Twilight Harem: Reborn as an Elf, Conquer Every Foe and Rise to Power - Episode 3

The eastern sky was beginning to whiten. The wooden palisade of the Caravita trading post emerged from the faint morning mist. On the bed, Gilda was still asleep. Her blonde hair spread across the pillow, and she breathed softly in deep slumber. The feverish expression she'd worn until just a while ago was gone, replaced now by nothing but a peaceful sleeping face. Seraphina slipped out of bed without making a sound and stood by the window. Today, they would depart for the royal capital of Fontiel, sixty kilometers away. There would be more interesting women there. And more rotten nobles, too. (*If I'm going to make a place for myself, that city's the place to start.*) Outside the window, the mercenaries were beginning to extinguish their campfires. The neighing of horses could be heard, and the shouts of merchants loading their goods echoed through the air. Mornings at the trading post came early. "...You were awake." A hoarse voice came from the bed. Gilda raised her upper body, straightening her disheveled hair with her fingers. Sleep still lingered in her eyes. " Just woke up now. You can keep sleeping. Your body's still worn out, right?" At Seraphina's words, Gilda's face flushed just a little. " Shut up. Whose fault do you think that is?" "Mine. I'm reflecting on it." " No you're not. Not with that face." Gilda pursed her lips, but her eyes were smiling. The two who had been enemies until last night could now trade lighthearted jabs like this. Seraphina sat down on a chair and traced her finger over the parchment map still spread out on the desk. " Hey, Gilda. Before we go to the royal capital, there's something I want to ask you." "Huh? What is it, so formal all of a sudden?" "Tell me everything you know about how this elf-hunting business works in this country." Gilda's expression tightened just a little. "...You really do understand that you're an elf, don't you." "Of course I do. My ears are pointy, after all." Seraphina flicked her own ear with her finger. Her pointed elven ear, backlit by the morning sun, glowed faintly red. Gilda sat cross-legged on the bed and took on a serious expression. " I'll tell you everything I know. First, there's a law called the Sapient Species Protection Act that forbids enslaving elves. It was enacted eighty years ago." "But it's not being followed. You yourself were selling elf children just yesterday." " ...That's right. The law might as well not exist. The high-ranking nobles in the royal capital are involved in the slave trade behind the scenes. It's the Seven Wings Council bastards. There are rumors that the basements of their mansions are lined with cages." Seraphina listened in silence. It was just like the corporate world in her previous life. Those at the top break the rules, and those below pay the price. "Among those nobles, who's the most ruthless?" "...Marguerite's husband. I can't say his name. If I do, my head will fly. But it's famous in the underworld that that man is the central figure in the elf hunting. His wife Marguerite also knows about her husband's crimes and turns a blind eye." "I see." Seraphina gave a small nod. She was beginning to see who the enemy was. (*Marguerite's husband, huh. Someday, I'll crush him.*) But first, she needed to build up her strength. Gather allies, and use [Pleasure Growth] to become stronger herself. " I'm going to survive in the royal capital. I'll make a place for myself. And to do that, I need your strength." Gilda stared into Seraphina's eyes for a while. Deep brown eyes. The eyes of an adult who saw through everything, unbefitting her youthful appearance. "...I'm going with you. I've already decided that." Gilda got off the bed and stood before Seraphina, barefoot. Without her leather breastplate, she looked less like a warrior and more like a woman. Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, and her disheveled, sleepy shirt-clad figure looked strangely alluring. " But... promise me just one thing." "What?" "Don't abandon me. A strong person like you might someday think a former slave trader like me is just dead weight. But—" " Gilda." Seraphina cut off Gilda's words and looked her straight in the eye. "I don't abandon my comrades. A forty-year-old old lady got put into an eighteen-year-old body. I've got enough life experience to know that much. What matters isn't power. It's whether you have people you can trust." Gilda's eyes widened slightly. " A forty-year-old old lady... So you really are something like that, huh." "That's right. Believe me?" " Ahaha! I believe you, already. You really are a weird one!" Gilda clutched her stomach and burst out laughing. Her laughter echoed through the quiet morning room, loud enough that the mercenary lookouts outside the window turned around curiously. After laughing for a while, Gilda wiped her tears and spoke. " But if that's the case, it makes sense. Why you seem so mature even though you're just an eighteen-year-old brat. The way you fight, and also... in bed." "Forty years of seasoned skill, right? You're making me blush." " I'm not blushing!!" Gilda's face turned bright red as she shouted. Seraphina grinned and stood up from the chair. " Alright, let's eat and get ready to leave. I'm hungry." "Yeah, right. I'll have two horses prepared. And while I'm at it, I'll arrange an escort to take the elf children back to the Sea of Trees." "I'm counting on you." The two left the room. The corridor of the trading post was filled with the morning bustle. Street vendors raised their voices, a boy tending to the horses ran about, and the smell of freshly baked bread drifted from the tavern. On the way to the mess hall, a mercenary who was one of Gilda's former subordinates came running up. " Boss Gilda! I heard about the ruckus yesterday! Is it true you lost to some elf girl!?" "Shut up. I didn't lose. I didn't lose... It was a draw." " A draw! The great Boss Gilda!" The mercenary left, laughing heartily. Gilda looked like she'd bitten into a bitter bug, rubbing her temple. " Daryl, you'll pay for that later." "Come on, it's proof your men like you." "They don't like me!" Watching this exchange, Seraphina let out a small laugh. (*Times like this aren't so bad, either.*) They sat down at a rough table in the mess hall and had a breakfast of bread and dried meat. As she tore off pieces of bread, Seraphina looked at Gilda's face once more. Twenty-eight years old, former mercenary, former slave trader. And now, her first comrade. Her blonde hair was still disheveled, but a strong light dwelled in her eyes. The eyes of a woman who had survived in this world. " What, staring at me like that." "Just thinking you're a fine woman." " Wh-what are you saying, first thing in the morning!" Gilda nearly dropped the bread in her hand. Seeing that, Seraphina laughed again. "Exactly because it's morning. You should look at something nice to start the day, right?" " You...!" Gilda's face was bright red with anger, but the corners of her mouth relaxed ever so slightly. She was embarrassed, but at the same time, she looked just a little happy. After eating, the two headed for the trading post's stables. Gilda chose two sturdy chestnut horses. Their luggage was minimal. A leather pouch filled with gold and silver coins, waterskins, dried meat, and just their weapons. At the exit of the trading post, Gilda turned around. "I lived here for seven years. I did nothing but bad things, but even so... this was my place." "I see." "But it's fine now. I'll make a new place, together with you." Saying that, Gilda took hold of the horse's reins. There was no longer any hesitation in her figure from behind. Seraphina also took the reins and mounted her horse. The morning sun was beginning to dye the plains golden, and the highway leading to the distant royal capital of Fontiel was faintly visible. " Let's go, Gilda. To make a place for ourselves." "Yeah, to wherever it takes us." The two horses galloped off into the wilderness where the morning mist still lingered. The sound of hoofbeats echoed. The wind swept through their hair, and the scent of grass tickled their nostrils. From atop her horse, Seraphina looked back at the trading post one last time. The elf children who had been crammed into that cage would soon be freed and return to the Sea of Trees. The escort Gilda had arranged would surely see them there safely. (*So this is about all I can do for now, huh.*) But this was just the beginning. Once she reached the royal capital, she would meet more allies. And more enemies, too. (*Rotten nobles. Bastards who get their kicks hunting elves. I'll crush every last one of them someday.*) Deep within Seraphina's chest, a quiet flame flickered. A flame of strong will that hadn't existed back when she was Sarasa in her previous life. Running beside her, Gilda raised her voice. " Seraphina! Are there really those 'interesting women' you talked about in the royal capital!?" "There are. I'm sure of it. Just my intuition, though." "Is that intuition of yours any good?" "Don't underestimate the intuition of a forty-year-old." " That again!" Gilda's laughter rode the wind and streamed away. A smile on her lips, Seraphina fixed her gaze on the plains stretching out ahead. A day and a half left to the royal capital of Fontiel. A new city, new encounters, new battles. All of it awaited at the end of this road. Seraphina gave her horse a light kick in the belly and picked up speed. The wind roared past her ears. Her heart pounded—no, Seraphina (Seta Sarasa) herself felt "excited." (*Alright, let's get started.*) With the morning sun at their backs, the shadows of the two raced down the highway.

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Episode 3

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

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