Chapter Thirteen: The Elf Among Elves
“I’m sorry, I have no right to ask for this necklace from you. It was just a hobby of mine, um…” Finitz didn’t know how to explain her peculiar interest. Ever since she could think, she seemed to have a special fondness for this activity. She didn’t understand why she felt an indescribable joy after each success. No one in her tribe disapproved of her actions; in fact, many men in her tribe were proud to have her as their companion. Anything that Princess Finitz favored was undoubtedly an honor.
However, once Finitz stepped outside her tribe’s territory and into the human world, she realized that this activity seemed more like a despicable profession—thieves, burglars, pickpockets. Everyone spoke of it with disgust, except those who practiced it. Finitz wanted to stop doing this and avoid being despised in human society. But in human society, almost everything required something called gold shields to exchange for food and other services. It seemed she could only obtain gold shields through her skill, though it would attract much cursing from others. Still, Finitz thought it was better than being driven out of restaurants and inns.
“No need to explain. It’s already in the past. By the way, I have a few friends who also seem to have some items with you—some documents, I think. You must remember; it was a few days ago, in this very city.” Seeing the innocent gaze in the other person’s clear eyes, Komer had no choice but to believe her words. If performing such a scene was worth it, then Komer could only say that this girl was the best performer he had ever seen, even better than Tracy.
Finitz was so upset that she almost bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. She never expected her two actions to be noticed by this person, which undoubtedly damaged her reputation greatly. She knew that human society found such behavior hard to forgive.
“I’m sorry. Everything is with me, in the inn where I’m staying. I don’t know which items belong to your friends. Could you come with me to identify them?” The elf girl almost bowed her head to her chest, her hands unconsciously clasped together as she rubbed her abdomen, like a child admitting fault to her parents.
He really didn’t know how to punish this elf girl before him. Komer smiled bitterly and shook his head before finally saying, “Alright, I think we’d better go to where you live. I’m really worried that it will take too much time to find you again once we go there.”
“Sir, it won’t happen again. I really won’t do it anymore,” Finitz said, clasping her hands together shyly. “I promise I won’t do it again.”
“Oh? Is that so? You ran away from your tribe, right? Why didn’t you go back? How are you going to make a living now?” Komer asked with a smirk.
“Uh, I could work as a waitress in a bar. I heard that the bars in Prague treat their workers well and are even recruiting girls, especially elf girls like us,” she said, looking up at Komer excitedly, clearly hoping he would believe her.
“A bar waitress?” Komer frowned. Of course, bars welcomed elf girls, but those pure girls, as innocent as blank sheets, would likely become prey to the filthy and vulgar patrons within a single night. The bar owners had a hundred ways to make them submit unnoticed. An elf princess? You might be a high-ranking princess in your tribe, but here, you’d probably end up as a sex slave desired by men.
“Sir, is there something wrong?” Seeing Komer frown, Finitz grew anxious again. Ever since she ran away from her tribe, she had been wandering in the mortal lands. After making some mistakes due to her lack of understanding of human ways at first, she learned to protect herself by staying away from people as much as possible to maintain her mystery. With her woolen hat covering her face, she went about her business alone, and few people noticed her identity. Having little contact with the outside world, she wasn’t aware of the many vile deeds hidden behind seemingly legitimate businesses.
“Do you think this life of running away and wandering around is better? Better than life in your tribe?” Komer sighed softly. He realized he might have to take on another burden. Although he wasn’t exactly a saint, he couldn’t bear to watch such a pure and innocent elf girl fall into trouble. Perhaps deep in his dark heart, he had a more hidden thought: rather than letting those rude and uncivilized men abuse her, it would be better for her to be with him, since at least he would treat her with more kindness than those men in the bars.
“Well, I prefer this kind of life. It’s dangerous, but it’s exciting and refreshing. It’s far better than the dullness in our clan that almost chokes you to death. It’s a pity my mother won’t let me go out freely; otherwise, I wouldn’t have sneaked out like this. It would be great if I could travel freely with a few friends.” Finitz’s eyes held a dreamy confusion, as if still immersed in some fantasy. This made Komer recall his own youthful days when he was also indulged in self-display and recklessness. But cruel reality often shatters all beautiful dreams, leaving heart-wrenching pain that lingers forever. Perhaps having been through it himself, Komer didn’t want such a girl to inexplicably experience the pain of shattered dreams. It seemed more in line with a kind noble’s character to let such a pure girl enjoy the sweetness of youth, Komer thought. When Komer led the shy elf thief into the Sofara Inn, Javier was bragging loudly about how graceful his wind-based flying technique was and how fast he could move, almost forgetting that his companions were eager to hear what happened next. Bayezid tried several times to interject but was shut down by Javier’s remark that he moved at a snail’s pace. Eventually, Grace grew impatient and asked where Komer had gone to chase the elf thief, prompting Javier to realize he had been left behind and lost track of them. Javier’s last words not only drew complaints from Eve and anger from Grace but also made Bayezid furious, using every word to mock and ridicule Javier. This chaotic situation coincided with Komer entering the inn room with Finitz. Seeing the elf thief obediently follow Komer into the room, Javier and Bayezid were speechless, their mouths agape like hippos, pointing at each other. Looking at Komer’s calm yet tired expression, they seemed to understand. Other than sighing with envy, they could only shake their heads—their reactions were astonishingly identical.
Eve’s expression remained as calm and serene as ever. Her gaze, like spring water, shifted from the elven girl’s face to Komer’s. Komer’s tired look worried her slightly; she could tell she must have gone through a fierce struggle. Yet, under such circumstances, she didn’t know how to bring it up first. Grace’s gaze, on the other hand, was fiery with a hint of hostility. There seemed to be an inherent discord between this elven woman and her own mixed-blood with elven ancestry. The more obedient Grace’s opponent acted, the more uncomfortable she felt. She didn’t want such a well-behaved girl in this group—to be precise, she simply didn’t want her around Komer.
Lome, however, focused all her attention on Komer. The turbulent energy surrounding him hadn’t fully subsided. The Heavenly Demon Shield had consumed a great deal of dark magic, causing cracks in his psyche. Although these cracks were suppressed by two sacred artifacts, even enhancing his mental strength, the negative effects of such cracks couldn’t be erased quickly. It was like a crack in a wall—it required gradual nourishment and repair over time to slowly heal.
Seeing the strange tension in the room, Komer stepped forward slightly, signaling the elven girl behind him to greet them. Under everyone’s gaze, Finitz’s heart pounded like a deer’s. But just as Komer had advised her earlier, to integrate into this group quickly, she needed to be sweet-talking and sincere—only then could she stay safely in this small group and enjoy her journey of happiness and freedom.
“Brothers and sisters, Finitz apologizes in advance. As a newcomer, I don’t know much about many things. Please be lenient with me this time,” she said awkwardly, delivering a flowery speech. Then, she took out a wooden dagger from the pouch slung across her waist. “Brother Briarnos, this is the most famous Kengmu dagger in our forest. It’s made of Iron Kengmu, extremely hard. I hope you’ll like it.”
Briarnos laughed so hard his mouth could barely close, looking at a loss, but under Grace’s fierce gaze he could only stammer, scratching his head as he glanced at Eve and Grace beside him. Although Briarnos was skilled in using heavy weapons, as a warrior who loved combat, he sometimes found himself in close-quarters fights. Such a compact dagger was undoubtedly the best weapon for close combat. Yet without the permission of the two women beside him, he would rather not have it. Without a dagger, at most he would suffer some physical injuries, but if he offended them, his life would surely become very difficult from then on.