Creeeeak, clunk.

"I'll make sure you get your meals regularly, so just behave yourself. Not that you can do anything in this room anyway."

The man locked the door behind him as he left, leaving Arpia staring helplessly at his retreating figure.

Her bow had been taken away, and the shackles on her ankles were connected to a pillar in the center of the room. She could move around, but that was it. She wouldn’t be able to leave unless the chains were undone.

“Ugh…”

Arpia gave up on escaping early on and plopped onto the bed.

The place she was locked in wasn’t exactly a prison cell. In fact, it was closer to a VIP room, furnished with a luxurious bed, wardrobe, and mirror.

This was the room Ropermahn had prepared for any elf he captured, to be used as a stand-in for a jail cell. The story had taken a different turn from the original, but Arpia had ended up in this room anyway.

“This is all because of that guy.”

Arpia thought bitterly of Karamir’s sly smile. His reckless actions had caused them to be separated, and she had been captured as a result.

After all that training, she hadn’t even fired a single arrow. What an embarrassing outcome.

Next time, she’d make him balance a pea on his head during practice. If she ever got out of here, that is.

“Where did he go, anyway?”

Arpia was the only one trapped in this room—Karamir’s whereabouts were unknown. Suddenly, a disturbing thought crossed her mind.

'What if he's stuck in some underground prison? Or worse, getting beaten up for mouthing off, not realizing the situation?'

It would be just like Karamir to get himself into that kind of trouble. After all, he often muttered ridiculous things while looking at her like, “Hmm, you’re like a living air purifier.”

She needed to escape quickly and make sure he was safe.

“Ugh.”

A sudden wave of pain made Arpia grimace. Before they arrived, she had drunk alcohol, but the spirits inside her were already starting to stir. Recently, they had been waking up faster, as if her resistance was growing stronger.

Alcohol was no longer enough to suppress them. Unless she drowned herself in it or took some strong drugs, she wouldn’t be able to keep them at bay.

What would she do if even that didn’t work? Her life had just started becoming fun.

‘No. Stop.’

Arpia shook her head vigorously to clear away the dark thoughts. She could think about all that after she got out of here.

How much time had passed?

The windowless room made it hard to keep track of time, but the regular meals that were brought to her gave her a rough idea.

The food was tasteless. The dishes were overloaded with spices, showing absolutely no consideration for an elf’s palate.

I mean, she’s an elf. A rare, precious creature. You could at least treat her properly!

Without any alcohol to numb the pain, Arpia gritted her teeth to suppress the agony.

Clang.

There was the sound of metal clinking from outside. The door opened, and a figure stepped in—a dark elf, Leonard, his face covered up to his eyes with a mask.

Dark elves from Taosle were not considered cursed or bitter enemies of regular elves; their differences were purely regional and superficial, much like the differences between modern Black and White people.

Arpia, who was lying on the bed, turned her head with great difficulty.

“You...”

“Hm, I wasn’t mistaken after all. Not only are spirits residing inside you, but they’re also intertwined at a single point. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Fascinating.”

Fascinating? To say that to someone in agony. Dark elves really lacked empathy. Arpia wanted to retort sharply, but the pain left her unable to do so.

“Why is a dark elf here?”

“I was hired to capture an elf. No one in our organization is better at it than me, and I was curious to see who you were.”

“A proud dark elf, taking jobs for money?”

Leonard sneered at Arpia’s sarcastic remark.

“You’re not exactly in a position to talk, considering you’ve been hunting slaves under a human.”

“......”

“There's probably no one in this world more of a disgrace to elves than you.”

Another dark elf calling her a disgrace. Seriously, this prideful nonsense—it didn’t matter if it was an elf or a dark elf, they were all the same.

“Did you come here to mock me? If you’re not here to help, get out. My head hurts.”

“I will leave, but not before telling you the truth of your situation—you’ve been abandoned.”

“I haven’t been abandoned. In fact, I’m quite trusted.”

“You’re deluding yourself.”

Leonard sighed, shaking his head, then gave her a cold, piercing look.

“You were sold. That Slave Reaper you’re so loyal to? He’s the one who sold you to Ropermahn.”

Arpia lay motionless on the bed.

It seemed Leonard had tipped off someone, because the food had become slightly more palatable, and there was even some alcohol this time. But Arpia had no appetite.

What Leonard had revealed had killed any hunger or desire she had.

• That man made a deal with Ropermahn to hand you over in exchange for something he wanted. The whole scene with the knife at his throat? A setup, orchestrated by him.

• Where is he now? He’s already left. Took what he wanted and abandoned you here.

“......”

It was all a ploy orchestrated by Karamir?

He traded her to Ropermahn for some goods?

And now she was stuck here, while he had left her behind?

Arpia didn’t believe Leonard’s words right away. She had spent enough time with Karamir to have built some level of trust between them.

They weren’t close enough for her to think, ‘I knew it, that bastard,’ and instantly decide to betray him.

But still, a sense of unease began to creep in. After all, Leonard’s explanation fit so perfectly. If this had all been part of Karamir’s plan, everything would make sense.

It was the last piece of a complicated puzzle.

“Ugh…”

No. She couldn’t handle this anymore. She needed a drink and some sleep.

With trembling hands, Arpia grabbed the bottle of alcohol and downed it in one go. She tossed the empty bottle aside and buried herself under the covers.

Her eyes slowly began to close. Was she falling asleep or losing consciousness? It didn’t matter.

If she never woke up, that would be fine too. At least then she wouldn’t have to feel this pain anymore.

The pain was coming back. But it was okay. She was used to pain by now.

This was familiar.

Rough, yet gentle. The sensation of something running through her hair.

It was like a soft breeze over a field, soothing and calming her, easing her pain.

If only it could always be like this, maybe she could live a normal life, like other elves. Competing with her kin in archery, being recognized, being praised.

A life that wasn’t special, just normal. Hundreds of years like that, until she returned to nature like a tree.

Could such a day ever come? Probably not. This sensation, like a midsummer night’s dream, would vanish as soon as she opened her eyes.

So she didn’t open them. She wished this moment could continue forever.

...

But there was one thing she couldn’t tolerate. As an elf, this was something she simply couldn’t allow.

“Seriously, stop touching my ears!”

Arpia sat up abruptly, scolding whoever had been touching her ears. The pleasant sensation vanished like a mirage.

Just as she was about to feel a twinge of regret, her eyes widened. She stared as if she had seen something she wasn’t supposed to.

“You…?”

“Oh, you’re awake? I was relieved since you didn’t wake up halfway through, but maybe I was being too optimistic.”

It was none other than Karamir, her master and, as fate would have it, her companion in this tangled existence.

He was lying next to her on the bed, propped up on one arm, gazing at her with a soft smile.

“Why... Why are you here?”

Karamir sat up and smiled.

“That’s a strange question. Isn’t it normal for a master to stay by their slave’s side?”

“But that dark elf said you sold me! That you left me here!”

“Arpia, who do you trust more—me, or a dark elf you just met?”

“Well, of course...”

The word “you” almost slipped out of her mouth, but Arpia swallowed it at the last second. She had nearly fallen into Karamir’s pace once again.

Still, she couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her lips.

‘So, he didn’t leave me behind after all.’

Of course not. They had a bond, after all.

That dark elf must have been trying to drive a wedge between them. Typical of dark elves—always sneaky and conniving. They were the real disgrace to elf-kind, not her.

Just wait until she saw that dark elf again. She’d be sure to mock him.

“But how did you even get in here? The place is sealed tight. There’s no way in except through the door.”

“I came in through the door.”

“But the door was locked.”

“I slipped in when the servant brought the food. I used one of Victor’s invisibility tools.”

Arpia nodded without much thought. It wasn’t surprising. Victor, being an assassin, had all sorts of magical tools for stealth. It made sense.

“But I noticed you were in pain earlier. Are you feeling alright now?”

“Huh? Oh, that… Well, it doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

She had definitely been in pain before, but now the pain seemed to have faded. Maybe the alcohol had finally kicked in. Those unruly spirits were unpredictable, after all.

In any case, it was a relief that the pain had subsided. Now that she could think clearly again, she felt more in control.

“So, what’s the plan? Are we going to escape?”

“Of course. But first...”

Karamir reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll.

“What’s that?”

“A magic scroll, engraved with a specific spell. I took it from Ropermahn’s storage.”

“Oh, so we’re going to use that to escape?”

“No, this is for you, Arpia.”

Arpia tilted her head in confusion.

“For me?”

With a soft smile, Karamir unfurled the scroll.

“I’m going to take away all the pain you’ve been carrying.”