An unknown place.
After quickly surveying the surroundings and returning to the same fallen tree, I began to ponder my current circumstances while sipping another cup of coffee.
The world I found myself in was clearly in the Middle Ages or close to it.
Magic was also present, although its quantity left much to be desired. It seemed like nothing special, just a typical isekai world with magic, nothing more, but the small scene I had witnessed when I arrived here changed everything.
On the one hand, the world could have been dark fantasy, where rape and other cruel things were the norm, and I would have even been happy to find myself in such a place.
After all, dark fantasy stood out from other genres when the narrative didn't hide all the extremes of life that every living creature faced at one point or another. In other words, exploring such a place would be not just interesting, but extremely exciting.
On the other hand, it could be typical hentai, and that option was the most annoying and practically unbearable. The reason for this attitude was how simple, predictable, and boring the world and its inhabitants were. In short, sex, women, and that's it.
I rubbed my temples and looked at the elves, who were still sniffling, then directed some mana into their bodies, completely restoring their strength and waking them up, causing them to slowly open their eyes.
And that's why I need the information I need to get from them.
- "Where are we...?" asked the one with black hair. "Weren't we...?"
- "In the castle?" I continued for her, drawing her attention to me. "This isn't the best place to be right now."
- "And you..." she began, but was interrupted by another elf.
- "My queen? My queen! How are you feeling?! Are you hurt?! she babbled, then saw me. "A human?! What is a human doing here?! My queen, I will protect you..."
- "Stop, Chloe. He saved us," the black-haired one interrupted her. "And considering who he is and the deal between him and me, he deserves respect."
- "But...! But he's a human! Humans are our enemies!" the white-haired woman said with steely conviction. "He could be one of those who..."
- "He's different, Chloe, trust me," the black-haired woman assured her. "Now do as I say."
Ugh, enmity between elves and humans? Well, that's nothing new. The white-haired woman's hatred seeped through her voice like a red-hot blade, and I have no doubt that she would have tried to kill me even without the weapon she tried to find as soon as she noticed my presence.
- "But... But it was humans who did this to us...!"
- "You're too loud for those who have just come to their senses," I rolled my eyes, first taking away their voices, causing them confusion and surprise, and then returning them. After that, I turned my gaze to the black-haired woman. "I've done my part of the bargain, now do yours... Olga, is that right?"
- "How dare you address a lady by her first name, you..."
- "Silence, Chloe," the black-haired woman cut her off and, straightening up, bowed. "Yes, you're right. I am Olga Discordia, Queen of the Dark Elves. And this is Chloe, my most loyal assistant and closest confidante."
- "How formal. I am Romani Archaman, Magician," I said with a smile. "And we can do without the formalities. They're too boring and unnecessary."
- "All right," Olga nodded, but I thought she wanted to ask something and then changed her mind. "What do you want from me? According to our deal, you own everything I own."
- "Hmm... It's nice to know you're willing to keep your word, but all I need is information and maybe a couple of other small things. After that, do whatever you want," I said, which was met with restrained surprise.
- "Understood. What do you want to know?"
-0-
Some time later.
After listening to Olga, I thought for a moment and rubbed my temples.
So, my fears about the world were confirmed, and it was typical hentai with all the usual elements, but with elements of dark fantasy. This was indicated by the choice of clothing, if you can call it that, of course, humanoid monsters unable to reproduce without the participation of human women, elves and other similar races, as well as the actions of the Black Dog, as Olga called the group of mercenaries commanded by a corpse.
In addition, there were two opposing sides in the form of Olga and her old friend, now an enemy, the resurrected goddess. However, a third side had now been added: mercenaries who had grown to incredible proportions and had far-reaching plans.
The kingdom I was currently in was ruled by this very goddess and her entourage, the princess-knights. And according to Olga, the quality of governance was not just bad, it was non-existent. After all, mercenaries, even those with a fairly good reputation, had been allowed to grow so large that their influence overshadowed the official authorities. It was as if they had asked to be removed themselves.
As for magic, it was present here, but in the most disgusting form possible. If Olga was considered almost an icon of the magical arts, and she wasn't lying when she talked about this world, then I didn't even want to think about what most magicians were like.
Oh, yes. Since the kingdom was ruled by a goddess, the church dedicated to her had very broad powers. That is, I would not be able to find anything that had not been edited by her followers. Of course, there were other gods, but the attitude towards them was dismissive at best, or worse.
In the end, I was left with a situation that was both very clear and very unclear regarding my mission, and also, most importantly on my personal list, practically every inhabitant of this world was incredibly stupid or feeble-minded.
I rubbed my temples and, creating a cup of coffee, took a sip. And, apparently, its smell woke up the elves' stomachs, judging by the rumbling that followed.
- "I apologize for that," said Olga, and her assistant clenched her teeth and squeezed her fists in discontent and shame.
- "We must have stayed up a little too late, since it's already getting dark," I sighed and waved my hand. A round table with three chairs appeared before us, completely covered with light and simple food, by modern standards, of course. "Sit down and eat."
- "Thank you," Olga nodded and sat down at the table without hesitation. Seeing this, Chloe stared at her suspiciously, and then, after receiving a quick glance from her, did the same, not forgetting to give me a threatening look.
- "I'll try it first, my queen," she said. "The food could be poisoned by that..."
- "It's fine, it's not poisoned. I'm sure of it," Olga assured her and began to eat, and this time it was I who was surprised, raising my eyebrow.
- "Why are you so sure?" I asked. "We just met, and you already trust me so much? In this situation, your assistant's attitude seems more reasonable to me than yours, Olga."
- "Yes! Even this ugly man understands me! Why do you trust him so much, my queen?" Chloe agreed with me.
- "May I speak freely, Romani?" she asked, receiving a short nod in response. "You are not from Eostia. You know nothing of these lands, their customs, or, most importantly, me, and I believe the term 'Magician' has a different meaning where you come from. Therefore, you have no reason to harm me or Chloe."
She paused to take a sip of tea from her cup.
- "Besides, you kept your word, and people like that are few and far between in Eos. And the most important reason I am willing to trust you..." Olga continued, then fixed her gaze on me. "You are a god, aren't you?"
- "A god?!" Chloe's eyes lit up with excitement and admiration. "You summoned a god, my queen! I always knew how amazing you were!"
- "Ho?" I smirked. "And how did you find out about that?"
- "I spent enough time with Celestine to get used to her divine power. She rarely used it, but the feeling stayed with me," Olga explained.
- "Is that so? True, her divinity doesn't give her any intelligence or common sense, judging by what you've told me," I smirked.
- "Unfortunately," Olga agreed. "She believes in people too much and refuses to see their dark side. Celestine is an idealist, unlike me."
- "I can see that. You're a realist, and I like that. You're not stupid enough to accept one part of the world and deny the other," I nodded, then paused for a moment. "How would you feel about extending our deal a little, huh?"
-0-
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