"Good should be paid with good. Same as evil. One should also not go back on their word, especially one made at a diplomatic meeting—as a representative of your people."
"Oh?" Freya drew even closer as I said this.
"Even if my people have made some errors, I would like to bring to your remembrance that you have already given your word concerning an audience with the Queen."
The Elf Princess was now barely an inch away from me. I could feel her gaze on me. I could feel her breath.
'She smells nice... like flowers...' My thoughts shamefully added.
Why did I have such a weakness for this Race?!
"How do you know so much about us, anyway." She spoke, looking directly into my eyes.
Her green irises penetrated my brownish-yellow ones.
'I can't exactly give her the details, can I?' My lips nearly broke into a smile.
Deciding not to back off from her, I returned her gaze with full-on confidence.
If I took a slight step forward, our bodies would clash. Even if I was avoiding that outcome, we were already plenty close to each other.
"Legends and stories. Elves are quite popular among humans. We have a high opinion of you. It's a shame your kind doesn't share the same sentiment toward us."
I was being a bit loose with my speech, but Freya didn't seem to mind at this point.
Since our conversation had become informal, bothersome formalities had long been discarded.
If she could move closer than she already was, Freya would have done that. Her face was already a slight millimeter from touching mine.
"Why..." She whispered.
I gulped instantly, feeling the pressure of having an Elf so close to me.
Unlike the time with Ana or Maria, who were very young compared to my mental standards, I was dealing with an Elf here.
The impure thoughts I wasn't allowed to have when I was with the young girls began manifesting.
Elves simply had that kind of charm, and this one, in particular, was very bold.
"... Why can't I read you?" She asked, narrowing her gaze on me.
It felt like she could eat me alive with her eyes of extreme fixation. Freya's green-colored irises were a gem to behold, but not enough to cause me to falter, especially after that question.
"I wonder..." My response was vague.
Another advantage of being a member of Freya's blessed race was the ability to understand the surrounding Mana.
Unlike simply listening in and observing an area thanks to the Mana, they could completely break down the Mana around a person.
Using that, Elves could easily understand the intentions of anyone in close proximity to them.
Anger. Happiness. Malice. Pride. Humility.
Simple emotions were understood, and a facade put up by another party could easily be torn down.
This was one of the reasons Elves didn't think too highly of humans.
Having understood our nature and basic tendencies, they simply relegated us to a lesser standard and had very low opinions of our Race.
Even while Fabian was conversing with Freya, she was observing him thoroughly while using this special ability.
'That's most likely why she was so pissed at him...'
Of course, their capabilities in this field weren't unlimited.
Elves could only 'read' targets who were not as adept as them in utilizing the surrounding Mana. In essence, mostly humans.
Even among humans, there was one exception.
—Me!
Not only was I an expert at Mana Manipulation, but I could freely control Mana in my surroundings thanks to Spellcraft.
My skill in Mana Manipulation (Both internal and External) had far surpassed the natural advantage Elves had over humans.
As a result, even someone as skilled as Freya couldn't get a good read on my emotions or motive.
"I could have fooled you by showing you what you want, you know? But... I chose not to." My tone was low, and I kept staring passionately into her eyes.
By controlling the wavelength of my Mana, it wouldn't be too hard to produce a result that would give Freya whatever impression I wanted.
I could have also stopped my fellow humans from slighting the Elves. I had enough power and information to completely control this situation.
But...
"I don't want to manipulate anything. Consider this a part of my sincerity, Princess Freya. My goal is simply to bring about an alliance between humans and Elves."
After I said this, there was silence on both ends.
Only the sounds of our breaths could be heard. Human and Elf stood face to face, none budging or flinching.
"Fine. I'll believe your words." Freya said, finally stepping away from me.
'Huu...!' I nearly heaved in relief.
The intensity between the Princess and me nearly brought back some awkward memories.
"I will keep observing you, though."
She meant every word. I could tell since I could read her Mana and discern her intentions.
'Unlike me, Elves haven't actively trained to mask their true intentions...'
Why would they—especially someone like Freya—need to do something like that?
They were more adept at Mana than nearly every other Race, and humans could not dream of reaching their connection with nature through Mana.
I was simply an exception.
"That is more than enough for me, Princess."
"Hmph! Enough with the 'Princess' business. Call me Freya! I will also call you Jared. Do you object?"
'That's what I was hoping for. Thanks for bringing it up yourself.'
Still, who would have thought I would be able to get this close to her in such a short span?
"Then, I will do as you say... Freya." I smiled as I said her name.
"Urgh. That's a disgusting smile. Humans never change, do they?"
"Have you ever met a human before?"
"Uh? W-what are you suddenly talking about? Of course, I have!"
'Pfft! Lies. Pure lies!' I mused.
"Then, shall we get ready to depart?" I smiled, changing to a more pertinent subject.
"Huu. Sure. But, how exactly do you plan on reaching the Envoys? Even we don't know their exact positions..." Freya asked, looking at me with curiosity.
"Well, that's no problem."
After all, as soon as Freya permitted me, I had ordered a few of my Automatons on standby to scout for the Backup force.
