Chapter 249 - Chapter 16: Elves
Harrison-san's return meant that Roberts-sama and Gladys-sama had also returned. The Eastern Plains Corps was beginning to move. It was time for a subjugation.
That said, since the former Demon Lord's army had retreated into the Black Forest, it was essentially just a monster hunt. Still, there were apparently occasional stragglers like Fenrirs or Orc groups, so they intended to wipe them out one by one. Since there were many, they told me to help out if I was free.
It wasn't that I was exactly free, but I had to go to the mountain once in October. Including the travel time, it would take a week. Since there was no need to take a carriage all the way from Nakanohara, I had them move me early via Teleport and decided to observe for a bit. I would be passing through anyway. I decided to go to the Eastern Plains ahead of time and wait for Harris-sama's arrival.
The Eastern Plains Corps' fortress was located in a corner of the mountainous region that separated the Northeastern Forest from the Eastern Plains. The southern part of the Northeastern Forest was mountainous, and only the area along the river flowing from the forest was flat. The fortress sat atop a protruding ridge on the west bank of the river. To pass through to the south, one had no choice but to pass right in front of it.
The first engagement when the Demon Lord was resurrected was a battle involving the Eastern Plains Corps and the Eastern Plains Jaegers, who were positioned to surround the Northeastern Forest to block the Demon Lord's army as they tried to leave the forest for the plains.
While commanding the defense with the fortress completely surrounded on three sides, he drew the enemy in sufficiently, then slipped out of the fortress with a small number of subordinates to raid the enemy's main camp. Unfortunately, he failed to slay the commander of the Demon Lord's army, but he succeeded in inflicting a deep wound and forcing a temporary retreat. He then reportedly broke through the panicked enemy ranks and made a triumphant return to the fortress.
Though he had been rumored to have great potential, Roberts-sama had been overshadowed by Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama in the previous war; it was that battle that triggered his sudden rise to being called the strongest warrior in history.
No matter how you look at it, he is a monster.
The river in front of the fortress flows south and joins the Nakanohara River at the town of Higashinohara. A highway extends from the fortress along the river, leading to Higashinohara.
South of Higashinohara is Medioland. From the fortress, one could see the plains, which could be called a granary region, stretching out as far as the eye could see.
By October, the threshing of wheat is finished, and it's the time when taxes are paid by converting it to cash or otherwise. The government offices must be busy, but since this was a fortress, that kind of bustle didn't reach here. Only the sound of swordplay using blunted swords and spears echoed around.
"Everyone is quite dedicated to their training."
Gladys-sama, who was guiding me, was also wearing Eleanor's armor. She said they were always in a state of combat readiness.
"By Roberts' policy, the entire force is divided into three groups, rotating through training, sorties, and rest throughout the year."
They get a rest once every three days. When I asked what they did, she said that after returning from monster subjugation, they would Teleport to the town of Higashinohara to enjoy themselves. There is a corps headquarters in the town, but no soldiers are there, only the people in charge of payroll. They probably take their three days' worth of pay and go out drinking or to brothels.
There are no subjugation rewards, but there is income. That becomes the capital for maintaining good equipment and is reflected in their wages. People confident in their skills gather here. Even though it's the Kingdom's army, they are half-mercenary, and in fact, there are mercenaries among them. Perhaps because of that, everyone's equipment is different. Of course, their origins are strictly Sertorian.
"Roberts said he would be willing to hire every member of the Class of 175. There are female soldiers too, so how about it?"
I'm being recruited here as well, huh.
Following Gladys-sama's lead to one of the rooms in the basement, there was a Teleportation Circle. It seemed only Roberts-sama and Gladys-sama knew the activation keyword, but after being cautioned not to speak of it to others, I was warped away.
When I came to, I was in the forest.
"Yo. You're here."
In the forest, there was a settlement with huts built atop trees, and Roberts-sama was right in the middle of it. Beside him stood a man with a tall, statuesque build and a handsome face, his long silver hair fluttering in the breeze.
"Let me introduce you. This is Jeanne, whom I've mentioned before. Jeanne, this is the Elf Prince."
An Elf!
When you think of Elves, they're tall, beautiful, skilled in magic, live in forests, are intensely curious... and, uh... they get along poorly with Dwarves, right?
"Hmph. It seems you understand to some extent. Let me correct one thing. It's not that we get along poorly with Dwarves. It's that we don't even acknowledge them as worthy of our attention."
Utilizing his height, he looked down at me without changing his expression. Isn't that kind of attitude exactly why the Dwarves get angry?
"Elves are shy around strangers. This guy is royalty, so he's especially so. He's like that Dryad from before. They lack sociability, but they're serious and good people at heart. Don't mind him."
Even at Roberts-sama's words, he only let out a "Hmph."
"I hear you can use lost magics, starting with Light magic. Show me."
He spoke without an incantation.
(Whoa! It's Thought Communication. Can she really use it? It's legendary magic. Amazing, it's my first time seeing it. Whoaaa! I want to scream! Damn, if only these people weren't here.)
"You can scream if you like. I don't mind."
(Eh?... Huh?...)
As the Elf looked around in confusion, Roberts-sama and Gladys-sama looked away, covering their mouths, their shoulders shaking.
I see. So he's that kind of person.
Once he realized the situation, he turned bright red with anger, but his teary eyes told the whole story.
Ignoring that, I proceeded to chant the First King series one by one, and finally, as I let four Fireflies float and glow above my head, he looked up and followed them with his eyes. His eyes were like those of a young boy.
Since his right hand's fingers were twitching restlessly, I handed him a wooden stick.
He reached out and poked at them with the tip of the stick.
"Ahem!"
Noticing the three pairs of eyes on him, he came to his senses and cleared his throat, but it was too late. I fully understood that he was as curious as a cat.
When he glanced at the wooden stick in his hand, he seemed to realize something and threw it away, saying, "Something like this!"
Since it was a waste, I picked it up and attached a Firefly to the tip of the stick.
"I have confirmed that you are a user of Light magic. Furthermore, it seems you have interactions with various spirits."
When I shook the stick with my right hand, he followed it with his eyes, clearly interested.
"Yes. I am friends with several of them."
"Friends?"
"Yes."
"Then, do you meet them often?"
"Yes. We have banquets and go shopping together."
"How do you meet them?"
"I can meet them if I call for them."
"Is that true? Then, call them and show me proof."
"Are you just going to call the spirits of water and wind for no reason? I won't be responsible if they get angry."
"Ugh, that's... then, what should I do? I was told by my father to confirm this."
He was quite flustered. His expressionless mask had gone somewhere. It seems he's finally let his guard down.
"Spirits love banquets, so please prepare delicious food, alcohol, and either honey or pure water. Ah, please make sure there's plenty of alcohol and someone who likes to talk is essential."
"A banquet?"
And so, it became a banquet.
"Is this the Elf Village?"
"Hmph. It's smaller than I thought."
There were fewer than ten houses in the trees. All together, there were less than thirty people.
"No. Um, Great Spirits of Water and Wind. This is a temporary dwelling, so to speak..."
"When I'm in this form, call me Dune."
"I'm Mel."
"Haha. So it is Dune-dono and Mel-dono."
When I actually called them, the Elder and the gathered Elves were bowing low. Since they were polite, they weren't kicked like the Dwarves, but watching them was a bit painful.
"So, what do you want?"
At Dune's words, the Prince, who was prostrating himself so low his forehead almost touched the ground, had cold sweat dripping from his temples.
"Haha. Since we had not yet had the honor of meeting you, I thought we should offer our greetings. It just so happened that I heard Jeanne-dono over there was close to you, so I thought I would confirm it, so to speak. We have prepared a banquet over there. Would you please grace us by tasting the offerings of this village?"
Where the Elder pointed, various foods were lined up on soft moss. The ingredients seemed to be mainly nuts and mushrooms. Gladys-sama had said the fruit wine was truly delicious.
Once the banquet began, the Elves were full of hospitality, performing dances on a large tree stump used as a stage and playing music on various instruments. The singing in particular was exquisite; it wasn't just solos by women with beautiful voices, but also children chirping like small birds—it was very elaborate.
As for the food, I wondered how they could make such delicious mushroom dishes and asked for the recipe, but they gave me the names of dozens of plants, so I gave up on memorizing it. The fruit wine was the same; it was apparently a subtle blend of various fruits. It seemed impossible to replicate.
"Jeanne-dono. I heard that you encountered a Cait Sith."
Seeing Dune and Mel enjoying themselves, the Prince seemed relieved and came to ask me.
"Yes. I met one in the northwestern part of this forest."
"Is it possible to meet again?"
"I think it would be quite difficult. I have no way to contact them."
"I see..."
He sighed and slumped his shoulders.
"Did something happen with the Cait Sith?"
"No, actually..."
The Northeastern Forest... specifically, the area known as the Black Forest, is roughly classified into four regions.
The central mountain, and the North, South, East, and West divided by that mountain. Since it's a peninsula, the North and East face the sea. It seems the Dryad's Forest and the Elf Village used to be in the North and East. The South and West were monster territory.
The Elves fled the village after being chased by monsters. However, the Dryad had no way to escape. The beautiful green forest has now become the Black Forest, with twisted trees growing in it.
While Dwarves are called the Great Spirits of the Mines, Elves are called the Great Spirits of the Forest. However, that forest only exists because of the Dryad. It seems they don't even know what has become of that Dryad.
"Someday, we will surely take back the forest. But without the Dryad, the beautiful forest of the past will not return."
Apparently, they can't tell even by scouting from above with the bowl. They need someone familiar with the interior of the forest. So, they thought if they could contact the Cait Sith who is on the Demon Lord's side, they might learn something.
"It might be quite difficult, but I don't think it's impossible."
"Really? What should we do?"
"A duel."
"A duel?"
The Headmistress said that the Cait Sith wants to be challenged and win. If so, there's a perfect opponent.
"Please look over there."
In the direction I pointed, the strongest hero in history, Roberts-sama, was sitting cross-legged on the moss, drinking fruit wine while watching the Elves' performance. Gladys-sama, another hero, was with him.
The stage was in full swing. Perhaps the alcohol had gone to their heads, as a small Elf painted green and a large Elf painted brown were crouching on the stage with their hands together in front of them, performing a chorus play of a tree frog and a toad. When Dune sprinkled water like a light rain, they hopped around while singing, and Mel laughed merrily at the sight.
"What's the matter with the frogs?"
No, no, that's just too much of a cliché.
We'll have him duel the strongest warrior who defeated the Demon Lord. Of course, wooden weapons are fine. If we call out to him, he'll surely bite. Then, Roberts-sama, having won the duel, will ask the Cait Sith to search for the Dryad.
"That's interesting. But, it's fine if I win, but what if I lose? What do I offer?"
Um, you're going to win, right?
"Bishop Catherine said it, didn't she? Cait Sith are fast, aren't they? I don't think they're an opponent you can win against so easily."
If the Headmistress says they're fast, they must be incredibly fast.
Come to think of it, she told Fiona the ghost that she might not be able to follow them with her eyes.
"What should we do?"
He laughed loudly.
"For now, bring me some kind of plan. Depending on that, I'll consider it."
Seeing Gladys-sama shrug her shoulders, it seemed Roberts-sama didn't have a good idea either.
The man himself turned his gaze back to the frog chorus.
"What should we do?"
Since the Elf Prince was feigning ignorance and watching the frogs, I tugged hard on his sleeve.
He made a sour face, so I decided to call Gladys-sama over to consult as well.
"Is it difficult even for the strongest in history?"
When I asked Gladys-sama, she crossed her arms with a "Hmm."
"That's a story among humans, after all. Besides, he can't fight warriors from the past."
I see.
"Then, for example, who is the strongest among the Elves?"
"I am."
The downward gaze returned.
When I waved the branch with the Firefly attached in front of him, he followed it with his eyes while his hands twitched restlessly.
He's very suspicious. I bet he'd fall for Fiona's feint easily.
"Why is the Cait Sith with the Demon Lord's army?"
I tried asking the Elf Prince. He was playing by rolling the one Firefly I gave him in his right palm indefinitely.
I had no choice but to dim the light and ask the same question again; he said it's probably because they want to fight strong people, while thrusting the Firefly in his right hand toward me.
I made it glow for him and asked again.
"Then why don't you just introduce them to someone strong?"
"A reason is needed for a fight. If it's just fighting, it's no different from a drunken brawl."
"Is searching for the Dryad a reason?"
"Of course. That beautiful forest would be restored! It is irreplaceable to us Elves."
"Is it also irreplaceable to the Cait Sith?"
"That... that's... decided. We are both spirits, after all."
I called Dune and Mel to ask them.
"Irreplaceable? Water. You can't live without water."
"For me, it's wind. Because if the wind disappears, it means the air disappears. How would you breathe?"
I was overwhelmingly refuted. I might have asked the wrong people.
Today, for the second time, his eyes grew teary.
"What's important to a Cait Sith? I don't know. It's best to ask the person themselves."
"That's right. Why don't you ask what would be equivalent to searching for the Dryad of this forest and make that the stakes of the bet? Why not call them and ask?"
As expected of the Four Great Spirits. They gave good advice. I called Roberts-sama again.
"Um, it's been decided that we'll ask the Cait Sith what to do if we lose."
"I can't do that. Imagine if it becomes a territorial issue. I don't have that kind of discretionary power. I'd have to consult my older brother."
"Then, let's call them, hear the conditions, and then consult the King."
"No. I have to consult him first about the very possibility of it becoming a negotiation."
So we decided to do that, and as the frogs finished, I took my leave and returned to the fortress. When I had the report sent, instead of a reply, Henry-sama and his party arrived.