Picked Up a Half-Elf

Her name changed.

Members of the five royal families that trace their lineage to the imperial line prefix their names with the holy title "Ryuke." The current king of Casalia, Neyas, is formally addressed as Ryuke Neyas on official occasions.

In Ria's case, she became Ryuke Riana Crystal Casalia. Since the kingdom's founding, not a single member of the royal family had been named Ryuke Riana. Out of deference to the Militant Emperor Ryuke Riana from two thousand years ago, no one had dared give that name.

Setting that aside, Riana was not an uncommon name among commoners. In fact, Agatha had taken it from a character in a story.

Ria was Neyas's third child and his only daughter. However, she was not granted succession rights to the throne. Her mother was neither a concubine nor nobility, but merely a commoner. Still, perhaps because Neyas felt pity for not raising his only daughter himself, she grew up showered with his affection.

Agatha had been offered a place in the inner palace on this occasion, but she declined. That was simply not how she wanted to live her life.

As for how her parents met, only Rufus seemed to know the details, and even he wouldn't tell her. He probably just thought it was too early for her to hear. Ria wasn't particularly interested anyway.

Ryuke Riana Crystal Casalia, ten years old.

That day, she woke up early.

She habitually woke early enough to finish training before sunrise, but with gifts like Sleep Reduction and High Speed Recovery, she woke even earlier than usual that day.

Her Night Vision gift let her see perfectly in the dark room. She quickly stripped off her clinging nightclothes and changed into her training outfit.

Fitted black trousers with a decorative skirt. A black tunic, topped with black leather armor. She did like the color black, but it also had the practical benefit of not showing bloodstains.

She ran her fingers through her hair in front of the huge full-length mirror.

"Mm, cute today too."

She belted on the wooden sword and knife from the corner of her closet, threw on a sand-colored cloak, and her preparations were complete.

She opened the window and leaped down from the fifth floor.

She caught herself on the tiny protrusions along the wall and landed softly. Then she dashed across the garden and cleared the five-meter wall separating the inner palace from the main castle without any assistance.

Her destination was the twenty-meter castle wall. Even she couldn't clear that in a single bound. Instead, she used the sparse handholds to leap nimbly upward.

Surveillance and magical barriers guarded the top of the wall, but she broke through by sheer force. Speed that brooked no argument. Magic power that silenced all objections. Her father the king had long since given up trying to stop her.

She took a running start and leaped, magnificently clearing the twenty-meter-wide moat. Beyond it lay the streets of Anaias.

Ria sprinting through was nothing short of a black whirlwind. Had this been night, urban legends would surely have been born.

That day, Ria had a goal.

To slaughter some goblins.

In a world of swords and magic, monsters naturally exist. Why they happened to be goblins and orcs, creatures famous even on Earth, was a mystery, but there was no helping what existed.

Word at Agatha's shop during one of her visits home was that these goblins were breeding in a forest a few days' journey from the capital. Even in stories, goblins were treated as small fry, and in this world they were considered somewhat dangerous pests.

To lose her killing virginity in this world, Ria had decided to exterminate these goblins.

Incidentally, legend had it that a small community of virtuous goblins lived somewhere deep in the mountains.

In any case, Ria dashed through the city, effortlessly vaulted the massive city walls that could withstand even giants, and touched down outside Anaias.

From there, she went all out. Using body enhancement skills and magic, she exceeded human limits.

She crossed the granary region surrounding Anaias, followed the relatively safe road through the forest, and by the time the morning sun had fully risen, she emerged onto an undulating path with towering mountains at her back.

"Hm?"

There was someone collapsed on the road ahead.

The sand-colored clothes were probably due to dirt. It was a woman with a small pack on her back and long golden hair. She held a staff in her hand.

"Hello～? Are you alive～?"

No response. Just a corpse, it seemed.

"… So… hungry…"

Actually, she was alive.

She couldn't very well abandon her, so she tried to turn her face-up. That's when distinctive long ears appeared from between the golden hair.

An elf. The forest race known for their beauty. There had been some in the capital too, but only male elves. This was her first time seeing a female elf, and she was as beautiful as the stories said.

"Chew well before you swallow～"

When she softened some travel rations with water and offered them, the elf devoured them at an incredible pace. Apparently she'd had nothing but flower nectar for five days.

She was supposed to have brought plenty of food, but she'd gotten lost in the forest while trying to take a shortcut.

Getting lost in the forest? You're a forest fairy.

"No, I'm a half-elf."

The half-elf introduced herself as Lulu and began telling her brief life story.

Most elves live in forests, but many young ones get restless and set out to see the outside world. Lulu's father was one of them, and during his adventures he met the human woman who would become Lulu's mother. Skipping the details, Lulu was born.

On their way to inform her maternal grandfather of his grandchild's birth, her parents fought to protect a village from a horde of monsters. Her father died. Her mother was wounded and passed away shortly after returning to her hometown. Lulu was raised by her magician grandfather.

Her grandfather was an ordinary magician who made his living in the village by producing potions and such. He too had passed away recently, and with the youthful longing for city life, Lulu had set out for the capital.

"You've got energy to spare, but do you have any connections in the capital?"

"No, I was thinking I'd earn money doing street healing. Fortunately, I know some magic."

"Street healing, huh. I think you'd be better off helping out at a temple. You'd have a place to sleep too."

"No, elves are atheists."

That's very elf-like.

"Street healing is… there are territories to worry about, and besides, you're beautiful, so it might be dangerous, you know?"

She seemed naive, and with this elf's characteristic beauty, she'd probably get kidnapped.

"Cities are scary, aren't they."

"They sure are～. Becoming a prostitute would be easy enough, I suppose."

"Absolutely not."

Well, obviously.

"Hmm, I could introduce you to a job, but an elf…"

"Even though I'm only half, will I still be persecuted?"

"No, it's more likely you'd be targeted by elf enthusiasts."

Otherwise, she could just introduce her to her mother's shop without hesitation.

"Well, I do know someone who might hire you."

"Really!?"

She recalled Rufus-jiichan saying something about wanting "a beautiful assistant." Still not withered past three hundred years old. Impressive.

"Well then, let's go. Hop on my back."

"No, I can manage to walk somehow."

"Walking normally, it'll still take two more days, you know? Don't worry, I can use enhancement magic."

With that settled, Lulu climbed onto her back, and Ria took a firm grip on her bottom before breaking into a run.

"Wha- s-so fast～!"

Even though she slowed down considerably, the two arrived in Anaias by evening.

The goblin massacre would take place one week later.