Chapter 208: I’m Really a Pacifist. (1)
No matter how powerful Kaor was, he couldn’t do anything when Ghislaine, Belinda, and Gillian all stomped on him at the same time.
Alfoy occasionally cast enhancement magic on the people.
“Ugh! Stop! If you stop now, I’ll spare you! Just pause for a moment! Graaaah!”
Yelling at the top of his lungs was pointless. No one wanted to miss this opportunity.
After being stomped for quite a while, Kaor eventually lost consciousness and got carried away. Piote didn’t offer any treatment until the end.
Most of the Elves looked like they were satisfied with the world, finding everything annoying, but a few stopped what they were doing, quietly watching the chaos, and then burst into cheers.
“What’s this? This town is really lively, isn’t it?”
“Oh, I’m a little excited! We really know how to have fun.”
“Is that guy the Lord? He looks decent, but his temper seems a bit off. That could be romantic in its own way?”
They laughed among themselves a few more times and made a scene.
Those who were throwing up or only smoking were the better lot.
One male Elf looked at Belinda, winked, and bit his lower lip hard. It couldn’t get any cheesier than this.
Another male Elf looked at Alfoy and licked his lips. Unaware of the meaning, the innocent Alfoy just blinked in confusion.
Seeing this, Ghislaine stepped forward and shouted.
“Everyone, pay attention!”
The Elves stopped their antics and all looked at Ghislaine.
After a moment of deliberation, Ghislaine asked, “Does anyone here know how to use spirits?”
Immediately, the dazed Elves burst into laughter, holding their stomachs.
“Spirits? What’s that? Is it something you eat?”
“Our ancestors knew how to use them, but we have no idea. Spirit slave? That sounds so romantic.”
“I know all about vitality but not spirits!”
They resumed their crude banter, laughing and chatting, completely out of control. Everyone was so flabbergasted that they didn’t even think about being rude.
Ghislaine could only facepalm.
‘What is this… Why are all the Elves like this? What on earth did that Slave Trader bring…’
In this chaotic situation, Claude looked at Ghislaine with a sad expression.
“My Lord… these guys are utterly useless. Shall we just sell them again? They’re incredibly inefficient for laborers or soldiers. They’re too pricey to kill or even injure! What a waste of money.”
Belinda nodded along, agreeing from the side.
“This definitely doesn’t seem right. They’re nothing like the Elves I’ve heard about.”
This time, Ghislaine truly had nothing to say. He really didn’t expect it to be this chaotic.
As he glanced up at the sky for a moment, he let out a deep sigh.
“Wow, this is insane! The elves I met in my past life were never like this!”
They were all dignified and elegant guardians of nature, friends of spirits. Trustworthy and excellent warriors who stood against the calamity that swept across the continent.
“I had resigned myself to the fact that they might be a bit different after being slaves among humans for so long… but this is way beyond my expectations!”
Being a proud and noble race, they tried to persuade them in a different way than with dwarves. However, this was beyond the stage of persuasion.
The situation was serious—way past serious. He had been suspicious of where he had brought the sickly elves just moments ago.
If he had to pinpoint what was wrong, it seemed that it was not their bodies but their minds that were suffering.
“Did that slave trader really scam me? Is that why he ran off so quickly? How dare he trick the Mercenary King? Should I catch him right now and kill him?”
Galbarik and the dwarves, who had arrived late to the scene, burst out laughing at the sight.
“Hahaha! It looks like the lord really bought the elf slaves without knowing a thing! No matter how much of a genius he is, some things are just beyond his grasp!”
As Ghislaine clenched his fist and glared, Galbarik panicked and waved his hands.
“No, no! It’s just that people don’t know; most elf slaves are like this!”
“What?”
“To be precise, it’s the long-lived elves who are like this. Even if they interact with humans, there’s nothing for them to do aside from play. In other words, they’ve been thoroughly corrupted by humans over time.”
“What about elves who haven’t lived as long?”
“Those who are naive and obedient are never sold by nobles. Any elf that trades is in a state that’s a bit off.”
Dwarves didn’t lose much of their racial identity even if they fell into slavery. Humans still needed their skills and techniques.
However, elves who left the forests were of little use aside from their beauty. Consequently, elf slaves began to be treated as decorative items—living dolls, really.
Given their long lifespans, they didn’t reproduce easily, so increasing their numbers was tough. Their prices were so outrageous that they couldn’t take chances.
So, the elves in relatively decent condition wouldn’t be available on the market, only those who were hard to control were sold.
The dwarves knew this situation well since they were also high-end slaves.
“Damn, I didn’t know it went that far. I was too disinterested to learn the details. So, it means the slave trader didn’t cheat me?”
Elf slaves were few in number and expensive, making transactions rare. Adding to that, with nobles keeping it hush-hush, it was hard to even catch a glimpse of them.
Though he understood why they were like that, he couldn’t allow them to continue living in such a mess.
“Right, I just need to stick to the plan. For now, let’s start by talking nicely and get their cooperation.”
After sighing several times, Ghislaine turned to the elves and asked,
“You all seem to be having a good time together, so I guess you’ve formed some friendships along the way. Who’s the representative?”
At those words, all the elves glanced at a male elf who appeared to be exuding world-weariness.
Feeling the gaze directed at him, the elf shook his head in annoyance and stepped forward.
Truly, he looked like a work of art befitting an elf. With his tall stature, athletic build, and chiseled features, the People of Penris were all taken aback.
The people of Lis were all taken aback.
He arrogantly brushed back his hair as if such a reaction was only natural.
“I’m Ascon. For now, I guess I’m the representative…”
Elves have a culture of choosing the oldest member as their representative when gathered. Though not a strict rule, it generally holds true.
Since there was no deep camaraderie among them, the oldest, Ascon, was forcefully made the representative.
Ghislaine dryly replied as she looked at him.
“From now on, you will represent the elves for a while and help everyone adapt to the territory…”
“I don’t want to.”
“What?”
“Oh, I said I don’t want to be a representative. It’s too much of a hassle. Do I really have to do that at my age? My bones ache these days.”
“…”
Ghislaine was speechless at Ascon’s blatant annoyance.
If it weren’t for his pointy ears, no one would think he was an elf. He was just like the humans who had seen it all.
‘This kind of disrespect… it feels nostalgic.’
Ascon looked at Ghislaine with a blank expression, a disdainful smirk on his face.
‘Why? Did you expect your expensive slaves to be obedient? Pathetic.’
It was obvious. Seeing that he bought so many elf slaves, it was clear he intended to show off to his followers or surrounding nobles, presenting them as expensive gifts. Elf slaves were the best gift after all.
‘Is it because he’s young? He seems desperate to flaunt his money.’
Having lived in the human world for a long time, he didn’t bother to hide his ridicule.
“I think the Lord is still young, so you might not understand the ways of the world. Let me give you a piece of advice.”
“…What advice?”
“It’s hard for us to be handled however you please. We are a race with noble dignity and pride. I guess you didn’t know that before purchasing us.”
Ghislaine looked around at the elves with an expression of disbelief. Is this really representing noble dignity and pride?
But regardless, Ascon was too busy saying what he wanted.
“Well, you seem to have plenty of money, so let’s try to get along. As long as you don’t mess with our temper, I’ll make sure you have some fun moving forward. Save the talk of representation for later.”
Ghislaine’s close associates began to frown slightly at Ascon’s arrogant attitude.
At first, they were dumbfounded and silent, but no matter how high-class the slaves were, this was too rude.
The knight, who had previously stepped forward and coughed up blood when the dwarf first arrived, cautiously made his move. He wanted to make up for that mistake.
“You! How dare you, a mere slave, speak to the Lord like that… Ugh, cough, cough!”
As Ghislaine looked at him in disbelief, the knight kept coughing and sputtering excuses.
“Cough! I just suddenly spoke, and I choked… cough! cough!”
“…Just go inside.”
“…I apologize.”
As the knight stepped back, Ghislaine looked back up at the sky.
‘Why is it that only strange ones flock around me? Surely it’s not because I’m the weird one? I’m completely normal.’
Not wanting to accept this reality, he sighed deeply. He would put off self-reflection for now; he needed to wrap up the conversation with the elves.
“I don’t intend to simply use you as slaves. If you cooperate fully with me for ten years, I’ll grant you freedom and create an autonomous area for the elves. If you want, I can even cultivate a forest.”
The same conditions as with the dwarves. Ghislaine had no intention of merely treating them as slaves.
There was none.
An age of turmoil will come where status differences will lose meaning. At that time, everyone must work together to survive.
However, the elves, including Ascon, scoffed at Ghislaine’s words.
“Is it because you’re really young? You don’t understand the world at all. Do you think that’s possible?”
“Who lives in a fortress like a bumpkin? What’s the fun in that? Sure, our ancestors did, but it was a total waste of life.”
“Wow, our Lord is quite romantic. Liberating slaves, huh? That’s so poetic!”
“Wanting us to cooperate, how much fun are you expecting us to have? We’re getting old, you know. Our bones aren’t what they used to be.”
Their reactions were no different from those of the dwarves. They, too, did not believe that Ghislaine would actually fulfill the promises made.
Belinda and Gillian attempted to step in against the continuously crossing elves, but Ghislaine shook her head to stop them.
“Let’s understand them; their races are different, and they must have suffered a lot. I’m not a racist, after all. I’m quite considerate.”
After holding back, Ghislaine spoke kindly.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. That’s like the compensation I’ll be giving you. We’ll see when the time comes.”
“Yes, yes, I understand. You handle that later. Just pick a new representative. I’m done here.”
Ascon turned his body sharply, signaling he didn’t want to talk any further.
‘This jerk…?’
Ghislaine once again held back and gritted her teeth with a forced smile. She needed the active cooperation of the elves, just like with the dwarves.
“You are the representative. It’s also to show respect for elf culture.”
“This is ridiculous; you really don’t get it. I’m not doing it, so know that. Don’t bother respecting me.”
With that, Ascon sprawled out on the floor.
Belinda and Gillian’s expressions darkened. As the atmosphere turned tense, everyone around began to grow anxious.
Of course, the elves merely scoffed at the sight.
“What? Want to hit us? Do you think you can just do whatever you want with our worth?”
“Do you think we haven’t been hit before?”
“Ugh, I’m tired of these power struggles every time we show up in a new place. Can’t we just have fun? Why does it have to be like this?”
In that atmosphere, Ghislaine looked down at the sprawled Ascon and said, “Get up and lead the elves. First, unpack at the lodging and wait.”
“I don’t want to. It’s annoying. Or I’ll just go to prison. That would be better for all of us. I’d be fine being released after the Lord dies.”
Ascon replied with a smirk while still lying down. Ghislaine forced a smile and continued.
“Could you just get up? I’m not a fan of using force to suppress. I’m not a racist; I’m a non-violent pacifist, you know.”
“Ha, you’re really being too much to an older person here. Is there no respect for elders? Well, I do like that the new master has such a creed. So, a pass for round one?”
“Yeah, I can be nice sometimes.”
Ascon slowly got up and looked at Ghislaine with a smug expression, as if he didn’t care but found it annoying.
“I told you I’m not doing the representative thing, right? It’s a hassle, so find someone else.”
“Can’t we just get along nicely? I’m really a pacifist, but you just won’t see it.”
A hint of hostility began to surface from Ghislaine’s smiling face.
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