novelraw Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Ch.109 I’ve Brought Hans’s Letter
“It’s… it’s fine. What’s so great about human food anyway?”
Mia said this, but her eyes trembled faintly. She clearly wanted to eat it—why else would she look so eager?
“This is gelato—it’s made from milk, so even elves can eat it.”
“I know that much.”
She turned her head away—but I caught her sneaking glances at it from the corner of her eye.
Seriously… If you want it, just say so! Why be so stubborn?
I scooped a spoonful and held it out to her.
Her ears twitched slightly.
She obviously wanted it—but her pride wouldn’t let her admit it. It was almost pitiful.
I’d told her countless times: stop acting like humans are beneath you. Yet she never changed.
“F-fine…”
“My arm hurts, Mia. Come on—open up. Ahh~”
I grimaced dramatically, pretending my arm ached.
She closed her eyes and opened her mouth just a little.
The spoon slipped in.
“Mmm….”
“How is it? Delicious, right?”
Her ears fluttered—undeniable proof she liked it.
“It’s… acceptable. I suppose humans can make something decent once in a while.”
I took a bite of my own gelato and couldn’t help but smile.
She acted just like a socially awkward girl my age—except for those long ears.
Once dessert was finished, I stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m full—going for a walk. Want to come?”
Mia gave a small nod.
So we headed into the garden.
Silence stretched between us as we walked.
Ah… Did I really have to invite her along?
Leah or Cecilia would chatter endlessly, which was exhausting—but this oppressive quiet was just as awkward.
I glanced up at the sky—and saw a huge full moon.
The moonlit garden was undeniably serene, drawing the eye with quiet charm.
—Thud…
—Click…
For a long while, only the sound of my shoes and Mia’s heels echoed softly.
“Ah!”
Mia stumbled.
I quickly grabbed her arm.
“You okay?”
“Ugh… I’m fine. Why do humans wear such things?”
Her dress parted slightly, revealing the heels she wore.
“Did you twist your ankle?”
“No—but they’re terribly uncomfortable. Why do humans insist on wearing shoes with such high, impractical heels?”
She must’ve worn formal noblewoman’s heels out of unfamiliarity—and tripped.
“Why wear heels you’re not used to?”
—Zzrit.
Mia fixed me with a sharp glare.
“My husband is a human and a high-ranking noble. I must match his status. It’s not as if I want to wear these.”
“Oh…”
She pulled her arm from my grasp.
She looked like she wanted to say something—but instead, she sighed deeply.
“Never mind. You don’t love me, anyway. I haven’t forgotten I forced you into this.”
“Mia…”
I didn’t see her as a woman—more like a friend with unusual tastes. Still, I felt a pang of sympathy.
“But even if you don’t love me now… you will come to love me.”
She stepped closer, a seductive smile on her lips.
“R-really?”
Confidence radiated from her expression.
She took another step.
“Did I hear you call my personality unpleasant? I’ll admit it—I am stubborn, even among High Elves.”
She paused, locking eyes with me.
“But no other woman—except perhaps a married dragon—can maintain her beauty as long as I can.”
She leaned in, her breath warm against my ear, voice low and dangerously alluring: “How about it? Don’t you want to make me—eternally youthful and beautiful—yours forever?”
I leapt backward and shouted: “Stop! Right there!”
‘Yours forever?’
If I ever truly ‘owned’ such a dangerous woman, I’d be flayed alive within a week.
Mia clicked her tongue, eyeing me with disappointment. “Tch. What a shame. But no matter—you’ll come to me eventually.”
‘No, I won’t!’
But since I’d already accepted her vow, denying it outright might get me stabbed.
I forced a strained smile and tried to defuse her suspicion: “You accepted my vow, yet you say I’ll come to you? That makes no sense!”
“Didn’t you clearly refuse when I offered my vow? I haven’t forgotten.”
“That’s…”
This was exactly why I didn’t see her as a romantic prospect.
In the original game, she had a disturbing hobby: collecting human skins.
She hadn’t done it recently—but who knew if she’d start again? I’d intervened to suppress that dark tendency…
but it hadn’t vanished entirely. Just the other day, I nearly fainted when Leah’s letter mentioned Mia had become an expert in torturing demons—reaching ‘specialist’ levels.
Spend my life with that woman?
What if we had a marital quarrel and I ended up on her torture table?
Sure, if I shared her tastes, we’d be perfect—but unfortunately, I had zero interest in such things.
“If you dislike my personality… how about this?” She gave a playful smile.
“What… what do you mean?”
“I’ll speak to you in honorifics again—like I used to.”
“Honorifics?” What nonsense—when had she ever…? Then I remembered. Before defeating the Demon King, I’d visited each Hero Party member individually to hand out special items. And that one time—only once—Mia had spoken to me in formal, polite speech. That was when I realized she liked me… and I’d despaired.
“Oh? Back when we last met?” I forced a weak smile.
Mia nodded. “Yes. Don’t human wives use honorifics when speaking to their husbands after marriage?”
“Well… yes, but—we’re not even married yet!”
A chill ran down my spine. My smile felt like it was twitching uncontrollably. This was worse than any horror movie. In films, ghosts can’t crawl out of the screen—but this was real life.
“We’ll marry soon, won’t we? Once we stop the King of the Dead and clean up the remnants… then…”
Ah… no. The moment the King of the Dead falls, I’m running.
“But right now, we’re fighting for all life. That’s what matters.”
I gently took her delicate hand to reassure her.
“So let’s focus on the battle ahead—not the future.”
She looked from our joined hands to my face.
“And after the battle?”
If I answered wrong, she’d grow suspicious—and ruin my escape plan.
So I said: “Then… things will go as you wish, Mia.”
“You’ll keep that promise?”
Her blue eyes gleamed with eerie intensity. I nodded awkwardly.
***
The next morning. I entered my study—and found Icira sitting primly on the sofa.
“Oh? You’re back sooner than expected.”
“I secured the guardians more easily than anticipated.”
She sipped tea—wherever she’d gotten it.
“Really? All fifty?”
In the original game, this would’ve been impossible. I’d expected maybe five or six. But my actions had already diverged completely from the original storyline.
Icira narrowed her eyes.
“Didn’t you ask me to borrow them?”
“Well, yes—but I never thought you’d get all fifty…”
There were five Seal Stones—my lifelines. Placing ten guardians at each felt excessive, even risky.
“You’re unbelievable. So you asked me for something you thought impossible?”
“Haha! Anyway—where are the guardians now?”
She sighed deeply.
“I’ve already deployed them in the dungeons.”
“Oh? That was fast!”
“Obviously. I knew you’d just ask me to place them anyway.”
The Seal Stones were far from the estate—so I had no choice but to rely on Icira’s teleportation magic for logistics.
“Where’s Aria?”
“Probably sleeping with Mia.”
Lately, Mia had become utterly smitten with Aria. Was it because they were both women? Leah and Mia both melted the moment they saw Aria—honey practically dripping from their eyes.
“The High Elf?”
“Yeah. They’ll come for lunch later—you’ll see them then.”
I glanced at the clock—8 a.m. Living comfortably in the mansion, both Mia and Aria had taken to sleeping in.
“Lunchtime? Seems they’ve really let loose without me around.”
“Come on—dragons naturally sleep a lot.”
Icira shook her head sharply.
“You can’t afford such laziness during apocalyptic times. Even dragons wouldn’t sleep so deeply when the world’s ending.”
She muttered under her breath: “I’ll have to retrain her habits properly when I see her.”
‘You?’
The one who sleeps for centuries at a time?
I walked to my desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out an envelope.
“Anyway—can you deliver this to the Hero Party in the Capital?”
It was a letter I’d prepared for Icira to send upon her return—a reply to the letters the Hero Party had recently sent me, and a way to check the situation.
If the Capital was in danger, I’d need to return immediately. With Imperial forces rallied as I’d instructed, it shouldn’t fall easily.
For some reason, in the game, the moment the Capital fell—or all Seal Stones were destroyed—it was instant game over.
So I was certain something critical was there.
“Ugh. You’re making me run errands now too?”
“It’s important. The Capital must not fall.”
“Why? Is there something special there?”
I shrugged at her flat tone.
“No idea. But in the game I played, if the Capital falls or all Seal Stones break—it’s game over.”
“Game over?”
Icira looked puzzled by the unfamiliar term.
“The end of the game. Player defeat. Which means… the end of this world.”
“Hmph. Fine. I’ll go to the Capital. The Hero Party—you mean your disciples?”
“Oh? Leah’s part of the Hero Party too.”
Icira stood and waved her hand.
“Then they’ll be easy to find. Teleport.”
Blue light erupted around her—and she vanished instantly.
“I hope nothing goes wrong…”
***
Leah stomped out of the Imperial Palace, frustration boiling over.
“Damn it! Those idiots! The moment Master leaves, they stop listening!”
Cecilia’s expression was grim.
“Right? If the northern fortress soldiers all die because of this, it’ll be a disaster…”
“Ugh. This is exactly why I hate nobles.”
They’d grown fed up with the nobles’ complaints the moment Hans handed over massive quantities of holy water and relics to the Emperor.
Just then— An immense surge of magic gathered around them.
“What… what is this?!”
“Good heavens! Such overwhelming magic! Is… is it an attack?!”
They drew their weapons, bracing for combat. Tense and alert, they stared ahead— when a magic circle flared on the ground, blue light erupting upward.
From it emerged a stunning woman with long, neatly braided white hair.
“Who are you?!”
“Are you the Hero Party? I am Icira Frosthold.”
With her hands raised peacefully, clearly no threat, they hesitated—repeating her name silently.
“Who’s that?”
“No idea.”
“I’ve never heard of her.”
The three exchanged glances, racking their memories—but she was a complete stranger.
Then Icira stated her purpose: “I’ve brought Hans’s letter.”
At the sight of her breathtaking beauty, they all froze—like statues.
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