*To deflower a dark elf maiden?*
Frankly, I could resist drugs, but this was hard to pass up. However, one thing bothered me.
"…She's not an adult?"
The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Isn't this dangerous?
"Hehe, don't worry. The coming-of-age ceremony among dark elves is different from that of humans."
"How so?"
"The human coming-of-age ceremony celebrates the age when marriage is possible, but the dark elf ceremony is a tribal ritual to determine if one can fulfill their role. Therefore, many who are older haven't undergone the ceremony."
Iris's clear explanation dispelled my unnecessary worries, but that didn't mean I had decided to deflower the woman.
Just as permission and acceptance are subtly different, just because Iris allowed it didn't mean I deeply accepted it.
"Hyunwoo?"
I took a heavy sigh inwardly, grinding my teeth as if they would break.
No matter how I thought about it, this seemed like the right answer.
"I won't."
"Pardon?"
"It's true I like women, but I'm not so obsessed with them that I'd cheat in front of you."
I held Iris tightly.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed, but if I live diligently, opportunities will come again.
For now, I firmly believed that following the advice my high school Korean language teacher gave me was the best course of action.
-Hey, you damned fools! Haven't I told you that if you just study, your wife's face will change? But a truly good woman won't just follow you because you have money. The truly important thing is! Grasping the woman tightly and knowing exactly what she wants and meeting those needs! What, would guys like you know a woman's heart?
I thought this was that moment.
Iris may have given permission, but perhaps she wanted something more, and was subtly waiting for me to notice.
"…I'm really okay with it."
The corners of Iris's mouth, burying her face in my chest, were more gently relaxed than ever.
I cheered inwardly.
Ah, Korean language teacher… you saved me again.
He was a really good teacher, except for beating students at every chance he got.
However, rumor had it that his wife was having an affair and preparing for a divorce lawsuit. Even the person I knew who knew women best ended up like that, so my future isn't necessarily bright either.
If I didn't want to get stabbed in the gut when I confessed my harem later, I needed to prepare thoroughly beforehand.
"Ugh, uuugh…"
Just then, the dark elf woman woke up.
"Iris, why don't you go rest in the tent? I'll finish up quickly and join you."
Iris hugged me as tightly as she could, as if she was reluctant.
"…Don't be too late."
The moment Iris left my embrace, I couldn't help but be flustered by the sight before me.
"I'll be waiting for you, not sleeping♡"
Suddenly, Iris pulled open the front of her clothes with her finger, exposing her bright pink nipples.
That alone made me dizzy, but Iris's expression was more enticing than ever, her eyes curved into a seductive smile.
At this moment, Iris was not an elven queen, but a seductress bewitching a man.
Even the sight of her back as she returned to the tent was extremely lewd, deliberately wiggling her hips to tempt me.
Who on earth turned her, who was once so innocent, into this?
That's right, it was me.
I felt a strange sense of superiority knowing that the woman who would proudly stand at the very front when all the women in the world were ranked by appearance was my woman.
As Iris disappeared from view, I turned my gaze to the dark elf woman.
"You're awake."
Gasping for breath as if something was so difficult, I met the eyes of the dark elf woman, who was still glaring at me.
I roughly knew what she was thinking.
She must be worried about her virginity.
But the climax had long passed.
"We're both busy, so I won't waste time with unnecessary words."
The blade of Guilenheim gleamed under the moonlight that had pushed aside the clouds.
"If you value your comrades' lives, answer my questions."
The blade was aimed at the neck of another elf tied right next to the dark elf woman.
I had subdued them without hurting them, thinking of Iris, but now I had neither the time nor the reason to do so.
Even though I said I wouldn't sexually assault them, I asked Iris to leave. There was no way she wouldn't understand the meaning of those words.
Nevertheless, the fact that she didn't stop me and left meant that she tacitly agreed.
"I'm going to untie the rope blocking your mouth now, but if you don't answer my questions or hesitate, I'll kill your comrades one by one."
"…"
Slowly, I untied the rope covering her mouth and removed the piece of cloth.
"Ptoo."
The dark elf, with a clear red mark on her lip, spat on the ground and looked at me with a rebellious glint in her eyes, but she didn't try to commit suicide as before.
Perhaps she realized the weight of her comrades' lives as time passed.
"…If I really answer your questions, will you not harm my squad members?"
"Of course."
"How can I trust you?"
"I'll make a mana vow."
A mana vow.
It is a vow made by pledging the right to wield mana.
The moment the promised terms are broken through this vow, the person can no longer wield mana for life and, of course, cannot use magical power that uses mana as fuel.
"I have a total of three questions, and you must answer them truthfully and to the best of your knowledge. In addition, do not let anyone know that you found us. Even if someone among your comrades is awake and has heard our conversation, you must prevent today's events from being known to others no matter what. In return, I vow not only to spare your life and the lives of your comrades, but also not to lay a finger on you."
"…I accept."
Due to the conditions, consideration, and agreement of both parties, the vow was established.
As evidence, a blue light flared in the locations of each other's hearts.
"First question. Do you know a way to get to the Santala Kingdom while avoiding surveillance by the Peledia capital defense force?"
"…Santala Kingdom?"
At my question, the dark elf woman seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then quickly nodded.
"The fastest way would be to go straight to the Santala Kingdom through the Great Forest, but then it would be absolutely impossible to avoid the surveillance of the capital defense force."
"Then?"
"If you go southwest from here for about two days, you can escape the Great Forest, then you will find a plain. If you follow the road there, you will arrive at Wavele, a border city of the Veilheaven Republic, a country adjacent to the Peledia Kingdom."
At the dark elf woman's gesture, I untied the rope binding her hands.
Of course, I only untied her hands in case.
She didn't expect me to untie her legs as well, and continued her explanation by drawing on the ground.
"The best way would be to go to the Santala Kingdom by passing through the Nibia Kingdom and the Orsia Principality, which are in the east of the Veilheaven Republic."
On the map on the ground, several large and small kingdoms and city-states were drawn above the Great Forest and the Santala Kingdom.
And there was the Northern Empire, which boasted a territory larger than all those countries and the Great Forest combined.
"Now, the Northern Empire has declared war on the Peledia Kingdom. Judging from the Northern Empire's past actions, it's not impossible that they will declare war on neighboring countries after occupying Peledia. No, they will most likely do so. In that situation, it's natural that the borders of the Veilheaven Republic, the Nibia Kingdom, and the Orsia Principality, located in southern Peledia, are being closed. Of course, the same goes for the Santala Kingdom."
Due to the mana vow, the dark elf woman was answering as faithfully as possible within her knowledge. Thanks to that, I learned quite a bit more about the international situation that I didn't know before.
By the way, why does the leader of the reconnaissance team know so much?
"Isn't there a good way to cross the border?"
"Is that the second question?"
"…No."
After a moment of thought, I decided not to waste my question on this.
The mana vow only requires answering truthfully to the best of one's knowledge, so it was useless to someone who knew nothing.
It wasn't certain, but it seemed like the dark elf woman didn't know about this issue either.
'Besides, the fact that the border is being closed means that the situation is likely to keep changing. It's better to find a way by using my own feet in the border area.'
If it really didn't work, I could just break through by force.
Even if they formed a pursuit team, I didn't think anyone strong enough to threaten me and Iris would follow, given the situation where war could break out at any moment.
"Second question. Tell me everything you know about the domestic affairs of Peledia."
"…Are you serious?"
The dark elf woman looked at me with a dumbfounded look.
"It would take all day to explain everything I know. If we don't return by then, another reconnaissance team will be dispatched."
She shrugged her shoulders as if to say, 'Is that okay with you?'
She had a point.
I'm short on time right now.
Iris must be anxiously waiting for me, and it was a waste of time to be slacking off here.
"…Then briefly explain only about the current elven queen."
"A mass murderer, a crazy psychopath, a kinslayer. Do you need any more explanation?"
I simply nodded my head without saying anything.
"200 years ago, I don't know what tricks that crazy woman used, but from the day she deposed Iris, the former queen, and ascended the throne, Peledia has never had a day out of hell."
Her voice was agitated.
The remnants of killing intent emanating from her eyes were even darker than when I was fondling her chest.
"She raised taxes and drafted young men to build a meaningless temple. Many of them never returned."
Increasing the tax rate without considering the lives of the people and forced labor.
Iris would foam at the mouth and faint if she heard that.
"Is that all? Under her tacit approval, the corruption and tyranny of the nobles are getting worse day by day. The people who resist are disappearing as dew on the gallows."
After that, the dark elf woman continued to spew out insults and criticisms towards Resillia.
At this point, it seemed like she was just rattling on about what she wanted to say rather than answering my questions, but I didn't want to stop her, so I just kept listening.
Then this time, the story came up that Resillia was forcibly conscripting young men for the war with the Northern Empire.
"It's a funny thing, if that woman hadn't sent support to the Santala Kingdom 200 years ago, there wouldn't have been this war with the Northern Empire."
With that one word, which was close to a complaint, the answer to the second question ended.
It was a bit long, but thanks to that, I was able to roughly guess the situation in Peledia.
The whole country was devastated by 200 years of continuous exploitation, so what war? It wouldn't be strange if a rebellion broke out as it is.
And I thought that the war might come faster than I expected.
If the Northern Empire knew about this internal situation in Peledia, they would be more likely to push in with a blitzkrieg rather than worrying about military formation.
I slightly revised my future plans and asked the last question.