79: ‘Airbags’ are nice, but this is overkill

The elves guided us to their village, although the entrance was concealed by vegetation. As we slowly walked in, Felicia asked a question.

"Sorry for asking this at this late point in time but, are you all Dark Elves?"

"That’s right. Only we live in this forest. Other than us, there is nothing but beasts and insects."

So these guys really were Dark Elves. As I was a bit lost in thoughts, the leader pointed towards some vegetation.

"Be sure to not get close to the black grass. All of it is poisoned. When dressed lightly like you visitors, your skin will suffer damage. Even a centaur is in danger."

"Eh? The black ones, all of them……are?"

Felicia was surprised because as far as the eye could see, the green grass was more scarce, and it was mostly black grass. Well, I probably was safe. I doubt grass can penetrate my skin.

"The beasts of this forest, although they receive poison, there are many that amass it and use it as a weapon. If you ever fight against them, be sure to take caution. You can die with even just a scratch after all."

So that's why they mostly use bows. To keep their distance. Still I can't help but wonder why is the land like this. A few more steps and we reached an open location. Trees were cut down, and peoples’ houses were lined up. Black vegetation couldn’t be found. The location was not particularly big, and it wouldn’t take an hour to even walk the outer circumference. A village. It was on a scale that it could be called as such. I didn't know what the lifestyle of the Dark Elves was like, but the number of buildings didn’t even reach 100. Going by the assumption that the basic composition of a single household could house six people, the village’s residents would more or less number at 500 people. In the middle of the village there was a single green tree with a treehouse in it. And we were slowly guided to it. A spiral wooden staircase went around the tree and up to the house. It was a bit tricky for Felicia to climb them, but she managed. Inside the first room, there was a plain table with 4 chairs and a sofa that could fit 3 people in a corner.

"So… is this king of yours around?"

"Hohoho… King you say? I am flattered, but I'm just a mere chief."

It was the voice of a woman. From another room, a beauty entered. And the first thing that caught my eye was… her boobs. They were huge! And here I thought there couldn't be a size bigger than Odin's, mom's and the Empress's. But those were on the next level. She had demonic breasts. It wasn’t in the realm of just being unable to hold it in one’s palm. They were a size where they needed to be carried with both arms.

She had an outfit of layered cloth, and wore a sash.

Her waist was thin and narrow like a cork bottle. It was enough to make one worry if she could support those weighty things that were on the upper half of her body. Her long silver hair that went all the way to her butt complemented her dress well. Also, she had her eyes closed.

"My name is Aria Rivercrest. And who might you be?"

"I'm Milla Walpurgis, the Demon King of Insanity, and this is my bodyguard, Felicia."

"Please, have a seat."

"Chief… you believe her?"

The leader that guided us here asked Aria, and she replied without hesitation.

"Of course. This person has a tremendous amount of mana. I can tell that she is who she claims she is."

How can she tell with her eyes closed? Oh well. At least she didn't give me the 'but you're a loli' reaction.

As we sat down I couldn't stop staring at her breasts. For a second I really thought the table would break under their weight. But I also saw her stats along my glares.

Name: Aria Rivercrest

Age: Unknown

Race: Dark Elf

Class: Great Mage

Strength: E

Agility: B+

Endurance: S+

Magic: SSS-

Luck: D

Overall Rank: S

You're probably also wondering about my stats. Well at this point I would brag on, but the thing is… except that my race has changed from High Mazoku to Dragon… all my stats were labeled Unknown. Why? I have no clue myself. I feel strong, but maybe an appraisal is just impossible. Regardless, I was impressed with Aria's mana. Something is weird. Elves value mana above anything else. With her amount she should be a noble. So what is she doing in a place like this?

"Forgive me for not offering you anything, but our resources are on the lower end. So, I heard you have some business with the royal family."

"Correct. The first princess, Lorina is my blacksmith and a close friend. She chose to abandon her family and come live with me. Yet, those guys sent mercenaries and kidnapped her. That's something I won't allow. Anyone who steals from me shall suffer my wrath. Would you show me the way to their capital? If possible I want to avoid burning the entire forest."

"I see. This is an interesting development."

She kept smiling, but it seems her mind was somewhere else.

"Forgive my rudeness, but your eyes… by any chance are you…"

"Blind? That's right. But that isn't an issue. All my other senses have sharpened. I can feel the flow of mana like never before. My hearing reached the point that I can hear the wing beat of a butterfly. I can sense every object around us. Even if I can't see, I can move and interact just as well."

The leader of the group that guided us all this way remaind on the sidelines all this time, but now, she opened her mouth.

"How dare you be that disrespectful with our chief. You must pay!"

She tried to lunge at me with a small knife. Yare yare… didn't they learn the lesson already? I extended my index finger and gathered a wind orb about the size of a ping pong ball. I fired it and it hit the girls' stomach, propelling her into the wall. She got up quick, but was wobbling pretty hard.

"Stop this conflict! Both of you!"

"Hmph. This was boring anyway. If you sensed your own powerlessness, then I do not mind letting this slide."

"I am grateful for your tolerance. To fight against you would truly be undesirable."

After things calmed down a bit, she continued.

"I will not help you. The royal elven family has put us Dark Elves through lots of pain and grief. So when you are saying that you want to save one of them, regardless of the situation… it's something I can't show sympathy towards."

Huh? And here I thought the negotiations would go smooth. Must I really resort to force?

"Dear, guest, I have heard your request, but would you also hear my story? I believe it will be clear after, why we are reluctant to help you."

"Okay. Speak then."