Chapter 50: The Bratty Girl, Alisha la Aeras 3

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Alisha la Aeras had a habit of making cheeky, insolent remarks that belittled others. As a result of being raised under oppression within the village in accordance with the “Prophecy,” she began venting her dissatisfaction and complaints to the attendants who would not defy her, and before long, that turned into taking her frustrations out on them.

Her two older sisters were allowed to go outside, yet she alone was not. Like Astrea, Alisha had a strong interest in the outside world, and for her, this “Prophecy” was the greatest enemy—one that was killing her very self. Precisely because those around her understood that, they couldn’t strongly admonish her.

Alisha gradually came to believe that everyone, whether adult or child, would listen to whatever she said. At the same time, she began to enjoy making unreasonable demands of others and behaving selfishly, and before she realized it, she had come to take pleasure in forcing unfairness upon others.

However, it wasn’t as though she had lost her reason entirely.

She almost never crossed a line with her family, and depending on the person, she sometimes said nothing at all. She wasn’t a mad dog who bit at everyone. Her behavior manifested only toward those who struck a certain chord within her. For example, the young male elf who had served as her attendant, or the human merchant who had come to trade in the village. That much more so, she was especially harsh toward those she decided were “the one.”

(If the human hero who changed our “fate”… Tat man who’s basically building a harem, ended up being treated like a slave by me… I wonder how fun that would be…♡)

Finn Debyura. The hero who overturned her sister’s death and shattered the Great Elder’s “Prophecy.” The man who had even charmed the “Hero” who was originally meant to come for Alisha. If he were to obey her every word…

Just imagining it made the corners of her mouth lift.

(Sorry, Onee-san. I’m going to take this one for myself…♡)

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An enemy appeared. Finn punched it.

An enemy appeared. Finn knocked it away with his shield. Alisha seized that opening.

An enemy appeared. Finn shielded Alisha. Alisha shot the enemy down.

The two had come to a field about an hour by carriage from the royal capital. Without slowing their pace, they swiftly reached the depths and completed the subjugation. It was a low-difficulty “Tainted Zones,” so considering their abilities, this much was only natural—but Alisha was surprised by something more.

(─Huh? It’s easier to fight with him than with the village wardens.)

The fighting styles of elves and humans were completely different. Elves, who manipulated the wind and freely shot their bows, were unconventional attackers who dealt damage from long range. They didn’t need to strain to draw a heavy bow like humans, nor did they need to make wasteful movements constantly adjusting their position. Their arrows changed trajectory with the wind. As long as nothing interfered with the wind and arrows, that was enough.

Between elves, the domain of combat control shifted depending on each other’s skill, so teaming up for the first time could be somewhat troublesome but Finn continued moving as though he thoroughly understood Alisha’s support. 

Before Alisha released her arrow, a perfect line of fire opened. Before the wind flowed around Finn, he moved as if to avoid it. Despite not being able to read the wind like an elf, despite this being their first time teaming up, it felt as though they had fought together for years.

(Heeey…)

To be honest, she had underestimated him. No matter if he was a human hero, there was no way he could achieve perfect coordination with an elf. For elves, who exchanged intent through the wind without words, fighting alongside humans who wouldn’t understand unless told was extremely difficult. The truth was that in cases where humans teamed up with elves, it worked because the elf side made considerations for the humans.

That wasn’t the case here. This human clearly knew how elves fought and was fighting on that premise. She wasn’t dull enough not to realize that.

“Good job~. You’ve got skills, Onii-san! It was super easy to fight with you.”

“Good work. Really? I’m glad to hear that.”

“It’s my first time fighting alongside a human, so I was worried, but if it’s like this, I can relax~. Make sure you protect me lots, okay?”

“Well, that’s about all I’m good for. I’ll fulfill my role properly.”

“Ehh~? That’s not true. You’re strong, Onii-san.”

That was her honest opinion. No matter how one looked at it, the young man named Finn Debyura was among the very best of humans. If there were humans far stronger than him in abundance, then elven superiority would practically mean nothing. Alisha might be a selfish, bratty girl, but she had received a proper education and could judge such things.

“Maybe it’s because you teamed up with Onee-san before. It felt like you understood everything about me.”

“It would be unacceptable for a shield bearer to get in the way. I try to keep that in mind as much as possible.”

“Eek~, I’m being stripped bare~~.”

“Cut it out. If Astrea hears that, she’ll kill me.”

“That’s mean. I wouldn’t do something like that~.”

She peeked at him. Finn wore a wry smile. He wasn’t taking Alisha’s remarks seriously, nor was he making the genuinely troubled expression that the elves back in the village did. Ever since stepping into the “Tainted Zones,” Finn had treated Alisha in a consistently neutral manner. Neither especially favorable nor unfavorable.

(Muu… how boring.)

Alisha wasn’t foolish enough to let her guard down in a place where monsters spawned. But still. There was no way she would fall behind against monsters of this level. There were no blind spots, so no ambushes either. As long as she controlled the wind, there was no scenario where she would be exposed to danger here.

(Maybe I’ll mess with him a little?)

“I’m kind of tired. Hey, Onii-san, we’re just heading back now anyway, so carry me.”

If she said that to an elf in the village, it would work in one shot. Though limited to female elves, she used this method to take it easy on the way back from warden duties. She could have made male elves do it too if she wanted. She just didn’t, because letting them touch her body was unpleasant.

However, Finn immediately refused that bewitching request.

“I will… Once we’re out of the ‘Tainted Zones.’”

“Boo. It’s not like we’d lose to these weaklings around here. It’s fine, right~? Come on, carry me~.”

“No. Now come on, walk properly.”

“Waaah! Onii-san is so mean!”

Not only did he refuse, he grabbed her hand firmly and made her walk. In truth, she wasn’t that tired. She did find it troublesome, and when she thought about spending over thirty more minutes returning to the exit, her feet felt heavy. So she had spoken as she would in the village, as if ordering an attendant elf to carry her, but…

(…Not listening to what I say? How cheeky…)

Irritation. A faint unpleasant feeling bubbled up. She had never seen a human who didn’t listen to her. More than surprise, displeasure won out. It was also unpleasant that he had grabbed her hand forcefully.

If she touched him, that was one thing, but she had never given him permission to touch her. A thought surfaced. 

Human heroes always have this side to them…

It was a sentiment only an elf would understand.

“More importantly, keep an eye on the surroundings. Even if I can sense presences, the surest detection comes from an elf’s wind-reading.”

“…I’ll do it~.”

She thought about how annoying he was, but what he said was correct. If he were an elf, she would’ve replied, “Why don’t you do it yourself~?” and left it at that. But he was human. And with her two older sisters nearby, her position as an elven princess wouldn’t carry weight.

So she obeyed without particular resistance, though inwardly she was dissatisfied.

(It was pretty fun in the carriage on the way here. He was twitching and holding it in, like he’s never been mocked like that before, desperately enduring it♡ It’s so obvious he actually wants to make a move on all the girls but is holding back♡ Perverted Onii-san♡ When someone who shows this kind of forcefulness is unable to say anything back, it kind of makes me feel better♡)

When he had suddenly returned to his senses and cut off her remarks earlier, she had thought to herself.

It’s like I’m the one in the wrong, so irritating.

Still, if he was someone who could keep up with her sister, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have some quirks. Serious about work, fairly easygoing in daily life. And the reason he didn’t lay a hand on the women around him was because he thought they were stronger than he was. It was because the desire to make them his in the first place never arose.

In other words, an amusing Onii-san who was overly self-deprecating but competent and reasonably flexible. That was Finn, as analyzed by Alisha.

(It looks like Onee-san and the others are being pretty considerate toward Onii-san too… Maybe I’ll deepen our relationship here and completely mess up everyone’s dynamic?)

How entertaining would that be? To see her stronger sisters and that dark elf woman who trusted him have the man they relied on taken from them… Just imagining it made her heart race. Compared to her two sisters, Alisha’s emotional highs and lows were subdued, but her face was pretty. She had been doted on in the village for a reason.

When she teased human merchants by showing them her underwear, they would peer in with heavy breathing. No matter how many times she saw it, it was pitiful, pathetic, and amusing. Alisha liked watching men be driven by lust, even if it meant exposing their unsightly side.

(With that decided, then in the carriage on the way back…)

“Hey, Alisha.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Before you joined Starry Sky, did Alicia-san test your abilities?”

“Nope? She didn’t~.”

“I see.”

(…What’s that about? Oh well. What should I do to him? His reaction when being insulted is funny, so I have to do that again. Ah, and when I touched his body, that was funny too. He totally gives off ‘obvious virgin’ vibes♡)

Alisha was already thinking only about the return trip. She hadn’t forgotten to control the surrounding wind. But she didn’t notice…. That the expression on Finn’s face, walking ahead of her, was completely blank.

“Alisha. You, come here for a moment.”

The next day. Just as she was excitedly planning to go sightseeing, her sister suddenly called her out. Unlike usual, there was no room for argument, so she followed without protest. They arrived at a gymnasium inside the Adventurers’ Guild.

(A gymnasium? What’s that?)

Alicia, emanating an atmosphere that prevented Alisha from voicing such an obvious question, stood with her legs apart and declared.

“Wind.”

“Huh?”

“Control the wind at full power.”

“Ehh… That’s tiring, though…”

“Just do it.”

Reluctantly, Alisha began manipulating the wind. She had been chosen among the village wardens and had trained in her own way. Her twisted personality had nothing to do with the amount of effort she had put in. Otherwise, even if she were a princess, the elves would not have obeyed her commands. Several seconds passed after Alisha took control of the wind within the gymnasium. As she wore an expression that seemed to say, “And what about it?” Alicia spoke.

“Then I’ll take it from you. Stop me.”

“Huh?”

In that instant, it felt as though her entire body was being torn out from the roots. Like a violent gust, like being slammed into a wall.

“Eh…!?”

In less than the blink of an eye…. From a state where Alicia hadn’t even appeared to exert force, she seized all the wind Alisha had controlled. This was something that, without an overwhelming difference in ability, could not be achieved. It was an entirely natural display of difference in power for elves.

“…………Alisha.”

“W-What? No, that just now, um, I wasn’t going all out yet, I mean…”

“……Haaah…… You won’t be able to join Starry Sky for a while. You’re too weak.”

“Wea… we-weak? Me?”

She didn’t understand what she was being told.

Weak? Me, who was second only to Mother in the village? Me, who had become second in line after my two sisters left? Me, who was the strongest among the wardens? She didn’t understand what she was being told. But she understood that it wasn’t a joke.

“I’ll inform you later. I’ll tell Griselda as well, so remain on standby for the time being.”

“W-Wait, Alicia Onee-san! Just now, that wasn’t my full strength—”

“There’s no ‘full strength’ or anything when your controlled wind gets taken that easily. …This is my responsibility. Relax, I won’t do anything bad to you, so rest at home until you’ve calmed down.”

Shaking off her attempt to stop her, Alicia quickly walked away. Left behind was Alisha alone, standing there, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

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