Betrayer?
Are you talking about the Elves?
I glanced at the queen and her subordinates without thinking.
Betrayer, huh? What could that mean? It might literally mean the Elves, or they could be putting all the living beings in this world under that umbrella. Either way, it looks like there’s no room for negotiation.
The more I think about it, the more complicated it gets.
I can’t tell if it’s a betrayal according to their standards or the standards of all outsiders. It seems like more conversation is needed, but unfortunately, direct dialogue could lead to mental contamination.
In the end, it seems like the only answer is to relay it through Rue.
But I can’t speak to Rue through telepathy; do I really have to shout from here?
“Rue! Ask them if they have any intention of backing off!”
[Huh? Really?]
“Yeah!”
[I’ll give it a shot.]
Rue nodded at my words and waved her arms again to try to communicate. I couldn’t tell if the conversation was getting through, but from a third-party perspective, it looked bizarre.
An Elf with tentacles on her back trying to converse with monstrosities? And since they’re definitely not friendly beings, it’s hard not to worry.
I wonder what answer they’ll send back. There’s a high chance of rejection, but they might concede a little or propose another condition for negotiation.
Hah, negotiations are not really my thing.
Honestly, I’d like to just wipe them all out and go back, but being an outsider makes that impossible, and it’s regrettable. Why are such beings only showing up now to wreak havoc on this land…?
By the way, why is the status window so quiet? With everything going on, wouldn’t it be about time for it to say something?
“…Status window.”
[Johann Quartz]
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: Bodyguard
– Traits –
Insight: A
Digging: A+
Woodworking: A
Processing: A
Pharmacy: C+
Dexterity: A
Anatomy: B
Survival: S
Sewing: D+
Metallurgy: A
Tactics: B+
Performance: F
Architecture: A
– Skills –
Crafting: A+
Repair: B+
Dismantle: B+
Auto-Translation: A
– Trait Points: 8
– Blessings –
!(@&(!#$!*(:?
Phoenix’s Blessing: S
– Missions –
– No missions.
The mission slot was empty.
…Should I call out?
“…Hey. I’m in contact with your favorite outsiders. If you don’t come out soon, I’ll personally teach you the meaning of the word betrayal.”
[What?]
“Finally responding, huh?”
-Damn, what are you planning to do now?
“…The World Tree is being eroded. Do you know about it?”
-Hah, while dealing with those bastards, something like that is happening… Let me tell you one thing, don’t think negotiations will be possible. Those guys are hell-bent on making this world theirs.
No matter what words they use to deceive you, don’t fall for it.
The moment you do… everything you cherish will perish.
“I know that too. So just throw me some more trait points.”
-What?
“It’ll benefit you too if I get stronger.”
-…Hah. After this is over, 10 points.
“Great. So is there any more information you can give me? About those bastards.”
-…They are a hive.
“Hive?”
-They seem numerous, but in the end, they are one—that means if you kill one, you essentially kill many. Dammit, it’s starting again. So I’ll be off, do well. You should be able to handle it.
Just spouting what he wants to say and disappearing. I closed the status window and watched Rue and their conversation again. Sadly, it seemed that Rue and that ‘hive’ were having an ongoing conflict, and the atmosphere was rough.
To be exact, it looked like those monsters were simply showing strong resistance to Rue’s words…
“Rue! Come back!”
[I feel like I just need a bit more!]
“That’s enough!”
[Okay, I’m coming back!]
Rue waved her arms a few more times before turning to come back to us.
As soon as Rue returned, I reached out and stopped her, carefully inspecting her body. Since she had stepped into the contaminated area, I was worried she might have some contaminated mucus on her.
“Contractor, what are you doing?”
“I’m checking if those things stuck to your body.”
“I’m fine. They won’t move until the negotiation is over!”
Good news… maybe?
I turned to the queen with Rue’s somewhat ambiguous reply. The queen was looking at Rue with a serious expression.
Negotiations. Negotiations indeed.
“Rue, what are their demands?”
“They want everything for themselves! Everyone except the contractor!”
…It sounds strange, but seeing how they act, it doesn’t seem too different. I had no choice but to ask Rue again, who summarized it like an elementary student.
“Explain in detail.”
“We will reclaim our homeland! This is it!”
They’re talking like they’re some super-advanced alien scientists. They aren’t implying that ancient civilizations once had some advanced sci-fi technology, are they?
“Anyway, it seems the negotiations are practically over.”
“That’s right…”
“What will we do? In the end, we’ll have to fight and win against them.”
They definitely don’t appear to be friendly, especially towards me and Rue, so it seems there’s no other option but to wipe them all out.
After a long consideration, I offered my opinion.
“I think it’s best to buy time by conveying that we will think about it. And… how about we prepare thoroughly for battle?”
“Battle formation?”
“Since they seem to have some will left for dialogue, they’re not likely to launch an immediate attack. We need to finish gear preparations quickly and engage them in war.”
Although many Elves would get sacrificed in the war, it couldn’t be helped. To win in battle, sacrifices must be made, especially against such monsters.
Still, I had grasped a clue for the attack strategy based on the collected information.
All that’s left is to prepare for the strategy. I stood up and spoke to the queen once more.
“If you could provide the necessary supplies, I will devise a plan.”
“A plan? Isn’t time running out?”
“It’ll only take a day or two. If you provide me the materials I need, I can create weapons to fight them.”
“…You’re quite bold.”
“The contractor is good at making all kinds of things! We could build a castle in a day!”
“Aren’t you being a bit too overconfident?”
“Since it’s come to this, why not just trust me? We need to do something anyway.”
“Hmm…”
“We don’t have much time, and our enemies are strong. We need proper preparations to counter them.”
“There are craftsmen among the Elves too.”
“I’ll go down and prove it within an hour.”
At my words, the queen looked at me as if amused. It seemed my confidence intrigued her. I repeated my words again.
“I’ll prove it within an hour, so how about we go down for now?”
“Alright.”
“Rue, let them know I’ll be back in two days.”
“Okay!”
I watched Rue jog back into the contaminated area, starting to plan in my head.
——————–
“…Do you really not want to work under me? I can even give you a pretty partner.”
“Haha, you’re quite impressive. Don’t you think you resemble those dwarves?”
“At this level, I’m much better than those pathetic guys! Rabble!”
As expected, it seems like the elves can throw down some good smack. Regardless, it was a compliment to me, so I should at least express my gratitude.
“You’re too kind.”
Fortunately, the lance and shield I personally made in an hour received high praise. Since they were made from the branches of the World Tree, the quality was good, but they also represented the culmination of all my know-how so far.
Coincidentally, the wooden spear was one of the weapons I made most often on the deserted island. I had once practiced throwing spears in hopes of catching rabbits.
I had even practiced making a spear thrower, though vaguely remaining in my mind.
Eventually, I had stopped because it was inefficient. It was too much trouble to throw a spear nearly a meter long just to catch a small rabbit. And it hadn’t proven useful against bears or snakes either.
“This spear is rather long. Why did you make it this way?”
“In battles against them, distance is life. So, I need to craft a weapon that keeps the distance without crowding the formation.”
“That makes sense. But will a spear made from the World Tree work?”
“They haven’t fully eroded the World Tree yet. It means at least it has enough strength to resist that corruption.”
“Oh, that sounds reasonable. It’s worth a try.”
“I’ll make as many spears and shields as there are guards, so I’d appreciate it if you could gather them all.”
“Understood.”
It’s a good thing the Elves don’t seem to know much about war. Even if it were a war, it would have been centuries ago, and they probably haven’t fought as much as humans.
“…I think it was a good decision to accept you.”
“…Thank you.”
“Then I’ll summon the guards.”
I guess I should do a little more.
I grabbed a piece of the World Tree branch and started using my skills diligently.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.