A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 173 – Borderline (3)

“I had already anticipated that you would come.”

“Is that so?”

“Would you say that the monsters’ sudden actions are your fault? It’s true we suffered great damage, but it can’t be helped. We have no choice but to calmly deal with it as we are now.”

Region surprisingly showed no particular reaction upon seeing Riena. In fact, he even smiled as if he was relaxed.

However, Riena could read the emotions concealed beneath that relaxed smile—arrogance and stubbornness. It was an instinctual insight into Region’s state.

“We were on the verge of destroying their nests one by one and surrounding their last stronghold. We never imagined that the Black Monsters would abandon their nests and transfer to another colony to seize that nest. They were probably different from this land’s relatively new colony. From the variants that started to imitate our warriors to the powerful toxins they primarily use. They are certainly not to be underestimated.”

“They are just the ones who barely managed to escape and are already dying! The reason they’ve crossed over to our land, so close to victory, is that you all failed to finish them off properly!”

Riena began to explain calmly, but Region’s face oddly hardened upon hearing her words. Finally, when she finished speaking, Region raised his voice.

“Finishing off, huh? After having already defeated them…”

“Enough.”

Some people flared at that remark, but Riena reached out to stop them. She had seen something in Region’s eyes.

It was something her past self could not see.

What only she could see now, having grown in body and spirit, was a sort of resignation, something akin to the past that had also been captured when she lost her family to marauders.

“It’s not too late. As the king said, the monsters have not yet regained their strength after fleeing here. Now is the perfect time to deliver the final blow to the enemies with nowhere left to run.”

“That’s true. That’s why we are fighting bravely like this.”

Region, who smiled at her words, pointed to himself as well as the Elven soldiers surrounding him. But the trust reflected in his eyes was false.

He was deceiving not only those around him but also himself, even though there was a part of him that knew it wasn’t the truth.

This was a sign of just how great Region’s disappointment and despair from the last battle had been, but the world does not wait for a fallen leader.

“We must fight together. Before the enemies increase in number, let’s sweep them all away. Fight alongside us.”

“We don’t need the help of humans. We shall protect this land and the World Tree in accordance with the mission of our noble blood, so you take care of your own land.”

“Many have bled and succeeded in cornering the enemies. Are you really thinking of sacrificing more of your kin’s lives for your pride?”

Seeing Region’s demeanor, which was already closed off to both mind and ear, Riena also hardened her expression. To her, who viewed her father, Chieftain Balun, as the ideal lord, Region’s stubbornness seemed pitiful.

Unlike Balun, who was a true leader, Region had ruled for hundreds of years as the King of the Elves without an actively guiding guardian deity by his side.

“Quit babbling nonsense!”

Seeing Riena’s expression and tone, which revealed what she really thought of him without even trying to hide it, Region finally exploded and drew his sword, aiming it at her.

Still, Riena did not even blink when faced with the blade hovering near her throat. She knew this sword could never dare to harm her.

“Are you not afraid of the sky? To act like this after receiving kindness?”

“…!”

The proof of that was how Region’s trembling sword was evidence of her calm words. Region glanced nervously up at the sky, fearing that a machine gun might appear to aim at him.

“Is it really okay to leave like this?”

“Right now, yes.”

In the end, the negotiation ended before it even began. Shura, full of complaints just like the others, grumbled from horseback as Riena nodded, leading the group away.

‘I wonder what choice he will make.’

Her expression was cold. Although Region raised his voice to chase them away, the initiative and the right to choose belonged entirely to the Arin Tribe.

It was only the Elves who would feel regret. Both the destruction of their homeland and the death of their kin were hardships endured by the Elves.

“He wouldn’t just sit back and watch. He will surely order an attack.”

“Then we just have to carry out that order.”

Riena smiled at Shura’s still agitated words. In the end, what mattered most to them was the will of the guardian deity.

Whatever orders were given, they would follow that will. That was the first oath made by the Paladins.

‘Still, I don’t think he would act rashly.’

However, Riena expected that he wouldn’t issue any extreme commands. This was a conjecture she could make as the one who had spent the longest time alone with him among the residents.

Playing the game together, Riena had also come to understand his tendencies.

He preferred choices that prioritized efficiency over emotional decisions.

“In any case, we need time right now as well. Returning to restore our energy and prepare diligently will eventually lead to another opportunity.”

Upon returning to the fortress, Riena reassured everyone not to hurry. The Elves inside the fortress, however, felt anxious about Region’s decision. They feared that the Arin Tribe would withdraw.

“I somewhat anticipated this, but it’s unfortunate.”

As he learned of this, Chieftain Balun smiled wryly. Because of one poor judgment from the leader, the number of people who would either die or get injured would increase.

Once someone dies, they don’t come back, and rebuilding a destroyed land takes countless effort and time. This was a grim reality evidenced by the Dwarves who had barely reclaimed their homeland.

*

“A frustrating potato.”

In the end, Elf King Region made a foolish choice, like some real humans.

It was a behavior that was hard to understand, even if one tried to make sense of it. If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have spared him back then.

‘No, those who should be saved must be saved.’

Cooling my heated head momentarily, I pondered a few possibilities. For one, persuading Region verbally was impossible. Sending allies to suppress him by force would be even more inefficient.

That would only engender a huge backlash from the Elves, and it would be utterly insane to self-sabotage our own forces in the process.

‘So ultimately, is the best option just to leave him alone? Let him destroy himself until he realizes reality?’

The bugs beginning to breed could not be stopped by the Elves’ power as long as we did not intervene.

It was infuriating to see the beings that had suffered near annihilation regain their strength, but to bring Region back to his senses would require a certain amount of shock.

The best course seemed to be to intervene just as the Bugs began to overwhelm the Elves and capture the enemies with minimal losses.

“It’s just one case among many.”

The conclusion was reached. Mumbling idly, I calmed my heart. The world’s affairs wouldn’t move according to my will, and all I could do was find new methods every time.

‘In any case, we need to proceed with giving the Elves firearms.’

Among the allied Elves, one by one, those with talent were being sent into the world of the game for that purpose.

In particular, the ‘marksmanship’ talent that appeared uniquely among the Elves was meeting with hyper FPS games, preparing to perform well in the rematch against the Bugs.

“Everyone’s brimming with talent?”

In the game I had set up, Luna, the guide character and researcher, was still surprised at the talents of the Elves I had deployed.

“It seems they’re accustomed to using the nanomachines inside them, but learning has no end. The more experiences they gain and achievements they accumulate, the more the nanomachines grow and learn.”

On the screen, Luna trained and researched the Elves repeatedly.

That training was a sort of quest, and in order to clear that quest, I also participated alongside the Elves.

“—…”

I rode with them in vehicles toward the places occupied by the rebels. The Elves only glanced at me. Even Eve, who was a veteran, was the same.

Their demeanor toward me felt awkward compared to Riena, who had become more natural.

It was like looking at the past Riena.

‘They’re doing well?’

Yet, once combat commenced, such thoughts were quickly dismissed. The mission that began like a game involved cleaning up the drones of the rebels in a designated area.

We scattered across a single team, and I controlled the mouse to aim the barrel forward.

“—!”

We simultaneously spotted enemies and began engaging in combat. I hurriedly sought cover and unleashed a storm of bullets. It was the essence of an FPS game.

“The functions are fine, but where on earth did they learn such combat skills?”

However, the Elves were different. Even Luna watched in disbelief at how the Elves showcased movements resembling those from a flashy RPG rather than a simple FPS game.

The bullets they fired, enhanced by their marksmanship talent, hit dead center, and their developing martial arts skills turned out to be absurdly deadly, disrupting the balance completely.

I gaped as I watched Eve, who had purchased a sniper rifle from the shop, take out enemies’ vital points with razor precision.

Their accuracy, reflexes, and balance—everything was on an overwhelming level.

I couldn’t help but wonder if professional players could even defeat these Elves in the game.

“With results like this, the higher-ups will surely provide us with more support.”

Luna, highly satisfied with the accomplishments generated by the Elves, was excited about the prospect of receiving more assistance.

This was beneficial for us too. It meant more Elves could be armed with more weapons.

“…—?”

After the battle, Eve looked at me with a somewhat enlivened expression, and I gave her a thumbs-up using my emotional expression feature.

Satisfied with the praise, she smiled. It was a bittersweet smile, considering what lay ahead for her homeland.

The hardships she endured were ultimately to protect her homeland and kin while I intended to let it fall apart for our sake.

‘Eve must become a new hero.’

The weight of a hero’s shoulders is heavy. That is their duty. Without the luxury of sorrow, one must grit their teeth and push ahead for those who remain.

I had seen these kinds of situations depicted on screen countless times before, but the weight was still something I felt I could never embrace.