The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

Chapter 43

Ssshwak!

The sharp sound of something slicing through the air echoed through the forest.

Whenever that sound rang out, it was always followed by the same sequence of noises, almost like a predetermined melody.

Thwack!

A twisting trajectory carried by the wind, moving as fast as light.

An arrow came flying from somewhere, striking the elf archer's bow directly. The bow shattered, and ribbons fluttered in the air.

Elf Village.

The spirits, who had been observing everything, reported the situation. Evelyn, the elf acting as the announcer, shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Dancing Flames Ellowyn Talaak! Now only eleven warriors remain! This is the fastest elimination rate in history!!”

The Dance of the Fairy Festival was a competition that spanned several days. It involved hiding, seeking, ambushing, all across the entire forest, until only one warrior was left standing.

But nearly twenty participants had already been eliminated. The pace of the event was unprecedented, and it looked like it might end within just a day.

Evelyn checked the remaining participants.

Silent Wings Leon. Singing Bird Aileen. Whispering Leaves Irina. ... The expected contenders.

And then, a peculiar outlier.

Playful Flower Arpia.

“Hah, hah, hah...”

Ragged breaths.

Irina was darting between the trees. Her breathing was uneven, and her hand, gripping her bow, was slick with cold sweat.

Perhaps that was why. As she tried to swing to another tree using a vine, her hand slipped. Irina traced a sharp diagonal arc before crashing face-first into the ground.

Thud.

Fortunately, she landed in a swamp, so the impact wasn't too severe. But her pale face was now covered in muck.

Mud even got into her mouth, but Irina didn’t even think about spitting it out. Her head whipped around at the sound of rustling grass.

A fairy was pushing aside the foliage and slowly approaching.

“Arpia...!”

The very Arpia whom Irina had been so sure was the first to be eliminated was still alive. Not only that, she was the one who had cornered Irina.

How?

There was no need to ask. In Arpia’s hand, a bow made of light was glowing brightly.

“What, what is that? There’s no way you should be able to wield such power!”

Irina’s scream was filled with disbelief. Arpia’s reaction, however, was calm.

“To be honest, I’m still unsure. I keep wondering if this is a dream, or if I’ve lost my mind because of the pain.”

But it wasn’t a dream.

The shackles he had placed on her soul, staining it with his color, were proof that this was all real.

Arpia momentarily lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Irina, glancing around, manipulated the spirits. Whoosh! A gust of wind lifted Irina out of the swamp. The swirling air blew the mud off her body.

“Fire!”

Her shout seemed like a signal to someone.

Simultaneously, Irina’s hidden allies unleashed a barrage of arrows from all directions.

Dozens of arrows swirled with wind, all aimed at Arpia.

It was an attack far beyond what was needed just to remove a ribbon, but that didn’t matter. In these competitions, it wasn’t uncommon for a few elves to suffer accidents.

Arrows were supposed to turn Arpia into a pincushion, and the wind should have shredded her skin.

── At least, that’s what should have happened.

“...What?”

The arrows that had been shot with such force stopped dead in the air.

Defying the laws of physics entirely.

They had been blocked by a wind barrier spreading from Arpia. The elves’ wind spirits couldn’t penetrate the barrier.

“I’m not inferior.”

There was no innocence left in Arpia’s eyes. Instead, they glowed faintly red with anger.

The heads of the arrows aimed at Arpia rotated 180 degrees.

Screech!

The wind roared violently.

The spiraling wind wrapped the arrows like a tornado.

“Don’t you dare insult him.”

Swoosh!

Like a hedgehog firing its quills, the arrows shot out in all directions.

Thwack!

Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Huh?”

Before anyone could react, the arrows struck their bows directly. The wind blew again. Crack, crack, crack! The bows were shredded like they were caught in a blender.

For an elf, a bow is not just a weapon.

It is the connection between an elf and nature.

“It suits you. You look like a princess.”

“Hmph~ Is that so? I was thinking of taking it off because it felt awkward, but I guess I’ll keep wearing it.”

That evening.

A small, private celebration was held for the two of them to honor Arpia’s victory.

The location was a shabby hut outside the village’s barrier. Like an isolated island in the middle of a vast ocean, it was the home where Arpia had lived.

“It’s pretty unimpressive for the home of the greatest warrior among elves.”

“Well... it is what it is.”

“Why don’t you ask for a new house to celebrate your victory? Something grand, like a palace.”

“I’m not sure about a house, but I heard they make a bow for the winner. A bow crafted from the branches of the World Tree.”

A bow that would enhance the power of the spirits even further.

It was the perfect reward for Arpia, who had no bow. After all, the weapons created by servants consumed a lot of energy.

“Ahh~”

Arpia took a swig of her drink.

Ever since the branding, after beating the spirits into submission, she no longer felt pain. Her body no longer needed alcohol, but how could she resist drinking on such a joyous day?

Alcohol always tasted better when in a good mood.

“This reminds me of when we first met.”

“Indeed.”

When she first regained consciousness, she was challenged to a drinking contest with a stranger.

Did he say he would set her free if she won? Back then, she had thought it was nonsense, but looking back, Karamir probably would have kept his word.

“It feels like it all happened so fast, but so much has occurred.”

She had been kidnapped, enslaved.

Trained, fought dark elves.

Returned to the forest and participated in the competition, ending with her victory.

Even when measured by human standards, it wasn’t that long of a time, but for an elf who lived for a thousand years, it must have been even shorter. It had all passed in the blink of an eye, literally.

But Arpia was confident. The few months she spent with Karamir were far more precious and valuable than the hundreds of years she had lived alone.

“Hey, I have something to say...”

And so, she wanted to express it.

The words she had kept hidden in her heart.

Something she wanted to do with Karamir.

Now that she had become a proud elf, she felt like she could finally say it with confidence.

“Hey, um...”

Her face flushed. Was she already tipsy?

But there was no turning back now.

Humans had such short lives, every moment was precious!

Arpia squeezed her eyes shut and spoke boldly.

“Would you... Would you make a soul pact with me?!”

A thousand-year vow made with the one you love.

An elven ritual that carved each other’s hearts into their souls.

Even if she made the pact with Karamir, it would last at most a few decades. She’d spend the rest of her long life alone, but that was okay. After all, hadn’t her soul already been bound in shackles?

At first, she thought her soul had been tainted. She thought she’d never experience a normal love. But with Karamir, none of that mattered!

...

It was silent.

Too silent. Was he that shocked?

Or maybe Karamir didn’t feel the same way? What if she had just imagined it all and misread the situation?

Arpia, consumed with worry, cautiously opened her eyes.

"...Huh?"

Karamir was lying face down on the table, fast asleep.

The same man who had drunk several bottles of strong liquor without flinching had passed out so quickly? Was he pretending to avoid answering?

Arpia was completely baffled, but it made sense. This time, Karamir hadn’t used any items.

Karamir had never had a particularly high tolerance for alcohol.

All the energy drained from Arpia in her disappointment.

She thought about waking him up and confessing again, but...

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

There was still plenty of time.

Besides, she didn’t like the idea of saying something like that while being driven by drunkenness. She’d do it again when she was sober.

Watching Karamir sleep peacefully, Arpia reached out to play with his bangs, her expression soft.

In the still of dawn.

After playing with Karamir for a while, Arpia also drifted off to sleep. It had been such a joyful day, and the alcohol probably helped. Her face was bright, as if she were dreaming of something pleasant.

Meanwhile.

Karamir’s body, which had been lying still, began to stir.

Slowly, Karamir started to wake up.