Raising the Elf’s Genius Slayer

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Chapter

“Ugh….”

Yuren, the knight and daughter of Duke Irwin, finally opened her eyes.

Through her blurred vision, she could see the outlines of people. She squinted and rubbed her eyes, making her sight a bit clearer.

“Ah, Father….”

The sight of her father, the Duke, groaning while tightly holding his severed arm. Flames of fury ignited within her.

She shouted at the back of Enok and his party, who were leaving the banquet hall while chatting.

“I will never forget this humiliation…! I will avenge…! Ugh…”

The promising youths of the kingdom watched as Yuren, who had been hit by a muffin thrown by Enok, collapsed.

“The Irwin Duke family really knows how to lose face.”

“Hmph, it’s going to be quite a mess.”

The downtrodden Duke gritted his teeth.

Enok and his group walked out of the banquet hall and into the now darkened streets.

“Choco, let’s head straight to Demisto.”

“Huh? Why are you telling me this?”

“Teleport us.”

“I can’t.”

“What?”

Tsukiyo, clinging to Enok’s back while riding on Eri, began gnawing at Enok’s shoulder.

“Teleportation isn’t something a Grandmaster should have to deal with, you know? I’m not a mage. It’s weird that a swordmaster can do that, and so can your dad.”

While she could break space, moving through it was a different story. Enok sighed as he scratched Tsukiyo’s chin.

“Well, looks like we’ll be taking a carriage again.”

“What’s there to complain about if you just need to sit?”

“I want to lie down.”

At Enok’s words, Zikfrein tilted his head.

“You were lying down in the carriage when you came here, weren’t you?”

“Shut up.”

In the end, after Enok was delivered to the carriage by Eri, he took a seat and curled up.

They considered leaving in the morning but felt a bit guilty for causing a fuss and staying over.

“Why not just sleep through it?”

Of course, that was meant for everyone except Enok.

Hee hee hee—! As the carriage started moving, the seats shook lightly.

“By the way, Enok, look at this.”

Zikfrein pulled out a wooden board from somewhere. It was painted with black and white squares. As Enok tilted his head in curiosity at the unfamiliar object, Zikfrein grinned and explained.

“This is called chess. It’s a strategic game and quite fun. Want to give it a try?”

“Strategy? No thanks…”

The best strategy is total annihilation. With firm conviction, Enok wore a disgusted expression.

“Ugh, chess? Are people still playing that kid’s game?”

Tsukiyo clicked her tongue.

“Oh? You know chess?”

“Of course, I don’t not know chess.”

“I thought it was something that didn’t exist in the Beastman Tribe.”

“…This is why humans are so dumb. Do you think the Beastman Tribe is some backwater village?”

Zikfrein gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head at Tsukiyo’s words.

“Uh… so, want to play a game? I’m pretty good at it.”

“Ugh, why are we even playing this pointless game?”

Zikfrein quickly arranged the chess pieces on the board.

Zikfrein took black while Tsukiyo took white. As Tsukiyo frowned at his offer to let her start, he said, “Fine, I’ll give you a handicap.”

Tsukiyo cleared all the pieces off the board, leaving only the queen and king.

“That’s a bit much.”

“Just do it.”

Tsukiyo moved her piece to d7 and captured a pawn. Zikfrein, tilting his head in confusion, reached for the bishop just as—

*Thwack!*

Tsukiyo swiftly moved her queen and took out the pawn nearby.

“Eh?”

Zikfrein gaped in shock.

*Thwack!*

In that moment, Tsukiyo used her queen to take another bishop.

“Wait, Tsukiyo…? That’s not how you’re supposed to do it…”

*Tap tap tap!*

Before long, all of Zikfrein’s pieces were gone, leaving him with just the king. While he stared blankly at the board, Tsukiyo confidently smiled and smashed the king’s head with her queen.

*Crack!*

“Hmph, how’s that?”

“That was expensive…”

“…You can just buy another one. I have plenty of money.”

Tsukiyo snorted and crossed her arms over her petite chest.

“Every time I see it, it’s a completely pointless game.”

“No… that’s not how it’s done…”

“You said it helped with strategy, didn’t you? Real warfare is like this.”

Tsukiyo held up a slender finger and wiggled it.

“When a commoner moves once, a superhuman can move hundreds, thousands of times. Their blades may not even leave a scratch on a superhuman, but a superhuman’s blade can kill hundreds of commoners at once.”

“Ah, right.”

“Once you become a Grandmaster, no matter how many commoners gather, they pose no threat, so in chess terms, it’s as if you can move hundreds of pieces on your turn.”

“Does that mean strategy and tactics are meaningless?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

Tsukiyo puffed out her chest proudly. Enok spoke up.

“Choco, you honestly don’t know how to play this, do you?”

“Wh-what…!”

You hit the nail on the head.

*

“Is this really happening?”

The woman looked around, irritated. To the casual observer, it appeared to be a regular city. Yet it was different. This city was dead.

“We got lost? That’s not even a funny joke.”

The woman ground her teeth and stomped the ground hard with the heel of her shoe.

*BANG!*

The earth trembled, and the buildings above crumbled helplessly. Tugi shook his head lightly at the sight of the furious woman.

“Yekaterina, calm down.”

“Does this look like I’m calm?”

“Nothing will change if you keep it up.”

As if to confirm his words, after walking for about ten minutes, the same scenery greeted them again. The location of the buildings, their layout, the color of the soil, the position of the clouds—all of it was exactly the same as before. The very building that had just collapsed returned to its former state.

It was proof that they weren’t simply circling in the same space.

“It’s clear this isn’t an illusion just set in space…”

As Tugi stared quietly into the void, he suddenly looked at Yekaterina. At the intense gaze probing her, Yekaterina’s body stiffened.

“What… what is it?”

When Tugi lifted her chin with his hand, her cheeks flushed slightly.

“Wh-what is it really?!”

“Is that so…”

“Uh, uh?”

In an instant, Tugi’s eyes turned red, and he glared at the empty air.

“What do you want?”

“What do you mean I want something?”

Yekaterina quailed as Tugi shouted. However, Tugi’s gaze was not directed at her. Upon realizing this, Yekaterina turned her eyes to where Tugi was looking.

“There’s nothing there…”

“I ask again. How is it that the dead interfere with the affairs of the living? I will no longer sit idly.”

Then, moments later, a voice echoed from the void.

[Oh my, how did you know? You have quite the sharp eyes, my dear.]

Something that had been laughing began to reveal itself. A faint shimmer appeared in the air, manifesting into the translucent form of a woman.

“Enough, that’s enough. Now, dispel the spell.”

[That would be difficult.]

“Do you need to shed blood before you’re satisfied?”

[But I’m a ghost, so I don’t bleed.]

“Let’s see if that’s true.”

Tugi clenched his fist, and red bubbles began to form around him. Seeing that, the ghost smiled and clicked her tongue.

[It’s troubling. Why do you keep trying to interfere? The Haken Welt is practically finished anyway.]

“Mind your own business.”

[Hmm… Is there no other way? I don’t particularly enjoy using my power but…]

The woman, who had been biting her lip and tapping her chin, suddenly widened her eyes in delight.

[Oh my? You’ve come already? That changes things.]

In an instant, the woman’s form vanished, and the surrounding scenery changed. More specifically, it was the scenery that Tugi and Yekaterina were looking at that altered.

In a fully chaotic scene, Yekaterina frowned.

“These are my traces?”

“It’s a spell cast upon the essence of our soul. We took too long to realize the existence of the essence.”

“Aha… So from the outside, we looked like idiots spinning in circles, did we?”

Yekaterina gritted her teeth. In the distance, the sight of Demisto Castle could be seen. Naturally, since it was the city center, numerous people were passing by, looking at them strangely.

If they had attacked, they would have noticed even if the spell was cast over their souls, but since no one did anything, they were completely unaware.

“How annoying…”

Yekaterina stomped the heel of her high-heeled shoes into the ground.

*THUD!*

“For the crime of looking upon a lady’s disgrace, you shall pay with death.”

A red line was drawn through the air, followed by a wet sound as all noise suddenly ceased. Yekaterina elegantly walked through the fragments of corpses.

“Let’s hurry, Grandmaster.”

Tugi sighed and shook his head.

“It’s almost time anyway, so it shouldn’t matter. Let’s go.”

*

At the same time, Enok and his party, having arrived at Demisto, faced the waiting Marquis.

“Dad?”

Zikfrein looked surprised, and the Marquis opened his mouth with a stiff expression.

“I have learned some new facts about Idalian.”

“In such a short time?”

“Yes, in such a short time. It’s as if information has flowed in as if enchanted.”

The Marquis’s expression darkened. He briefly looked at the ground before continuing as if talking to himself.

“The butler’s torment was just the beginning. Since the bullying continued, the other servants began to look down on her too. The psychological barriers must have gradually been lowered, and the intensity of bullying increased.”

What started as simple disobedience eventually escalated to mockery and disdain. When even that didn’t provoke any response, their behavior became bolder.

“The Idalian usually enjoyed modest clothing.”

Even though she owned expensive jewelry, the Marquis had only ever handed her a few pieces on special occasions.

“So when she apologized for losing her jewelry a few times, I didn’t think much of it. She was a quiet lady but also a clumsy one.”

Losing a few pieces of jewelry wouldn’t cause any harm to the Marquis house. Since she didn’t seem to mind, no special measures were taken.

“Fool. A lord who governs a territory didn’t even think to look into what was happening to his wife.”

Idalian’s maidservants assisted her in dressing. Under the guise of that, they would pull at her hair, say that such extravagant jewelry didn’t suit a country girl, and even went so far as to fill their own pockets right in front of her.

Of course, while they seemed to have some thoughts, the actions that would draw attention were avoided.

They simply spat in food, mocked her openly, and joked that she would end up in a brothel if the Marquis lost interest.

“Do you think that makes sense? I was completely unaware. I hadn’t even thought to check. Idalian was always smiling. Even though she must have found it difficult and painful, the husband she was supposed to rely on knew nothing.”

She was a pure woman who had been born and raised in the countryside. Perhaps if she had lived in noble society, she would have had the wit to resolve such matters herself, but instead, she merely endured.

“I should have let her know what strength she possessed. What authority she held. I shouldn’t have just admired her pure demeanor.”

Admiring the innocent appearance of a flower while being oblivious to the bugs that gnawed at its roots.

He brought her to a place where there was no one he knew and thought she would manage just fine without taking any actions.

“Those despicable creatures are worse than beasts, but I was foolish enough to throw Idalian into the den of those beasts and remain ignorant. I was the inept, ignorant fool.”

“…”

The Marquis, who had spilled out his words, fell silent. With disheveled eyes, he looked around at his companions and forced a hollow laugh.

“…I made a spectacle of myself in front of guests. My apologies. I’ll take my leave now.”

With a deep bow, the Marquis left the scene, his footsteps weak.

“…Enok, I’ll be gone for a bit.”

“Okay.”

Zikfrein followed after the Marquis, leaving Enok behind, who clicked his tongue softly.

‘He’s not wrong, though.’

A fool who couldn’t even protect his own wife.

Still, he had no desire to reprimand him, so he kept his mouth shut.