In the real world, there's a device called a "stun gun" commonly used by girls for self-defense. Its principle involves releasing high-voltage pulses when activated to shock assailants into submission.
[Cardiac Arrest] is a skill with similar principles to a stun gun, though unlike reality, you can't directly affect internal organs with lightning elements unless you've learned medical skills. It's like fire elements—logically they should ignite flammable materials, but you actually need to unlock the burning branch in your skill tree.
My palm pressed tightly against the mysterious person's left chest released a strong, powerful electric current.
It wouldn't feel exactly like being electrocuted in reality, but the final effect was the same—the game represents the post-shock state as "stunned."
The mysterious person let out a muffled groan, then their neck tilted and their entire body collapsed onto the grass like a puddle of mud.
[Cardiac Arrest] requires physical contact with the opponent's chest to take effect. Ordinary cloth or soft armor without outstanding defense can hardly resist it. In regular combat, getting close enough to release [Cardiac Arrest] face-to-face isn't easy, but there was no way the mysterious person could have anticipated I would use [Time Stop]—magic that grants almost unconditional first-strike advantage.
In one-on-one combat, I have absolute confidence.
Earlier... when I got close, that soft sensation in my hand...
I'm very familiar with this sensation—I'd experienced it firsthand just minutes ago while bathing with Lily. But mine are definitely softer and bigger, hmph~
...Wait, what am I being proud about?
I was about to remove the mysterious person's hood when two guards carrying torches came to investigate from outside the courtyard. Our fight must have caught the guards' attention—their [Detection] skill levels were much higher than Lily's.
"What's going on?"
"Is there a thief?"
The two torch-bearing guards questioned me.
If I told the truth, the mysterious person would be arrested by the guards for trespassing. I couldn't hand her over because that would cost me the chance to interrogate her.
"I'm terribly sorry."
I bowed slightly to the guards.
"She's a visiting guest who accidentally drank too much. Under alcohol's influence, her mind became muddled, so I had to use special means to subdue her."
"I see."
The guards weren't suspicious. In any village with taverns, drunk troublemakers were far more common than thieves—it was the most frequent violation encountered during night patrols.
"Well, you need to keep her under control. Regardless of the reason, making noise and disturbing people at night is strictly prohibited."
"Thank you for the advice... Ah, please wait a moment."
I hastily called out to the guards who were preparing to leave, taking some pastries from my storage space and handing them to the guards outside the fence.
"What's this?"
"Everyone must be working hard these past few days because of me. So I made some cakes as a token of gratitude. I hope they suit your taste."
The guard showed interest, taking a piece of cake from the cloth bag and putting it in his mouth.
"Wow—this tastes really good."
"Let me try, let me try."
"Get lost, didn't you say cakes were something only women eat?"
"Times change, you trying to hog it all?"
These pastries were something I'd made while preparing dinner, originally planning to find an opportunity tomorrow to give them to Uncle François and the others. Since the guards happened to patrol here tonight, giving them to these guards was fine too.
"Isn't Uncle François here?"
"The captain? The captain won't be back until tomorrow."
"The higher-ups assigned a task, so the captain had to make a trip."
"I heard it's about finding someone or something?"
"Anyway, we'll be busy again... Hey! That's mine, don't grab it!"
The two guards chatted back and forth, quickly eating all the cakes in the cloth bag.
Uncle François's superior—Count Montefeltro? Has someone gone missing?
"There's plenty more... could I ask you two to pass some along to everyone else?"
"No problem!"
"Let's just secretly finish these ourselves and let those animals be jealous."
"Get some rest early. We'll continue our patrol."
"Mm..."
The two guards waved goodbye. I hope the cakes will safely reach everyone in the guard unit, though I'm a bit worried.
I watched the bright torches disappear around the street corner, then hoisted the mysterious person over my shoulder like a sack of rice and returned to the house. When I flung her out with my chains, I already knew she had a light build—she really didn't weigh much.
Back inside the mansion, after confirming once more that there were no other uninvited guests in the house, I brought the mysterious person to the bedroom next to Lily's and pulled back her hood.
As expected.
That soft sensation—those were curves only a girl would have.
Long-restrained lustrous silver hair bloomed like a flower as the hood fell away. Though she was forcibly stunned by my electric shock skill, looking at her face alone, you might think it was Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale brought to life.
I brushed aside the girl's disheveled silver strands and discovered the distinctively pointed ears characteristic of elves.
An elf.
Strange, why would an elf come to the Kingdom of Michel?
All questions would have to wait until she woke up for interrogation, but I felt somewhat relieved. If a man had seen mine and Lily's bodies, I really would have had to consider taking some extreme measures. Of course, being peeped on by an elf girl wasn't something I could just write off—we'd settle this account later.
Lily needs me to sleep beside her... so this one...
I had a flash of inspiration, pulling several sturdy, long ropes from under my skirt. Facing the defenseless elf beauty, the corner of my mouth unconsciously curved upward slightly.
Sorry to inconvenience you~