33: Chasing a Prince away

"Lady Milla, are you okay?"

After I got home, Grace was worried about me. And I can't blame her. After all I flew back home and was covered in blood.

"I'm okay, Grace. I just ran in some trouble on the way back."

Let's rewind a bit.

------

I was sitting inside my carriage. Honestly I really didn't like that it took so long to travel. Because it was really boring. It would have been nice if I had a book at least. But all I could do was sit and enjoy the view.

Something unexpected happened. As the carriage was moving, when we reached some woods, a magic circle appeared on the ground. A huge explosion was triggered. Needless to say it blew up the carriage.

Behind some bushes a group of 5 orcs were laughing.

"Hahaha. It worked! Looks like we're getting paid boys."

"Was it really okay to take out a Demon King?"

"Don't get soft now. We were hired to do a job and we did it. The client gave us the magic circle formula and even an item to seal the targets' magic. It was flawless."

"And just who exactly is your client?"

All 5 of them went stiff and turned around. And what do you know. It was me, in 1 piece and not a single scratch.

"Impossible… We saw you being blown away. Even if you managed to survive, you should still be at least bleeding."

I punched one of them right in the face. These guys were weak. Really weak. With just 1 punch I completely turned him in a puddle of blood.

"So, who is your boss? If you tell me the name of the guy behind this assassination plot, I might be gentle."

"No… wait… please it was just a job. We have nothing against you. We don't know his name. He wore a dark cloak. But we did see he had fangs and grey skin. It was most likely a vampire…"

*Spalsh*

Another 3 punches. Only one orc remained.

"It's the truth! I swear! You… you said that if we tell the truth…"

"I didn't like it."

With that all 5 orcs were killed. And I ended up being covered in blood.

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"As expected of you, Milla-nee. But how did you know? I mean if they used magic sealing, then even you should have been hurt."

To be honest it's thanks to Persia. When she hugged me, she whispered something in my ear. I pretend to just be surprised about something she had in her land. But the words she told me were: "Someone plans to kill you on your way back, so be prepared for anything-nya".

I told Grace how I did it. I simply carved with magic a stone body similar to my size and gave it the illusion that it was me. I was simply flying above at a safe distance. So in other words, I wasn't in the carriage to begin with.

"Impressive. Does this also mean that Lady Castella is our ally now?"

"It's too soon to speak. I am grateful for the warning, but I really am curious how she found out. I couldn't sense any hostility from her, so I want to eliminate the possibility of her setting that ambush herself to get on my good side."

Her aura was different than Miraluka. Miraluka was creepy and menacing from the start, but I couldn't feel anything from Persia. Plus, she's cute. I want to play with her ears and tail. I always loved cats. I wonder if I can make her rest her head on my lap. Regardless, first I need to make sure I can trust her.

"Grace, I want to take a bath now."

"Of course. You have a guest, but it's better if you wash up first."

"A guest? Who is it?"

"The Prince of elves, Melron L. Gardenia."

What? What could the elves want with me?

*Sight*

Why can't I get a moment of rest? Oh well. Bath first, then annoying elves.

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"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

"Likewise."

The prince of elves is a good-looking young man. He is thin, his arms and legs were long and slender, and he was tall. His hair is dazzlingly blonde and it extended down to his waist. He had the pointy ears which is the trademark of all elves and deep blue eyes. He wore a white formal costume and a green cape that reached all the way to his knees. And he had a jade leaf crown. It was similar to the laurel wreath used in ancient times at the olympic games.

Name: Melron L. Gardenia

Age: 2764

Race: High Elf

Class: None

Strength: C

Agility: B-

Endurance: C

Magic: SS-

Luck: A+

Overall Rank: B+

"So, to what do I owe this visit? You must know that humans are invading us, so I am very busy."

"Yes, I am aware. I just require a moment of your time. Lady Milla, what do you know about our elf lineage?"

"Not much."

"Then allow me to explain."

He started telling me about their history. About his family line. Elves had their own God. And the most important thing is that elves worship mana. The king is elected based on mana. The more pure the mana, the bigger the quantity, the better. Mana was everything to them. As long as the ruler has strong mana, the other elves would obey unconditionally. And right now, the royal family was facing an issue.

"Currently, we are left without an heir to the throne for future generations. In our family we are 3 siblings. Our middle sister has been kidnapped by the humans and most likely killed. She was supposed to take the throne. But now the task was given to me. But, I will also require a successor to ensure that our family reign will continue."

"And, why did you come to me?"

"Like I said, we are 3 siblings. I came here to retrieve my oldest sister who ran away from her family. Lorina L. Gardenia."

I was shocked. Lorina?! My Lorina is a princess?

"What do you intend to do with her?"

"Isn't it obvious? I plan to bring her back and have her bear my child. If our mana and blood mixes, a child with high quality mana will definitely be born."

You're sick, mister. You wanna fuck your own sister? Are you even viewing her as a being? Cause it seems to me you only see her as a breeding machine.

"I'm not sure if you are aware, but Lorina is my royal blacksmith. She provides us with weapons and armor, and given that we are going to war, those things will be even more necessary."

"Yes. I am aware."

He took out a bunch of papers and placed them on the desk.

"We are willing to provide you other competent blacksmiths. If you review it I am sure that they will more than compensate for Lorina. Plus we are also willing to provide you with some of our most finest weapons. The humans are our enemies as well, after all."

I reached out my hand to pick up the papers. He seemed rather happy. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this won't go your way. I did pick up the papers, but I didn't even bother to look at them. I burned them on the spot. The Prince had a dumb look on his face and his mouth wide open.

"Do you really think I would accept that? Lorina told me she cut ties with you elves long ago. What's more, she begged me not to banish her. Lorina is happy here, but above else, she is my friend. You're asking me to sell my friend? If that's all you wanted you might as well leave now."

"But, don't you understand how grave our situation is? Lorina is ours to begin with!"

There he goes again. He really only sees her as an object.

"My decision is still the same."

"I would think about it more carefully. You wouldn’t want to make an enemy out of us elves."

"Is that a threat?"

"Heavens, no! But it would be such a shame if say for example… a bounty would be put on Lorina. Many people, regardless of race will do anything for money. I doubt you want to have to deal with such troublesome people at this moment of time. Furthermore…"

"Enough!"

I couldn’t stand this guy anymore. I released a large amount of bloodlust. I tried to mimic Ornis and the way he released his pressure when he silenced the other kings and shaped my aura to be as scary as possible. Like a demon ready to eat a child. The prince was scared. Sweat ran across his face and his face went pale. After a few moments I let the atmosphere settle.

"Just to make it clear, Lorina is mine. I won't hand her over and anyone that gets in my way will get burned. If you want to keep that pretty face, I suggest you roll back under the tree you came from. If you want to use dirty tricks, I’ll crush each and every one of them, no matter what. Now get lost!"