Chapter 2

Absolutely don't touch Eldmia Eg - Chapter 2 (2/599)

“Shit, shit, what do I do? What do I do?”

There are three of them left. The ones behind seem to be dead, and the one whose neck was just cut is convulsing, but it looks like he'll die soon since the others aren't trying to help him.

I pretended to rub my eyes with my blood-soaked hands while observing them.

Even in this situation, they neither run away nor attack me all at once to try to kill me. This clearly shows that while the Demon Sword is of considerable value, their skills are lacking.

I had no intention of letting them live. Shit, did you come here to plunder a place where there's nothing left? In my eyes, they are no longer human but worse than beasts.

“Shit, just shut up…!”

One of them, irritated by my loud crying, tried to shout, but the one next to him quickly stopped him.

“Crazy bastard! Don't provoke him! Hey, hey! Kid, can you put down that sword a bit?”

The despicable-looking one, despite sweating profusely, forced a laugh, which was utterly disgusting. Yeah, they think that if I put down the sword, everything will be fine.

“Hic… hic… Ah, it won't fall.”

Right now, I am the very embodiment of a pantomime actor. I put on a method acting performance, pretending to try my hardest to drop the sword from my left hand but failing, and then burst into loud sobs again.

“Waaaah, Mom!”

Mom! Dad! Watch as your son sends these bastards to a twisted hell! I will show you that I can survive in this harsh world!

My mana is still sufficient. I anticipated that my joints might be injured and poured mana into my body, so I can endure. I dragged myself over to the direction of my parents' grave.

The sword I held was the one my mother held, and my father also held an identical one. If they have their eyes on the Demon Sword, they will be stunned the moment they see it.

“Hey! Where are you going!”

“Waaaah!”

If you're curious, you should follow me. As expected, they hesitated but eventually shuffled over to see what I was doing, dragging their slave.

“Shit, what the…?!”

With a *thud*, one of them lunged forward. I quickly turned my head and saw that the running guy's gaze was already fixed on the long sword in my father's hand, so I stabbed him straight in the heart.

*Thud!*

“Gaaaah…!”

The resistance was different from cutting, and I almost dropped the sword, but I gritted my teeth and held on. I could feel all the blisters on my hands bursting, but it was better than dying. I forced myself to support his collapsing body, and the thief's breath was cut off as he fell to his knees.

During this time, I pulled out the dagger from his belt, hid it in my clothes, and cried out loud.

“Markkkk!”

“Waaaah!”

The other two couldn't grasp the situation and stomped their feet again... but the woman with the collar was as calm as if she were from another world.

She must have noticed.

“Huh, huh, what?”

Pretending to be confused and not understanding, I released the sword with both hands. The two of them widened their eyes at this.

“Waaaah, Dad!”

There are two swords anyway, and I have a dagger in my clothes. I pretended to collapse next to my father's body and grabbed the sword.

“Hey, shit, quickly take care of that!”

Seeing me move away from the sword, the two of them, without hesitation, ran over to the body of the guy called Mark and squatted down.

Are they idiots? While a kid is killing everyone who approaches, they don't realize that the one who grabs the sword might die? I thought they might start a fight over it, but they didn't.

They were just a pair of friendly idiots. I ran over with the sword and stabbed one of them in the neck.

“Gasp?!”

“Huh? Huh?!”

There was no need to pull it out. I pulled out the dagger from my clothes and stabbed the other one, who was panicking, from under his chin with all my strength.

“Gasp!”

Since it wasn't a long sword, to prepare for any unexpected situation, I gathered all my mana and stabbed, causing the handle to go in. I fell to the ground with the guy as he collapsed backward, and a deep sense of relief washed over me.

“Shit! I really thought I was going to die! Is this life?”

There are limits to hardcore, really!

If it weren't for the magician who taught me how to use mana, I would have died or been sobbing in the mountains, unable to protect my parents' bodies.

“Aaaaaah!”

Of course, I am still sobbing in sorrow.

But since life is still long, I decided to stop crying and wipe my butt and stand up. I then turned my gaze to the slave who was looking at me.

She was wearing a dirty dress, and her calm eyes were visible through her disheveled platinum hair.

“Did you notice?”

“...Yes.”

She is using polite language. Is it because she is a slave? No, if I were in her position, with my hands and feet bound, and a kid who had just killed six people in front of me, I would also use polite language.

I could tell she was an elf only after I pulled the long sword out of the thief's neck and approached her cautiously. Her disheveled hair and drooping ears made it hard to see before.

“An elf?”

At the same time, this was a tremendous piece of good news for me.

“...Yes.”

The chains around her neck, arms, and legs had unknown patterns engraved on them. If these are not decorations, there can only be one reason for them.

“Are you a magician?”

“...Yes.”

Suddenly, a halo seemed to emanate from the dirty and emaciated elf woman, and I knelt down without realizing it and shouted.

“Thank you, God! You really exist, you bastard!”

A magician! An elf magician! An elf magician bound by magic!

Clearly, the world doesn't just have a law that it must die. Good things come after bad things! But to others, it probably just looked like a seizure, as the elf stepped back in extreme caution.

*Neigh!* The sound of a horse neighing brought me back to reality, and I jumped up and grabbed the elf's hands.

“Squeal!”

“I have a proposal!”

“Huh?!”

“A proposal!”

Magicians can't lie.

This was an unchanging truth, verified through my parents and a magician who was like a savior.

I will make a proposal she can't refuse.

◈

“So...you want me to free you in exchange for raising you until you turn 16?”

“There's nothing wrong with the wording, but to be precise, I want you to teach me all the survival skills and wisdom you know.”

Her name was Ashlye, an adventurer.

I couldn't understand how she ended up with such idiots, but it turned out that these idiots had raided another slave trader and took Ashlye as part of the loot. They were heading to the city to find a slave market, happy with their unexpected loot, when they discovered our village.

It was even more mysterious how the idiots managed to capture an elf, but I just accepted it.

“As you can see, the Demon King's invasion has left me with nothing. How can an 8-year-old kid survive in this harsh world? Although 8 years is a long time, you are an elf, right? If a situation where you might be a slave for life or die immediately can be resolved in just 8 years, it's a good deal, isn't it?”

All the conditions were perfect. While they might be idiots, elves and magicians are not easy to come by.

It was more likely that a series of coincidences led to an elf slave ending up in the hands of idiots than her being an idiot elf magician.

Now that I am in a position to make a deal with her, it's like I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I would also like to learn magic, but I don't think it's something I can learn just because I want to.”

She was an elf who had lived for 120 years. A full 120 years! She can use a bow and a bit of sword, but for elves, "a bit" means more than 1-2 years of practice. She is a living, breathing encyclopedia, overflowing with survival skills and tips for adventurers.

“Please, miss! If not you, this poor human kid will die within the year!”

I said I would make a proposal she couldn't refuse, but I was afraid she might refuse. In the end, I knelt down and bowed, begging and begging again.

“...Can't I just take you as a slave?”

“Huh? What do you mean? What do you take me for.”

This sister is saying something that will get her into trouble. I instantly felt my mood sour, and my expression crumpled.

“Do you think I'm some kind of dog butcher? A slave? I didn't think you were so violent-minded. Do elves have a slave system?”

“No, of course not!”

“Then why are you talking like that!”

She got angry, so I snapped back. Why mention slaves when there is no slave system!

“...Are you really human? 8 years old?”

She looked at me with a doubtful expression, but I replied indifferently.

“You've seen many strange races in your life, so just accept it. It's a fact that won't change.”

After killing six people, what more do I have to hide by pretending to be young? But I have no reason to claim I reincarnated and risk being thought of as crazy.

Her gaze, filled with suspicion but without caution, lingered on me for a while.

“Alright, I accept.”

“...Really?”

“Really. I, Ashlye Endelini, an elf and a magician of the Blue Vine, swear to help you for the next 8 years and teach you how to survive on your own.”

I survived! I was so moved that I almost cried, but I quickly stood up and started removing the restraints from Ashlye's body.

The key was with the thief leader, so it wasn't difficult. However, Ashlye, who had a strange expression throughout the process, finally spoke.

“You're just going to free me like this?”

“Huh?”

“No, I mean, some kind of... oath...”

“...Huh?”

What is she talking about...? Could it be...?

“If I just take my things and run, what will you do? When you free a slave with conditions, you're supposed to touch the restraints and renegotiate.”

“Eek!”

My mind went blank, and I almost fainted.

“Please, please! Help me! Help!”

I almost cried as I clung to her calf, thrashing. I messed up! I messed up! I thought I could just free her!

“No, wait! I won't run! I have honor too!”

Fortunately, Ashlye was an elf with honor and common sense. She calmed me down, who was almost in a panic, and stroked my head.

“Don't worry. No matter what, you are my savior. Elves never repay kindness with betrayal.”

“Like how magicians don't lie?”

“Actually, some magicians do lie.”

“Huh!”

The truth... wasn't...!

“Haha. But, of course, not lying is common among magicians. It's just not absolute. So, don't put too much faith in the idea that magicians don't lie.”

That such despicable people have the power of magic is truly an unreasonable world.

But apart from that, Ashlye gently held my shoulders with both hands and looked at me straight in the eye. Her emerald eyes, which were dull at first, now had a clear vitality.

“But no elf repays kindness with enmity. You don't have to worry about that.”

“Phew... Thank you.”

I thought I was really in trouble, but it seems I can avoid a hardcore survival story in this other world.