In the land of the elves, Arbones, the most revered figure was the Elf Elder.
His granddaughter, Elfin, was blessed with golden hair, emerald-green eyes, and a striking ponytail—her beauty was unforgettable at a single glance.
Combined with her exceptional skills, Elfin was well-known both inside and outside the academy.
The fact that she was not chosen by Bryden and became the “losing heroine” was a secret no one in the academy knew.
Elfin crossed her arms and scanned me up and down with an appraising gaze.
“What’s an idiot like Alvis doing here? I thought you’d go back home and flirt with the village girls, not show up with Ravi.”
“Ah, we happened to meet in a dungeon. He helped me a lot, so I invited him. What about you, Elfin? What brings you here?”
“Things have been a bit chaotic because of recent events in the Empire, so there have been meetings with the leaders of different nations. My grandfather isn’t in good health, so I’m here in his place. But… did you just say you received a lot of help? You mean he helped you, not the other way around?”
Elfin looked utterly unconvinced.
I kneeled before Duke Lieb, the ruler of the Carat Dutchy, and greeted him respectfully.
“Your Grace, Duke Lieb of Carat Dutchy, it is an honor to meet you. I apologize for this unexpected visit and humbly ask for your forgiveness.”
“And you are?”
The inside of Duke Lieb’s rabbit ears twitched as he turned his gaze toward me.
“Alvis, the only heir of Count Frederic’s household. Though, at this point, the name is all that remains of the family. You may simply call me Alvis.”
“And what brings you here? It seems you came with my daughter.”
“Dad, let me explain.”
Ravi proceeded to recount how she had encountered me inside the dungeon and what had transpired there.
After hearing the story, Duke Lieb stroked his beard and nodded.
“I see, so that’s what happened. Understood. I’d like to hear more details, so let’s move to the drawing room.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Together with Duke Lieb, Ravi, and Elfin—who was here as Arbones’ envoy—we made our way to the drawing room.
As we walked down the corridor, Elfin narrowed her eyes and called out to me.
“Hey, Alvis.”
“Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t even greet you yet. It’s been a while… or maybe not?”
“And we’re not exactly on friendly terms to be exchanging greetings anyway. If you were thinking of taking advantage of Bryden’s absence to flirt with our naïve Ravi, you might as well give up now. Because I’m watching you.”
Her words were laced with thorns.
It was no surprise.
In the novel Loveholic, Elfin was the heroine who had the strongest allergic reaction to Alvis’s flirtatious antics.
Serious in all matters, and deeply proud of her elven heritage, Elfin detested insincere and frivolous people.
Unfortunately for Loveholic’s Alvis, he perfectly embodied both traits.
More than anything, because of something Alvis had done, Elfin genuinely despised him.
She hated being in the same space as him, and whenever he flirted with the heroines, it was usually either Bryden or Elfin who put a stop to it.
Considering all that, it was only natural for her to react this way when she ran into me again barely a month after graduation.
Still, it felt unfair to be held accountable for actions I hadn’t even committed.
The drawing room door opened, and we took our seats around a large tea table, where refreshments had been set.
Judging by the simplicity of the setting, it seemed this country wasn’t very wealthy—the palace tea service looked no different from what was served at the academy’s graduation ceremony.
“It’s not much, but please, help yourselves.”
At Duke Lieb’s words, Elfin politely bowed her head.
“It looks truly delicious and abundant. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Her demeanor was a stark contrast to how she treated me—remarkably polite and formal.
Elfin cut a small piece of carrot cake and put it in her mouth, praising the food of the Carat Dutchy and lifting Duke Lieb’s spirits with her compliments.
Then, she got straight to the point.
“Your Grace, as you may already know, I have come because of the incident that occurred in the Empire two days ago.”
“Hmm… I have heard about it, but is it really true? The Empire claims it’s something that has happened before, yet our historical records make no mention of such an event. We need a way to confirm it.”
“At least in the last 250 years, this has never happened. Even according to my grandfather, he has never heard of such a case in the last 800 years.”
As the two of them continued their discussion, which seemed incomprehensible to the rest of us, Ravi interjected.
“Uh, Dad? What are you guys talking about? Did something happen in the Empire? Elfin, could you explain?”
“Well… Two days ago, Bryden’s Holy Knight induction ceremony was held in the Imperial capital.”
“Really? As expected of Bryden… He was chosen as a Holy Knight right after graduation. He’s truly incredible…”
“But there was a problem. The Goddess’s Light did not descend upon the sacred sword.”
“Huh?”
I mumbled in shock at what I just heard.
“The Light didn’t descend upon the sacred sword? That can’t be. That means the Goddess didn’t acknowledge Bryden as a Holy Knight.”
Elfin shot me a glare before turning back to Ravi.
*”There were too many witnesses at the ceremony. Now, people are questioning whether Bryden is truly a Holy Knight, and if he isn’t, who they should rely on in times of crisis. The entire world is in an uproar.
That’s why I’m here—Arbones wants to strengthen ties with other nations in case things take a turn for the worse.”*
“What about Bryden? Have you heard anything from him?”
At Ravi’s question, Elfin shook her head.
“I wasn’t there for the ceremony, so I haven’t spoken to Bryden. He’s probably busy dealing with the Empire’s response. And Celine… I can’t get in touch with her either. So, honestly, I have no idea what they’re doing right now.”
Duke Lieb stroked his beard in contemplation and asked,
*”Lady Elfin, I understand that this is an unprecedented event, one even the Elf Elder has never encountered.
However, can we be certain that it will lead to a dire outcome?
If we trust the Empire’s claim, it is possible that such an event did occur in an earlier era, even before the current Elder’s time.
If it was something that happened occasionally, perhaps it was simply never recorded in history.
So far, the failure of the Light to descend upon the sword hasn’t caused any known consequences. Given that, aren’t our options for action somewhat limited?”*
“That is certainly a valid point, but—”
I cut off Elfin mid-sentence and spoke up.
“Your Grace, forgive my interruption, but it seems that the very crisis Arbones fears has already begun.”
“What? How can you be so certain?”
I then explained to Duke Lieb and Elfin what had happened at the Goblin Camp.
The anomaly in what was known as the weakest dungeon in the world.
The underground cavern filled with blood-written symbols and what seemed to be a ritual of curses.
The corpse of a King Goblin—an entity that had no business being in that dungeon—its body radiating a sinister aura, forming into the shape of a dark spirit.
Ravi chimed in at times, vouching for the truth of my words.
By the time I finished my account, both Duke Lieb and Elfin looked even more grim than before.
“That shadowy presence was unlike anything I had ever seen. Perhaps because the ritual was incomplete, it dissipated quickly, allowing us to escape with our lives.”
Of course, it was my ability that had actually eradicated that “hollow entity.”
But I saw no point in revealing something I couldn’t fully explain or prove, so I chose to gloss over the details.
“The story certainly sounds ominous,” Duke Lieb admitted.
“But how can you be sure this presence was truly a dangerous entity?”
“This should be proof enough. Ravi, hand it over.”
“Ah, right!”
I placed the sack containing the items we had obtained from the transformed Goblin Camp onto the table.
When Duke Lieb checked the contents, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“What in the world…? How could such high-quality treasures be piled up like this?”
Even Elfin, who always spoke of discipline and restraint, couldn’t take her eyes off the various equipment inside.
“These were the rewards from clearing the Goblin Camp. Can you believe it?”
“What? But the Goblin Camp is supposed to be for complete beginners! How could such treasures come from there? These are the kind of items only found in dungeons that challenge even seasoned veterans…”
*”We were lucky. If that ‘hollow presence’ hadn’t vanished, Ravi and I would have died there.
A Goblin Camp, of all places, should not have contained something like that. There were no monsters—only the traces of blood and a cursed ritual.
The anomaly of the Holy Sword failing to receive the Goddess’s Light and the bizarre transformation of the dungeon… I find it hard to believe these events are entirely unrelated.”*
Duke Lieb pondered for a long moment before finally addressing me again.
*”Alvis, based on what you’ve told us, it seems you have some grasp of this phenomenon.
If we form an investigation team, would you be willing to assist us? We can provide any support you need.”*
At that moment, text appeared before my eyes once again.
â–¶ The King of the Carat Dutchy is deep in thought, and you now stand at a crossroads of fate. It is time to carve the path of “one who resists destiny.” If you make the right decision, you will step onto the trajectory of changing fate—but if you fail, you will suffer a backlash of 1 to 3 levels.
Here we go again with this bullshit.
To be continued.
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