Love Letter From The Future

Chapter 370: Bread and Dagger (68)

When simply restraining Elsie should have been the priority, she’s volunteering to go as well?

Anyone would agree this was completely out of character for Delphine.

By now, Elsie was no longer just stunned—her gaze turned suspicious.

However, Delphine’s expression remained as composed as ever. Sitting upright, she sipped her wine without the slightest hesitation in her movements.

It was a gesture that made clear her proposal was entirely genuine and without a shred of deceit.

Finally, Elsie hesitated, then cautiously asked Delphine,

“Y-You... by any chance, is that rumor true?”

“What rumor?”

At Delphine’s feigned ignorance, Elsie grew even more anxious.

Her voice naturally rose.

“Th-The rumor about you and the Master being in some weird relationship! Is that why you’re trying so hard to save him, even going this far?!”

“Hmph, what nonsense is this now...”

But Delphine merely gave a snort of disbelief.

She continued in her slightly tipsy voice..

“Could you drop that petty jealousy already? It’s not like you even have any proof.”

“I smelled Master’s scent on your bed!”

When Elsie cried out while stomping her feet, Delphine’s body abruptly stiffened.

His scent, she says?

Naturally, the bedding was washed daily. Even the sheets, soaked in all sorts of fluids from that day, had been thoroughly cleaned. Yet she was claiming Ian’s scent was there? What on earth is she talking about?

However, Delphine’s momentary unease was fleeting.

Letting out a deep sigh, Delphine pressed a hand to her forehead, casting Elsie a mildly disdainful look .

“Rinella... you’re truly hopeless, aren’t you? Are you seriously going around sniffing other people’s bedding now?”

Now it was Elsie’s turn to freeze.

‘Ahck—’ she gasped, stiffening like a startled cat.

It didn’t take long for the startled girl to spring to her feet.

“N-no! I didn’t sniff on purpose—there was this familiar scent all of a sudden... so I just kinda zoned out for a second, that’s all! I swear, it wasn’t intentional!”

“Alright, alright... But, you see, I’m not too keen on letting a pervert linger in my room. So why don’t you get going now?”

Elsie babbled excuses for a while, but Delphine only returned a look of cold disdain. In the end, Elsie had no choice but to leave with her cheeks burning in shame.

Though not without securing a firm promise to go and rescue Ian.

Once she was alone, Delphine finally rose and sank into her bed.

She didn’t even know why she was acting like this.

With the Marquis Yurdina now in frail condition, she herself served as the pillar of the family. She couldn’t afford to leave her post on a whim—let alone taking risks.

And yet, why?

Could it be that I had actually grown fond of that man?

Telling herself it was ridiculous, Delphine gave a bitter smile and yet, she still found herself pressing her nose against the covers.

She couldn’t pick up Ian’s scent.

“...Seriously, what a pathetic bitch I am.”

In the silence of the room, only her quiet lament faintly lingered.

As Delphine drifted off to sleep, her expression reflected faint emotions.

Regret, longing.

No one could discern her true feelings, not even herself.

Then a few days later...

Just as Delphine and Elsie finished preparing to leave with a small force, an unexpected visitor appeared.

“I want to go as well.”

It was a woman with red hair—Emma.

As she spoke, her gaze shone with unmistakable resolve..

“I have to see Ian for myself.”

And so, the ‘Ian Rescue Party’ was formed.

***At my suggestion, the elves maintained their silence.

This was a hidden refuge located somewhere deep within the coniferous forest. As it turned out, the elves had prepared a secret safehouse, known to no one but themselves.

Supposedly, it was a precautionary measure for emergencies.

They said that, apart from the village elves, no one knew its location. Not even I knew of its existence, leaving no doubt about its security.

Still, I couldn’t help but wear a slightly disappointed expression.

At some point, Ruget—his face now plastered with bandages—gave me an awkward smile. And as if trying to console me, he said,

“Ian, you know, right? It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, it’s just that I never got the chance....”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hey, are you seriously going to do this?!”

Following that bout of bickering, we came to the present.

Having gathered the elves, I got straight to the point.

I wanted to go to the ‘Headquarters’, the place where Leoric and the elves’ core forces resided.

Naturally, the elves were skeptical.

“You think Headquarters will accept a human? Especially when you’ve got, what’s the term... a noble title? Ennoblement? You’re apparently famous enough to have something like that lined up.”

That was Ruget’s opinion.

It was a valid argument, so I pursed my lips and nodded silently.

“Human, do you really have to go to Headquarters? Let’s just build a new village here and live peacefully... Look, there are plenty of trees around us!”

Isha’s plea came next.

After watching her village burn and barely escaping with her life, she was deeply disheartened. Her desperate desire to avoid further risks or incidents was painfully clear.

I couldn’t say I didn’t understand her feelings.

So, once again, I remained silent.

After that, from Uncle Dolph to Aunt Miera, most of the village elves voiced their opposition. A few even seemed afraid of losing me, one of the village’s key defenders.

Finally, it was Elder Poff’s turn to speak.

Only then did I hear what I’d been waiting to hear.

“Why do you want to go?”

It was a blunt and straightforward question.

The defiant tone in his voice caused several elves to glance nervously between him and me. It was a scene that reflected just how much my position had shifted.

Originally, the elves didn’t pay me much attention.

To them, I was simply a competent outsider who wandered into the village and adapted well enough to earn their approval. But in just a few hours, my status underwent a dramatic change.

I was now the village’s benefactor and sole protector.

Without me, they couldn’t hope to fend off another human invasion.

But Elder Poff remained the same, paying no attention to my mood whatsoever.

In fact, he pressed me in that blunt manner of his.

“You do understand how dangerous Headquarters is, right? And that, without you here, the villagers will feel uneasy... So, do you have a pressing reason to head to headquarters right now?”

“...Senior Neris.”

Instead of answering directly, I called for Senior Neris.

She responded with a polite bow and then a crow fluttered up onto her shoulder as she stood just behind me.

The elves looked at the crow in puzzlement.

Why is there a crow all of a sudden?

Sensing their curiosity, Senior Neris offered an explanation.

“This crow is a type of familiar. It has the ability to record what it sees and hears and relay it to its master. Beyond that, the specifics are classified by Imperial Intelligence...”

With a sharp snap, Senior Neris flicked her fingers, producing a crisp sound.

In response, the crow let out a caw. Its jet-black eyes glimmered with a blue light, then began projecting an image into the empty air.

At first, the elves were mesmerized by this strange new technology they had never witnessed before.

But as the footage continued, their expressions grew grim, and in the end, most of them either swallowed anxiously or stared with mistrust in their eyes.

Among them, the one who reacted most vehemently was Elder Poff.

“It’s clearly fabricated! Do you honestly believe what this woman says?! She’s an agent from the Empire, after all!”

“Strictly speaking, I’m also affiliated with the Empire... Elder Poff.”

I spoke in a voice tinged with a sigh.

“To put it bluntly, the elves here wouldn’t be much help in combat. There’s no reason for Senior Neris to deceive us.”

“Not us, but maybe she’s deceiving you...!”

“I trust Senior Neris. She’s one of the few people I can truly rely on.”

My words carried a firm conviction.

Faced with my resolute tone, Elder Poff ultimately fell silent. He cast a conflicted gaze back and forth between the floating projection and Senior Neris.

For her part, Senior Neris blushed, as though flustered by my show of trust.

Turmoil flashed across his face.

Elder Poff was a fervent believer. Even armed with logic and evidence, there was no telling if he’d be convinced.

After all, religion wasn’t a realm of reason but of faith.

Inwardly, I expected Elder Poff’s resistance might drag on a while longer.

As if proving my point, he glared at me, his face full of suppressed emotion, eyes brimming with defiant resistance as if to say, ‘What could you possibly understand?’

But even that was fleeting.

Elder Poff’s gaze, which had been locked with mine, simply dropped.

He knew as well.

I saved the village, even at the cost of turning my back on my own kind. There was no reason for me to lie.

A weary sigh slipped from Elder Poff’s lips.

“That can’t be—Lord Leoric going around attacking humans... So is that why humans have been hunting us down like vermin?”

“It’s likely fifty-fifty. I suspect that the two factions, one led by Sir Alex and the other by Leoric, are likely working to instigate conflicts against one another.”

Elder Poff was left utterly dazed.

The other elves, too, couldn’t hide their anguish. Headquarters had been their emotional anchor.

The one place they could always lean on.

But to think that very place had been perpetuating a cycle of hatred.

It was a truth too difficult to accept. I understood how they felt.

After all, this was how I felt when I struck Sir Alex down.

Ruget was the first to regain his composure.

Though he still looked unsettled, he cautiously asked me,

“There’s no issue in telling you where Headquarters is. But even for elves, getting inside that place is no easy feat... What’s your plan?”

It was a reasonable question.

And, more than that, it was an important issue.

Truthfully, I felt a bit cornered, but deliberately flashed a confident smile.

It was to reassure them.

“Then I simply won’t enter.”

“...?”

Ruget still looked puzzled, but I made no effort to clarify.

I only intended to reveal my plan after they were on board.

For now, I subtly directed my gaze toward someone.

To the gray-haired elf girl lost deep in thought—Aviang.

And also onto the crow that was projecting the image into the air.

My strategy entirely relied on the two of them. My main concern, however, was whether Aviang would betray ‘Headquarters’ and choose to side with me.

My lips felt parched.

In truth, there was one more worry weighing on me.

My companions back at Yurdina Castle—are they all right?

Or are they perhaps fretting anxiously because of Leoric’s scheme?

Feeling helpless, I let out a long sigh.

It would only be for a brief while, I told myself. By the time I returned from ‘Headquarters,’ I’d have a way to clear things up.

Until then, all I could do was hope that my comrades wouldn’t suffer too much.

***The princess felt like she was losing her mind.

It’s all my fault—every last bit of it.