Chapter 187: OMAKE#13

I never thought I'd be thinking this or even saying this but… "Elves are troublesome!"

I barely stop myself from pulling on the hairs on my head and force myself back into some semblance of composure in the presence of a stranger.

Well, we've been working together day and night for the past three days and seen each other dried out – well, she's seen me dried out, she on the other hand seems to have an abundance of energy and always seems to be ready and able to keep going.

Hastra. 

Short and ever peppy. She smiles at me and quips, "Now isn't that such a terrible thing to say about your own race?"

It is. It sorely is. 

My head hangs defeated over a pile of paper, a white material I've slowly begun to build a hatred for right along with the sound of any door opening or closing.

In the three days Asher left me temporarily in charge all of a sudden – a thing that came as a shock to me given we'd just finished arguing about who should be the new Mayor of Aste and why it should be me – I have learned why he wished me good luck before he left.

Sitting here in this wide, comfortable chair I look back on my self three days in the past and sigh at the sheer naivety I held.

Sure, I'm good at paperwork and I can reasonable diffuse heated situations between people, I had lots of practice helping mother and Merlara back home but now…well, I realize that the people I had practice with, they lacked something fundamental.

And well, that was food. Yes, food and strength.

But the groups I'm stuck facing, dealing and addressing complaints with each and every day…it's a bit overwhelming and frankly, it feels like things are about to blow up.

"I know it's a crude thing for me to say, but it's the truth. A lot of these problems, these complaints. They're all being caused by the elves." 

In a strange twist, I begin to relate with the past Mayors of this city, well, except that I'm not human and don't think the elves are out to get me and all humans in a fit of paranoia.

I guess it also helps that the elves actually aren't out to get me, though, with the way things are going, I think I can see that changing.

"Which ones?" Hastra asks, looking through some paperwork herself, although, her job is a lot more…finance based.

Fortune or not, we've set aside a lot of expenditures, many of them set to be approved by Asher himself.

"Which ones?"

She nods and it clicks, Oh. You mean which elves."

If I were to be asked which set of elves were giving me the most headaches, I think it would be…

"The Elven North."

She chuckles, "Yeah, I figured."

I'm taken aback, "You figured?"

"No way you'd say it's your mother, would you?" She points out like it's the most obvious thing, not even bothering to look up from her calculations.

I feel a bit wounded at the prospect of suspected nepotism in my answer so I defend myself, "Maylin is giving just as much trouble as well, but its not like she can just abandon her ideals!"

Hastra looks up at me with a concerned look.

"Sorry," I mutter, realizing I'd been shouting, "I just really don't know what to do with her…actually, I really can't do anything."

Despite there still being raised tensions at my declaration on Asher's behalf that Elves are to be treated with rights and all the enslaved and oppressed elves should be free…there have still been many, many crimes against the elves.

In fact, it has seen an increase even. Because of that the Elven North has taken to…drastic measures.

Many humans have filed complaints or even just hired goons to attack elves in retaliation for 'sliced off scalps'. The Elven North was retaliating without much regard for the humans and they did so on the stance that they fought for Asher's crazy plan.

Not that any of them have even seen Asher yet.

Still, with all this rage, the Elven North and the humans are united to hate on another group within the city.

Maylin's group of elves. 

The thousand strong elves that are reportedly lounging on the outskirts of the city in camps and quite literally paying no mind to the city itself aside from the occasional missionary that comes through to speak with the elves in the North or the oppressed in the city proper, inviting them all to come and leave the Kingdom with Maylin.

But that's not the main reason why the North and the humans have a bone to pick with Maylin.

It's the fact that somehow, there's been leaked intel about Maylin and her group taking from the city's food reserved and even the treasury to sponsor their trip to 'nowhereland' – the name the entire city has come to call Maylin's unknown destination.

"Because it's all Asher's say so isn't it?" She says in a sing-song voice, almost humoured by my pain.

I groan and this time actually let my hands pull on my white locks. 

Hastra sighs, twirling her quill between her fingers as she walks up to the desk. She pulls my hands off my hair and pats it down, setting it right once more.

"Why not just call him? You're the only one in the city with access to him right now, plus, I hear many of the humans are raging about how they shouldn't be lead by an elf."

And yet, another problem.

Exhaling, I straighten up and pick up my quill and start going through the papers on the desk with renewed vigour.

"I can't. Not until it's really needed."

Hastra raises an eyebrow at this.

I don't say anything else so she leaves, heading back to her own work. But not before saying, "Just say you don't want to prove him right."

Right in that I'm not the one he wants for the job? Yes. Very hurtful, Hastra.