CH 28

The city of Profin in the Northern region was suited for vikings. The only big building was a large castle-like structure afar, and the rest were either small or close-shut to reduce incoming wind as much as possible.

“I’ve never been here before, either.”

Arje looked around as she got off the ship. It was not weird how fascinated she was at the new scenery, even though she had visited many cities as a royalty.

“Come to the bar when you are done. We will be there all night and day.”

Mary took the sailors and went towards a saloon with a giant beer sign in front of the building.

“Aris, so are you meeting anyone here? Are they also a rabbitman?”

Arje got excited thinking that she could meet another rabbitman.

“No, they are not a rabbitman. They are human, just like you.”

“I see…”

Arje’s lost enthusiasm after hearing that she would not meet another rabbitman.

“Don’t be so disappointed. The person we will meet is a very important one.”

I headed to the temple of ice with Arje. Think about it, there was the temple of sun in Helos, and temple of Ice here. One could say that I was a missionary going to all the temples in the world.

“Why are temples built at high altitudes?”

Arje complained while climbing. It was because of the rugged, snowy path that was made on a steep slope. Arje was walking up almost on all fours.

“To be closer to god?”

Arje froze at the spot.

“Aris! Since when did you have such a religious perspective?”

“Didn’t you know, Arje? I’m a bunny who has met the god of sun.”

Well, the god of bunnies to be exact.

“Anyways, aren’t you getting tired, Aris?”

Unlike Arje, I was fine and was walking easily. I didn’t even sweat because it was cold.

“Is it because you are a royalty? You should exercise more.”

“I am doing my best!”

Laughing from her reaction, I then noticed the people in front of us.

“Arje.”

“That’s true. Should we go back?”

Arje turned around, thinking that there was  away back. I tried to tell her that there is no other route.

“Aris, we are trapped.”

When I turned around, I saw new elves behind us who were chuckling.

“What the?”

When I looked towards the front squinting, I saw that the elves who were talking in front of us were coming our way.

“Oh my, I didn’t imagine that she would have people all the way in the North.”

Arje had a nervous voice. I also did not expect her subordinates to have followed us all the way here, either.

“What an interesting combination in the North…a bunny and a woman in a mask.”

One of the elves in front of us crackled after looking at us from head to toe.

“Go away. Your leader is long gone.”

Arje frightened the elves. They should know how strong their leader was, so Arje predicted that they would either panic or run away from hearing that we killed her.

“What? Our captain is dead?”

The elves only laughed, and were doubious. Of course they should be.

“It’s true. You can go ahead and check her buried deep into the ocean near Helos.”

Arje said confidently, but the elves laughed even louder.

Arje became furious after the laughter hurt her pride, but it was no use.

“Arje, I think something is odd.”

Their reaction showed that they truly didn’t believe that their captain or whatever had died.

“Hey, the captain who drank with us all last night must have been a ghost!”

“Yeah, and apparently the captain swam all the way to Helos overnight and then died!”

They seemed to be talking about a different elf than the one we were talking about.

“What’s that? Don’t tell me they are a different elf gang!”

Arje was in disbelief.

“What is it with our luck with elves that keeps us getting involved with them?”

Our bad luck with elves continued to the point where I started to worry that Arje, who is all about embracing heterogeneous races, would oppress the elves with zero tolerance if she were to become the emperor.

“Yeah, nice try.”

One of the elves on the front who managed to stop laughing let out his hand.

“What is it?”

Arje looked over at his palms while sighing.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know.”

Unlike Arje, I figured out what it meant rightaway, but I still didn’t want to do as they wished.

“Okay, fine.”

I let my hand out and shook his hand.

“What are you doing?”

The elf who ended up shaking hands with me looked at me with absurdity.

“Didn’t you mean to shake my hand?”

I pretended to be clueless, and my ears even flapped along.

“That’s cute. Should we take it and raise it as our pet?”

“If you don’t, then hand over your clothes and sword.”

The elves, both male and female, started to laugh again. Taking off our clothes in this cold would mean that we freeze to death. They were so cruel.

“You unscrupulous bastards!”

Arje made white sparks in her palms after having enough.

“It’s a sorceress!”

The elves took our the weapons after screaming.

“Shit.”

The elf who was shaking hands with me tried to let go, but couldn’t because of my tight grip.

“What the?”

The elf’s face was full of panic. And his grip was as weak.

“Ahh!”

I saw the chance to pull his arm towards me, and I originally planned to press down on his neck with my knees to make hostage, but he was too tall. I had to first kick him in the calves to make it eye-level.

“All stop! If you don’t, he will die!”

I used my rapier and put it against the hostage’s neck.

“Kehk..kh…”

The elf tried to get out, but he was totally seized by my strength.

“If you want to fight, do as you please. But as you can see, we are strong enough not to be outpowered by sheer numbers.”

The elves couldn’t do anything.

“So, can you move out now? We need to get to the temple ahead.”

The elves slowly opened up a path.

“Arje, you should stop, too. Things might get complicated if you make a mess here.”

Although there was a low chance, if her identity were to be revealed, it would become an international affair. She was in a different territory than her own.

“All right. I really wanted to burn them all.”

Arje canceled her magic, since she knew what I was talking about.

“You guys are pirates, but bandits of the mountain. Return to the sea.”

After passing through, I threw the hostage to the other elves downhill.

“Uhhhh!”

Bang!

The elves all tumbled. Since the slope was steep, one of them even rolled down. They should be occupied for a while.

“Let’s go.”

I was about to head further up with Arje.

Clap, clap, clap.

I heard an applause from somewhere. The sound felt even louder, maybe from the echo on the mountain?

“Who’s there?”

I looked around, and found out the source. It was behind a rock aheda.

“Is it another elf?”

Arje was sick of them.

“I’m disappointed that you treat me as one of those eary folks.”

It was a man’s voice coming from behind the rock. I thought it was Banu at first, from the cockiness in the voice, but this one was even worse. It sounded as rude as a mobster.

“Reveal yourself now.”

“Fine, okay. What a temper you got there, lady.”

The man showed himself from Arje’s comment.

“I observed from below. Your skills are quite wild.”

The man looked exactly like a gangster as his voice. A little handsome, too. His tan skin and blonde hair was not suited for Profin, but he was wearing a sky blue robe that the priests of the ice temple wear.