“Erica…?”
“Leon.”

A chilling silence filled the narrow corridor as Erica, standing before Leon, froze for a moment. She eventually spoke with hesitation.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but I came seeking your help.”

Leon looked at her, slightly taken aback, before calmly asking,
“How did you know I was here?”

Erica glanced up at Leon’s head.
“When we bumped into each other yesterday, I noticed… on your head…”
“Oh.”

Leon immediately understood her gaze. Kito, his familiar, was always perched on his head, even sleeping there. Erica must have recognized him because of that little detail.

“At first, I wasn’t sure, but when I thought it over again, I was certain it was you…” Erica’s voice grew softer and trailed off.
“So you followed me.”
“I’m sorry… It’s just that…”

Leon could tell she had something to ask of him.

He recalled Erica’s situation—she’d been persistently pursued by Imperial magicians during their mission to escort the trade caravan.

Was it Imperial mages who had been chasing her yesterday as well?

She seemed to anticipate his thoughts and brought it up.
“You might remember, I’ve been hunted by the Imperial Court.”
“I know. But first, let me ask…”

Leon examined her carefully before continuing.
“Did you come here without dealing with whoever was pursuing you? From what I remember, you were being chased yesterday.”

At Leon’s rather cold question, Erica quickly waved her hands in denial.
“No, that’s not it! I handled the ones who followed me yesterday. I’ve been hiding and came here afterward.”
“You took care of them?”

Leon knew Erica was only a fifth-grade apprentice mage, which made him wonder how she could have managed that. And if she had taken care of them, why seek him out?

Taking a deep breath, Erica explained.
“I think I should give you some context. The ones after me now aren’t Imperial mages. They likely don’t even know I’m here.”
“…Is that so?”
“After we parted ways, I traveled through various regions, trying to evade capture. Although the academy I was with has declined, they provided me with certain artifacts, which allowed me to elude my pursuers. Those I subdued yesterday—I managed it because of those artifacts.”

Leon understood. He recalled Arpina mentioning something about the ancient artifacts of Astelia, capable of revealing information from a person’s subconscious. It made sense that Erica, even with her limited skills, could evade her enemies with such an artifact.

“In truth, I didn’t return to the academy after that. Going back would only put them in danger once my whereabouts were known. During that time, I happened upon some elves.”

“Elves…?” Leon asked, a term he hadn’t heard since his past life. In this world, he hadn’t encountered any elves yet.

“Yes, exactly. While fleeing, I encountered elves who were hiding their identities among humans. They were being chased by slave traders…”

“Wait… what exactly are elves?”

“Ah, you might not be familiar with them since you’ve been in Vasprion all this time. That was thoughtless of me.”

Trying to steady her uneven breaths, Erica continued,
“Elves are non-human beings who live near the northern border of the Empire. They have pointed ears, can live for thousands of years without aging, and are naturally adept in magic. They’ve had a longstanding hostility with witches.”

“Is that so?”

Leon realized that while elves were similar to what he knew from his previous life, the relationship with witches was new information.

“To continue… as I fled, I witnessed elves being pursued by slave traders. I quickly realized they were elves and ended up helping them by taking down the traders.”

Leon fell silent for a moment. Was she saying she helped elves even while she herself was on the run? Erica smiled bitterly at his questioning look.

“At the time, I thought it would benefit the academy. By forming an alliance with the elves, we could gain enough strength to resist the Imperial pressure.”

Now Leon understood her reasoning. It was a calculated decision.

“And I was honest with the elves—I helped them in hopes of aiding the academy.”

From what he remembered of Erica’s nervousness during the escort mission, he could tell she wasn’t one to easily win favor by building connections. She had already tried and failed awkwardly with him.

“They agreed to speak with their elder on my behalf and even promised me further rewards.”

Her bitter smile deepened as she paused, then continued.
“However, we ended up captured by the slave traders after that. I was the only one who managed to escape.”

Leon was speechless.
“Could she be the slave who escaped recently?”

Erica closed her eyes tightly and spoke.
“I know just coming to you like this is already imposing. But I have no one else to turn to. Please… help me. If you do, I promise I’ll repay you however I can.”
“So, your request is…”

“Please help free the elf friends who are still held by the slave traders.”

[Elves?]

Suddenly, a cold, cutting voice echoed in his mind. Unlike the usual playful tone of the demonic sword, this one was sharp and harsh.

[Why help elves? I’d rather help a street urinating orc than those sneaky creatures.]

Leon frowned. This demonic sword always had a habit of intruding at the most inconvenient times.

But why the sudden hostility at the mention of elves?

Erica, seemingly mistaking his frown, hurriedly clarified.
“This has nothing to do with the Imperial Court. These are illegal slave traders, not officially sanctioned.”
[Absolutely not.]
[Stay out of it.]

Leon silenced the demonic sword and then spoke.
“Even if you’re asking me like this, I don’t have the resources to help.”

[Exactly! Knew you’d stick with me on this one!]

Yet Erica did not back down. She looked at him with desperate eyes.

“Leon, you’re more than capable of freeing the elves. The head of the slave traders is only a sorcerer at best. They usually target weak beastfolk or humans for enslavement.”
“How are they able to keep operating with such low strength?”
“…I think the city tacitly allows it.”

Having heard enough, Leon made up his mind.

He couldn’t help her.

If it had been someone from his own academy asking for help in a dire situation, he wouldn’t turn them away, but Erica… and freeing her comrades? That didn’t resonate with him.

Especially since they might have a hidden agenda.

There wasn’t enough reason for Leon to take on such risks for Erica and her companions.

Leon sighed. He felt uneasy, rejecting her request just like he did last time.

“I can help you stay hidden while I’m in the city, but as for freeing the elves, I can’t do that.”

Using the Concealment Lamp to create a temporary hiding space for her wasn’t a problem.

“….”

But she remained silent. She seemed determined to free the elves, which he understood. It was likely her way to save her academy.

“Have you considered asking for help from the Segrinel Academy?”

Erica lowered her head and whispered,
“…I don’t have a way to contact them right now. Even if I did, they couldn’t get here immediately.”

Leon noted the look of despair on her face.

‘Slaves… elves…’

If he were alone, he might consider it more carefully, but with Ria by his side and the auction approaching, it wasn’t a good time.

Erica seemed to steel herself and spoke again.
“If you help rescue my comrades and safely escort us to the Elven Forest, I will give you the artifact I possess from Segrinel and the reward promised by the elves.”

She hesitated before adding,
“The elf I saved is a high elder’s child. I was promised a branch of the World Tree as a reward. I could give that to you.”

The moment she mentioned the World Tree branch, his mind was filled with noise.

Before he could even consider the reward, the demonic sword spoke up.

[Is she still begging? The World Tree branch? Ha! As if it’s that easy to hand over. It’s a lie—tell her you refuse.]

The sword’s reaction only made Leon more certain that there was something significant about the World Tree branch.