Should I Just Steal Her Away?

A temporary encampment stood at the entrance to the Ashen Forest. Naturally, it was there for defense and sentry duty.

We greatly expanded it and transformed it into an expeditionary forward base.

Building a palisade fort and forward base in only a month would normally be impossible.

But the situation changed when we used the existing stone walls as a framework and poured in Partian's capital and manpower.

After adding wooden palisades and remodeling it into a logistics fortress, the encampment became the very heart of our supply lines.

I strolled between the tents, carefully taking in the state of our preparations.

"Young Master."

A voice cut through the bustling noise. Lucia, dressed in her Black Lion uniform, approached me.

"The elves from the Southern Great Forest have arrived. As you instructed, I escorted them politely to the residence so there wouldn't be any trouble."

"They arrived later than I expected."

I had been wondering when they would come.

Without delay, I turned and headed toward the residence.

Seeing Lucia walking beside me suddenly gave me a sense of déjà vu.

In my first life, Lucia had led the elves.

She had mobilized them for the conquest of the Ashen Forest, harboring the exact same intentions I did.

Her negotiation style back then was, to be honest, that of a complete pushover.

'A typical protagonist, I suppose.'

She had genuinely worried about the elves' well-being and treated them like comrades rather than subordinates.

'I had helped people in trouble too, though.'

Irina of the Partian merchant guild came to mind.

At a glance, helping Irina might look like the same sort of goodwill Lucia had shown the elves.

But the essence was entirely different.

Helping Irina had been an investment with guaranteed returns, indispensable to the Ashen Forest expedition.

The elves, by contrast, were different.

They remembered kindness, but were in no position to repay it. Compared to Irina, they were a weak party with uncertain returns.

'They're the ones who need this, not us.'

I was different from Lucia, the protagonist.

From the position of the stronger party, I intended to put a leash on the elves and squeeze them for everything they were worth.

Even if exploiting their desperation looked despicable, I had no choice. That's how the world worked.

***

Gulp-

Ariel cautiously raised her gaze.

Across from her, Astin sat with his legs crossed and his chin raised. His arrogant bearing completely dominated the atmosphere.

There was not a trace of emotion in his deeply sunken golden eyes.

"I knew you would come. I also know your purpose. You intend to ride on our expedition to reclaim your lost homeland, correct?"

Astin made no attempt to hide the fact that he held the upper hand.

It was a realistic attitude, not an especially cruel one. The elves had no cards they could use to turn the tables.

"Let's speak frankly. We can continue the expedition without you. You would be a great help if you were here, of course, but we would manage without you as well."

Ariel's shoulders shrank slightly. She could not surrender the initiative to him like this.

"We may be few in number, but every member of our tribe is an excellent guide. There is no one in this world who knows the Ashen Forest's geography better than we do."

"So you're saying we shouldn't let such a valuable card slip away?"

Don't presume to bargain when you're the ones who came here because you need us.

That silent warning made Ariel lower her gaze. She had been completely suppressed by his force of presence.

Ariel clenched both fists resting on her knees and managed to force out a restrained voice.

"We ask for only one thing. We won't say a word about Cardenos developing the forest's resources. We simply ask that you grant our people a portion of the forest where we can live."

It might have been humiliating, but this was the wish of her people.

Despite her desperate plea, Astin remained silent with his arms crossed.

An oppressive silence. The only sound filling the spacious reception room was the ticking of the clock.

"What do we gain from that?"

The question was delivered flatly. Ariel answered at once.

"We will assist your expedition."

"Must I repeat myself? You intend to ride on the expedition to reclaim your homeland, do you not?"

"……."

"There will be no compromise. Accept our demands unconditionally."

To think she had to endure such contempt from a human. Ariel bit down on her lip.

"Fine. What do you truly want?"

"First, I will draft every elf into the scouting corps. You will be the first to set foot in the forest."

It was a reckless mission to take the first step into the Ashen Forest, implying that he did not care in the slightest whether they lived or died.

But Ariel had already expected as much. If anything, she considered it a rational decision to place them where they were best suited.

'That was what I planned anyway.'

She had already said that they would volunteer to guide the way.

But the real beginning came now. It was time for the human's horrifying nature to reveal itself.

Astin raised an eyebrow as he watched Ariel's tense expression.

"Stand watch throughout every night of the expedition. Your night vision is superior, so aren't you the obvious choice?"

He intended to let the human troops sleep soundly while working the elves to the bone.

It was certainly harsh, but……

Ariel tilted her head slightly, then obediently nodded.

The forest at night was more familiar to the elves than the forest by day.

Assigning night watch to the people of the forest was entirely reasonable.

It wasn't over yet. Ariel tensed once more, steeling her jaw.

"The elves' duties won't be limited to scouting. Mobilize your spirit mages and devote yourselves to purification work at every access route. We will arrange separate teams, so the workers' rest periods cannot be guaranteed."

After guiding the way, they would take night watch and even perform purification work.

It was grueling labor that would push even a nonhuman race beyond its limits.

'……What is this.'

Ariel's thoughts ran completely counter to what Astin expected.

She would willingly give even two lives to reclaim her homeland. She had come prepared to become slaves, if necessary.

Moreover, the very reason they had joined the expedition was to purify the Ashen Forest.

They would risk their lives to do that even without being ordered.

'Something is strange.'

Ariel suddenly came to her senses.

This was a subtle psychological battle. It was too soon to relax.

Ariel narrowed her eyes and tried to gauge his intentions. That sly human's true objective had to lie elsewhere.

"The elves' ultimate objective is the World Tree, isn't it?"

Ariel's eyes changed in an instant.

Insulting the World Tree was blasphemy to the elves. Ariel clenched her fists and summoned all her self-control.

"Remember this. If you intend to germinate the World Tree's Seed, it must be in the center of the forest. No matter how potent the demonic energy there is, that is not our concern. Purify every bit of the forest's miasma."

"……?"

It was only natural that the demonic energy would be most potent in the center of the Ashen Forest.

On a microscopic level, the risk of the World Tree's Seed becoming contaminated would also be higher.

But taking that risk was the right choice.

The World Tree belonged in the heart of the forest.

There was no place better suited to absorbing sufficient nutrients and undergoing purification.

……There had to be more to this.

He was clearly pretending to offer them a sweet carrot while planning to exploit the World Tree.

"Even after the expedition ends, you will belong to Cardenos. You will be permanently assigned to the labor of developing and purifying the forest."

He was openly saying that he intended to use them as lifelong slaves.

Ariel clenched her molars. At last, he was revealing his true colors.

"We will station Cardenos's standing army around the outskirts of your habitat. We will protect you from demon beasts and threats from humans outside the forest."

"……Pardon?"

"But there is no such thing as a free lunch. You will have to work just as hard, and we will collect taxes as well."

Not only was he imposing brutal labor, he also intended to exploit the World Tree under the pretext of protection fees……

That was what he meant, wasn't it?

"You will devote at least twelve hours a day, seven days a week, to purifying the forest. There will be no workers' compensation, either. If you are injured in an accident during the work, it will be your own responsibility. As for taxes, we will collect thirty percent of the special resources and produce generated by the forest each month. No more and no less—we will set it at exactly thirty percent."

It was an unreasonable arrangement that would work the elves like slaves throughout the expedition and continue exploiting them afterward.

He would even take thirty percent of their basic income in the name of taxes.

Astin clicked his tongue as he reviewed his own conditions. It was a slave contract in every sense of the word.

Silence descended over the room.

Ariel's eyes wavered, unable to find focus.

'……Something is strange?'

If they diligently did as they were told and paid the protection fees, he would not only cede them the center of the forest but also protect them from outside threats.

This didn't seem like exploitation. It seemed as though it benefited only us.

Wasn't he even saying that he would leave the World Tree alone?

Depending on one's perspective, it could even be accepted as a source of motivation.

'No.'

It couldn't be over yet. Ariel pulled herself together once more.

Smirk-

Astin's lips twisted again.

Just as expected.

Their demands had only just begun.

"That's all."

"……Huh?"

"If you find it unreasonable, forget it. I'm not going to beg you to stay."

Ariel's mouth fell open in a vacant gape.

Buzz-buzz-

A small fly buzzed around in front of her.

"Th-then, what happens to us after the expedition ends?"

"Didn't I tell you? A lifelong contract with Cardenos awaits you."

"You mean the purification work you called labor, and the taxes collected to cover the army's stationing costs?"

"Yes."

"……Are those conditions the end of it?"

"? What else would there be?"

It was true that Astin had made unfair demands.

But they went no further than exploiting the elves' labor.

Ariel found that difficult to believe.

If they were dealing with ordinary human nobles……

"No. For example, what if you used us as sex slaves or exploited the World Tree……?"

"What?"

Astin tilted his head at an angle, looking as though he genuinely had no idea what she meant.

Ariel stared at Astin without even blinking.

What on earth was this human?

***

The annex of the grand ducal residence.

Only an anxious silence lingered in the waiting room where the elves had gathered.

Everyone was holding their breath and staring at the door when—

Creak-

The door opened, and Priestess Ariel walked in with a dazed expression.

The waiting elders and spirit mages hurriedly surrounded her.

"Priestess! You're safe!"

"Wh-what happened? What unreasonable demands did that notorious grand duke's son make?"

At the elves' barrage of questions, Ariel slowly shook her head. Her expression remained dreamy, as though she were still in a dream.

"The demands they made were……"

From the moment Ariel began speaking, the elves' expressions changed by the second.

At last, when she finished, one of the elder elves let out a hollow laugh.

"Really…… is that everything?"

"Without any conditions about using us as sex slaves or demanding the World Tree?"

Ariel nodded again with a dazed expression.

A silent stillness settled over the waiting room. The elves stared blankly at one another.

Ariel's cheeks flushed as she watched them.

An uncontrollable, radiant smile spread across her face.

"You did it, Priestess! You saved every one of us!"

"No, I did nothing. Astin himself made that merciful decision."

"Hooray for the Priestess! Hooray for Cardenos!"

The elves who had been anxious moments ago threw up both arms and erupted in cheers. Some embraced one another and wept tears of emotion.

Ariel laughed aloud and basked in the festive atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the elves' laughter and sobs drifted through the crack in the door.

Lucia and Celine, who had been eavesdropping outside, smiled as well.

"The Young Master really is kind after all."

At Lucia's words, Celine nodded vigorously.

A nonhuman race that had lost its homeland and been driven to the edge of a cliff.

Any other noble would have been blinded by the elves' beauty and sought to satisfy his own desires first.

Rather than exploiting their desperation, Astin had shown mercy and embraced them.

Lucia had expected him to act that way.

That man understood the greater cause and walked the righteous path of a knight.

Lucia liked that about Astin very much.

Sway-sway-

A single strand of hair sticking up from the crown of Celine's bright-yellow head swayed like a reed.

For some reason, Celine found it fascinating and was pressed tightly against the door, peeking inside.

Everyone who saw elves for the first time was unable to take their eyes off them. That was only natural.

"They're all so beautiful, aren't they?"

"Hmm……. Honestly, are they really that beautiful?"

"Really? I thought you kept looking because they were pretty."

"I'm just looking because their pointy ears are fascinating."

Celine took her eyes off the window and turned toward Lucia.

"Elves aren't really that pretty. Maybe it's because I'm used to Sister Lucy and Big Brother's faces?"

"How do you always manage to say such lovely things?"

In Celine's eyes, Lucia was the prettiest person and Astin the most handsome. Lucia wholeheartedly agreed.

"I used to think it would be nice to have a family member like Young Master Astin, but I've changed my mind a little. I'd rather have a younger sister like Lady Celine. Why don't you come live with us? I'll treat you well."

The last part was said jokingly.

Flinch!

Celine's shoulders shot up. She fidgeted and glanced around nervously, like a small animal.

"I-I like Sister Lucy too, but I like Big Brother more, so……."

She was nothing but a big-brother girl to the very end—so if she became my little sister, she'd be a big-sister fanatic, wouldn't she?

Unable to resist, Lucia pulled Celine into her arms.

"This won't do. I'll just have to steal you away."

Shake-shake-shake-

Celine frantically shook her head.

Lucia was slightly hurt, though she did not show it.