The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 104

Elf.

Although they were a humanoid species very similar to humans, they possessed superior physical abilities.

On top of that, their overwhelmingly beautiful appearance, regardless of gender, once made them objects of human admiration.

Si-on wasn’t entirely sure, but he had heard that in the distant past, some humans even worshipped elves as gods.

In any case, the elves Si-on encountered after arriving in this world were a tragic race silently walking toward inevitable extinction.

Concerns about extinction also existed for the dwarves, but they integrated well into human society and were in a more favorable position for preserving their race compared to the elves.

However, the elves were different.

At first, the elves’ beauty was admired and envied, but over time, it turned into an object of desire.

Eventually, as the fact that elves were walking toward extinction became more well-known, they became targets for “collection.”

The era of elf hunting had begun.

Si-on arrived in this world during that very time.

Elves had superior physical abilities compared to humans, but they were vastly outnumbered.

A ratio of 100 to 1?

Nonsense, it was more like 10,000 to 1 at the very least.

If there was an elf tribe of about a hundred members, more than a hundred times that number of humans would be after them.

In the end, the remaining elves had no choice but to hide in deep, inaccessible mountains and dense, primeval forests to avoid humans.

Of course, not all humans gave up.

However, in those deep mountains and forests, at most a few dozen, or at most a few hundred hunters, would venture in.

And there, the hunters were killed by the elf warriors, who numbered less than one-tenth of them.

At least in the mountains and forests, the roles of hunter and prey had been reversed.

Because of this, the elves became solidified as the “forest race.”

But the elves’ peace was all too brief.

Because the era of the Dark Dragon had arrived.

The number of monsters influenced by the Dark Dragon increased exponentially.

Even the elves, born hunters, could not handle the exponentially increasing and increasingly ferocious monsters.

So, in the end, the elves had no choice but to leave the forests that had been their home and shelter.

At the very least, humans desired and collected elves, but they didn’t kill them like monsters did.

Thus, during the era of the Dark Dragon, a certain elf tribe came out of the forest and happened to encounter an immortal superhuman.

The elves, later known by the surname and tribal name “Gosan,” trusted this superhuman, who, unlike other humans, neither desired nor intended to collect them.

The superhuman, in turn, found himself drawn to this tragic race, who faced extinction but fiercely fought to live until their final moments.

They were indifferent but brave, rude but honest.

For the superhuman, who had wandered for decades, worn out by human greed and betrayal, the elves were a race far superior to humans.

Thus, the superhuman led the elves into battle against the Dark Dragon’s army.

He killed the monsters influenced by the Dark Dragon, and even killed the humans who still coveted the elves during the war.

As the long journey of fighting the Dark Dragon and its monsters continued, the number of elves following the superhuman grew, and after defeating the Dark Dragon, the superhuman became a hero and led the elves to his own land.

About thirty percent of the surviving elves in the world had now become part of a single faction.

And over the seventy years that followed, the number of elves in this world continued to dwindle, making it increasingly rare for humans to even see an elf.

This was especially true in places that had once heavily “collected” elves, or in regions where there were few deep mountains or dense forests.

And the Garen Count’s territory met all those conditions.

***

“Gulp…”

The knights of Souden glanced toward one place and swallowed nervously.

Their faces, which had subtly reddened at some point, all displayed pounding hearts and an overwhelming sense of thirst.

It wasn’t just because of the alcohol.

Over there, seated with the esteemed individuals, were the female knights with unbelievable beauty.

As the knights of Souden stared at them, their breathing became heavier.

“So it’s true that elves still live in the Si-on Duchy.”

“I bet the direct descendants of the ducal family take turns… enjoying those elves. Damn it! I’m jealous.”

“Tch. Why aren’t there any elves on our side?”

“Ha! Sir, are you seriously asking that? Didn’t the lord of the great estate three generations ago keep a bunch of elf slaves? If I were an elf, I wouldn’t go anywhere near our territory.”

For several generations after the Dark Dragon War, no one in the Garen Count’s territory had actually seen an elf.

That meant the knights and mercenaries of Souden, including Zaitz, attending today’s banquet, were the first to see elves in nearly half a century.

“But does that young lady not know about the old days? Why is she acting so friendly with that puppet boy?”

“Hmm, maybe she doesn’t care because she was born and raised in the Si-on Duchy and has no particular feelings toward the Garen Count’s family.”

“No, but still, isn’t it strange? Could it be that she has some peculiar tastes? What could she possibly see in that dead-fish-eyed kid?”

“I have no idea.”

The Souden knights felt a mix of jealousy and bewilderment.

At the start of the banquet, all five of the elven female knights had been present.

But as the banquet went on, one by one, they left for their lodgings, leaving only one remaining.

The elven knight with short golden hair, the most beautiful and mysterious of them all, continued to attract the attention of the people from Souden, yet she remained seated in one spot.

She was seated right next to Zaitz Garen, the proxy lord the Souden knights were calling a “puppet boy.”

“Watching this is making me sick.”

“Same here. Wait, is she looking at us?”

“What?”

At one knight’s remark, the others, their faces flushed, all turned their heads in the same direction.

Underneath the radiant golden hair that sparkled as if sprinkled with stardust, the elf knight with deep, lake-like eyes was gazing at the table where the knights were sitting.

And then…

“Gasp!”

“Ugh!”

The knights groaned and widened their eyes.

The elf knight with a beauty out of this world had just winked at them!

“Did you see that? Did everyone see that?”

“I did. What could it mean?”

The hearts of the knights beat even faster.

A beautiful knight had winked at someone as dashing and confident as them (though in reality, they were all drunk and bleary-eyed).

There was no need to think it over!

“Was it me? As expected! Beautiful women recognize true men!”

“What nonsense, you half-man! It was definitely a signal for me, the most masculine man recognized by all!”

“Ha! You guys are drinking soup before baking the bread. I’m the only one who can satisfy that star-like, mysterious beauty… huh!?”

Now she was even sending a seductive smile along with a wink!

Of course, her eyes weren’t smiling at all, and her grin was so awkward it was almost grotesque, but to the drunken and aroused men, it was the most seductive and enchanting smile in the world.

“Hah…”

The Souden knights, jaws dropped, drooling, stared at her in awe.

Then, a male elf warrior staggered toward their table.

“Hic! Ah… Looks like Sister Stella’s… bad habit is acting up again. She can’t be satisfied with just one man when she drinks. Oh dear… looks like it’ll be another difficult night.”

The male elf, Friel, swayed as he delivered a performance that could only be described as a terrible piece of acting.

But to the drunk, aroused men, it was an Oscar-worthy method performance.

“D-did you hear that?”

“I did, loud and clear.”

The Souden knights’ eyes gleamed with lust.

***

Zaitz couldn’t believe what was happening right now.

When he first saw her, he had simply thought of her as an incredibly beautiful knight. But to think she was an elf!

On top of that, she didn’t seem to care that he was a direct descendant of the Garen Count’s family, who had once done “unspeakable” things to the elves. Instead, she had sat next to him from start to finish.

But.

“Excuse me, Lady Stel…”

“Member Stella, perhaps it’s time to stop drinking?”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

That damned instructor kept interfering with his chance to get closer to her.

Just one more step.

One step closer, and he could have an elf, not as a slave, but as a lover, just like his great-grandfather!

If he could pull this off, all the men in the family would revere him!

Fueled by alcohol, lust, jealousy, and anger, Zaitz’s gaze openly flickered between Stella and Si-on.

The ancient monster noticed this and smirked internally.

It seemed that the time had finally come.

“Oh… I’m getting drunk. Instructor, could you… escort me?”

“…Sure.”

Si-on, who had never done any acting aside from playing a tree (1) in elementary school, felt an urge to teach Stella how to act properly.

Though, it didn’t seem necessary at the moment.

Because.

“I… I’ll escort you too, Lady Stella.”

This guy, wagging his tail like a horny dog, had fallen for that terrible performance.

Zaitz Garen genuinely believed Stella was drunk and had been sending him “signals.”

It was a completely nonsensical situation.

Si-on initially thought this guy was faking it, pretending to fall for such a terrible act.

But as time passed, it became clear that Zaitz had truly bought into Stella’s awful performance.

“To think it’s his first time seeing an elf in real life…”

And his first conversation was with Stella and Camilla, the two strangest members of the Peregrine Division of female elf warriors.

Since his first encounter with elves had started with such a bizarre conversation (if it could even be called that), it made sense that he had fallen for such a terrible act.

“Here, lean on me.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

Stella, who had been looking at Si-on with an almost predatory gaze (despite clearly not being drunk), leaned on him.

In that moment, Si-on was surprised.

‘How does that look so natural?’

It was as if her acting skills had suddenly reached an S-rank, as Stella naturally rested her face on Si-on’s shoulder.

“Huff, huff…”

She even let out shallow breaths, as if she were genuinely intoxicated.

‘Did her acting skills really just improve suddenly?’

Though suspicious, Si-on decided not to ruin his carefully laid plan and gently placed his hand around her waist as they began to walk.

“Member Stella, you should probably drink less. I’ve heard that when you drink too much, you fall into such a deep sleep that you wouldn’t even know if someone carried you away. Something terrible could happen, you know.”

Si-on deliberately said this loudly enough for Zaitz, who was following a bit behind, to hear.

“Th-that’s… I’m fine.”

“Hmm? What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Si-on tilted his head for a moment, then continued walking.

They soon arrived at (the specially arranged) Stella’s room.

“You can go in and rest by yourself, right?”

“Yes.”

Stella, for some reason, couldn’t seem to lift her head, which Si-on found odd. Still, he turned to Zaitz behind them.

“Well then, Sir Zaitz, shall we go back and have another drink? To clear up any misunderstandings.”

“Uh… well…”

“Ah, are you feeling a bit drunk? Should we talk tomorrow then?”

“Yes, that sounds good. I might say something ridiculous because of the alcohol. It’d be better to meet tomorrow when we’re both sober.”

“Then let’s do that. Good night.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodbye, Instructor. And also…”

Creak.

Like a robot, Stella’s head turned toward Zaitz.

“Sir Zaitz Garen.”

Wink.

“……!”

At an angle only Zaitz could see, she gave him a wink. His heart pounded again, and his lower half swelled with anticipation.

There was no doubt about it.

That alluring elf was seducing him tonight.