The women I set free are obsessed with me

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"Why does this damn elf have so many demands?"

The mustached employee grumbled as he headed towards the prison-that-wasn't-quite-a-prison with the meal.

Choosing the menu, selecting how to prepare the food, demanding alcohol. Is this a captured elf or a restaurant customer?

Roperman's just as much to blame, indulging her every whim. Just because she's a precious elf he obtained. Talk about spoiling. At this rate, he might let her roam free soon.

Clank.

The employee began unlocking the triple-locked door.

He could have just slipped the food through the hole at the bottom of the door, but he chose to open it. It felt good to admire the helpless elf up close, and she smelled nice.

The devilish temptation to kidnap her and run away occasionally whispered to him, though he'd never make it out of Noctar anyway.

Click.

He undid the last lock and unwound the chain. As he opened the door, a refreshing forest scent wafted out.

Ah, this fragrance.

It washed away all his day's fatigue. He'd love to have one of these in his room.

"Hey, food's… here?"

The man's voice trailed off stupidly.

Something was off. The room suddenly appeared luxurious. To explain, when the elf had been present, the room's appearance hadn't even registered. He had been too busy staring at the elf.

But now, all he could see was the room. The elf who should have been there was gone. The shackles connected to the pillar lay unfastened on the floor.

That was when he realized something was very wrong.

"W-What the hell?!"

The employee rushed into the room as if sucked in, and the food he'd been carrying clattered to the floor.

He examined the shackles. They hadn't been broken. Instead, they were neatly opened, clearly unlocked with a key.

No way…!

Someone beat me to kidnapping the elf!

Is it that bastard Marco?

Or maybe Tram?

How dare these fuckers make their move first! If I can't have her, neither can you!

Just as he turned to report the situation—

"Huh?"

He came face to face with Karami, who had been trying to sneak out and close the door.

"Y-You…?"

Karami flashed a kind smile at the man who was pointing at him in shock.

"Please, enjoy your rest. The air's nice, the facilities are good. And the food… well, it's been more than 3 seconds, but it won't kill you."

The man, apparently preferring work to rest, leapt up and ran, but the world wasn't about to wait for him. Cruelly, the door slammed shut.

He tried with all his might to open it, but it only rattled. While Karami held the door shut from the outside, Alfia locked it.

They could hear muffled shouting from inside, but neither paid it any mind. They were too busy escaping.

"Let's bolt."

Whoosh.

As they hurried to escape the building before being discovered, a black mist suddenly materialized from somewhere, cutting off their path through the corridor.

"Why are you coming out of there?"

Stepping slowly out of the mist was the dark elf, Renard, who had been tasked with capturing Alfia at Roperman's request.

Her icy blue eyes, cold enough to freeze the air itself, locked onto Karami.

"Didn't you leave earlier, with Roperman seeing you off?"

"I came back in. Oh dear, I just couldn't bring myself to leave my slave behind."

"But I didn't sense your presence."

"That's because you are incompetent."

Renard's eyebrow twitched for a moment. Karami's plausible bullshit skill wasn't only for negotiations. His snark could rile up even trained assassins.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just put her back in."

Renard's hands moved. She drew the two daggers crossed at her waist and gripped them in reverse.

"The elf has escaped!"

On top of that, Roperman's underlings were coming up the stairs, having heard the commotion.

Alfia kept her eyes on Renard while scanning her surroundings. They were in a straight corridor. If they stayed, they'd be surrounded from both sides.

Her eyes fell on a window in the corridor.

"Hey. I mean… M-Master?"

"Yes?"

"We're escaping, so cover your face with your clothes so you don't get hurt, and hold on tight to big sis."

"What are you—?!"

Alfia's actions were faster than Karami's questions. She smashed the window with her bow, pulled Karami close, and leapt out.

To someone who didn't know she was an elf, it might have looked like a suicide attempt.

Elves, called forest fairies, or wingless angels of the forest, spent their entire lives traversing treetops; they didn't know the meaning of falling.

Alfia was an elf through and through. After hopping between a few trees next to the building, she landed as lightly as a leaf riding the wind.

Karami stood frozen, eyes wide open at the sudden action. Alfia let out a small chuckle and asked him.

"You're not scared, are you?"

"O-Of course not. I was just surprised seeing you traverse trees so well…"

"Big sis is an elf, you know~"

Alfia cocked her head, sending her hair dancing gracefully. Unfortunately, there was no time to show off. There was another elf to deal with.

While people gazed upward helplessly, like dogs watching chickens fly to rooftops, Renard made her move.

The black mist spilled out the window, snaking up to the building's roof. Once again, Renard rode the mist. With her silhouette stark against the moonlit night, she gazed down at the two figures below.

Alfia frowned.

"What's that? A spirit?"

"That's right. It's a spirit called Dark Cloud. They're particularly fond of dark elves, and their weakness is light."

"You, how do you know that…"

"It's in the spirit guide. Did you know you get an achievement for completing it? You have no idea how many times I rerolled elves trying to get a full collection."

Renard's gaze shifted to Alfia as if looking at trash. She flinched, unable to meet those eyes.

"Is this truly the master you have faith in?"

"…I decided not to think too deeply about it. Who cares? As long as he treats me well, that's all that matters."

"What are you saying? I treat all my slaves well!"

"Master? Please shut up and run towards the tavern. I'll take care of things here."

"Haha, I suppose I'd just be in the way. Then I'll leave it to you."

Karami, not putting up any pointless bravado, was about to leave when he called out to her.

"Miss Alfia."

"What?"

"Remember, your master always believes in you."

Watching him wink as he said that, Alfia couldn't help but smile.

"I know that now, even without you saying it."

Karami ran off down the path, while Alfia kept a close eye on Renard, worried about any sudden moves.

"Didn't you say you had a job to catch an elf? Wouldn't turning yourself in be perfect? You'd complete the job, and that guy would be happy too."

"My client wishes for you white elves."

"What a discriminatory human. My master doesn't care about that stuff. How about it, want to become a slave too? As your senior elf, I'll treat you nicely. Oh, but I might have to punish you a bit for pointing a knife at Master."

"You seem to be trying to buy time, but there's no need. I have no intention of chasing after him."

Renard looked at Karami retreating away, knowing exactly where he was headed. No doubt, the Peacock's Night Gathering.

With a few of her people already on standby, catching him would be child's play. She just needed to focus on dealing with the elf in front of her.

"Let me warn you in advance. Drop your bow and quietly accept your fate. You can't beat me when you can't even control spirits."

She might be right.

After all, having used a bow for a few months with nothing but simulated combat training, Alfia might be on a fool's erranding against such a seasoned assassin like Renard.

But what else can I do?

Karami said he believed in her.

Need I say more?

I don't need any other explanation.

She nocked an arrow, her target between Renard's eyes. It was time to show the results of her training.

Alfia released the bowstring.

The elf's arrow cut through the night.

***

"Isn't that cheating?!"

It was hopeless.

The arrow she had fired with such confidence flew harmlessly past as Renard simply tilted her head. After avoiding the attack, she stared back with an unimpressed look that seemed to say, too slow.

Upon determining that shooting from below wasn't ideal, Alfia nimbly scaled a wall and leapt onto the roof.

Hiding in the gaps between roof tiles, she readied her bow at an angle and fired.

Whoosh.

The arrow flew in a completely unexpected direction, parallel to where Renard stood.

But the moment the arrow left Renard's field of vision, the wind picked up. The arrow bent at an impossible angle, arcing back like a boomerang.

It plummeted towards Renard's temple.

Renard didn't even blink. Without looking, she swung her dagger, cleaving the arrow in two. Alfia's trump card was split in half.

The dark elf Renard was just as adept at reading air currents. No ordinary archer could hit her.

Renard lowered her eyes, and Alfia flinched.

The black mist writhed, obscuring the dark elf's form. The mist enveloping its master swept through the air, heading straight for Alfia.

"Tch!"

Alfia dashed across the rooftop. She looked like a jewel thief on the run. Even as she ran, she nocked another arrow. She jumped, twisting in mid-air to fire behind her.

Whoosh.

The arrow passed through the mist. Rapid-fire shots, volleys—the result was the same. They couldn't inflict any damage. Renard freely navigated through the mist, evading every attack.

**

How can I win this?

Alfia bit her lower lip hard in frustration.

"Is it alright for us to just watch like this?"

Meanwhile, at the Peacock's Night Gathering.

Two men sat at an outdoor table, sipping drinks under the moonlight. Around them lay shadowy figures, sprawled on the ground.

Victor, who had created this scene, observed the black and white elves freely leaping across the rooftops. While Alfia demonstrated impressive bow skills as expected, her opponent was no pushover.

As an assassin himself, Victor could gauge Renard's level more accurately. She would be among the top ranks even within the Assassin's Guild.

Especially Renard's black mist.

Without the ability to manipulate the arcane, it was impossible to counter. Such an absurd advantage.

Part of him wanted to intervene. Victor had grown fond of Alfia, and Emily liked her too. But Karami had firmly opposed the idea.

"This is her role. Don't interfere."

"What if something goes wrong?"

"Then that's for her to deal with."

He couldn't spoonfeed her everything. That would hinder Alfia's growth and take her further from complete liberation.

He had done what he could; now all that's left is to have faith and wait.

"You're tougher than you look."

"It's like they say: the troublemaker gets a treat, while the golden child gets a beating."

Victor took a sip, thinking, is that so? He turned his head as the battle dynamics changed.

The distance between the two elves had finally closed. It was difficult to escape from Renard, who rode the mist, just by running around.

Renard's upper body emerged from the mist as she swung her dagger upward in a diagonal slash. Alfia barely dodged by bending backwards at the waist.

But with her center of gravity shifted forward, she lost her balance. Alfia fell face-first onto the ground.

Renard didn't hesitate to exploit the opening. Like a viper with its jaws wide open about to swallow a rabbit, she brought down her pair of daggers, reminiscent of massive fangs.

"Ugh!"

Alfia reflexively raised her bow. Thunk! The bow shaft collided with Renard's wrists. The blade stopped inches from her face. Alfia turned her head, struggling with all her might to push it away.

Yet the dagger only trembled, refusing to budge.

"I have no hobby of killing my kin. Give up. This is my last act of mercy."

"Selling your own kind is mercy?"

"Better than dying, isn't it?"

"Elves bond with only one person for life! I'd rather die…!"

Objectively speaking, Alfia's bow skills were quite impressive. With her incredible abilities supporting her, she could hold her own even in real combat.

But her opponent was too much. Fighting an elf without spirits was like a mage fighting without magic.

If only I could do something about that mist…!

Karami had said it was weak to light.

She had various spirits inside her. Wouldn't one of them be a light spirit?

Alfia focused her consciousness on the expanded pathway. She forcibly dragged out a spirit hiding deep inside.

The spirit struggled, resisting.

As they thrashed about, excruciating pain washed over her.

But she didn't stop. She wouldn't endure it anymore. How long had she suffered already?

"If you're gonna barge into my body, at least pay rent!!!"

With that cry, one spirit was sucked along the pathway. A soft white light flowed along the lines of the brand.

When that light completely dyed the brand—

FLASH─────!

A light brighter than any flash illuminated the night of Noctar.