Chapter 77: The Elves’ Common Sense Of Persistence (2)

“F-for it to actually be a proposal…!”

Did the Floor Guardian of the first floor actually exist!(X)

For the power of the World Tree to appear now!(X)

“…?”

What’s this? Something seems off.

I carefully retraced my memories. And then I realized.

The content of the Eve translator and the actual dialogue had been switched…!

“Gasp!”

As I shivered, wondering if I had finally lost it.

Before I knew it, I had switched to spectator mode, watching Lemon and Apple munching on pea fries from a distance.

Seeing their reactions, I realized. It wasn’t that I had heard wrong.

“Miss, Miss Eve? What are you….”

“…Oh? Why do you look so surprised at what I said?”

If you don’t want to be silenced, pretend you don’t know (X)

I’m screwed! Please pretend you didn’t hear it! (O)

“…….”

Before I knew it, Eve was tilting her head with her usual suspicious smile and narrowed eyes.

So serene that I wondered if I had just seen and heard things that weren’t there.

But then I realized it when I saw the dagger smeared with the red juice of the writhing Mandragora on the floor.

That it was all true. And that the Eve translator might never have malfunctioned even once.

Sitting on the sofa, crossing one leg, I smirked.

“Miss Eve.”

“Just a moment. I’ll clean up the Mandragora first, so please wait a bit….”

“Did you just say propose?”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Eve’s lips curled up, but her eyes were not smiling.

The fierce slit eyes, the inherent difference in status from birth, and the charisma forged from her experience as a queen combined to create a considerable sense of oppression.

It felt like an instinctual warning that stepping even one foot further would lead to some incident.

It was a sensation that went beyond shivers down my spine, as if ice had been poured along it…

I know this person named Eve very well.

Like Ellie, Eve too is a child born from my hand. Naturally, I fully understand that the current atmosphere is nothing but a pretense.

Thus, instead of trembling or stepping back, I started to think.

Inferring the truth from the fragmented information provided is the realm of a detective, but…regardless of the truth, weaving minor details into an interesting narrative is surely the realm of a writer, isn’t it?

With Basilieus, still on display, the promised wish in lieu of payment for dagger crafting, the peculiar attitudes of Lemon and Apple after the manifestation of power, the proposal statement, an infallible translator, pretentiousness.

With all these themes, I crafted content perfect for teasing Eve.

“Let’s see… Now that I think about it, I did make a promise to Miss Eve. I said I would use this power just once for Miss Eve.”

I said this while tapping on the Ash Tree Crown placed on my head. True to her professional (not) nature of illusion, Eve maintained her composure and tilted her head in curiosity.

“Yes, that’s right. It was a bit surprising, but I believed in Sir Jonah’s potential and invested in it. And you’ve shown me the answer so quickly.”

Where could it be used to be well-utilized and become the talk of the town? (X)

Has the usurper and the former queen’s play taken off! (O)

Seeing Eve’s inner thoughts, a smile naturally formed on my face. Indeed. She must have been very lonely all this time.

There is only one setting for Eve’s romantic relationships. ‘Virgin’.

In other words, the fact that Eve is a virgin remains unchanged. Indeed, it even elicited the greatest reaction from the Unicorn’s Horn.

It goes without saying, but here, virginity does not merely refer to the presence of a hymen, but rather that she has never harbored feelings for any man, nor has she ever engaged in even the slightest sexual activity.

But how can a person live nearly a thousand years in complete isolation from the opposite sex?

It’s truly an absurd notion, but…what if it actually happened? The answer is right before my eyes.

Eve Nirvana Yggdrasil.

I don’t even know why she has lived as a virgin for a thousand years in this gender-reversed world.

However, if I imagine living a very, very long time as a virgin while possessing a young body, I can easily guess how Eve must feel.

In the midst of this, what could Eve, who holds the one-time wish I promised, be thinking?

“Heh. Miss Eve, where do you intend to use the promise I made to use the power of the World Tree just once for you? A proposal? Surely…you’re not thinking of wasting that precious opportunity to marry me?”

“…Suddenly talking about a proposal, I don’t understand what you mean.”

Go ahead, say something. If you can keep your head attached (X)

Can we please talk about something else? (O)

Judging by the reaction, it seems I’ve hit the mark. Talk about something else? Absolutely not.

Eve was feigning a relaxed smile. Towards her, I shrugged with an even deeper smile.

“Are you planning to pretend you don’t know what I clearly heard? Oh, just to make it clear, the promise I made was to use the power of the World Tree solely for you, Eve? It’s not following whatever you say.”

Eve flinches at my calm demeanor. Toward her, I deliberately used the power of Basilieus.

Wooong-

The Ash Tree Crown takes away all the remaining divine power I had. At the same time, the plants in the pots placed around the store begin to grow rapidly.

Vines curl around the sofa where I am sitting. Eve swallows nervously as the foliage thickens meaningfully.

I gave her a sly smile. If the translator’s information is true, there couldn’t be an easier opponent than this.

“The first thing that came to your mind was a proposal… Have you been seeing me in that light all this time, Eve?”

“Who knows. What might happen…”

You dare to judge me? (X)

IgotcaughtIgotcaughtIgotcaughtIgotcaught (O)

On the surface, Eve wears a leisurely sinister smile. But now I believe it. If Eve was caught, she would be restless!

Normally, I would have backed off by now, but today I decided to step in deeper instead.

I leaned casually against the armrest of the sofa.

The hem of my clothes naturally rolled up. The exposed collarbone between the disheveled breaths and the widening lapels.

Imagining a decadence that didn’t match her small stature, I put effort into every gesture.

At that moment, when Eve’s narrow eyes focused on me, I asked her again in a subtle voice.

“Oh dear. There’s no need to hide, right? It’s between you and me, Eve. …We share such things in our relationship, don’t we?”

I stopped there and pretended not to as I fiddled with the Unicorn Dagger at my waist.

It’s not that I’m threatening to draw the sword. I’m just trying to show how it vibrates and emits a white light every time my fingers touch it.

Though it’s sheathed, the reaction is so violent that anyone paying attention can tell. At least, that the Dagger is reacting to me.

In other words, I’m still putting on the “I’m still a virgin” appeal.

If it were the old days, Eve, who would cheer inwardly at the shout of “Wow! A virgin!”, would surely react…!

Gulp.

Just as expected.

Eve swallows her saliva without changing her facial expression. It was hard to notice because of her slyly narrowed eyes, but her gaze was clearly sweeping over my entire body.

It seems my long experience wasn’t in vain, though my mouth was running on its own.

“Sir Jonah? I feel awkward saying this, but don’t you think you’re being too rude? Bursting in suddenly and pushing me like this…”

That’s enough of this nonsense (X)

Wow, that body! (O)

“Pushing you? You’re making it sound like I’m a bad person, which is disappointing. I just want to know. What Miss Eve expects from me…and what the power of the World Tree means to the elves.”

This time, I briefly signaled with my eyes towards Lemon and Apple, who had been merely watching from behind. Simultaneously, thin vines began to wrap around my wrists and ankles.

Some of the plants from the pots that were being steadily grown by Basilieus had reached the sofa where I was sitting.

Having control over most of the plants in this area feels similar to me crossing my arms…but to an outsider, it might look as if I was being entwined by tentacles.

I maintained a faint smile as I quietly observed Eve.

Eve, too, stopped her rambling speech and looked down at me.

…Well, her gaze was a bit sinister, but I, in my own way, admired Eve’s voluptuous chest, which was uncharacteristic of an elf, so we were even.

We stood in silence for a long while, but eventually, it was Eve who made the first move.

She sighed deeply, lifting her arms lightly as if to surrender.

“There’s no helping it. Sir Jonah and I are partners. If you insist on listening, I can’t stop you.”

Now that it’s irreversible, brace yourself (X)

I wanted to raise him longer before eating him up, but what can I do (O)

As I was briefly shocked at her blatant intentions, Eve then opened her eyes wide.

Between the parted eyelids were chillingly beautiful green irises.

Eve, having activated the Eyes of Truth, began to speak in a deliberately chilling voice.

“It may be unfamiliar to you, Sir Jonah, since you are human. This story is from the distant past. Not long after the War of the Fallen Gods ended, us elves…”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Yes, yes. Are you talking about the time when Miss Eve was the queen?”

“……?”

Eve, as if frozen by having her lead stolen, stiffened up completely.

Oh right. This was supposed to be a secret for now, wasn’t it?