The members, who knew that history, were startled. Kasim looked at Damon with an expression of incomprehension.
“Th-then, Lord Damon… Surely you do not intend to summon the demon race of the Demon Realm through the Dark Portal and use them to oppose the dragons?”
The answer fell to Schreckheimer.
“That is not the case. The Dark Portal was destroyed five hundred years ago by the demonic dragon Belkis and the dragons who followed him. Because of that, no demon can pass through the portal by their own power.”
“Th-then why?”
“Five hundred years ago, by chance, I realized that the Dark Portal had not been completely destroyed. The faint power of darkness still lingering around the portal is proof of that. In other words, the demonic energy of the Demon Realm is seeping into this place through a gap as thin as a thread.”
None of the members could guess what Schreckheimer meant, so they remained silently quiet. At last, Schreckheimer got to the point.
“The Dark Portal itself is a dimensional transfer magic circle that overcomes the rift of space and time. In other words, it has more than enough potential to be used as a spatial transfer magic circle. I intend to modify the Dark Portal and bring the expeditionary army in Arcadia here.”
As soon as those words ended, the members’ faces brightened. If, as Schreckheimer said, the Dark Portal could be modified and connected to Arcadia, it would be no difficult task for an army of one and a half million to cross over.
After all, it would be completely unaffected by storms. The Demon Realm was unimaginably distant from Arcadia. Yet the Dark Portal had possessed the ability to summon countless monsters and demons even from that distant Demon Realm. As such, it was certainly a matter with sufficient possibility.
Damon, who had been listening in silence, opened his mouth.
“Modifying the portal isn’t all that impossible. The question is how much of the magic circle engraved on the portal remains preserved. If we can revive only the coordinate-setting magic circle, it can be used well enough as a spatial transfer gate.”
Unable to contain her excitement, Crancia sprang to her feet.
“If an army of one and a half million can safely cross into Truvania, then this battle is as good as won.”
“But it’s not something to think of so lightly. There are, at a rough estimate, more than five million orcs living in Truvania. Those orcs are practically all skilled warriors. For us, the key above all else is how we resolve the fight against the dragons. If three or more dragons of wyrm class or higher gather together, we would not dare face them. Therefore, only by defeating them one by one can we even consider victory.”
The members kept quietly silent. Since two had already been killed, the dragons here must have prepared countermeasures to some extent. In particular, were dragons not beings known to be far wiser than humans? It was Schreckheimer’s voice that broke the silence.
“We must first pass through the Forest of Elves. That is because the Dark Portal is located beyond the Forest of Elves.”
“Could we not simply ride the Bone Dragon across the forest, without needing to obtain the elves’ permission?”
At Crancia’s suggestion, Schreckheimer slowly shook his head.
“That will not do. Of course, if we did that, we could cross the forest without difficulty, but the problem is the safety of Arcadia’s great army that will cross through the portal in the future. Without the elves’ permission, not a single soldier can pass through the forest.”
Patterson, who had asked the question, gaped.
“Is the Forest of Elves that terrifying?”
“It is. If the elves do not open a path, anyone trapped inside will wander through an endless maze and, in the end, collapse from exhaustion. Therefore, forming an alliance with the elves is a matter that absolutely must be resolved. Only by obtaining their cooperation can the expeditionary army safely arrive at the battlefield.”
“But would the proud elves try to form an alliance so easily?”
“We must persuade them well. Whether or not we can ally with the elves is the most important key.”
After hearing the explanation, the members nodded as if it made sense.
Damon, who had gauged the sky, hurriedly rose to his feet.
“We don’t have time for this. Let’s move.”
Thanks to the brief rest they had taken, the members had recovered their strength and rose one by one.
Only Yuliana refused to get up, complaining.
“Let’s rest a little longer. I still haven’t recovered from my fatigue.”
Damon solved the matter of Yuliana neatly with a single glance toward Winslet.
Winslet strode over and slung Yuliana over his shoulder with rough hands.
“You wretch. Put me down right now!”
Yuliana swung her fists at him repeatedly, but Winslet did not budge. No matter how sharp her fists were, there was no way they would work on Winslet, who was undead.
“Damon, you rotten old geezer! I’m going to kill you!”
The group began their march, with Yuliana’s shouts bursting out again and again as seasoning.
As the members continued their monotonous march, they gradually began to blossom into conversation. Yuliana, who had been shouting at the top of her lungs, was exhausted and hanging limp.
“But what on earth do elves look like?”
At Patterson’s question, Kasim tilted his head and answered.
“I don’t know for certain, but I heard that in appearance they are almost no different from humans. The monster compendium said they were a beautiful race characterized by long ears. They have lifespans of at least a thousand years—in short, a race shrouded in mystery.”
The members listening gaped.
“Wow, they live for a thousand years?”
“They really are a long-lived race.”
Schreckheimer, who had been listening, gave a bitter smile and joined the conversation.
“That is not so. Among the elders, there are rare individuals who live over eight hundred years, but the average lifespan of an elf is, at most, a little over five hundred years.”
Hearing Schreckheimer’s words, Patterson narrowed his eyes and looked at Kasim.
“See? This time the captain was wrong, wasn’t he? Always acting so full of himself…”
Kasim, embarrassed, let out a laugh.
“Ha ha. That’s not because I was wrong, but because the book was wrong.”
The members soon began conversing on the topic of elves. Since elves did not live in Arcadia, they had never once seen an elf until now. However, they had at least fragmentary knowledge through books, so the conversation did not run dry. Patterson, who was glib of tongue, joked.
“If elves are that beautiful, I should take this chance to catch one and make her my wife. If I do that, wouldn’t I have a wife who never grows old for the rest of my life?”
“As far as I know, half-elves are said to be even more beautiful…”
At those words, a chilling light suddenly appeared in Schreckheimer’s eye sockets.
“I warn you, do not even think of doing such a thing in the slightest. Elves are an extremely proud race. Most elven women will take their own lives if they face the danger of having their bodies defiled. And the one who violated her will be relentlessly pursued by all elves. Until the day he dies.”
Startled, Patterson shut his mouth. He had spoken without thinking, and he had not expected Schreckheimer to react so seriously. The stern rebuke continued.
“If such a thing were to happen, forming an alliance with the elves would be impossible. Considering the ability of our party, you would not be easily done in by the elves, but whether you realize it or not, it is certain that you would be forced to circle the Forest of Elves until the day you die.”
Patterson, cautiously watching Schreckheimer’s mood, let his shoulders droop.
“It was a joke. I will never think such a thing again, not in the slightest.”
“You certainly must not.”
Perhaps feeling that he had gone a little too far, Schreckheimer’s tone softened somewhat.
“I will teach you one thing. Half-elves are, fundamentally, a different race from elves. Though they are born between humans and elves, they should be regarded as almost no different from humans. Though occasionally there are half-elves who inherit an elf’s beautiful appearance and long ears.”
“I-is that so?”
Since these were the words of Schreckheimer, who possessed richer knowledge about elves than anyone else, the members’ attention focused on him all at once. Schreckheimer quietly continued his explanation.
“Elven blood is thoroughly recessive in relation to humans. Because of that, nearly all half-elves born possess human characteristics. Occasionally, a child whose outward appearance resembles an elf may be born, but their physical traits are identical to those of humans. And one thing you must know is that elves who mingle with human society soon become humanized. It means they lose most of the traits of their race. The lifespan of elves who live in human society is only about two hundred years at most.”
Kasim shook his head as if he could not understand.
“That is strange. Simply by mixing with humans, they lose the characteristics of their race…”
“Elves live only their own lives deep within the forest. Unlike humans, they do not indulge in emotion; they live while suppressing joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure as much as possible. In my opinion, that is the reason for the elves’ long lifespans. But elves who mingle with humans are repeatedly exposed to the violent emotional changes peculiar to humans, and before long, they seem to lose the traits of their race.”
Kasim tilted his head as if something seemed odd.
“But according to the books I read, quite a number of elves married humans and lived for a long time… Were the books wrong, perhaps?”
“I do not think so. Elves do not age easily. Because they preserve their youth for a long time, it merely appears that way from the outside. In any case, it is an established fact that they live more than twice as long as humans.”
As if recalling the past, Schreckheimer’s eyes flashed with an ambiguous light as he continued.
“Most elves who married humans were forcibly abducted. Most elven women will take their own lives if they face the danger of having their bodies defiled. But if they become pregnant, they give up suicide because of maternal love. And while living among humans, they slowly lose their identity as elves. Nearly all elves who married and lived with humans were such cases. Though, of course, there were rare cases that were not…”
Crancia, who had been listening in silence, opened her mouth. She had recalled the fact that, in the past, most kingdoms in Truvania had legalized slavery.
“Then in past Truvania, hunting elves must have been extremely common.”
“Unfortunately, it was. Without knowing that it would bring about humanity’s ruin.”
“Bring about humanity’s ruin?”
Schreckheimer’s gaze turned toward Crancia.
“If the elves had sided with humans in the Race War, humans would not have been pushed back so easily. The Forest of Elves is located beyond the Felusia Mountains, behind the orcs’ rear. If they had cooperated with humans and kept the orcs’ rear in check, then no matter how much the dragons joined in, humans would not have been defeated so easily. But the elven race, enraged by repeated slave hunts, refused to cooperate with humans, and because of that, the orc race was able to devote all its strength. There were such hidden circumstances behind Truvania falling into the hands of the orcs.”
When they heard this untold episode of history, the members’ faces filled with interest.
“Then it seems the elves were not particularly friendly with the orcs from the beginning.”
“That is so. After the First Race War ended, the orcs who had hidden away frequently invaded the Forest of Elves and hunted there. They would inevitably clash with the elves, who sought to protect their territory. Because of that, the two races do not have particularly good feelings toward each other.”
Crancia’s eyes shone as she said,
“If we promise to preserve their territory, then forming an alliance with the elves may not be so difficult.”
“To be honest, I do not know how the elves will respond. We can only try.”
Listening to Schreckheimer’s answer, the members hurried their steps diligently.
“Something is strange.”
Schreckheimer tilted his head again and again. Before the group stretched a desolate wasteland. There were only sparse weeds, and no matter how far they looked around, they could not see anything resembling a forest. Schreckheimer’s eyes flashed as he looked around in every direction.
“The Forest of Elves definitely began from here…”
A little while ago, they had avoided the orc tribe’s habitat. It was a large-scale village whose tribe members seemed to number at least twenty or thirty thousand. A glittering surveillance net had been spread throughout the village, but Damon had appropriately used detection magic, allowing them to detour safely around the village. However, despite having passed the boundary of the village, the Forest of Elves still had not appeared.
“It seems there has been some kind of change.”
Damon, who had been looking around in every direction, pointed beyond the ridge.
“For now, how about we go a little farther?”
“It seems we have no choice.”
The members began marching again. Because they had to avoid the gaze of the orc sentries flashing in the distance, their marching speed was slow enough to be tedious. The place presumed to be the Forest of Elves finally revealed itself after they had passed three or four ridges. When the dense forest appeared, the members’ faces lit up with joy. A primeval forest that seemed to preserve the mysteries of ancient times unfolded right before their eyes.
“This must be the Forest of Elves.”
But Schreckheimer still seemed unable to shake off something that felt wrong. After cautiously looking around, Schreckheimer abruptly began digging into the ground. The members, not knowing what was going on, simply stood there and watched what Schreckheimer was doing. A short while later, something came out in Schreckheimer’s hand as he dug. It was the root portion of a tree, burned pitch-black.
After turning the tree root over and over for a long time, Schreckheimer raised his head.
“It seems something has happened to the Forest of Elves.”
“Something happened?”
“Someone took advantage of the dry season and set fire to the Forest of Elves. Seeing that even the tree roots were burned, it is clear the fire was set deliberately.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
Kasim, who had asked back in puzzlement, closed his mouth.
In Truvania, there was only one race that would set fire to the Forest of Elves.
“The orcs? Why on earth would those bastards do that?”
“The elves and orcs have not been on good terms since long ago. It seems some friction arose between the two races. Within the forest, even fierce orc warriors cannot match the elves. It seems that, unable to overcome them, the orcs set fire to it in a fit of anger.”
Having finished speaking, Schreckheimer tossed the tree root away.
“Perhaps forming an alliance may not be so difficult after all. Elves bear tremendous grudges against any race that damages their forest.”
Schreckheimer began striding toward the forest ahead.
The members looked around, then hurriedly followed after him.