—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I was at a dead end. Fiends didn’t use tools. Their hardened skin was tougher than any blade, and they lacked the intelligence to wield a sword with any skill.
They fought with their bare hands. They certainly wouldn’t use a bow and arrow. So, the arrow meant there was another enemy. Or perhaps, someone was pretending to be the fiend.
“Damn it. Never again.”
Ophelia, who had faithfully played her role as bait, handed me the arrow, exhausted.
“Willow wood and peacock feathers. The kind of arrow elves use.”
“Which tribe?”
“All of them. It’s hard to say.”
Erwin said, her expression grim. But we all had a good idea who was behind this.
“The Redric Tribe.”
Azar said, and I agreed. I remembered the look in Badarin’s eyes at the Melt Rune guard post. A mixture of contempt, hatred, and fear.
“…Erwin, what do you think?”
I asked Erwin, the only elf present, for her opinion, but she simply shook her head.
“I agree, it’s likely the Redric Tribe. But… I don’t think they’re foolish enough to attack us.”
“That’s true.”
Alberich agreed.
“It wasn’t an attack. It was a message.”
I unfolded the note attached to the arrow. The Redric Tribe hadn’t tried to kill Ophelia. It was a warning shot. A silent threat to stay out of their business.
“This is…”
But the note wasn’t a message. It was a willow branch, stamped in blood-red ink. I had expected a written message.
“Erwin, do you recognize this symbol?”
I handed the note to Erwin, and she shook her head.
“No.”
But I saw her eyes flicker.
“Forget it! What are we going to do now?!”
Ophelia yelled, kicking a chair.
“I was almost killed!”
“But you weren’t. And your divine magic can reattach a limb or two.”
“Hey!”
Ophelia lunged at me, and I caught her and sat her on my lap.
“…L-let go!”
She struggled, but I held her firmly. She quickly calmed down.
“U-ugh… let go… everyone’s watching…”
“My, my…”
“Please calm down. I’m thinking.”
I soothed Ophelia, my mind racing. We had to deal with the fiend. The Elven King had ordered us to. We couldn’t back down now.
If it wasn’t the fiend’s doing, we had to find proof. Otherwise, the Elven King would never be convinced. And Erwin’s reaction… it was suspicious.
“Let’s continue with Operation Little Red Riding Hood.”
“What? No!”
“We have no choice. Please.”
I massaged Ophelia’s shoulders, and she squirmed.
“F-fine. But I have one condition.”
“What is it?”
Puff, puff.
“….”
What was I seeing? Ophelia and Emily were sitting in a secluded room, puffing on a hookah. A fragrant smoke filled the air.
Ophelia and Emily… were smoking a hookah. Yes, a hookah.
“Elliot, want some?”
“You’ve already smoked it.”
“…Don’t make me conscious of it!”
I sighed, ignoring Ophelia’s outburst. Azar, unprompted, explained, “It’s an elven specialty. They say it’s good for your health.”
“…Even so.”
Two beautiful young women, smoking a hookah. The ornate elven decor. The atmosphere was… decadent, almost criminal.
Even though Ophelia’s role was important, and this was her condition, it was difficult to accept. The Confucian dragon within me roared. I suppressed it.
“Let’s resume the operation.”
Ophelia reluctantly put down the hookah and stood up. Emily did the same.
“So, I just wander around by myself again?”
“Yes. But it might be more dangerous this time, so I’ll be watching from nearby.”
“Okay.”
Ophelia’s face brightened. She must have been afraid of walking through the dark forest alone. The sun was setting. I led Ophelia out of the building.
“Elliot, we have a problem.”
Alberich rushed towards me, his face pale.
“What is it?”
“It’s…”
Alberich hesitated, then shook his head.
“Come with me. It’s better if you see it for yourself.”
Alberich turned and added, “Saintess, prepare yourself.”
Back on Earth, I used to watch cheap slasher movies to kill time. In one of them, a madman had dismembered his victim and hung the pieces from a mast.
The scene before me was exactly like that.
“…Ugh.”
Ophelia, who had followed me, retched. I pulled her close, taking in the gruesome sight.
“How long has it been here?”
“Less than an hour.”
An elven man, his limbs severed and his body mutilated, was impaled on a stake near Melt Rune. It was a deliberate display.
The killer hadn’t tried to hide the body. He wanted everyone to see it. And I was even more shocked when I saw the victim’s face.
“Isn’t that… the guard captain?”
“Yes. And that’s why this is a problem.”
Badarin, the guard captain of the Redric Tribe, who had been so hostile towards us just a few days ago. He was dead, his eyes wide open in a silent scream.
“So, it wasn’t the Redric Tribe?”
The body wasn’t the work of a fiend. Fiends didn’t use blades, and even if they did, they didn’t kill with such… purpose. They wouldn’t display their victims in public. And more importantly, the faint symbol on Badarin’s bloodstained chest. A willow branch.
“….”
The prime suspect was dead. Then who had sent the arrow? My mind was in turmoil. We were involved in something far more dangerous than just a fiend.
“…Take care of Ophelia for a moment.”
I handed the dazed Ophelia to Alberich and approached Erwin, who was staring at the body with a troubled expression.
“Erwin.”
“….”
“Erwin, snap out of it.”
Erwin turned to me, her eyes filled with fear. An elf who had lived for over a hundred years wouldn’t be so shaken by a single mutilated corpse. I pulled out the note with the willow branch symbol.
“You know what this is, don’t you?”
“…Ugh.”
“What is it?”
Erwin had been visibly startled when she saw the symbol yesterday. She knew something. She bit her lip, then sighed.
“Yes. I know it well.”
“What is it?”
“It’s my brother’s symbol.”
“…Your brother?”
Erwin’s brother. I felt a sense of déjà vu. In Sword & Magic Chronicle, every named character had a recruitment quest, and Erwin was no exception.
Her quest involved reconciling with her estranged father. The quest itself was simple. Find her father in Elvendel and bring back a quest item. But some players had noticed something strange.
According to the quest item’s description, Erwin’s family had five members, but the names of three of them were inscribed on a tombstone in the Elvendel cemetery.
Was it a coincidence, or a carefully placed easter egg? The community was divided. And now, I was hearing the answer.
“My brother…”
Erwin took a deep breath and said, her voice trembling, “He committed patricide. He killed my family.”
This was far more serious than I had thought.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
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.
