"Yes."
Taking a deep breath, Margarethe pulled off her hood, revealing her slender, pointed face-sharp and elegant, like a painting come to life.
Her golden hair flowed down her shoulders, soft and luxurious. Every feature of her face was perfectly placed-her nose, her lips, her eyes, everything in just the right spot. She was a vision of beauty: her figure was elegant and curvaceous, her waist small enough to grasp with just two hands.
She wasn't petite. Every curve of her body was in the perfect place-too much and she'd be fat, too little and she'd be thin, but she was just right. Her whole being was a perfect match with her classical, almost ethereal face, making her impossible to look away from.
Lucian knew that in this world, elves were as beautiful as they were in the novels he had read before. But seeing this elf in person, so alluring and radiant, still made him pause for a moment.
A moment later, he cleared his throat and pulled himself back to the present.
"Elves usually live in seclusion, avoiding contact with humans. I wonder, Miss, what brings you to my estate?"
Lucian looked at the elf before him, curiosity in his voice.
And in that moment, the usually silent Gift of the Breeder suddenly reacted.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his ear.
[Current target meets the qualification for the Gift of the Breeder. Divine Gift can be activated.]
In simpler terms, it meant: Go ahead and make her bear your son.
What? What kind of nonsense is this!
They didn't even know each other! How could he just go up and ask someone to bear his child?
Lucian had no habit of forcing people to have his kids.
So he just coughed a couple of times, trying to hide his embarrassment.
As Lucian observed Margarethe, she was observing him too.
Strange.
That was the first word that came to mind for Margarethe.
She knew her own beauty. Even in the elf realm, her face was still considered one of the top. Most humans who saw her would look at her with an overwhelming desire to possess.
That was why elves rarely interacted with humans. Their beauty was too much-both men and women were often the targets of human lust. Many of her brothers and sisters had been taken because of that.
But Lucian's eyes showed no trace of that kind of lust. It wasn't that he wasn't interested-he could tell, he was admiring her beauty. But it was only admiration, not the kind of sick, obsessive desire that others had in their eyes.
That made Margarethe feel a little better about Lucian.
"Margarethe Zelle, that is my name, Lord Lucian Baker."
"Please, no need to be so formal. Call me Lucian. Miss Margarethe, what brings you to the Baker estate?"
Lucian asked, voice calm and measured.
He didn't think an elf, who usually stayed hidden from the world, would come to talk to him just to be his friend. He wasn't that kind of guy, after all-no one loved him that much.
"I need your help," Margarethe said. "My siblings were taken. You're a knight, and I'm a Rogue. If we work together, we can definitely rescue them."
"If you help me, the Zelle family will be forever grateful. I'll do everything I can to repay you."
Taken?
Lucian rubbed his chin. That was probably the polite way to say it. Elves, with their looks, were always targets. And most of the people who targeted them were slave traders.
Elf slaves were a high end commodity, sold to nobles. That price made the slave catchers thrive, and it only deepened the gap between elves and humans.
It was a solid reason, but Lucian didn't ask what kind of reward she could offer. Instead, he changed the subject.
"From what I know, because of the slave catchers, the relationship between elves and humans is terrible. Even if you're a knight, I can't promise I won't be tempted by the money and sell you off to the slavers."
"You're a Rogue, and you're standing right in front of me. If I wanted to get rid of you, it would be easy."
"Why not ask another elf for help?"
That was the real question.
Rogues were the ones who moved in the shadows. They were good at staying hidden, both in battle and in daily life. A Rogue who was discovered lost most of their power-dangerous, and extremely vulnerable. Margarethe knew that. She wouldn't take such a risk unless she had a good reason.
Margarethe let out a bitter smile.
"The Ancient Tree of Life in the Zelle clan has withered. We can't reach the other elves anymore. And they're being sent to the capital soon. I don't have time to find the others."
Lucian nodded, understanding now.
The Ancient Tree of Life was the core of an elf clan, the lifeline that connected them to the rest of their kind. From Margarethe's words, it seemed the Zelle clan was a small one, and they had been completely wiped out. Even the tree was destroyed.
In that situation, Margarethe surviving was already an unlikely miracle.
"Why me?" Lucian tapped the table with his finger. He didn't remember having any connection with her.
"A few months ago, you fought against the Martin family knights in Ironforge. That one strike made me realize your strength. You're the only one who can save my clan's siblings."
"Please forgive me for observing you these past few months. I've noticed that although you rarely smile, the servants of the Baker family have never been oppressed. You even allow them time to rest. You're truly a kind person among humans."
After struggling for a while, Margarethe finally managed to squeeze out the word from her meager vocabulary.
Lucian let out a bitter laugh. Was this a "good person card" being played on him?
He wasn't a good person. It was just that the new education had made it hard for him to treat servants as less than human, unlike the other nobles in this Aerilane continent. He would still have them serve him, but at least basic human rights were given.
He never expected that this very reason was what made Margarethe think of him as a good man.
Should he help?
Lucian hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Tell me what you know about these Slave Hunters."
Margarethe spoke without holding back, sharing everything she knew about the Slave Hunters with Lucian.
As a Rogue, she was unmatched when it came to gathering information. While she couldn't kill the Slave Hunters themselves, she had already mapped out their personnel structure and composition almost entirely.
There were only three notable leaders: one 4 stage Warrior, one 3 stage Archer, and another Warrior who was only 3 stage.
This setup wasn't really a problem for Lucian. If they could eliminate one of them instantly, he and Margarethe could easily dismantle and destroy the entire Slave Hunter group.
It was a bit risky, but not too much. What he stood to gain was not just the loyalty of an entire Zelle clan, but a reward that far exceeded the risk.
"Okay," Lucian nodded. Then, suddenly, the tone of the conversation shifted. "But I have a condition. I want a child."
He looked directly at Margarethe, his gaze calm and unreadable, showing no trace of emotion.
"What?"
Margarethe was confused. Why would Lucian want a child? What did that have to do with her?
Wait.
As she looked into Lucian's intense gaze, she suddenly realized something. This human… wanted a child with her?
What an absurd idea. According to human inheritance laws, even an elf's child had the right to inherit his estate. He wasn't asking for her body-he was asking for a child with her?
What was this human thinking?
Margarethe bit her lip, trying to read his true intention behind his gaze. But his eyes, calm and still, showed no greed or lust.
This left Margarethe momentarily speechless.
After a moment of thought, she clenched her teeth and slowly said, "I…"