I slapped the scrawny chest of the naked elf girl tied up and asked.
“Long time no see, pretty ladies. Where did you use my 8 copper?”
“Huh?”
“That time…”
Seeing them seem to remember me, I smiled widely, but the already pale skin of the elf girl turned completely colorless.
Well, from their perspective, it was like the kid who used to shake them down was now dismembering someone right in front of them.
They couldn’t resist at all, so I could see why they’d be scared.
I peeked subtly in the direction of Lydia. She seemed too busy interrogating to have any energy to focus on me.
…A little wouldn’t hurt, right?
I wiped the cheerful smile off my face and got serious.
“So? Where did you use the 8 copper?”
“I’m sorry…”
“I won’t do it again…”
The two trembled as they apologized. I grimaced, grabbing and twisting their ears.
Pinch.
“Yaaah!”
“That hurts! It really hurts…!”
The two squirmed in pain. Just so you know, this is already a no-go by Pan Continent standards.
Wearing just underwear is fine, but fully exposing your chest is considered revealing. People think of it as very intimate contact, especially since there are people who feel things through their chest.
But not only are they exposing their chests in front of a small boy like me, but they’re also getting slapped and pinched?
No matter how you look at it, they must feel ashamed.
From my perspective, though, since their chests are small and I had a past experience, I didn’t think it was particularly lewd.
Anyway, after tormenting them for a while, I finally let them go. Then I started gently patting the heads of the two whose long ears were now bright red.
“I asked where you used it, not to apologize?”
“Um, it was a long time ago…”
“I only remembered because you were cute…I don’t remember where I used it…”
“…Really?”
I suddenly grabbed their heads and forced them to look up at me. They flinched and bowed their heads, but for some reason, instead of resisting, they obediently lifted their heads.
The difference in muscle strength was clear, but maybe it was the atmosphere, or maybe they just didn’t want to go against me.
Looking at their identical faces except for their hairstyles, I spoke.
“I almost starved to death because I didn’t have the 8 copper that day. And it wasn’t even a significant amount for you to forget where you used it?”
“……”
“……”
Now, they were just trembling silently. I leaned closer, whispering into their long ears.
“But you remember what situation you’re in, right?”
“Of course!”
“You are my life saviors!”
“Nope. You’re currently naked and bound, rolling on the floor, while I have a dagger that nearly did you in. Do you understand?”
“Yikes! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
“I don’t want to die like this…”
“Me neither, I didn’t want to lose the 8 copper either.”
Saying that, I pulled out the dagger I had briefly sheathed. Blood from Gale still stained it.
Drip. Drip.
The drops landed on the face of the one with the longer hair. And then…
Sssss…
“Eh.”
I heard a sound like water leaking from somewhere. Looking up, I saw yellow liquid flowing from between their legs.
It surely can’t be lemonade, so the identity of this liquid is…
“…The one who just peed herself. What’s your name?”
“I’m, I’m sorry…No, it’s Lemon.”
How can a person’s name be Lemon? I thought, but in fact, elf names often include flowers or fruits.
Well, that’s the case for commoners. High elves with special blood usually have complex and difficult names because they use ancient elvish.
“So, what about you short bob?”
“I’m Apple.”
“Are you perhaps sisters?”
“We’re twins.”
“Since you were born together, does that mean you’ll die together too?”
Now they looked like they were half resigned. Did I scare them too much? I didn’t intend to kill them.
I sighed heavily. They flinched reflexively. Seeing their reactions made me smile a little as I continued.
“Right. Lemon, Apple. I’ve always had one belief to live by. Do you know what it is?”
“I… I don’t know?”
“If you let me know, I’ll listen.”
“It’s nothing special. It’s just that I live by repaying kindness twofold and grudges tenfold.”
“……”
“……”
Now their faces were turning pale and then dark. Seeing their understandable reaction, I chuckled and shook my head.
In fact, I had only recently developed this belief, but who cares about that? The important thing is that the atmosphere has developed, and it’s time to get to the main point.
“I won’t say die ten times. But because of you two, I’ve incurred some losses besides the 8 copper, you know? I need to get that back. Applying the tenfold, it’s around 23 gold…how about it? If I get exactly 23 gold, I’ll forget all about the past grudges. Naturally, I’ll also untie you.”
“W-What kind of calculation leads to 23 gold… we don’t have so much money right now…”
“But if you trust us, we’ll definitely pay you back!”
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Lemon and Apple’s faces lit up as they desperately begged.
But agreeing right away would just be foolish. I nodded slightly instead and pretended to contemplate while tossing the dagger back and forth lightly.
Whoosh- Clang.
“Well… why should I trust you? Elves are generally crazy about money, but they don’t do such petty things, right? In the long run, it would actually be a loss. But you two…”
Elves tend not to engage in crime unless necessary. They think, “Why would I risk it when I can make a profit in the long run?”
If an elf does commit a crime, it’s usually a major player who calculates that it’ll definitely be beneficial even after a few hundred years.
Seeing that they were struggling against a mere first-floor raider, I could tell they weren’t major criminals.
So I asked them. Aren’t you just a couple of no-good kids trying to shake down pocket change?
Naturally, I expected them to jump up and deny it, but surprisingly, both Lemon and Apple just nodded.
“That’s not wrong. We’ve been stuck on the first floor for five years.”
“I’m young for an elf, so I don’t have much saved up. I don’t have parents either.”
“……”
These kids. What do they even have? Suddenly I felt a strange kinship.
After revealing the fact that they were completely broke, a small bit of confidence suddenly sparkled in their eyes.
“But we are confident in our lifespan.”
“We can repay over 50 years if split payments are allowed?”
“Are you insane? Humans would be lucky to live to 100!”
“That’s unfortunate… but we have other options.”
“We’ll borrow from the boss. Since we’re both elves, they might let us borrow with no interest for ten years.”
Ten years interest-free? What kind of fairy tale is that? It’s an absurd scale, but I’m more concerned about one particular statement.
“Boss?”
“The one who took care of us since we were little.”
“Now we work for the boss’s organization.”
“…What kind of organization is that?”
“Just a place where we trade things that can’t be found on the market.”
“We sometimes fight for jobs that require swords.”
“That sounds like a crime organization! You two are done for. Just die right here!”
“N-No! It’s all legal! Nothing weird about it!”
“I swear! We can even involve dad!”
“Who do you think you’re calling dad when you don’t even have one….”
Scratching the back of my head, I turned Lemon and Apple around and made them lie face down.
With the dagger pointed behind them, they thrashed around violently.
“Weren’t you going to let us go?! Don’t lie to us!”
“We really can pay! If nothing else, I’ll repay with my body! A hundred years would be more than enough with interest!”
“Alright. I’m just going to untie you, so stay still.”
“Got it!”
“Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
With that, Lemon and Apple obediently returned to normal. Even with the elf-looking grace, they had a strangely flimsy aura, but their shining eyes were a stark contrast to their prior state.
Well… I could roughly guess the reason why. Money is like a god to elves. And I had promised to spare their lives for money.
So, from Lemon and Apple’s perspective, this must have seemed like a very rational and reasonable transaction. It would be hard for them to find a reason to break it.
…Though I never expected to realize they were young elves.
When it comes to money, the elves’ perspective of it being a sacred contract doesn’t necessarily apply to other races.
That’s why once you’ve gained even a little experience, you don’t trust verbal contracts with other races. It needs to be put on paper to leave evidence.
And this certainly applied to me too.
Of course, I understand that pledging a promise with money is a sacred contract for elves, but… maybe because of my memories from my past life, it felt a bit weird to just let it go with words.
So I decided to put an extra safety mechanism in place.
“Before I untie you, one more thing. I need to get a pledge.”
“A pledge?”
“It doesn’t matter since you’re going to keep it anyway.”
“In that case, we can pledge to the World Tree since it’s right over there.”
“……”
“……”
Both of them simultaneously shut their mouths. But it was less like they hesitated and more like they stopped in surprise.
“I didn’t expect you to know that.”
“Well, if it leads to you trusting us, that’s enough. But how do we address you?”
“Jonah.”
Both of them nodded their heads at my short reply and turned to face the World Tree.
“Then I, Lemon, swear in front of the oldest tree that I will pay 23 gold coins to Jonah as a price to cover my past mistakes.”
“I, Apple, also vow to pay 23 gold to Jonah in penance to the ancient life.”
Wait, doesn’t that mean each of them just swore to pay 23 gold separately? I thought I was asking for a combined total of 23…
But I didn’t mention it. I’ll thank them if they give it. If I manage to get a total of 46 gold, we can be friends from then on.
“Great. I’ll untie you now.”
As promised, I untied both of them completely.
Even if it’s a promise made in the name of a dead god, the practical constraints are nonexistent, and elves are convinced that there is no World Tree in this world, but…
The name of the World Tree still holds tremendous significance in elven society.
Since it’s essentially the foundation of elven civilization, its traces are left everywhere.
If Lemon and Apple break this vow, all I have to do is announce it to everyone, and before a few months pass, they would be treated worse than scum in elven communities, leaving them with no choice but to wander for life.
Freed, Lemon and Apple stumbled as they got up. But it didn’t take long before they started hiding their privates, glancing at me.
Given that they had been naked for a while, of course, they must have felt embarrassed. However, it was oddly interesting to see them cover their privates with both hands while leaving their chests exposed. Not that there was much to see.
I turned away with a grin. However, my consideration seemed to go to waste as Lemon and Apple plopped down with faces that seemed utterly deflated.
“I, I was laughed at.”
“My chest is small, but it’s just because I’m an elf…”
“Is it really that concerning?”
“A little boy wouldn’t understand such a thing.”
“Girls are delicate too.”
“You guys are really talking back just because you got unbound….”
I don’t mean to be unsympathetic, but on the Pan Continent, a woman’s chest is like a man’s height or length of certain… things.
If it’s big and pretty, there’s a sense of pride; if it’s small, it can make you feel a bit dejected, with an odd awareness of others’ gazes.
“Anyway, hurry up and wash down below and change your clothes. There’s been a slight smell for a while….”
“Uagh! I can’t believe I peed myself in front of a little boy… just thinking about it makes me want to die!”
“Lemon is the one who wet herself. I didn’t do anything.”
Lemon curled up even more. Her long hair wrapped around her like a blanket.
On the other hand, Apple seemed unaffected, covering only down below while scurrying off to grab her discarded clothes.
As the two regained their human form, Lydia approached us, likely done with her interrogation.
She urgently waved to the two and whispered quietly.
“Use your wits and behave well.”
“Huh? What does that mean all of a sudden?”
“What happens if we don’t behave?”
“I’ll leave the imagining up to you.”
I gave a vague reply and lightly cleared my throat, adjusting my expression slightly.
Just as Lydia’s footsteps came to a halt behind me, I turned around with a beaming smile to greet her.
“Lydia! Lydia! Has the interrogation ended? I’m not quite sure what to do with those sorts of things, so I’m sorry for the trouble….”
“That’s natural for a kid. Jonah is still a child. In that sense, running off alone was dangerous. Know that you’ll be in trouble when we get back today.”
“I’m sorry….”
I lowered my head slightly, making a show of being dejected.
Next to me, Lemon and Apple were covering their mouths with expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
Yep. It was definitely worth giving them the heads up beforehand. I might not like their expression, but as long as they were quiet, that’s all that matters.
Lydia tilted her head slightly at the girls’ strange reactions but brushed it off casually as she began gently patting my head.
“…But still, you fought well.”
“Hehe. Oh, by the way, I untied the ones who were bound, but since it was a bit urgent, I might have been rude, so do you have anything to clean up with?”
“…Ah.”
Lemon, who was crouching, caught Lydia’s attention as she noticed the yellow puddle around her. Lydia elegantly pulled a blue stone-filled cylinder from her pocket.
“It’s either a Water Crystal or a water pouch. If you shake it, water will come out, so wash with that.”
“Th-Thank you….”
Lemon took the pouch dazedly. Suddenly, her gaze met mine.
She then put her finger to her lips, practicing a little wink she’d secretly rehearsed.
“Shh.”
“……!”
For some reason, it seemed like Lemon peed herself again, but this time, it wasn’t too noticeable since she was quick to clean it up.
What a lemonade dispenser of a girl…
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