—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: shyan
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
While looking at the fresh dark elf that Elisia had just given me as a “gift,” I was contemplating how to handle her in the future.
“So… Hero? So what do you think? Do you like my gift?”
Elisia asked with a slightly nervous voice.
At that moment, her face was slightly flushed, and I could see an expression of anticipation on her face.
With her bright red eyes sparkling, she looked up at me like a cat hoping for praise.
In response, I expressed my gratitude for the “gift” bowing before me.
“Yes, I really like it. I had been thinking about educating her in this way someday, so I truly appreciate you capturing her and taking care of everything.”
“Is that so? I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried you might not like the gift… But now that I think about it, since she had a bad history with you, I wondered if it would have been better for you to handle it directly.”
“No, you did well. Of course, I had thoughts of inflicting pain myself, but honestly speaking, no matter what I did, I couldn’t have caused as much suffering as you did, Elisia.”
“Well… if you say so, then thank you.”
Elisia smiled shyly while also showing signs of happiness at my words. Seeing her act this way with her youthful appearance made me feel a warm sensation inside.
‘What can I say… it feels like watching my younger cousin jump around happily after getting a perfect score on a math test.’
As I watched her, I suddenly recalled what the Demon King had told me earlier.
To the Demon King, Elisia was considered both a subordinate and a younger sister.
Although she usually acted aloof, she surprisingly craved praise and could easily become friendly if treated well.
According to the Demon King, when returning from a mission and patting her head, Elisia would be extremely happy.
Thinking about that now, as someone who has become the Demon King’s lover and somewhat of an older brother figure to her,
I cautiously reached out my hand according to what I felt in that moment.
And then…
“Ah…”
I gently patted Elisia’s head.
My action of stroking her warm and soft hair was an expression of gratitude and praise.
Depending on how one views it, this could be seen as somewhat embarrassing; however,
to be frank, judging solely by appearances, it looked no different than an older brother patting his elementary or middle school sister’s head, so there was no discomfort in that regard.
Ultimately, Elisia showed no resistance to my actions; instead, she began to display clear signs of happiness.
With a flushed face and a smile that seemed to melt away at the corners of her mouth,
her body trembled slightly as if feeling good.
She resembled a cat being petted by its owner.
Internally nodding in agreement with my somewhat impulsive choice, I felt that it was indeed the right decision.
‘I heard she grew up without a father and often feels lonely… In that sense, it’s only natural for her to enjoy being praised like this.’
In fact, since Elisia often cuddles with her mother Elias without hesitation and acts cute, such behavior among close colleagues might not be unusual after all.
So, for a while longer, I continued to pet her head as a way to express my ‘gratitude,’ and Elisia began leaning against me with a smile as if asking for more affection.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Elisia was being petted by the Hero.
At this moment, she was overwhelmed by an intense ecstasy she had never experienced before and felt unparalleled happiness.
‘Ah… the Hero is petting my head…’
She was receiving affection from someone she loved.
Due to her notably youthful appearance, Elisia often received such treatment from close colleagues; in some ways, this could be seen as just a simple greeting.
Just a week ago, she had also been petted by the Demon King after being praised for doing well on a task.
However…
At this moment for Elisia, the act of being petted by the Hero felt significantly different from those usual experiences.
If the usual pats from the Demon King or her mother felt like water with a spoonful of sugar, what the Hero was doing now felt like rich, sweet honey.
‘The Hero’s touch… feels so good… and it’s so skillful…’
It was as if this alone could bring all the joy in the world.
In reality, his patting skills were surprisingly better than anyone she had experienced, including her mother.
He lightly stroked her hair, gently stimulating her pressure points to provide a profound sense of calm and tranquility.
With her existing affection for the Hero added to this, Elisia was experiencing an overwhelming happiness.
‘This is the happiest I’ve ever felt from being petted… I think I might get addicted… Ah… the Hero is the best… I don’t want to lose him to anyone…’
As she reveled in the unexpected happiness brought by the Hero’s “gratitude,” Elisia began to develop an even stronger obsession with him.
After what felt like a long but too short moment of being petted, Elisia suppressed her feelings of disappointment and excitement and looked at the Hero.
“Ahem… Well, let’s wrap up the greetings here. Now, the real issue is deciding what to do with this one.”
She glanced at the dark elf Amelda, who was still quietly lying on the floor.
Then, cautiously checking the Hero’s reaction, she asked,
“Since we’ve turned her into a dark elf… what do you want to do with her? For now, she’s my subordinate due to the brainwashing, but I can hand her over to you if you wish.”
Although turning her into a dark elf had consumed quite a bit of magic due to her being a powerful high elf, honestly, at this point, Elisia didn’t care much about what happened to her.
While she could be quite useful in terms of power, what mattered most to Elisia was gaining more favor from the Hero.
If the Hero wanted, she could immediately transfer ownership to him.
If necessary, she could also rip off limbs, gouge out eyes, and even decapitate her.
However, after a moment of contemplation, the Hero slowly shook his head and said,
“I’m fine. At this point, becoming a dark elf means she has already experienced the worst possible situation. I don’t see any reason to concern myself further.”
“Hmm? Is that so? Well, that makes sense.”
Most elves value honor above life itself and perceive losing their honor as one of the greatest and most terrible pains.
For them, falling into darkness as a dark elf completely annihilates that honor and is seen as the worst kind of humiliation.
Being a dark elf is considered blasphemy not only for themselves but also against their god.
Having experienced that over several days and finally witnessing the Hero’s presence break her last will must have caused Amelda immense physical and mental pain.
Considering this fact, the Hero expressed his desire not to dirty his hands further by doing anything more to her.
“Well, since she’s quite capable, and since you’ve already gone to the trouble, I think it’d be great if you put her to good use. You deserve some reward for all your efforts, after all.”
“…Reward… I already received more than enough…”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing… Anyway, if that’s what the Hero wishes, I’ll gratefully accept it. She’s certainly strong in combat and being a high elf means she has valuable information.”
Thus, through their brief conversation, they decided Amelda’s fate.
Meanwhile,
As Amelda lay with her head down on the floor listening to their conversation, she thought to herself,
‘At least I’m alive… Well, I could willingly die for Elisia’s sake… but I’m glad. Regardless of how it goes from here on out, I now have a chance to continue serving Elisia… and also an opportunity to apologize to the Hero…’
