The women I set free are obsessed with me

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"Yaaawn…"

Alfia woke up and stretched.

For an elf who started her activities early in the morning, waking up wasn't a difficult task. Especially since her pain had disappeared, Alfia would get up immediately upon waking, without lingering in bed.

She had the mindset of gradually reclaiming the time she had wasted until now.

And now, not alone, but together with him.

"Hehe."

A smile involuntarily spread across her face.

Alfia didn't even bother to hide it.

She looked around the house.

"…?"

What was it? The familiar house felt strangely unfamiliar today. Had it always been this spacious and empty?

Ironically, the cause of this feeling was discovered precisely because there was nothing. Karami, who should have been there, was missing.

Did he go out for a walk?

But it's dangerous around here with demonic beasts and plants…

She thought it would be best to go look for him. Just as Alfia was about to rush out, she spotted a leaf as large as a human face on the table.

Lines of text filled the leaf.

Good morning, Miss Alfia.

By the time you read this letter, I'll be gone. You're probably very surprised, and I understand that feeling a hundred times over. I too would be very sad if a slave I had raised with such care escaped at dawn.

But what can we do? Everyone has their own path to walk. The same goes for me. Far away, a fox is crying pitifully, so naturally, I must go and save it.

Don't be too disappointed. There must be an end for a new beginning, and a farewell for a reunion to be all the sweeter.

Ah, just in case, please don't follow me. Just as I have my role, don't you have yours too, Miss Alfia? As the hero of the elves, you should guide the young saplings.

When we meet again someday, I'll look forward to you leading them.

I hope that Miss Alfia won't betray my faith in her.

Your former master, Karami.

P.S. I've removed the shackles. You'll need them gone if you want to engrave a vow later, won't you?

Crunch.

Alfia roughly crumpled the leaf. BOOM! With a thunderous sound, the shabby house exploded.

Debris flew in all directions and birds scattered in fright.

From within the dust, a green Wind Servant flickered around Alfia.

Alfia gazed at her soul. As Karami's letter said, the shackles were gone. Completely, without a trace. Not even the tiniest speck remained.

In Mirabelle's case, a small amount of his mana had remained, but Alfia was an elf. The moment the shackles were removed, her innate elven abilities had judged the mana as a foreign substance and purified it.

All traces of her soul being defiled had vanished. The path to marriage she thought blocked was now as clear as a highway. After winning the Elven Dance Festival, Alfia was undoubtedly the most eligible bride among the elves.

"Why…?"

Of course, Alfia was no longer the type to be happy about such things, but… Standing there in a daze, she tried to understand his intentions.

He went to save a fox.

That meant he was going to the country of beastkins, Vestia.

But why?

He left her behind just to save a single fox?

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand.

She didn't want to understand.

"I have to follow him."

Her mind was filled with nothing but that thought.

Spirits were everywhere in the world, and Alfia possessed a Servant that made them tremble. If she listened to the spirits' voices and flew through the sky, finding him would be instantaneous.

The Wind Servant flickered, creating wings on Alfia's back. Just as she was about to take flight—

"Where are you going?"

It was Leon. His clothes were disheveled and dirty all over, as if he had been roughly tumbling through the forest.

Though she didn't know why, she wasn't particularly curious either.

"That man has disappeared. I have to go find him."

"If you mean the slave trader, he left at dawn."

"How do you…?"

"I personally saw him off. He asked me to guide him out of the forest."

"Leon!"

With a prominent vein on her forehead, Alfia strode towards Leon. In her wake, a strong gust of wind blew, uprooting the soil and trees.

"If you knew, why didn't you wake me?"

"Why should I have woken you?"

"What?"

Their eyes clashed fiercely in mid-air.

But the one in a hurry is always the first to back down. Alfia, pressed for time, turned her head away first.

"Fine. I'm going."

"No, you can't go."

"And you can stop me?"

Alfia snorted.

The Elven Dance Festival had already shown the answer. It would take dozens of elves to even have a chance of stopping her. Alfia had gained power on a completely different level.

"You're right, of course I can't."

Leon readily admitted it.

However, his eyes remained sharp.

"But wasn't it written in the letter? Not to follow him."

"You read someone else's letter…!"

"What do you think will happen if you betray his trust and follow him? He'll surely be disappointed. A slave who ignores her master's words. If I were him, I would cast you aside."

Alfia was no longer a slave, but she still considered herself one. An elf who voluntarily remained a slave. It was mind-boggling.

But thanks to that, Leon had found a way to shake her resolve.

Look.

She's just glaring fiercely, unable to say a word.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's undeniably an extraordinary man. He harbors ideals that are difficult for ordinary people to even comprehend. It's hard to believe he's an inferior species."

Didn't he say his goal was to liberate the pitiful from their misfortune?

It's preposterous. One might think it the delusion of a naive youth who doesn't know how vast the world is. If he hadn't freed Alfia and left…

He saved Alfia who had been all alone. Despite having the power to bend the Great Forest to his will, he stepped back, asking for nothing in return.

What if it had been himself?

An opportunity to gather scattered kin from across the continent and achieve a great revival. Could he truly forsake such a chance?

No.

Leon shook his head.

It's impossible. With power comes desire. Yet Karami had shrugged it all off and left. How could one not look at him differently?

Reevaluating him was as natural as the laws of nature.

"You chasing after him would interfere with his goals."

"…!"

A tremendous shock struck Alfia's mind, momentarily blurring her vision.

Her heart ached—a sensation she hadn't experienced in ages.

In her chaotic state of mind, she couldn't control the spirits as she wished. Frustrated, Alfia pounded her own chest.

"Then… then what am I supposed to do? Am I doomed to be alone again? Is this my fate… forever?"

Leon's eyes flashed. Now, with Alfia's will weakened, was his chance.

"He will return someday. Until that time comes, fulfill your role."

"My role?"

"Wasn't it written in the letter? To guide the young elves."

Alfia's power. He didn't know how she obtained it, but this was his chance to find out and use that knowledge to raise the next generation.

It was Leon's plan for the revival of the elves.

"…You're right. That's right. I should repay his faith in me."

Leon clenched his fist, inwardly rejoicing. It might be shameful compared to Karami, but what could he do? The revival of the elves was his mission.

He spoke in a lighter tone, trying to ease the atmosphere.

"So, come back to the village. The elders want to see…"

"I'm going to see the Queen for a bit."

"you… huh?"

Before he could even respond, Alfia spread her wings and vanished instantly towards the village.

Leon stared blankly in the direction she had disappeared. He had no idea the consequences his actions, intended for revival, would bring forth.

***

Elf Queen Ivrelia blinked at the elf standing before her.

The Trash-Tier Elf.

At the same time, the Strongest Warrior.

Alfia, who had somehow acquired these two contradictory titles, had suddenly barged into the Queen's chambers—a full 50 meters above ground level.

She nearly forgot all decorum and screamed kyaaaa! like a child. The Queen's dignity was a hair's breadth from plummeting to the ground.

Barely managing to compose herself, Ivrelia cleared her throat and smoothed her expression. With a gentle smile befitting the mother figure of all elves, she spoke.

"Alfia, what brings you here so suddenly? If you wished for an audience, you should have gone through the proper procedures."

"I'm sorry. But I have an extremely important matter."

"Important enough to enter the Queen's chambers without permission?"

"Yes."

Her resolute response was without a hint of hesitation. Alfia's expression was so serious that it was Ivrelia who was slightly taken aback.

Just how important could this matter be? The laurel wreath on Alfia's head added weight to the atmosphere. Ivrelia swallowed hard.

"Your Majesty, aren't you curious about how I became so strong?"

"Hm… It's indeed a sudden question, but…"

To be honest, she was curious.

With just one or two more elves like Alfia, their national power would skyrocket. They had driven her out of the village, and now it felt too shameless to ask about her.

But Alfia had brought it up first.

"I am curious. Do you perhaps know the method?"

"I'm not sure if others could become exactly like me, but to some extent, it should be possible."

Alfia spoke with a grave expression.

"The elves in the village. Would you entrust the young girls to me?"

"The children?"

"Yes."

Alfia had interpreted Karami's letter in her own way.

The reason he left her in the forest.

The role he assigned to her.

Teaching the young saplings.

Combining all these elements pointed to one path.

This means I should raise the elves here as slaves!

Alfia recalled what Karami had said when they first met.

—Elves may be money-eating hippos at first, but once they've established a foundation, they can be useful in various fields. Some elves even know how to make potions, and having just one can rake in money in no time.

She remembered clearly how Karami's eyes had lit up when looking at the elves.

The implication was clear, as a senior elf slave, she was to teach them. Her task was to mold these elves into obedient slaves by the time he returned.

When they reunite one day, if she presented well-trained elves to him…

I can live up to Master's faith in me!

This was a test and task he had given her as a slave. If she properly carried out his orders, as a reward, he would engrave a brand into her very soul.

She understood perfectly!

***

"Halt!"

A soldier blocked the path of a woman wrapped in a robe.

The city of Noctar.

It had been a month since an entire merchant group had been erased by an unknown pillar of light. The now stringent inspections showed a determination to bar entry to anyone even remotely suspicious.

"Show something to prove your identity! If you don't have anything, get lost!"

At the guard's shout, the woman removed her hood. Though it was a simple gesture, her movements exuded an undeniable elegance.

The red hair that had been hidden by the hood flowed down like silk. Such fine hair was something only the daughter of a wealthy family could possess.

The woman's eyes curved into a smile.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Narsha Bryan of the Count Bryan House."