Episode 9 — The Elf Girl’s Question
The elf girl, Lizanne, was waiting for me when I returned from the room to the sitting area.
She watched me intently, her elegant brows faintly furrowed.
“Who is he? Where did you find him—and why did you bring him here?”
I took the chair opposite her and crossed one leg over the other.
By now, Mansell and Clump had already gone back to their rooms and seemed to be asleep.
But they were beastmen. Their hearing was far too sharp.
So I placed a silence artifact on the table, sealing off any sound from the room.
Seeing me go so far with precautions only deepened the crease between Lizanne’s brows.
“I bought him at the slave market. He was cheap. He’s got decent magical capacity—he can make potions. If we sell them, we’ll make money back easily. It’s a sound investment.”
“………………”
“His name is Seth. He’s been heavily abused, so treat him accordingly. While I’m away, I’m leaving his care to you, Lizanne.”
Lizanne let out a long sigh.
“So you’ve already decided.”
“Yes.”
“…He’s a strikingly beautiful man. And, Ave… he smells like nobility. Like you.”
At that, I shot her a sharp look. Lizanne only smiled faintly.
“I understand. I won’t say a word to anyone else.”
Lizanne was perceptive—too perceptive.
Despite her girl-like appearance, she was an elf who had lived far longer than any human.
She might already know.
But even if she did, she would never say it aloud.
Because she was on my side. My family. My slave.
I slipped quietly beside the bed where Seth slept and exhaled softly.
He was already completely unconscious.
The wounds around his eyes had been healed with potions, so as long as his eyelids were closed, the ruined state of his eye sockets could no longer be seen.
His cheeks were still hollow, his body thin and starved—but his face itself was undeniably beautiful.
“Seorg.”
I tried calling his true name.
It had been eight years since I last spoke it.
When I said it, I remembered how the Seorg of childhood used to smile gently, calling out both my name and Evelina’s.
And how the adult he became no longer called me at all—only looked at me with cold indifference.
Now, he probably didn’t even remember my name.
But perhaps… that was for the best.
“Good night, Seth.”
The next morning, I left Seth asleep and headed out to the Adventurers’ Guild with Mansell and Clump.
We needed to collect the reward for the job we had completed in the nearby town.
When I said it was fine to let Seth sleep until he woke on his own, Lizanne—as well as Mansell and Clump—let out exasperated sighs for some reason.
“You shouldn’t spoil him so much. He’s a slave, after all.”
I almost wanted to say that they were slaves too.
But when I did, all three of them burst out laughing.
“We’re different. We’re more like companions than slaves.”
“Yeah, yeah. We’re Ave’s companions. It’s our job to protect your back.”
“And it is my duty to prepare meals and maintain the household for my master’s return.”
Mansell, Clump, and even Lizanne spoke with a quiet pride in their roles.
All of them had once been slaves bought from the slave market.
And over eight years, I had earned their trust.
Feeling a little embarrassed for no clear reason, I fell silent.
Mansell patted my shoulder lightly.
“Let’s go.”
And so, together, we set out toward the city.
