I Became a Gallery Manager in Another World - Chapter 133: Lifting Elfrida (3)

‘What is this? Why is this so much fun?’

Maybe it was because my mindset had changed.

Honestly, the date with Elfrida was so enjoyable that it made my previous worries seem foolish.

JustSayNiceThings’s racist attitude that was shown in the gallery was nowhere to be found.

“Hahaha! Senior! What should we ride next?”

Look at that bright smile.

How could anyone see that face and think it belonged to an extreme racist?

She was wearing all sorts of souvenirs like a ‘little girl’ purely enjoying the amusement park.

“Oh! How about that? The one that drops from the sky!”

“…Wait, just hold on a second.”

However, no matter how cute and charming Elfrida looked, I couldn’t fulfill that request.

“Huh? Why, Senior?”

The problem was the ‘spinning teacups’ we had just ridden.

‘Universal Land’ was a place I had visited several times with Evelyn, and the spinning teacups were my favorite ride because I could tease Evelyn relentlessly.

‘…Now I understand how Evelyn felt.’

But…

The moment Elfrida grabbed the handle, I realized that what I had done so far was child’s play.

Whoosh-! Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

‘Kyaa! Kyahahaha!! Kyahahahaha!’

Elfrida, who never stopped turning the handle while bursting into nearly maniacal laughter, was sheer terror itself.

What made it especially unbearable was when, after barely surviving one round, she said, ‘Let’s ride again!’

‘Honestly, I almost cried at that.’

But somehow, I endured by thinking of ‘adult responsibilities’ and ‘duty as a guardian’.

“…It’s nothing. I just need to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh! Okay, Senior! Go ahead! I’ll be waiting over there! Hehe!”

Leaving the smiling Elfrida behind, I walked to the bathroom, trying to calm myself.

Swoosh─

Once I disappeared, Elfrida nodded her head while sitting on a bench.

“…Hoo. This is more fun than I expected.”

Although ‘Universal Land’ was intended for Ian, riding the attractions turned out to be incredibly enjoyable.

It couldn’t be helped.

Elfrida, who had been secretly raised inside the World Tree for over 200 years, knew about amusement parks in theory but was experiencing one for the first time.

Especially the spinning teacups, where she could turn the handle and spin around—it perfectly suited her tastes.

“Should I ask Senior to ride that again when he returns?”

It would be the third time in a row, but who cared if it was fun?

“Are you alone?”

“….”

“I asked if you are alone.”

At that moment, Elfrida blinked as she looked at the men approaching closer.

“What’s this? Did you just talk to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to?”

“…Ha.”

As a self-proclaimed ‘super-genius cute high elf,’ Elfrida knew her appearance was extraordinary.

However, despite her striking looks, she usually didn’t attract undue attention because of the magic aura she emitted.

Just like a brightly colored poisonous creature warns others of its danger, Elfrida’s magic aura signaled her danger.

But today was different.

Having prepared thoroughly to capture Ian, she completely contained her magic aura.

‘That’s right. Now I must seem like just a normal super-genius frail cute high elf.’

So it was possible for nuisances like the men in front of her to approach.

“Hey. Don’t bother me and get lost. I’m in a good mood, so I’ll let you go.”

Elfrida waved her hand dismissively at the men.

If she wanted, she could annihilate them all, leaving them unable to utter a single word…

But she didn’t want to show a violent side while on a date with Ian.

“You look pretty, but your mouth is rough.”

Swoosh─

“Ha…”

Was it because of baseless confidence in a 3-on-1 situation?

Elfrida sighed as she looked at the man reaching for her shoulder.

Indeed, in romantic comedy novels or comics, there’s always an extra character who appeared in scenes where the couple was on a date.

Usually, when the heroine was scared, the male protagonist appeared out of nowhere to save her.

But…

Sadly for the men in front of her, Elfrida’s genre was not a romantic comedy.

‘…Should I break five bones each? And ten for the black-haired one.’

Talking to her could be forgiven because of her overwhelming beauty, but touching her crossed the line.

While Elfrida was contemplating which bones to break…

Thud-! Crunch-!

Before she knew it, Ian, who had returned from the bathroom, kicked the man between his legs and knocked out the other two with punches to their jaws before they could react.

‘…Ho? Is he this skilled?’

She knew from his muscles visible through his clothes that Ian was strong, but…

She didn’t expect him to have this level of skill.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t blessed with a body enhancement ability, so he couldn’t pursue that path, but even so, his skills would rank quite high among non-enhanced individuals.

Tap-!

“Let’s run, Elfrida.”

“Oh! Yes, Senior!”

Having quickly taken care of the men, Ian grabbed Elfrida’s hand and ran.

“Damn it. It was all going so well until then!!!”

Bang!

Elfrida kicked the air as she recalled the memories.

“And then we almost kissed!!!”

Amazingly, it wasn’t a lie.

Although there wasn’t enough space to write it here, after Ian saved her, they went to ride the Ferris wheel and almost kissed.

…No, maybe even more than that.

However, just before the kiss, an ominous magic and Ifrit’s interference forced them to stop.

“Damn it! Why is there a cemetery next to the amusement park!!”

In fact, Elfrida knew the reason.

It wasn’t that there was an amusement park next to the cemetery, but that the amusement park was built because of the cemetery.

In cemeteries where the dead gather, yin energy naturally arises, and when it exceeds a certain level, it causes various ‘ominous phenomena.’

To prevent such ominous phenomena, places overflowing with yang energy, like ‘academies’ or ‘amusement parks,’ are built near cemeteries.

Swoosh─

Shortly after, Elfrida landed in the cemetery and saw a woman.

“You damn bitch, how dare you interrupt my date?”

Elfrida could immediately tell the woman’s identity.

It was clear from the level of ominous magic she possessed, something hard to believe a human could have.

Her long purple hair reached down to her waist.

And more than anything, her distinctive body shape, with one particularly prominent part, was enough to confirm Elfrida’s suspicion.

“….”

The cause behind the creation of the ‘saint candidate’ status in the church.

The fallen saint, Laura Lavandula.

“You’re going to suffer some losses today.”

“Bitch… stronger than I thought.”

After confirming that Laura had completely fled, Elfrida collapsed on the ground.

[…Elfrida.]

“Why.”

[Why didn’t you call me?]

“Ha, the elders were in such a fuss about not showing you off, how could I call you?”

[Since when did you start listening to them… and you didn’t even use your full strength?]

“So what, she didn’t use her full strength either.”

Looking around, Elfrida saw the cemetery in ruins.

Even though a ‘Spirit King’s contractor’ and a ‘special target for subjugation’ fought, the fact that it was still recognizable as a cemetery meant neither used their full power.

[Aren’t you the type to beat the opponent regardless of their seriousness?]

Elfrida would usually fight with all her might, regardless of whether her opponent was serious or not.

But this time, Ifrit could feel that she was holding back.

“Who’s going to clean up if I use all my power?”

[What?]

“We need to clean up here. Damn, as expected of a ‘special target for subjugation,’ she left the cemetery in a mess and just ran away. That’s why I offered to let her leave peacefully in the beginning.”

[…Is that really the reason? Of all the elves, it’s hard to believe you care.]

“What the hell do you think of me?”

[….]

“Fine! I admit it! If it were just an ordinary cemetery, I wouldn’t care this much. But this is no ordinary cemetery.”

Swoosh─

Elfrida muttered softly while touching the fragments of the broken tombstone.

“…This is where the little ones are buried.”

As mentioned earlier, yin energy naturally arose where the dead gathered.

Among them, the most intense yin energy comes from the souls of children who died without living out their natural lifespan.

Therefore, the Empire built the yang energy-filled ‘Universal Land’ next to this cemetery where children are buried.

“It’s already unfair that they died young, but if someone messes up their resting place, how can they move on?”

[….]

This was it.

It was because of moments like this that Ifrit could not help but trust Elfrida despite the betrayals.

She had developed a terrible personality due to poor upbringing, but her true nature was as kind as her appearance.

“Aargh!! Enough. Let’s get started.”

Brushing off the dirt from her dress, Elfrida clasped her hands together in prayer and closed her eyes.

“Come.”

Just one word.

But that was enough.

Wooooong-!!

In response to Elfrida’s call, numerous low-level spirits gathered, and the ruined cemetery began to return to its original state as if time was being reversed.

[….]

It was a marvelous sight.

Though it was fundamentally similar to the techniques she used to seduce Ian, the scale and complexity were on a whole different level.

Reading and restoring the traces engraved on low-level spirits without self or instinct was something even ‘dragons’ might have struggled with.

“Aargh!… Damn!… Haa!… Fuck… This is so hard…!!”

Even for Elfrida, handling so many spirits simultaneously was no easy task, and cold sweat dripped down her entire body.

Rustle-! Thud-!

Finally, after squeezing out every last bit of her magic to restore the cemetery, Elfrida collapsed on the ground.

“Ah, seriously… I feel like throwing up.”

It had been a long time since she felt magic exhaustion.

She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she didn’t expect it to be this difficult.

The magic she used for the restoration far exceeded what she used in the fight against the fallen saint.

[Elfrida.]

“Ah… Why… I know I did well. Don’t talk to me, I’m really tired.”

[….]

Even if Ifrit wanted to praise her, Elfrida always had something to say back.

[Who said anything about praise? Your lying down posture is very vulgar.]

“Really… fine. I’m really tired, okay? Wake me up later.”

[…Are you really going to sleep in a cemetery?]

“Yeah… I don’t have the energy to move….ha…seriously, I just wanted to go on a date, but what is this…”

With those words, Elfrida fell asleep.

Thunk-!

Ifrit flicked some dirt onto her face, but whether she was asleep or more like unconscious, Elfrida, who would normally complain immediately, didn’t move at all.

[Click… It can’t be helped. Just this once.]

Even though Ifrit had decided not to interfere in Elfrida’s love life…

Seeing such a commendable sight made him want to support her a little.