Immortal SL*UT System-Chapter 37: Rescue captured elf children

The shadow puppet show ended with roaring applause. Lanterns were lit across the riverside, casting warm orange hues over the crowd. Music began drifting in from nearby performers, and laughter bubbled all around.

Lilith clapped lazily, glancing at Luca who was still wiping a tear, completely moved by the romantic story.

"Unbelievable," she muttered. "These people worship a yaoi puppet play like it’s sacred scripture..."

She was about to tease Luca when suddenly—

Ding!

A translucent screen popped up in her vision. It was the first time in days, and the sudden appearance made her heart skip.

------

📜 [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[Urgent Quest (Not Obligatory)]

Rescue the captured elf children

[Time Limit: 6h]

[Reward: Upgrade one chosen skill to Lv.3]

[Punishment: None]

-------

A small glowing red map marker appeared in her mind’s eye. It pulsed faintly, pinpointing a location across the river, near the old broken bridge.

Lilith blinked. Her heart raced.

"Elf children...? Captured?"

The words almost slipped from her lips, but she clenched them shut. She glanced at her family and knights—everyone was still busy chatting about the show, none aware of what had just appeared before her.

A sly smirk tugged at her lips.

"So... the system throws me a side quest, huh?"

Her eyes glinted in the lantern light.

"No punishment if I ignore it... but that reward..."

Her gaze flicked to her current skills.

Fire Spark ? Ice Bullet? Or maybe Elarion Manipulation?

The possibilities tempted her, but at the same time, the word "captured" lingered in her mind. She didn’t know why, but it made her blood stir.

She tapped her fingers against her folded arms, thinking.

"Six hours... that means by midnight. Guess the night’s not over yet."

Secret Mission Begins

The shadow puppet show had ended. The festival music was swelling through the streets, but Lilith’s mind was on the glowing red map marker only she could see.

She slipped away with Ren, pulling him into a quiet alley between two stalls.

Ren looked puzzled. "What’s going on? You’ve been fidgety ever since the show."

Lilith leaned closer, lowering her voice.

"Ren... tell me you brought combat gear."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Combat gear? At a festival? Of course not. But..." He tapped his belt and revealed a concealed dagger. "I don’t go anywhere without this."

Lilith smirked. "Good. We’ll need it."

Ren narrowed his eyes. "We? Need it? Lilith, what are you plotting?"

Lilith tilted her head, putting on a dramatic look of mystery. "Let’s just say my instincts are screaming. Something bad’s happening on the other side of the river. And I have to check it out."

"Then tell the knights," Ren countered.

Lilith shook her head sharply. "No. This has to stay secret." She raised a finger, smirking. "It’s called Women’s Intuition. And guess what—it’s a Legendary Grade Skill."

Ren blinked, deadpan. "...That’s not a thing."

"It is now," Lilith declared.

Back at the Inn

They returned to the inn under the excuse of feeling "tired." Inside, while the others relaxed, Lilith sneaked into the knights’ room with Ren.

The Iron Vows had neatly stacked their armor and weapons in the corner.

Ren whispered, "We can’t just—"

Lilith was already lifting a sword. "Shh. We’re not stealing. We’re borrowing. Knight’s honor, blah blah. They won’t even notice."

Ren sighed, but grabbed a blade himself. "You’re insane."

"Correction," Lilith grinned. "I’m prepared."

She threw on a rough disguise: dark cloak, scarf over her face, and tied up her hair. To anyone else, she was just another shadow on festival night.

The music of the festival grew faint behind them as they crept toward the old wooden bridge. The lanterns on this side didn’t reach far, and soon the two of them were swallowed by darkness.

Ren glanced around. "This bridge looks like it’s going to collapse under us."

"Perfect," Lilith whispered back. "Means no one else will follow."

The wood groaned under their weight, but they crossed safely. On the far side, the lively sounds of the festival felt miles away. Here, the air was heavy, filled with the faint stench of smoke and rot.

They followed Lilith’s mind-map until a crooked structure came into view—a broken hut half-swallowed by weeds. Faint orange light flickered inside, and drunken laughter spilled out with it.

Ren’s hand instinctively went to his dagger. "This... doesn’t look good."

Lilith crouched low, motioning him to do the same. From inside, they could hear muffled voices—men talking crudely, laughing, and the faint whimper of children trying to resist.

Ren’s jaw tightened. "Slavers."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed. She whispered, her tone colder than Ren had ever heard from her:

"Then we’re in the right place."

Lilith crouched low in the bushes, eyes fixed on the crooked hut. Through the cracks in the boards, flickering firelight revealed shadows moving inside. At least seven men.

She whispered, "I count seven. They’re drunk. Perfect."

Ren adjusted his grip on his dagger, then raised his hand. Small sparks of mana crackled around his fingertips. "We’ll need to take out as many as we can before they stand."

Lilith smirked. "I like the way you think." She spread her fingers, mana pulsing beneath her skin like molten rivers. "Let’s do this commando-style."

Ren nodded. "On my mark."

With a sudden kick, the door cracked inward. At the same instant, a blinding flash of ice shards erupted from Ren’s hand, followed by Lilith’s Elarion Manipulation tearing chunks of the floor upward and hurling them like boulders.

The slavers barely had time to shout. Two were flung back against the wall, their ribs cracking. Another screamed as a shard of ice ripped across his leg. One more fell face-first when a chunk of stone smashed his shoulder.

"Four down," Ren barked.

Three remained—the boss and two of his tougher men, all slightly scorched or bleeding, but alive. They snatched up rusted blades, eyes wide with fury.

"You bastards!" the leader roared. He was broad, scarred, and missing half an ear. "Which black-market group sent you?! Trying to rob us instead of paying?!"

Lilith twirled her blade mockingly. "Sorry to disappoint. We’re not here for your stinking market."

Ren was already moving. With his battle instinct honed, he parried a slaver’s strike and countered with a sharp stab to the gut. Lilith swept her foot, the ground beneath another man shifting suddenly, making him stumble—just in time for her to slam her blade into his back.

The leader swung his weapon desperately, but Lilith and Ren closed in from both sides, overwhelming him in seconds. A hard kick to the jaw from Ren sent him crashing down, blood pooling at the corner of his mouth.

They tied up the groaning slavers with scraps of rope they found lying around. The boss spat blood, glaring at them.

"Damn you... Which group sent you...?" His voice was weaker now.

Lilith crouched over him with a sharp grin. "The group called Mind Your Own Damn Business. Heard of it?"

The man glared silently.

Behind them, a soft shuffle drew Ren’s attention. He turned—eyes widening.

In the corner of the hut, half-hidden by shadows, four cloaked children huddled together, their faces pale and frightened. Pointed ears peeked out from beneath their hoods.

Ren froze. "...Elves."

He knelt, lowering his dagger so he wouldn’t frighten them. Gently, he tugged at the ropes binding their wrists.

"It’s alright. You’re safe now."

The silver-haired one, calm despite her trembling hands, stepped forward slightly. Her voice was soft but firm:

"We... were lost. Then those men caught us."

Lilith tilted her head, frowning. They looked half-dead from exhaustion and hunger, more like strays than some grand prize.

"...So these were the slaves he was bragging about," she muttered under her breath.

The kids were still trembling when Lilith knelt beside them. She pressed her lips together, scanning their faces, then their arms and legs. "Any wounds?" she muttered.

The silver-haired one shook her head. "Only tired. Hungry."

Lilith hummed, leaning closer, brushing away one of their cloaks to check more carefully. And that’s when she froze.

Her eyes narrowed. "...Wait a second."

She poked experimentally. Squish.

Lilith blinked once. Then twice. "Huh."

Ren tilted his head. "What are you—"

"Boobs," Lilith interrupted flatly. Then she proceeded to pull at another cloak. The timid green-haired one squeaked, blushing furiously, but—squish. Yep. Tiny A-cups. Then the red-haired tsundere, who slapped her hand away before Lilith grabbed anyway. Same result. Finally the black-haired one—cold-faced, but still had the beginnings of a curve under the cloak.

Lilith leaned back, arms crossed. "All four of you... girls."

The elves blinked, then nodded without hesitation. "Yes?" the silver-haired one answered as if it were the dumbest question she’d ever heard.

Ren’s jaw dropped. "What—what—do you have any idea what this means?! It’s... it’s national-level uproar!! Do you understand?! Four girls?! Elves on top of that?!"

The elves exchanged confused glances. The timid green-haired one tilted her head. "Why? Why should a group of girls be rare? This person with you is also a girl, isn’t she?"

Ren waved his arms in disbelief. "Yes, she’s a girl—and she’s rare! Rare as gold, rare as phoenix feathers, rare as—" He ran out of metaphors and collapsed dramatically against the wall.

The silver-haired elf frowned. "Rare? How can a gender be rare?"

Lilith narrowed her eyes. Something clicked in her head. "...What’s the male-to-female ratio, according to you?"

The silver-haired one blinked. "Ratio? Isn’t it obvious? About equal. Always has been."

Ren nearly choked. His face was red, pupils dilating as if he’d just heard the most insane blasphemy. "...Equal?! Like—fifty-fifty equal?! That’s impossible! That’s... I can only dream of one-in-a-hundred! You’re joking!"

The elves were dead serious. They didn’t understand why he was screaming.

Lilith’s brows furrowed. Her gut told her this wasn’t just a slip of tongue. "What’s the name of your planet?" she asked slowly.

The red-haired tsundere bristled, glaring. "Stop asking stupid questions! Our planet is Earth, obviously."

The word Earth dropped like a hammer.

Lilith’s eyes widened. She sucked in a sharp breath. "Earth..."

Ren looked between them like they’d started speaking another language. "What the hell is Earth? This planet is called Elarion! Everyone knows that!"

The elves flinched, confusion flashing across their faces. The silver-haired leader’s composure cracked. "...Another... planet?"

The timid one clutched at her cloak. "We... we thought it was just a teleportation gate. It wasn’t supposed to..."

The silver-haired girl finished the thought grimly:

"...We didn’t think it would take us to a different world."

Continued...

Read +4 advanced Chapters on my patreon.

Non-canon filler: The previous owner of the body has now become a yokai and came to haunt me and she has something to say to you all.

❝My, my. Still here? You must be obsessed with me. Not that I blame you. So go ahead — prove it with a heartfelt ❤️.❞

Support me: Patreon.com/MR_Stranger