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“Bigger was not automatically better. What mattered in the end was beauty—namely, sculptural beauty. Then what did ‘beauty’ refer to in this case? I agonized over that question. But I found the answer. As long as men looked at women, it was obvious that the first thing they identified as beautiful was ‘a feminine appearance.’ In other words, the ideal image of a woman that men sought was sculptural beauty to men. Tastes differed, but there were few men who did not feel ‘beauty’ in a body with curves that emphasized womanhood.”

Klaze folded his arms, nodded earnestly, and laid out his personal theory.

I replied to his argument with only a clumsy “I see” in broken Elven.

For the record, the medallion was still in my hand.

When I offered a trade—useful information in exchange for getting it back—this was what I got.

“This is also a matter of my preferences… but I place importance on a woman’s breasts. Since they are an obvious feature that emphasizes ‘womanhood,’ their size matters—even if preferences differ. More than anything, the size changes how you perceive the lines of the waist and hips. In a sense, aren’t they the central feature you must look at first when taking in the whole?”

I could not say I didn’t understand what he meant, but if he said that in the Empire, he would almost certainly get beaten to a pulp.

Even so, it was also true that any man’s eyes tended to drift there.

So, for now, I tilted my head like a monster and played dumb: “Is that how it is?”

“Since our species differ, I don’t expect understanding… but elves, humans, and other peoples likely share similar values.”

“I see.”

“But don’t misunderstand—breasts aren’t good just because they are big. Argos, you should know someone named Ashiru.”

Knew her? I was the one who had sent her into the Forshna—meaning, into Klaze’s clan.

Whether he knew those details or not, I nodded in agreement.

“Among the elves I know, the only one with a larger chest than hers is Lady Rafemi of Outusa.”

For a moment I almost blurted, “Seriously?”—but Klaze’s explanation was not finished yet.

Since I still didn’t know what important information might be hidden in this, I should keep listening.

“If you compare them simply, it’s obvious from the number of men around them. There are always men around Lady Rafemi. Not because she said anything—men voluntarily stand by her side and wait for her to address them. Now, Ashiru. There are never men around her, and even if there are, it’s only to nag or lecture. Her reputation isn’t good… rather, it’s quite bad.”

I didn’t know anything about Rafemi, but regarding Dame Oppai, I could only agree: “Yeah, that sounds right.”

“In other words, the gap in ability is too great. It’s rude to even compare them.”

I swallowed the words “Right?” and silently urged him to continue.

“One is a beauty who rose to a position of using people through her looks and competence. The other is a disappointing woman who has nothing but a large chest. The difference is obvious even in a single gesture, and even if their chest size were identical, I can say with certainty that the gap in charm would not be closed.”

Then, as if overturning his own established view, Klaze stood and launched into a heated speech.

“But there is something that overturns all of that. And it is this.”

He boldly held up the erotic book in his hand and grinned.

‘Come to think of it… that guy also used to whip out erotic books and look smug.’

I remembered how elves had protested the Empire’s erotic books back when I was human, and I found myself thinking, “Were elves and erotic books something that should never mix?”

I went off on tangents along the way, but I listened carefully to Klaze’s argument.

Summarized, it was roughly this:

With photographs, you didn’t know who the person was, so you could look at the body alone. You were even free to fantasize however it suited you. You could make a claim of beauty with all negatives completely removed. Therefore, he wanted that technology no matter what.

That was about it.

He seemed to treat any benefits of knowing the person’s character as a separate category, and whenever I pressed him he brushed it off with, “That’s that. This is this.”

In short, his desire to “see more accurate and beautiful nude art” had gone out of control.

“Any other examples?”

I asked for information, and this was not enough.

Hoping he might let a secret slip, I asked for more people-related details.

“Other examples! Then I’ll reveal my trump cards!”

And so Klaze began chattering away about the busty beauties he knew.

It was information I did want in its own way, but wasn’t there something more useful?

Thinking that, I stayed silent and listened to the end.

In the end, the information I got was only about beauties within the Republic.

The fact he even had information from the north and south meant his drive was unquestionably real.

I couldn’t help thinking, “Why couldn’t he point that passion somewhere else?”—but at least a rough internal map of the Republic’s power structure was starting to take shape in my head, so it counted as a gain.

“—Therefore, the top recommendation within Forshna is, of course, Lady Rusheru-sama. Despite boasting such a chest, her overall balance is perfect. In terms of sculptural beauty, she is unquestionably top-tier among elves as a whole. Her refined manner is splendid as well; it is no exaggeration to call her the flower of our clan.”

While holding my throat, I gave a clumsy Elven “Is that so?” and nodded internally: I got it.

The decisive difference from Dame Oppai really was “refinement.”

And personally, the “likes children” part also scored very high.

I had intended to extract useful information from him, but he had better taste than I expected.

I thought he was just a runaway pervert, but his ability to compile information on beauties—and the initiative to go see them—deserved praise.

After continuing the conversation for a while—though really it was just me listening one-sidedly—I realized quite a lot of time had passed.

I returned the medallion to Klaze, and he went back to the village in high spirits, erotic book in hand.

Telling him “Hide that” would probably be uncouth.

I watched the back of the man I might have called a friend as he left, then I started walking too.

If there was one regret, it was that the foundation of his passion was not drawing skill but photography, so obtaining erotic books did not move him even one step closer to his goal.

I secretly wished that his drive would bear fruit.

As an aside, Klaze’s top three in his Elf Beauty Rankings went like this:

First: Rafemi Outusa

His reason was that her everyday outfit was extremely revealing, and in summer she apparently wore nothing on her upper body except a long cloth draped around her neck; her allure allowed no rivals, or so he said. Also, among the top three, her chest was the largest. I would love to meet her.

Second: Aqura Asterio

She was apparently one of the leading candidates among the “direct line” of the Asterio, one of the Three Great Clans, as a potential spirit-weapon wielder. Her body’s balance was said to be magnificent. Based on the information, there was a chance of bikini armor. If he had actually seen her, it made the rating easier. Her chest was about the same as Number Six-san’s. My honest impression was that I really wanted to see her.

Third: Isuirimia Zesat

She was a Zesat spellcaster whom Klaze claimed to have seen only from a distance. Supposedly she wore nothing besides suspicious items called “cursed implements” (translator note: ritualistic/occult tools), and she was basically see-through. Wasn’t he prioritizing the erotic angle a little too much?

I was surprised that Number Six-san did not appear in the top three, but I was also surprised at how much actual information I obtained despite it being nothing but erotic talk.