Chapter: 184
*
– Human?
The elf-like maggot murmured. Ivan twisted the spear that was thrusting at him and swung his axe. Quack, the head of the murmuring elf exploded.
Regardless of its form, this thing’s weakness is not its head. It was a swarm made up of numerous monsters. However, the body that lost its head soon scattered and poured onto the ground.
– Kiing—!!
As he frowned at the change, a sharp notification of an approaching attack flashed. Ivan quickly turned his head to avoid an arrow that brushed against his cheek.
When he looked straight ahead, an elf in proper attire was nocking an arrow on their bow. Both the arrow and the bow, as well as the outfit, were all made of monsters.
His cheek burned. He had definitely avoided it, but in the meantime, the arrowhead had pierced his cheek and bitten at the skin around it.
“Seems to be getting more and more elaborate.”
“What?”
“Those bastards.”
Ivan answered briefly and swung his axe. One of the approaching elves shattered again and scattered.
He began to find it hard to breathe. He couldn’t gauge how long and how he had been fighting. Both space and time seemed to be twisted.
– Human in the sanctuary, why?
“Kill them, the lowly—.”
The elves approached murmuring in a daze. The ones that had rushed in recklessly were gradually mixing in ‘techniques’, gripping spear-like weapons made of maggots.
– Kaaang—!!
This was the first time his attacks had been blocked. Ivan quickly turned his body, watching as the spear’s toothy maw gaped and gnawed at the edge of his axe blade.
Quack, the axe blade crushed the spear, bursting the elf that was gripping it. Slimy bodily fluids poured onto the hem of his coat.
They were becoming more intelligent. Techniques and skills he had never seen were manifesting from these monsters.
“Elpheira.”
“Yes, Lord Yeremof.”
“Do you recognize that attire?”
“W-wait. It’s too fast. Just a moment.”
Elpheira peeked out cautiously from the hem of her coat and surveyed the surroundings. With a face horrified by the writhing forms, her eyes gradually narrowed in focus.
She soon nodded and replied.
“That’s a very ancient traditional garment. Indeed, those things… Hm, no, it seems this is indeed the ancestral forest.”
Anger shimmered in Elpheira’s eyes.
“They desecrated this forest and implanted the souls of the ancestors into the body of monsters. The ancestors who were here….”
They had killed the ancestors turned into trees and extracted their souls to implant them within the mass of monsters. The awakened monsters were greedily gnawing at the ancestors’ souls, reviving their flesh.
“Those are not your ancestors, Elpheira.”
“I know. It’s just that monsters swallowing and imitating them… But still… this is.”
It would be the most horrific insult that could be inflicted upon an elf.
Ivan nodded at her words. The dead must remain dead. There is no greater insult than forcing the deceased to walk again.
The elves regarded the ancestral forest as the most beautiful death. They were distorting the sacred tradition that had been passed down since ancient times in the most horrific manner.
Creating the Seven Dragon Lords in the heart of the elves who loathed the demonic.
“Do you see a possibility?”
“Magic? Hmm… I’m not incapable. It’s true, I’m one of the best in the Astronomy Faction, you know.”
“I know.”
How much your father boasted about you.
Ivan gently tucked Elpheira’s trembling head back into the hem of his coat and took a breath.
“Take your time.”
If the missing element is time, then providing it is not difficult.
Ivan gripped the axe handle tightly with fingers slowly becoming dulled from the cold and finished speaking.
Elpheira, nodding small inside the coat, held onto his sleeve tightly.
“Just buy me one hour… No, two hours. I will definitely finish it no matter what happens.”
“Mm.”
Elpheira peeked up at Ivan from within the thick coat.
Drenched in the bodily fluids of monsters, his glistening skin was cracked and frozen in the bitter cold. Nonetheless, he allocated most of his mana to her, maintaining minimal body temperature.
Even as he gradually froze and lost mobility, the mana flowing into her remained unwavering.
The number of enemies was increasing.
Elpheira looked around with trembling eyes. Perhaps as time passed, they were becoming more accustomed. The swarm of monsters disguised as elves was gradually increasing.
Each of those individuals was now using techniques. They were stabbing with spears, shooting arrows, and occasionally drawing swords to exchange blows.
Ivan was slaughtering them like a lion among a flock of sheep, yet there seemed to be no end to their numbers. From the initial dozen, they now numbered over a hundred.
There was no time. The only way to guarantee the lives of Ivan and her against the infinitely increasing enemies was—
“To recover mana.”
Fortunately, this space was filled with mana. It was of a type that couldn’t be used immediately, but it meant that dormant fuel was sufficiently available.
Then he needed to find a method. Even if it meant altering their physical constitution. They had to derive a magic formula optimized for this mana.
Theoretical domains were her specialty. Elpheira tightly closed her eyes and sat down. She could feel Ivan standing in front of her.
Even while beginning meditation, she couldn’t let go of the sleeve of Ivan she was clutching.
*
As the sky rained down a floating battleship, the dark screams of magic-less elves echoed in the chaos, there was only one spot that showed the least damage and the fastest response.
Iberenden, the island ruled by the Swordsmanship Faction.
This had never been a region for the magical academy. It was a land that had always been far from magical engineering. Moreover, the ruler of this place was the splendid Edelplatt.
A legendary swordsman who had faced the Seven Dragon Lords and returned alive while buying time for the retreat of her allies. Even if a handful of magic dissipated, no one dared to disregard her or the Swordsmanship Faction while inciting a riot.
“Coming to Idrenhill by regular navigation is quite rare.”
Adel squinted her eyes as she gripped the mooring line on the stormy deck. The warships of the Swordsmanship Faction were crossing the sea, slicing through the rolling waves like castle walls.
Eleven ships carrying over seven hundred elves who had entered the realm of the superhuman, elves who had dedicated their long lives entirely to swordsmanship, were crossing the internal sea of Kalion.
*
“You’re saying it’s hard to sail right now? What do you mean by that?!!”
“Calm down, you’re making a scene.”
Islif pressed his weary eyes as he looked upon his shouting daughter and her party.
“There’s no island that has the capacity to set sail right now. Even maintaining harbor facilities is staggering.”
“What about maritime navigation!”
“Most of those who can do that are humans.”
While managing airborne battleships was a different matter, maritime navigation mostly employed humans as sailors. Labor costs were inexplicably cheap and there was no risk of rebellion at sea.
Valuable cargo was transported by air. Most trade could be entrusted to airborne battleships. Thus, a maritime voyage meant merely represents situations where humans needed to find their way to Kalion.
Even in other cases, the ship owner might be an elf, yet the actual navigation was often carried out by humans since they outnumbered goblins.
Therefore, at this point where the logistics involving airborne battleships had come to a halt, the elves who could navigate the sea were refusing to board the ships.
“Do you want to be surrounded by humans in the middle of the ocean? Isn’t that too dangerous?”
“Profits…!!”
An elf magician who could not use magic was merely a puppet holding a lot of money. On the island, authority could suppress dissent, but even the present situation wouldn’t last forever, so she couldn’t dare to defy it.
What does it matter at sea? How would they control what happens on that small ship, even if it was disguised as an accident and they escaped.
“And you plan to do nothing but watch? Are you serious?”
“I need to think of a better way. First, protect the island….”
“Excuse me, may I say something, Chairman?”
Islif turned to the man who was closely sticking to his daughter. He was the heir of the Eastvalpen family, her former fiancé.
The Eastvalpen was a long-established high-ranking family.
Oswald politely spoke to Islif, who nodded.
“Currently, the chaos is likely to be temporary. You are aware of this, aren’t you? This situation is a disaster caused by the malfunctioning milestone.”
“Yes, my disciples are still attached to the milestone, sweating buckets. So?”
“The cause of the situation is clear, and assuming the fallout is temporary, shouldn’t we behave like elves?”
“Oh? Like elves?”
“Preparing solutions is not our role. Are we not a great race standing on the shoulders of giants, looking at the distant mountains?”
Islif, hearing the bold words of this young man, couldn’t help but smile.
“What do you mean?”
“I want to discuss what should be done after the situation ends.”
“But you’re not in a position to be responsible for what you say. Do you know that?”
“Even if my father were here, he wouldn’t hold a different opinion from mine.”
Oswald continued with a serious face. After swallowing nervously, he slowly opened his mouth.
“We must dethrone Her Majesty the Queen.”
“Why?”
“The root of the milestone disaster is that each family utilized the milestone. The management authority of the milestone lies with the royal family, and the royal family has the authority to bind families with laws.”
“So we should shift the blame?”
“Yes, holding management authority means that they also bear responsibility for any management failures, does it not?”
“And you’re bringing this up now?”
“If the council members were thoughtful enough, wouldn’t they all be considering these things now? They’re just flustered by the commotion; it’s only a matter of time.”
Oswald cautiously continued speaking while facing Islif, who was watching him with interest.
“Therefore, the first family to arrive in Idrenhill will become the symbol of the next government. They could also claim the credit for deposing the queen and stabilizing the situation.”
“So we need to set sail now?”
“It may already be too late, Chairman. In a situation where magic has vanished, which family would logically be the first to move?”
“… it would be the Swordsmanship Faction. The Edelplatt Cohenulf.”
“Yes. And the families that have realized this are likely getting restless right now. In this moment when communication has been severed—.”
Islif smiled broadly and picked up Oswald’s words.
“Should a council meeting resume, it will be held in Idrenhill, and any members who couldn’t remotely participate will be excluded from discussions on the next agenda?”
“Yes, thus they must be heading to Idrenhill at this very moment.”
“Sounds reasonable. Hahaha!!”
Islif burst into laughter, slapping Oswald on the back.
“Well done, heir of the Eastvalpen family. Truly, you were a lively one since childhood. I had momentarily forgotten it.”
“You’re too kind.”
“The credit for what happens after the situation ends is something I will calculate separately.”
Islif praised Oswald before leaving. The elves who were slowly preparing for countermeasures began to gather their personnel and hasten their sailing preparations.
Lucia, watching this with dazed eyes, cautiously spoke up.
“Mr. Rustfits. Are you serious?”
“What do you mean?”
“To dethrone the Queen and seize the next administration’s power… and say that resolving the situation is the business of lowly beings… those kind of, well, elf-like…? Like, elf-like words.”
Lucia’s eyes were filled with astonishment. Oswald was among the most humble individuals she had encountered among all the elves.
At times, he seemed like just a human dressed as an elf. Although he had a bit of playfulness, he was a polite and kind person.
It felt like she was now facing a new aspect of such a person, with a nauseatingly elf-like political skill. Until now, he had deceived the entire party.
Oswald smiled wryly at her words.
“I’ve done some thinking.”
“Thinking?”
“Yes, everyone has at least one unique strength. You, Lucia, are a disciple of Enrique; Rundis has exceptional dexterity, and Elpheira is the best among her peers. Isabelle and Ecdysis and Oscar need not be mentioned.”
“Um… yes, but?”
“Yujin, I mean Yenigev, directly hears the word of the gods, and Yuri is top of the Knight Department even with no lessons from commoners. Probably neither Isabelle nor Oscar could win against her in swordsmanship.”
Everyone displayed at least one standout talent. They were all in the most suitable positions to complement each other’s roles.
And Ivan was organizing the party in accordance with those roles. In such a situation, what would be Oswald’s own role?
Magic was now purely focused on Mind Sorcery. It didn’t seem particularly helpful in combat, and securing information was probably better suited to Yujin’s status screen or Ivan’s “potions.”
At this moment where magic had vanished, what about it? Elpheira was excellent at magic interpretation, and thus could directly act with Ivan in this situation. What about him?
“I’m just dead weight right now.”
He couldn’t use magic, and since he wasn’t from this world, he wasn’t familiar with its culture or history, and he couldn’t show any prominence in intellectual realms. He had to demonstrate his usefulness in other ways.
His uniqueness was being an “elf.” And that he was portrayed as [the genius wizard obsessively pursued by the antagonist].
In other words, he could garner full support from the [antagonist].
And the antagonist of this world was Evelyn Rustfits, the cherished daughter of the council head. As long as he could receive her support, his role was solely this.
Political support.
To ensure that the hero and his party could act freely, from behind the scenes.
To become a solid force that would never betray them, rising to a position where every possible support could be projected.
That was the role he found as a party member. And now, it was akin to his debut performance.
Uniting the elves was not through concepts of justice or authority, but through schemes, profits, and political acumen.
*
It felt like ants were crawling around in her head. Elpheira coughed up blood, barely calming the wildly swirling mana.
She improved the mana circuits. No, it might be better to say she twisted them improperly. She was deviating from the superior elven mana formula, imitating that of the monsters.
The efficiency plummeted, and leaking mana ravaged her body. It felt as though her brain was being heated hot. She had to endure both the precision akin to surgery and the excruciating pain likened to torture simultaneously.
Concentration was faltering. Yet in the end, Elpheira succeeded in moving a thin thread of mana according to her will.
“Lord Yeremof!! I did it!! Su-”
How long had it been? In this space, even her sense of time had been distorted. Elpheira couldn’t gauge how long she had been dedicated to meditation.
When she lifted her head, wiping away the blood at her eyes.
“Lord Yeremof…?”
She saw Ivan, who was halfway devoured, looking down at her.
“How long has it been…?”
“Three days, 13 hours, and 21 minutes.”
Ivan answered with a faint smile. His right arm was grotesquely dangling, flesh torn from various places, and his back and chest were covered in ripped, cut, and pierced wounds.
No one knew where his outer clothes had gone; his remaining shirt had become a rag revealing his skin. The spots where the blood had frozen and fallen off were filled with old scars like an ancient mosaic.
New wounds were scattered over that. And.
“And I told you, if the lacking element is time—.”
That was not difficult to provide. What he could do was ultimately this, simply using his body.
He answered with trembling lips that shook from mana exhaustion.
Unlike his right side, which was battered, his left side.
That is to say, from the left sleeve, where Elpheira was gripping, all the way to his forearm.
Centered on where Elpheira was located, there was neither injury nor wound.
“Me, I… I’m fine… Huh. Huh…”
“Don’t cry.”
“It’s all because of me that this happened!”
As he had to remain immobile to protect her half of his body.
She had to continually transmit mana to him lest she freeze to death.
And, as she couldn’t take a single step to disrupt her focus.
If she hadn’t been there, he was confident he could have endured without injury for three days or even longer.
Elpheira couldn’t hold back the tears pouring out and buried her face in Ivan’s hand, sobbing.
“Such excessive self-consciousness.”
Ivan quietly pulled his hand away from her face and lifted her up.
With his still whole, clean sleeve, he hurriedly wiped her eyes.
“Your ancestors are impressive.”
So, he wasn’t hurt because he was guarding her. It was simply because their opponent was strong.
He replied to that, smiling lightly with a teasing tone.
“So impressive for an elf.”
Elpheira unknowingly wrapped her arms around Ivan’s neck.
As Ivan, who had lost his balance momentarily due to mana exhaustion, slightly bent his knees, she tiptoed to meet his gaze.
– Sruuk.
Their breaths mingled at the tips of their noses.
“I’ll hold you responsible once we get out of here. Saying that with that face is unfair.”
After a moment, Elpheira withdrew her head and whispered while wiping her tears.
