Chapter 27: The Universal Slayer

Only four days remained until the dungeon’s opening.

In the three days since they had acquired the potions from the guild, Elara and Hilvyn had not accepted any further commissions.

Primarily, this was to prevent any unforeseen injuries. Secondly, the number of adventurers at the guild had surged, as many from other regions had flocked to Wind’s Whisper City due to the impending dungeon activation.

At this very moment, Elara was engrossed in studying the dungeon’s资料. Her research encompassed the numerous routes from each level to the next, the terrain encountered along each path, and the types of monsters that might appear at various stages.

Crucially, she also examined the distribution of resources. From its shallower reaches to its deepest depths, the dungeon promised not only increasingly formidable monsters but also progressively rarer natural materials.

Meanwhile, Hilvyn sat on the bed, utilizing the Demon Forging Technique to enhance her physique.

The Demon Forging Technique permanently consumed a portion of one’s total magical power. Depending on the amount expended, it offered varying degrees of physical augmentation, with its strengthening effects progressing from slow to rapid, then back to slow.

Given Hilvyn’s combat role, only a slight enhancement was necessary. This impact on an elf’s colossal magical reserves was virtually negligible.

“Master, look,” Hilvyn said, rolling up her sleeve to reveal her slender arm.

Hmm…

Elara stared for a long moment before finally understanding that Hilvyn was attempting to showcase her “muscle.”

“Try lifting that cabinet over there.”

Before the Demon Forging, Hilvyn had tried and failed; the cabinet hadn’t budged. This time, however, she stepped forward and effortlessly lifted it.

“Oh, very good, very good.”

Elara nodded affirmingly, clapping her hands in applause.

“Now I, Hilvyn,” she declared, punching the air repeatedly, “will protect Master!”

“Hoo-hoo-hah!”

“Hahahaha—” Elara burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. The documents slipped from her grasp, scattering across the floor.

“Don’t laugh! I learned it all from Master. You’re just laughing at yourself.”

“Well, if you don’t protect me properly, I won’t want you anymore.”

QAQ

“Ah, no! Don’t not want me—”

Hilvyn quickly crossed the few steps to Elara’s side, grabbing her arm and clinging to her tightly.

‘How silly,’ Elara mused internally. ‘If she couldn’t even protect herself, wouldn’t that mean I’d already met with misfortune? There would be no ‘wanting’ or ‘not wanting’ then.’

Just as she was about to pull away, she noticed tears welling in the corner of Hilvyn’s eyes.

Elara was momentarily stunned.

She hadn’t expected Hilvyn to be so sensitive to her joke. Her heart immediately softened, and she regretted having teased her.

She gently stroked Hilvyn’s head.

“There, there, it was just a joke. How could I ever not want my adorable Hilvyn?”

“Really?”

“More real than Myra’s ham.”

Hilvyn: ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅

“Then that means it’s fake, right? Waaahhh—”

‘It’s fun to tease her a little.’

“That was also a joke, silly. Don’t cry, don’t cry. I promise.”

Hilvyn gazed at Elara with tear-filled eyes.

“Then Master, say you like me.”

“Alright, alright, I like you, I like you.”

Only then did Hilvyn stop crying, wiping away her tears.

‘She’s cuter than a child, easier to tease, and easier to appease. Hilvyn is simply wonderful.’

****

That afternoon, Elara, having nothing to do, accompanied Hilvyn to observe her daily routine as a fitting model.

“Good afternoon, Auntie Martha.”

“Oh! Little Hilvyn is here!”

Upon seeing Hilvyn, Martha’s eyes lit up. She then greeted Elara, who was behind her: “And Little Hilvyn’s sister, come in, come in, sit down.”

Martha, though over seventy, still looked relatively young. While not yet in her twilight years, faint wrinkles already lined her eyes, indicating a lower total magical power.

“Auntie Martha, my sister came to see how I usually help with fittings.”

“Oh~ I understand, I understand,” Martha said, smiling knowingly.

Elara, however, couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t understand at all.

Martha nimbly brought out the clothes she had already prepared, then promptly closed the shop door.

“These three pieces, Auntie calls them the ‘Man-Slayer’ collection.”

Martha picked out one set. “The first set is the ‘Youth Slayer.’”

“This is the second set, the ‘Middle-Aged Slayer.’”

“And finally, this last set is even more potent: the ‘Universal Slayer.’”

Hilvyn entered the fitting room, changed into each outfit in turn, and emerged to display them.

“Auntie, this ‘Universal Slayer’ feels a little tight…”

It was a two-piece outfit with a thin, somewhat sheer skirt, revealing a hint of her midriff.

“Not tight at all, not tight,” Martha exclaimed, her eyes gleaming. “Little Hilvyn is too beautiful, my goodness. Auntie, I, myself, am falling in love with Little Hilvyn.”

“Hehehe…” Hilvyn squirmed, flattered by the praise. Instead of responding to Martha, she looked at Elara.

“Sister… does it look good?” Her face was faintly flushed.

Elara glanced over, then pretended to be busy, observing other decorations in the shop.

“It looks good.”

‘More than just good—it’s incredibly alluring. No wonder it’s called the Universal Slayer; it truly slayed Elara on the spot.’

As she stole glances, she decided that she would have to let Hilvyn visit this tailor shop less often in the future.

‘This Martha…’ Elara stole another peek. ‘She’s both magnificent and dangerous.’

As Hilvyn’s guardian, mother, sister, captain, and master, Elara felt it was imperative to consider her physical and mental well-being.

As for Martha, she could find other fitting models to continue her grand work. Elara was quite supportive of the spread of such fashion, but only as a supporter. If it was for her own child to wear, absolutely not.

“Little Hilvyn, do you have any emotional questions for Auntie today?” Martha suddenly asked.

“Eh, this…” Hilvyn visibly flustered for a moment, quickly glancing at Elara. “No…”

Martha then suddenly remembered the little agreement she had with Hilvyn, realizing she had spoken out of turn.

The two silently closed their mouths, a mutual understanding passing between them.

Only Elara was left wondering: ‘Emotional questions? Does Hilvyn have emotional questions? Forget it, it’s probably just one of Martha’s inappropriate little lessons.’

“Little Hilvyn’s sister, would you like to try something on?” Martha enthusiastically invited.

“No, thank you…”

Hilvyn’s disappointment was visibly apparent for a fleeting moment.

****

After leaving the tailor shop and returning home, Hilvyn leaned on the balcony railing, staring blankly at the passersby on the street. In her hand, she clutched the pendant.

Elara approached Hilvyn. “What’s wrong?”

“Just now, I asked Master…”

Hilvyn spoke half a sentence, then swallowed the rest.

“Asked me what?”

“I asked Master if I looked good.”

“I said you looked good, didn’t I?”

Elara clearly didn’t grasp Hilvyn’s meaning.

“If it looked good, why did you only glance at it once…” Hilvyn turned her face away.

‘She’s sulking.’

‘So that’s what she was bothered by. But Elara couldn’t be blamed; if she had looked any longer, she might have lost her composure. That magnificent outfit was truly a bit too stimulating for her.’

However, the desire for beauty was universal. Elara understood that in such situations, one naturally sought approval from those closest to them—which meant herself.

“Actually, when you weren’t looking, I was watching you the whole time.”

“Liar…” Hilvyn mumbled. “Master only looked occasionally, not the whole time.”

‘Busted.’

Elara gave a guilty laugh. “Ahahaha… well…”

“But Hilvyn is the most beautiful,” she suddenly said, changing her tone to one of earnestness, “in my heart.”

“Really?” Hilvyn turned her head, meeting Elara’s gaze.

“More real than your love for toast with jam.”

Hilvyn’s lips curved into a smile. “Hehe… then I want toast again tonight.”

“Alright,” Elara replied with a relieved smile.

‘So easy to appease.’