Elloren, Seiran, and Vella ran toward the outer district at a speed like the wind.
As Elloren relayed the detailed situation without a moment's rest, Seiran's eyes glinted.
"Ah, by any chance... do you know any distinguishing features of the humans who invaded?"
"I was told one is a young male knight in armor, and the other is a silver-haired middle-aged man who wields a spear."
"As expected, those humans from back then."
"Now that I hear it, I remember too!"
Seiran and Vella looked like they knew something.
The two had been assigned to Iseria's search mission, and since they had stayed for several days at Gang Jin-u's restaurant, it was possible they knew information that Elloren did not.
"Tell me in detail. Are they people you know?"
"Yes. We did not exchange words or face them up close, but..."
"One was an Expert-grade knight! The other wasn't holding a spear, but if it's a silver-haired middle-aged man, it's probably him. They say he is definitely the Duke of Silvaerin..."
"Ha... a Sword Expert and the Duke of Silvaerin. No, you're saying a Duke launched a reckless attack?"
Though the unidentified humans had been identified, confusion only grew instead.
A man bearing the title of Duke had invaded a foreign country with only two people?
'No. If it's the current Duke of Silvaerin... it's definitely Kailan. If it's him, it's possible.'
It was an act impossible to understand under normal circumstances, but its plausibility changed depending on who the actor was.
Nuareldel might be insular, but the Sildiel family had secured at least a minimum amount of information.
The current Emperor of the Empire and his successor, the Silvaerin nobles closest to Nuareldel, and so on—there was no harm in knowing about them.
Through such intelligence capabilities, they had learned that the current Duke of Silvaerin was Kailan.
His martial might had been famous since his youth.
During his academy days as a student, he had exterminated a high-ranking demonic beast alone,
and even when his body was torn to shreds, he never let go of the spear he held tight.
Deemed mad for enjoying battle purely without knowing pain, he was called the Mad Spear (狂槍).
Such a man alongside a Sword Expert knight constituted a force more than sufficient to be confident.
"They are strong humans... but perhaps that is fortunate."
"Huh? Isn't that a bad thing?"
Vella expressed doubt at Elloren's words.
Wouldn't it be easier to deal with them if they were even a little weaker?
"It's not their combat prowess that matters, but their status, Vella."
"Huh... is that so?"
"A Duke and his knight are figures more than capable of discernment. Surely they haven't come intending to take Lord Jin-u back by fighting blindly."
"But didn't you say they ambushed the elves standing guard? If their purpose was dialogue, there would be no reason to act in such a way..."
"Hmm, surely not. It's just... a coincidence, I'm sure."
At Seiran's sharp observation, Elloren glossed it over as a coincidence.
Thinking about it logically, Elloren's opinion was valid.
And yet, for some reason,
a small bud that had sprouted from Seiran's remark weighed on Elloren's mind.
'What if they attack as soon as we arrive?'
Surely it wouldn't come to that, but just in case.
If they attacked, resolving the situation would become even more difficult.
They couldn't simply accept the attack, nor could they afford to hold back against such a powerful opponent.
Shake, shake—
Elloren shook his head to brush away distracting thoughts.
'It'll be fine. I'll resolve it through conversation.'
Having organized his thoughts as such, it wasn't long before the outer district came into view.
"Lord Elloren! There are humans up ahead!"
"Seiran, Vella. From here on, we walk. Do not draw your swords first under any circumstances. Do you understand?"
"Yes. Understood."
Elloren spoke forcefully.
Those of the Sildiel family, including Elloren, were indisputably in the weaker position.
What mattered to them was only one thing: to resolve the incident with minimal escalation.
Keeping that fact firmly in mind, Elloren stepped forward.
"It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am Elloren, Patriarch of the Sildiel family..."
"So you are the bastards who kidnapped Jin-u!!!"
Kwaaang—!
Elloren had no time to react.
Kailan's spear, accompanied by a roar of fury, detonated like a flash of light.
***
It was when Arthur and Kailan were leaving the outer district and heading toward the center.
Before they had walked far, elves could be seen running at tremendous speed from afar.
"Arthur, those guys are..."
"Three elves. Judging by their attire, they appear to be people called here by the elf we released earlier."
Just as Arthur said, the attire of the elves running from the front was quite formal.
Two elf knights in armor, and one elf in rather noble clothing.
Kailan took a wary stance and checked their mana.
Thrumm—
The noble elf's mana wave was quite strong, but it differed from what he had felt at Gang Jin-u's house.
However, the waves of the two elf knights matched the traces from that time.
"Arthur. It's them. I feel the same mana wave from those two knights."
"You're right. I can feel it too. So they..."
Arthur had pursued a peaceful resolution as much as possible while coming here.
Yet even Arthur, upon having Gang Jin-u's kidnappers before him, was enveloped in faint anger.
A precious quartermaster, the only curry chef, a living hardtack factory.
Gang Jin-u was now an indispensable figure in Silvaerin.
He didn't know what reason the elves had for kidnapping him, but unless there were considerable circumstances, it was unforgivable.
The elves approached to a distance where conversation was possible.
A faint flame flickered in his heart, but Arthur clenched his fist and endured it.
'Yes. Getting angry isn't the answer. I just need to demand appropriate punishment and tremendous compensation.'
There were many ways to win without fighting.
Should he just ask for byproducts like the World Tree's fruit or branches?
After all, byproducts of the World Tree were utilized as supreme materials for magic research, befitting its mysterious power.
"It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am Elloren, Patriarch of the Sildiel family..."
The elf who identified himself as Elloren stepped forward.
Arthur reacted by turning his gaze to Elloren, then suddenly,
realized that someone beside him was condensing an aura on the verge of bursting.
'Huh? No!'
Arthur's thoughts, filled with shock, accelerated, and he chose action over words.
However, before his urgently outstretched hand could stop Kailan,
"So you are the bastards who kidnapped Jin-u!!!"
Kwaaang—!
Kailan's venting of rage was overwhelmingly faster.
While chasing the elongated silver afterimage with his eyes,
the sound of the attack's impact was already occurring among those elves.
Cla-clang—!
"Kuh, damn..."
"Duke Kailan! Please listen for a moment!"
Should he call it fortunate?
One of the elf knights guarding Elloren's side blocked Kailan with a promptly drawn sword.
A perilous contest of strength between sword and spear.
The offensive would overwhelm them the moment either let their guard down.
As if presenting no threat whatsoever, Kailan looked at Elloren, who had called his name.
"You said Elloren, didn't you? Do you know me?"
"Yes. Are you not the current Duke of Silvaerin? For now, please lower your spear..."
"No, I do not wish to hear excuses."
Kailan's declaration severed the conversation.
Shing—!
"You old human!! What strength—"
Simultaneously breaking the deadlock, Kailan forcefully pushed the elf knight away.
Kailan's spear was not like an ordinary one with merely a sharp tip; it closely resembled a form known as a wol-do, or a bardiche.
A brutish weight that an ordinary person could not lift due to its center of gravity.
When the sword was pushed back with all the might of such a spear, maintaining his stance was impossible.
"Weak, so weak! Shouldn't you be able to endure at least this much?"
"Damn, this mad human!"
Swoosh—
Swish—!
Savage thrusts tore through the air and descended upon the elf knight whose stance had collapsed.
The elf knight's tone was arrogant, but he could not act recklessly before Kailan's overwhelming might.
Even so, the elf knight tracked Kailan's spear strikes.
The sharp spear blade was blocked by the sword and deflected, or knocked aside.
A pleased arc formed at Kailan's lips at the elf knight's skill in following his movements.
Kailan's spear was retracted, and the elf knight adjusted his stance accordingly.
Kailan prepared to thrust his spear once more, while the elf knight likewise assumed a defensive posture with his sword again.
The domain of superhumans, fragmenting the brief span of time even further.
At each exchange unfolding in that space, just as the fever of battle boiled up from the two warriors' hearts.
Crack—!
In the brief gap of the battle, Elloren intervened.
An ice wall summoned by his magic blocked Kailan's spear and broke the flow.
"Seiran! Mind your tone. Lord Kailan, it will be difficult if you continue this way."
"Tch, it's not me who'll have it difficult, but you lot. Isn't that right?"
Borrowing the brief lull he had finally obtained, Elloren tried to persuade Kailan.
However, Kailan—interrupted in his fight—glared at Elloren and spat out words.
"I can see you're trying to bury this incident somehow. You said Sildiel family? The kidnapping was an act your family carried out independently."
"H-how do you...?"
"You're practically advertising it. You don't even try to fight, and the elf elders haven't shown themselves either—you must want to settle this on your own as much as possible."
Elloren's brows furrowed, having been struck at the heart of the matter.
Just as they knew about the human world,
had the humans also possessed at least minimal information about Nuareldel?
It was already a situation where all his cards were revealed.
In truth, defeat had been certain ever since Iseria kidnapped Gang Jin-u in the first place.
The only way out had been Gang Jin-u's own will.
If he had taken a liking to this life and expressed his will to remain in Nuareldel, the situation might have changed somewhat.
But even that had failed.
Elloren let out a small sigh and spoke.
"That is correct. I wish to settle this on my own as much as possible. Since you brought up such talk first, it seems you have something you want. What is it?"
"Hmmm, Arthur. What do you think?"
"Yes. A word in private."
Kailan and Arthur stepped back and discussed in low voices.
"Seiran! Are you okay? That old human was so strong I couldn't even intervene."
"I'm fine. I am uninjured; I was barely managing to keep up, that's all."
"It is a relief you are unhurt. However, Vella, Seiran. Be careful with your words. We are not in a position to treat them lightly. Especially since the two of you were even involved in the kidnapping."
"Urk. My apologies."
"I'm sorry..."
Around that time, Elloren also reprimanded Seiran and Vella.
Though it might appear somewhat subservient, maintaining courtesy as best as possible would less likely offend them.
Before long, Kailan, having finished his discussion, approached.
Elloren likewise assumed an attitude of listening attentively.
"First... you kidnapped Gang Jin-u by force, regardless of his own will. Do you admit this?"
"Seiran, Vella. You admit it, don't you?"
"Yes... we apologize."
Kailan began sorting out the situation from the beginning.
The foremost thing to receive was the perpetrators' confession of the crime.
"The punishment for kidnapping under Imperial law is having one's wrists cut off, so one can never do so again. Furthermore, he is no commoner, but a quartermaster of the knight order whom you kidnapped. This could become a national dispute."
"Ah... that is..."
"You know. You wouldn't want that. Truthfully, I wouldn't want it either. I'm busy with official duties as it is; I don't want to add more trouble."
"Then, what is it you wish to do?"
At Kailan's words opening room for negotiation, Elloren's expression relaxed.
Unless the demand was absurd, it would be far cheaper to comply even if it caused some strain.
Elloren waited for Kailan's demand.
Soon, Kailan opened his mouth.
"First, bring Jin-u here. I will decide the detailed demands after hearing his condition and testimony."
"Understood. Then, Seiran? Go and bring Lord Jin-u..."
"No, the knights remain here. Elloren, you bring him."
"Yes? Understood."
It didn't much matter who went, but for him to specifically point at Elloren to bring him.
Elloren harbored doubts about that intention.
And those doubts were resolved by Kailan's very next words.
"Until Jin-u is brought, let's have a round. You there, elf. What's your name?"
"It's Seiran. Duke Kailan... sir."
"Hmph! Very well. Seiran. The female elf next to you. You appear to wear a sword, so you must be a knight as well?"
“Beila... is my name.”
Arthur, the Expert knight standing beside Kailan, shook his head.
That resigned expression, as if to say there was no stopping him, conveyed more information than a hundred words.
He should have known from the moment that man, a duke of all things, had launched a preemptive attack without hesitation.
Elioren looked again at the man before him, Kailan.
‘A mad battle maniac...’
“Now! Draw your swords! We’ll play until Jinwoo gets here!”
“Wh-what should we do, Lord Elioren?”
“Are we really fighting the duke? He looks really strong...”
Beila looked back at Elioren with the face of a frightened little animal.
Indeed, Kailan’s presence as he held his beloved weapon was like that of a veteran of a hundred battles.
But what could they do?
“I’ll be right back! Both of you, just hold out for a little while!”
“N-no!!”
“Yes!!”
Kwaaaang—!
Elioren shot forward, wrapping the Wind of Swiftness around his legs.
Beila and Seiran stared after him in dismay, then came to their senses at Kailan’s attack.
‘The longer this takes, the more the outskirts will be ruined.’
Elioren felt as if he finally understood “Kailan Toik,” “Kaik,” a little.
‘Oh! Let’s have some proper fun! -> Let’s fight, whether the surroundings get smashed or not!’
It was Kaik, something even Arthur, who had spent so long with Kailan, sometimes got confused by.
Truly, there had been value in living a long life and accumulating knowledge.
And so, Elioren ran back to the mansion in a frantic rush.
***
I had been enthusiastically preaching the joys of cooking to the El-brats.
Then, led by the hand of Elioren, who had suddenly come to find me, I headed for the outskirts.
‘Wow, this is insanely fast. What is this?’
An invisible, cool wind wrapped around my legs.
It felt like a gale of about 20 m/s was pushing me from behind.
In truth, it seemed much faster than that, but Elioren’s magic appeared to be helping me endure the speed.
Anyway... I was grateful he’d come to get me, but what in the world was this first thing in the morning?
From what Elioren said, they had broken in at dawn and were now causing a commotion.
Since I was at the center of the uproar, I had to get there quickly and resolve it.
Honestly, my days were never peaceful in all sorts of ways.
“There! Over there, Lord Jinwoo!”
“Uh... what is that?”
The outskirts had begun to come into view with the naked eye before I knew it.
But... the closer we got, the more dumbfounded I became.
A residential area where charming, cute wooden houses had once been gathered snugly together.
A dirt road that, though not paved with stone, had been packed flat and firm.
And even Ailenna’s brewery, full of freshness, where we had gone on a tour just a few days ago.
“What is this, the apocalypse?”
Every last bit of it had lost its original shape, destroyed or warped.
Hideous tree roots occupying the road at random.
Plant stems jutting up like the sharp cornstalks left behind after harvesting corn.
And...
Kwa-gwang! Bang—!
“Argh, you crazy old man!!! I said cut it out!”
“Damn it, Seiran! If only you hadn’t kidnapped Jinwoo, we could have made good partners!”
Duke Kailan and Seiran were turning that entire scene into ruins in real time.
Beila, too, was hesitantly trying to join Seiran, but Arthur was stubbornly blocking her.
‘Haha. What a shitshow.’
Even if you gathered ten stray dogs roaming the countryside and let them loose, it wouldn’t be this chaotic.
Elioren spoke desperately, practically clinging to me.
“Lord Jinwoo!! Please stop that madman... no, Lord Kailan. Please!”
“Haa...”
Whether it was Silvaerin or Noirdel, none of them knew how to do things in moderation.
Still, one thing was certain: the time for me to return home was drawing near.
That fact alone was a great comfort, and I drew in a deep breath.
Then I shouted loudly.
“Please!!! Stop!! At this rate, everyone’s going to die!!!”
Let’s just go home already.
And stop causing trouble, please.