Rarely did Elise have the chance to leave Orario, so her mood should have been quite good.
After all, she had remained within Orario for over a year.
At first, her Familia had been in its developmental stage. Later, there had been the addition of new members, the resolution of the Ishtar Familia incident, and a series of other events. Even after the Dark Age ended, Elise still had countless matters to handle.
At that time, she truly could not leave Orario. By using the Evilus incident to rise into the top five Familias of Orario, she had also taken on the responsibilities that came with being a great Familia.
And now, at long last, she finally had the time to step away from Orario for a while. Though it would be no more than a week at most, that was still good enough.
"I didn't expect things like this to happen outside Orario as well... Though I suppose that's natural. Misfortune is happening somewhere in the world at every moment. Even I can't stop it all."
With only a brief act of perception, Elise had already grasped most of what was happening over there. Most likely some unlucky child from an elven village had been abducted.
Her hands and feet were bound, her mouth stuffed with cloth. So this was the only method she could resort to?
In a sense, it was indeed a clever approach. But wasn't she afraid of passing out from blood loss? Not to mention the countless other possible accidents...
"You really are fortunate... It's lucky I happened to be here. Otherwise, your fate would have been obvious."
If she had not seen it, that would have been one thing. But now that she had, if she failed to intervene, her mood would sour considerably.
She would treat this as a bit of self-satisfaction.
"Little golden-haired elf, the golden-haired big sister is here to save you."
...
"Boss, we've arrived at Melen. What do we do next?"
"Don't worry. I've already contacted the receiver. This time we'll pose as a merchant caravan transporting goods. They have a ship here. We'll use the waterways to move the cargo."
The leader quickly arranged everything. However, when his gaze shifted toward the cage disguised as cargo, his expression turned serious.
"You remember what happened last time when someone almost saw her, right? This is near Orario. We act carefully. Do not get discovered!"
"If there's the slightest sign of trouble, report to me immediately!"
Their group had once had plenty of business. But after the fall of the Ishtar Familia and the end of the Dark Age, their trade had grown far more difficult.
The goods that once would have been sent into Orario were now strictly forbidden due to regulations established by the great Familias.
Only the bold dared to continue such dealings. Their small team lacked the strength for that. If they encountered those high-and-mighty adventurers, death would be their only outcome.
"We understand."
The underlings nodded repeatedly. They knew full well they were ordinary people, utterly incapable of contending with adventurers. Melen could be considered Orario's maritime checkpoint. While high-level adventurers might not always be stationed here, ordinary adventurers were certainly plentiful.
Just then, one of the men suddenly shouted.
"Guys, look over there!"
Everyone's attention immediately followed his voice. After all, the boss had just warned them to report anything unusual at once.
But when they saw what he was pointing at, they froze.
That wasn't what they had expected at all.
The person standing before them did not resemble someone they needed to be wary of.
Golden hair.
Pure white clothing.
An exquisitely beautiful face.
If not for the absence of the oppressive aura of a deity, they might have mistaken Elise for a goddess.
Such beauty felt almost inhuman.
The only imperfection was the strip of black cloth covering her eyes, revealing only their faint outline.
Even so, it did nothing to diminish her otherworldly elegance.
If only she could become my woman...
The leader could not help but entertain that thought for a fleeting moment, but he quickly dismissed it.
It was impossible.
People like them had long since sunk into the world's darkness. They had witnessed countless depraved acts firsthand.
A woman who appeared so beautiful was precisely the kind who was most dangerous.
Who knew what kind of powerful backing she might possess through her looks alone? It would be wiser not to provoke her.
If they ran into someone they could not afford to offend, they would be the ones to suffer.
"Stop staring. That's definitely a woman we can't afford to mess with. Let's sell the goods as quickly as possible so we can all make a fortune."
Dreams were pleasant, but one had to know one's limits. Anything beyond their ability was not to be touched.
Ever since their previous trade route had been cut off, the leader had adhered strictly to this principle. Their chances of survival had increased dramatically. Unlike other groups in the same line of work, who had vanished without a trace within months.
"She's so beautiful..."
The underlings still wore dazed expressions. Seeing this, the leader stepped forward and smacked them lightly on the head.
"Move!"
"If we miss this departure, who knows how long we'll have to wait for the next ship."
"We're in Melen! If you want to leave here alive, keep your eyes on the cargo!"
At their boss's command, the men reluctantly withdrew their gazes and focused once more on their task.
However, though their eyes turned away, the thoughts in their minds did not disappear so easily.
At this moment, like countless others who had seen Elise before, they were likely indulging in fantasies of conquest.
Elise was well aware of it.
But what could she do? If they made any concrete move, she would retaliate immediately. Yet mere idle thoughts were not enough to warrant action.
Besides...
Were those wandering thoughts truly born from their own will?
A faint smile curved Elise's lips. The moment those men had looked at her, she had quietly activated the blessing she had received from the goddess of beauty, Freya—Charm.
In the past, Elise had relied on her eyes as a means of enchantment. But after realizing that her gaze had become a weapon capable of killing, she had used it far less frequently.
She had not expected that Freya would eventually grant her such a gift outright.
Since this was her first time using it, Elise had not drawn upon much power. Its influence on humans would not be particularly strong.
But the seed of charm had already been planted.
It would not be long before the results were tested.