Chapter 105: The Dark Elf Orica

The dark elf, not reaching a height of 1.7 meters, had silky black hair that fell straight down to her waist from her head. She possessed a pair of amber eyes, a delicate pointed nose, a small mouth, and a proud figure that did not fall short of Teresa and Veronica's.

Wearing golden hoops on her pointed ears, a simple black dress accentuated the dark elf's slender legs.

More importantly, her face blended various temperaments—aloofness, indifference, disdain—typical elf traits. Yet, the scars on her face and her unhealthy complexion, along with the frost in her eyes, spoke of her as a person fallen into hard times. The hint of wildness in her gaze indicated she hadn't given up hope of escape.

It was a beauty that had been hurt, a beauty that, despite being battered and weathered, stubbornly bloomed.

Under heavy shackles and guarded by several protectors, the dark elf was forcibly dragged forward: "Mr. Hadrian! Mr. Ryan!"

Hadrian nodded, taking out a magic scroll: "Mr. Ryan, this is the slave contract of this dark elf, personally made by Master Elliot."

Ryan took it, knowing that as a master, he needed means to prevent slaves from escaping. Slave contracts were a cruel method; this magic seal would tear a part of the enslaved's soul and keep it within a mark on the master's body, making escape impossible.

Moreover, a cute girl named Miranda was brought forward, though she wasn't "privileged" to enjoy the luxury of a slave contract. Her lips turned purple from the cold, her complexion blue, showing signs of instability.

"Leave the rest to me," Ryan squinted his eyes.

"Be careful with this wild dark elf, Mr. Ryan. She was a prisoner in the war between high elves and dark elves, used by the high elves to exchange for a high elf prisoner in a slaver's hands. It's strange, high elves rarely do such direct exchanges; they usually take the person first, then pay a ransom..." Hadrian worried, but Ryan waved it off: "Leave it to me."

"I always trust Mr. Ryan. Then, I'll take my leave." Seeing Ryan's confidence, Hadrian didn't say much and left, handing Ryan a gold-made business card: "You can find me at the Luigi Commerce anytime, I'm always welcome."

"Got it."

Hadrian left with his people, leaving Miranda shivering and the proud, chained dark elf in the hall.

"First off... Miss Miranda?" Ryan beckoned Miranda over.

In the cold winter, the girl was only wearing a white dress. She looked pale, staggering as she walked. The scent of baking bread made her instinctively lick her dry lips, timidly responding, "Yes... Master!"

"You're the daughter of the Angel Feather Knight?"

"Yes, my father went bankrupt, and he chose to sell me to pay off his debts." The girl said numbly, unable to cry anymore.

"Hmm..." Ryan stroked his chin.

The concept of knights in the southern kingdom differed from that in the Empire and Brittany.

In the southern kingdom, anyone could become a knight with money, armor, a weapon, a horse, and a fee to any knight order. These knights were poor in combat, mostly bandits and ruffians.

Forming a knight order was even easier. Ryan remembered in the Estalia Kingdom, the institution responsible for knight orders operated 24/7. With 100 gold coins, bureaucrats would accept any reason for forming an order, any purpose, any emblem, and any personnel composition. Essentially, with a form, one could declare a new knight order established in Estalia!

The Empire and Brittany didn't recognize these knights, seeing it as child's play, especially Brittany, where the law allowed even serfs to legally kill such knights if they dared to strike a shield or shoot an arrow in the knight kingdom.

"So, whether you like it or not, you're now my maid." Ryan signaled Emilia to come over: "Follow her, learn well. If you do well, I'll ensure you're well cared for, with rewards. If not... I've heard the docks are full of laborers and sailors looking for wives..."

"No!" Miranda instinctively knelt down: "Mr. Ryan! I will serve you with all my heart! I swear... Ugh!!!"

The girl knew how lucky she was. Ryan was young, handsome, with high prestige and strong power. Serving him instead of being taken by an old man was the best outcome. She immediately promised, but the pain in her legs as she knelt made her cry out.

Ryan wasn't surprised; a slave girl would have endured much hardship on the journey. Considering the product value, slavers wouldn't harm her, but they'd keep her hungry and in shackles to prevent escape. Keeping slaves in a state of hunger and cold was basic knowledge for slavers.

But Ryan knew this too. He signaled Emilia to take Miranda for a bath, change into clean clothes, and rest well.

"Next..." Ryan turned his gaze back to the dark elf.

The dark elf didn't respond.

"What's your name, dark elf?" Ryan stood up, approaching her.

The dark elf still didn't respond, not even looking at him.

Clearly, she didn't understand.

"What's your name, dark elf?" Ryan then spoke in Gothic, noticing the dark elf's amber eyes flicker. She understood but still refused to answer.

A dark elf that understood Gothic? Ryan thought for a moment and switched languages again: "Speak of your origin, Duruzi!"

Finally, the dark elf spoke in a low voice, her face full of surprise: "You... you, know, elf language?!"

"My godfather knows eight languages, and I know nine," Ryan said lightly, then grabbed the dark elf's throat, nearly suffocating her: "Hurry, my patience is limited."

"Hmph! Lowly, dirty, human!" The dark elf didn't fall for his tactic, speaking in a hoarse voice, then continued to ignore Ryan.

Ryan spoke a few more words in elf language, but the dark elf still refused to answer.

"What a disappointment~" Ryan didn't mind, after all, a master needn't care about a slave's feelings. He picked up the magic scroll, a blood-red chain linking him and the dark elf, cruelly tearing her soul apart. Through this method, no matter where she fled, she couldn't escape Ryan's pursuit.

After a long period of hunger, cold, and unknown reasons, the dark elf was extremely weak, both physically and spiritually. She resisted briefly but collapsed under Ryan's powerful soul force, completing the contract.

"Orica? Your name is Orica." Through the contract, Ryan learned the dark elf's true name.

Orica, the dark elf, looked ashen. She hadn't expected the human's soul power to be so strong, leaving her powerless to resist. Caught in the slave contract, unless her power surpassed the human before her, she had no chance of resistance.

But the human's strength...

"Orica, the contract is complete. From today, you are my slave," Ryan said in elf language, standing beside the dark elf: "From now on, this is your home. I don't have time to chase you down again because it's safer and the living conditions are better here. Or would you prefer those filthy slavers? Then being pressed down in a haystack by various dirty creatures? Doing this and that?"

Orica's eyes flickered, weighing her options, and finally nodded reluctantly.

Marlinburg was a human world; she, a dark elf, had no place to belong. Walking on the streets, she was like moving gold, a target for everyone. Her soul, already shattered by high elves and bound by the slave contract, was weaker than a normal person, making escape nearly impossible.

Even if she escaped, where could she go? How far could she flee? If caught, she faced an even more tragic fate. Between two evils, the dark elf chose the lesser, at least the human before her seemed cleaner, with better living conditions.

"Good, understanding is everything!" Seeing the dark elf submit, Ryan smiled and began unlocking Orica's shackles. Fearing her escape, the slavers had applied the heaviest and sturdiest locks. The heavy chains and shackles nearly immobilized the dark elf's arms.

But what made slavers "absolutely assured" were chains and shackles that, in Ryan's hands, were like paper. He didn't even use Hadrian's key; the thick chains were torn by hand, and the shackles were pried open with brute force.

Orica was finally free from her bindings. Ryan noticed that even without the shackles, her body was so weak she could barely walk, with many parts suffering from frostbite.

Yet, even in such a state, the dark elf remained proud, stubbornly enduring, refusing to show any weakness before Ryan. She covered her wounds, curling up as much as possible to avoid freezing.

As evening approached, the sky darkened quickly in winter, with snow falling almost every day during the Winter Veil Festival. Ryan placed a blanket near the fireplace, then placed baked bread and milk on a plate in front of it, signaling her to enjoy.

Orica looked at Ryan suspiciously, questioning his generosity.

"Alive, healthy slaves are valuable slaves," Ryan said in elf language: "I have no reason to harm you, for you are my property."

Orica then crawled onto the blanket, tremblingly holding the fork and knife, eating in small bites. Despite her hunger, she maintained etiquette.

This was quite elf-like, though Ryan wasn't sure about dark elves. High elves, who matured at a hundred years old, indeed valued etiquette and culture highly.

Emilia also brought Miranda out, bathed and changed. Cleansed of dirt and weakness, Miranda in a white dress was like a fresh flower, greeting Ryan immediately: "Master!"

Ryan smiled slightly. The bankrupt knight's daughter adapted quickly.

"Emilia, I'll trouble you to teach them the rules and duties of maids in the next few days. Remember, unless necessary, they are not to leave the house, understood?"

"Understood," Emilia nodded.

"Measure their sizes; I'll order a few more maid outfits from Quinsberry Tailor... Let them not rush to start work for the next few days. First, they should recover their health, especially in this cold, to avoid getting sick," Ryan continued: "As for lodging, there's still a servant's room available, right?"

"Yes, there's one more."

"Hmm~ Then let Orica and Miranda share, and Emilia, you'll have a separate room. That's the plan. Now, it's time for dinner, my maids!" Ryan was about to say more when Orica, sitting by the fireplace, looked up in surprise after hearing his arrangements.

"Human, you're actually handing me over to that human maid...?"

"I was planning to buy maids anyway!" Ryan chuckled at the dark elf: "Even if you're a dark elf, well, then you're just a dark elf maid. What's so special about that?"

Orica's gaze was filled with vigilance and distrust, but she didn't object.

The dinner was lavish, both Ryan and Emilia skilled cooks. Miranda cried as she ate, while the dark elf remained silent, though Ryan could tell she was satisfied with the meal.

The two new maids were sent to their room for the night, with Ryan making no other requests.

During the remaining days of the Winter Veil Festival, Ryan allowed the new maids to observe and learn. Under his care, their health gradually improved. Miranda quickly adapted to her role, mastering her duties in just a few days, while Orica was slower. She struggled with Gothic and was reluctant to communicate in High Gothic, making her learning slow. However, Emilia was patient, teaching her over and over.

What truly surprised Orica was Ryan's lack of intention to touch her. He only checked their bodies for any signs of Chaos corruption, then busied himself with his affairs. During the festival, he frequently participated in social activities, expanding his connections.

As the Winter Veil Festival neared its end, Ryan prepared to investigate the mithril vein.

Thus, on the last day of the festival, Ryan arrived at the only enclave of high elves in the Old World—Ifethal.

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