The Elf Saint is a NEET, so I Forced Her to Work in Another World

Primus Inter Pares (Part 1)

***The Saint's Tree Palace, Cherwoods...***

The 'Inner Sanctum' of the Elf Saint's Tree Palace often served as the place where the holy lady would conduct her duties meant to praise or appease the heavens. However, with her disappearance, and the subsequent coup de etat against her palace officials, it was laid empty. No one ever tried to clean inside, for the elvish servants of the Elf Saint regarded the place as sacred, thus they were afraid something bad might happen should they came in without her permission.

Still, when some noise was heard inside, the person in-charge of the palace, a member of the Life Guards Lord Gerard of Yusave (in his disguise as Kuro), sent in soldiers and maids to investigate.

What they saw brought alarm to everyone...

"There's something black coming from behind the doors," a servant pointed out. "It looks like a smoke, yet there's no smell of it."

The head of the Life Guards, Sir Eldarv, ordered another soldier to open the doors. However, they were shocked to find that they couldn't open it. It's as if something behind welded it shut; no matter what weapon they used to destroy the doors, those arms ended broken or injured someone else.

Because of this, they summoned the Lord Gerard.

"What's going on?" the disguised elf asked.

"Milord," Sir Eldarv showed their problem. "Looks like the doors to the Inner Sanctum was shut. No matter how we try to open, or destroy the doors, nothing can break it down."

"And what's that coming out? Smoke?"

"Looks like it, but there's no burning smell."

Gerard then drew near and tried pushing the sanctum doors.

"!!!"

Much to their confusion, it opened the moment his hands touched the doors. However, even before they could make sense of what's going on, the elves were shocked to see that the entire sanctum was filled with swirling, jet-black smoke. It was Sir Eldarv who recognized the danger...

"Milord!" he called out to Gerard, "Close the doors! It was no smoke; it's some kind of miasma!"

However, his words fell to deaf ears, for the disguised elf never heed his warnings. Gerard only stood there, seemed mesmerized by the dark miasma of the sanctum. Sir Eldarv took the matter into his hands, and moved to pull the elf away. But then...

"!!!"

Something stirred within the miasma. The Life Guards Captain stopped in his tracks; almost at the same moment, the miasma formed a funnel then quickly entered the Lord Gerard's body. The elf never moved, nor struggled, and those who witnessed it were glued on their spots as well. It took some time for the dark miasma to empty itself from the Inner Sanctum, and disappeared inside the disguised elf.

"..."

The elves were silent. They waited for the Lord Gerard to move. Sir Eldarv's hand was on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike any moment. "Sir Kuro?" he called out to him. "Are you alright?"

"Never been better!" the disguised elf replied with a wide grin on his face.

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**Kuro, a week after his ennoblement...**

Being a duke was no easy job, unless maybe, you belonged to those stereotypical noble snobs who didn't give a damn on their subjects...save for when collecting taxes or tributes from them. And you know me; as much as possible, I never intend to become the very person I hated, just like those politicians in my world, and the members of the nobility in this place.