Nisira raised her hand with satisfaction.
A small crow flew in from somewhere and perched on her hand.
"My dear."
"Yes, my lady."
When Nisira called to one of the other wives beside her, the youngest wife bowed her head.
"Would you bring me pen and paper? I need to write a letter. It's for Morkan."
At the mention of Morkan's name, the wives looked at each other with surprised eyes.
"M-my lady... Did you say Morkan, not Baltar?"
"Yes. Surely you know who he is? He's Lord Nemara's older brother."
"I know him. But why suddenly him...?"
"Hurry and fetch them."
Nisira waved her hand lightly, and another wife quickly brought pen and paper.
Nisira took the pen and began writing the letter.
Though curious about its contents, none of the other wives dared to peek or ask about what she was writing.
Such was Nisira's tremendous authority within the clan.
It was fortunate that none of her children surpassed Drebron in ability.
Otherwise, Nisira would have already stopped paying any attention to Nemara's wishes.
"There, now fly swiftly to Lord Morkan."
As the crow with the letter tied to its leg took flight, the wives glanced nervously at each other.
Not just Baltar but Morkan too?
Could he possibly still be alive?
This situation seemed to be growing enormously...
Unlike the wives' concerns, Nisira merely let out a soft laugh.
# # # # #
Late at night.
Kirrin, who had fled from Drebron's quarters, stopped after running for quite some time.
The place she had run to as if entranced was a small flower field at the edge of the Black Forest.
It was the very same flower field she had often visited with her mother when she was young.
Although there was no sunlight at night, Kirrin's dark elf eyes could clearly see the blooming flowers.
Hesitantly, Kirrin moved toward the center of the flower field.
Strange. It definitely wasn't this small ten years ago.
No... It's not that the flower field has shrunk, but that I've grown.
Slowly sitting down, Kirrin stared blankly at the flowers covering the ground.
Then, unconsciously, she reached out and began weaving the flowers together.
She was making a flower crown, just as her mother always did when they came here.
"You're a special child."
Her mother would always say that as she placed the flower crown on her head.
"I'm not special."
Kirrin would reply at those times.
"Father says I'm a useless, garbage daughter. He says I can't throw daggers properly and my stealth is terrible. He asked what good I could possibly be when I can't even kill a single ant. He said I'm just a parasite who contributes nothing to the clan."
Then her mother would smile brightly and grab Kirrin's cheeks, stretching them.
"That's not true, Kirrin. Assassination skills aren't the only measure of a person's worth. If that were the case, the Emperor of the Empire and even powerful dragons would all be garbage, wouldn't they? Since they probably can't assassinate better than your father."
"Hmm... I guess so... But I'm really not good at anything."
"Why do you say you're not good at anything? Is there anyone in the Black Forest who can do mental calculations faster than you?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
Kirrin had been quite intelligent since childhood.
However, her timid nature and the oppression she suffered from her cold-blooded father prevented her from properly demonstrating her abilities.
That's because in the Black Forest, being quick at mental calculations, having logical thinking, and possessing excellent literacy were talents of little use.
They valued the ability to swiftly cut throats, hide in darkness, and abduct people without leaving a trace.
So in the eyes of Nemara, the clan leader, Kirrin—delicate and slow with her mixed human blood—would never be satisfactory no matter what she did.
"There's no need to pursue something you weren't born for."
Her mother had said.
"Instead, it would be much more helpful to maximize the strengths you do have. And Kirrin."
Her mother hugged her tightly.
"I want you to do what you want and live happily."
"What I want is..."
Kirrin murmured in her mother's embrace.
"To live with you forever?"
Her mother laughed cheerfully at that answer.
Her mother's laughter always made Kirrin feel so good that she couldn't help but grin along.
In the dark, cold Black Forest, her mother's laughter was like warm spring sunshine.
Other dark elves might hate it, but Kirrin loved her mother's laugh.
"Maman. What amuses you so?"
At that moment, Jakrion appeared at the edge of the flower field.
"You're laughing so loudly that the entire Black Forest knows of your joy."
"Is that so? I should be more careful."
"No. I like it when you laugh, Maman. Just be cautious in front of Lady Nisira."
At the mention of Nisira's name, a shadow fell across Kirrin's face.
Nisira was the aunt Kirrin feared most.
Like all dark elves, Nisira was especially cold and inscrutable.
"But what made you laugh so?"
"Kirrin told me something amusing."
Hearing her mother's words, Jakrion gave an almost imperceptible smile.
"I wish I could be like Kirrin."
Jakrion knelt on one knee and stroked Kirrin's head.
"Kirrin is fortunate to have such reliable older siblings."
As she said this, her mother turned her gaze elsewhere.
Where her mother's eyes fell, Drebron and Sharian appeared with awkward expressions.
"Impressive. You can even detect our stealth to some degree now."
"You're always around when there are no missions."
It was common knowledge that Nisira and several other wives disliked Marian.
That's why the Drebron siblings secretly guarded their Maman whenever they were in the Black Forest, preparing for any possible incident.
"Come here, my children."
When Maman spread her arms, Drebron and Sharian approached somewhat awkwardly, hesitating.
Maman embraced all four dark elves at once.
"I'm truly happy."
Maman said while holding the dark elves.
"To have four such good children."
Maman always expressed affection freely like this, but the dark elves still didn't know exactly how to respond.
More precisely, they knew but found it extremely difficult to act accordingly, so they just fumbled awkwardly.
Still, they understood that Maman, who shared no blood with them, pitied and cherished them after their own mothers had died.
And they knew that they too liked and followed this human woman.
Though they had never said it aloud and never planned to, they loved Maman.
"Mother..."
"Kirrin."
"Ah!"
Startled by the sudden voice, Kirrin looked around frantically.
I clearly... clearly heard Mother calling me?
But her mother was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, Jakrion stood between the trees, watching Kirrin.
"Kirrin."
Jakrion called her name softly.
I mistook my brother's call...
"Can we talk for a moment?"
When Kirrin nodded, Jakrion approached and sat down beside her.
"First..."
Jakrion slowly began.
"I'm sorry. For proceeding with everything without consulting you."
"Mm..."
"But that doesn't mean..."
Jakrion paused, fell silent for a moment, then continued.
"Um... what I mean is, we..."
But he couldn't finish and closed his mouth.
Dark elves weren't talented at such conversations.
No matter how much time they had spent with Maman, they couldn't speak exactly like her.
If only Maman were here now.
No, if Maman had been here, none of this would have happened in the first place.
Anyway, I need to step up now... but what should I say?
I should say something lengthy to make the conversation flow better.
Kirrin hung her head low, just plucking at the flowers.
For Jakrion, a dark elf, having to lead a conversation proactively was not a welcome situation.
After contemplating, Jakrion finally decided to approach it in a way he was good at.
"You said there were many women around Professor Dian at the Academy?"
"Yes..."
"And you suddenly returned here because you witnessed some kind of... well, something between those women and Professor Dian?"
"Yes..."
Completely dejected and depressed, Kirrin continued to answer only with "yes," making Jakrion even more perplexed.
"Should I kidnap another good man for you instead? If he has a history with women, surely later he'll—"
Noticing Kirrin staring at him, Jakrion hurriedly changed his words.
"No, I misspoke. Then... let your brother do this for you."
"Do what..."
"Those women are getting in your way now, right? I'll assassinate them for you."
Kirrin said nothing and just stared at Jakrion.
"Why...?"
"What? Well, obviously..."
Well, obviously...
Seeing the expression on Kirrin's face, Jakrion scratched his head like a fool.
*Sigh*, is this not right...?