Chapter 329 - 301: Pure-blood Elf (2)

Chapter 329: Chapter 301: Pure-blood Elf (2)

The rest of the party watching from behind were also startled by that look.

The most devastating part was that she didn’t even say a word, just offered a detached glance.

Then, she furrowed her brow ever so slightly, as if afraid of soiling her eyes, before quickly averting her gaze to the dark night outside the window.

Gray’s back was to the party, so they couldn’t see the expression on his face.

However, they could clearly see his body stiffen.

His path, which had been a straight line toward the elf, began to veer off course.

Gray feigned nonchalance and veered to the side, eventually making a wide loop back to where he started.

Back in his seat, Gray was silent and stared blankly into space, as if he were sleepwalking.

After a long moment, he threw himself into Zelir’s arms.

"Waaaah... Am I really that ugly?"

Gray draped himself over Zelir’s shoulder, weeping dramatically.

It was the first time a woman had ever looked at him like he was garbage.

That single glance completely shattered the confidence Gray had built up from his time in the pleasure quarters.

"There, there. It’s alright. Don’t cry, don’t cry."

Zelir comforted him, patting his back gently.

Having seen the elf’s earlier glare, Marcus was still a little shaken.

It was an arrogance that seemed etched into her very bones.

"That’s way over the top..."

Even Hill, who prided himself on disliking interaction with strangers, was surprised.

"No! I won’t accept this!"

Gray suddenly lifted his head, his voice ringing with conviction.

"You’re up, Zelir! Go! Conquer that elf!"

"Huh...? She already looks at you with such disgust... I probably shouldn’t go stir the pot, right?"

Zelir declined politely. "Hitting on people isn’t really my thing. Besides, I have Bev."

"What’s there to be afraid of? You’re just making conversation. Besides, Bev isn’t here."

Gray was clearly not ready to give up.

"Maybe you’re more her type."

"This isn’t just about finding out about Valles’s homeland, it’s for the pride and glory of humanity!"

’Does he have to escalate it to that level?’ The corner of Zelir’s eye twitched.

But seeing Valles’s eagerness to learn about his homeland, and recalling how utterly Gray had been scorned, Zelir ultimately decided to give it a shot.

"Fine..."

He mimicked Gray, straightening his own clothes before picking up a glass of fruit wine and walking over.

As he walked, Zelir was even prepared to use his Enchanting Eyes.

As he drew near the elf, she turned her head once more.

Their gazes met.

Zelir’s heart clenched.

’Phew, good...’

This time, she didn’t have the same look she’d given Gray.

Instead, a flicker of interest spread through her clear eyes as her gaze swept over Zelir.

’There’s a chance!’

"Greetings, beautiful lady of the Elf Race."

Zelir stood before her.

"Might I have the pleasure of buying you a drink? I’ve always been fascinated by the culture of the Elf Race."

The air was still for a moment.

The elf didn’t speak right away, instead tilting her head slightly.

Silky, long hair cascaded down to her waist with the movement, her exquisitely perfect features looking almost dreamlike in the light.

Finally, she slowly set down her glass.

"Hah..."

It was an extremely faint scoff.

"’Beautiful lady... of the Elf Race?’"

Her voice was mellow, yet tinged with a cold indifference.

And the next four words left Zelir rooted to the spot.

"I am a man."

...?

Zelir’s eyes slowly widened.

The elf before him had waist-length hair and delicate features.

He looked for all the world like a woman, yet he was... a man?

’Damn it, are all elves this androgynous?’

"Human eyes are dull. It’s understandable you can’t even recognize a person’s gender."

The elf scoffed and shook his head gently.

"Still, the thought of being hit on as a woman... it’s really quite laughable."

"Er, I’m so sorry, I..." Zelir began, trying to salvage the situation.

"Shhh."

The elf raised a single finger, cutting Zelir off.

The flicker of interest in his eyes vanished, his gaze turning ice-cold as he looked past Zelir’s shoulder toward the other party members.

"I’ve noticed."

"At your table... there appears to be a Half-Elf, correct?"

Zelir glanced back at an uneasy Valles and nodded. "Yes."

"Hmph..."

The elf let out a contemptuous grunt.

"He’s my teammate, and he’s a good person. Besides, you’re both of the same kin..." Zelir started, trying to defend Valles.

But the elf cut him off once again.

"And here I thought I’d finally met a human who wasn’t an eyesore."

He sneered, shaking his head and leaning back to put some distance between them.

"But you’re a true disappointment. To think you’d associate with that filthy Half-Elf..."

"Same kin? You think he and I are the same? What an absolute joke."

"I can smell it on you now... the putrid stench of a Half-Elf mongrel..."

That did it.

His fists clenched.

The elf’s arrogant tone sent a surge of rage through Zelir.

He took a deep breath. If it weren’t for Valles’s request, Zelir would have taught this bastard a lesson right then and there.

He forced himself to calm down and tried to de-escalate the situation.

"I didn’t mean to bother you, we just wanted to—"

"I don’t care what you want. It has nothing to do with me. Stay away from me."

The elf cut Zelir off for a third time, his voice cold.

"I have no interest in any of you, because you are all, truly..."

"...pathetic."

...

"He’s gone too far!"

Zelir struggled as Marcus and Gray half-dragged, half-carried him back to his seat.

"Let me go! I’m going to teach him a lesson!"

"Brother Ze, just let it go."

Although they couldn’t hear the specifics of the conversation, they could see the situation spiraling out of control and had moved in to drag Zelir back.

"How can anyone be so damn punchable!"

Zelir downed a glass of wine in frustration. "His words are laced with pure venom!"

"I’m sorry..."

Valles said, his face full of apology.

"I didn’t realize he was a man... or that he’d be so difficult. I’m sorry you had to endure that insult."

"It’s not about being difficult, that guy is just completely full of himself!"

Zelir’s anger flared just thinking about the elf’s haughty expression.

"Going on about ’don’t come near me’ and ’stench’ and all that crap..."

"If he thinks he’s so high and mighty, what’s he doing in the human world? He should just crawl back to his precious forest and stay there."

"Want me to go slit his throat in his sleep?"

Hill asked with great interest. "He doesn’t look that strong."

Zelir downed another glass of fruit wine, and his anger subsided a bit.

The elf had a venomous tongue and a rotten personality, but it was just a verbal dispute.

It hadn’t escalated to the point of murder.

"Forget it...! Someone’s bound to teach a guy like that a harsh lesson eventually!"

"We might even run into him in the ruins."

Gray deeply sympathized with Zelir’s plight.

"With an attitude like that, I doubt he’ll team up with anyone... When the time comes, I’d really like to see if his skills match his attitude."

...

「The next morning.」

The crisp chirping of birds outside the window woke Zelir.

Sunlight streamed through the round window of the treehouse. Filtered through layers of leaves, it dappled the bedsheets in soft, shattered gold.

The comfortable accommodations at the Heart of Jade Wind had significantly improved the quality of Zelir’s sleep.

Pushing the previous night’s unpleasantness from his mind, he sat up lazily in the soft, large bed.

Two lines of ethereal text materialized before his eyes.

Spirit: 146 -> 147

Intelligence: 145 -> 146

’Looks like Heart Sleep did its work...’

’That’s an eight-point increase to my Attributes so far.’

’Not bad at all.’

After splashing his face with ice-cold spring water, Zelir’s gaze sharpened once more.

After washing up, he donned his Magic Robe.

He fastened his Longsword to his left hip and Night Peace to his right, then double-checked the supplies in his Storage Pouch.

’Good, everything is in order.’

Today was the day they would officially explore the ruins!