At that moment, Elpheira was anxiously tapping on the table and staring at the castle wall beyond the dock.
“Are you sure we haven’t been discovered yet? Are you sure it’s still okay?”
“It’s fine, so calm down.”
Despite Edel’s words, Elpheira’s ears drooped, and she was restless. How did it come to this, she wondered.
It was supposed to be a simple plan: docking in Kalion, stopping by the nearby Alchemy Warehouse to replenish supplies, and then leaving.
She hadn’t expected to be blocked at the entrance and expelled, but it was something she could overlook, thinking there might be some internal issue within the enterprise.
But then, suddenly, Ivan decided to infiltrate. He planned a nighttime infiltration operation, claiming he would gather information.
This seemed a bit excessive… she thought.
“Isn’t it strange?” (Edel)
“He seemed anxious too.” (Edel)
“What?” (Elpheira)
“I can’t say for sure since he didn’t speak openly, but he looked anxious. As if he were being chased by time.” (Edel)
Only then did Elpheira sigh, “Ah.”
She remembered what he had said in Frechenkaya. About the remaining time in this world, the possessed ones, and the threat to the hero’s party.
It was such a long and vague story that it was honestly hard to fully empathize with. The Demon King was dead, the demons had been driven out of the world, and the nations had lost their momentum to start wars for the time being.
Wasn’t this a peaceful era? Unprecedentedly so in history.
But to Ivan, it didn’t seem that way. His attitude of leaping at even the smallest clue as if a fire were lit in his eyes suggested as much.
“Lady Cohenulf, to be honest, I was thinking of this as a picnic.”
“Huh?”
“It’s cold in Krasilov, so I thought I’d come to warm Kalion for a while. Forget about the war in Tylesse and everything, and rest with Sir Yeremov at home.”
Walking through the bustling streets of Kalion, enjoying fresh food from around the world, and if possible, having a bit of life-extending elixir.
In this warm and gentle country with its four-season temperate climate, leisurely enjoying the hidden scenic spots throughout the archipelago.
Without stories of a fallen human crown prince hiding, the threat of civil war, or her own father being in danger.
Even a little childish talk was fine. After all, one cannot always run looking straight ahead.
So,
So, just for a little while, in a comfortable atmosphere, even if just for a moment. Not for her own sake, but for that person who always lives tightly like a drawn bow.
“But what is all this? As soon as we step on our homeland, we’re turned away at the door, someone decides to infiltrate a perfectly fine business, and we wait anxiously all night on the sea. This isn’t… fun.”
“You’re thinking like a short-lived species.”
“What?”
“Perhaps because you’ve interacted with humans for so long, or maybe because you’re young. Sometimes the young among us think that way.”
Edel stretched and smiled leisurely.
“Stand on the shoulders of giants and look down on the truth. This moment is fleeting, the seasons are endless, and time is infinitely abundant. Always be calm, always elegant, and smile as if you will live forever. Isn’t that what it means to be an elf?”
Impatience is a human flaw. Elves have ample time, and the concept of being frantic to use time efficiently is foreign to them.
They are players of chess, not pieces running around the board. They must observe the world with a broad view and think leisurely like flowing clouds.
Anxiety, tension, urgency. These are the thought patterns of short-lived species. And sadly, this young elf seemed to be in love with a short-lived species.
It’s pitiable but endearing.
“If your feelings exceed a moment’s whim, then ponder it well. After sharing their short life, you’ll spend the long years remaining in remembrance.”
“Lady Cohenulf…”
“I no longer have space in my heart to mourn for anyone.”
No matter how long one lives, the heart has its limits. In Edelplat’s long life and its history of endless struggles, she had already erected many memorial towers.
They were all heroes, all deserving of respect. But the time of short-lived species is like a moment, and an elderly elf at some point can no longer hold humans in their heart.
Happiness easily becomes dulled within its threshold, but sorrow has no such threshold.
Jhon (Ivan) becomes monotonous as it accumulates, but grief brings new despair each time.
Old elves gradually turn into old trees. They become desensitized like dried trees. And when they lose even the slightest passion to move, they become trees and leave the world.
Elves conduct tree burials. The largest island in Kalion is made up of the Forest of Ancestors.
Edelplat Cohenulf was still considered a young generation by elf standards, but her time spent on the battlefield had been faster, rougher, and more painful than that of a typical elf.
Elpheira, looking into her one remaining eye, bowed her head and muttered softly.
“It’s worth it.”
“It is.”
Because he is a man worth it.
She smiled warmly and stroked Elpheira’s hair.
“Everyone!!”
At that moment, the door to the dock burst open. It was Oswald. As soon as she saw his urgent face, Elpheira’s heart sank.
“Did Sir Yeremov get captured…?”
“No. No, it’s not that. Right now, Baron Chesterhold is requesting to board!”
“What? Baron Chesterhold… the president of the Alchemical Factory?! At this hour?!”
“Yes! What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do! We must bring him aboard immediately!”
At Elpheira’s flustered voice, Edelplat chuckled and stood up.
Yes, it seems something is indeed going on, she thought.
Facing the deputy of the Privy Council and the strongest figure in the elf magic society’s most cherished daughter, along with the Privy Council chairman’s daughter.
They turned them away during the day, only to try to make secret contact at dawn.
‘It is suspicious indeed, Jhon.’
They say that experienced warriors develop a certain ‘sense’ that excludes rationality. Edel was no exception, and Ivan would inevitably have such a ‘sense’ as well.
In an unfamiliar society, with no information at hand, he would have trusted only his intuition instead of rational thinking.
A superhuman’s intuition is almost prophetic in battle situations. In extremely heightened states of awareness, they must counter the opponent’s offensive faster than nerve reactions.
So now, if he deeply trusts his ‘intuition’ enough to employ such bold means even in normal times,
‘He lives every day in war, Jhon.’
Edel smiled sadly as she watched Elpheira and the attendants hurriedly preparing refreshments.
‘He won’t live long. Human life is so short, why do you try to live burning every day?’
Just as wood is vulnerable to embers, some elves are fascinated by such a blazing life.
That young elf might also have been captivated by such a flame.
And she herself, even the one who had arrogantly preached, was no exception.
So Edel turned her gaze to the island shrouded in darkness, looking bitterly.
Hoping there was still room in her heart to build a memorial tower for others. And hoping that it would be spacious enough, that it would be far in the future.
*
“It’s a trap.”
“What?!”
In dozens of tanks, deep-sea leeches floated. Each was meticulously managed in culture fluids of different compositions.
Ivan coldly looked at each one before speaking decisively.
“The security level of the most important research wing is disastrously low compared to the external security level.”
“Uh… is that so?
”
“An old elf who is wary of his entire race cannot be this vulnerable. This is a trap.”
Researching monsters? It’s possible. Monsters are no more or less than beasts imbued with magic.
In this uncivilized world, where research ethics are nonexistent, even if they experimented on humans, it wouldn’t be illegal.
While it is right that it would be socially condemned, isn’t this the land of elves? The elf society wouldn’t condemn human experimentation.
Moreover, it’s not even demons but monsters. It feels no different from animal experiments. Even if someone discovered this, what harm would it cause?
So what these people are trying to hide is not the experiment.
‘It’s the results.’
Not the experiment, but the results derived from it.
Ivan walked through the research wing. The corridor was dim. At the end of the long corridor lined with numerous research wings, a massive iron door leading to the academic wing and the inner castle was visible.
Even in all the corners, there were no minimal security measures in place.
“Uh… if it’s a trap, should we just leave for now…?”
“No, it’s too late.”
The security system was more to prevent someone from leaving rather than someone from entering.
The immigration office’s attitude to never expose the internal situation to outsiders.
And the eerily quiet facility.
‘My condition has deteriorated.’
Ivan clicked his tongue briefly. It might be because his condition hadn’t fully recovered after being driven to a critical state in the last war.
If he had to make an excuse, it might be due to impatience. That impatience of running alone towards destruction in a situation where both information and time were lacking.
Or perhaps, it was because he had been extremely suppressing his internal magic to avoid the magic detection devices installed at the entrance of the research wing.
But those were all just excuses. No matter how many excuses you make in front of a tombstone, the dead don’t come back.
A scout should never do that. Those who explore enemy territory risking the lives of the party, never.
-Clang!!
As soon as he stepped into the corridor, he heard something heavy fall behind him. When he turned around, a giant steel lever was wedged into the entrance.
It was a seal protected by elf magic, which even he would need time to break through.
“Senior brother! What should we do?!” (Lucia)
“Think of it as a practical lesson.”
-Clack.
Ivan drew his axe and gripped it tightly. He wrapped his restrained magic around his nerves and took a deep breath.
“I’ll show you what a scout should do.”
“What a scout should do?”
“Clear the way ahead of the party.”
Attempting a retreat was not impossible. As long as the enemy was not within immediate sight, withdrawal was not difficult.
A seal protected by elf magic?
Overwhelming physical force can destroy even magic. A sealing spell of that level is not impossible to break through.
But that shouldn’t be done. No information had been obtained. They had gone through diplomatic and political troubles to infiltrate, so returning without any results was not an option.
The time wasted meant the deaths of old comrades were approaching even more.
It shouldn’t happen twice. Once was enough. Drinking to fallen comrades should never be.
It was impossible to know what kind of malice was hiding in this world. So, the task was always the same. Walk ahead and see first.
A great intelligence agent solves problems before they erupt.
“Clearing the way ahead of the party… that’s not a scout… that’s… a vanguard…?”
Lucia was confused.
*
“Dark Magic Society…?”
“Yes, they are in league with the demons. Ms. Graykencos and Lady Cohenulf, will you help us?”
“But help you, how?”
Baron Chesterhold, with a face pale as a ghost, took a sip of his tea and began to speak with difficulty.
“Their offensive has contaminated the research wing. Ashcliff, who was in charge of the research, has lost his mind… We have sealed off the main research wing and the academic wing for now.”
“Oh…”
“Stop Ashcliff. And retrieve the data he was researching until the end. We need to present it to the Privy Council and officially deal with the Dark Magic Society!!”
“Oh…”
Elpheira barely held her breath.
Ivan is in there right now.
At that moment, Edel laughed melodiously.
“Lady Cohenulf…?”
“An amusing trick.”
“Pardon…?”
“Fine. Let’s wait and see.”
“What? But time is of the essence…”
“If it is so urgent, why could your forces not suppress it? Were you afraid of our sudden appearance?”
Edel smirked.
“Did the arrival of the Privy Council head’s daughter, the daughter of Veolgrin, and even the Privy Council’s duel proxy on a ship sneaking in without formal entry scare you?”
“Lady Cohenulf, this is an insult. Officially…”
“Make an issue of it then.”
Edel leaned back in his chair and looked at the anxious-faced baron.
“I was curious about what information our scout would bring. I look forward to finding out what has happened in this country in the half year I have been gone.”
“A scout… you say?”
“Indeed. The best scout of this era has infiltrated your nest.”
Conveniently appearing at this moment, making contact out of sight of others, and asking for help regarding an incident in his own territory.
It’s obviously a trap. The most perfect concealment is to bury all evidence. If they could bury them all, who would question this?
Perhaps it’s a wild guess. Most would think so.
But Edel decided to wait patiently.
Breaking traps, returning from hostile territory, striking deep into the enemy’s heart. The most competent person in all these combat scenarios had just entered the enemy’s trap voluntarily.
He had a good sense. They really were hiding something. As he thought this, Edel turned his gaze to the window.
With his fingers lightly resting on the hilt of his sword.
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