My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 116

§ 116 – Mysterious Quest (1)

“Dark Elf… are you talking about Dark Elves?”

Semir tilted his head slightly.

Cyan nodded and said,

“Yes. Do you know anything about them? I thought the Dwarves would know more than humans.”

“Dark Elves, huh…”

Semir was silent for a moment, as if recalling his memories.

While waiting for Semir to speak,

Cyan looked at the screen of his smartphone again.

The quest notification window suddenly popped up.

He could understand why the quest notification window itself popped up.

But the content of the quest was so sudden and unexpected.

『[Territory Quest] – ‘Dark Elves are calling. We are not demons!’

▶If there are Light Elves, there are also Dark Elves!

They are called Dark Elves!

Unlike other elves, Dark Elves mainly use the power of darkness, and this characteristic is evident in their appearance.

Is that why?

They have not been able to escape the stigma of being evil beings.

But you know, right?

That using the power of darkness does not make them evil!

Evil is just evil.

It doesn’t mean they are evil!

It is said that a crisis has come to these Dark Elves!

It seems they are being mistaken for demons…

But it seems that the misunderstanding is not entirely wrong!

Oh my! Oh my!

What choice will you make?!』

.

.

‘Hmm…’

Cyan put his smartphone back in his pocket.

Then, he took out the letter from Elantour and carefully checked its contents.

But still.

He couldn’t find any connection between the contents of the letter and the quest.

There was no mention of Dark Elves anywhere in the letter.

There wasn’t even any content related to elves.

It was just a message asking him to return to the family for a while because there was something to say.

‘Do I have to go there to hear the detailed story?’

It seemed so.

So, before that.

He needed to know if it was worth going to listen.

Semir is a descendant of Morcru and the chief of the dwarves.

He would know more about elves than humans, including Cyan.

But.

“I don’t know why the Lord is asking about Dark Elves, but… I don’t know much about them either. Elves are as reclusive as our dwarves.”

Semir didn’t seem to know much either.

“I see.”

Cyan nodded slowly.

Like Semir said, elves were also reclusive.

No, in fact, they were even more reclusive than dwarves.

The reason was really simple.

Elves were a race of natural beauty.

Elves mean beauty.

Beauty means elves.

Elves were so beautiful that this formula was naturally established.

So, they were popular.

To put it a little bluntly…

As slaves.

Of course, slavery was strictly illegal in the Charlotte Empire.

However, just because it was illegal did not mean it didn’t happen.

If that were the case, there would be no criminals.

Elves were precious slaves throughout the Charlotte Empire and the continent.

Even the natural beauty of elves did not distinguish between men and women.

Their lifespan was also long, so their youth did not easily fade.

Greedy nobles, noble ladies.

Even those with strange sexual desires.

Elves were precious slaves, regardless of gender.

That’s why elves hate humans.

Very much.

Over the years, dwarves eventually became closer to humans.

But as time passed, elves came to hate humans.

So, they can be said to be a more closed society than dwarves, especially for humans.

Cyan had never seen one either.

He had never seen an elf, even when he was in the family, so that says it all.

That’s why he asked Semir…

But it seemed that Semir didn’t know much either.

“However, I have heard a little about Dark Elves.”

“You know about Dark Elves?”

Semir nodded his head.

“How much do you know about Dark Elves, Lord?”

“Um… Elves with black hair…? And that they are being misunderstood because of it.”

Semir nodded at Cyan’s words.

Dark Elf.

They were people whose name alone conjured up a dark image.

That’s why when you hear the word ‘Dark Elf’.

You usually think of black skin, but that’s not the case.

Black hair.

It was the name given because of their dark and deep black hair.

Their skin color was the same as that of ordinary elves.

White skin like white jade.

They were only called Dark Elves because their hair was black.

The reason was simple.

Black hair was rare on the continent.

It was not just uncommon, but very difficult to find.

Sometimes, very rarely.

There were beings with black hair.

And they all, without exception, used the mana of darkness.

Mana of darkness, that is, demonic energy.

As common sense known on the continent, demonic energy is negative and evil mana.

In short, all negative and evil beings had black hair.

That’s why Dark Elves were called Dark Elves.

They were ostracized by the people of the continent and lived in hiding.

… That was the common sense known on the continent, and all that Cyan knew.

That’s why Cyan couldn’t help but worry.

‘Favor of the Dark Elves,’ the reward for the quest.

Whether he should get this or not.

Seeing that there was no penalty for rejecting the quest…

It seemed that they were not entirely evil beings.

“Actually… there was no such race as Dark Elves.”

Semir then continued.

Semir slowly opened his mouth, as if dredging up old memories.

“I don’t remember well because it’s a story passed down from our great ancestors… but the race of Dark Elves first appeared… a thousand years ago.”

“A thousand years ago?”

Cyan’s eyes widened in surprise.

He was surprised that there was no such race as Dark Elves originally.

He was also surprised that the time was a thousand years ago.

But Semir was a descendant of Morcru.

It seemed that he had heard something.

“That’s right. As you know, Lord, those with black hair are generally related to the mana of darkness. The same is true of how Dark Elves came to have black hair.”

Cyan nodded.

This was a story that Cyan also knew.

“In other words, the race of ‘Dark Elves’ was born from the moment the elves used the mana of darkness. That was a thousand years ago. And the first elf to use that mana.”

Semir slowly opened his mouth.

“That elf was Elodie.”

The six Arnaizes who saved the world.

The great mage Elodie.

Semir continued.

“When I was young, my mother used to tell me stories of our ancestors like fairy tales, so I’m not sure. But I heard that Elodie’s hair was black.”

“Does that mean…?”

“It wasn’t originally black. But after using the mana of darkness, her hair turned black. But it wasn’t well known because she hid it with magic.”

“Ah.”

Cyan was able to realize something from Semir’s words.

The great mage Elodie.

She was a mage who was proficient in all magic, befitting her title of great mage.

According to mythology, the master of magic, the dragon.

Even the dragons gave way to Elodie.

And ‘all magic’ that Elodie was proficient in naturally included black magic.

Black magic based on the mana of darkness.

Her level of black magic was said to be comparable to that of the Demon King.

Yet she did not become a madman,

She left her name in the history of the continent as Arnaize [One of the six heroes who saved the world].

Some say.

Elodie knew how to control the mana of darkness.

But the secret has not been revealed for a thousand years.

Only.

It was a secret that only Cyan knew.

Originally, Elodie could not handle the mana of darkness either.

To be exact, she could not control the power of evil that the mana of darkness had.

But Kyle’s Demon Soul Asura Sword [A powerful artifact].

So, by referring to the Demon Soul Control Method, she was able to handle the mana of darkness.

And in the past, when Cyan looked at Elodie’s records.

Elodie confessed that she could not dare to approach the source of evil that Kyle handled.

Maybe… that’s why.

Cyan was not affected by handling evil at all.

That’s why Elodie’s hair turned black.

Well, Kyle himself had silver hair, so it was probably right.

And the fact that the word Dark Elf was created from that time.

That meant.

“I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I’ve heard that Dark Elves are descendants of Elodie.”

Dark Elves were distant descendants of Elodie.

Cyan nodded slowly.

“Thank you, Semir.”

“It’s nothing. I’m glad if it helped you, Lord.”

Semir waved his hand slightly at Cyan’s words.

“If you have nothing more to ask, I’ll be on my way.”

Then he left the office and went outside.

Cyan was left alone in the office.

“Leah.”

Cyan said, looking at one side of the office wall.

But there was no response.

Cyan said again.

“I know everything, so come out.”

Then, Leah’s head suddenly popped out of the wall.

-Ah, you knew…?-

Then Leah smiled awkwardly.

Cyan chuckled at Leah’s appearance.

Before, he couldn’t feel Leah’s presence if she was determined to hide it.

But now that he has raised the progress rate of the Demon Soul Control Method.

Now that he is completing the intermediate course of the Demon Soul Asura Sword.

Cyan could clearly feel Leah’s presence.

-I was just curious when the story of Elodie came up…

And Leah’s current appearance.

It was an appearance that anyone who saw it would faint.

Cyan asked Leah without a word.

“Is Semir’s story true?”

Leah twisted her long, silver hair around and around as she spoke.

-Uh, yeah… Elodie’s hair color did change once in the middle. But I didn’t know if her hair turned black after using the mana of darkness.

Then Leah made a surprised expression.

So, the saying that Dark Elves are descendants of Elodie.

It was still not certain about that.

Also, Leah fell asleep in the Hall of Arnaize afterwards.

She didn’t know what happened to Elodie.

She didn’t know what kind of life she lived.

This was the same for Kendrick, who was trapped underground.

So, it was not certain whether Dark Elves were descendants of Elodie.

-But I’ve never heard of the word Dark Elf before.-

Then it had to be said that it was certain.

The fact that Leah didn’t know Dark Elves.

That meant that there was no race called Dark Elves before Elodie.

“Hmm…”

Cyan was lost in thought.

‘Dark Elves are descendants of Elodie… huh? Wait a minute.’

Then suddenly, one thought came to mind.

‘Then if I learn the Aura Training Method from Kendrick, will the knights of Ruben also have black hair?’

The Aura Training Method that Kendrick teaches was a way to handle evil.

And what color is Kendrick’s hair?

Cyan couldn’t take off his helmet to check.

‘Hmm… but it’s a lower version of the Demon Soul Control Method, so would it be okay?’

It was based on Kyle’s Demon Soul Control Method, so it might not be.

But what.

What does hair color matter?

Yes, hair color was literally hair color.

So.

“It’s worth checking out.”

Cyan slowly got up from his seat.

#

The Elantour Marquis Territory located in the eastern part of the Empire.

Cyan looked at the magnificent Elantour mansion in the distance.

“Is it a long time since I’ve been here?”

It had been a little over two months since he faced Durac last time.

It could be said to be a long time since he had been here.

It could be said that it had not been long.

“Nothing has changed.”

And as expected, nothing had changed from that time.

He felt it then, but Ruben was undergoing a great transformation, grooming, and evolution.

Even though it had been turned upside down.

The Elantour mansion was the same as ever.

Nothing had changed.

“Is this normal after all?”

Cyan chuckled and slowly headed towards the main gate of the mansion.

As he approached the main gate.

The soldier guarding the mansion blocked Cyan’s path, just like last time.

“Stop. State your identity and purpose of visit.”

And.

“Huh? Are you…?”

The soldier tilted his head as if he recognized Cyan’s face.

Just as Cyan was about to reveal his identity and purpose of visit.

“P, please wait here for a moment.”

Suddenly, the soldier went inside the mansion with those words.

He stood still, wondering what was going on.

The soldier who went inside the mansion soon reappeared with someone.

An old man in neat attire.

It was none other than Leritt, the general manager of the Elantour family.

Leritt quickly approached Cyan and said.

“Come this way. The head of the family is waiting for you.”

Cyan tilted his head without realizing it.

He didn’t expect to meet Durac right away.

Cyan did not send a separate letter saying that he would go to the family.

He just came straight after receiving the letter.

So, he thought he would be left standing there like last time.

But Leritt said that the head of the family, Durac, was waiting.

It was a different treatment than last time.

Did that mean that Durac was showing interest in Cyan?

Whether this was good or bad.

‘Well, it’s good to meet him quickly.’

Cyan followed Leritt into the mansion.

#

Knock knock.

“Head of the family. Master Cyan has arrived.”

Leritt said, knocking on the tightly closed door of Durac’s office.

-Come in.

Then a familiar yet unfamiliar voice was heard.

“Then, I will step down now.”

Leritt said that to Cyan and stepped back.

Cyan looked at Leritt walking away and slowly turned his gaze.

The second face-to-face meeting since last time.

To be exact, the third face-to-face meeting in terms of number of times.

With a sense of tension, Cyan slowly opened the door.

With a click, the scenery of Durac’s office was reflected through the crack in the door.

And a middle-aged man standing in the center of the office.

An atmosphere reminiscent of a leader wolf.

Cyan stepped into the office and showed his respect.

“I greet the head of the family.”

Durac’s gaze turned to Cyan.

Cyan could not see his face because his head was slightly lowered.

Nevertheless, Cyan could feel that Durac was looking at him.

“Sit down.”

Then Durac spoke.

Cyan slowly raised his head and sat down in a suitable seat.

Then, with his eyes slightly lowered, he waited for Durac’s words.

Durac did not say anything until then.

He was just staring at Cyan.

A cold silence fell.

A heavy silence.

At that moment, Durac’s eyes turned cold.

“What have you been up to?”

Soon, Durac’s closed mouth opened.

A sharp force erupted throughout the office.