## Chapter 162 – 162. Dawn Mayhem (2)
Leaving the chaotic campsite behind, Iris and I headed into the forest.
“I’m sorry, Hyun-woo.”
Iris stopped a good distance from the campsite and suddenly bowed her head.
“It’s not your fault.”
“No, a vassal’s mistake stems from the lord’s lack of virtue, so I can’t say it’s entirely not my fault.”
Iris lightly shook her head and hugged my arm again.
Her large breasts softly enveloped my arm, making me feel calm.
“Above all, Sylvia is my knight.”
“Knight?”
I had a hunch, but she really was a knight.
‘No wonder she’s so damn strong.’
Using ki already meant she had reached the level of an Aura Master.
Of course, she wasn’t an S-class powerhouse. I didn’t feel the same impact as Branch Manager Kang Cheol-ho. Maybe top-tier A-class.
“…Let me tell you a story from the past.”
Iris’s story went back in time, starting from her childhood.
More precisely, Sylvia’s childhood. Iris wanted to tell Sylvia’s story.
“There are two ducal families in Pelleadia.”
The Wintervane Ducal Family, symbolizing martial prowess and protection, and the Avery Ducal Family, symbolizing strategy and wisdom.
They were the two pillars supporting the Pelleadia Kingdom and the Vaihart Royal Family.
“Sylvia is the eldest daughter of the Wintervane Ducal Family, and we spent our childhood together. You could say she was my attendant.”
In the ensuing flashback, Iris was always with Sylvia.
Whether strolling in the garden, holding tea parties, or at banquets attended by numerous nobles.
“Sylvia didn’t hate humans… or rather, men, from the start. In fact, she was known in social circles as a duchess with a beautiful smile.”
“…That woman?”
“Hard to believe?”
Unless she was famous for her killer smile.
Iris chuckled. It seemed even she thought it was unlikely.
“…At least until that incident, Sylvia smiled more than anyone and was kind to everyone.”
According to Iris, 200 years ago, before the rebellion, the Wintervane Duke had three wives.
Considering that it was rare for Elven nobles to have more than two wives, it was quite unusual.
“The Wintervane Duke of that time was unusually fond of women for an Elf. Despite having the title of ‘Sword of Pelleadia,’ he was always followed by scandals.”
The one who married him was Sylvia’s mother, the Duchess of Wintervane.
Their married life seemed fine at first, but as Sylvia grew up, problems began to surface.
Rumors of the Duke having a mistress spread beyond social circles to the entire noble society.
The Duchess tried to clear things up, but the Duke instead acknowledged the young lady of a baronial family, who was his mistress, as a concubine.
“The child born between her and the Duke is Sylvia’s younger sister, the second daughter of the Wintervane Ducal Family.”
Shocked by this, the Duchess refused to eat and became bedridden, but the Duke’s misconduct didn’t stop there.
Not long after his daughter was born, he took in his second mistress as a concubine.
Sylvia’s hatred of men began that day.
“She couldn’t forgive her father for bringing another woman into the house while her mother’s health was deteriorating.”
The hatred of men that came to Sylvia, who was still young, grew more and more uncontrollably.
By the time she came of age and debuted in society, she had reached the point of extremely disliking all men.
“I don’t know exactly what happened within the Wintervane Ducal Family. We were closer than anyone, but we didn’t share everything. Besides… we couldn’t always be together.”
Iris, who was destined to become queen someday, had to spend busy days surrounded by numerous lessons until she came of age.
As their interactions decreased, they only exchanged news through occasional letters, and time passed relentlessly.
By the time the two reunited, Sylvia’s hatred of men and humans was at its peak.
“…I don’t know much about Sylvia’s hatred of humans either. Sylvia never told me. The most likely reason is that she encountered slave hunters while patrolling the border with the Wintervane Knights… but even that isn’t certain.”
“Slave hunters targeted Elves even back then?”
Iris gave a bitter smile.
“…Regardless of the era, greed has been the greatest driving force in human prosperity.”
It was a bitter truth, but I couldn’t deny it.
Even looking at Earth, the reason why each country didn’t completely close those dangerous gates and instead managed them was because of the resources beyond the gates.
In Korea, as well as in other countries, incidents occasionally occurred where monsters attacked nearby residents due to mismanagement.
But no one made an issue of it.
They were wary of the government, and the government was blinded by huge profits.
As a result, when high-value open gates appeared, nearby residents had to live in fear.
“The reason I’m telling you this isn’t just to appeal to your emotions and ask you to forgive Sylvia.”
“Then?”
“It’s the opposite.”
Iris held my hands tightly with both of hers.
“Could you please teach Sylvia about love?”
“…What?”
For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard, but Iris’s eyes looking at me seemed more serious than ever.
“I feel so sorry for Sylvia. Not only did she close her heart due to the shock of her childhood, but she also looks at the world negatively and carries guilt towards me in her heart.”
I understood what she was saying, but I didn’t think teaching her about love would solve it.
“The World Tree said that love is the greatest emotion.”
“…”
“Please, just this once. If you can melt Sylvia’s frozen heart, she can return to the Sylvia who never lost her smile.”
Looking at Iris pleading with earnest eyes, I couldn’t help but sigh heavily inside.
Asking me to teach love to a woman who already had a hatred of humans and men… wouldn’t it be faster to teach a cat to speak human language?
“Hey, Iris? Even so, wouldn’t it be a bit difficult for me to seduce Sylvia in the current situation?”
If her favorability was 0, it would be one thing, but trying to seduce Sylvia when it was drilling down to the mantle was realistically impossible.
“You don’t have to worry too much. It’s not like there’s no way.”
“Oh.”
As expected of Iris, she had a plan?
“Sylvia is a knight who values honor above all else. The fact that she has already committed two acts of rudeness to you means that she has no choice but to obey any order you give her.”
“Don’t tell me…”
Looking at Iris’s smiling face, I felt an inexplicable anxiety growing.
“Use this as an excuse to take Sylvia’s virginity!”
Thwack! I slapped my forehead without realizing it.
That’s your plan?
“Of course, it hurts to think about the rejection Sylvia will feel… but in a situation like this, there’s nothing like shock therapy. Besides, even if she has a hard time at first, if she keeps sleeping with you, Sylvia will quickly fall for your charms.”
“…Isn’t that thinking too positively? I think she’ll go even further astray if that happens.”
In the worst-case scenario, she might go crazy and try to do a sword dance right there.
“Of course, that could happen. But can’t we say there’s a possibility? There are already several excellent examples.”
“Examples?”
“Luna and Ellie were like that, and Bella and Grace were also sleeping soundly, as if they were satisfied?”
How did she see that in that chaos?
‘…Well.’
Just like how the person who set up a blind date is most curious about the result, she couldn’t help but glance at them even while scolding Sylvia.
“Above all, I was like that too.”
Suddenly, Iris hugged me.
She put her ear near my heart, as if she was focusing on my heartbeat.
“Besides, Sylvia is beautiful enough to have been constantly courted by royalty from other countries, and she’s undoubtedly a virgin?”
“…”
I was clearly saying it was difficult just a moment ago, but as soon as I heard the word virgin, my lower body instinctively stiffened.
‘Haa… just a horny bastard…’
For now, I had no choice but to say I understood.
***
Day broke, and the moment of farewell arrived.
“Hyun-woo…”
Grace, whose eyes were swollen, hugged me.
She was wary of Sylvia when she woke up in the morning, but now that the time had come to really say goodbye, she didn’t seem to care about that.
“Your eyes are so swollen.”
I wiped Grace’s eyes in my arms and comforted her.
She was embarrassed and kept her head down, but she hugged me even tighter as if she didn’t want to let go.
“M-Me too…!”
Mia, who seemed envious of her older sister, hugged my leg. I stroked her head.
As I comforted the two sisters, I felt three intense gazes.
I reached out to the one that seemed most affectionate.
“Bella.”
“…”
I called out to Bella, who was fidgeting with her fingers a step away.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but eventually ran to me and hugged me tightly.
“…I’ll miss you.”
“Me too.”
“M-Me too…”
“Yes, yes.”
We hadn’t even spent a day together, but our bond had deepened as much as we had mingled our bodies.
After hugging each other and saying goodbye for a long time, the time came when we couldn’t delay any longer.
The three mothers followed Sylvia to a village in the Great Forest.
“A hidden village?”
“Yes, it seems there’s a village where some people who couldn’t stand Resilia’s tyranny and escaped Pelleadia gathered. The entire village is concealed, so there’s no fear of being discovered, but the process of entering is very complicated due to the barrier.”
Not all the elders of the Elder Council cooperated with Resilia during her rebellion.
The most representative figure, the 6th Elder, was leading that village.
“If there’s such a place, then Luna and Ellie too…”
“Hehe, knowing you’d say that, I told Sylvia in advance. Fortunately, Luna and Ellie’s house seems to be on the way to the village, so Sylvia will take them with her.”
After confirming that Sylvia had left, Iris leaned on me.
I couldn’t help but be grateful to her for thinking of me first.
I gently hugged Iris and spent some quality time alone with her for the first time in a while.
“Hyun-woo, what are your plans for the future?”
“I have to go back to Wave. After all, I’m supposed to meet up with Sylvia in Wave. Besides, I still have things to do there.”
My top priority was to talk to the lord about controlling access to the Great Forest, and if possible, get a map to the Santala Kingdom.
And if I could get a carriage to the next city, that would be even better.
I also wanted to get information about the international situation.
Of course, I could ask Sylvia, but it would be hard to see the information coming from that human-hating Elf as objective.
“Let’s aim to get out of the Veilheaven Republic as quickly as possible once we’re done with our business.”
“Yes.”
