Make Dark Fantasy Great Again
Chapter 69: A Despicable Species (1)

Chapter 69: A Despicable Species (1)

0% “My lady—”

“Don’t. If we turn a blind eye, what will become of them?”

“...”

“Excuse me. Do you need help?”

Katria offered assistance without hesitation, and the humans readily accepted.

“So much for my prejudices. Dark elves are evil, they say. I don’t know which sons of bitches spread it, but what a load of baloney.”

Katria shared the sentiment. She’d heard that outsiders hated dark elves indiscriminately, yet these new human friends proved that wrong.

She felt their bond was special, as they were her first friends from outside her homeland. Friends who had expanded her horizons.

She thought humans were truly...

“Friends? My fuckin’ god. This dark elf bitch—I humor her a bit and she gets ideas.”

“Heheheh. Impressive, Wilhelm. Already made friends with a dark elf, eh?”

“Shut your stinkin’ trap before I rip your tongue out. Oi, dark elf. Still haven’t figured it out? You’ve been kidnapped. Now fork over everything you’ve got.”

Humans were truly...

“Hold on. This dark elf slut...she’s actually not bad looking.”

Humans were...

“...How about we have some fun before selling her off?”

“You dickheads want to do a dark elf? What if you catch some disease or curse?”

They were truly vile, despicable creatures.

***

▶Fate 17: A Despicable Species

***Fwrrsh. The paper in Katria’s hand went up in flames.

-Write down every detail of how you treated the dark elf slave.

That was the order she had given Reisha, using the slave’s brand to enforce it.

The paper Katria had just burned had contained a meticulous account of the horrors her brother had endured under human ownership.

“Aaah!”

Thinking of what she had just read, Katria’s first act was to rip Reisha’s clothes to shreds. She then dragged her, naked, through the filth of the city alleyways before forcing her into reeking rags steeped in stench.

According to the slave trader, this was the standard treatment for dark elf slaves.

***“You wish to purchase my slaves?”

Reisha instinctively recoiled, staring at the honorary mage with contempt.

In situations like this, people rarely assumed, “Oh, he must have a special connection to dark elves and can’t just stand by!”

The more common assumption was, “So he enjoys the thrill of bleaching a dark elf’s skin!”

Reisha drastically revised her opinion of him.

His appearance and easygoing demeanor had initially given him a rather cute and approachable charm, but of course, there was a reason he had made it as a tower mage.

No doubt he was just as eccentric as the other tower mages she had encountered.

Outwardly, he wore a friendly expression in public, but the moment he returned to his laboratory, he was surely indulging in all manner of depraved experiments.

His estate or lab was probably filled with the products of his twisted desires—

Hybrids born from the forced fusion of different species, devils or fiends with their fangs removed and broken into obedience, and creatures of breathtaking beauty that concealed monstrous truths.

“Is there a problem?”

Risir seemed to interpret her expression as encouragement.

Just how badly do you want to play with a dark elf slave?

Reisha masked her disgust with a merchant’s smile.

“Well, you see...”

She glanced at Katria. Reisha was merely a slave; the decision rested with her mistress.

A voice echoed in her mind through the slave brand.

-What?!

She was issued an unexpected command.

***The first emotions that struck Katria were intense disgust and revulsion. The mere thought of a human treating her like an object, pouring their twisted desires onto her, made her blood boil with murderous rage.

And then, humiliation followed. Even if she was only pretending to be a slave, the fact that a man could see her as something to be purchased was unthinkable—it was beyond even nightmares.

At the peak of the endless rolling dunes lay Kehlryn, a city of crimson cliffs, unfurling against the sea.

Katria, daughter of the Sahila family—the great noble house that ruled over Kehlryn—had been the untouchable flower perched atop those cliffs.

From commoner women to noblemen, all had been willing to sacrifice everything for Lady Sahila’s attention, for a glimpse beneath her veil. Families were ruined on lavish gifts and extravagant parties, all in the hopes of winning her favor.

But now, someone wanted to buy her?

In Kehlryn, such insolence would have been met with a firsthand lesson. The offender would learn the hardness of the city’s stones and the sharpness of its blades.

It was why Katria would have dismissed such an absurd notion in her homeland. Who would dare presume to put a price on her? A dark elf noblewoman’s pride wasn’t so easily bruised.

Buy me? A filthy human?

Yet, Katria was bruised indeed. The dark elf noblewoman was not herself.

The constant scorn and discrimination she’d faced in these human lands...She’d tried to dismiss it as typical humans being humans, but it had left its mark. A quiet insecurity had taken root.

That’s why she couldn’t ignore Risir’s words. She couldn’t simply swallow the humiliation—she had to return it in kind. That was the only way she could regain a sense of satisfaction.

-Sell me.

She commanded Reisha.

-Name an exorbitant price. One he can’t possibly afford.

If the dark elves of Kehlryn knew, they would weep.

-Lady Sahila has put a price on herself to salvage her pride!!!

Katria knew it was irrational, but she wasn’t driven by reason—she was driven by spite toward mankind.

“Ahem. Well, everything has a price.”

Reisha seamlessly adopted the persona of a merchant, fulfilling Katria’s command. She didn’t need to haggle; her mistress’ unreasonable demand made it unnecessary.

“Do you see this? Flawless skin, like black pearls. Rare silken hair with a subtle pink sheen. Eyes like pink diamonds. I guarantee—you and I both won’t ever find a more exquisite slave.”

Inflating Katria’s price? All that required was a simple statement of facts.

A slave of her caliber was worth a king’s ransom.

Reisha often thought, looking at Katria playing the role of a slave, that if she weren’t a gutterborn dark elf, she’d be worth an entire castle.

“So, if you’re interested, the price would be—”

An exorbitant sum.

“...”

Risir’s face contorted.

His expression stirred unpleasant memories in Katria. Men who hid their true nature behind a veneer of civility.

Know your place, despicable human.

Are you that desperate? Did you crave my body that badly?

Vile filth. You condemn us as cursed abominations, yet you grow honest in the face of lust. How are you any different from animals?

Gone was the dark elf who had once been curious about humans. Now, she wielded their hatred against them.

And she would use their deceit as well.

This kind of pig...is supposed to help me find Drian?

She recalled the merchants who had met with Risir before her.

Between their various requests and a search for a missing dark elf, which would he prioritize?

It was obvious.

He’ll most likely delay anything about Drian until the very end. A cursed dark elf means nothing to his lot.

So, Katria decided to use him. To exploit his lust.

The dark elf mistress issued another command to her human slave.

“What? You’re willing to lend me your dark elves?”

“She’s a very capable hussy. I’m sure she’ll be a great help to you, Sir Risir. Especially with you becoming so busy now.”

“...”

Risir’s face contorted. Was it right to treat them like objects to be borrowed?

He glanced at Katria, who bowed her head obediently. Then, he belatedly noticed her attire—tattered, foul-smelling rags.

How was she usually treated? How had she even become a slave?

Most slaves in this world were criminals paying for their crimes. But this young lady called Katria didn’t look like one of them.

If he had to put it, she looked like nobility.

Was it more likely she’d committed a crime, or that she’d been unjustly enslaved by unscrupulous traders?

Ugh, this is driving me nuts.

Risir couldn’t help remembering Pamon’s vivacious smile. Surely, even that dark elf, stripped of emotion and selfhood like a lifeless doll, could smile just like his master.

“I accept your good offer.”

Risir decided he would free these dark elves, no matter the cost.

***Katria smirked inside, as the human reacted exactly as she predicted.

The righteous Gray Tower mage, accepting help from a dark elf.

Are you disgusted by the very notion? Oh? But one look at my body and you’re suddenly all eager.

How simplistic. How utterly vile.

“I shall serve you faithfully.”

At this point, Katria felt a strange sense of gratitude. It was as if the last vestiges of hesitation and guilt within her had completely faded away.

***And so, Katria became Risir’s temporary property.

As the meeting concluded, dusk settled over the city. Katria followed Risir into the twilight streets.

“I have some business to attend to. Would you mind going ahead?”

Parting with his company, Risir led Katria somewhere else.

“Is there anything here you’d like to wear?”

It was a clothing shop. An upscale one, at that.

“...No, sir.”

“Oh, is that so? Then, er... I’ll just choose something.”

Katria only understood his intentions when they arrived at his Gray Tower quarters, a residential-style apartment.

The first thing he did, after nonchalantly bringing a dark elf slave into his personal space, was to gesture toward the bathroom, subtly suggesting she bathe.

All the while offering her the clothes he’d chosen.

Katria inwardly hooted with laughter. Could he be any more transparent?

The first thing he did after acquiring a slave was to wash her, then dress her in fine clothes. What would come next?

Well, that much was obvious.

Meanwhile, Risir’s gaze was fixed on her body (rags).

How can they even call that clothes...I wonder when’s the last time she bathed? Tch.

Katria barely held back a string of curses.

“Please reconsider. If Mistress Reisha finds out I used your quarters, she’ll punish me severely.”

“Uh...is that how it works?”

Still, the man did seem aware of his position as an honorary mage. His hesitation, caught between propriety and desire, was comical.

After going this far, what was he ashamed of? If he simply discarded his worthless pride, he could have what he wanted.

Katria sneered at his puny human ego, yet she was also grateful for it. It had spared her an ordeal she’d rather die than endure.

“...”

Risir hesitated, studying her face before speaking.

“Oh. Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. I’m Risir.”

“My name is Tia.”

She had long since grown weary of giving humans her real name. So, she used an alias instead.

“Alright. I’m asking just in case, Miss Tia, but is there anything you need?”

“...”

“Ah. Just so you know, you don’t have to be polite. I’ll receive my due compensation. That way, I’m sure Reisha won’t punish you.”

“By compensation you mean...?”

Risir smiled sheepishly.

“I’d like to get to know you better.”

Katria had encountered enough humans to recognize their facades. And from that, she understood.

His words were nothing more than a veiled metaphor for what he truly wanted. One way or another, he desired her body.

She lowered her gaze, lips pressed together. She had to navigate this carefully, even if it meant suffering violence.

Surprisingly, he turned away without hesitation.

“...Well, there’s always another opportunity.”

But his last words sent a chill down her spine.

***Katria sat on the bed in her assigned room, lost in thought.

After a moment, she retrieved a small vial from her robes. Inside, a pale violet liquid shimmered.

Clouded Truth, a poison dark elves used for interrogation. It stripped the victim of their will, turning them into puppets that reacted only to certain commands.

Katria began pondering. How could she force this human to prioritize a dark elf slave above all other important matters?

The idea that came to her was feeding Risir Clouded Truth. If Risir consumed it, he would use every resource at his disposal to find her brother. And then, he would become an empty shell.

There was nothing like an antidote for the poison. It would be the end of him as a human being.

A pang of unease struck as she asked herself: was this truly the right course of action?

-Wilhelm! Snap out of it! It’s not too late to run!

-Oi you shitheads! Who knows what sorcery that dark elf bitch cursed us with! They must die!

“...”

Katria gripped the vial, her face hardening with resolve.

***The opportunity presented itself sooner than expected.

Katria quietly took on chores around the quarters, and Risir accepted it without comment.

The following night, she offered him a cup of tea upon his return from work outside.

“Ah, thank you.”

He happily drank it down, unaware of the Clouded Truth mixed within.

“...”

***

[You have resisted.]

***Katria started clenching her sweaty palms.

It was done. Now, she just had to wait for the effects to show.

Risir, misinterpreting her anxious gaze, raised his cup and smiled. He thought she was finally opening up to him.

It was perfect timing, as he had something to discuss with her regarding what he had gained over the course of the day.

The first thing Risir set out to do after yesterday’s meeting was to track down the dark elf slave Reisha had mentioned.

In the process, he came across a name. And now, he spoke it aloud.

“Miss Tia. Do you by any chance know someone named Drian?”

“Excuse me?”

Since following Risir, Katria had never betrayed a hint of emotion or self-will. But now, for the first time, she showed surprise. He had just spoken her missing sibling’s name.

And then, he said something even more unbelievable.

“Miss Tia. This is strictly hypothetical, but what if you were given the chance to escape with your kin? What would you do?”

“...”

Katria’s lips parted, but no words came out. Before she knew it, her gaze had locked onto the cup in Risir’s hand.

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