NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 49
Chapter 49: The Hideous Witch (10)
As expected, Velinessa drew a lot of attention.
Her elegant beauty, which made many men’s hearts flutter, couldn’t be hidden even by the shabby 150-level restriction mage robe.
She strolled through the streets, performing grandiose gestures like elegantly brushing her hair, as if accustomed to hiding her aura.
‘What’s so fun about that…?’
For someone like Yeonwol, who didn’t place much importance on appearances, her actions were incomprehensible.
However, seeing men flocking to her en masse, it was clear her efforts were highly effective.
“Excuse me, could I possibly know your nickname?”
“Please, let me just add you as a friend!”
“You seem to be a level 150 mage. How about joining our party? It’s composed of level 180 members! We’ll give you a ride up to our level in no time!”
Oddly enough, since she was wearing player-like equipment, no one seemed to suspect she might be an NPC.
— Oh, sorry. I’m already with a group.
Unaware of what party invitations entailed, Velinessa turned them down with an obviously pleased demeanor.
Even the moments when she rejected such advances seemed to be enjoyable for her.
‘I was wise to tell her not to acknowledge me beforehand.’
If Velinessa had shown any sign of recognizing Yeonwol, she might have drawn glares from those around her.
— Whew! This is quite tiring. If I practice, I might be able to hold on a bit longer…
After about 30 minutes, Velinessa ducked into an alley and unleashed her aura once more.
It must have been painful, as if holding her breath, yet lasting 30 minutes was impressive.
“So, her desire for attention overpowered the discomfort. Remarkable in many ways.”
— Hehe, I’m always remarkable, you know?
“That wasn’t meant as a compliment, by the way.”
Yeonwol, looking past the alley, spoke.
“It’s time to meet the Dark Elves. I’m planning to report to them that I’ve taken you down. Are you coming along?”
— …
The Dark Elves wouldn’t recognize Velinessa.
Not only had her grotesque appearance transformed into beauty, but all the people of Elron City who had ridiculed and thrown stones at her were gone.
— I’ll come along.
“Just so you know, it won’t be anything exciting. They’re rigid and dull. I’m not about to take a loss advocating for you, saying things like ‘the witch was actually a victim.’ Whatever they say, I’ll just nod and leave. Got it?”
— …Yes, if it means Master won’t be affected because of me, I’ll feel at ease.
Yeonwol scratched his cheek.
He had spoken bluntly because he genuinely didn’t intend to support her, but she seemed to take it quite seriously.
All Spectrals were like that.
Eltis, for instance, would display solemnity in critical moments but often appeared clumsy during everyday tasks (especially while preparing meat).
‘Do they believe my words and commands are absolute, something to follow unconditionally as a subordinate?’
Sigh.
He let out a sigh.
There was still a long way to go, and his dislike for unnecessary actions meant he wasn’t fond of wasting time.
“…So, Yeonwol, I see you’ve dealt with the witch and learned the details of her circumstances.”
When Yeonwol met the Dark Elves and explained that the witch Velinessa might have been a victim and retaliated, they responded indifferently.
It was only natural.
“No matter the witch’s circumstances, she attacked Elron City. Retaliation from the Dark Elves was justified. Whatever happened before is irrelevant.”
They weren’t wrong.
Even from a human perspective, their reasoning was understandable.
Blood is thicker than water.
[Quest Complete!]
Quests in this world were convenient.
There was no need to bring back proof of completion.
The quest window explicitly displayed [Target Eliminated 0/1].
Once the target was defeated, the system automatically recognized it, informing the quest-giving NPC.
Thus, the Dark Elves had no reason to doubt that Yeonwol had defeated the witch.
‘The rewards are quite substantial.’
He received a generous amount of items, experience, and gold.
Since it was a chain quest involving discovering the Crimson Tower and defeating the boss monster, Yeonwol felt it had been relatively easy to complete while hunting.
However, the quest itself was of significant difficulty.
“Well, I appreciate the rewards and understand the Dark Elves’ stance.”
“For a human to comprehend our intentions is no small feat. It’s fortunate our interests aligned.”
“Hmm, I think you misunderstood. I understand your stance, but accepting it is an entirely different matter.”
Flinch!
Velinessa, who had been quietly listening, shuddered.
Yeonwol rose from his seat and pulled back the robe covering her face.
“Oh… How could a human possess such beauty…”
Elves adored beauty.
Several Dark Elves exclaimed in admiration, but not those who had given the quest.
“Wait, that woman…!”
“Yes, the witch Velinessa. I spared her and made her my subordinate.”
— Master! If you do this, you’ll make enemies of the Dark Elves!
Velinessa cried out in alarm, but Yeonwol remained unfazed.
His thoughts were more along the lines of, “And so what?”
Clink! Clink!
The Dark Elves rose, gripping their weapons.
Their glares made it clear they weren’t pleased.
“…Human adventurer. She is our sworn enemy. Protecting her means opposing all Dark Elves.”
“And how many are there, anyway?”
Yeonwol shrugged, provoking the Dark Elves further.
“Protecting her… Truly unbelievable!”
“As expected, humans are untrustworthy! Emotions cloud their judgment! Protecting a witch who burned human villages!”
“This one must be dealt with immediately!”
Amidst the threats, Yeonwol leaned his chin on his hand, quietly listening.
Then, the Dark Elf leader, a man named Reljoen, raised his hand to silence everyone.
“This is the one who first identified the Crimson Tower, defeated the witch ahead of all other strong contenders, and even deceived divine will to bring her back, curing scars thought incurable.”
Hearing it phrased that way, it sounded impressive.
In reality, he hadn’t done much.
“I’d like to know why. Why would an opportunistic player like you choose to oppose us Dark Elves?”
Typical of Dark Elves.
Cold and logical like robots, they acted like AI calculating every move.
Yeonwol exploited their logical mindset, playing up his act.
“I already told you. It’s human sentiment. Once someone becomes one of mine, I protect them. In that sense, I’m quite similar to you Dark Elves.”
“…Are you saying you are confident in protecting the witch from us, the Dark Elves? Your human arrogance is astounding. If you lack a valid reason, we Dark Elves will hunt you down until you can no longer set foot in this world.”
Even players who make grave mistakes can be executed by NPCs.
If they keep getting killed upon revival, what options would they have?
They would have to quit the game.
There have been such cases before.
In the early days of the game, players who abused unlimited resurrection to repeatedly commit murders were often targeted for execution orders and forced to quit the game.
That’s one reason why, to this day, there are few players who recklessly provoke NPCs.
“What say you?”
When the Dark Elf repeated his question, Yeonwol nodded.
“Go ahead and try.”
“…!”
No matter what the Dark Elf said, Yeonwol maintained an air of complete composure.
“As you said, I deceived the will of God… what we call the ‘system.’ And I completely healed scars that even the highest priests couldn’t touch.”
“…That’s true.”
“You think I’d be out of options?”
“Arrogance won’t work here.”
“Then I’ll show you it’s not just arrogance.”
In truth, it was arrogance.
But Yeonwol felt an odd determination not to lose.
He did want to protect Velinessa, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to like these pompous Dark Elves.
‘You bastards! If you close that gate, all my comrades will die…!’
‘You judged correctly. It’s necessary. By sacrificing six of your comrades, thirty people can survive. Including you, all of them are valuable assets. We who are tasked with opposing otherworldly beings must survive.’
‘Shut up! There are plenty of ways to save them! The odds may be slim, but it’s possible!’
‘Those odds are only 10%. Dark Elves don’t gamble on such poor chances.’
Annoying scumbags.
‘Dark Elves are different from humans.’
‘We don’t appeal to emotions, and we don’t engage in uncertain battles. Your human extinction crisis is a result of those emotions.’
They had always irritated him.
“You Dark Elves… because of the ‘Curse of the Darkwood Root,’ you can’t even leave this place, can you? You know well enough you can’t harm me.”
“This insolent brat dares to speak that name!”
One Dark Elf warrior quickly channeled aura into his spear and lunged.
Boom!
But his attack was intercepted by Eltis.
—…You dare attack my lord.
The sheer presence of Eltis, towering over three meters tall, made the attacking Dark Elf retreat involuntarily.
Yeonwol remained seated, legs crossed, the entire time.
“…You know of the Darkwood Root. You’re no ordinary human.”
Reljoen broke into a cold sweat as he spoke.
It seemed he was trying to figure out how Yeonwol, a human, knew about the Dark Elves’ most shameful secret and weakness, but Yeonwol wasn’t about to make it easy.
Rising from his seat, Yeonwol stretched his shoulders, feeling oddly refreshed.
“Player Yeonwol. Can you keep this a secret?”
“That depends on how you behave.”
“Is it enough for you if the witch Velinessa is free from the influence of the Dark Elves?”
“Well, I didn’t say that outright just yet.”
“Answer me, please.”
Yeonwol pondered for a moment before replying.
“That’s the bare minimum requirement.”
“…!”
Reljoen’s expression hardened.
The idea that letting the witch go free could be considered mercy was already too much.
And yet.
“I want word to spread across this world that Velinessa, in all her former beauty, is still alive.
Enough for it to reach the ‘Sorceress of Fusion.’”
“…Are you asking us Dark Elves to praise our sworn enemy?”
“Yep. You heard me right.”
Yeonwol took a step closer to Reljoen as he spoke.
“I’ve brought the dead back to life, deceived the divine will, and perfectly healed scars that even the highest priests couldn’t touch.”
“…!!”
“The Darkwood Root… the curse that binds you, it’s quite troublesome, isn’t it? I could fix it.”
“W-What do you mean?!”
“Think I’m lying?”
The Dark Elves were bound by the constraints of the Darkwood Root.
No player knew about this, nor did any native of this world, except the Dark Elves themselves.
“When you’ve thought it through, contact me. I can solve anything. Oh, and when you send a message, make sure it includes a handwritten apology for attacking Velinessa.”
With that, Yeonwol turned and walked away, leaving the Dark Elves speechless.
“…He’s not wrong. That man is different from other players.”
Dark Elves were always composed.
No Dark Elf plagued by petty emotions could ever rise to a high position.
Robot-like in nature, their decision-making earned them the not-so-flattering nickname “Darkbots” among players.
Even if they took a punch right to the face, they would set aside pride and act in their best interest.
“Elder, but still…”
“For how many years have we suffered the torment of having our souls bound by the Darkwood Root? If there’s a human who can resurrect the dead and defy divine will… perhaps he could grant our long-cherished wish.”
If it brought them benefit, even a mortal enemy could be seen as a benefactor.
That was the nature of the Dark Elves.
…Of course.
Not all Dark Elves made the same judgments.