Chapter 30

“Are you saying that if I win, you’ll set me free?”

Surely, I must have misheard.

Despite clearly hearing Carami’s proposal, Arphia couldn’t believe it and asked again.

But Carami’s answer remained unchanged.

“Yes, I will free you.”

“Are you asking me to believe that?”

“Isn’t it an opportunity for you?”

“That may be true, but….”

It was certainly what she had hoped for, but hearing it directly left Arphia stunned. She never thought she would be released simply for being a good drinker.

That said, if she accepted it without hesitation, it would be a big problem. Being an elf who knows nothing of the world, she at least understood that much.

“And if I lose? What will you wager?”

“I will not wager anything.”

“What…?”

Carami’s gaze drew a smooth arc.

“Doing something when the outcome is obvious is not betting; it’s cheating.”

Her tone made it sound like her victory was a foregone conclusion. At the blatant provocation, Arphia’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Despite her smile, no one thought she was actually smiling.

It even felt like the temperature had dropped as if an ice spirit had appeared.

“Alright, is that how it is? Fine. Let’s do it. I didn’t think it would be this easy to be set free~”

Forced to drink because of her innate traits, Arphia now considered herself a connoisseur. She was confident that when it came to drinking, she would never lose to anyone.

Moreover, since there was a provocation involved, backing down here would be a disgrace for an elf.

This was no longer just a duel between her and Carami.

It was a battle between elves and humans.

“What should we do? Shall we take turns with a drink each?”

“Let’s do that. I’ll briefly visit the restroom before we start.”

“Go ahead.”

After Carami left his seat, he quickly returned and sat down.

“I’ll leave the judgment to the Master. If one side is determined to no longer drink, you may stop.”

“Do that.”

Carami filled both of their glasses with alcohol.

“Shall we make a toast with the first drink?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

The man and woman clinked their glasses together without a genuine smile.

Clink.

A clear sound resonated.

***

Starting the drinking wager, the two finished their first drink and began exchanging questions along with their cups.

“By the way, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I’m Arphia Liliand.”

“A playful flower, huh? What a beautiful name.”

“Enough with the sweet compliments. You’re Carami, right? What do you do?”

“I’m a slave merchant. Unavoidably, I have the alias of the Slave Death God.”

“Slave Death God? What does that mean?”

“It’s a name I got for killing slaves. It’s quite a bitter thing. I pride myself on treating slaves better than anyone, yet I ended up with such a name.”

Understanding was difficult for Arphia, who was not well-versed in human society, but she sensed that it wasn’t normal.

And if he’s a Death God… Arphia asked again, her voice tinged with anxiety.

“Have you ever turned other elves into slaves?”

“Of course. While elves initially are a money-eating hippo, once they establish a certain foundation, they can be useful in various sectors. Some elves even know how to make potions, and having just one can rake in money in no time.”

“……”

So that’s how it is.

From Carami, she faintly felt the essence of the forest, and its potency was not ordinary. Even if one rolled around in the forest, it wouldn’t be like that.

‘World Tree.’

The first tree of the world.

It was the energy of the World Tree, the spiritual pillar of the elves. Having been long associated with the elves of her hometown, that energy had seeped into her body.

Without that, Carami’s body could not possibly emanate the essence of the World Tree.

“Where did those elves all go?”

“I returned all of them to the embrace of nature.”

Arphia mulled over the phrase “embrace of nature.”

For elves, the embrace of nature means returning to their home, the Great Forest. Carami, who seemed knowledgeable in elf culture, may have used it in that sense.

But Carami is a Slave Death God. If that is the meaning he implies by ‘embrace of nature’…

Arphia stopped thinking deeply. Her chest felt heavy. She only thought about winning this wager.

One drink.

Another drink.

An endless cycle of emptying and refilling the Mobius glass. As the series of actions repeated, before she knew it, nine empty bottles were rolling around.

Each drink was a high-end liquor worth dozens of gold coins, so the more that piled up, the more joy spread across Victor’s face.

Usually, Carami would use Emily as an excuse to enjoy free drinks, but this time, for some reason, he insisted on paying.

Whoever wins didn’t matter.

As long as they kept drinking, Victor was thankful.

On the other hand, Arphia’s snowy white face turned crimson, and under that face, her heart burned black.

Elves typically had a high alcohol tolerance. Especially, Arphia was among the upper echelons of elves, and yet she was getting progressively drunk.

With the influx of alcohol swirling through her body, her pain was gone, but with it, the light of freedom faded away. Carami’s complexion remained unchanged from when they first began drinking.

“You… drink pretty well, don’t you?”

“Rather than drinking well, I prefer to drink moderately. But Lady Arphia, your face doesn’t look good. Perhaps it’s time to give up?”

“Give up? No way. I’m still fine!”

Arphia declared boldly.

***

“I’m… fine. I’m fine…”

The fierce competition came to an end upon opening the eleventh cup.

Arphia, who had already been showing signs of decline, swayed her head unsteadily and finally thudded her forehead on the table.

She didn’t rise from that position.

With a single clash of her forehead, the balance of victory and defeat shattered.

“You won.”

“Ha, indeed.”

Only then did I exhale and slumped into the chair like a snail. Watching Arphia, who had passed out, I couldn’t hide the feeling of emptiness.

‘Is this what an elf is like? A drinking elephant.’

Maybe it was just the ears that made her seem like an elephant.

Anyway.

It wasn’t the drinking that was the problem; it was that I was getting full and couldn’t drink anymore. I knew she could drink well, but I didn’t expect it to be to this degree.

One was a squirrel munching on fried slimes.

The other was a drinking elephant.

Truly unique slaves, I must say. Well, there are vampires who drink milk instead of blood, so it’s not so surprising.

‘How much would all this cost?’

Empty bottles scattered everywhere.

All that was my money spent on alcohol.

Arphia was wary of me. I had to raise Arphia’s favorability towards me, but there was nothing better for that than alcohol.

However, if I let her drink for free, it wouldn’t be me giving it to her, but Victor, so I was inevitably obliged to buy drinks.

“You drink extremely well, don’t you? Was it always like this?”

“It’s a basic quality of a slave merchant.”

That’s a lie.

In truth, I can’t drink well at all. I was never one to handle alcohol strongly, and Carami seemed to be the same. So how did I win against that elephant?

Ding.

The system notification rang.

[The duration of the Invulnerability Potion has expired.]

What could it be?

Of course, it was an item.

A game-breaking item immune to all sorts of debuffs, including poison. The duration was merely one hour, but it had a cooldown of a whole week. The cost was a whopping 5,000 points.

I had just spent it on a drinking game.

Thanks to that, it was more like drinking a delicious beverage rather than alcohol, and I felt absolutely no intoxication. If Arphia had been a little better at drinking and the duration had expired, I would have been the one hitting my head.

A kind master who offered a chance to escape.

I’d raised her favorability, even if just a little.

If I made her drink like this, I wouldn’t feel any pain.

I’m glad it turned out well.

“Let’s go, clumsy elephant. If you sleep like that, you’ll get a sore neck.”

“Ugh… I’m not clumsy… I’m super pretty…”

“Alright, pretty elephant.”

“Hehehe… pretty.”

I slung the mumbling Arphia over my back.

“Master, thank you for your hard work today.”

“Ha ha, hard work? If it’s this kind of effort, I welcome it at any time. I think I earned more than when I was on a commission. I can buy Emily a pretty dress now.”

Leaving Victor, who was beaming at the sight of the gold coins, I returned to the room and laid Arphia on the bed.

As she exhaled, the mix of alcohol and forest scent wafted through the air. Her white face was flushed, and despite being an elf, she was incredibly beautiful.

I stared intently at her as she slept much more comfortably than before.

[The eternally suffering elf Arphia]

In fact, my first encounter with her was not at the garrison.

There was no scenario where I would save her.

Arphia was kidnapped by the mercenary group from earlier and handed over to Ropermong, the head of the Desert Rose organization and a collector.

At first, Ropermong treated Arphia with care, but upon realizing she had a major flaw, his demeanor suddenly shifted.

She endured all the humiliations a woman cannot withstand from Ropermong, and when she couldn’t bear the pain of the alcohol, she was forced to take medicine.

Drenched in medicine, Arphia came out on the slave market for a pittance when her mind was starting to melt, and that was where our first meeting occurred.

This is the original story.

The main character of a trashy game is being sexually humiliated by some strange guy and breaks down.

‘Will the unicorn legion just stand by and do nothing? They would blow their lids.’

Naturally, the community erupted in flames, and due to intense backlash from the users, the game company revised the storyline.

‘Ta-da! In fact, Ropermong is a eunuch, and he’s a sadist who derives pleasure from violence. Arphia suffers abuse, but does not experience sexual humiliation.’

Like that.

So, if one just waits a little, they can get Arphia for cheap, and nursing the broken Arphia will quickly raise favorability.

I know the backstory perfectly, so it should be easy to progress until liberation. I can, but…

Waiting until she breaks down?

‘Absolutely not.’

Twisting the story would make things difficult.

It would make it hard to predict the future.

But who am I? A slave lover.

If there’s something difficult, it’s my burden to bear; I can’t bear to see them suffer.

I brushed aside Arphia’s golden bangs, which were damp with sweat.

“Just a little longer. I’ll make sure you don’t have to suffer and will return you to the embrace of nature.”