“Would you prefer a female prisoner or a male prisoner?”
“I think a female prisoner would be better since Rue’s personality leans towards the female side.”
“Is it alright if I touch this girl once?”
I carefully handed Rue to the queen, who was showing curiosity.
Rue seemed stiff, as if it felt awkward to be handed over to a stranger, or rather an elf, but when she didn’t sense any threat from the queen, she cautiously waved her tendrils to greet her.
“Oooh, how fascinating! A magic book indeed. I’ve seen countless magic books in my lifetime, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
As expected of a high elf queen, she seemed to have seen many magic books. However, she probably had never encountered something like Rue. There aren’t many magic books with such a distinct ego.
“I will carry this child.”
“Understood.”
It seemed Rue had no real complaints. She wouldn’t suddenly try to take her for a walk like Millia.
I don’t know why Millia has become so infatuated with walks… it might be better to bring a puppy and let her raise it as a pet.
They say having a pet is good for emotional development.
[Hehehehehe…]
She seems to be enjoying it a lot. It looks like she’s really excited about getting her own body. I looked at Rue shaking her tendrils happily and then turned my gaze forward.
Since Rue was being held by the queen, I was in a position where it might look like I was continuously staring at her body.
I didn’t want to be labeled as a shameless perv.
“I wonder if there are any useful fellows in the prison.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to focus on serious criminals?”
“Hmm… serious criminals, eh? Bear, who is the worst of the serious criminals locked in the prison?”
“Isn’t it the one who tried to burn the trees?”
“Are you talking about the guy who got eaten by that spirit?”
The queen’s expression darkened. Did she recall an unpleasant memory? I realized that the criminal would become the body Rue would borrow.
“That’s right.”
The guy who got eaten by the spirit? Wait, could it be…
I realized that I almost opened my mouth reflexively and quickly shut it. I shouldn’t act like I know. It’s a sensitive secret even in elven society; it would be strange if I knew about it.
I could just pretend I had seen them in the prison, but was there really a need to stir up trouble? So I casually replied to the queen and headed toward the prison.
Thus, upon arriving in front of the prison, I quietly glanced at the queen. She nodded and spoke to the Bear Drummer behind her.
“I will open the door.”
“Are you going in yourself?”
“No, I don’t want to go in. It’s unpleasant.”
I guess even the queen feels unpleasant about places that aren’t made of wood. Remembering the traits of elves, I recalled that the Bear Drummer’s expression hadn’t been particularly good yesterday, as I headed toward the prison door.
Creeek— the high-quality iron door opened.
“I’ll wait here, so bring that criminal. I want to see the process of seizing the body directly.”
“…Understood. Now, step inside.”
The Bear Drummer and I entered the prison once again. The prison was still dark, damp, and filled with unpleasant sounds. Working as a guard in such a place would make every day feel like being a security guard in a horror game.
“The prisoner is on the underground 3rd floor.”
“Looks like he’s a serious criminal.”
I slyly asked while pretending not to know. If I didn’t ask at all, that might raise suspicion too. The Bear Drummer willingly answered my question.
“Yeah, he’s a pretty big criminal.”
“What did he do?”
“He tried to burn the World Tree, saying he needed to purify the world with fire. It was a ridiculous undertaking, but still a dangerous fellow, so we locked him in the underground 3rd floor.”
“They didn’t kill him then.”
“Well, he is a descendant of a great being. It seems they hesitated to kill him.”
It fits the setting just like the original work. I never expected to encounter a mid-boss from the original. He was such a pesky boss who kept running away. The chase with that woman was truly an unforgettable experience.
“We’ve arrived.”
Has it already been that time? I snapped out of my thoughts and looked ahead. Illuminating the darkness was the spirit’s flame and a female with orange hair that looked like flames. I quietly stood by the iron bars to observe her.
Is she sleeping?
She’s not moving at all.
Is she already dead?
“It seems she’s tired and fell asleep after thrashing around. I will open the door.”
“Wait. Crafting.”
I felt a sense of unease, so I had to completely seal her hands and feet. Reinforcing the shackles with nearby iron, I turned and nodded at the Bear Drummer. He sighed and opened the prison door.
“Freedom. You crazy woman.”
“Now… you don’t even attach honorifics… heheheheh…”
“Considering the kin you burned to death, I would almost like to kill you right here.”
“Go ahead and try~”
Wow, isn’t she a little too obnoxious?
I strode over to her and picked her up. Thanks to her limbs being restrained, she couldn’t put up any real resistance and ended up draped over my shoulder.
“Who are you?”
“Think of me as the one who will carry out your execution.”
“Execution? Heheheheh, that isn’t bad at all. I’m bored to death here…”
She really has lost it. But as long as she stays quiet, that’s fine. I quietly carried her out of the prison.
—————–
“…Oh, criminal.”
“Oh my, auntie. Look at those fine looks. It seems my cousin lived well while rotting in prison?”
“How sacrilegious!”
“The elders remained the same in character.”
The elder’s face contorted. It was a mix of anger and sorrow. Are they blood relatives or something? The other elders only looked angry, at least that’s how it appeared.
She really is a mad one, but I guess I’ll just charge in. I looked at the name-stealer who was kneeling forcibly, facing her for the last time alongside the queen.
She was smiling.
Very brightly.
“So, what do you plan to do now? Are you going to cut my neck barbarically? Or burn me at the stake? I’m okay with any of those!”
“No, I will seize your body.”
“What?”
She glared at me as if to say, what kind of nonsense is that? Her face showed that she couldn’t comprehend what I was saying.
But is there really a need to explain?
Once brainwashing and consciousness infusion begin, she’ll figure it out herself. Just in case of any possible situations, I decided to prepare some insurance.
“Crafting.”
“What the?!”
A hole opens beneath the nameless lunatic. Surprised, the lunatic looks up, but I had no intention of giving her time to resist.
“Crafting.”
The ground swallows her. With only her head remaining above the newly plowed earth, the lunatic gave me a death glare as if wondering what the heck I was doing, but I ignored her and turned my gaze to the queen.
The queen looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
“Well, this is quite an amusing trick you have.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“So, are you starting right away?”
“Hey! Unleash me! Once I’m out, I’ll burn you first…”
How annoying.
I left the queen’s embrace to observe Rue, who was staring at the orange-haired woman intently. Rue’s eyes were starting to gather light. Even in broad daylight, her eyes were blinding, so I squinted at her.
“Crazy! Let me out!”
“That is your sin.”
“NOOOOOO!”
As she screamed, her head suddenly dropped. Just when everyone’s attention turned to the orange-haired woman in this unexpected situation, she opened her eyes again.
Her gaze was clearly different from before.
I called out to her.
“Rue. Are you okay?”
“The resistance is too intense. Ugh…”
“How long do you think it will take?”
“About an hour?”
That’s quite a long time.
Well, if you’re going to completely consume a person, it would take that long. I quietly sat down and waited for her to fully take possession of her body.
Normally, I would use my crafting skill to create a chair, but it would require making chairs for everyone here, and that would be a hassle. I didn’t want to waste my energy for no reason.
As I adopted a posture that suggested I would sit and wait, the queen seemed to plan to do the same, snapping her fingers. Then, a wooden trunk rose from the floor and formed a chair, upon which she sat and rested her chin on her hand.
It was quite a bizarre sight.
A woman with just her head above ground and elves watching over her.
“Ugh…”
An hour later, Rue’s expression transformed from one of chaos to a serene face. Is it finally over? I stood up and activated my skill.
“Crafting.”
“That is indeed a very convenient skill.”
“Thanks to it, it was easy to catch Harpas.”
“Would you consider working under me?”
“…Unfortunately, I have a master.”
“That’s too bad.”
She immediately gave up, huh? If I had answered wrong, I could have ended up rolling here for life. I still have a place to return to.
I put my hand under Rue’s armpits, trying to help her escape the hole she was struggling in.
“Ah! Thank you!”
“…You’re really not able to adapt at all.”
“Neither am I.”
“Neither am I…”
“A lunatic who tried to burn the World Tree is making such a pure expression…”
“Rue. Yeah, how do you like your new body?”
“Yep! It’s light!”
Luckily, it seems Rue has adjusted well to her new body. I took off my outer garment and draped it over her, then said to the queen.
“For now, I will get her ready.”
“…There is a bathroom in the palace, so let her wash there.”
“Thank you very much.”
Let’s quickly wash up and head back.
With a strange feeling, we returned to the palace together with Rue.
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