In the face of the oncoming wind, the dark elfâs expression changed abruptly. He quickly retreated backward while reaching for his waist, but Eugene was faster and was onto him before he could do anything.
This was an inevitable outcome. The summoned wind was only for the sake of surprising the dark elf. Eugene had used the Blink spell for movement.
Without holding any weapons, Eugene pounced on the dark elf with his bare hands, but the dark elf wasnât making it easy to capture him. He bent his body backward, and then, in this unstable position, the dark elf swiveled in place, in a movement that could almost be called acrobatic. By doing so, he brought his leg swinging around toward Eugene.
Eugene snickered. He twisted his outstretched arm and blocked the dark elfâs kick with the back of his hand. It wasnât just an ordinary block either â the wind covertly swirling around Eugeneâs hand swallowed the dark elfâs body.
âUgh!â the dark elf grunted.
The wind was as sharp as a blade. Engulfed the center of this storm, the dark elf protected his head with both of his arms while drawing on his strength.
Crash!
Gray-colored mana wrapped around the dark elfâs body.
âHis mana is quite high-level, but his demonic power is nothing special,â Eugene observed.
The dark elf was only a little better than the lower-level demonfolk in terms of demonic power. However, his skills were far superior to any of the lower-level demonfolk.
Just like elves, dark elves also lived a long time. Although a hundred-year-old human would be so old that it wouldnât be strange for them to die at any time, a hundred-year-old elf was treated like a child by their own people.
The elves were one of those races who were blessed with an overflowing amount of time. Even if they just diligently cultivated their mana during all that time, any elf could become strong enough that no human would be able to look down on them.
With all that said, were elves unconditionally superior to humans?
That wasnât necessarily the case. Three hundred years ago, Vermouth had definitely been a human. Molon, Anise, Sienna, as well as Hamel, had all been humans. Humans were so numerous that they outnumbered the elves by the tens of hundreds, and amongst this overcrowded population, one could sometimes find monsters who were able to ignore the difference in lifespan.
The dark elf who had come here today couldnât have imagined that he would be facing one such monster.
But now, there was no need to imagine it. The reality of the situation was clear.
The dark elf couldnât understand why or how he had been thrown to the ground. The reality that he was facing right now had far exceeded the limits of his common sense.
â...Gagh!â The dark elf coughed.
Even though he had yet to understand the situation, his lips opened by themselves as blood sprayed out of his mouth. It had looked like a clean and simple back throw, but was that really all there was to it? No â before the dark elf had even hit the ground, Eugene had struck him a few more times.
Eugene had first reached out to the hand that was holding onto a dagger, grabbed it, and twisted it. As the dark elfâs arm was pulled in toward his side, his elbows were slammed against his own ribs. His mana shield was crushed by this blow, and the bones in his arm were broken.
A rising fist then slightly brushed against the dark elfâs chin. For a moment, the dark elf completely lost consciousness.
In the next instant, the dark elf landed onto the ground back-first. His arms, ribs, and shoulders⌠his whole body trembled as if it had been electrocuted. Not only were his bones broken, his internal organs had also been damaged, so every time he took a breath, the fishy smell of blood filled his throat.
Struggling any further would be trivial and futile. What had happened to him was so one-sided it couldnât even be called a fight. The dark elf gasped for breath as he glared up at Eugene. Although he was aware of these facts, the dark elf wasnât a true warrior. He didnât feel any respect for the opponent who had just defeated him.
âA human boy like youâŚ!â the dark elf growled angrily.
Drawing the dark elf here had been intentional. Rather than attacking the dark elvesâ stronghold, Eugene had been intending to get the dark elves to pursue him by using Jackson as bait.
If Jackson had been terrified enough to keep quiet, he wouldnât have been able to draw out any of the dark elves, but Eugene had made sure that he wouldnât just keep quiet. That was why he had cut off one of Jacksonâs hands.
âIâm not sure how I should react to that. I am a human, and Iâm young enough to be considered a boy, so should I still take your words as the insult they were intended to be?â Eugene muttered as he brushed off the dirt that had splashed up onto his cloak.
The dark elf coughed up another mouthful of blood, and tried to push himself up with his still-intact left arm.
âIâll kill youâŚ,â the dark elf groaned out.
Eugene had gotten used to hearing such words in these kinds of situations. This meant that he knew there wasnât any value in continuing to listen to them. Without any hesitation, Eugene raised his foot and stomped on the dark elfâs left hand.
Crackle!
There went the sound of bones being crushed.
âGaaaaah!â Unable to endure the pain, the dark elf screamed.
One feature of the dark elfâs appearance that stood out as much as any member of the elven race was his long ears. As their length suggested, these long ears expanded the range of their hearing.
This excellent sense of hearing allowed the dark elf to know precisely what kind of situation he had found himself in. The screams that he let out werenât spreading into the distance, and were instead echoing back within a small, confined area.
âA spellâŚ!â the dark elf realized.
The sound wasnât able to spread because it had been blocked from doing so. The dark elf didnât let out any further screams, and just grunted with effort as he tried to free his pinned-down hand. However, Eugene refused to release the dark elfâs hand, and just crouched down on the spot so that he could look into the dark elfâs eyes.
He had brown skin and crimson eyes. The characteristic traits of a dark elf hadnât changed since three hundred years ago. Eugene reached out to him with an apathetic expression.
He pulled off the dark elfâs cloak, then he tore open the collar as well. The dark elfâs eyes started to shake. His face twisted into a grimace, and he spat the blood that collected in his mouth onto Eugeneâs face.
âYou son of a bitch!â the dark elf cursed. âIâd rather die than be violated by someone like youââ
Eugene interrupted him, âWhat kind of nonsense are you yelping, you bastard? Why the hell would you think Iâd be interested in violating you?â
In the first place, this dark elf was a man, and even if it had been a woman insted, Eugene would have rejected taking such an action without even blinking. Even when he was making a living as a mercenary in his previous life, Eugene had never once forcibly taken a woman.
âLetâs see nowâŚ. Thatâs right, just as I thought,â Eugene muttered to himself.
Eugene stared down at the tattoo that marked the dark elf from his left collarbone to his chest.
It was in the shape of an upside-down goatâs skull, the horns of which had an unusual form. They were actually two pairs of horns growing out of the same base, one curved and one straight.
An upside-down goatâs skull with two pairs of horns was the sigil of the Demon King of Fury. The fact that this dark elf had a tattoo of it on his chest was proof that he was a subordinate of the Demon King of Fury.
âBut if he was alive three hundred years ago, thereâs no way that heâd be this sloppy,â thought Eugene.
This meant that he had probably become a dark elf relatively recently, and had just entered Irisâs service. Or else he could just be young. Either way, this dark elf was definitely one of Irisâs subordinates.
âThere are a few things that I want to ask you, so if at all possible, I hope that you can kindly cooperate with me,â Eugene requested.
âJust kill me,â the dark elf spat out.
Wasnât it obvious what kind of questions a slaver would ask? The dark elf had no intention of loosening his lips and betraying his people, even if it meant his death.
Eugene tried to persuad him. âIf youâre going to die anyway, wouldnât it be better for you to die painlessly.â
Although he had at least tried to convince the dark elf, Eugene didnât believe that it would be so easy to get this dark elf to open his mouth. That was why he had placed a seal on this location so that any sounds wouldnât carry for too far.
Eugene didnât like torture. However, he also wasnât the type to hesitate in its use when the situation called for it. Eugene now held the dagger that he had stolen from the dark elf in one hand.
âIt looks like this might take a while, so why donât you go get some sleep first instead of waiting up,â Eugene offered to Kristina.
âAllow me to offer you my help,â Kristina said as she stood up.
Eugene snorted and turned around to look back at her, âAnd how do you intend to do that? Are you going to make him repent by reciting prayers at him? Or are you thinking of smashing his fingers into bits with a mace?â
âI donât need to use such rough methods,â Kristina said with a smile as she walked over to Eugeneâs side.
Eugene shrugged and stepped over the dark elf, then pulled on the dark elfâs left arm so that it was twisted behind his back.
âSo what are you planning to do?â Eugene asked.
âAn interrogation,â Kristina said as she pulled out her wand.
The cross at the end of the wand was held up to Kristinaâs chest. With a calm smile, she stared at the dark elf.
Eventually, Kristinaâs lips twitched.
Fwooosh!
A short spell was cast using her divine power. The blue jewel embedded into the center of the cross shone in resonance with the divine power that Kristina had aroused.
This flickering light was directed at the dark elf. As dark elves were corrupted by demonic power, they instinctively rejected divine power. The dark elf started sweating profusely as he tried to twist his body free of Eugeneâs hold.
âLook at me,â Kristina whispered.
Her smile exuded benevolence, and her voice rang as sweet as a childâs.
Eugene was startled. âThis isâŚ.â
Still holding the arm of the dark elf behind his back, Eugene had a front-row view to what Kristina was doing. However, he couldnât tell what holy magic Kristina was currently using. Anise had never used a divine spell like this.
On the other hand, while studying magic at Akron, Eugene had gotten to know various different types of magic. Although it was impossible for him to personally learn any divine spells, he had read a few books on holy magic.
Mental magic was of a different category from normal magic. The only place that dealt with mental magic in depth was the Black Tower of Magic.
However, if one went beyond the strict boundaries of âmagicâ, it wasnât black magic that was most adept at manipulating the targetâs mental state according to the casterâs will. The true master of this kind of activity was holy magic.
Three hundred years ago, back when black wizards were still widely reviled, the Holy Empire of Yurasâs Inquisitors were the greatest fear of all black wizards. In those days, everyone was united in their hatred of the black wizards, but the Inquisitors of Yuras in particular didnât even see black wizards as human beings.
In todayâs era, Inquisitors werenât as fearsome as they used to be three hundred years ago. This was because they were no longer in an era where they were given free rein to go wherever and do whatever they wanted in the name of hunting these black wizards.
However the Inquisitors could still be found in Yuras. They watched over the priests of the Holy Empire, and served as a warning not to falter in oneâs faith.
â...You even know how to use this type of divine spell?â Eugene commented.
âI donât enjoy using it,â Kristina said defensively.
âIt would have been better if you had just used it earlier,â Eugene complained.
âAre you talking about using it on the informant? He might have had a bad temper, but he was just an ordinary human, he wasnât even a lapsed follower of the God of Light,â Kristina lowered her wand and straightened back up.
The dark elf, who had been stammering while under the control of the spell, was now muttering to himself with his head bowed low, in a garble tongue where it was impossible to make out any actual âwordsâ.
â...As you can see⌠now that his will is broken and his mind has collapsed, I have managed to extract a confession straight from his heart,â Kristina explained.
Although it might have been possible for her to do so, Anise had never once used such a spell.
âTaking this into account, the interrogation spell isnât one that should be used lightly, and I personally also dislike using it. However⌠since this is a fallen elf, there was no reason to hesitate in interrogating him,â Kristina said as she brought her hands together in prayer. âThrough his confession, we will be brought one step closer to completing our divine mission. Surely Godâs ear will be drawn towards listening to this poor soulâs confession, and his hand shall guide this soul darkened by corruption back into the land of light.â
âSo youâre saying that itâs alright to kill him then?â Eugene surmised.
âItâs not about killing, itâs about purifying the soul,â Kristina said with a broad smile.
What a snake-like woman.
Although it wasnât exactly the same, Kristina also had an unknowable side to her, just like Anise. They were also similar in the way that they sinisterly hid their true feelings behind a smile.
Eugene grabbed the limp dark elf by the collar and dragged the elf up with him as he stood up. Despite the rough treatment, the dark elf was still vacantly muttering to himself. Although Eugene had been intending to go find a quiet corner in which to execute the dark elf, Kristina didnât stay put as expected and instead followed Eugene.
He decided to let her do what she wanted. Instead of just slicing open the dark elfâs throat, Eugene laid him down onto the ground and placed a hand on his chest. A few moments later, the dark elfâs heart suddenly stopped.
After watching this scene take place with some surprise, Kristina walked over to the side of the pulse-less elf and knelt down. Then she placed her hands together, and after spending a few moments in prayer, she lifted her wand.
Fwooosh!
The light summoned by Kristina swallowed the dark elfâs body. Not long afterwards, the dark elfâs body transformed into ashes and then completely disappeared.
â...Almighty God of Light, please receive this corrupted soul and render unto him your judgment. Please light up the darkness in his soul with your light, and burn away the karma that he has accrued during his life with your flaming torch,â Kristina prayed.
Kristinaâs prayers were similar to, but also different from the prayers that had been engraved onto Hamelâs grave. But the basic core on which their prayers were based could still be seen in both cases.
âWas my help of some assistance?â Kristina asked as she finished her prayer and stood up.
âYep,â Eugene answered honestly.
If it wasnât for Kristinaâs interrogation spell, he would have had to spend a long night in this forest torturing the dark elf.
âLetâs postpone our rest for tonight,â Eugene proposed.
âAre you worried that we might be pursued?â Kristina asked.
The dark elf was alone and hadnât brought any companions. That said, it was still better for them not to keep camping there, at a place where they had already come into contact with one dark elf. And since there was nothing wrong with being careful, it was better for them to keep moving during the early hours of the morning.
âWe also have a long way to go,â Eugene added.
They had learned several things through the interrogation.
They may have already confirmed it with the tattoo, but the dark elf had personally admitted to being Irisâs subordinate.
He was a member of Furyâs Independence Army. With Iris at its head, the Independence Army was an organization made up solely of dark elves. While they were increasing their manpower by recruiting the elves who came to Samar, they were also searching for the undiscovered elven sanctuary.
Apart from that, they had also learned something about the elves.
There were still elves who had rejected their persuasion to become dark elves and who had instead headed into the depths of the rainforest. These elves knew that they were highly valued as slaves, and they also knew that many of the barbaric tribes that lived in the rainforest had no regard for the elves.
The guiding purpose of these elves was to find their way to the elven sanctuary where the World Tree hopefully still stood tall. However, as the road leading to it was blocked, the elves who werenât able to enter the sanctuary had gathered together and formed a new village.
To reach this village from the outskirts of the Samar Rainforest, no matter how fast they traveled, it would take the two at least a month to get there.
â...Then thereâs the matter of the guardianâŚ,â Eugene mused.
In the village where the wandering elves had gathered, there was said to be a guardian who protected the village from attacks by slavers and other barbarian tribes.
â...Itâs said that the elves living there shun all contact with humans,â Kristina brought up cautiously.
âWe just need to make them feel welcoming,â Eugene stated confidently.
âHow do we do that?â Kristina asked uncertainly.
âJust because theyâre elves, do you really think that they would reject all gifts?â Eugene replied with a shrug. âThereâs no one in the world who doesnât like a gift.â
The dark elf that they had just interrogated didnât know anything about the elven sanctuary. Just like Eugene had expected, he was a young elf who hadnât been born within the sanctuary and had instead been born somewhere outside the forest.
What Eugene was looking for was elves who had lived inside the sanctuary.
âIf at all possible, it should be someone who also knows about Sienna,â Eugene thought hopefully.
If it was an elf who had left the sanctuary around two hundred years ago, they might have even run into Sienna on their way out.