The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

Arpia, calling herself the Elf Queen’s emissary, left the Great Forest and set out on her journey.

A false rumor had spread that the Elf Queen had taken a husband.

Her official purpose was to visit elven villages across the continent and correct this misinformation.

Her true goal, however, was to find Karami.

He was the one who had started the lie about being the Elf Queen’s consort. He had claimed he was going to the Beastkin Nation to meet a fox, but now he was traveling with the Ice Princess.

She had a feeling that if she left him alone, he would never return.

Arpia needed him.

The longer they were apart, the more wounds appeared on her body.

The first place she went was the Gloaming Woods, where the Dark Elves had settled.

Enormous obsidian trees blocked out the sun, leaving the forest in perpetual darkness. The only sources of light were patches of glowing moss, making the atmosphere eerie and foreboding.

The Dark Elves specialized in assassination and stealth. Any outsider who stepped into their land would die without a sound.

But Arpia was an elf.

She had no enmity with the Dark Elves.

All elves originated from the World Tree in the Great Forest. The only difference was that they had adapted to different environments over time.

Moreover, Arpia was a warrior recognized by the Great Forest, so even the Dark Elves welcomed her. She delivered the Elf Queen’s decree without issue.

“You wasted your effort. We Dark Elves knew from the start that the rumor was false. There’s no way Her Majesty would form a thousand-year pact with lowly humans.”

“That’s what I thought. Anyway, I’ve delivered the message, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Wait.”

As Arpia turned to leave, the Dark Elf Elder called out to her.

“Warrior of the Great Forest, acknowledged by the World Tree. Would you not share your wisdom with our warriors?”

“That sounds like a pain...”

“We humbly request it.”

There was no refusing.

****

Most of the Dark Elf warriors had gathered to spar with her, and Arpia had no choice but to entertain them. Only after that was she allowed to leave the forest.

Her next destination was Anakaras, the desert.

The Sand Elves.

The Shandrael, known as the Walkers of the Sands.

Elves rarely left their forests, and those who dared enter the Great Forest would only meet an elf once—before they died.

Elves were already a mysterious race, but the Shandrael were even more so.

They were the only elves who did not live in forests.

Instead, they were nomads, following water routes and constellations as they wandered the desert.

Of course, finding them was not difficult for Arpia. She simply asked the desert spirits.

Even for her, this was the first time seeing the Shandrael.

Their bronze skin radiated health, shaped by the desert climate. Their hair was a lighter shade of blonde than other elves, and their eyes were a striking oasis blue.

As expected of elves, they were stunningly beautiful.

“I bring a decree from the Queen.”

Just as she had with the Dark Elves, Arpia delivered Ivrelia’s decree.

The Shandrael Elder did not seem particularly surprised.

“You must have traveled far. Rest and quench your thirst before you go.”

“No need. I have spirits.”

A contract with a Water Spirit provided a constant supply of fresh water—whether for drinking, washing, or anything else.

For the nomadic Shandrael, such an ability was essential.

“You command a Greater Water Spirit! In that case, would you be willing to assist our young ones in forming their first spirit contracts?”

Spirits had a habit of gathering around stronger spirits. That was why adult elves often helped young ones when they sought their first contracts.

And in Arpia’s case, she didn’t just have a spirit—she had a [N O V E L I G H T] Servant, an existence beyond spirits.

Already, dozens of spirits were lurking nearby, drawn by curiosity.

“Ah...”

Once again, Arpia couldn’t refuse.

“Thank you. Please visit again. And send our regards to Her Majesty.”

With that, Arpia left the desert.

She had helped thirty elves form contracts.

And none of them had settled for Lesser Spirits—the weakest ones were at least Intermediate Rank.

As a result, the Shandrael now possessed the greatest number of Intermediate Water Spirits in their history since leaving the Great Forest.

Her work in the desert complete, Arpia unfurled the wings of the wind and soared to her final destination.

The permanent frozen lands of Isengard, where the Snow Elves lived.

The very place where the rumor of the Elf Queen’s consort had begun.

Somewhere here, Karami had to be.

Arpia’s excitement was impossible to contain.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

With the help of the spirits, she arrived at the Snow Elves’ settlement.

They lived in igloos, nestled among the coniferous forests of the tundra.

She delivered the Queen’s decree.

“Hm... Our deepest apologies. It seems we have troubled Her Majesty with our mistake.”

The Snow Elf Elder bowed in embarrassment.

With this, Arpia’s duties as the Queen’s Emissary were finished.

But her personal mission was only just beginning.

“I heard that a man claiming to be the Queen’s consort came through here. Do you know anything about him?”

“I know little of that human, but our Warden Captain spoke with him. She may have some answers.”

“I see.”

As Arpia turned to leave, the Elder suddenly called out to her.

“Greatest warrior of the Great Forest... would you be willing to—”

“No.”

“...What?”

“I’ve already suffered enough. Don’t you dare.”

“Guh...”

The Elder had nothing more to say.

Arpia soon met with the Warden Captain.

After hearing Arpia’s explanation, the Captain began to recall the man she had met.

"He came. A man with black hair and black eyes. A human, but he carried the presence of the World Tree."

The description matched Karami exactly. When Arpia had first met him, she, too, had sensed the World Tree’s energy from him.

"Who’s the Ice Princess?"

"A human woman who was with him. A princess from a long-forgotten kingdom."

Arpia didn’t fully understand, but from that explanation alone, she could tell the woman wasn’t ordinary. Unease crept into her, making her voice sharp with impatience.

"Is she pretty?"

"She was so beautiful it was hard to believe she was human. She could easily rival even the most stunning of elves."

Elves, as a race, had incredibly high beauty standards. For an elf to say that a human’s beauty rivaled that of an elf—it was an almost unheard-of compliment.

A woman like that was standing by Karami’s side. Arpia bit down on her finger out of habit.

"Do you know where they went?"

"I don’t know the exact location. But if you go northeast, there is a frozen kingdom. It’s sealed by a barrier that prevents outsiders from entering, but... perhaps that’s where they are."

It was a vague and uncertain answer, but it was the only lead she had. Without hesitation, Arpia took off in the direction the warden had pointed.

'It’s not as cold as I expected.'

Arpia had heard plenty of stories about the eternal frozen lands of Isengard.

It was said that outsiders who entered unprepared would freeze to death on their feet, their bones turning to ice.

The blizzards were said to rage so fiercely that not even a single step forward could be taken.

Moreover, elves of the Great Forest, who lived under warm sunlight, were particularly weak to the cold.

Arpia had planned to keep a Fire Spirit with her at all times, but the cold here was nowhere near what she had expected. More like winter—just a little harsher.

Perhaps the northerners exaggerated their hardships to appear tougher.

"Is that it?"

From high above, riding the wind with the wings of her Servant, Arpia spotted a city. She landed in the middle of it.

She tilted her head. The warden had mentioned a barrier protecting the kingdom, yet she couldn’t sense any magical defenses.

But all that mattered was that she had entered. Without giving it much thought, she began exploring the city.

"It’s beautiful."

Arpia had always believed that nothing could surpass the natural beauty of the Great Forest. But the Prissian Kingdom rivaled it. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

The only strange thing was that there wasn’t a single person in sight.

Instead, the city was filled with ice sculptures.

A child holding their parent’s hand.

An old couple sitting on a bench.

A noble riding a carriage.

Lifelike. Immaculately detailed.

It felt as if they would start moving the moment the ice melted.

And more than anything, there was a warmth to them. Whoever sculpted these figures had poured sentiment into them—every statue radiated a sense of harmony and happiness, like the ideal citizens of a fairy-tale town.

The unsettling part was that these sculptures filled the entire city.

Who had created such an overwhelming display?

"What’s got them so excited?"

Arpia was somewhat fascinated by the sight, but there was something even more excited than her.

The Ice Spirits.

The moment she had entered the kingdom, the Ice Spirits had begun flitting about in glee. She had no idea why. Then again, it was impossible to understand what they were thinking in the first place.

Arpia walked through the streets and into the castle.

A garden of flowers, an honor guard of frozen knights, butlers, maids. In the great hall, an assembly of courtiers—and at the head of it, a king and queen made of ice.

Arpia continued moving through the castle until she sensed something.

A presence.

She cautiously followed the presence until she found someone.

The atmosphere around them was similar to that of the ice sculptures.

But there was no mistake.

This one was different.

Unlike the frozen figures, she moved.

Where her hands touched, new ice statues formed.

Around her, Ice Spirits spun in circles, playing gleefully. She lifted her gaze from the spirits and turned her head—meeting Arpia’s eyes.

"...?"

Her beauty was almost unnatural, as if enchanted.

Arpia, just by looking at her, instantly understood.

This was the Ice Princess.

And like herself, she was another slave who had been freed by Karami.

"So you’re the Ice Princess?"

The woman tilted her head in confusion.

Then, her pupils widened.

"Tinkerbell...!"

"...?"

With that slow, drawn-out word, Arpia immediately came to a conclusion about Asies.

'She’s not normal either.'