Chapter 99

I am Elron.

It's been a long time since I was the leader of the elf thief group "The Stone Carvers of the Thunderstorm." My luck ran out when I impulsively broke into an abnormally lush farm at the edge of the world, where human wisdom could not reach, and was quickly caught by the holy person, Kidan-sama.

We, who had been operating without regard for the borders between the Demon Kingdom and the Human Kingdom, were prepared for the worst when we were caught.

Most likely, it would have been a death sentence and a beheading. In a worse scenario, we might have been kept as sex toys by some perverted noble, taking advantage of the added value of elves, who are known for their beauty.

But that didn't happen.

The holy person, Kidan-sama, who captured us, gave us work, saying, "The compensation for theft is through labor." The work given to us was making tools, which we found incredibly enjoyable.

We elves are originally forest dwellers. We hunt and gather seeds for survival in the forest, and when we don't do that, we enjoy making tools by moving our fingers all day long.

I was appointed as the leader of the pottery group, making vessels by kneading clay, and I face the kiln every day. It's been so long since I've been able to work so calmly.

Even so, after sweating it out in front of the kiln for a long time, when I went out to rest, I met Maerga, our calm deputy leader. Or rather, he's not the deputy leader anymore. He was the leader of the leather goods group.

"You're always the deputy leader in my presence. Although the work here is enjoyable."

Is the work here enjoyable?

That's a typically calm opinion from our calm deputy leader.

"I never would have thought it would come to this."

Yeah.

It's been so long since I've been able to live so calmly, ever since we were driven out of our birthplace forest.

Neither Maerga nor I were thieves from birth. We were childhood friends who grew up in the same hometown, the same forest.

That forest no longer exists.

It disappeared.

The forest, which was located within the territory of the Human Kingdom, suddenly withered and vanished one day.

Later, we learned that this was due to the depletion of mana caused by a large-scale magic used by the Human Kingdom.

The magic used by humans is less convenient and harder to use than the magic used by demons, but once used, it exerts tremendous power and consumes a large amount of mana. This mana is usually the natural mana that flows within the territory of the humans, and the depletion of this mana has a significant impact on nature.

The withering of the forest where we lived was one of those impacts.

We were driven out of our home, our families scattered, and we couldn't even find out if they were safe.

There is no more miserable elf than one who has lost their forest. It didn't take long for us, who had lost the means to live, to choose the last resort of becoming thieves.

Knowing the reason for the loss of our homeland, we only stole from the flourishing nobles and merchants, perhaps to maintain some dignity.

"By the way, do you know, Leader? It seems that the holy person is not from this world."

Huh?

What do you mean?

"It seems that human magic has a technique to connect to a different world and summon a hero. The holy person was apparently summoned from another world by this magic."

You mean, "Please come from a different world"?

"No, it seems they were forcibly brought here against their will. That's why the holy person has cut ties with the Human Kingdom and is living quietly here."

Just like us.

Victims of human magic.

I like this more and more.

"Do you think so too, Leader?"

The deputy leader, who seems to see through me.

There are no males among us elves. Elves only give birth to females, so only female elves exist.

I don't know why this is the case, but in short, elves must mate with other races to have offspring. No matter which race they mate with, the offspring will always be an elf, so when they come of age, they leave their homeland in search of a male.

The holy person, who has created this massive farm and leads elite monsters, is the perfect material provider for producing the next generation.

"The problem is the princess Plati and the dragon Veil, who are the main wives."

Those two seem really scary.

Especially the dragon; I don't have the confidence to survive if it gets angry.

"Given the holy person's strength, they could take any woman they want without any issues. What we want is the holy person's seed, not the position of wife. If we negotiate sincerely, it shouldn't come to violence."

That's a typically calm opinion from our calm deputy leader.

I don't know much about the private lives of humans or demons.

But it's good to have a chance.

"Look, Leader."

Looking in that direction, I see an elf running breathlessly.

If it's an elf here, it must be one of my former subordinates.

Isn't it Poel, who was a low-ranking member during the thief group days but is now the leader of the glass-making group?

"He seems to visit the holy person almost every day to check the quality of the products and discuss new products. But he also shows up on days when he has no particular business."

Why would he do such a pointless thing?

"Of course, it's to increase the opportunities to interact with the holy person and to make them fall in love with him."

Such a method...!?

Do modern elves go to such lengths to attract a male?

I thought I could just attack and extract what I need from a male of another race... But thinking about it, that wouldn't work with the holy person.

Well, if he succeeds, I'll follow his example and get closer to the holy person.

Until then, I'll enjoy life here.

Come on, I was asked to make a hundred flat plates.

I need to get them fired quickly.