Chapter 181 – Back to Square One
What Margaret, a half-elf, told us was a very common story.
A tragedy in which a woman sold into slavery bears her master’s seed and gives birth to a child nobody wants.
Still, Margaret’s mother seemed to have had her affection for her, so she was at least better off.
This is because there are many parents in the world who abandon their children without any hesitation, even if they are related by blood.
Dorothea, who was quietly listening to her story, asked.
“But didn’t you say that there are a lot of elves who are extremely pure-blooded? You don’t bother to capture a different race and use them as slaves?”
In response to her question, Glinda nodded her head and explained.
“Anyway, the number of elves is limited, but there are many places where labor is needed. In Elven Wood, for a long time, they have been buying foreign slaves or bringing friendly races into the city and using them as cheap labor. They are the lower classes of the city. I did my part.”
There are many countries on the continent where slavery has not been abolished to this day.
Unlike Oz, where slavery was quickly abolished to take away the power of the nobles after the collapse of absolute monarchy, human rights were not considered important in most countries that still maintained a strict class system.
However, the fact that slaves were being pampered in the elven kingdom was a bit shocking.
No matter where you look at it, it’s an elf, a Nazi wearing an elf’s mask.
“…I have no place to return to. Now that it’s like this, dying here might be more helpful to my mother.”
Then, hearing Margaret’s words, Glinda shook her head and squeezed her scarred hand.
“You don’t have to risk your life just because this one failed. Probably, the person who gave you the order didn’t expect too much. If you’re worried about your mother, who you left behind at home, I’ll do my best personally. Let me see. They say they were exiled, but there are still many people I know in Elven Wood.”
Then Margaret looked at Glinda with a teary expression.
“Thank you. I will never forget this grace.”
Then Glinda smiled bitterly and shook her head.
“No, I’m just doing what I have to do. If I had the courage to root out the Serpent of Wisdom from the start, there wouldn’t be any victims like you.”
It seems she feels a sense of responsibility.
Even though, from her objective point of view, there seems to be no reason for her to feel her responsibility.
Anyway, since the long conversation between the two is over, we decided to have dinner.
Mt.
Even if you don’t know anything else, shouldn’t you take care of the time you eat?
“Then let’s go to the market and buy food ingredients.”
“Do you have any food you would like to eat?”
To the question of her all-round maid, Camilla, Glinda hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Personally, I like omelets.”
“Then, let’s go in the direction of unifying the dinner menu with an omelet.”
“…Are you not listening to other people’s opinions at all?”
“Eggs are a complete food. They’re cheap, tasty, and easily replenish the lack of protein.”
Dorothea put on a dumbfounded expression at Camilla’s praise of eggs poured out like a rapid-fire cannon.
She seemed to know how to hit moderately as she usually did.
Meanwhile, Glinda put on her overcoat that she had taken off and spoke to Camilla.
“Then I’ll show you the way. First of all, I remember the location of all the important shops.”
“Please take good care of me.”
“Is the maid here following you too?”
Then, Sophia, who had taken a step back, nodded her head and stepped forward.
“I will take care of escorting the head maid.”
There are two great mages in one party, so I don’t have to worry about safety.
Rather, if there is a guy who disputes it, he is the one who needs to pray for peace on this side.
“Then I’ll rest for a while.”
After I said that, I spread out on the sofa, and Dorothea, originally an leadern, also lay down on the sofa next to me.
Finally, as Gabriel, who likes to be lazy by nature, lay down on the remaining sofa, he looked at Camilla with a look of contempt, as if he were seeing something very pitiful.
However, it is the behavior of a first-class maid not to make any more gestures than that.
“Then, I will go.”
Grabbing both of her skirts and poised gracefully during her cut, Camilla followed Glinda, her hostess, out for a while.
***
It was about an hour after that when the three people who had been out returned to the mansion.
“I’m home.”
When they left, the three people who had left empty-handed had a lot of paper bags in their hands.
Well, considering the number of people, I would have had no choice but to buy ingredients in bulk at once.
I jumped up from the sofa and carried Camilla and Sofia’s luggage instead.
Someone might see this and call it condescending, but it is definitely wisdom in life.
If I didn’t do something like this in the first place, I wouldn’t be able to eat the food that was served for free.
After following Glinda into the kitchen, I asked as I put down the luggage I was carrying with both hands on the table.
“Do you cook well?”
Then Glinda shrugged her shoulders and skillfully wrapped her apron around her body.
“It’s good enough that you won’t starve to death anywhere.”
I don’t know if I’m doing well or not just hearing that.
Still, she seems to have lived alone for quite some time, so I thought it would be good to expect her cooking skills.
After Glinda and Camilla move all the ingredients they bought from the market to the sink, they return to the living room and become one with the sofa.
Dorothea and Gabriel, who seemed to have no intention of moving, waved their hands and welcomed the return of their comrades.
“Lazy guys…”
Although it’s our first meeting today, Margaret left a word that seemed to penetrate our essence, and she went into the kitchen to help her benefactor, Glinda.
I looked at the back of its head for a moment, but then gave up and started breathing again.
If you wait, it will come out.
***
In the end, after a long wait, what we ended up having for dinner was a vegetable omelet.
“Delicious!”
Dorothea, who is famous for her cheap taste, opened her eyes as she was afraid to take a bite.
On the other hand, I carefully tasted the omelet without making a fuss.
The taste of a proven brown sauce that is not boring yet normal.
Adding to that the fluffy and soft texture of the egg, it was indeed a perfect harmony.
As if hiding their eyes from Maparam, after eating the omelet, they drank a cup of hot tea as a dessert.
At this point, it’s almost like home.
“If you can’t find a place to stay, I don’t mind staying here for the night. There are plenty of rooms anyway.”
Then, it was Gabriel who fell in love with it.
“Thank you so much!”
“…Aren’t you going home?”
“Where you are is where I will be!”
As she said that, she pushed her dynamite body into my forearm, and now she seemed to know how to use a woman’s weapon perfectly.
For her to change her manly demeanor in such a short period of two years, she feels quite different.
Before entering the room Glinda had provided as a courtesy, I once again imprinted tomorrow’s goals on her party.
“It’s late today, so let’s go to bed, and tomorrow around lunchtime, let’s go back to the Devil Castle after meeting Dberg once more in Nidavellir Castle.”
“I get it, I get it, how many times have I said the same thing?”
“Have you only said it twice?”
I let out a small sigh while refuting Dorothea’s grumbling, then looked around at everyone gathered in the living room and said,
“Then today is the real breakup.”
Then, the other people who had been listening to my story quietly got up from their seats as if they had waited and dispersed to their respective rooms.
This time, the long, long day was over.
***
‘It’s been quite a while since I’ve been using a room alone.’
After allocating the room, I was the only one in the group of a different gender to use a private room.
Others share the same room with 2-3 people, so honestly I was the most comfortable.
‘I can’t sleep more than that.’
My mind was complaining of fatigue because I had been walking around since early morning, but my needlessly healthy body was still maintaining its stamina.
Thanks to that, the stains on the ceiling are leaking with open eyes.
‘I’ll go to bed soon, tomorrow I’ll go to the royal castle.’
I was worried about that, but my eyelids still didn’t show any signs of getting heavy.
Reluctantly, I got up from the bed and moved around, wanting to do some simple exercise.
It was then.
Rattle!
My door, which had been tightly closed, opened.
“Kaldrasch, aren’t you sleeping yet?”
It was Gabriel who poked his head through the crack in the door.
“What is it? What are you here for?”
Then, Gabriel said it was nothing and shook something of his.
It was a bottle of alcohol
“I just couldn’t sleep, so I came here to have a drink with you.”
I looked at Gabriel with a suspicious look, but the person in question acted as if nothing was wrong.
‘Am I being too sensitive?’
As soon as I realized that maybe I had really just come for a drink, I felt sorry for Gabriel.
I put on the top I had taken off while working out and said.
“Come in. I don’t have anything special to eat.”
After receiving my permission, Gabriel opened the door and entered without hesitation.
