Just as they were about to unleash a barrage of magical attacks, an aged voice suddenly rang out.
“Would you wait a moment?”
With that single sentence, the situation on the verge of eruption settled for a moment. Everyone’s gaze turned toward the direction from which the voice had come. Someone was walking through the forest.
It was an elderly elf, his wrinkled face bearing the vicissitudes of time, his eyes deep and profound.
At the sight of him, a cry burst out.
“What? Great Elder!”
Perhaps he had not expected the highest elder of their clan to appear in person, for urgency appeared on the elf man’s face.
“This place is extremely dangerous. Please return to the village at once.”
But the old man silently shook his head.
“Seeing the power they possess, the village is no safer than this place. Captain Olivier.”
“……”
The elf man called Olivier remained silent. Because it was true. If a fight broke out like this, their defeat was inevitable. They had no means of stopping such powerful monsters as a bone dragon and death knights. The Great Elder of the Luminous tribe, now revealed, looked at Damon with a deep gaze.
“Human. With such formidable power in your possession, what more do you lack that you would make an enemy of our tribe?”
Damon snorted coldly.
“Hmph. Weren’t you the ones who picked the fight first? You wouldn’t even hear our circumstances, so what choice did we have?”
When Damon finished speaking, anger colored the elves’ faces. It was only natural, since he had addressed the highest elder of their clan without the slightest deference. At that moment, someone stepped forward. It was Shrekheimer.
“Greetings, Lord Schneider. It has truly been a long time.”
When a lich suddenly came forward as if he knew him, doubt appeared on the Great Elder’s face.
There was no way some cursed lich could know him, yet the other had called him by his true name exactly. No one who did not know him could possibly know the name Schneider.
The Great Elder looked at Shrekheimer with a wary gaze.
“Who are you?”
“It is only natural that you do not recognize me. When I met you five hundred years ago, Lord Schneider, I was human.”
“……”
Looking at Great Elder Schneider, who could not erase the doubt from his eyes, Shrekheimer began to introduce himself.
“Do you perhaps remember? Five hundred years ago, when the Race War had ended, a priest of the Berhazel Order visited the Luminous tribe. At that time, I remember that Lord Schneider was the defense captain responsible for the safety of the clan.”
The Great Elder’s expression suddenly stiffened.
“Th-then you are……”
“That is correct. I am Shrekheimer, prelate of the Berhazel Order, who passed through the forest at that time with the Great Elder’s permission.”
Disbelief spread across the Great Elder’s face. And no wonder, for Shrekheimer remained clearly in his memory.
“H-how can such a thing be…… That a high-ranking clergyman would become a lich is something I can scarcely believe.”
“But it is the truth. It was a path I had no choice but to choose in order to overcome my limited lifespan and fulfill my purpose.”
The Great Elder glared at Shrekheimer with profound eyes. A moment later, he let out a long sigh, as if dumbfounded.
“I still remember the devotion with which you agonized to save the fate of humankind. I regretted greatly that I could not be of help then. But I never imagined you would choose the path of an eternally cursed undead to achieve your goal. You are truly an astonishing man. Had you ended your life according to the natural order, you could have lived forever blessed in the halls of Berhazel……”
“Not everyone’s will is the same.”
The Great Elder, who had been looking at Shrekheimer with regret, composed his expression.
“If it is you, then I do not think there is any need to remain on guard. So, what brings you to our clan this time?”
“I have come to request an alliance between the entire Luminous clan—no, between all the elves living in Truvenia and humanity. In short, it is a proposal that we join forces and drive out the orcs together.”
The Great Elder’s eyes widened at the unexpected proposal.
“Do you think that is possible? The orc race of the Truvenian continent is now at its peak. They possess millions of warriors alone—by what means do you intend to…… And how do you plan to deal with the dragons who are giving them full support?”
“We have already established a detailed strategy. First, in Arcadia, one million five hundred thousand well-trained troops are standing by. The moment the order is given, they can be deployed at once. And as for the dragons……”
Shrekheimer paused briefly, then stretched out his hand and pointed at Damon.
“They and their companions, led by that gentleman, plan to deal with them.”
The Great Elder looked at Damon and nodded as though there was sense in it.
“A master of the 9th Circle, death knights, and a bone dragon…… Perhaps it may be possible. The very fact that you possess a bone dragon means you have already dealt with two dragons……”
Shrekheimer then introduced Katroi.
“And Lord Katroi will also spare no assistance. Allow me to introduce him. He is a white dragon who lives at the northern end of Arcadia, and he is one of our companions. He has already rendered us tremendous help.”
Katroi, who had been in a thoroughly sour mood, spat out as if unwilling.
“Although I am a member of the Kasim Mercenary Corps, I have no intention of stepping forward when it comes to dealing with dragons. Leaving that aside, the elves’ hospitality today was truly impressive. Thanks to this incident, my illusions about elves have been shattered cleanly.”
Hearing those words, the Great Elder bowed respectfully.
“Please understand. Our tribesmen lacked experience and committed discourtesy against a great one. They likely did not realize that Your Greatness had come from Arcadia. They merely bear resentment toward the dragons of Truvenia.”
At the Great Elder’s sincere apology, Katroi seemed to cool down somewhat, and his expression softened a little.
“At least, as an elder, your attitude is somewhat better.”
The Great Elder smiled bitterly and gestured to Shrekheimer.
“Will you come with me to the village? I think it would be best to discuss the details there.”
“As you command.”
After speaking, the Great Elder turned his head toward Olivier, who stood awkwardly.
“Captain Olivier. Withdraw the sentinels.
I intend to receive them as guests of our clan.”
Olivier was startled.
“B-but among them are undead. A lich and death knights—how can we……”
“It is all right. He once passed through the forest five hundred years ago with the permission of the Great Elder. I will take responsibility for everything, so do not worry and prepare to receive our guests.”
With the highest elder of the village going this far, Olivier had no choice.
He gave the order as if reluctant.
“We withdraw.”
The elf warriors who had formed their battle formation vanished like receding water. It was an exceedingly natural movement, as though the water itself were draining away. Watching that sight, Damon opened Incresia to gather up the bone dragon and death knights. For some reason, he felt regret that he had not been able to savor the slaughter, but he forcefully suppressed the feeling.
Even so, a strange sensation would not leave his mind.
‘How odd. This really isn’t like me.’
When he turned his head, he saw his companions retrieving their respective weapons with expressions full of relief. They seemed to think it fortunate that they did not have to fight the elves. Damon silently walked over to Shrekheimer. Just then, the Great Elder was staring intently at Damon.
When their gazes met, he spoke first.
“Thank you for restraining yourself.”
“There’s no need to thank me. If you were going to open the way, there was no need to fight in the first place……”
After speaking bluntly, Damon shook his head. Elder Schneider looked at him with a strange gaze. A moment later, he turned his head toward Shrekheimer.
“Let us go. Captain Olivier should be preparing to receive the guests.”
“Understood.”
The party silently followed behind him. As the elder approached, the dense forest opened. It looked as though someone had been waiting there and opened a door for them. At that sight, the party was considerably astonished.
“How wondrous.”
They had been racking their brains, not knowing where they should enter.
Before long, the party’s figures disappeared into the forest.
Srrr.
Once everyone had entered, the forest closed again into its original form.
The battle between humans and elves, which had nearly reached an explosive situation before barely being settled, was unfortunately seen through by someone not far from there. From a mountain peak near Verkis’s lair, a bizarre voice flowed out.
“Abundant dark mana…… Judging by its scale and concentration, it is certainly a bone dragon.”
The bizarre, low voice was clearly not that of a living being. As expected, the one who appeared on the mountain peak was a lich. From the eye sockets of the skull revealed between the folds of his pitch-black robe, a chilling gleam was flowing.
“I must report to Lord Gedenhide at once.”
As if there were no need to think about it, he drew a communication magic circle. A moment later, his voice, borrowing the power of magic, was delivered to the eastern coast far away from that place.
“What?”
Upon receiving the report, Gedenhide sprang up from his seat.
Bewilderment flowed from his eye sockets.
“I thought they were moving toward the northern end, so I hurriedly dispatched troops there……
What a truly cunning bastard.”
Gedenhide shook his head in distress. Since most of his troops were deployed in the north, it was impossible to move them within a short time.
“The Elven Forest…… Just why has that bastard gone there?”
His head throbbed because of the bastard’s unpredictable movements.
“What on earth was he thinking, going to the Elven Forest? Could he be trying to form an alliance with the elves……”
The light gathered in Gedenhide’s pupils darkened sharply. He turned his head and looked at the crystal orb. The lich who had made the report was still waiting for his orders.
“Is there an orc tribe near the Elven Forest?”
The lich inside the crystal orb answered in a respectful tone.
“Beyond the Pelusia Mountains, in the former territory of the old orc race, the Patar tribe resides.”
“That works out well. Go to the Patar tribe immediately and tell them to mobilize all their warriors and attack the Elven Forest. Reinforcements will be dispatched before long.”
“Understood.”
With those words, the lich in the crystal orb vanished. Sinking back into his chair, Gedenhide muttered quietly.
“I suppose we should sweep away the elven race entirely while we have the chance. In any case, Lord Verkis does not look kindly upon them…… If we are to eliminate them, now, while the Dragon Lord sleeps, is the perfect opportunity.”
The dragons’ reactions toward elves differed completely. First, the comparatively moderate dragons, including the Dragon Lord, tried to protect the elves as much as possible. It was because they cherished the elves, a race that did not break harmony. But Verkis and the dragons who followed him were different.