Chapter 51: Thoroughly Played by the Old Dwarf
"Elias… it has to be you!"
Serie collapsed bonelessly into her chair, stroking her stomach as she let out a blissful groan toward the ceiling.
"It's been ages since I've eaten this well!
Even now, my tongue is still tingling from the spice—absolutely divine!"
Elias remained unmoved. His eyes drifted to the other two.
It wasn't just Serie.
Her disciple and her disciple's disciple were both gasping, eyes glazed, wearing expressions that could only be described as deranged admirers.
Elias had long grown numb to praise for his cooking. His mind was focused on only one thing—
in truth, the same thing he'd been focused on from the very start:
"Serie.
Time to talk."
Elias straightened, gaze locked on her.
"That clue of yours—about magic that can turn a demon into a human.
Whose hands is it in?"
The moment he spoke, the golden-haired elf reined in her greedy expression. Her eyes returned to their usual cold clarity—yet beneath it flickered that ageless, fox-like cunning she'd kept for a thousand years.
"Elias, it's only a clue. Don't get your hopes too high."
"Trying to string me along, are you?"
He leaned back with a sharp laugh.
"You know perfectly well—even the slightest shred of a clue won't stop me."
"That much… is undeniable."
Serie's gaze glimmered with memory.
"Two thousand years ago, for one ridiculous rumor, you crossed the entire Central Sea…
and even missed Aivis' funeral."
At the mention of his old comrade, Elias abruptly leaned forward.
"Aivis? Are you saying the one with the clue… is Aivis?"
"You misunderstand."
Serie cut him off immediately.
"I merely mentioned the past.
As for the one holding the clue…"
Elias stared at her face.
That faint curl at the corner of her mouth—
Was she smirking?
"…It's Cole Theodore."
Elias showed no reaction at all.
Because he had absolutely no idea who that was.
But beside him, Flamme stiffened.
"…You mean the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces."
"Correct." Serie nodded.
"The supreme leader of the frontline armies.
The woman hailed as the strongest strategist of the human alliance—General Theodore."
Such grand titles didn't stir even a ripple in Elias' eyes.
"Forgive my bluntness, but what does this general have to do with the magic I seek?"
"I heard the Cole family possesses an heirloom—said to date back to the Mythic Era."
"And?"
"A relic called Arisols.
Legend says it can alter the form of living beings."
"…Alter the form of living beings, huh."
"Elias, I know you won't pass this up.
And it just so happens, there's a simple way for you to get close to the general."
Serie rose, stepping to the towering window that overlooked the distant military encampment.
"General Theodore is selecting a personal bodyguard for her daughter—Lady Leiya.
The competition will be held in the city… three days from now."
Elias stood as well, joining her at the window.
"Of course.
The mapo tofu was just bait."
"Using my determination to shove me into the military—that was your real objective."
"Elias, a trial like this is trivial for you~"
"But why me?
Don't you have plenty of subordinates?"
At his question, Serie's smirk only deepened.
She had anticipated this question from the beginning.
"Elias… never underestimate humans.
Especially humans with power."
"During war, humanity stands united against demons.
But when the front quiets down… hidden desires, ambitions, back-alley deals—cracks always appear."
Elias folded his arms with a mocking snort.
"So it is about uneven distribution of spoils after all."
"How vulgar."
Serie flipped her hair.
"Gold and silver mean nothing to me.
They are decorations at best."
"But the military has been acting suspiciously of late. Suspicious enough… that even I must take notice."
At those words, Elias recalled the scene earlier that morning—
the passing convoy, its cargo sealed under a magic-detection barrier.
Whatever the army was hiding…
It was big.
No wonder Serie herself began to grow suspicious.
Thinking about it carefully…
Perhaps she chose Elias, an "unknown outsider," precisely to avoid triggering internal conflicts within human ranks.
As expected of a thousand-year-old schemer.
She wore the face of an elf relying on intuition—
but beneath that, it was nothing but layered calculation and buried stratagems.
Still… because of Arisols, Elias truly couldn't refuse this time.
After all, it was only after searching a thousand years in vain for that magic that he finally appeared before Serie.
He was, indeed, completely played by the old dwarf.
"Good, Elias. Judging from your face, it seems you've accepted my request."
"I've already entered you into the competition. Just show up at Hexagram Plaza in three days."
"Oh—and I've paid for the top floor of Wolfwood Inn for the next thousand years. Anytime you visit the Holy City, it's yours."
Elias turned away, letting out a helpless laugh.
This woman… everything had been arranged so thoroughly there was no room left for him to even breathe.
"A thousand years, huh…"
"Shorty, sounds like you're convinced I won't become human again within a millennium."
"—Was it that obvious?"
Serie tilted her head, feigning innocence.
"Or perhaps… I simply have too much money and nowhere to spend it."
...
The moment they stepped out of Serie's palace, Frieren suddenly exploded with excitement.
"Yaaaay!!!
We get to live in the city for free!"
Elias had nothing to say to that.
A forest-born elf like her had zero interest in human politics.
Everything he and Serie discussed had been filtered through her mind into one shining truth:
"Free lodging."
Flamme, meanwhile, had been quiet since they left—her expression heavy with thought.
Only after they returned to Wolfwood Inn, after coaxing the rowdy white-haired elf to sleep, did she finally knock on the room next door.
"Elias, are you still awake?"
He opened the door to see her looking visibly tired.
"It's late. What's wrong?"
"…How about we go out for a walk?"
...
The moment she said that, Elias' mind simply froze.
His body stopped working entirely, as if someone had unplugged him.
He tried to rummage through all the vocabulary in his brain to interpret Flamme's behavior…
and found absolutely nothing.
"You're nervous, Elias?"
Flamme leaned in slightly, meeting his eyes.
"It's just a simple invitation. Do you dislike going out for strolls?"
"Oh… so this is an invitation."
"I had assumed only when Frieren forced me to take her shopping would it count as one."
At that, Flamme suddenly burst into laughter.
The exhaustion on her face melted instantly.
"Haha… Elias, seems Frieren's really messed up your understanding of things~"
For someone who had spent two thousand years living alone, Elias could only respond with an awkward nod.
"…Alright then, Flamme."
"I accept your invitation."