Surprise, incomprehension, confusion.
These were the complex feelings swirling in Flos’s heart upon hearing those two sentences.
Did she want to run away?
That was a definite yes.
But could she truly trust Elka’s help?
Flos couldn’t give herself a clear answer.
She hated the Emerald Heart Squad, and naturally, she hated everyone in it.
The arrogance of Jaliya, the coldness of Tatassimi, and then…
Elka.
What exactly was it about this elven mage that irritated her so much?
With a slight effort, Flos easily broke free from the embrace.
As she turned, wanting to look at the elf’s face, Elka was already bowing her head.
Tears fell onto the floor, her sobbing painfully clear.
Some numbed memories became sharp again at this sight.
Of course—wasn’t it Elka’s cowardly behavior that she hated most?
“You’re…”
“I’m sorry. It’s all because I wasn’t able to convince them that you ended up like this. I just didn’t want you to die, I…”
Elka babbled on in a mess of apologies.
This wasn’t the first time Flos had seen her so flustered and guilt-ridden.
As an elf freed from the shackles of lifespan, Elka’s attitude towards ordinary people was always tinged with a faint but genuine compassion, never arrogance.
She often cried upon seeing adventurers injured or dying, frequently begging as a healer to tend to others.
That saintly sympathy, treating everyone with equal care—including Flos.
Only this elf showed her concern when tending to teammates or injured travelers.
Only Elka would intervene when Flos took extreme actions to strengthen herself.
Flos could feel that Elka, like her, cared about bonds with others, but due to her naïve understanding and grasp of emotions, she remained mostly silent as Jaliya and Tatassimi’s mistreatment worsened.
At most, after the bullying within the team ended, Elka would come to accompany and care for her.
All were after-the-fact compensations, just like now.
“What’s the use of saying that? It’s come to this point already.”
Flos knew these words did no good for herself, and would only hurt the elf, but the suffocating feelings left her no choice but to vent her anger on the one person willing to be gentle with her.
Deep down, she distrusted Elka.
No matter if this elf was sincere or acting, from the moment she became Flos, trust was impossible.
Because if she trusted Elka, whether she chose to run away or not, her hatred of the Emerald Heart would be based on still having some goodwill toward one of the teammates.
That mindset was destined to drag her deeper into a mire she couldn’t escape.
[Ignore her. Actually, she’s probably afraid of being treated the same way I am, that’s why she says those things.]
As long as there was one person being bullied in the group, Elka would never be the one most badly mistreated.
Holding this thought, Flos attached malice to Elka’s apologies and attempts at making amends, seeing them as measures for Elka’s own peace of mind.
Without looking at the stunned elf, Flos decisively got up and crawled back under the covers.
However…Flos was still too naïve.
If she abandoned her self-destructive fantasies and thought toward the worst, perhaps she could face the true reality.
At this very moment, Elka was not saddened by Flos’s words.
From start to finish, this elven lady had never felt guilt.
What she felt most now was headache over Flos’s behavior and Jaliya’s group’s conduct.
[I told you this wouldn’t work!]
She clenched her fists in secret, frustration boiling in her chest.
Jaliya—the coin minter—who knows what she was thinking, designing such a plan.
That woman understood the principle that a mule cannot be whipped forever without feeding it beans.
Yet she insisted on using extreme methods to reduce Flos to this state.
And now she expected Elka to comfort her?
The girl had become a hedgehog; no matter how sweet the words, they wouldn’t work.
But there was no choice.
The team had its roles.
To hold Flos tightly in their hands, someone had to play the “black face,” and someone else the “red face.”
And playing the red face was something this millennia-old elf was indeed good at—and enjoyed.
Looking at the small lump in the bed, she bit her lip, pinched her arm hard, feeling tears welling up.
Her choked-up voice became more genuine as she continued:
“I know such an apology sounds insincere, but I… I heard that when you wanted to quit the team, you had already returned to your hometown, Flos…”
For someone like Flos, born with low self-esteem, being addressed with respect and care using her real name was unbearable.
Sure enough, no sooner had the words left her lips than the girl wrapped in blankets shivered slightly.
“Why don’t you call me Flos? If you don’t want to, could they really force you to turn me into this? Pretentious nonsense—no need to say it anymore.”
Her voice was laced with irritation and resistance, and Elka’s eyes brightened.
If she was willing to speak, then there was room for communication.
This emotional outburst was no different from a child hoping for comfort.
So tender, Flos.
You’re indeed cuter now.
As a magic wielder, she could reluctantly grant you a little “good child” reward.
With that thought, Elka glanced at today’s outfit.
Still rather revealing.
A sheer pink dress, white stockings held by leg garters, and lace undergarments just barely accessible to those in close contact.
Some young man… or rather, a young kitchen girl, wouldn’t be able to resist.
What was that phrase again?
Feeling down?
Just start a round.
Though she wasn’t in the mood, letting Flos take a little advantage was not impossible.
Elka quietly approached the bedside, lay down, and gently hugged her from behind.
“I don’t want you to die. You’re my most important partner. It’s because I selfishly carried the thought that as long as you could be revived, that would be enough…”
She choked up, unable to finish her words.
In truth, it was because her hands started to move, searching for the perfect position to be close to Flos.
The delicate scent emanating from the carefully crafted girl’s body overwhelmed her senses, and she momentarily forgot what she wanted to say.
Damn it.
Flos’s appearance was perfectly designed to their tastes, and Elka found herself losing control when getting intimate.
But the effect was already sufficient.
Flos, tangled in so many emotions, was like a pilot told to make an emergency landing just before takeoff—unable to release all the pent-up feelings.
And Elka’s advances continued as she spoke of what happened before Flos returned home.
“I heard that when you wanted to leave the team, I thought it must have been because of me.
Yaya said that during the recent battle with Behemoth, you were assigned to clean the kiln all day but weren’t given a room to stay in.
You felt upset and acted out.
You know, Jaliya and the others have always been stubborn like this.
If I had held back a bit, saved some energy to come back and help you, maybe you wouldn’t have been so angry.”
Normally, when Flos was upset from overwork, a little comfort or some time alone with linked fingers or a hug would be enough to turn her back into a considerate and reliable servant.
But that day, Jaliya and the others thought the time was right to be even more cruel.
Elka did not intervene, instead sleeping soundly in her room.
That led to Flos being driven to attempted suicide.
Everything was calculated, but that didn’t stop Elka from bringing it up.
After all, the fault was all on Jaliya and the others.
She was the only teammate who cared and loved Flos.
Not to mention, her suggestion had been that at the right moment, they should let Flos willingly don the shackles with the excuse that “she likes this form better,” becoming the adorable Flos.
Wouldn’t that be simpler than what’s happening now?
Of course, she had to admit it was more interesting this way.
While pondering these thoughts, Elka prepared to say more, but the girl in her arms suddenly turned around, and their eyes met instantly.
She saw a pair of eyes filled with cold indifference.
Before the girl could drop her guard, all Elka received was a puff of breath from Flos.
“I don’t think our relationship needs to be worse than theirs, Miss Elka.”
The blonde elf, leaving the room, had those words echoing in her mind.
Had she misjudged everything?