The Elf Who Wants to Be Humiliated

Chapter 10 – Theorad Seeking Revenge

The next morning.

In the courtyard where the cool breeze scattered the gleam on the leaves, Butler Habid stood before the statue of the previous family head, his well-groomed shoes set neatly in front.

“Hmm.”

Standing with a straight back, Habid grasped the collar of his tailcoat with both hands, giving it a precise shake, then looked around at the gathering.

He felt satisfied that all twenty-one of the mansion’s servants had assembled in less than thirty minutes after his order, but now was not the time to feel pleased about the servants he had trained.

Habid scrutinized the servants with sharp eyes and began to speak solemnly.

“Thank you for gathering promptly. This meeting has been arranged to find the shameless person who has disgraced our former master.”

Disgraced the former master? The servants looked at each other with their own questions, and Habid watched the scene briefly before continuing.

“I don’t know who the vile culprit is… but one of you urinated on the former master’s statue.”

Urinated? Some of the servants were shocked, while others looked incredulous. Of course, not everyone was disturbed by this shocking revelation.

Maltao was a prime example. This young man with his distinctive dark skin was merely rubbing his sleepy eyes and yawning.

‘That guy again.’

Habid had never liked Maltao’s insolent attitude. For a servant working in the prestigious Deharm Viscount family, he lacked dignity to an extreme degree.

It wasn’t asking too much to expect basic character, but that damned fellow was far too free-spirited.

He would use this opportunity to teach him a lesson and make him straighten up. Habid gestured toward Maltao with displeasure.

“You, Maltao.”

Surprised at being suddenly singled out, Maltao pointed to himself.

“Me, sir?”

“Are there any other servants here named Maltao besides you?”

“No, but… Anyway, do you have something to say to me, elder?”

“Yes. Who do you think the culprit is?”

“If you suddenly ask me who the culprit is…”

As Maltao scratched his cheek and hesitated to answer, he suddenly noticed everyone’s attention focused on him. Flustered, Maltao waved his hands and stepped back.

“It definitely wasn’t me! Why on earth would I urinate on the former master’s statue? I’m not mentally ill!”

“But you occasionally drink alcohol on weekdays, not just weekends. You’re the only one among the servants who drinks on weekdays, Maltao.”

“Come on. It was none other than the master himself who allowed me to have a drink on weekdays after work hours. And even if I drink, I’ve never been so drunk that I couldn’t tell right from wrong.”

“Perhaps you don’t remember?”

“How could that be! I swear by the God of Light that I am innocent. Please believe me, elder!”

“Hmm.”

Honestly, he wanted to press further, but he couldn’t interrogate someone who had sworn by the God of Light. It could be misconstrued as blasphemy.

Habid clicked his tongue and looked around at the other servants.

“If it’s not Maltao, then the culprit must be among the rest of you. Who is it? If you confess now, I’ll be lenient and only cut off one of your fingers.”

Who would confess to something like that? As everyone held their breath and merely blinked their innocent eyes, the veins on Habid’s forehead bulged in a grid pattern.

“Fine. It’s clear that the culprit is among you and has no intention of confessing. Then I have no choice. I will request an Inquisitor from the nearby diocese to be dispatched to the mansion in the near future.”

The mention of an Inquisitor caused a stir. Everyone harbored doubts about whether this issue was serious enough to warrant requesting an Inquisitor.

“Wait, elder.”

The same was true for Maltao.

“By the nearby diocese, do you mean the cathedral where the bishop resides? Even if you are the head butler, you’re not a family member, so how can you, as a mere commoner, request an Inquisitor to be dispatched?”

“Well said, Maltao. What I just said wasn’t my will, but the master’s will.”

“The master’s?”

“Yes. Master Theorad has partially delegated the family’s authority to me to find the culprit of this incident by any means necessary. The gracious bishop, knowing the status of the Deharm Viscount family, will gladly dispatch an Inquisitor.”

When he put it that way, there was nothing more to say. As Maltao fell silent, Habid extended his hand, wearing a snow-white glove, and burned with determination.

“Lying is the darkness in one’s heart and a direct denial of the God of Light! So if the culprit is here, listen! I will thoroughly unravel your wicked heart and make you spill the truth!”

When Habid let out his roar, a woman in the center of the formation involuntarily flinched.

Her name was Revera. She was the woman who had witnessed Theorad making the naked elf slave crawl around the courtyard.

‘C-Could it be that the master ordered the elf slave to…?’

Although it was just a suspicion, when thinking about who might have urinated on the former master’s statue, only the elf slave came to mind.

‘No way. It can’t be.’

Personally, she didn’t want to admit it, but if an Inquisitor interrogated her, she felt she would have to tell what she witnessed out of fear…

On the way to the commercial district by carriage, I enjoyed a sense of peace while admiring the beautiful wooden architecture.

‘Good. This is good.’

Since I left quickly before the elf woke up, there was no elf by my side now. Just that fact alone made me feel infinitely happy.

Additionally, the breeze blowing through the window was pleasantly cool, and the cute noises made by children playing, the sight of housewives hanging laundry, and merchants raising their voices to sell their goods all created a pastoral atmosphere that calmed my mind and body.

‘This place is still the same. The whole city is full of vitality.’

As I always feel, the Pelgaroin Count’s domain located in the central part of the Empire is truly a wonderful place to live.

The Count’s standing army is responsible for the city’s security, so the crime rate is noticeably low, and it’s far from areas where magical beasts appear, preventing any unforeseen disasters.

Thanks to the geographical advantage of being surrounded by high mountains, it becomes a natural fortress in times of emergency, preventing unnecessary territorial disputes caused by other great families. If a local war broke out, it would be disadvantageous for the aggressor.

Moreover, since one must pass through the Pelgaroin Count’s domain to reach the imperial capital, trade naturally flourishes. Merchants coming and going, buying and selling rare items, was one of the common sights here.

Being such a good place to live, there was no gloom on the faces of the city’s residents. Everyone had depth of character, you could say.

I’m not saying this because I live here, but the Pelgaroin Count’s domain could rightfully be called the best place to live in the Empire—

“Snooore. Zzzz…”

The snoring interrupts my thoughts. Looking to the side, I see a knight sleeping in a slouched position, wearing an armor full of scratches.

His unshaven, dark beard and the way he didn’t even bother to fasten his belt properly was quite disagreeable.

But I couldn’t say anything. This person’s name was Beynen Brokena. He was the only knight in service to the Deharm family.

Originally, the family had two knights, but one left saying he had fulfilled his duty to his lord on the day my father passed away, so now only Beynen remained as the family’s knight.

‘Should I recruit another knight…’

It was quite uncomfortable to entrust my protection and the family’s defense entirely to such a person. While I was seriously considering recruiting another knight, the carriage stopped with a jolt, and I put the thought aside.

After waiting a moment, the coachman opened the door and bowed politely.

“We have arrived, Master.”

“Yes. Thank you for your efforts.”

As I got out of the carriage with a mild expression of gratitude, the coachman glanced at Beynen.

“Should I wake the knight, sir?”

“Let him sleep. I only brought him as a formality anyway.”

Even if I brought Beynen inside, he would probably just make tasteless jokes. It was more comfortable to leave him in the carriage.

“You stay here and wait as well.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

After giving orders to the coachman, I opened the door to the store and went inside.

The first thing I saw was an array of weapons hanging on the wall, and the second was a wide open space visible through the window.

The ground of the dirt-covered yard had traces of fire damage and explosion debris scattered around. Seeing that, I knew I had come to the right place.

“Welcome…”

The owner, who had been greeting me indifferently from behind the counter, recognized me and opened his eyes wide.

“If it isn’t Lord Theorad!”

A bright energy pervaded his previously apathetic face. The owner came out from behind the counter and grabbed my hand.

“Thank you so much for the other day.”

“The other day?”

“Didn’t you send five pigs to congratulate my younger sister’s wedding? Thanks to that, I was able to hold my head high in front of my relatives. My sister was thrilled too.”

It was a bit awkward.

“I only did what was natural. You faithfully supplied weapons during the Emperor’s Orc Subjugation War eight years ago. And through our family, no less.”

“Yes. Unlike other nobles, you charged a very reasonable commission for the supplies. That’s why I’m living so well now.”

“You should be grateful to my father for that, not me.”

“I’m grateful to both of you. And Lord Theorad, you personally attended to my sister’s wedding. What noble in the world would care about a mere merchant’s sister? You are truly a generous person.”

This is excessive flattery for something that should be natural. I cleared my throat with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

“Let’s put past talk aside. I didn’t come here to chat, but to look at weapons.”

“Yes, understood. But when you say weapons, what exactly do you mean?”

“I heard that good items from the Principality have arrived recently. I’d like to see their power.”

“Items from the Principality? Are you referring to weapons for hunting great magical beasts?”

“That’s right.”

At my words, the owner blinked a few times and then took out a small box from the display case. The palm-sized box was carefully wrapped in some kind of silk.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

The owner walked to the center of the yard with the box, placed it on the ground, and returned. In his hand was a small stone tablet with two buttons.

“Those bastards from the Principality have made an incredible item this time. First, when you press the upper button…”

Click. As the owner pressed the button, the box placed in the yard instantly transformed into a sandbag.

“It automatically triggers a shape-shifting spell to blend in with the surroundings. And when you press the lower button…”

The owner pressed the lower button firmly. Simultaneously, a flash of light burst forth.

BOOM—!

The ground was turned inside out, and flames of the explosion rose endlessly. The resulting gust was so strong that it violently beat against the windows.

As I flinched in surprise and hunched my shoulders, the owner smiled with satisfaction.

“It creates a tremendous explosion and scorches the surroundings. Actually, although the Principality presented it as a weapon for hunting magical beasts, the Alcaera cloth covering the box suggests otherwise.”

“Alcaera cloth?”

“It’s a fabric that perfectly conceals the flow of mana. I’ve heard that even the Master of the Black Tower couldn’t identify magical tools covered with Alcaera cloth.”

“By the Master of the Black Tower, do you mean the person called the Great Magician of the Magic Realm?”

“That’s right. Seeing this, it’s certain that those bastards from the Principality manufactured it as a weapon of war. Although they say it’s too expensive for mass production, if you set off about a dozen of these in a full-scale war, the enemy’s morale would be severely damaged. Naturally, their formation would collapse too.”

“So…”

I swallowed and asked.

“This weapon you’ve shown me can be detonated remotely from a distance, and it can never be detected?”

“Well, in summary, that’s correct.”

“Um… just out of curiosity, what happens if a magician steps on it?”

“A magician, you say?”

The owner, stroking his chin, spoke indifferently.

“A mediocre magician would die instantly, and even a magician who has reached a certain level would suffer mana exhaustion. Even if the mana in their body minimizes the impact of the explosion, there’s a limit.”

A magician in a state of mana exhaustion typically hovers between life and death for three days to a week, unable to eat or drink.

That would be the same for an elf too. If I could expel the elf during that time, I could return to a peaceful and comfortable life.

Somehow seeing hope, I turned to the owner with a sinister smile.

“Then I’ll take this. I’ll pay for the demonstration as well, so please prepare one exactly like it.”

“Ah, yes. But what exactly are you buying this for… Are you really going to hunt magical beasts?”

“Magical beast hunting…”

Heh. With a short laugh, I raised my head haughtily.

“If possible, call it demon hunting.”