CH 20

Taeri stood still and looked up at the sign on the abandoned house across the street from the hotel.

[Ezreal’s Clinic]

Never did she expect to see something like this. The reason she never looked closely despite passing by it several times was because, as Bridget put it, she couldn’t fathom it being a place where people could live.

She thought, ‘What could be tangled up in a place that could collapse at any moment?’ But now, there was a line of people waiting outside the entrance.

Amidst the murmurs of people saying they’ve never seen an elf in their entire lives, Taeri propped up her magpie feet and peered inside as people gradually made way, allowing her to catch a glimpse of the interior of the clinic.

The first thing that captured her gaze was the long hair that swayed as if gathered strands of silver thread.

Wearing a shabby gown, with a long pipe emitting smoke held to their lips, the beautiful elf sat there, looking at patients with a somber and languid expression. Every time their dense eyelashes blinked, there was a stifled gasp from the surroundings.

‘Was the elf really this debauched…?’

She had expected it, but to see it firsthand was something else. It was the same individual she encountered in the forest on the first day of possession. The only difference was that on that day, he looked like a half-dead zombie covered in blood, whereas now, he resembled a sensual piece of fountain sculpture.

She had never imagined that their hair would be so shimmering silver.

“Did your flesh got ripped off by fangs.”

“Well, I got injured while fighting with kobolds1mythical creatures typically described as small, impish humanoid creatures, known for their mischievous nature and skill in mining and craftsmanship……”

“So you just stood there and let them attack you? I can’t understand how human beings can be so defenseless against being torn apart by kobolds.”

The tone was disdainful, as if looking down on a pathetic weakling who got injured while dealing with just a few kobolds. It was enough to put Taeri in a bad mood, but what made her lose herself and listen attentively was the incredibly beautiful pronunciation. The rough manner of speaking didn’t bother her at all. It was a voice that perfectly suited a born elf.

After roughly examining the wound, he made a few attempts to apply ointment, hesitated as if thinking, ‘This isn’t it, is it?’ Then, with a frustrated ‘Ah,’ he exerted his own power and forcibly healed the wound.

With the incomprehensible language of the elf, their skin immediately tingled, and the sunken flesh filled out.

“Ouch!”

“I amplified your regenerative abilities. The bleeding will stop right away, and new flesh will grow. Normally, when you guys eat something that doesn’t agree with your stomachs, you experience temporary pain, which we call ‘recovery pain.'”

The treatment was absurd yet at the same time effective and unbelievable, but she was completely cured.

Before the patient could fully recover, he promptly demanded payment.

“It’s 9.99 silver.”

At that moment, Tae-ri thought, ‘He knows a thing or two about human society, huh?’

When you say 9.99 instead of 10, the human brain foolishly thinks, ‘Oh, it’s cheap? It’s affordable?’ That’s why.

The elf collected the money and turned his head to find the next patient, and in that fleeting moment, Taeri’s gaze met his directly. He didn’t show any signs of recognition, making her wonder if he didn’t remember her, but he untied his gown and approached her swiftly, like a fierce beast with no hurry.

Then, without saying a word, he looked down at her, and her neck turned cold as she saw his eerie eyes, with shades of blue and green blending mysteriously.

“Today, you’re the last patient. The rest can leave. Only you may come in.”

Me…?

Wait, hold on. This isn’t right. Taeri quickly looked around, surveying the people, but unable to withstand the elf’s cold gaze, those who seemed ready to protest were pushed aside and retreated like running water.

As people left one by one, leaving her alone, the presence of the elf became more pronounced.

“Ah, it’s not like I came here because I’m in pain, so I can just go….”

Speaking hesitantly, Taeri hurriedly contemplated how to escape. Based on her prior knowledge, this guy wasn’t a normal character.

He helped the protagonist in times of crisis, but he couldn’t be considered an ally. In fact, he had even attempted to kill her several times. There was no reason for his attempts, he simply didn’t like her.

In short, he had the appearance of an angel but lacked morals and common sense—a psycho.

In the original work, he appeared out of nowhere, popping up here and there without any mention of where he resided. But she never expected him to drive a stake right across the street from her hotel.

“Sorry, but I just came here, so I’ll be going―”

Before she could finish her sentence, a dangerous motion of a large arm passing just above her head, towering over her, made her feel the danger. She couldn’t utter a word properly. The door closed, and the latch that had been loose fell with a thud.

“It fell again.”

If there were intact parts in a building about to be demolished, that would be even stranger, so even the slightest impact of opening and closing the door caused the latch to fall off.

The elf kicked it with his artistic foot and disappeared without a word, only to reappear a moment later with a hammer in his hand and a nail in his mouth.

He roughly lifted his wavy hair with a long hairpin and tapped it a few times, producing a ‘thud thud’ sound.

“Ah, it’s tiring.”

Standing there in a tense state, it was absurd how he threw away the complaints he had made about it being difficult after a few failed attempts and just went inside.

What’s that?

Should I follow him because he asked me to, or not because I don’t have any business?

Taeri observed the situation and instead picked up the hammer. It didn’t go in because he didn’t align it horizontally. She pulled out the poorly placed nail, fixed it properly, and then cautiously looked around, rolling her eyes.

The interior was completely disorganized, and apart from a few pieces of clothing and neatly arranged bows and quivers, there wasn’t much to call belongings.

She wondered if he really lived here, but he appeared suddenly again, leaning lazily against a moldy pillar, and asked.

“Did you fix it properly?”

Starting a conversation without any context, Taeri also replied without any context.

“Yeah, I did.”

When she last saw him, he had suffered a serious injury. She knew he wouldn’t die from it, but she predicted that it would take quite a long time for him to be up and about again. However, the appearance of the elf came much earlier than she had expected.

“I almost died, you know. Why did you come to visit me? Did you think I would still be trembling in fear? You should have brought some delicious food to satisfy my appetite. Isn’t that how humans usually visit the sick?”

“No, it’s not.”

He seemed to have studied the human world thoroughly before coming here, but he learned crooked things on his own.

It seems like he did study the human world thoroughly before coming here, but he learned crooked things on his own.

Taeri slightly furrowed her brows, recalling the excessive aggressiveness and violence she had witnessed from him in the forest. He always picked fights at the slightest provocation, even with his bloody armor on, and she had been concerned that he might get himself killed in the midst of it all.

As if he could read her expression, he grinned, tearing the corner of his lips.

“Do you really think you saved me?”

“A little bit.”

“I wouldn’t have died even if you had ignored me. That day, there were just two hunters in the same place, you and me.”

“Just because there were two hunters doesn’t mean we become allies. But I did save you that day. It was my hunting ground too.”

Since he was a lunatic who could do anything, it wouldn’t hurt to have one debt cleared, so she emphasized that point, causing the beautiful line of his jaw to twitch.

“Yeah, well, I admit I lacked self-restraint back then. I was excited after being ambushed. I can acknowledge that I’m more of a helper than a savior.”

Fortunately, he seemed to be more composed and sociable than when they first met, so she let out a sigh of relief. Judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to initiate the conversation first, so Taeri cautiously spoke up.

“Why did you come here?”

Elves are a race that appears as companions to the protagonist, joining the party only when needed. They rarely appear in villages and generally do not interact with other races, as they prefer to live separately.

So why?

As her innocent question was asked, his pretty lips seemed to stretch, but then a chilly voice interjected.

“I think there’s a human who needs to be caught and taught a lesson hiding here. Are you the protagonist of the urban legend circulating right now? The princess.”

“……How did you know I’m the princess?”

“Are you stupid? Elves have keen hearing. We can hear even the slightest sounds to an exhausting extent. And on top of that, you humans talk a lot.”

So, is he here because of me? What did I do wrong?

The combination of his casually leaning posture and the loose fit of his robe slipping off one shoulder, combined with the elf’s beauty, created a fatal allure. However, the emotion Taeri felt in that moment was only a sense of threat.

She felt like cold sweat would trickle down her back once again. Instead of answering, she first surveyed her surroundings and confirmed the location of the bow he had left behind.

The main weapon of the elf. If that guy gets hold of it…

‘My magic range is shorter.’

The saying about inheriting talents was no exaggeration. Her magical abilities had grown by leaps and bounds during this time. However, honestly speaking, she didn’t have the confidence to win in a fight against a high elf wielding a bow without any weapon in her hands.

“Don’t touch that. Just answer my questions well. I’m not interested unless it concerns me, but right now, you have piqued my interest.”

He smirked as if he knew something, trying to explain, but instead of feeling relieved, her unease only intensified. That statement meant that he could take action if she didn’t answer properly.

How should she defeat this handsome psycho? Taeri composed herself and spoke as coldly and rationally as possible.

“If you’re looking for a princess, it’s not me, and if you’re looking for the protagonist of an urban legend, that’s not me either. It’s true that I’ve gained some popularity recently, but I haven’t done anything deserving of being labeled an urban legend.”

“So, our encounter in the forest was a coincidence then?”

“It’s not a coincidence, it’s a horror story.”

She wondered if he could understand the frustration of an ordinary person who had been summoned to the otherworld after playing a game all night. Unable to tell him the truth, she went straight to the point.

“Just ask me what you want to know, I’m not going to lie to you.”