The morning after the long night wasn’t as refreshing as it seemed in any romance.
Tired, lethargic, and feeling like a steam-powered engine with every joint creaking, my body felt drained.
It was more of a mental exhaustion than physical.
Though the body was intact, energy was lacking.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains diagonally.
Glancing sideways, the elf was trying to avoid eye contact.
Smiling wryly at the elf who held the blanket tightly with both hands covering the face, I spoke, “Did you have a good dream, perhaps?”
“…Don’t tease me.”
“I did say you could use me as much as you want, but weren’t you a bit too rough?”
Tapping the crumpled bed frame with fingers, I continued, “The wildness of an elf who has lived for a thousand years truly lives up to its reputation. Suppressing, pushing, not even allowing a moment to catch a breath. If it was not for the vitality due to reincarnation, I would have fainted in the middle.”
“…Sorry.”
“It’s not something to apologize for. I gave you permission, and now you’re even apologizing? It’s strange, isn’t it?”
“I wasn’t in my right mind last night.”
“So, let’s just forget about it?”
“…If you can do that.”
If one doesn’t value their own ‘body,’ it doesn’t mean what they did didn’t happen.
It signifies that changing one’s mind is not easy if it’s a matter of determination.
Grabbing the Elf’s hand that was trying to cover her face with the blanket, I gently moved her hand away, making the elf face me.
The elf’s face turned red, and I smiled brightly.
“It might be hard to forget about what happened.”
“Probably.”
“It was my first time.”
“…Huh?”
This time, the Elf’s face turned pale blue.
It was amusing to see the various expressions, especially because the Elf was usually so stoic.
But is it really that surprising to be someone’s first?
I thought, considering I lived a life far removed from romance.
“W-What did you just…?”
“Elf, you were my first.”
“Lies…”
“I don’t lie about things like this.”
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to doubt you, it’s just… you seemed so relaxed, I thought it was obvious…”
“I’m a Rogue, after all.”
“You should be relaxed even if you’re holding a sword.”
If you know the opponent will fold, you can go all in even with a bluff.
That’s the basics of gambling and deception.
“I’ll take responsibility.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll properly take responsibility for you, Rogue. It won’t be good news for that squirrel person…”
“Squirrel? Why suddenly…”
“Wasn’t it because of her that you confessed?”
“Confessed?”
“You said something about wanting to marry at the adventurers’ guild?”
“Hmm?”
Oh, right, I did say that.
I remember.
“I was just joking though…?”
“…What?”
Explaining the situation with Darami, the elf realized her mistake and started sweating, her expression changing rapidly from a scream to a sigh.
“I must have misunderstood…”
“No, well, if you only heard that part, it’s understandable. So, you hurried to confess because of that?”
“…”
“Thinking I confessed to Darami? Coming to the room of a colleague who’s about to marry in the middle of the night and even locking the door?”
“Wow…”
The elf began to sweat profusely, avoiding eye contact.
Even her sweat smelled of fresh grass, as expected of an elf.
Though the contents were not exactly water.
“…Still, the offer to take responsibility is genuine.”
“How will you take responsibility?”
“That’s…”
“I won’t ask for responsibility, and even if you offer, I’ll refuse. Don’t worry about it.”
Being so serious from the start only felt burdensome.
What I wanted was freedom.
Not responsibility or relationships.
Cleanly parting ways without any conflicts, attachments, or misunderstandings was what I truly desired.
“Don’t take it too seriously, Elf. You’ve lived for a thousand years, right? The person you just met wasn’t your first was it?”
“…”
“Right?”
“I… was also the first…”
“…Huh?”
“You were also my first.”
Hmm.
This is a bit of an accident.
“I have no intention of taking responsibility for you…?”
“I don’t expect you to.”
“No, um, wait. Saying it like this makes me feel really trashy…”
Oh right, I am trash after all.
From the beginning, my profession was that of a Rogue.
Let’s be straightforward.
“Alright. Let’s just forget about it.”
The elf’s gaze turned into one that looked at trash.
Much better.
“Since we’ll probably be in the same adventurer party for quite some time in the future, I don’t want things to get awkward between us.”
“…Is that an issue?”
“Yeah. I don’t want things to be awkward between us, elf. Despite this or that, I quite like you.”
“The fact that there’s absolutely no romantic feeling in that ‘quite like’ is shocking.”
Actually, what shocked me more was seeing you look at me like that.
“…Isn’t it inevitable? You, as a Rogue, are too defenceless.”
Defenseless, huh.
That’s a word that doesn’t quite fit with me.
“Don’t Rogues always remain vigilant about their surroundings?”
“It’s not meant in that sense.”
“I’m not sure I understand…”
The elf suddenly grabbed my wrist firmly and pulled me closer.
And because of her nearby arm wrapping around me, our bodies were once again pressed tightly against each other.
“You’re not resisting at all right now.”
“Do I really…?”
“It’s too lax. If there’s no ‘malice,’ you accept it without resistance. Although you’re undoubtedly one of the best adventurers in sensing danger and malice, you seem too indifferent to things that are not.”
“Ah, I see what you mean.”
Still, it’s the same question of whether I really need to resist.
Whether that emotion was evident on my face or not, the elf continued with a sigh.
“Rogue. An elf’s long lifespan is a fate in itself. It makes them constantly thirsty due to witnessing, hearing, and imagining too much. Some people think elves are stoic, but they’re just in a hurry.”
“So?”
“Your casually tossed ‘it’s okay’ means that I recall all sorts of fantasies I’ve heard and imagined over the years. I even pictured scenes of us getting married and naming our great-grandchildren.”
It’s truly like a high school boy going through puberty.
It was absurd, but also somewhat amusing.
So, without realizing it, a chuckle escaped me.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re cute.”
“I can’t understand the Rogue’s sentimentality at all…”
“So, what did you name the great-grandchild?”
“Stop teasing me, I want to die…”
“Haha, alright.”
“Rather than chatting like this, shouldn’t we start preparing to leave for the Great Labyrinth soon?”
“Oh, right. I feel like I should wash up a bit because of the sweat.”
“In that case, I’ll go back to my room.”
“Oh. I had a good time last night.”
“Why?”
“…Would it be okay if I came again?”
“Did you ever ask?”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Well, then.”
“…I’ll really go back now.”
The elf got up from the bed and straightened her clothes.
I also prepared to clean up and wash.
Seeing the elf off at the door, I couldn’t resist adding a playful remark.
“Elf, remember when I said I don’t lie about things like this? That was a lie.”
“What?”
“Have a good day.”
“Wait, what does that mean? Explain!”
It’s a secret.
After finishing the conquest of the 26th floor of the Great Labyrinth, and with nothing else to do, I visited the Wizard’s Workshop.
The Demon King was guarding the workshop.
“Welcome to the laboratory, Master.”
“Come to think of it, you were here too.”
“Come to think of it…?”
“Heheh.”
The Demon King’s eyes widened in shock.
“Have you forgotten about my existence, sealed as a stigma of extinction? Truly mad.”
“No, it’s not that important, is it…?”
“How’s she Wizard? Does this one listen well?”
“Heheh!”
She seemed to be listening well, which was fortunate.
Thanks to the Demon King, there had been remarkable progress in research using “Black Magic.”
“Heheh, curses… sorcery… heh.”
“Especially in researching curses, it was quite helpful, right? Based on the data obtained from the ‘talisman’ we replicated last time, we were able to understand various mechanisms of curses based on sorcery.”
“Did those two words really contain that much information…? Human language is fascinating.”
There’s more information in laughter than in words…
Since there was no need to explain it to the Demon King, I just gave her a good smack on the back of the head.
“Why did you suddenly hit me?!”
“Sometimes my hand just moves.”
“I wonder how I ended up like this. It’s truly humiliating.”
“It’s better than being a heart factory.”
“I’m seriously considering whether repeating death would be better.”
“Wizard, is the research on the Demon King’s magic finished?”
“Heheh.”
“Can we adjust it so that the Demon King’s heart is automatically removed every time she resurrect, without us having to do anything?”
“Heheh!”
Since we had thoroughly researched how to deal with “Black Magic,” it seemed possible.
“It seems that my existence is destined to exist solely to receive punishment from the master.”
“Is that so?”
I hit them again.
“But there are a lot of interesting things. What’s this?”
“Heheh. A resentment potion…”
“Oh.”
Should I try drinking it?
“Are there any side effects?”
“Heheh. After the effect wears off… there’s a backlash of… sudden affection… heh.”
What a potion, like a love potion-making machine.
It’s quite scary.
“…Should I make the Hero drink this?”
A wicked thought crossed my mind.
The morning after the long night wasn’t as refreshing as it seemed in any romance.
Tired, lethargic, and feeling like a steam-powered engine with every joint creaking, my body felt drained.
It was more of a mental exhaustion than physical.
Though the body was intact, energy was lacking.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains diagonally.
Glancing sideways, the elf was trying to avoid eye contact.
Smiling wryly at the elf who held the blanket tightly with both hands covering the face, I spoke, “Did you have a good dream, perhaps?”
“…Don’t tease me.”
“I did say you could use me as much as you want, but weren’t you a bit too rough?”
Tapping the crumpled bed frame with fingers, I continued, “The wildness of an elf who has lived for a thousand years truly lives up to its reputation. Suppressing, pushing, not even allowing a moment to catch a breath. If it was not for the vitality due to reincarnation, I would have fainted in the middle.”
“…Sorry.”
“It’s not something to apologize for. I gave you permission, and now you’re even apologizing? It’s strange, isn’t it?”
“I wasn’t in my right mind last night.”
“So, let’s just forget about it?”
“…If you can do that.”
If one doesn’t value their own ‘body,’ it doesn’t mean what they did didn’t happen.
It signifies that changing one’s mind is not easy if it’s a matter of determination.
Grabbing the Elf’s hand that was trying to cover her face with the blanket, I gently moved her hand away, making the elf face me.
The elf’s face turned red, and I smiled brightly.
“It might be hard to forget about what happened.”
“Probably.”
“It was my first time.”
“…Huh?”
This time, the Elf’s face turned pale blue.
It was amusing to see the various expressions, especially because the Elf was usually so stoic.
But is it really that surprising to be someone’s first?
I thought, considering I lived a life far removed from romance.
“W-What did you just…?”
“Elf, you were my first.”
“Lies…”
“I don’t lie about things like this.”
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to doubt you, it’s just… you seemed so relaxed, I thought it was obvious…”
“I’m a Rogue, after all.”
“You should be relaxed even if you’re holding a sword.”
If you know the opponent will fold, you can go all in even with a bluff.
That’s the basics of gambling and deception.
“I’ll take responsibility.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll properly take responsibility for you, Rogue. It won’t be good news for that squirrel person…”
“Squirrel? Why suddenly…”
“Wasn’t it because of her that you confessed?”
“Confessed?”
“You said something about wanting to marry at the adventurers’ guild?”
“Hmm?”
Oh, right, I did say that.
I remember.
“I was just joking though…?”
“…What?”
Explaining the situation with Darami, the elf realized her mistake and started sweating, her expression changing rapidly from a scream to a sigh.
“I must have misunderstood…”
“No, well, if you only heard that part, it’s understandable. So, you hurried to confess because of that?”
“…”
“Thinking I confessed to Darami? Coming to the room of a colleague who’s about to marry in the middle of the night and even locking the door?”
“Wow…”
The elf began to sweat profusely, avoiding eye contact.
Even her sweat smelled of fresh grass, as expected of an elf.
Though the contents were not exactly water.
“…Still, the offer to take responsibility is genuine.”
“How will you take responsibility?”
“That’s…”
“I won’t ask for responsibility, and even if you offer, I’ll refuse. Don’t worry about it.”
Being so serious from the start only felt burdensome.
What I wanted was freedom.
Not responsibility or relationships.
Cleanly parting ways without any conflicts, attachments, or misunderstandings was what I truly desired.
“Don’t take it too seriously, Elf. You’ve lived for a thousand years, right? The person you just met wasn’t your first was it?”
“…”
“Right?”
“I… was also the first…”
“…Huh?”
“You were also my first.”
Hmm.
This is a bit of an accident.
“I have no intention of taking responsibility for you…?”
“I don’t expect you to.”
“No, um, wait. Saying it like this makes me feel really trashy…”
Oh right, I am trash after all.
From the beginning, my profession was that of a Rogue.
Let’s be straightforward.
“Alright. Let’s just forget about it.”
The elf’s gaze turned into one that looked at trash.
Much better.
“Since we’ll probably be in the same adventurer party for quite some time in the future, I don’t want things to get awkward between us.”
“…Is that an issue?”
“Yeah. I don’t want things to be awkward between us, elf. Despite this or that, I quite like you.”
“The fact that there’s absolutely no romantic feeling in that ‘quite like’ is shocking.”
Actually, what shocked me more was seeing you look at me like that.
“…Isn’t it inevitable? You, as a Rogue, are too defenceless.”
Defenseless, huh.
That’s a word that doesn’t quite fit with me.
“Don’t Rogues always remain vigilant about their surroundings?”
“It’s not meant in that sense.”
“I’m not sure I understand…”
The elf suddenly grabbed my wrist firmly and pulled me closer.
And because of her nearby arm wrapping around me, our bodies were once again pressed tightly against each other.
“You’re not resisting at all right now.”
“Do I really…?”
“It’s too lax. If there’s no ‘malice,’ you accept it without resistance. Although you’re undoubtedly one of the best adventurers in sensing danger and malice, you seem too indifferent to things that are not.”
“Ah, I see what you mean.”
Still, it’s the same question of whether I really need to resist.
Whether that emotion was evident on my face or not, the elf continued with a sigh.
“Rogue. An elf’s long lifespan is a fate in itself. It makes them constantly thirsty due to witnessing, hearing, and imagining too much. Some people think elves are stoic, but they’re just in a hurry.”
“So?”
“Your casually tossed ‘it’s okay’ means that I recall all sorts of fantasies I’ve heard and imagined over the years. I even pictured scenes of us getting married and naming our great-grandchildren.”
It’s truly like a high school boy going through puberty.
It was absurd, but also somewhat amusing.
So, without realizing it, a chuckle escaped me.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re cute.”
“I can’t understand the Rogue’s sentimentality at all…”
“So, what did you name the great-grandchild?”
“Stop teasing me, I want to die…”
“Haha, alright.”
“Rather than chatting like this, shouldn’t we start preparing to leave for the Great Labyrinth soon?”
“Oh, right. I feel like I should wash up a bit because of the sweat.”
“In that case, I’ll go back to my room.”
“Oh. I had a good time last night.”
“Why?”
“…Would it be okay if I came again?”
“Did you ever ask?”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Well, then.”
“…I’ll really go back now.”
The elf got up from the bed and straightened her clothes.
I also prepared to clean up and wash.
Seeing the elf off at the door, I couldn’t resist adding a playful remark.
“Elf, remember when I said I don’t lie about things like this? That was a lie.”
“What?”
“Have a good day.”
“Wait, what does that mean? Explain!”
It’s a secret.
After finishing the conquest of the 26th floor of the Great Labyrinth, and with nothing else to do, I visited the Wizard’s Workshop.
The Demon King was guarding the workshop.
“Welcome to the laboratory, Master.”
“Come to think of it, you were here too.”
“Come to think of it…?”
“Heheh.”
The Demon King’s eyes widened in shock.
“Have you forgotten about my existence, sealed as a stigma of extinction? Truly mad.”
“No, it’s not that important, is it…?”
“How’s she Wizard? Does this one listen well?”
“Heheh!”
She seemed to be listening well, which was fortunate.
Thanks to the Demon King, there had been remarkable progress in research using “Black Magic.”
“Heheh, curses… sorcery… heh.”
“Especially in researching curses, it was quite helpful, right? Based on the data obtained from the ‘talisman’ we replicated last time, we were able to understand various mechanisms of curses based on sorcery.”
“Did those two words really contain that much information…? Human language is fascinating.”
There’s more information in laughter than in words…
Since there was no need to explain it to the Demon King, I just gave her a good smack on the back of the head.
“Why did you suddenly hit me?!”
“Sometimes my hand just moves.”
“I wonder how I ended up like this. It’s truly humiliating.”
“It’s better than being a heart factory.”
“I’m seriously considering whether repeating death would be better.”
“Wizard, is the research on the Demon King’s magic finished?”
“Heheh.”
“Can we adjust it so that the Demon King’s heart is automatically removed every time she resurrect, without us having to do anything?”
“Heheh!”
Since we had thoroughly researched how to deal with “Black Magic,” it seemed possible.
“It seems that my existence is destined to exist solely to receive punishment from the master.”
“Is that so?”
I hit them again.
“But there are a lot of interesting things. What’s this?”
“Heheh. A resentment potion…”
“Oh.”
Should I try drinking it?
“Are there any side effects?”
“Heheh. After the effect wears off… there’s a backlash of… sudden affection… heh.”
What a potion, like a love potion-making machine.
It’s quite scary.
“…Should I make the Hero drink this?”
A wicked thought crossed my mind.
