Chapter 130

Boom!

I grabbed the elf woman’s hair and slammed her head onto the desk.

Various magical tools glowed, forming a thin barrier over her skin. It seemed like some kind of defensive shield.

Thanks to that, she didn’t have a single scratch, but her eyes widened in confusion, not understanding what had just happened.

Waving a dagger in front of the nameless elf’s eyes, I continued speaking.

“You seem to be mistaken, I’m not here to ask you anything.”

“Th-then what is it?! Do you think you can get away with doing this to me?!”

“I’m telling you, I’ll find out by myself from now on. And whether you get away or not, that’s not for you to decide… Miss Lydia will decide that.”

Bang!!

The noise was incomparable to when I smashed the elf woman’s head. The sound, akin to an explosion, caused one side of the wall to collapse.

This elf woman was not only covered in magical equipment but also escorted by a highly skilled guard.

It was only natural for them to intervene the moment I grabbed her by the hair.

However, I have guards on my side too. I guarantee that among all of Pangrave, my guard knight is one of the strongest.

“You shouldn’t have pulled out the arrow.”

“I-I didn’t really mean to stab you….”

“Shut up.”

Thud!

“Gah!”

The large elf archer woman, pinned against the wall, coughed up blood. Despite lacking a chest typical of elves, her pectoral muscles were extraordinarily pumped. She tried to mutter something but was struck again and completely knocked out.

Lydia, looking down at the fallen woman with a cold gaze, turned to me. She waved her hand cheerfully.

“Thank you, Miss Knight! I won’t kill her, so could you help prevent others from interfering?”

“Sure.”

Lydia nodded and stood firmly by my side. But really, who would dare to intervene after witnessing such a scene?

Those gathered here are all promising members of well-known clans, but even their seniors are not at a level to be called elites.

The 6th floor…not even the 5th floor, it was just a briefing to capture a second-floor Floor Guardian. Even the Guild staff explained it perfunctorily, so why would a high-ranking adventurer show up?

There are plenty of people to assign rookie clean-up duties to. Lydia following me this far is unusual in itself.

Well, adventurers affiliated with the Guild might swarm in upon hearing the commotion, but it will be over before then.

The atmosphere was cold and frozen. In the now quiet room, I slowly began to speak.

“I told you earlier, I don’t intend to kill you. Not yet, anyway. You better think carefully before you speak, got it?”

“Grr!”

“I’m looking for Miss Eve right now. And you know where she is. So, what should we do now?”

“Do you think I’ll talk just because of that!”

“Hmm. You seem to be a bit mistaken. I’m the one asking questions. You just need to answer. Understood?”

“Ptooey!”

Shivering and even spitting at me, this brat. I quickly dodged to avoid getting hit, but it couldn’t help but sour my mood.

“I just want to end this with words, but why are you being so uncooperative?”

With a deep sigh, I lowered my head. Three seconds passed. Just when she started to feel puzzled, I swiftly thrust a dagger.

Aimed right above her left eye.

Clang!

As obvious as it may be, no matter how great the Unicorn Dagger is, it cannot break through this many layered barriers at once.

Sparks scatter in all directions with a crisp sound.

“Eek! Hiiiii!”

The person, as if being welded right in front of their eyes, convulses and thrashes about.

“Stay still.”

“Kyaaaa!”

Only after calmly subduing the flailing limbs did I retrieve the dagger that was scraping against the barrier on the eyes.

“You, you crazy bastard…!”

“Oh dear. Now I have no choice but to use my hands instead of my tongue again. Sis. Let’s go peacefully. Okay?”

Shaking my head, this time I brought the Unicorn Dagger under the person’s neck and started sawing it back and forth.

Crack. Creak. Crackle!

Particles of light pour out like a waterfall. One of the barriers, already having taken several hits, could no longer hold and shattered.

Clink!

“Ahhhh! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you, so stop!”

“What?”

“Anything! I’ll answer whatever you ask!”

“…Tsk.”

There are still three more layers of the barrier left, and she’s already being compliant. If she was going to be like this, she should’ve just listened from the start.

As I smacked my lips and retrieved the Dagger, she looked at me as if I were a madman. I gently stroked her demon-filled head with the dagger and asked.

“Name?”

“R-Rosemary.”

“Age?”

“125 years old.”

“So you’re a long-lived species….”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing. Next…right. Height?”

“177 cm….”

“Wow, you’re tall. Then, your three measurements?”

“Why…why do you even want to know that?”

“Just answer.”

As I tapped her crown with the flat of the dagger, the now alert Rosemary hastily answered.

“I don’t know! I’ve always worn clothes with size-adjustment magic, so I’ve never had to worry about that!”

“What.”

Such a bourgeois brat.

Barely calming my reddened heart, I asked the most important part of the personal information.

“Lastly, how many partners have you had?”

“Par…tners?”

“I mean sex.”

“Why the hell are you asking that?!”

“Shush. Won’t you answer?”

“Two…no, three! There’s no way I’d still be a virgin at this age!”

“Pluck a hair. It’s not you who’s going to judge, it’s this. Dagger, dagger, will you reveal the truth?”

Even when I thrust the Unicorn Dagger at her, there was no reaction, probably because of the thin barrier enveloping her entire body. So, I told her to pluck a hair out.

With a confused expression, Rosemary plucked a strand of her hair.

I brought the Dagger close to the hair she held. Then-

Flash!

“Hmm. At that age, and still a virgin.”

“Wh-what! What kind of ridiculous slander is that! I am not a virgin!”

“Bragging won’t work. This is a dagger made from a pure Unicorn Horn. If nothing else, it can certainly detect purity.”

“Unicorn…? Y-you’re lying. If that’s truly a Unicorn Dagger, how are you holding it so easily?”

“Because I am of pure body?”

“Unbelievable!”

“If you don’t believe me, check the request Eve submitted to the Magic Tower and the artisan workshop. There should be a request to make a dagger from a high-purity Unicorn Horn.”

“…!”

Rosemary’s eyes widened as if she already knew. Her pupils focused blankly on the pure white blade.

In front of her, I deliberately ran my finger down the blade.

Fwaaash!

A Unicorn Dagger emitting light several times brighter than when Rosemary herself touched it.

“Now, you get it, right? I’m not the bad guy you think I am.”

“But then…why did the Queen…?”

Rosemary was crestfallen with a blank expression. I smirked, raising the corner of my mouth towards the one who seemed finally ready for a proper conversation.

“Now that we’ve cleared up the misunderstanding between us, let’s get back to the main point. Where and what is Eve doing?”

“…She’s still in Pangrave. She said she had some unfinished business here and went somewhere, but it’s classified, so I don’t know where.”

“Hmm. And after that?”

“What?”

“Do you know what she’ll do next after she’s done in Pangrave?”

“I don’t know the details, but she said she was going to the Elven Forest. There, she will once again sit on the throne and lead the elves to greatness….”

Rosemary’s face was slightly flushed as she spoke. She looked like someone intoxicated with loyalty, almost to the point of fanaticism.

Assuming Rosemary is a loyalist who genuinely cares for Eve, I can understand why she was so aggressive towards me.

…Honestly, I do realize that I was a bit harsh on Eve.

But I still can’t figure out why she disappeared without a word, or what she’s trying to do hiding somewhere in Pangrave.

The Eve I know would get gloomy alone or return in a day or two even if she ran away for a bit.

“Do you really not know? Should I start sawing again?”

“I-I mean it! It’s just that I don’t know because it’s a top-secret facility, but I’m sure that person is there!”

“Hmm. Well, fine. Let’s say that’s true for now. How did you find me?”

“…Do you trust those dumb twins?”

“……”

I had nothing to say when asked that.

Lemon and Apple are not bad guys. But no matter how favorably I try to see them, it’s undeniable that they’re stupid.

It’s not that they blabbed around; they probably leaked information without realizing it.

“Sigh.”

I let out a deep sigh and asked Rosemary, who was sneaking glances at me.

“I understand you don’t know much about Eve’s location or purpose. Then this is the last question.”

“Phew….”

Maybe it was because there weren’t any particularly deep questions. Rosemary let out a sigh of relief. But she shouldn’t be relieved just yet.

“Isn’t there an elf gathering in Pangrave too? When and where does it take place?”

“……”

“You wouldn’t pretend not to know this, would you? Based on the information you’ve provided so far, it seems like you’re part of the gathering.”

“Ugh…!”

Rosemary frowned with a flustered expression.

Even if this brat doesn’t know, the high-ranking elves know Eve’s whereabouts. The conversation must have reached Rosemary’s ears because they knew.

If so, we just need to find those bastards and figure out the way to Eve.

It would be a much rougher method than initially planned, but as long as we get to the soul of it, it doesn’t matter how.

However, what came out of Rosemary’s mouth was unexpected.

“If I successfully complete this Minotaur subjugation, there will be a gathering to celebrate it.”

“…? You think the big-shot elves would move just to celebrate you? Who do you think you are?”

The brat, who had been mumbling for a while, saw the glint of the Dagger and started to tear up.

“I-I am the daughter of the Cradle Merchant Guild leader!”

“Oh.”

The daughter of the most successful elf in this era?

This scaredy-cat?