Twilight Harem: Reborn as an Elf, Conquer Every Foe and Rise to Power - Episode 2

Night's stillness had settled over Gilda's private room. Outside the window, the bustle of the trading post had completely faded. Only the occasional distant barking of a dog and the muffled laughter of the mercenary guards broke the silence. Seraphina sat in a chair, gazing at a parchment map spread across the desk. On the bed, Gilda lay sprawled out limply. Her skin still glistened with a faint sheen of sweat from their earlier activities, flushed with lingering warmth. (*Now then.*) Seraphina traced the map with her fingertip. From the trading post of Caravita to the royal capital of Fontiel was roughly sixty kilometers to the southwest. Two days on foot, or about a day and a half if you pushed a horse hard. "So what are you going to do now?" A hoarse voice reached her from the bed. Gilda had raised her upper body, running her fingers through her disheveled blonde hair. The light of obedient, feverish passion from earlier was gone from her eyes, replaced by the cool, vigilant wariness of a former mercenary. Seraphina shrugged. "What am I going to do? Nothing special. I'm just going to live freely." "Freely, huh." Gilda smiled thinly. There was a hint of self-mockery in it. "To live freely in this country, you need money. You need status. You need power. Do you have all three?" "I've got two. Status comes next." At Seraphina's reply, Gilda raised one eyebrow. (*What is this girl talking about?*) Gilda's eyes said it all. It was only natural. She looked like nothing more than a young elf girl. But after the earlier battle and what followed, Gilda knew in her very bones that this girl was no ordinary person. "What are you, really? I've never heard of an elf who could fight like that." "Never heard of it? Of course not. My fighting style isn't from this world." Seraphina stood and walked over to the window. Outside was shrouded in darkness, only the faint starlight illuminating the wooden palisade of the trading post. "See, Gilda, I died once and was reborn into this body. A forty-year-old office lady reborn as an eighteen-year-old elf girl." Gilda's expression froze. "Wha... what are you saying...?" "You don't have to believe me. But it's the truth. The memories and skills from my past life are packed into this body. What you experienced earlier was the seasoned technique of a forty-year-old." Seraphina turned back and grinned. It was a strange smile, mixing the composure of an adult with the innocence of a girl. Gilda fell silent for a while. She seemed to be sorting things out in her head. "...I can't believe you're lying. What you did earlier wasn't something an eighteen-year-old kid could pull off." "Right?" "But that can't be all. You've got some kind of strange power, don't you?" Gilda's instincts were sharp. As expected of a woman who had commanded roughnecks and run a slave trading business. Seraphina thought for a moment, then spoke. "Yeah, it's called *Pleasure Growth*. The better I feel, the stronger I get. One hell of an erotic ability, huh?" "Wha... what is that..." Gilda looked dumbfounded. Then, the next moment, she burst out laughing. "Pfft, ahaha! What the hell is that! I've never heard of an ability like that!" "Didn't show up in any of the light novels I read in my past life either. Well, this is reality for you." Gilda laughed so hard she wiped away tears. The tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed. "I see. So that's why you were so enthusiastic with me... fufu." "Because feeling good makes me stronger. And since you're a fine woman, it was killing two birds with one stone." "W-Woman? You were looking at me as a woman?" Gilda's eyes widened. Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders. "I am. You're a bastard who sells children, but you yourself are an attractive woman. That strength, that quick wit. And when you laugh like you just did, you've got a surprisingly cute face." Gilda's cheeks flushed just a little. Whether from embarrassment or anger—probably both. "Shut up. You're surprisingly smooth with words." "Don't underestimate forty years of experience. I'm confident in my handling of women." The two continued with idle chatter for a while. The reality of the trading post, the underworld of the slave trade, the corruption of the nobles. Every piece of information that came from Gilda's mouth illuminated the darkness of the Kingdom of Verdia. "Did you know? In this country, enslaving elves and beastfolk is technically forbidden. Under the Sentient Species Protection Act or something." "Yeah. But it's not enforced, right?" "Of course not. The law is just a scrap of paper. The Seven Wings Council, that bunch of nobles, has more power than the king. They're involved in the slave trade behind the scenes. No one can stop them." Gilda spat the words out. On her profile was resignation towards this country's corrupt society, and just a hint of anger. Staring into the darkness outside the window, Seraphina thought. (*This world isn't much different from the corporate society of my past life.*) Those at the top do whatever they please, and those at the bottom are exploited. Rules are practically nonexistent. There is no justice; only money and power talk. (*But that's exactly why it's interesting.*) In her past life, she had simply lived swept along by the current. Flattering her boss, listening to her subordinates' complaints, continuing a job she hated for the salary. Her death was the worst, but now, reborn, she was free. Live freely. Crush anyone who gets in her way, no matter who they are. "Hey, Gilda." "What?" "I'm going to make a place for myself in this country. Gather allies I can trust, a place where no one can interfere. Are you coming with me?" Gilda was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly. "I told you earlier. I'm entrusting myself to you. My information network, my money, this body. It doesn't look like I can escape now anyway." "You could escape if you wanted to. You're free. So choose." At Seraphina's words, Gilda's eyes widened. (*Choose? Me? A former slave trader?*) Her eyes wavered slightly. It seemed like an emotion she had long forgotten. "...You're a strange one." "I get that a lot. A forty-year-old lady turning into a beautiful eighteen-year-old girl is strange from the get-go." "Ahaha! Yeah, that definitely is strange!" Gilda clutched her stomach and laughed. How many years had it been since she had laughed so innocently? After the laughter subsided, Gilda straightened her posture on the bed. Like a knight swearing loyalty to her lord. "I'm Gilda. Former slave trader, former mercenary. From now on, I'm your ally, Seraphina. Use this life for you." "Yeah, leave it to me. From now on, I'll make your life the most interesting it's ever been." Seraphina took Gilda's hand. The warrior's calloused palm trembled slightly. (*That's one recruit.*) It was only just beginning. Once she went to the royal capital, she would likely meet many more women. Allies, and perhaps—something deeper. Her forty-year-old earthly desires and the special power of *Pleasure Growth* pushed her forward. "Come to think of it, what are you going to do with those elf children?" "Free them. If they can return to their village, send them back. If not, take them somewhere safe. Can you manage something with your connections?" "There's supposedly a hidden elf village near the Faran Sea of Trees. It's a rumor, but it's probably true. I'll send an escort with them. I still have a few former subordinates I can trust." "I'm counting on you." With just that, Seraphina turned her gaze back to the window. The sky was beginning to lighten faintly. Dawn was near. (*Well, time to sleep.*) "Gilda, come here for a sec." "Huh? W-What is it?" "There's still time until dawn. Let's continue where we left off. For both of us to get stronger." Gilda's face turned red again. "Wha—why does it come to that?!" "Because feeling good is better, right? Don't hold back. Auntie here will take good care of you." Seraphina grinned and pulled Gilda's arm, drawing her onto the bed. The candle flame went out, and the room was enveloped in darkness. Outside the window, the eastern sky was slowly beginning to change color. But the night, filled with the heat of the two of them, seemed far from over.

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Episode 2

Name: Twilight Harem: Reborn as an Elf, Conquer Every Foe and Rise to Power
Author: Novelia

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