Vol 4. Chapter 48: Free-Riding

I... I... I'm not dead? I survived?

At the edge of the Black Rose Family's camp, Audom stared at the people coming and going through the camp, as well as the elven attendants who had returned to his side behind him and looked exceptionally exhausted.

For a moment, Audom felt as though an entire lifetime had passed. He couldn't help raising a hand and pinching his own cheek hard to clear his head.

And, while he was at it, to confirm that everything before his eyes wasn't a dream. He really had walked out of the garden and hadn't been locked away in some pitch-black, gloomy dungeon.

"They really... really didn't kill me..."

With complicated feelings churning inside him, Audom looked toward the garden not far away.

Everything that had just happened replayed scene by scene in his mind...

--

Although after the Holy Sword went berserk, he had promptly shifted the blame onto Xiao, thus avoiding the tragic fate of being crushed into meat paste on the spot by that black-haired girl...

When Audom saw Xiao's consummate acting, so convincing that it could pass for the truth, he immediately had a terrible feeling.

After all, as far as he was concerned, if Xiao successfully fooled that black-haired girl, then afterward, he would undoubtedly die...

Enmmm, though he felt like even if Xiao failed to fool her, he would probably still die...

But regardless, watching Xiao spew utter nonsense, Audom naturally wanted to shout:

"That bastard is talking complete bullshit!"

However, at some point, Xiao's demonic spear had secretly shrunk and floated behind him, forcibly using its tremendous spiritual power to suppress his urge to speak. Audom could only helplessly watch as that bastard Xiao fooled the black-haired girl step by step...

At that moment,

Audom became certain that the unbelievable conjecture that had originally appeared in his mind was correct.

The true mastermind behind the Black Rose Family... really was a cute and harmless existence... even though she was an Abyss Demon.

Instantly,

Audom was overwhelmed with regret.

If, when he had first met that black-haired girl inside the tree hollow, he had mustered up his courage and told her everything the Black Rose Family had done, then perhaps the current situation would have been completely different.

Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.

And so,

the despairing Audom could only kneel on one knee, utterly resigned to his fate.

Even after Lady Yumo allowed him to leave, Audom remained uneasy.

And when Xiao left the garden and came over to him, a chill ran down Audom's spine and his heart nearly stopped. Countless invisible black claws seemed to wrap tightly around his body, dragging him down into the abyss of terror.

However,

just as the elven prince felt that his 'days were numbered,'

something completely unexpected happened.

That terrifying, vindictive, petty Black Rose Duke actually let him go?!

Xiao didn't pursue the matter of Audom 'selling out his teammate' just now. Instead, with an indifferent expression, he personally escorted Audom all the way to the outskirts of the Black Rose Family's camp.

The only thing Xiao did along the way was give him a warning.

None of the threats or coercion Audom had imagined ever appeared?

Back then,

after enduring the Black Rose Family's bullying for a long time, his elder brother had once tried to charge out of the Elven Forest and lodge a complaint with the emperor of the Sadik Empire. After Xiao learned about it, his elder brother was, without another word, tied up like a dumpling together with the Dragon Race's loli queen... and invited to the Black Rose Family for tea...

Audom could still vividly remember the miserable, barely lucid state his brother had been in after returning.

And compared to his brother, he had actually fucking lodged a complaint for real! He had complained right in front of the mastermind behind the Black Rose Family! Logically speaking, even if Xiao didn't tear him limb from limb, shouldn't he at least skin him alive and pull out his tendons? Yet in the end, Xiao had actually let him leave completely unharmed?

Thinking about this, Audom's face filled with confusion. His handsome features even became somewhat distorted and bizarre from his extreme bewilderment and unease.

Just then, seemingly seeing through Audom's thoughts, Xiao gave the elven prince beside him an irritated glance:

"You don't need to be so nervous. As long as you keep your mouth shut from now on, we won't do anything to you."

"Huh? Re... really?"

Hearing this, Audom's brows abruptly furrowed. He turned toward Xiao in disbelief:

"Wh... why? Shouldn't you..."

"Shouldn't I kill you and all those attendants of yours?"

"Y-Yes."

"Well, you guessed pretty accurately."

After receiving Xiao's affirmative answer, Audom abruptly clenched his fists. Mana surged through his body as he assumed a guarded stance. Although he knew there was no way he could possibly defeat Xiao, who was at the Peak Eighth Tier, Audom had no intention of simply waiting for death.

"You! You! What... what are you trying to do?!"

However, Audom's behavior only made Xiao let out a derisive chuckle.

"Heh... hehe, why are you so nervous, Your Highness? If I wanted to do something to you, you'd have been gone long ago."

"Then... th-then why aren't you doing anything?"

"Hehe, it's simple. Lady Yumo wouldn't let me."

As he spoke,

under Audom's utterly baffled gaze, Xiao shoved both hands into his pockets and completely ignored the elven prince, who was poised for a desperate fight to the death. He simply walked straight toward the main entrance of the camp in the distance.

"You only need to know one thing. As long as you don't go looking for death, the Elves can continue living peacefully in the Elven Forest forever. Oh, right... Lady Yumo asked me to tell you something."

"Hm? That lady?"

Audom froze, revealing an utterly bewildered expression.

"Wh-What did that lady say?"

"Lady Yumo said that, in gratitude for the selfless and generous contributions the Elves have made over all these years, if you encounter any problems in the future, you can come directly to Lady Yumo. If it's within her ability, she'll help you solve them..."

As he spoke, Xiao glanced back with a somewhat complicated expression.

Then,

surrounded by a burst of gray-white light, he vanished without a trace right before Audom's eyes, leaving the elven prince even more confused...

--

Back to the present.

Although Audom was utterly baffled by what had just happened, there was one thing he could be certain of.

He had successfully survived!

He no longer needed to worry about the Black Rose Family tearing him limb from limb!

At that thought,

Audom's heart was instantly engulfed by the wild joy of surviving a catastrophe. If he didn't still need to maintain the refined image of an elven prince in front of his attendants, Audom practically had the urge to start dancing on the spot.

However, before Audom could remain excited for long,

a dragon-horned girl with a disgusted expression appeared behind him at some unknown point, materializing like a ghost.

"What are you smiling about, Your Highness?"

The girl coldly blew a breath against the back of Audom's neck.

A chill instantly shot down his spine, and his entire body shuddered. He hurriedly turned around and looked at the black-haired dragon girl behind him:

"Miss Xizhi, why are you... h-here?"

Audom's voice trembled.

He even involuntarily backed away several steps.

Audom had an enormous psychological shadow when it came to Xizhi. After all, every time his elder brother courted death by resisting the Black Rose Family, Xiao personally dealt with his brother.

And who was Audom's sparring partner?

Almost every single time, it was this dragon-horned girl...

Remembering the scenes of himself being kneaded into a ball and smacked back and forth by her, Audom couldn't help swallowing.

"Um... is there something you need?"

"Nothing much. Lord Xiao wants to place an order with you."

"Huh? Wh-What? What order?"

"Memory Fiber. Enough to weave seven sets of clothes."

"What?!! Memory Fiber?! And fucking enough for seven sets?!"

Audom couldn't stop himself from crying out.

Are you fucking robbing us?!!!

the elven prince roared internally.

Fuck!! After being exploited by your Black Rose Family for so long, the entire Elven Race barely has any Memory Fiber left! And now you want enough for seven sets all at once?! Aren't you basically asking us to empty out our reserves?!

Besides,

considering the Black Rose Family's usual habit of taking everything for free without even bothering to say 'we'll definitely pay next time,' Audom couldn't help worrying about the Elves' finances.

Memory Fiber wasn't merely rare, it was also absurdly expensive! The amount of Memory Fiber required to make one set of clothes was basically worth an entire fully armed fortress, okay?!

And now you suddenly want enough material for seven sets of clothes?! Isn't that way too much?!'

Don't even fucking think about it!!

Audom roared internally.

Of course,

although he was already becoming somewhat hysterical inside, Audom still maintained a forced smile on the surface. Facing Xizhi, Audom didn't dare voice a single one of his inner thoughts, terrified that the dragon-horned girl before him would grab him and give him another thorough beating.

"Um... c-could you... maybe make... make a little less? Right now, we... we might not have that much..."

Audom stammered while frantically racking his brain for a suitable excuse.

Faced with Audom like this, Xizhi unceremoniously rolled her eyes at him.

"I know what you're thinking. It's just about money, isn't it? We'll pay this time."

?!!

"Huh? Y-You... Miss Xizhi? What did you just say?"

Audom rubbed his ears and stared at the dragon-horned girl in disbelief.

These guys, who always took everything for free?

What did she just say?

"You said... you'll p-pay?"

"Yes. Lady Yumo said we can't take advantage of you."

With that,

Xizhi slowly raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

Upon receiving their superior's command, dozens of tall, muscular Black Rose Family warriors came over carrying chest after chest filled with Origin Stone Coins and placed them before Audom.

Under Audom's dumbfounded gaze, the chests piled higher and higher until they formed a small mountain towering before him.

Casting a disdainful glance at the stunned Audom, Xizhi folded her arms across her chest and sneered:

"Seventy million Origin Stone Coins in total. That's enough, right, Prince Audom?"

"Enough... en... enough."

Looking at the chests piled before him, Audom simply froze in place.

Faintly,

tears even appeared in the corners of the elven prince's eyes as he clenched his fists in emotion and excitement.

Of course,

the Elves had always been extraordinarily wealthy. As one of their princes, Audom had seen more mountains of gold and silver than he could count. Naturally, a few dozen chests of money weren't enough to excite him.

The reason his reaction was so intense was because, at this moment, for the first time in decades, these freeloading monsters from the Black Rose Family had actually paid the Elves during a transaction...

For the first time,

Audom felt a sense of equality.

After enduring decades of humiliation and frustration, Audom suddenly felt like crying tears of joy.

Could it be...

"From now on... can we finally deal with those beasts from the Black Rose Family... as equals?"

At that moment, when he thought of the black-haired girl who had issued these orders to the Black Rose Family, Audom couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

"Thank you, Miss Yumo..."

Sure enough,

that young lady really was a good person...

She actually cared about us this much.

While marveling that the Elves finally had hope of overthrowing their oppression, Audom excitedly stroked the chests before him.

However, as he continued touching them, the elven prince suddenly furrowed his brows again and slowly picked up one of the Origin Stone Coins.

Staring at the crystal-clear Origin Stone Coin, Audom abruptly froze.

Hm??

Wait?

Why does this Origin Stone Coin... look so familiar?

This serial number?

Isn't... isn't this from before? The compensation my brother... ahem! Isn't this from that batch of Origin Stone Coins my brother previously 'sponsored' to the Black Rose Family?

Which means...

Slowly raising his head, Audom looked toward the dragon-horned girl wearing a deeply meaningful smile.

The corner of his eye began twitching.

Th-These... these guys?

They're using our money?

To buy... buy our goods?

Fuck you!

Isn't this still fucking free-riding?!!