Chapter 346: Satella
Following the man through twisting slum alleys, Roy eventually arrived at an extremely secluded spot.
"Th-that's the place, sir!"
The slum dweller hunched his shoulders and pointed at a small wooden shack ahead.
Compared to the squalid dwellings of the slum's impoverished residents, this shack appeared remarkably tidy—though "clean" would be overstating it. Some of its wooden planks had grown moldy and damp. Only the owner's ingenuity had pieced together something resembling a "home."
"Hmm, this is the place? Must be hard for a half-elf living here—harassment and such, I imagine."
Roy nodded lightly before posing another question.
"Aren't you just here to harass her..."
The man muttered under his breath, thinking Roy hadn't heard him. But Roy merely smiled at his silent complaint, not angry enough to kill over such words.
Not daring to ignore Roy's question, the man replied in a hoarse, deliberately ominous tone: "...My lord, Satella is very beautiful. Some in the slums bear ill will toward her, but those who tried sneaking into her home... they all disappeared."
The man swallowed hard. He wasn't lying—this was truth. Elven women were naturally beautiful, and half-elves no less so. A girl this lovely living in the slums should have long been taken by the depraved as a plaything, unless she had means to protect herself.
Yet this half-elf named Satella lived here unharmed. That in itself was suspicious.
'Satella...'
Hearing the name, Roy knew he'd come to the right place. Silver-haired half-elves weren't unheard of in this world, but a silver-haired half-elf named Satella? There could only be one.
The slum dweller's ominous tone was meant as warning, hoping Roy wouldn't harbor ill intentions toward Satella. Roy recognized the veiled threat but, considering the man meant well for Satella, magnanimously let it pass.
"Very well, now that we've found the place, you may go."
Roy waved dismissively.
The man hesitated, shuffling his feet before turning back. "...My lord, Satella is truly kind. I hope you'll treat her well. If... if you could take her away from here, that would be better. This slum is no place for a girl like her."
Having lived over twenty years in these filthy depths, the man knew exactly why a noble like Roy would come seeking a beautiful woman here. Powerless to resist, his humble plea was simply that the kind half-elf might be treated decently.
"And... please don't tell her I brought you here."
Shame colored his words—he felt he'd betrayed Satella.
"You talk too much. Take your child and leave this slum."
Roy's impatience showed. A glare sent a shiver through the man as Roy's aura triggered primal fear. Remembering abruptly who he addressed, the man trembled and hastily withdrew.
Only when the man was gone did Roy properly survey this corner of the slum.
Unlike the filth-strewn alleys elsewhere, this nook was relatively clean. The stench hung lighter here, with sun-dried fruit peels scattered about—likely what neutralized the odor.
The moldy little wooden cabin stood amidst some firewood and fruit peels. The style of the cabin resembled a treehouse, likely due to elven habits—it was said that elves lived in treehouses.
Beside the cabin, a small square table held some work tools. Though the tools appeared worn, they were neatly arranged, revealing the meticulous nature of their owner.
Roy approached the cabin and carefully sensed his surroundings. There were no magical traps or anything of the sort. Though Roy wasn't yet familiar with this world's magic, fluctuations in magical energy couldn't lie—there were none here. In other words, this cabin was completely ordinary. Satella's ability to prevent herself from becoming a plaything for the malicious people in the slums likely didn't rely on magic.
The cabin wasn't locked. In the slums, locks were pointless—they couldn't stop those truly intent on stealing.
Pushing the door open, Roy stepped inside. Contrary to expectations, the interior wasn't particularly damp. The space was small, no more than a dozen square meters. A tiny window on the back wall let in sunlight, keeping the interior fresh and airy. A bed rested against the wall, and the only furniture was a simple, monotonous set of table and chairs—likely scavenged from discarded trash somewhere, given the crooked chair legs.
The walls were covered in ivy-like green vegetation, lending the shabby little cabin a cozy atmosphere. There were no oil lamps, no other decorations—just those plants. "Bare as a pauper's home" would be an understatement, a clear testament to the owner's poverty.
"Truly fitting for an elf—quite the natural aesthetic," Roy mused.
He sat down on the bed, the unsteady wooden frame creaking under his weight. Noticing the cabin was also filled with fruit peels, he dispelled his magecraft. Instantly, the cramped space was free of any foul odors, leaving only the sweet fragrance of fruit.
Roy rummaged around but found nothing of value—no hidden treasures, no young girl's intimate garments. The basket on the table held some wild berries, the kind no one in the city would bother selling, probably as worthless as wild vegetables. The half-elf girl likely survived on these.
"What a pitiful existence…" Roy sighed.
It was still afternoon, and Satella hadn't returned yet. Roy sat by her bed, taking out the fruits he had bought earlier—exotic produce from this world that he'd never tasted before. The shopkeeper had washed them thoroughly. Roy picked out one of each unfamiliar fruit and began sampling them.
Some were tart, some sweet, some had strange flavors—but overall, they were delicious, offering Roy a novel experience.
Whether in the world of Campione or the Moonlit World, both had essentially been Earth. This was Roy's first time in a truly foreign, fantastical world, and everything felt fresh and exciting.
Slowly, time passed. As the sun dipped below the western horizon, leaving only faint traces of red light, Roy heard light footsteps approaching from outside.
Satella had returned.
The so-called "Witch of Envy"!