.
“Hey, human. If you value your life, turn back.”
It didn’t work. The dark elf woman sitting across from me slammed her bare foot on the table and looked at me like I was an insect. She held a dagger in one hand, idly tracing its smooth blade with a finger.
“You haven’t even heard what I have to say.”
“It’s always the same. Every human who comes here says the same thing. ‘I want to be friends with you.’ ‘Give me a commission.’ ‘I need a place to stay.’ ‘I need food.’ ‘I have money.’ Or, ‘Give me a woman.’”
“I’m…”
“Don’t bother. All humans are the same. Don’t get any ideas. I’m only talking to you out of respect for the Binheim Tribe you brought with you.”
“….”
I couldn’t reason with her. I had anticipated this, but it was still a shock. I couldn’t use my fists here; this was their territory.
If a fight broke out, I would be killed, Holy Knight or not.
What surprised me even more was that the woman I was talking to was a character from the game. Her name was…
“Titania.”
“Hmph. You seem to be quite knowledgeable about the world. You even know my name. However…”
Titania’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t you dare utter my name with your filthy mouth, short-ears.”
“….”
Titania, the dark shaman. Her personality in the game was…
‘Ahahaha! Hero, your face is so red! How cute~.’
‘Hero, once this is over, let’s go back to Nua Dhil and live happily ever after.’
‘Don’t die. I’ll punish you if you do.’
‘Yay! We defeated the Demon King! We saved the world!’
‘Are you crying? Don’t cry~. It’s just… conjunctivitis.’
“….”
I sighed deeply. Titania glared at me, but I was too overwhelmed by a sense of loss to care.
‘This damn game world.’
Titania’s personality could be summed up in one word: Onee-san.
She was always doting on the hero, the player character. She had a good relationship with the party, and her unique lines were all flirtatious.
Many players included her in their party despite her mediocre stats, simply because of her personality. But the Titania before me…
“Get out of my sight. If your human stench lingers on me, I’ll have to wash it off with your blood.”
“Wouldn’t that make the smell even worse?”
“Are you trying to be smart with me?”
“….”
None of the characters were the same as in the game. I stood up, defeated.
If the guild leader was this uncooperative, there was no point in talking to anyone else.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“No.”
“Are there any dark mages near Nua Dhil?”
“….”
Titania tilted her head, studying my face. Her misty gray eyes glowed with purple mana.
“Choose your words carefully, human. If you don’t want to die.”
“Alright.”
Her reaction confirmed my suspicions. There was a dark mage near Nua Dhil.
“Did you have a nice chat?”
“Well, we didn’t fight.”
Uthmund shook his head, seemingly understanding the outcome. I took my backpack from him and started walking.
“Where are you going?”
“A bit further north.”
Nua Dhil wasn’t a large city. And the dark elf population wasn’t that large either. I didn’t think they were involved with the dark magic. If they were, they would have attacked me the moment I entered the city.
That meant the dark mage was outside the city.
“Can you use mana?”
“No. Elves don’t need to. We use the power of spirits…”
“Right. You can use spirits.”
I nodded. Elves, with their long lifespans, were favored by spirits. And there were both good spirits and evil spirits.
Good spirits were drawn to good magic, and evil spirits were drawn to evil magic, or dark magic.
That meant the place where evil spirits congregated was the dark mage’s hideout.
“Uthmund, our contract is extended.”
“Extended?”
“For about a week.”
I couldn’t sense spirits, but I had a long-lived elf beside me. So…
“You’re my dowsing rod now.”
I had a high-performance detection device right next to me. It might take time, but finding the dark mage wouldn’t be difficult.
“Dowsing… rod?”
Uthmund, oblivious to the ordeal that awaited him, simply tilted his head in confusion.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m still new to translating as this is my second novel to pick up, so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
They took away our Onee-san😭😭😭