Chapter 435

[Extra] Retribution! (1)

“My dear granddaughter Selenis. The day you were born, the entirety of Festival whispered your name.”

“Hey… What about me?”

“Hehehehe! My dear granddaughter Selvenus. On the day you were born, all the elves whispered your name!”

“Really?”

Elfheim Khan Lanuberk talked nonsense with the twins on his lap.

He was the most respected elf in the world. If so, was it only because they were young that they didn’t have any respect for him at all?

Their mother told them their growth rate was phenomenal, like their grandfather did.

“She’s right, Selenis. There’s only been a few elves who could already speak by one year old and think like a grown-up at the age of two!”

“I see…”

The twins were ten years old this year.

Their grandfather was bluffing, but it was true that they developed faster than their peers, who still stuttered or couldn’t even speak.

They also always mentioned someone else.

“You have the blood of the greatest Hero in the world, after all!”

“Dad?”

“Yes!”

“His genes could be atavistic.”

Their mother’s side had a lot more potential than their father, who hadn’t even shown up once.

Atavistic genes skipped generations before activating completely.

“Atavistic? Hehehehehe!”

Was it that strange for Selenis to say that word?

For a long time, her grandfather just laughed, but she knew he meant nothing bad by it. After all, he was still combing through her hair softly.

“Stop laughing, grandpa.”

Only through Selvenus’s request did he truly stop.

“I’m sorry, but I’m just so delighted that I can’t help it! Truth be told, I’ve never had grandchildren as brilliant as you two. Since you exhibited no precedence related to atavism, I think the probability of it activating is very low. Either way, I’m at least certain you two are the light of hope that will illuminate the future of the lowly elf race—”

“Grandpa’s lying.”

“Right. He is.”

“Heheheh!”

Even though they counterargued, he just kept smiling.

His tendency to defend or glorify their absentee father wasn’t much different from their mother.

They should stop treating them like they were three years old.

After reading a book related to their genes in their grandfather’s library, they asked her mother about him.

“Mom, mom, mom!”

“What’s wrong, Selenis?”

Their grandpa only told them their dad had a broad heart and was the wisest being to ever exist.

However, unlike him, who always lied to them, their mother would provide the answers they needed.

Elkaterina Lanuberk.

To the elf they loved and admired the most, they asked a question in the guise of innocent children.

“What do you like about dad?”

“…”

“Mom?”

“Ah! I’m sorry! I didn’t expect such a sudden question… Well, I do love a certain part of him… Very much so… But…”

“Mating.”

“… You’re not wrong, but that’s not something kids around your age should say, Selenis. People don’t love just for the sake of reproduction. Please keep that in mind.”

“Huh? Okay!”

“Good.”

As a tradition passed down from long ago, their mother stopped weaving clothes for them and plopped them down on her lap.

Just like their grandfather frequently did.

“My first impression of the Hero when he freed me from eternal imprisonment was light! Just light… Sorry! It’s so hard to put the feeling into words! And um… Oh! He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life. Appearance isn’t everything for men, but it’s one of the essentials. Is this topic too mature for my twins to understand?”

“No.”

“Not really!”

Even their mother, loving their father blindly, didn’t offer much help in their mission to gather information about him.

Hero Kang Han Soo.

He saved their grandfather and mother, defeated the evil angels, and was their biological father.

What else were they missing?

“I almost forgot. He also defeated Pedonar and is now serving as the Demon Lord.”

“… Aren’t the Hero and the Demon Lord supposed to be enemies?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know the details either. Why don’t you ask your smart grandfather about this?”

“I don’t want to…”

It would be better to put this topic on hold for the time being.

*****

Selenis thought too much.

Why should they care who their dad was?

Selvenus loved their grandfather and mother, and she liked their neighbors and people. With them, every day was fun.

Wasn’t that enough?

She thought the reality in front of her was more important than their father, who had never been there for them.

Like their grandfather’s job, for example, which was to run this beautiful city.

“There’s been a rise in the disappearance of men, Mayor Elfheim, but the cause behind it remains unknown…”

“I see. A large number of male humans were killed in the war last year, causing a stir in human society and the economy as a whole. This is really strange, isn’t it?”

“It appears so.”

She remembered that, too.

Former Heroes flocked to Festival like measles every 50 years.

It would be great if they immediately left for their home planets after the festival, but not everyone did.

Stragglers.

That was the title they decided to call Heroes who left the festival grounds and acted arbitrarily.

“As the mayor said, last year, the human military force that stopped the stragglers’ riots was nearly annihilated. We also suffered, but it’s nothing compared to this year’s disappearances.”

“It’s not just the stragglers?”

“Yes. Noebius, the Dragon King, caused numerous casualties when he raided our city out of his sheer hatred for humans and angels. Fortunately, he didn’t have any grudges with us. That allowed us to survive.”

“Are you sure?”

“What do you mean?”

Her grandfather, who was stroking her hair, gave the secretary a clear answer.

“To stop him and the strugglers, many humans died. However, their kind at least has a strong desire to reproduce. How do you think we should meet our fundamental shortage of men?”

“Ah…”

“Abandon one-dimensional approaches like the slave market. The rulers of Festival are the humans, not us. That’s why we need to understand their society and breasts.”

“Why their breasts…?”

“If you don’t get what I mean, just silence yourself.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir Elfheim.”

“Don’t worry too much about the safety of those missing. Their race’s lifespan is short. When the time is right, they’ll return one by one with some of their energy drained.”

“Alright!”

His secretary left with a bright expression.

However, as she did, a dark shadow was cast on his face.

“Is something wrong, grandpa?”

“Hmm? Haha! It seems I’m just having a hard time today. Our people have been kidnapped, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Thinking that someday, Selvenus might be one of the missing persons, I become so worried I can’t calm myself down…”

“Huh. Stay strong, grandpa.”

“Hehehe! Okay, I’ll cheer up.”

“…”

Their race was too weak.

They had no power and were few in numbers.

Unlike male humans, who grew stronger as they got older even if they just breathed, male elves would remain insignificant without extraneous efforts.

The females were in an even worse predicament.

No matter how hard they tried, female elves could never keep up with the charms of a female human.

Their eternal youth was an advantage, but while an elf could give birth to two children every 5,000 years, a human could give birth to 20 in 50.

Instead of the power gap between the two races narrowing down, it only widened every passing day.

“Don’t worry too much. I know how to survive as the weakest.”

“That’s pathetic.”

“Hehehe! Listen carefully, Selvenus and Selenis. No matter how many times I have to get on my knees, if it’s for the sake of my people, I will not hesitate to beg and plead. My father, the 1st Fairy King, got himself killed by being unable to see that reality, but I promise your future will be much better than that.” Their grandfather smiled softly.

He watched the breasts of female humans all day on the terrace of the mayor’s office. Watching him, Selvenus thought the 2nd Fairy King was right.

The problem was that such occurrences were far too rare.

*****

There came a day when the twins felt like their bodies were a little different from the other women of their kind.

On that same day, a human Hero came.

It wasn’t their dad, however. They could tell just by listening to the first words he suddenly spoke to his grandfather.

“Mayor Elfheim. Give me your daughter and two granddaughters.” He spoke politely, but he made it clear he wasn’t willing to accept any rejections.

They thought he visited to receive a ‘quest,’ much like the other Heroes, but his true motives surprised them.

I looked at his abilities.

▷ Race: High Human

▷ Level: 5134

▷ Job: Black Knight (Wife = Universal↑)

▷ Skills: Fatality ZZ, Footwork ZZ, Energy Z, Strength Z, Stamina Z…

▷ Status: Overwhelming, Magic Sword, Storage, Enhanced, Blessed…

Like ‘White Knight,’ a female-exclusive profession that made the person stronger the more husbands they had, Black Knight was a male-only occupation that increased one’s strength proportional to their number of wives.

It wasn’t as common as a regular ‘knight,’ but it wasn’t rare either.

Those who had it often said they were forced to create harems because of it, though.

“Before I answer your demands, brave Hero, let me ask you something first. Are you aware that my daughter Elkaterina is a married woman?”

“Yes. They have beautiful twin daughters.”

“It sounds like you know everything…”

“That’s right, father-in-law.”

“Hehehe!”

Their grandfather clenched his fists and burst into laughter at the reckless Hero’s remarks.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened.

Grandpa greatly underestimated the charms of their mother, but she was so beautiful that men passing by would always follow her with their gazes as she walked past.

Hence, regardless of whether they knew she already had a husband or not, there were still quite a few people who had asked for her hand in marriage.

Naturally, many of them tried to win her over through brute force.

Still…

“Then are you aware that my daughter is quite strong?”

All of them were sent back to their homes, defeated.

“Yes.”

However, the one before them was a little different.

“That’s why I invited some friends to help me.”

Fully-armed ruffians crossed the borders of the city hall, engulfing its peace in chaos with their invasion.

“Kyaah!”

“Ugh?!”

Elfheim’s secretary, who had been tending to the bounties, immediately shouted as soon as she saw their faces.

“The stragglers!”

Checking their stats, Selenis immediately intuited this would swiftly turn into a crisis.

“Sister!”

Selvenus’s expression darkened as well, seemingly having the same thoughts as her.

Hearing the commotion, their mother came downstairs and unsheathed a hidden weapon inside her skirt to prepare for combat.

In this desperate situation, their grandfather, who was always calm and collected, spoke in a threatening tone.

“Our family has received the protection and status of the faculty and staff. If you are hostile to us, this won’t only end with expulsion.”

“Oh? That’s even better! I’ll be the son-in-law of a faculty member! Haha!”

Their opponent fully delved into their crimes.

It was because of that attitude that the stragglers followed him, which was extremely bad news for the twins and their family.

Thump-thump.

As their peaceful days cracked, anxiety and fear took over.

Selenis would fight as many times as needed to protect her grandfather, mother, and sister.

Her level was low, but she learned enough martial arts from her mother to not burden her. She was no longer too far behind in her level of expertise.

The same went for Selvenus.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Earth, fire, wind, water, soul.

Several high-level spirits, attached to their mother as guards by their absentee father, set out to protect them despite not being summoned.

Even so, the situation remained dire.

“Haha! You’re on fire!”

“Don’t enjoy yourselves too much. I have to finish this before the trainee teachers arrive.”

“Huh. I have long been attracted to women who can fight.”

“Hey. Be careful not to get hurt.”

The stragglers showed no signs of nervousness at all.

Like Selenis, who inherited her father’s blood, they could also check their stats, which meant their leisureliness wasn’t just a bluff.

‘What should I do?’

Should she pray for her absentee father or god to save them?

‘What can I even…’

『A certain innocent goddess notices a harem.』

『A certain innocent goddess wants them to be punished.』

Pop! Pop!

Two pillows appeared in the air.