An Unexpected Gift

Amid the silence, Hulk, the Boarman merchant, felt deeply uneasy.

This feeling was terrible!

He would rather the Red Dragon scold or even beat him than endure this invisible pressure. It was like a criminal standing before the judgment stand, uncertain whether the coming punishment would be fatal or whether he would be declared innocent. The uncertainty weighed on him like a mountain.

After a long while, Jose saw cold sweat pouring from the Boarman merchant and decided that was enough.

"This is the first time, and the last. Do you understand?!"

The Red Dragon's tone was far from pleasant, but Hulk finally let out a sigh of relief. "I... I understand."

"You completed this mission well. I'm very satisfied." After the stick came the carrot. Jose took out a small pouch and gave it a shake, golden coins clinking pleasantly against one another.

"This is the hiring fee you advanced."

Seeing the pouch thrown toward him, Hulk caught it instinctively, his face full of disbelief.

"M-Master, I... I... I..."

Jose's tone allowed no argument. "If I tell you to take it, then take it."

"Yes!"

"As for the Minotaurs, not one copper of the agreed payment can be missing."

Though confusion filled his heart, Hulk still bowed. "I shall obey your will."

Only then did Jose nod in satisfaction.

In truth, he had considered using violence and threats to get free labor from the Minotaurs, but after thinking it over, he abandoned the idea.

On one hand, it would severely dampen the Minotaurs' enthusiasm for forging. On the other, freeloading might feel good, but it consumed his own credibility. In the long run, it was not worth it.

For those in high positions, credibility was worth a fortune.

Of course, Jose was not yet one of those in high positions, but he would be sooner or later.

"Oh, right!" The Boarman beside him smacked his forehead, turned around, and dragged the box sitting on the ground over. "Master, I brought you a gift. You will definitely like it."

"Oh?"

His follower sounded so confident that Jose's interest was piqued.

"Let's see what kind of gift it is."

The Boarman merchant took out a long ring of keys and searched for the correct one as he spoke. "This gift came from deep within the Gloomy Forest. Those smugglers secretly brought it out at the risk of their lives. It is extremely valuable..."

That made Jose even more interested.

After all, the Gloomy Forest was one of Tydanore's two major Elven settlements, and the Elves lived in its deepest reaches. Powerful Elven mages had laid enchantments over that forest. Without knowing the proper route, outsiders could forget about entering.

As for Gloomy Forest specialties worth smuggling, there were plenty: Elven artworks, magical items, Moonlight Gems... The most precious thing Jose could think of was the Wisdom Ancient Tree left behind during the height of the Elven Dynasty.

The branches of a Wisdom Ancient Tree conducted magic as well as Mithril and were among the finest materials for making staffs. However, the Elves did not even have enough for their own use and would never let them circulate easily.

"Found it."

The Boarman inserted the key into the lock and gave it a gentle twist.

Click!

The lock opened. Hulk lifted the lid, revealing the gift within the box.

The moment he saw it, Jose's face froze in astonishment.

Inside the box was an Elven Maiden. She had curled into a ball in the cramped space with her arms around her knees. Fear had slightly twisted her lovely face, while tears soaked her long black eyelashes and clumped them together, making her look heartbreakingly pitiful.

"This... is the specialty you were talking about?!"

The Boarman merchant made an inviting gesture and said with a fawning smile, "Master, an Elven virgin. An unparalleled delicacy. Please enjoy."

Here, "enjoy" meant exactly what it sounded like—eat!

Damn it!

Jose was speechless at the strange tastes of the Red Dragon race.

Indeed, untouched females were the Red Dragons' favorite food. Elven Maidens were the best, while human maidens came second. Red Dragons regarded both as luxuries, symbols of status, rank, and taste. Consuming them greatly satisfied a Red Dragon's overwhelming vanity and pride.

An ordinary Red Dragon really would have gladly accepted and eaten this gift, but Jose was no ordinary Red Dragon.

Having once been human, he felt a certain sense of kinship with both humans and dragons. He simply could not bring himself to eat a species like Elves, who looked so much like humans.

He glanced at the Elven Maiden's lovely face. Provided it was consensual, he would not mind trying another way of eating.

Jose frowned slightly. How should he deal with this Elf?

Send her back?

Imprisonment play?

Raise her to adulthood and make her an Elven knight?

Jose felt somewhat conflicted. He looked at the Boarman merchant, who was waiting eagerly for praise.

He should figure out where she came from first.

After all, beautiful Elven Maidens were not only Red Dragons' favorites but also human nobles' favorites. Whether kept for personal use or used to entertain guests, they brought immense prestige. Moreover, Elves were long-lived, with a long shelf life. If properly maintained, one could be passed down through more than ten generations.

And the Elf Clan was not some wild monster species that could be captured at will. They had once been the rulers of the continent. Even in decline, they remained a force in Tydanore that could not be ignored.

Female Elves had so many advantages and were incredibly rare. Their price was easy to imagine. Even selling the Boarman merchant would not be enough to buy one.

"Where did she come from?"

The Boarman merchant was skilled at reading expressions. Only now did he realize that the Red Dragon was not as delighted as he had expected, though he had no idea what had gone wrong. "W-We ran into her on the road."

"Ran into her? What happened? Be specific."

"It happened like this. The day before yesterday, while I was trading on the prairie, I encountered a group of adventurers who had escaped from the Gloomy Forest. This Elf was our spoils of war."

Oh. So it was robbing robbers.

Jose understood.

"Wait! You said they were adventurers who escaped?! Was anyone chasing them?!"

"Before we left, we did not see any pursuers."

"Then did you inspect their wounds? Did you learn any information? How did you dispose of the bodies?"

"We only hurriedly gathered the spoils and left their bodies in the wilderness." The Boarman merchant also realized that his group's handling of the situation had been somewhat careless.

The Forest Elves of the Gloomy Forest belonged to the forces of good, but they were not foolishly kind. They hated the selling of their people and showed no mercy when dealing with Slave Catching Squads. They had even formed specialized units to hunt slave catchers. His actions might very well lead the Elves to the Bloodtooth Mines.

After a pause, the Boarman merchant comforted himself. "Master, rest assured. Bodies on the Great Prairie never last overnight. Those hungry beasts will clean them up completely for us."

Jose gave his follower a sidelong glance. "Let's hope so."

"Oh, right. The direction the Slave Catching Squad was fleeing in seemed to be toward the Graytail Centaur Tribe."

Jose was about to question him further when movement came from the box. He leaned over and saw the Elven Maiden's eyelashes trembling.

The Elven Maiden slowly opened her eyes. When she saw an enormous Red Dragon head hanging above her, its lava-ball-like eyes fixed on her, she was confused at first. Then she suddenly understood. Her eyes widened in terror, and her mouth fell open.