Make Dark Fantasy Great Again
Chapter 70: A Despicable Species (2)

Chapter 70: A Despicable Species (2)

0% The northern backstreets of Bondalles were a sprawling slave market. Every element within them contributed to this single, massive entity. Rescuing a specific slave from such a place, without incident, was a nigh-impossible task.

The market kept the slaves hidden to protect buyers. And within this hidden system, the slaves were swept along, becoming increasingly tainted. This was what troubled Katria the most. So, she prayed desperately.

Her younger brother, Drian, had been sold into this black market. She prayed he would remain unharmed until she could reach him.

But of course, prayer alone would accomplish nothing. She had to be faster, more precise than anything else—and just as discreet. Such was the reality of an uninvited dark elf moving in secret through a human city.

So, Katria’s anxieties deepened. Even wielding her family’s influence to scour the backstreets wouldn’t guarantee Drian’s safety. And now, she had to rely on slavers while pretending to be a slave herself.

But her fears materialized.

Upon following her first lead, she arrived at the location, only to find Drian was gone. In the slaver’s hands was not an ownership certificate, but the payment from his sale.

***“...”

It was a long-awaited reunion, devoid of joy. Over a month after arriving in Bondalles, Katria had finally found her brother.

“Drian...”

His eyes were vacant. Her desperate calls were met only with empty moans. His body was covered in the marks of abuse and violation.

His skin was horribly disfigured; a side effect of the drug used to temporarily lighten dark elf skin. Once he was too damaged to maintain the elf facade, they’d discarded him. Like some broken, disposable tool.

Katria could easily picture the suffering he had endured at human hands. Not once had they seen him as a person.

It was a cruel truth she had come to understand all too well in the human world.

“...”

Katria gently laid her brother’s body on the ground. She turned to Reisha, the slave trader, her own slave.

“Ah...aah...”

Despair filled Reisha’s eyes as she met Katria’s gaze.

It was, in a way, an inevitable outcome. The systemic prejudice and injustice were beyond any individual’s control.

***Risir was deeply concerned. According to what he learned, the northern backstreets were a single, massive slave market. Could he really find one specific slave in such a place? And before anything happened to them?

“Lord Risir! We think we’ve found the dark elf slave!”

Apparently, he could.

“Already? Mr. Carl, why are you so capable?”

“Not at all! It’s all thanks to your name, Lord Risir!”

“My name had that kind of power?”

“These are Alstein and Ciara, who helped us! They wanted to meet you, so I brought them along!”

“Lord Risir! It’s such an honor to meet you in person!”

“I’m Ciara! I’m so thrilled I could help you, Lord Risir!”

“Ah, the backstreets, the sweet old backstreets. It’s so full of friendly folks.”

His network of underworld contacts seemed to multiply with every breath. Thanks to them, he’d found the dark elf slave, Drian, without difficulty.

And Drian was in perfect condition. In the parlance of the slave trade, he was brand new.

This was only possible because, for certain reasons, the slave market was currently paralyzed.

***

[The target falls under the dominion of the True Word]

[The target falls under the dominion of the True Word]

[The target falls under the dominion of the True Word]

***“...ia. Miss Tia?”

“Yes? Oh.”

Tia—Katria barely collected herself. The unexpected turn of events had left her feeling more disoriented than ever.

Drian? How does this human know about Drian?

And what was that question? About escaping with my kin?

She considered every possibility that arose in her mind, but nothing made sense. She couldn’t fathom even his intentions.

He was human, after all. One of those despicable creatures who didn’t see dark elves as equal people.

I can’t let my guard down...

Years of bitter experience reinforced her suspicion. She didn’t let her guard down against Risir.

“Why would you ask me that...?”

Risir responded with that good-natured smile of his.

“I figured a provocative topic like this might get you to talk to me.”

“What do you mean...?”

“Don’t you remember? Yesterday, when I said I wanted to know more about you, you were outright horrified.”

“...”

That was supposed to be an opening for conversation?

On the surface, it made sense—but he was human.

A human genuinely curious about a dark elf? Katria failed to imagine it.

“What makes you so curious, huh?”

Despite her suspicion, she was intrigued. As he said, his words were too compelling to ignore.

The obedient slave facade crumbled as Katria faced him with open distrust.

“Many things. But I’ll stick just to the essentials, since that’s what you seem to want. Miss Tia. I will help you become a free woman.”

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“What do you get out of it?”

Every display of human kindness she witnessed had always been a mask for malice. She expected nothing much different from him.

“What do I get out of it...I wonder. Self-satisfaction?”

Risir paused for a moment of thought, then continued with a sheepish chuckle.

“You remind me of my master. You see, she’s a dark elf just like you.”

A human with a dark elf master? Preposterous. Even the most deceitful humans she’d come across never told such an outlandish lie.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“I know, it sounds strange. A dark elf master, and me helping another dark elf because of it. But...Hah, it’s just, I can’t explain it. You remind me of her, and I simply can’t bring myself to ignore you.”

“...”

“My master changed my life. She’s my savior. I’m living a life I never could have imagined, all thanks to her. She reached out when I was just a nobody, gave me opportunities I didn’t deserve. Is it really so far-fetched to compare our situations?”

“Of course, it—”

It was far-fetched. She had suffered through too much to so easily believe such a claim.

And yet, for some reason...she couldn’t doubt him. Because as he spoke of this unknown dark elf, his smile was radiantly cheerful.

“...”

Her mind was in turmoil.

“And Drian is—”

Still, if nothing else, her feelings for her family remained unmistakably clear.

“Why did you mention this Drian?”

“He’s the dark elf slave Reisha asked me to recover. Same owner, same race. I thought that you might know him.”

“...Are you saying you actually found him?”

Reisha had been a minor player among the merchants who’d met with Risir the other day. Logically, he should have prioritized their requests over finding a dark elf slave.

And yet, Risir had nodded. He had prioritized the dark elf slave over everything else, as if he were anxious—as if he actually cared.

Katria’s breath hitched, and before she knew it, she was violently gasping for air.

She refused to look at what Risir held, as if trying to deny reality.

“Where...where is he?”

At her quivering, strained whisper, Risir wordlessly turned and led the way.

***In a bedroom within another Gray Tower residence, a young man lay resting in bed.

“Drian!!!”

Katria rushed to him, embracing him tightly before pulling back to assess his condition.

“He just lost consciousness for the moment. I’m told there’s no need to worry.”

Risir assured her, explaining what had happened.

Katria learned that Risir had immediately begun searching for Drian after their meeting. That Drian had been found under a mind-control spell. That Risir had healed him. That Risir had arranged for a Gray Tower priest to examine him, and for him to recover in these quarters.

“...”

At that point, Katria could no longer focus on his words.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The harsh pounding of her heart dragged her consciousness into the depths. She felt detached, as if floating on air.

“...ia?”

The human’s voice pierced the muffled silence. Her heart lurched.

“Miss Tia?”

Thump!

Her heart hammered even harder. Even now, the human was anxiously calling out that meaningless fake name.

“Ha!”

The sheer absurdity of it made her laugh before she could stop herself.

The laughter escalated, and she covered her face with her hands.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

The sound spilled through her fingers.

“Miss Tia...?”

Foolish human. He had no grasp of the situation he was in, yet his voice brimmed with concern as he called out that fake name.

Katria lowered her hands to take in the ludicrous sight before her.

“...Are you crying?”

Her twisted expression, contorted with manic laughter, could almost be mistaken for sorrow.

“Me? Crying? Why would I cry? In such a...such a joyous moment? Thank you truly so much, Lord Risir. He’s actually my younger brother, and you saved him. You’re my savior.”

Savior. As Katria savored the word, she burst out laughing again.

“Lord Risir? What should I do now?”

“...The other man who was with Reisha. By any chance, do you know him as well?”

“You’re speaking of Kieran? But of course I know him! He happens to be my knight escort. Isn’t that amusing? A knight protecting a slave.”

“So, you, your brother, and Kieran. The three of you are together?”

“Yes. We’re a group.”

“I understand. Then I’ll arrange for all three of you to be freed, whatever it takes. Could you trust me, and wait until then.”

“...”

Katria’s manic energy subsided as she murmured a question, her eyes unfocused.

“How long? How long must we wait?”

“I’ll do my best to settle things as quickly as possible—within a week.”

“A week...a week...a week...”

A moment later, she flashed a radiant smile at Risir.

“Yes, I’ll wait. Gladly.”

***Late at night, while all others were asleep, Katria rose from bed and left her room. She went to where the foolish human slept.

Risir. He looked simply peaceful, lying there asleep.

But Katria knew. Only she knew—the poison called Clouded Truth flowed through his veins. By morning, he would be reduced to an empty shell, responding only to commands.

She tried to deny it. But...

“...”

She took out the vial of poison, holding it to the moonlight. It was exactly half-empty. The pale violet liquid was unmistakably diminished.

She had applied the correct dosage. As such, there was no chance the poison would be neutralized. He would be destroyed by the very dark elf he’d shown kindness to.

A human who’d tried to repay a dark elf’s kindness. A dark elf who’d tried to inflict human hatred upon another human.

Because of him, Katria managed to realize how wrong her way was. How naive her response to hatred had been.

Now she knew...but it was too late.

Katria collapsed weakly.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

Slumped on the floor with her head bowed, she sobbed, sounding like the broken melody of a music box.

Then, she stood and gazed down at Risir. Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a glow over the dark elf’s pink eyes—but even in the light, they remained dull and lifeless.

Her fingers hovered above his face, heavy with sorrow.

“Don’t worry...”

She whispered in a hollow, emotionless voice.

“I’ll take responsibility for you.”

The dark elf offered a smile—one as bright as it was fragile and uncanny.

***

[Title : WTF is up with this dark tree thumper yo]

Post :

[Image]

she’s talking to a stuffed corpse and smiling?

is this one of them necromancers or something?