588 - Ordinary Girl Elfriede # 3

The next day.

While the banquet for the Elves who had reclaimed their village continued.

I was busy massaging Elfriede's shoulders.

"Are you sure this is really one of the preparations for the festival?"

Since I had been massaging Elfriede's shoulders and neck for an hour, I asked dubiously, causing Elfriede, who was reading a bizarre romance novel, to furrow her brow.

"I told you it is. You agreed to do me a favor. For today, you are my slave for a day. You just have to quietly follow whatever I say."

A slave for a day.

After struggling so hard to escape being Elfriede's slave, I've come full circle and tumbled back into being a slave like this.

Of course, it's only for today.

"Now, massage my legs and feet."

"...Treating a person like a real slave-."

"Hurry up."

At Elfriede's urging, I massaged her calves and the soles of her feet. Perhaps because fatigue had built up over time, her hands and feet felt cold and full of toxins.

When I pressed firmly with my thumb on the center of her sole, that soft and squishy part, Elfriede's body, which had been sitting languidly in the chair, bounced up.

"Heunghaaaat-!"

Hik-.

Realizing I had failed to control my strength, I instinctively flinched. I thought a slap might come flying my way.

However, Elfriede only shouted while keeping her brow furrowed.

"Your hands stopped-. It feels just right, so keep pressing like that for about an hour."

"Yes-. I mean, uh-huh-."

Memories of the time I was a real slave surfaced, and I unintentionally became intimidated.

Of course, that was only for a moment; I worked hard to relieve her fatigue by firmly pressing on her feet.

Elfriede must have accumulated fatigue from her own efforts to save me.

Since I had been dawdling with a wedding and various other things in the meantime, I decided to act according to her wishes today to relieve both her anger and her exhaustion.

Luna and Hippolyte also seemed to have decided to be considerate of Elfriede, saying they would step aside to let Elfriede and me spend time alone today.

To think the two of us have to spend time in a room with a burning hearth.

It was something that happened often back when I was a slave.

How did we kill time back then?

Elfriede would read a book.

And I would clean in the corner or organize the tools.

It's a moment where those memories come back.

At the time, I thought those moments were just incredibly arduous and terrible.

But thinking about everything that has happened from that day until now, they were just peaceful and languid daily routines in their own way.

Suddenly curious, I grabbed and pulled Elfriede's big toe as I asked.

"Elfriede, if I hadn't escaped from being your slave. What would we be doing right now?"

"How should I know?"

"I see."

"It's not good to think about things that didn't happen, Hassan. Just focus on the present moment. In the end, you're still massaging my feet anyway."

"That's true. So, when did you last wash your feet?"

"Wh-what are you talking about-!? I washed them thoroughly several times-!"

Hwik- Elfriede snatched her foot out of my hand. I only asked as a joke, but seeing her intense reaction is quite fun.

Her face flushed deep red, whether from anger or embarrassment, Elfriede closed her book with a loud thud.

"That's enough for the feet-! I've read enough of the book too. It's boring just staying inside. Let's head out soon."

"What are you going to do outside?"

"I don't know. Since things turned out like this, I was thinking of going out to the streets and trying one of those 'dates' that lovers do."

"A date for someone like you, Elfriede?"

I almost burst out laughing without realizing it.

Because strangely, Elfriede and a lovers' date didn't seem to fit together at all.

Imagine Elfriede going to a theme park with me, wearing a Mickey Mouse headband, and riding terrifying scream machines.

I can't picture it well.

In Luna's case, it's easy to imagine us eating street food together, laughing and chatting while chasing away pigeons gathered in a park.

In Hippolyte's case, we could enjoy a healthy date with intense rock climbing, hiking, or ball games like badminton.

But an outdoor date for the indoor-loving Elfriede?

If anything, sitting languidly in a chair like this and reading a book suits her better, but-.

"What, are you saying you don't want to go on a date with me?"

Since Elfriede looked ready to throw a tantrum like a hedgehog raising its quills, I had no choice but to nod.

"No, it's fine. For today, do whatever you want, Elfriede."

"So, what should we do once we're outside?"

"Why are you asking me that? Didn't you want to go out because there was something you wanted to do?"

When I asked with narrowed eyes, Elfriede also narrowed hers.

"I haven't really thought of anything. What did you do for fun with Luna or Hippolyte on weekends and such?"

At Elfriede's question, I looked back on our daily lives.

"Well, what I remember right now is... going to the zoo or the market together to look at strange animals. Buying groceries and cooking together, things like that-."

At my words, Elfriede's brow furrowed even more.

"Where would there be a zoo here in Alfheim? There isn't even a market."

Then dates like window shopping wouldn't be included in the list.

Thanks to that, I had to run my quad-core brain at full capacity to plan a date course that Elfriede would like in this desolate winter land of Alfheim.

Is this the creative agony that men experience?

"How about going to see squirrels?"

"I'm not a Nymph, why would I go to see squirrels? If it were a fox or an elegant deer, it might be worth seeing."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"I don't know either. If I were an ordinary girl, what would I have done to spend time with my lover? Since I have to go back to being a shrine maiden tomorrow, I want to spend today normally."

A date that an ordinary girl would like.

Only erotic things come to mind.

However, if I said something like that without any mood, it felt like Elfriede would truly get angry with her hair standing on end, so I also fell into deep thought.

"...."

"...."

The two of us were lost in thought without a word for several minutes.

"Time is too precious. This time spent standing still, and the time spent arguing with each other, is a waste. Let's just go outside for now. There'll be something out there."

Elfriede grabbed my wrist and began to lead me out of the mansion.

* * *

To be honest, Alfheim is quite a beautiful village if you set aside the people living there.

Perched on high branches, the scenery where the world can be seen at a glance is more magnificent than any tourist attraction I've ever seen.

Just looking at it together could be called a sufficiently wonderful and ideal date.

But for Elfriede, who was born and raised here and for whom this scenery is a natural daily occurrence and a boring shackle to escape from, it didn't seem to be enough.

I want to spend even a slightly more meaningful time-.

As if such thoughts filled her head, Elfriede seemed to want to do things she normally wouldn't do.

"How about throwing a coin into the fountain?"

I suggested something to Elfriede that Luna would likely enjoy.

Throwing a coin into a fountain-if it were a story about luck and superstition, it was something Luna would have been very happy and excited about.

However, Elfriede was a bit indifferent.

"What a waste of money, I don't know what the point of that would be."

Apparently so. This is where the difference in personalities shows.

But despite her indifferent answer, Elfriede rummaged through her pocket.

Then she took out a silver coin from her bosom and tossed it into Alfheim's old fountain with a ting-.

"Is this how you do it?"

"I guess. Did you make a wish or something?"

"No."

An outdoor date with Elfriede felt like this.

A feeling of creaking, as if the wheels weren't quite aligned.

So, thinking it would be strange to just stay like this, I splashed the water in the fountain and threw it hard toward Elfriede.

Chwaaaaa-.

Elfriede, hit by my sudden water attack.

"Hyuak-!"

She let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched scream and jumped up. I had already figured out that Elfriede, a fire mage, had a weakness to water attacks.

"Do you want to die, you brat-? I'm all soaked-!"

I continued to splash water at Elfriede, who was acting as if she would swing her fist in anger.

"You're still as weak to water as ever-. If it's unfair, you splash me too."

Chwaaa, chwaaa-.

"I said stop it-!"

Elfriede, getting hit by it, growled as if she would breathe fire from her mouth at any moment. But that was only for a moment-. Elfriede spoke as if she had thought of something.

"Fine. Since it's come to this. I should try learning to swim today. Teach me how to swim, Hassan."

"Swimming-. Will you be okay-?"

To think Elfriede, who flails even in slightly deep water, is going to learn to swim.

Is it even possible?

However, Elfriede's mind seemed firmly made up.

"I should take this opportunity to get rid of my weakness of being afraid of water."

Apparently so.

So I nodded and formed Wood Style hand signs.

━Wood Style, Ground Leveling-.

When I consumed about 50 Task Points, trees formed into the shape of a square box, creating a single massive space.

"Paranoy, fill this with some water."

When I shouted into the air, Paranoy, who had been hiding and watching our date, popped out from behind.

"I was absolutely not peeking because I was wary of the kkanpu-ssi...!"

"I get it, so just fill it up with water. You have plenty of water, right?"

"That is correct-ssi...!"

Puaaaaaa-.

When Paranoy opened his mouth, a stream of water like a waterfall gushed out.

It soon filled the Wood Style space I had created, eventually forming a plausible giant swimming pool in the middle of the village square.

At that sight, Elfriede let out a small sigh.

"What kind of magic is this? A swimming pool is completed in an instant. It's unrealistic. And where did these trees pop out from?"

"I am now Hassan, the God of Wood Style and Ninjas."

"I don't know what you're talking about. You have a lot of talent for magic, you. Tree magic-."

Seureuk, seureureuk-.

Elfriede seemed to be lost in sentiment for a moment as she touched the trees I had summoned.

It must be fascinating.

Because I also find it fascinating every time I see Elfriede's fire magic.

However, as if she thought even a moment of being lost in sentiment was a waste, Elfriede said.

"For clothes, should I just wear this?"

"No, it would be good to have a swimsuit. Clothes you wear when you swim."

"There's no way I'd have something like that."

At Elfriede's grumbling, I hummed in thought for a moment. Then Luna, who was hiding behind a pillar far away, shouted.

"That, if you ask Keong-keong and Keong-keong's friends, they'll make it in no time-!"

━Hiooong-.

Keong-keong, the wolf spider at Luna's waist, moved its two front legs back and forth.

Left and right. As those two legs twitched, a small bundle of thread began to be woven from its fingertips.

━Keong-keong.

━Keong-keong-.

At the same time, small spiders that appeared from who-knows-where swarmed and gathered at that bundle of thread. After swarming and moving their front legs here and there for a while.

"There, it's done-! Disperse-."

When Luna gestured, the spiders swarmed back into the shadows where they had been.

In the place where they disappeared, a sleek swimsuit, like something a competitive swimmer would wear, had been made.

I don't know how they made it, but it's a very impressive skill.

However, Hippolyte, who was hiding in the corner, gave a warning as if she didn't like Luna's behavior.

"Nyx-dotti, we agreed to just watch today. What are you going to do if they find out we're hiding and watching?"

It seems they have no intention of hiding it anymore.

Elfriede accepted the swimsuit as if it didn't matter.

"Kid, I'll say thanks to you and your spider friends."

"You're welcome-! Then we're going to hide again-!"

With that, Luna hid behind the pillar along with the spiders. Are they planning to hide and watch like that all day?

It was damn distracting. But as soon as I saw Elfriede, who had changed into the swimsuit, it soon didn't matter.

"It's a bit tight, and it feels too clingy. Is it because it's a garment made of spiderwebs-?"

The white swimsuit was tightly constricting Elfriede's body.

I've heard that competitive swimsuits are worn tight, but a white swimsuit on her already white skin.

It looked almost like she was naked, to the point where my face was flushing.

It's a good thing I controlled the surrounding traffic.

I pretended to be nonchalant and turned my gaze before moving my body.

"Then, we're going into the water. Before we go in, let's warm up. If you suddenly go into the water and move, you might get a cramp or something."

"Like this?"

Elfriede stretched her arms and legs and warmed up well on her own.

Her body was stiff, but perhaps because I had spent all day massaging her, she was soon able to follow my exercises.

"What's next?"

"Now, you adapt parts like your feet or arms to the water. You could say it's to get used to the temperature. So your body isn't shocked by a sudden entry."

I splashed a little water on Elfriede's hands and feet.

"Thinking that it's water that came out of a Nymph's mouth makes me not want to go in."

"It's surprisingly clean water, so you don't have to worry."

Chambang, chambang-.

I entered the water.

It was quite deep water, coming up to my neck. In Elfriede's case, she would be completely submerged up to her head.

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Perhaps because of that, Elfriede couldn't easily enter the water.

"You won't sink or anything. I'll hold onto you so it's not dangerous. Don't worry and just slowly come into the water for now."

"I will lend a Nymph water-play balloon tube for the pitiful kkanpu-ssi...!"

Only when Paranoy, who couldn't watch any longer, placed a bizarre tube around Elfriede's waist did Elfriede finally push her body into the water.

Chambang-.

"I, I'm floating on the water-."

"Of course, since you have a tube. Today, we're going to practice so you can float on the water without a tube."

"I'm on the water...."

It was then.

Pang-!

With a loud noise, Elfriede's tube suddenly popped.

"Huaaa-!"

At the same time, Elfriede rapidly sank into the water and was busy splashing around.

"Save me-! Water, uh, heo-eu, save-."

I quickly approached Elfriede, who was splashing like a duck soaked in oil, and pulled her up by wrapping my arms around her waist.

"...."

Elfriede, perhaps startled, said nothing while wrapping her arms around my body.

"Are you okay? Did you swallow a lot of water?"

When I asked worriedly, Elfriede buried her face in my neck and tightened her grip on my arms.

"Just a little, let's stay like this just a little longer. Just a little more-."

For some reason, the moisture on Elfriede's face felt a little warm.