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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 188 – Kirrin’s Black Forest (11)
"Oh dear, what a mess. My apologies."
Nemara closed his eyes as the spilled drink dripped down his face.
Zakrion, standing beside him, hurriedly reached out with his sleeve to wipe it off, but Nemara batted his hand away.
"Leave it."
This time, Kirrin hesitated before pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket.
"L-Little Brother… Here…"
Zakrion took the handkerchief from Kirrin and handed it to Nemara. Only then did he finally wipe his face.
"You seem quite startled."
"Wouldn’t you be? Suddenly announcing a marriage like that? And judging by that scream, the Headmaster wasn’t aware of this either."
I turned to look at Kirrin, who was staring at the ground, unable to meet my eyes.
"Is this normal for dark elves? Does a father unilaterally decide his daughter’s marriage?"
"A child's opinion is irrelevant."
Nemara spoke, now finished wiping his face.
"And even more so when that child is a useless, weak thing with no value."
He insulted his daughter so casually that he didn’t even seem aware he was doing it.
And Kirrin… didn’t say a word in response.
So, let me get this straight.
He tried to kidnap me just to tell me to marry Kirrin?
What kind of nomadic-tribe-bride-snatching logic is this?
…No. I needed to stop thinking about this in human terms.
For dark elves, this might actually be a "normal" process.
Still, regardless of the process, this was ridiculous.
Why Kirrin? Why me?
What was the reasoning behind this decision? s
"And why, exactly, should I agree to this?"
"Are you refusing?"
"It’s not about refusal or acceptance. I just want to hear the reason first."
"Kirrin may be worthless as an assassin, but as a woman, she has some appeal—taking after her mother."
Nemara completely ignored my question and instead spouted nonsense.
"Since she’s mixed-blood, she lacks the cold rationality of a dark elf, making her easier to live with. She’s a bit slow-witted, but that can be a strength in certain situations."
Cold rationality? More like psychopathic tendencies.
"That’s not what I meant. Why are you suddenly deciding that I should marry your daughter?"
"You don’t have to worry about a dowry. If you need a house, I can arrange one. Not here, of course—somewhere near the Academy in the capital, perhaps a spacious detached home."
Was this dark elf even listening to me?
He wasn’t even asking if I wanted to marry Kirrin.
He was treating it as a done deal.
"So, marry her."
Nemara’s voice left no room for argument.
"Take Kirrin and leave. Whatever you lack, I will provide."
I sighed.
"I feel like I keep repeating myself, but why should I marry Kirrin?"
Nemara's red eye gleamed coldly.
"Because having that thing as my daughter is a disgrace."
His voice was sharp, emotionless.
"Half-blood dark elves are a stain on our clan. I want her gone as soon as possible—so take her away."
"…You don’t even see her that often, given she’s at the Academy. Also, do you hear yourself? You’re being incredibly cruel."
"Cruel? Not at all. You simply fail to understand because you’re human."
"Being human has nothing to do with it. Some values transcend race. If you hate her so much, why did you even have a half-blood child? Did someone hold a knife to your throat and force you?"
"If I had known she would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have."
Nemara’s stance remained unshaken.
Behind me, a faint sniffle broke the silence.
Kirrin was crying.
"I sent her to the city because she was too weak to be an assassin. I gave her a chance to prove her worth in another way. And yet, she even fails as a headmaster, struggling to perform a role I personally humiliated myself to secure for her with the Emperor. Soon, she will be dismissed from that position, and my name will be tarnished. Do you expect me to simply watch as that happens? A worthless, pathetic failure like her—"
"That’s enough…!"
Someone interrupted.
Surprisingly, it was Zakrion.
Nemara slowly turned to look at him.
"What, exactly, should I stop?"
"I think… we all understand now. Kirrin understands. Professor Dian understands."
Zakrion’s voice was strained, his fists trembling at his sides.
"Zakrion."
Nemara’s voice was calm, almost amused.
"Did you just interrupt me?"
"I-I apologize!"
Zakrion immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head.
"How insolent. Do you think you can act this way because you have your brother’s support? Have you decided I will soon step down as chieftain?"
"N-No! That’s not it…!"
"Father."
Drebren stepped forward.
"Please forgive him. I will personally see to it that this does not happen again."
Nemara stared at him for a long moment before giving a slight nod.
At that, Drebren roughly grabbed Zakrion by the collar and hauled him up.
"And Father—if I may make a humble suggestion."
"What is it?"
"In human culture, marriage is a major life decision, one that requires careful thought. Perhaps Professor Dian should be given time to consider."
"Is that so?"
Nemara’s gaze turned back to me.
"Would you like time to think it over?"
"…Excuse me?"
"Stay here. In the Black Forest. And think it through."
Ah.
In other words, since getting me here was difficult, he wasn’t about to let me leave until I gave an answer.
"Well… sure. Why not?"
I agreed easily.
Not because I was actually considering marriage.
But because I needed to know why Nemara was doing this.
If I left without understanding, it would bother me for years.
And since Nemara clearly wasn’t going to tell me outright… I’d ask the others.
Drebren likely knew something.
"Then I’ll take my leave."
Drebren led Zakrion away, dragging him by the collar, with Sharian following behind.
Kirrin remained kneeling, still quietly crying.
"Get up, Headmaster. Let’s go."
"…Okay."
As we walked out, I glanced back.
Nemara sat there, absently rubbing the eyepatch over his left eye.
His gaze wasn’t on me.
It was on something beside the shelf of bones.
A small wooden side table.
Where the dried, withered bouquet lay.
What was that?
Some rare poisonous herb used for assassinations, perhaps?
# # # # #
Far from Nemara’s dwelling, in a secluded area, we arrived at another clearing—similar to the previous one, but larger.
This must be where Drebren and his siblings lived.
Only after entering did Drebren finally release Zakrion.
As Zakrion adjusted his clothing, Drebren scolded him.
"Are you out of your mind, Zakrion?"
"Father was being too cruel."
"He always speaks that way. What did you think you would gain by interrupting him?"
"Kirrin was crying!"
Zakrion’s voice rose as he gestured toward her.
"How could I just stand there while he called her useless and garbage?!"
Drebren said nothing.
"Idiot."
This time, it was Sharian who spoke.
"Do you think Kirrin’s the only one he’s ever insulted? Is there anyone in this forest who hasn’t been berated by him? What if he actually got mad and killed you? Then what?!"
She pointed between herself and Drebren.
"What were we supposed to do then? Did you even think that far ahead?"
"…I wasn’t thinking."
Zakrion muttered, looking away bitterly.
"Uh, excuse me."
Once the tension settled, I spoke up, scratching my head.
"I feel like I’m the biggest piece of this puzzle, yet I have no idea what’s going on. Mind filling me in?"
"My apologies."
Drebren turned to me.
"It must have been an unsettling sight for an outsider."
"Well… there are human fathers with similar personalities, I suppose. But anyway."
"I’m sure you’re confused. To be honest, we are as well. We don’t fully understand our father’s reasoning."
"You guys really don’t communicate at all, huh?"
"You’ve seen it yourself."
Drebren gestured around us.
"This is the Black Forest. A place where assassins are born. Even among our own blood, betrayal and deceit run rampant."
"So we never show our true thoughts, even to family."
Sharian added.
"It must seem ridiculous to you. A single conversation could have prevented all of this. But we simply aren’t wired for that. We think humans are strange for being so open with their emotions."
Sharian’s gaze landed on Kirrin.
"And this situation is no different. We could have just told you our father wanted to discuss marriage. But our kind doesn’t talk to our targets."
"And again, I apologize."
Drebren sighed.
"Once it became an order, we didn’t even consider talking it out."
…Yet now, they were explaining things perfectly fine.
"Alright. I get it. But let’s focus on the real issue here.
What the hell is actually going on?"
Drebren exhaled.
"Our father wants you to marry Kirrin…"
"Why?"
"Because of Maman’s dying wish."
New information.
Mamann.
Their mother?
That title didn’t suit dark elves at all.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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