Elf Druid

Jose saw the elf open her mouth and immediately realized he was about to be hit by a sonic attack.

"Shut up!"

He thrust his head in front of the elf, baring his gleaming white fangs as he snarled, "Make a sound and I'll eat you!"

The Elven Maiden swallowed the scream that had reached her throat, letting out an indistinct choking sound instead.

His sulfur-scented breath washed over her, making her shudder. She quickly shrank back, trying to get away from the danger, but ran into the box behind her. Hugging her knees, with her back pressed against the corner, she curled into a ball, her slender body trembling faintly.

The Elven Maiden lowered her head and secretly peeked up at the vicious-looking Red Dragon from the corner of her eye. Tears welled in her eyes.

Tilly was terrified.

Why am I so unlucky? I ran into a human Slave Catching Squad.

But why did I end up in the Red Dragon's hands? Don't tell me they already sold me?

What do I do?

Will this dragon eat me?

I heard Red Dragons love eating elves. He'll definitely eat me. Does he prefer eating them raw or cooked?

Does he like them steamed or braised... I don't like chili peppers.

While the elf secretly observed Jose, Jose was observing her as well.

The Elven Maiden looked about eleven years old by human standards. Her skin was fair, her chest had yet to develop, and both her hair and eyes were the tender green of spring grass. She even gave off a pleasant scent of fresh grass.

At that moment, she pursed her lips, looking pitiful as though she wanted to cry but did not dare to. To the dragon, she seemed weak and easy to bully.

Under Jose's gaze, a tuft of hair atop the elf's head began to move. Like a blade of grass bent under pressure, it slowly straightened until it stood upright.

He chuckled. So the Elven Maiden had a cowlick. It had been pressed flat during transport, but now that it had room to stretch, it resiliently returned to its upright state.

That little incident eased Jose's mood somewhat.

No matter what, he first had to figure out this "guest's" identity and background. Elves were social creatures too, with commoners and nobles among them. The commotion caused by kidnapping a noble would be far greater than that caused by kidnapping a commoner.

If this Elven Maiden came from a great noble family or had some powerful backing, he should just run away.

"Little elf, introduce yourself. What's your name? How many people are in your family? What do they do? How were you captured?"

Silence~.

Jose flicked the wooden box with a finger and growled, "My patience is limited! Stand up and answer my questions!"

The Elven Maiden jumped in fright and sprang out of the box. She stood stiffly upright, her voice trembling as though she were about to cry.

"L-Lord Dragon, g-good morning."

"It's night," Jose said impatiently, snorting two streams of hot breath from his nostrils. But seeing the Elven Maiden's trembling little body, he decided to stabilize his captive's emotions first and comforted her gently, "Don't be afraid. Being afraid won't help anyway."

The Elven Maiden shook even harder.

Forget it. Better just ask directly.

"What's your name?"

"T-Tilly."

"Tilly, right? How were you captured?"

"I... I was cultivating the Way of Nature in the forest with Teacher Anna when I fell into a slave trader's trap."

Jose continued questioning her. "Who's in your family? What do they do? What are their strengths?"

"My father, mother, and older brother. My father is a Whitedeer City guard..., my mother is a priestess of the Lady of Flowers (Lady of Flowers: Elven Flower Goddess, weak divine power)..., and my brother serves in the Ranger Corps (Rangers: elven border guards)..."

He summed up the elf's family background: an intermediate stage warrior father, a beginner priestess mother, and a Ranger Corps older brother she had not seen in a long time. Such a family was considered moderately well-off in elven society. There was no need to worry about them using extraordinary resources, such as Greater Prophecy, to trace the little elf's whereabouts.

As for that Advanced Stage Druid mentor, she had a whole bunch of apprentices. She presumably would not spend too much effort on a single apprentice.

No! Those people from the good alignment couldn't be judged by common sense!

Morality, conscience, responsibility...

Those self-imposed burdens might truly make that Advanced Stage Druid abandon everything and leave the forest to search for her apprentice. And this girl also had a Ranger Corps brother. His position might not be high, but he was still part of the system. The connections he could call upon were not to be underestimated.

Jose felt a toothache coming on.

Beside him, Tilly had not heard any movement for a long while. She raised her eyelids and secretly glanced at the Red Dragon. Their earlier exchange had given her a little more courage. Twisting her fingers together, she spoke in a weak voice.

"Lord Dragon, could you let me go? If I disappear, my father, mother, and Teacher Anna will worry."

Jose glanced sideways at the little elf.

If I let you go, I'll be worried too. Worried sick, in fact.

If the elves learned there was a Juvenile Red Dragon in the Bloodtooth Mines, the consequences would be obvious. The elven authorities would not even need to act personally. They would only need to spread the news.

Greedy adventurers! Noble youths dreaming of becoming Dragon Slaying Warriors! Idiot paladins brainwashed by justice!

One after another, they would come in waves, each stronger than the last, all swearing to slay the evil dragon.

But I'm clearly a good dragon!

This damned racial discrimination!

Looking at Tilly's pitiful expression, Jose found himself in a dilemma. If possible, he would have liked to throw the elf out and pretend she had never come, but it had already happened. Avoidance could not solve the problem.

How should he deal with her?

Kill her?

He could not bring himself to do it. The little elf had not offended him and posed no threat to him. She had not even wanted to come to the Bloodtooth Mines in the first place. She had also been so cooperative during questioning that Jose could find no reason to destroy her.

Let her go?

That was even less possible. Leaving aside the danger of the secret being exposed, if the elves came looking for her tomorrow and he could not produce her, then with Red Dragons' bizarre habit of devouring virgin elves, he would be unable to explain himself even if he had a case.

After repeatedly weighing the risks, he decided to keep Tilly.

On one hand, the elven rescue party might not find their way here. On the other, if they did come, he could use the Elven Maiden as a bargaining chip. Besides, having such a cute Elven Maiden around was far better than facing those ugly Kobolds every day.

Jose turned to the Boarman merchant standing nearby and pretending to be invisible. "Keep your subordinates under control. No one is to mention the elf to anyone."

"Understood!"

"You may leave."

The Boarman merchant looked as though he had been granted a pardon. He quickly walked out of the dragon's lair, leaving only Jose and the Elven Maiden in the vast cavern. The Elven Maiden still watched Jose expectantly, waiting for his answer.

"Little elf, letting you go is impossible. My servants rescued you from the slave traders, yet you brought me unpredictable trouble and danger."

Tilly looked utterly confused. "B-But, Lord Dragon! I didn't do anything?!"

"I don't care," the Red Dragon said, pointing at the elf's smooth forehead. "Because of you, the Ranger Corps might follow the clues back to my home and attack me."

"Please rest assured, Lord Dragon. When the time comes, I'll explain it to them for you."

"Exactly! That's why you can't leave. If you leave, who will explain things for me?!" Seeing the Elven Maiden's bewildered expression, Jose secretly revealed a sly smile.

An innocent, adorable girl who hasn't seen much of the world. So easy to fool~.

Without giving the Elven Maiden a chance to think, he continued, "You brought me trouble, so shouldn't you compensate me? I saved you, so shouldn't you repay me? You should know that you were worth a large sum of money in the human world. So, you have to work for me to repay your debt. Emmm..., you'll need to work for at least a hundred years to pay it off. Don't you agree?"

Tilly looked completely lost, her head spinning.

What the Red Dragon said seemed logically sound.

But why had I suddenly lost my freedom and ended up burdened with an enormous debt?!

Thanks to Fenliu Little Granny for the 100 coins, Yayla for the 200 coins, Que Ye Wangran for the 100 coins, and Dream and Dragon Life for the 200-coin tips.