When the sensation of floating faded and the vortex of blood dispersed, I found myself standing in a field with the Holy Kingdom visible in the distance.
Elise had sent here with magic.
A mont ago, that noble and sacred kingdom had turned black. Crimson clouds gathered in the once-clear sky.
The ominous atmosphere was reminiscent of the end of days. Even without an explanation from the system, it was clear that sothing had gone terribly wrong.
It was because Elise had failed to achieve complete liberation.
‘This is a bit unfair.’
I could roughly guess where things had gone wrong.
This, too, was a deviation from how things played out in the ga.
Elise’s story was mostly told from her perspective. That ant her inner thoughts were conveyed through text.
Like: (Elise is feeling slightly confused.)—sothing like that.
But I couldn’t read minds. There was no way for to perfectly grasp what was going on inside Elise’s head.
Now, through the system ssages and her words, I could piece together what she had been struggling with. But it was too late.
‘I told her to tell if sothing was bothering her.’
If she had just said sothing, this could have been resolved so much more easily. But instead, she had agonized over it alone, seeking salvation, only to ruin everything in the process.
Or maybe... she had given hints, and I had just failed to notice.
‘What should I do?’
This wasn’t a ga where I could just retry after failing. I needed to find a way.
Sure, I could just settle down and live in this world—but there was no way I could bear to leave my poor slaves unfreed.
If they didn’t want to be freed, that’d be one thing. But that wasn’t the case. I knew Elise wanted salvation.
If I gave up here, I wouldn’t deserve to be her master.
‘Rushing in recklessly is not an option.’
How the hell was I supposed to break through that hellish city? If I got caught, I’d be lucky if they simply threw out again—because a second chance at rcy was out of the question.
And I wasn’t about to give up on going back.
Once I freed a slave, I could never put shackles on them again—that was the rule I had to follow.
‘But, you know... there is a way.’
A certain little witch who ignored even the system’s laws and willingly shackled herself.
My destination was decided.
“We’ve captured the Slave Reaper!”
But my plan fell apart the mont I arrived at the next city.
It would take weeks to reach my destination, even by carriage. Having been practically exiled from the Holy Kingdom, I needed a ans of transportation.
So, I ca to the nearest city to get a carriage. As always, the guards at the gate demanded proof of identity, and I presented my rchant guild credentials.
Soldiers in this world were poor. The ones who were truly upright had long since starved to death. Most of them were just wage workers.
So, I paid the kind of sum that no re gatekeeper could refuse—unless he was the son of so wealthy noble playing soldier for fun.
But it didn’t work.
Not because they were noble-hearted soldiers.
“Finally caught you, you damn rat!”
A familiar face.
But not soone I wanted to see.
“It’s been a while, Count Brian. Have you been well?”
Narsha’s father.
Count Brian.
Why was a man who should have been in the capital here?
“Well? Ever since you stole my daughter away, I haven’t had a single peaceful night! But that ends today! I put a bounty on your head and hired rcenaries just to catch you!”
“I deeply appreciate how much Your Lordship has missed . But stealing your daughter? I safely escorted the young lady back, didn’t I?”
I had vaguely heard the rumors.
That Narsha had disappeared out of nowhere, and the Count had placed a bounty on .
“If you’re expecting after-service now, I’m afraid the warranty has expired.”
“Hah! I won’t be fooled by that silver tongue of yours any longer. You’re sentenced to death!”
...Excuse ?
****
Honestly, I thought this was a prank.
Elise using deception was one thing, but Narsha escaping? That part made no sense.
I could understand the forr sohow, but the latter? Why was I being held responsible for his daughter disappearing of her own accord?
I thought it would end with him going, "Ta-da~ It was all a joke~" Like he was just giving the gratitude he hadn’t had the chance to show for rescuing his daughter.
Until my head was placed beneath the guillotine.
From the city gates to prison.
From prison to the execution ground.
It all happened in an instant, without even a trial.
I didn’t even have the chance to use an item to escape.
I was completely restrained, unable to move, with the guillotine’s blade gleaming above . In front of , the crowd cheered—n, won, and children alike.
This was just like the prologue of a villainous noblewoman’s arc in a romance fantasy novel. The kind where, after being executed, you either regress or wake up as so middle-aged man back on Earth.
But if I die here, will I actually regress?
Honestly, I’d rather just wake up thinking, "Ah, fuck, it was all a dream."
But that wasn’t going to happen.
I already knew that much—because I’d died once before to the Black Rain.
And even if I did resurrect, I still didn’t want to die.
‘What the hell did I even do wrong?’
The only cri I committed was freeing slaves.
Sure, people died in the process—but this was a world where nobles could say, "Die, split in two," and people would actually be executed on the spot.
"When in Ro, do as the Romans do"—isn’t self-defense at least a mitigating factor?
But no matter how much I complained, no one was going to listen. I was a slave trader, and my opponent was a noble.
The height of unfairness.
“Execute him!”
I’m going to curse you all.
If I die, I’ll stop being the Slave Reaper and co back as the actual Grim Reaper—I’ll cut down every last one of you.
I clenched my eyes shut.
Shwiiik!
That was when I heard the sharp sound of sothing slicing through the air.
At first, I thought it was the sound of the guillotine blade dropping.
But it was thinner than that.
More like the sound of an arrow being loosed.
Boom!
An explosion rang out.
A soft breeze enveloped .
“Aaaahhh!”
“It’s a terrorist attack!”
Could it be my followers?
Well, with ten thousand mbers in the clergy, it wouldn’t be too strange if at least one of them ca to save .
That was the thought that ran through my head—until a certain scent reached my nose.
Ironically, it was the scent of a forest.
A crisp, refreshing aroma that, the mont I inhaled it, seed to wash my mind clear.
I’d been to many forests in my life, but there were only two things in this world that could produce a fragrance this vivid even in the middle of a city.
The World Tree.
And the elves of the Great Forest.
I opened my eyes in confusion.
Amidst the panicked crowd, a figure was floating down on the wind like a fluttering leaf.
“Master!”
Was that honorific or informal speech?
Anyone listening might’ve thought my actual na was Master.
But that wasn’t important right now.
“...Miss Arpia?”
The mischievous flower, Arpia Lilianth.
This wasn’t so vision flashing before my eyes in the mont of death.
The elf’s signature forest scent, wafting through the air as she landed beside , left no room for doubt.
I wasn’t hallucinating.
And I wasn’t seeing the wrong person—she was wearing the laurel crown of the World Tree on her head.
It was Arpia. The one I knew.
I was dumbfounded.
“...Why is Miss Arpia here?”
“What do you an, why? You weren’t coming, so I ca looking for you. The spirits around here were trembling for so reason, so I figured sothing was up—and of course, it was you.”
I had no idea what she was talking about.
But at that mont, I had a sudden realization.
Maybe I was worse than I thought.
Because otherwise, why the hell was the entire world chasing after ?
Narsha.
Arpia.
Mirabel.
And now one person even went so far as to get locked up just to find .
Arpia must’ve gone through quite a struggle to track down. The dark circles under her eyes were proof of that.
And yet, she was smiling radiantly.
With an expression that said, "I finally caught this bastard."
Thanks to her, I was saved.
But—
“Step aside, elf! I don’t know why you’re interfering with the execution, but even an elf cannot break the laws of the Traul Kingdom without consequences! If necessary, we will subdue you by force!”
The cheerful, flower-like smile on Arpia’s face vanished in an instant, replaced by an icy chill.
“With force? You lot? Against ?”
“Urk...?!”
“If you want to capture , you’ll need more than just a city—you’ll need the whole damn kingdom.”
“Are you... declaring war?”
“No? I’m alone. This is just a personal excursion.”
She wasn’t bluffing.
Even a young elf who had just tad a spirit was treated as the equivalent of a mid-tier mage. And Arpia? She had a Servant—an existence above spirits. She was, without dispute, the strongest elf warrior.
This was the sa Arpia who had erased an entire rchant caravan with a single arrow. There was no way they could take her down.
“Wanna bet on who’s right? Of course, I won’t wager anything—placing a bet when the outco is obvious is just a scam.”
She must’ve really liked that line. She still rembered it and was using it now.
“Miss Arpia, I appreciate you saving , but let’s not escalate the situation any further. You are not my slave, so this is not an order—it’s a request.”
“They tried to kill you, and you want to let it slide?”
“The opponent is a noble. The head of House Brian, no less. Killing a noble will cause a lot of trouble.”
“Count Brian? So that guy is Narsha’s dad?”
“Yes, but... how do you know Narsha, Miss Arpia?”
“Because I was with her before coming here.”
“...?”
What the hell was she talking about?
Why was the missing Narsha with Arpia?
“So, he’s Narsha’s father, huh? I don’t particularly care, but since you asked not to, I suppose I have no choice.”
Arpia turned to Count Brian.
“If you’re looking for Narsha, go to Noktar. You’ll find her there.”
“My daughter is in Noktar? Are you certain?”
“Yup. Though, I doubt you’ll get the heartfelt reunion you’re imagining.”
“How am I supposed to believe that? Even if it’s true, I can’t let the Slave Reaper go! That man is a villain who takes children hostage to blackmail their parents!”
“Believe what you want. But if you try to harm him, I won’t hold back either. I only restrained myself because you’re Narsha’s father.”
Swish.
Arpia placed her hand on her bowstring.
Her hands were empty just a mont ago, yet now a shimring arrow of light rested against the string.
An elven technique.
A Spirit Arrow.
The knights surrounding us glanced at the count, awaiting orders. But he remained silent.
He had made his decision—fighting an elf was suicide.
“A wise choice.”
Arpia lowered her stance and turned to .
An invisible wind blade sliced through the ropes binding my wrists.
“For now, let’s get out of here, Master. Too many eyes on us to enjoy a proper reunion.”
“Hm...”
“What’s with that look? Don’t tell you don’t want to be alone with ? If it weren’t for , your ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) head would’ve been rolling on the ground by now.”
“As if.”
Damn. She caught that.
But honestly, I had no idea what she might try to pull.
She wasn’t this sharp before.
Had she grown more dangerous while I wasn’t looking?
Holding my hand tightly, Arpia rode the wind, carrying us swiftly out of the city.
We landed on a forest path nearby.
Even then, she didn’t let go.
And that bright, mischievous smile of hers showed no signs of fading.
She locked eyes with , unblinking.
“...I was too confused earlier to ask properly. How did you even know I was here?”
“She told . The Ice Princess... um, Asies, was it?”
“You t Miss Asies as well?”
“Yup. She’s in hibernation now, though.”
“...?”
What?
She’s not a damn bear. Why the hell is she hibernating?
We literally started this whole story by waking her up.
I had no idea what had happened while I wasn’t looking.
“You look confused. Alright, I’ll explain everything from the beginning.”
And with that, Arpia began her story.
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