Chapter 231: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Return of a Prisoner

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“O-oh… You’re the attendant to Elder Dalaiya-sama, aren’t you…?”

“Yes indeed. I am Uru Forian, who had the honor of serving at Great Elder-sama’s side. You must be Rike Schlant-dono, correct? I have heard much about you.”

The next morning. In the courtyard of the lord’s mansion, the captive elf and the crow liaison stood facing one another, bowing their heads. Based on yesterday’s ear-cleaning session, I judged that the pacification of Lady Rike had largely been completed. That was why I decided it was time to move the plan on to the next phase.

Specifically speaking, catch and release. The idea was to free her once and have her defect to our side of her own will. When turning an enemy into an ally, the most reliable and reassuring method was to have them cut off their own escape route.

Well, there was always the possibility that she might not come back… But after everything that had happened, she would probably be fine. Besides, I had already extracted all the information I needed from her. Even if she did run, we wouldn’t lose anything.

“S-so, um… How should I put this…”

Lady Rike was utterly flustered. She looked like she wanted to bolt at any moment. Well, that was understandable, considering what had happened just yesterday. It had to be incredibly awkward for her.

Incidentally, Lady Uru looked just as uncomfortable. After all, the “New” faction had only just embarrassed themselves during the recent attack incident. We had received an apology for that, but on top of it all, just yesterday a “New” elf liaison had caused trouble with a “Legitimate” liaison. Of course the atmosphere would be unpleasant.

“Well now, I’m just a crow, so I don’t rightly understand how elves think. But what matters is that you’re safe and sound.”

Smiling warmly, Lady Uru guided Lady Rike to sit on a folding chair. This kind of flexibility was unique to crowfolk. At present, we were also accepting liaisons from the elves’ “New” faction, but this time we hadn’t invited any of them. To be honest, those people were far too rigid. I could easily imagine them saying something careless to Lady Rike.

“Such a fine spread we have today. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

In front of the chair was a table loaded with dishes. Today’s breakfast. If you wanted to soften the elves’ attitude, the best way was to feed them good food. And so, just like yesterday, we had prepared a feast. Well, it was a Liseben countryside-style feast, so the main dish was ginger pork… But still.

“O-oh! That’s right. Let’s eat at once.”

Lady Rike shook her head vigorously, then smiled as if she had regained her composure. I smiled back at her and took my seat as well. After a short pre-meal prayer, we began eating. Naturally, elves and crows didn’t follow the Star Guidance faith’s prayer style. They simply put their hands together and bowed lightly. It was probably close to the Japanese “itadakimasu.”

“In Liseben, meat comes up often, doesn’t it? Back home, we hardly ever get to eat it, so this makes me happy.”

Some time later, Uru said that while stuffing her cheeks with fatty pork belly. Lately she often asked for “ahh,” but today she seemed to be holding back. As usual, she deftly gripped her fork with her toes.

“Aren’t elves all expert archers? I heard your villages are deep in the forest. Wouldn’t game be everywhere?”

“Back when there were still lots of elves, we hunted nearly all the animals that looked edible. Now, there’s barely any game left.”

After washing down a large mouthful of pork with white wine, Lady Rike explained it that way. Her way of eating was bold, but because she was unbelievably beautiful, it somehow still looked elegant. It really wasn’t fair how beautiful people could get away with almost everything. 

“It’s not just the land. The rivers too. Even the Great Elf River only has small fish now.”

The Great Elf River was a great river flowing vertically across the Liseben Peninsula. Carrera City, where we lived, stood along its banks.

“So that’s why Liseben doesn’t have large animals or fish…”

I muttered while poking at the pork with my fork. According to the hunter I’d spoken with before—Lenael, that fox girl—Liseben didn’t have many animals suitable for hunting. She’d said she usually hunted small birds. Despite the deep forests, she’d wondered why the ecosystem was so poor… So the cause had been the elves.

“Before I was born, they say there were tens of thousands of elves. No matter how vast the forest was, there was no way hunting and gathering alone could feed everyone…”

“That’s ancient history. From a crow’s point of view, it feels almost like a fairy tale.”

“It’s the same for me even as an elf. I was born after the Rana Volcano eruption after all…”

The two of them spoke quietly while drinking wine. Perhaps because of the alcohol, or because of Lady Uru’s easy manner, the awkwardness Lady Rike had shown earlier was completely gone.

“…Ahh, but still, this country is nice. Plenty of food, plenty of alcohol. I almost feel like I’d want to settle down here.”

Lady Uru said that out of the blue, swirling her empty wine cup. What on earth was this crow girl saying all of a sudden? She was technically part of a delegation representing a nation. Hinting at defection was not exactly appropriate.

I was a bit taken aback, but it seemed Lady Uru had some intention behind her words. She smiled faintly while looking at Lady Rike. I see. She was subtly suggesting that returning to New Elfenia might not be the best idea.

“……”

“If you go back home, it’ll just be boiled weeds with a few potatoes mixed in. You might be better off finding a new way of life here.”

“I… I know. I know I can’t go back anymore. After bringing such shame upon myself…”

Lady Rike clenched her fork tightly and let out a deep breath. From the looks of it, the “New” faction wasn’t going to demand her return. Whether that was because they didn’t accept the concept of prisoners, or because reducing food consumption by one person mattered more than recovering one soldier… Either seemed possible, and neither was comforting.

“Well now, if our people and Liseben form an alliance, plenty of elves will come to this city. When that happens, you’ll be the most senior among them. That’s not such a bad thing, is it?”

“Crows really are practical, aren’t they…”

Lady Rike shrugged with a slightly exasperated look, but there was a clear, refreshed smile on her face. It seemed she had finally let go of her lingering attachment to her homeland. Lady Uru grinned and held out her wine cup, so I poured wine into it.

Hmmm… Could it be that Lady Uru had seen through our intentions? If so, we’d been neatly sidestepped… But she didn’t seem inclined to actively interfere either. Just what exactly was she trying to accomplish?

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