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According to rumors, elves are portrayed as noble beings who protect nature and communicate with spirits.

Of course, there are few who actually see them. There simply aren’t many elves around.

But still, the elf right in front of me is pushing it, don’t you think?

A suddenly harassing personality, a lesbian who likes the same women, and an elf working in the shady underground where all sorts of illegal activities happen.

Is it that this elf is strange, or should I point out the various scholars and ancient texts that extolled elves?

I tried to ignore one of the pieces of common sense I knew going completely off the rails and brought the conversation back to its original purpose.

Anyway, with the recognition reduction magic, she won’t be able to recognize me, so I pulled my mask up to just under my eyes to hide my face as much as possible.

“Well then, what brings you here?”

Instead of speaking, I pulled out the token I had shown when I arrived.

“…Is this an entrance pass?”

“I’m looking to sell this.”

It’s something I don’t need anyway. Who knows if I might need it later, but right now, the money right in front of me takes precedence.

This pass could give me access to the shadows of Defel, so I thought it might be worth some money.

The elf examined the entrance pass she received, turning it over in her hands, then slid it back to me.

“Um… I can tell this is a genuine entrance pass, but the only amount we can offer you is the price of scrap metal of equal weight.”

“…What?”

“If you want to set a price for the entrance pass, you can use an auction house. I’m sure you can register it after a simple identity verification. But I don’t know how much those already in the underground pay for it.”

That won’t do. I want to avoid leaving any trace of myself as much as possible.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I tucked the entrance pass back into my belongings.

“Do you have any other business here?”

I thought for a moment about the elf’s question, but I had no other business to take care of. I had no money to buy anything, nor did I have anything to sell.

“That’s it for me.”

Just as I thought I should turn around, the elf’s next words glued my feet to the ground.

“Well, it seems our business is somewhat concluded, but how about we chat a little? It’s fate that we met again, after all.”

“…You’ve got the wrong idea about me.”

I checked my mask in surprise, but there was nothing amiss with the recognition reduction magic.

“I have some interesting items, but they’re of no use to me. But don’t worry too much. I have to make a living too, so I don’t intend to chatter on unnecessarily. I can swear on the World Tree for that.”

It’s amusing that a delinquent elf is bringing up the World Tree, but it’s probably not a lie. The World Tree is special for all elves, after all.

“Sigh…”

Looking around, there was no one else in the small room. I considered whether there might be other setups on the other side of the walls and heightened my senses to investigate, but nothing special was there.

I can’t kill this elf, so it might not be a bad idea to have a conversation if she’s showing me some goodwill.

“I told you before, I’m just glad to see you. Come on. I can’t just give away money or items for free, but I’ll give you one piece of information for free if you want.”

The elf said that, sat down at the inner table, and patted the seat beside her.

I wondered why she insisted on having me sit next to her instead of across from her. I already knew the answer to that question, so I ignored her hand and sat opposite her.

“So what’s your real purpose in grabbing me?”

“Oh dear, you’re making this sister sad.”

Her expression looked genuinely hurt, but I’d already experienced this elf’s shamelessness to the fullest.

Without a response, leaning back in my chair, the elf realized her act wasn’t working and immediately changed her expression to continue speaking.

“Actually, it’s about the entrance pass you brought. I was just curious where you got it. It’s just a pass that gets tossed around here and there, and no one really remembers it, so it doesn’t have much meaning, but if you look carefully, there’s a unique number on it.”

As she said, there were small letters and numbers written on the back of the pass. I hadn’t thought of it as something significant, so I had just glossed over it.

“But that number is one I issued, so I remember it.”

She rested her chin on her arms on the table, smiling.

She fiddled with the necklace hanging around her neck.

“So, what’s your relationship with the Black Moon?”

Then, she infused mana into the necklace.

The fog escaping from the necklace made the dimly lit room even darker and more secretive.

The sword she drew was aimed right at her neck.

Just a little movement, and that elf’s slender neck would be on the ground.

But despite that, she remained seated with a nonchalant attitude.

“From now on, I’ll be asking the questions. If you do anything foolish, I’ll immediately sever your head, so it’s wise to be cautious.”

No one should know my true identity.

The moment the name of the organization was mentioned, my body moved without my will. I wondered if I should have just kept acting oblivious all along, but that’s water under the bridge now.

But I can’t kill this elf. At that moment, I would definitely become a wanted man.

Recognition reduction magic isn’t infallible. There’s a record of me entering this city, and if the underground guys in Defel really started digging, it wouldn’t be long before they figured out my identity.

I’d think slowly about how to handle the aftermath, but for now, I should check what this elf knows and how much information she has.

“So how do you know about the Black Moon?”

“That can’t be the kind of information you really want to know… Well, consider it a procedure for us to establish mutual acquaintance.”

Even with a blade at her throat, she showed no sign of trembling.

She must either feel capable of getting out of this easily or already know that I’m not going to kill her, or maybe it’s both.

“If I had to explain, I’d say I’m an investor. I never imagined things would collapse like this.”

Is her claim true or false? It’s hard to distinguish the truth when she speaks so calmly.

“I ended up in a business relationship with the last Master. So I was disappointed when I realized the Black Moon had collapsed, but I didn’t expect that such a cute girl would become the new owner.”

“…New owner?”

“Oh my, I didn’t know there would be such a cute girl like you, but anyway, you belong to the Black Moon, right? Whether you were gone on a mission or something, you brought the entrance pass that was with the Guild Master, so that makes you the new Master.”

“How can you be so sure I’m part of the Black Moon? I might have just stumbled upon it by chance!”

With nowhere left to hide, I decided to ask outright.

“If that were the case, there wouldn’t be any reason for you to react like that when I mentioned the Black Moon, right?”

“…Damn it.”

“So, are you going to put that sword away now? It makes me sad to be disliked by my new business partner.”

She cut off the mana she was infusing into the necklace and sheathed the sword aimed at her neck.

The room returned to its ordinary dimness.

“The Black Moon is gone now. I have no intention of being tied to that ruined assassin guild.”

Now that I didn’t need to keep speaking formally, I spoke comfortably after so long.

“Though there’s no need to refuse a new business relationship, right? As I mentioned, I can give you any piece of information for free.”

I turned around and plopped down in the seat across from her.

“What if I take that information and then turn my back on you?”

“One piece of information is just a gesture of goodwill, so I can let that slide. Of course, if you become my formal partner afterward, things will be different.”

I pondered her words for a moment. Given her attitude so far, it wasn’t really something I couldn’t trust.

Even though I aimed a sword at her, she didn’t call for guards and instead consistently displayed a favorable attitude.

But still, I had no idea what to even ask.

How to return to my male body?

Since the only TS wizard had died, there’s no guarantee there are others researching such magic, and I have no intention of risking being found out about my real identity.

If she finds out I’m the fake Elysia Frentz, I’d only have one more weakness to worry about.

So what could I possibly ask?

While I was lost in thought, something brushed against my shins, calves, knees, and thighs.

“Ugh, really!”

I jumped up from my seat, and she just giggled. Her feet, which she had slipped out of her shoes, came into view beneath the table.

“Hey, why are you so surprised between us? You let me touch your thighs on the carriage earlier.”

“I’m trying to think seriously here, and this elf is being all perverted…”

“Oh my, is there a rule that elves can’t act like this? You wouldn’t know, but there are elven girls who are worse than me, you know?”

The thought of an elf acting in the shady underground and a perverted elf harassing women is dizzying enough just to imagine.

“Are you really an elf?”

“After touching my ears like that, you still doubt me? Or… do you want to feel them again?”

I wouldn’t have cared if I didn’t know by now that elf ears are an erogenous zone, so I have no intention of satisfying this perverted elf’s lust.

“Enough. Look into the Frentz family. The more detailed, the better.”

When I met the Emperor, I realized I really needed to know more about the Frentz.

“Hmmm. It’s not information we have on hand, so I’ll investigate and let you know. Once I have enough, I might come to visit you. That much I can offer as a service.”

“Let’s say in about six months.”

She probably noticed my true identity from my question just a moment ago, but…

I’m not particularly worried. After all, she saw my face through the recognition reduction magic, and given her job dealing with information, she can find out my identity if she really wants to.

I just want to make the visit during a less stressful time than the semester.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Ah, you’re finally asking. It’s Lindy. Just call me Lindy.”

“Got it. Then I’ll see you next time.”

As I stood up to leave, she also rose from her seat.

“Ah! I’ll keep today a secret, so don’t worry. But…”

She hesitated for a moment, fidgeting with her hands before speaking again.

“Can I touch your butt… just once?”

Her voice carried a hint of shyness that hadn’t been present when she was openly sexually harassing me.

“This perverted girl?”

Naturally, I had no reason to listen any longer, so I ignored her words and turned towards the door to leave.

Grabbing the door handle.

“…You will keep it a secret, right?”

“Of course!”

She moved near me, brightly smiling and even hopping a little.

I thought she’d probably keep the secret even if I ignored her, but just in case…