I Became My Healer Elf Character - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: General Intuition
Hikari never expected that if she were reincarnated in another world she’d wake up next to two naked ladies, but here she was. Both of the women held onto her small frame tight.

“Good morning, Mistress.”

“Good morning, Master.”

“Good morning, you two. By the way, can you stop fondling me so early in the morning?”

The two retracted their roaming hands as the elf sat up. Never did she expect she’d go from being a regular girl to having two of girls cling to her. Now she felt strange and refused to address the elephant in the room right away.

Instead, she hopped out of bed and looked at the morning sunlight streaming through the window. The gentle waves of the sea rolled in smoothly in the morning. For a moment, the elf admired the view.

She had plans today of beginning to investigate the Thieves Guild. More importantly, she wanted to take care of the rat that had taken great care of Kai. However, she couldn’t go by herself because she didn’t want to leave the children behind. Hikari decided it was time to delegate.

The elf looked towards her dragon. “Will you investigate the Thieves Guild in this city?” Then she turned towards her vampire. “And you, will you investigate the leadership of this city?”

Clothes wrapped around Mizuko’s frame, and the maid knelt towards Hikari. “I can do that, Mistress, however…”

“I know. It’s likely that both of your investigations will come together. It seems that the corruption in this city runs deep.”

Kurayami put her own clothes on before kneeling towards Hikari. “Master, you need not ask when you want us to do something. We will handle it.”

“I do not wish for you two to be simple pawns. I would love if you had something else to look forward to.”

“Master, we have plenty to look forward to, especially nights like last night.”

“I don’t mean those kind of things!”

Mizuko chuckled at the silly elf. “We understand, Mistress.”

Hikari narrowed her eyes but didn’t speak further on the subject. She would take the kids out into the city and do her own scouting there, even if there was only so much she could learn on the surface.

She walked out of the room and was instantly greeted by the two children. Nona ran and hugged Hikari.

The elf patted her head and smiled. “Did you sleep well?”

“I slept great! I’ve never had such a soft bed before!”

Hikari turned towards the pink-haired goddess. “Did you have a hard time?”

Amelia shook her head. “No, these kids are quite well-behaved. They didn’t even fret from the bath. So, while you three were sinning, these kids were diligent.”

The elf felt her face heating up. She wondered how it was possible Amelia even knew.

“Don’t be so embarrassed, Master. This woman is only stating her jealousy.”

“I am not! Who would want to do something so vulgar? And, you should watch what you say in front of children.”

Kurayami tilted her head. “Aren’t you the one who brought it up?”

Now, it was Amelia’s face who became red. “Whatever,” she said, looking towards Hikari for salvation. “What are the plans today?”

“These two will perform an investigation, and I suppose, you and I will usher the kids around.”

“If there’s an investigation, what about me?” Kai asked. “If it’s me they won’t be able to guess anything wrong.”

“Brother, you can’t!”

“Don’t worry,” Hikari said, “I am also against it. You don’t need to live that life anymore. Instead, you should enjoy being a child.”

“Master, if that’s all, we would like to start.”

Hikari nodded to the dragon. “You two can go ahead. If you need to reach me, there is always the contract.”

///

In an office full of extravagance, a rat man paced around in circles. His two front teeth nibbled on the nails of his fingers, and occasionally, he pulled clumps of hair from his head.

It was at this moment that a noble in red walked in. The noblemen—Trent Fellow—wore the signature outfit of the Empire’s military commanders. The red suit had golden highlights and buttons. The shoulders were padded with golden threads hanging down, and a black cord wrapped around one of them.

Trent placated the rat man. “Doenel, why do you look so worried? Afraid I will bite you?”

The rat shook his head. “While that is certainly a scary prospect, something way worse has happened.”

Trent sighed and gestured to the luxurious couches. “Take a seat. I’ll have the maids prepare some tea to relax your nerves, and then you can explain your predicament.”

The rat followed the orders and sat on the couch as a maid arrived with elven tea leaves. It was rare that Doenel got these expensive leaves even if he was doing quite well himself. He took a whiff before taking the porcelain to his mouth. The tea served its purpose well, and the rat man released a deep sigh.

Trent nodded before taking a sip himself. “Discussions must be undertaken with the upmost composure, or else how could we talk rationally?”

“I always thought you were the type who liked to gut his enemies ruthlessly?”

Trent scoffed at the rat. “What a preposterous rumor. If I gutted all of my enemies, Amalin wouldn’t have such a stake in the world.”

“Well, you are the ace of the empire after all.”

The general shrugged. “So…What about your little predicament?”

Doenel gritted his teeth. “Well…Let’s just say, I might have bitten off more than I can chew.”

General Trent gave a knowing grin. “You want my protection then? Was it that those kids and girls were too much to handle?”

“How did you?”

“Don’t be stupid. You think the Thieves Guild are the only ones with information this city? Just as you have your connections, and that merchant has his, I also have mine. I know about your little fiasco, and I know about the death of that man. What was it again…Herald…Horrible?”

“It was Horace!”

Trent chuckled and took another sip of his tea. “That’s it!”

“Please don’t mess with me. My day’s been the worst you can imagine.”

“This is due to your own incompetency. Had you come to me in the first place, I could have done a preliminary investigation without arousing suspicion. Now, you’re caught in the enemy’s web and waiting for the spider to bite.”

The rat man sighed and slumped further into his seat. “Is there really nothing I can do? Is there nothing you can do?”

“Certainly, I can do something. If you’re able to live until the auction then I will be able to do something.”

“Are you serious? Tomorrow night?”

“I am serious. I think you can do it. For now, I will allow you to stay in my manor. How does that sound?”

“Fine…By the way, do you have any idea who those girls are?”

“I believe they’re someone I cannot even deal with in combat.”

“You can’t!? But you’re the Empire’s sword saint!”

Trent shrugged. “And as the sword saint, I have more knowledge in these matters than a little gutter rat. Wouldn’t you say so?”

“Then…”

Trent stopped the rat from continuing with his hand. “I cannot defeat the enemy through combat, but combat is not the only thing we humans have access to. You do know that in the age of gods, humanity played a huge role on the battlefields. Have you ever played chess?”

“Chess?”

“It’s a new game, but if you don’t know it, I suppose the analogy would be useless to you. Anyway, a queen and king are nothing without their pawns to advance and pave the way for them.”

“You’re right…I have no idea what you mean.”

“It means that the queen and king of a nation are nothing without the soldiers who protect them and the citizens they lead. Tell me, who do you think protects public order? And when there is an assassination on royalty? The king was supposed to have all of the power, but they fell anyway. Checkmate.”

The rat nodded slowly. “I think I understand, but how will you defeat them anyway?”

“Don’t be silly, Mister Doenel. A mortal cannot possibly hope to face the divine and come out unscathed.”

Doenel felt his skin crawl and his heartbeat rise. “What!? You just said…”

“Listen to me, rat. You messed up big time, so the restitution for your failure is going to be huge. That’s why you will pay your dues during this auction. The way we will win this war is by placating the enemy. Do you understand?”

The rat’s eyes widened. “Do you mean…”

“Exactly! We will make her an offer she can’t refuse.”

Doenel felt his heartbeat return to normalcy, but he couldn’t help but voice his concern. “And what if there’s nothing she wants. What if everything falls through?”

Trent grinned. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen because if that were the case…We’ll just have to offer your head on a silver platter.”