Editing Dark Elf:Volume1 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 9===

Based on Klaus’s observations, Slender was not trying to hunt down a wild animal. She was not ducking low or trying to hide her presence. She stood tall and let her lithe fingers toy restlessly with the curve of her bow while she walked through the forest. He couldn’t believe how cute she was.

He initially thought maybe she was on patrol, but that didn’t fit her actions either. She would come to a stop where three stones were lined up, bend over, hold her long silver hair back with her hand, and check at her feet. Sometimes she would even remove a trap or unlock and retrieve a beartrap along with its thick chain and then place them elsewhere.

…''Is she on trap maintenance duty?

He wondered about her actions while curled up behind a large Witch Pumpkin. That might sound boring, but it was an important job. Magical landmines could be found spread across the battlefield, but the location of those traps was crucial to the arrangement of an army’s defensive line. If she was allowed to do this on her own, she had to be fairly high up in the hunter ranks.

Klaus put up with the muscle pain while he learned something else from his observations.

He crouched down a short distance away and noted the faint footprints she had left on the ground.

“Hm, footprints, huh?”

The dark elf hunters generally erased their tracks as they moved, but he had noticed they also intentionally left footprints that were too far apart to connect by a straight line.

“''Patquqj, Fkitnawwo. Bae’to er iv oitnb iv oxot, u voo.''”

“''Va ito bae. Gug wko qujkw vkuhw levw oqg?''”

Leader, another hunter, arrived from another animal trail and greeted Slender. He checked their footprints and found they had different boot prints. And not just because their boots were handmade.

…''They’re intentionally altering the design with swappable soles. Are they split between a few different teams to form shifts? And each team has distinct footprints to tell them apart?

They probably split it up so, for example, Footprint A would handle Area 1 and Footprint B would handle Area 2 on that day. That way they could tell if even another dark elf was outside of her designated area.

…''But if I learn their shift schedule, trailing Slender should be pretty easy. And it would be even easier if I could acquire boots with the same sole as hers.

He realized just how purposeful everything the dark elves did was. The composite bows and distinct boot soles were good examples, but so was the white leather they wore. He had initially been surprised to see them wearing something so conspicuous, but it was probably meant to make sure they never mistook a dark elf for an animal while deep in the woods. The red, yellow, and green gems they wore probably indicated social status and occupation. Even the rabbit-ears hood may have been similar to how a butterfly’s eye patterns could confuse a bird trying to eat it. That form of defense could be unique to dark elves whose ears stuck out so far they risked hitting them on something when only shaking their head.

That thought reminded Klaus of the treasure he held in his hand. He had been holding onto it as a rare metal product he could use as a writing implement, but it was actually Slender’s earring. Some girls wore earrings to help with their balance, but he had only seen small piercings on the other dark elves. Slender was the only one with something so large.

It was the one thing with no purpose he could see.

And if it served no purpose, it had to be a personal interest or hobby.

Klaus used the earring to write an important note on his stick.

“Is Slender surprisingly fashionable?”