"Here's a drink on the house. An elven top shelf, aged for over 500 years." The elf that found me in the forest passed me a fancy-looking glass filled to the top with a dark liquor that gave off a relaxing aroma rather than the usual alcoholic one.
The guy was forceful, trying to get me to follow him back into the village. He had been insisting that there was an invader, me, on the loose and that a noble elf had been dispatched into the village to investigate. Leaving my armor behind left me vulnerable, but he did not seem to be dangerous, so I followed. We returned to the village using a shortcut he had made by using an ancient tunnel that was located underneath his bar.
The elf hummed quietly to himself as he cleaned his glass cups. The gentle light from the room shone on his bald head. He was tall, with rounded features and some muscles on his legs and forearms. His pointed ears bounced cheerfully as I brought the glass to my lips.
The dark liquor touched my tongue. It tasted sweet, unlike any alcohol I have tried before. I let out a surprised noise, and the man walked over with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
"How is it? Sweet, right?" He said blissfully as I nodded. "It's made from a mixture of dragon milk, blissfruit, and great seeds for the taste."
[Dragon milk has a strong…unpleasant aroma with a sour taste that takes someone with a lot of courage to drink. Blissfruit is a fruit produced by blisstrees, which are native to Elven land. Great seeds are large seeds that are dropped from the peaks of the great tree that governs Elven nobles.] Velantra said as if sensing that I was about to ask a question. [Keep your ignorance hidden; otherwise, you might just paint yourself the villain.]
The man's pointed ears twitched. "Did I hear something faint?" He looked me over from head to toe with his hand on his chin. "You got a fairy?" I shook my head no, all the while taking another sip. "Hmm…."
I could hear Velantra holding her breath through the earpiece. This man's hearing is good. Perhaps it was because of those long ears, but that being the case, Velantra will not be much use if she can be heard.
"Anyways." He took off the large black apron he was wearing and placed it on the counter beside him. "You demons are a rare sight. Even near the slum village of Sern'wa, where trade is conducted between all the ground races. But finding a noble demon, well, that's something akin to finding a dragon egg." The man said with a roaring chuckle. "By the way, the name is Korne, the proud owner of the Korne Traveler's Bar, where traders come to network. Give me a gold coin or two, and I'll sell you some juicy information. But nothing about the crater where the noble beastmen once lived. That place is cursed. Several soldiers died just by setting foot into the area."
Korne looked at me with a dire look. It was clear that he did not understand what was happening in that area, and truthfully, he should not. But that bomb is claiming more than just those targeted.
I let out a long, heavy sigh before taking another sip. "My name is Judas—"
[Judas Vaelshade.]
"—Vaelshade." Korne's ears twitched the moment Velantra spoke, but he seemed to have gotten distracted.
"Whoa!!! A Vaelshade!? Servants of the lost deity Dazkareth!?" he said with a raised voice and jaw agape. "Holy, with this luck, I should apply for a noble patron."
Were the Vaelshade that important? As I pondered, I could hear a satisfied muffle of someone's ego being stroked from within my earpiece. Why did she have me choose that name, anyway? Does she hate me or not?
"On the way here," I said, pulling myself out of my thoughts, "you said something about an invader roaming around. Is it safe to be, you know, roaming the forest?"
"Oh, please, I am 300 years old. Some young monster from another world has nothing on me." Is that so? It seems to me that you are full of openings and quite careless. "Oi, lad, what's with that look?" Korne said with a pout, Guess I should work on my poker face, otherwise I might offend someone. "But yeah, the leader of the bunch. Five yellow stripes and a double-sided polearm that uses the blessing of the elves. Damn monsters."
"So what became of the situation?"
"Digging for free information, aye? I don't mind, since this is a matter that could mean the end of all life on this planet. But after he was spotted, a dragon rider from the noble forest flew into town. Who this dragon rider is, I have not a single clue. All I know is that I'm glad I found you before they did. Otherwise, they might have killed you without so much as a second thought."
So, the Elven nobles are hyper-aggressive. It doesn't do much, but it does help me keep my head on a swivel. Even if the guards and this noble search the forest after realizing my corpse is not in the blast zone, they will never find my armor. Before I was forcefully pulled out, Velantra engaged the armor's optical camouflage. While it was not perfect, I don't think the beings on this planet could find it.
"Still, I wonder who this noble is," I said out loud while rubbing my chin.
As I did, as if perfectly on cue, the doors to the bar flung open. A tall, young-looking Elven man stood at the door with his feminine face twisted into a scowl. He had long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. Pronounced black marks covered his ears and neck. Lightly plated armor covered his slender body. On his hip was a short dagger made from a fang, while on his back was a metal bow humming with energy.
"Noble-borne Adrian Locke. You'd do well to remember that name." An aggressively arrogant voice rang through the empty bar as I took a sip of my drink. I saw his ears twitch as the liquid trickled down my throat. His sapphire-blue eyes gave me an icy gaze as I took another sip. He clicked his tongue and reached for his dagger.
"My liege," Korne said, stopping Adrian. Korne took a knee with an arm tucked behind his back. His head was pointed toward the ground. Adrian's expression shifted to a soft smile as he looked at the bartender, bowing towards him. I brought the glass towards my lips once again, and his gaze turned towards me, returning to his original demeanor.
"Do you have difficulty hearing, or are you too drunk not to understand who just graced you with their presence? Get on a knee like this fellow and treat me with respect, otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?" I said, interrupting him. I could see a vein burst from his head as he reached for his dagger in a fit of rage.
"You insolence, cretin!"
What was up with these noble-born folks of this world being so high and mighty all the damn time? Adrian dashed towards me with a trail of wind guiding him. He was faster than I had thought, but something stopped him just before he could reach me. It was Korne. The bartender's hand clamped down on the noble's arm, holding it firm. He stared directly into Adrian's eyes, unblinking.
"Forgive him, my liege." The friendly tone Korne once had was no longer to be seen as he spoke as if he were a bigshot's bodyguard. "Judas Vaelshade knows not of the current situation. You would do well not to let current affairs cloud your judgment should you wish to become king." Adrian clicked his tongue, shot me a glare, then pulled his arm free and sheathed his dagger.
"A Vaelshade…" He muttered before sitting down at the bar, a few seats down from me. "Pass me a drink, I'll pay three times the amount for the trouble I have caused."
"Gladly!" Korne said once again in his welcoming tone.
I sat watching him. His movements were quick. Honestly, had Korne not stepped in, I would have died. Without my armor, I am nothing more than a regular soldier who can only move so fast. This was a lesson to be learned: don't mess around with the nobles. Or with the regular folks, seeing as how Korne stopped him with only an arm. Just who is that guy? Or is this just the power gap between humans and elves?
Korne handed Adrian his drink. He took a large gulp, unbecoming of someone who's a noble, and looked at me. His eyes weren't icy anymore, just…distant. It was not in my place to get involved with personal affairs, but seeing as his pale cheeks reddened, I had a feeling that it was unavoidable.
"200 years…200 years this war had been going on, yet your entire race was nowhere to be seen," Adrian said with a frown. "Now you are here, a worshiper of Dazkareth, without a clue as to how the war has been faring? Ignorance must truly be bliss."
There was hardly anything I could say, as I am nothing more than a man living a lie. It was ironic that this man, stressed and burdened by the war we caused, was venting to me, the former leader of the group who led the human army. Now I am here, posing as a man who never existed. Nothing could be funnier than this situation…unless Velantra had intended this.
"The beastmen nobles were eradicated in a colossal explosion caused by the creatures that invaded our world. We tried to search for survivors, but anyone who dared to set foot into the area that surrounded their kingdom died from an unknown source within minutes of venturing towards the center. We were once on the winning side of this war until that damn yellow-striped armored man took the mantle of their leader. After his rise to command, it's all been downhill." Adrian downed the rest of his glass and stood up from the bar. He dropped a small bag of coins onto the table and walked towards the doors.
"Thank you, my liege."
"Just a heads up, barkeep. Someone in the village spotted you in the forest, where the invader was found. They mistook this demon noble for the invader and reported you to the guardsmen. Had my brothers been here instead of me, you might have lost your life. Be careful." He left without turning back.
Adrian Locke. From the looks of it, he has the mannerisms that mirror Velantra. But unlike her, he was at least honest, or that could have been the alcohol speaking. Was it the alcohol? This entire time I have been drinking this, I felt nothing, not even a buzz. It was just the taste that kept me drinking it.
"Ah…haha…" Korne let out an awkward noise. "You are making a strange expression at the glass…"
"Do elves get drunk easily?" I asked, seeing as I already had his attention.
He looked away awkwardly, and with a frown, he said, "…Yes."
[Serves him right for having a stick up his ass. Almost killing you just because he had his panties in a bunch.] Velantra said with a smug-sounding tone.
"Why, it's the pot calling the kettle black," I said with a sigh.
"Huh?" Korne looked at me with a confused expression.
"Oh, it's nothing, just thinking about something."
Great, I thought, rubbing my temple. This is going to be a problem if she keeps running her mouth while I'm out in public. Talking back to the voice in your head isn't a great way to make friends. Only I could hear this annoying brat.
"Judas."
"Yeah—woah!" Korne tossed me a set of worn keys.
"You've got sharp reflexes; maybe I didn't need to step in after all."
[No, he needed you to.]
"Please don't joke around."
Both Velantra and I spoke at the same time. While she was not wrong, hearing from her…wait a second, how could she see what was happening? Did she have another method of watching that did not involve the visor?
"There is a room down the street. It's in a worn-down area of the village, but I can assure you that it's clean and free of holes. Just keep an eye out for the neighbors; they can get a little restless towards those who aren't elves or beastmen."
"Really? Why is that?" I asked.
"Elves and non-noble beastmen who fled their main kingdoms mostly inhabited this village. The nobles were too proud to abandon the place they called home and stayed to fight to their last breath. Sad really. But that's just how nobles are. As you just did with our candidate for the throne."
So, all the noble beastmen stayed to fight us while allowing their lesser bloods the chance to leave. They must be rolling up in the heavens with rage, as most of them never even got the chance to battle.
"But enough of that sappy crap. Take the time to rest in that room. You can stay as long as you need. Thank you for giving me some juicy information about our least popular candidate. He's rough around the edges, but I'm sure he will become a fine king. We just need to push him in the right direction."
"I wish you good luck with that kid," I said with a slight chuckle. "But I sense he can become strong if he can endure the challenges of this world and not snap at a moment's notice."
"Oi, that part is going to be hard. He's a noble-born elf. Those guys are as high-strung as they get." Korne stroked his beard as if already planning.
With that, I waved him goodbye and left the bar, into the chilly night of the village. Something told me that another encounter with that kid would be unavoidable. But I welcome it.
[You seem to be in a good mood.] Velantra said. [A monster like you should not be feeling such a positive emotion.]
"I was in a mood until you opened your mouth to speak such vile words. Seriously, how can you have such a beautiful voice yet have the personality of a brat? How can you even see my mood, anyway?"
[Good to know that even a monster like you can find my voice enticing. But I am a demon, so I can figure out what's going on simply through your emotions. I wish I had that helmet…] Her voice trailed off.
So she uses my helmet to see. Not like it was a surprise. Though her being able to piece together what was happening based on my emotions was. It was not a complete invasion of privacy, but it was still unpleasant to know that she could just understand what was going on. Had I been an idiot, I would have thought she was some kind of god.
"But you need to limit how you speak to me near the elves."
[I know. They have perfect hearing. I did not think that man would be able to pick up on my voice. Then he has the gall to call me a fairy. Who does he think he is, comparing my beautiful self to those good-for-nothing guides who make a better toy than anything else.]
"You know…I am not even gonna touch upon that and just nod and say that you are crazy."