LBC Chapter 10: The truth about the Seelie race (Patreon)

I don’t know how and why, but Elysia deeply cared for my well-being. Unlike Shion, who was here with me for ten years, Elysia had no such past with me. Yet, our exchanges earlier indicated she had serious concerns for me.

So I struck while the iron was hot and proposed to her to become my vassal.

Then why did I feel like a high school kid who had confessed his love for a senpai?

Elysia’s response was… a chuckle that broke into a genuine laugh. She looked full of her spirit—sweet yet honest, filled with a tender joy. A rare gem that nobody around me could replicate. Everyone seemed depressed about one thing or another except for maybe Lionel.

Elysia freed her hand from me and took a seat on the chair. “Sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. He said something so absurd.”

“He?”

“Marquis. My contracted Seelie. He was teasing me about your proposal.”

“You can talk to your Seelie?”

“It’s not common, but I have special privileges. Let’s expand your knowledge on the Seelie.”

Elysia grabbed the dishes and shuffled out of the room.

People usually flipped topics out of respect for not hurting someone’s feelings. Her reply was as clear as day to me.

Total rejection.

Life sucks sometimes…

If I got rejected, which was most likely going to happen, I’d go with my original plan that involved pulling strings here and there.

She was too precious a treasure to let go.

Elysia returned just as fast and took me to my bedroom. She was standing before me while I settled my butt on the comfy bed.

“How much do you know about Seelie?”

“Pretty much nothing.”

“Let’s start from the basics then. Seelie are denizens of a world different from ours. A world of higher order and laws. Seelie is just a common word to refer to the people offering guidance to other worlds…”

I expected as much… saying that would be a lie. The exalted Seelie were actually otherworlders! Why were they offering help to this world? There must be something tempting here. The world revolved around profit. Unless they were actual saints with compassion as vast as an ocean.

Elysia settled beside me and ruffled my hair. “This isn’t documented… is what you might be thinking. The first rule of the contract is to never divulge this information. Heavy penalties are imposed on those who do.”

No wonder there was a veil around everything related to Seelie. Even in this world, no one wanted to screw around with terms and conditions.

With a rough hand, Elysia kept patting me. An animated smile played at the corner of her lips.

…I feel like I’m treated like a little sibling here? Not that I minded being spoiled by a woman of her caliber.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“My contractor agreed to tell you everything.”

Being an exception wasn’t always a good thing, especially not by someone I never met.

Elysia cupped my face, and I made eye contact with her. Her face looked nothing like it was a moment ago. Undeniable dignity oozed from her face. She nailed home the seriousness one would expect from an S-Rank mercenary.

“Listen, Enwyld. A man of your potential will inevitably catch the eye of an important figure. I want you to be familiar with everything that goes in the higher realms. You cannot let someone take advantage of you there.”

The way she spoke, it seemed like my talent was well above the norm. More precisely, my talent could cause people of the higher worlds to manipulate me. To make them resort to cheap tricks. Pretty unbelievable as strength wise, I couldn’t even qualify as a joke in this world.

Trouble from the higher realm could spell my doom…

On the bright side, I could get a strong Seelie.

Let me rephrase that.

I will get a strong Seelie.

“It looks like you understood the gravity of the situation,” Elysia said.

I answered with a heavy nod, “I’ll try my best.”

In the sanctuary of goddess Esht, no one would help me.

Elysia stroked my face before she pecked my forehead. “Let’s continue the lessons.”

She was becoming more of a mother than the Duchess.

When her lessons started, I devoured every piece of information.

As I previously speculated, Seelie, or more precisely the ‘Divine Ones’ hailed from different realms and shared the goal of ‘guiding’ us.

The Realm of Shadowy Frost—Hell, the Undivided Sky—Heaven, the Realm of the World Tree—Asgard, and the Everlasting Crucible of Life—Eternal Kingdom.

Most Seelie in our world came from these four realms. I astutely recognized the similarity of the first three realms with the mythology of my previous world. The parallels didn’t just end there. Hell had 72 houses, each bearing an uncanny resemblance to the 72 Demons in Ars Goetia. Heaven had the usual angel figures, and Asgard had Valkyries as well as gods such as Odin and Freya.

Why the heck were these gods playing the role of saints here?

I didn't know. One thing was clear, however. This world became more fascinating.

After Elysia finished, I thanked her for the valuable information.

She let out a low chuckle. “Feel free to ask me anything. Oh, and about your previous question. May I ask why you desire me as your vassal?”

Why, of course, it was your strength! Her caring character was another major point that sold me on her.

For the sake of convincing one of my important cards to survive in the capital, I put on my foolishly honest smile.

“Nobody ever promised… to protect me like you. Moreover, you are a powerful warrior and your presence puts my mind at ease… I don’t know if I can find anyone more suitable.”

She shook her head in disapproval. “Young Lord, I’m not as eligible as you might think.”

What was she on about?

While I was confused, she reached out and touched my long elven ears. The ticklish feeling startled me. These ears were sensitive as fuck.

“The spirited blood of drow flows within you. Living a few centuries will be easy for you. But for me?” she scoffed. “I’d be a hag by the time you reach your thirties or forties… a human isn’t a suitable companion for you. It’s the very reason Nerys has been invited to the Duchy. She is capable and carries high influence among the drow.”

I hadn’t delved into the concern of lifespan yet. It sounded great on paper. In reality, dangers like rancor beasts, and frost giants existed. Not to mention the homicides that stemmed from spontaneous motives of a stranger. I’d be happy to live one century under these conditions.

So, in conclusion—

“—I don’t care about that.”

My assertive answer left her stunned.