Seeker 188

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Chapter 188. Dark Elf Girl (1)

Dark Elf is a subspecies of elves known for their brownish skin. 

They possess the pointed ears and generally impeccable features typical of elf. 

Dark Elf appeared at the temple entrance was a girl with silver hair in a short cut and red eyes. 

Well, whether I could call her a girl or not was actually unclear. 

She appeared to be about 15 or 16 in human terms, so she only looked that way. 

Wrapped in a revealing outfit that could pass for a dancer's, she had a slender sword at her waist. 

She was lightly dressed, but it was clear from the moment I saw her that she possessed the power of an adventurer.

But...

(Hmm...?)

I felt something different, something strange about her that set her apart from the adventurers I had encountered so far. 

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what was different, but something felt off.

When I looked at Kazane-san and Yuzuki, they seemed puzzled too.

"Hey, Daichi-kun, that girl..."

"Senpai, isn't that Dark Elf different from other adventurers?"

There were two reactions similar to mine, and there was an eerie sense of something being amiss. 

However, the Dark Elf girl herself nonchalantly asked a question.

"Seems like you guys are human adventurers. What brings you here?"

How should I answer? Should I be honest, or...

No, I couldn't think of a reason to lie, and above all, I wasn't very good at lying.

"The villagers asked us to come here because they saw a group of zombies in this area and wanted us to deal with them."

"Ah, I see. So, because I created those zombies just in case it would be a hassle if people got too close, it backfired, huh? I understand now. I'll have to be more careful in the future."

As I answered honestly, Dark Elf girl didn't show any aggressive intentions. 

I breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, I suddenly realized.

Why was I feeling so relieved?

It was just one person against three of us. 

Well, if you counted Griffin, it was effectively 4 against one. 

And we were all at our limits. 

In power balance, there shouldn't have been much reason for us to feel threatened by this Dark Elf girl.

Unless I was missing some crucial assumption, that is.

To reiterate, Dark Elf didn't seem to be an inherently evil race in this world. 

Apart from their different skin color, they were essentially the same as regular Elves. 

They were often seen living peacefully in human towns.

But as users of dark magic...

Among those we had encountered in this world, we only knew of two evil cultists who used dark magic, and we met them during the incident in the Dwarven settlement. 

Later, I heard dark magic users were shunned in human society. 

Whether it was true or not, many dark magic users had malevolent personalities.

"Well, it seems like you've finished what you came here to do. I guess I'll give you the magic stones from those zombies. You'll need them to prove the extermination to the villagers. With those in hand, you should leave as soon as possible."

Dark Elf girl said this, attempting to drive us away from the area. 

To create undead monsters using dark magic, magic stones were needed as one of the materials. 

She was offering them because they were originally hers.

And her point was indeed valid.

Our job was done here. 

Our task had been to defeat the group of zombies in front of the temple.

However, in truth, we had made another contract with the village chief of Linton.

Given the situation, it was apparent that the Dark Elf who had headed west from the village was suspicious. 

Considering the existence of dark magic users, it was highly likely that she was the one who had created the group of Zombies. 

So, we had made an additional agreement with the village chief of Linton. If this Dark Elf, who was effectively a level 25 experienced adventurer, turned out to be a hostile entity to us or the villagers, we would receive an additional reward of 100 gold coins in exchange for her neutralization.

Although she wasn't a significant threat to us, this task would no longer be something we'd accept for the same reward as goblin extermination.

That's why we made this additional arrangement.

"Who are you, anyway?" 

I couldn't help but ask the Dark Elf girl, even though a voice in the back of my mind was screaming at me to stop and leave this place.

"Who am I, you ask? A Dark Elf adventurer skilled in dark magic, isn't that enough?"

"What are you doing here? I can ask that, right?"

"Do you have the right to question me? Is my presence here any of your business?"

"If you pose a threat to the village, we can't just ignore it. The essence of the request to defeat Zombies is precisely that."

"Sigh... You adventurers are so inflexible. Well, there's some truth in what you say. But exploring the Temple of the Dark God is my hobby. I won't harm the villagers. I won't create any more zombies or skeletons. Is that acceptable?"

Dark Elf shrugged with a gesture of apparent exasperation. 

If she said so, there was no longer any reason to doubt her. 

Our arrangement with the village chief of Linton had been more about us potentially facing significant risks, and if she had no hostile intent, that was even better.

Above all, my instincts kept urging me to leave her presence as soon as possible. 

I didn't want to involve Kazane-san and Yuzuki in any danger.

Despite feeling a bit uneasy about it all, curiosity killed the cat.

This time, I hurriedly collected the last magic stone, which served as proof of the zombie extermination, and intended to return to the village with my companions.

However, at that moment, the Dark Elf girl seemed to recall something.

"Since this is a rare opportunity, I'll ask you as well. Do any of you happen to know the whereabouts of a magic staff called Revenant Cane?"

My heart skipped a beat as I picked up the final magic stone.