NOVEL NEXT Chapter 182
Chapter 182 – The Savior (2)
“Who? Am I hearing this correctly?”
“N-no, I swear! They said a tall person with long ears appeared in the forest!”
As the World Tree, which supported the Land of the Elves, crumbled under the attack of the Bugs, it wasn’t only the Elves who sensed the vanishing boundaries.
Those living beyond the borders felt it too. And as the Elves seeking refuge crossed the line unknowingly, they began to create a significant stir.
“My lord, with such a beautiful appearance and long pointed ears, they must surely be the elves from the legends.”
“What’s that? That’s just an old tale, isn’t it?”
“Whether it’s a made-up story or true, it wouldn’t hurt to verify it since such news has come up in the area.”
The flustered lord listened to the mage, who stroked his white beard and spoke of the elves. The lord, who believed tales of elves to be mere fiction, couldn’t help but be surprised at the mention of their actual appearance.
“Then we’ll find out by meeting them in person. Bring them here… no, I’ll go myself!”
The anxious lord jumped up, intending to command that the elves be brought to him before deciding to go himself.
If it’s true, it’s amazing, and if it’s false, he could just punish those who reported incorrectly.
“Prepare the horses. I will leave as soon as possible.”
“My lord! Shouldn’t we report this to the central authority?”
“Well, that’s true. Just in case, I’ll report that I heard such rumors and intend to check it myself.”
Furthermore, the lord attempted to report the appearance of elves to the higher-ups through his steward. It was a report sent to the prestigious lord family to which he belonged and to the Emperor governing the Empire.
“And ensure strict confidentiality. You never know.”
At the same time, the lord issued a gag order. He didn’t want any variables until he personally confirmed the event, which was a rare occurrence in this insignificant rural territory.
However, no matter how much he tried to maintain silence, stories would still leak out.
It was such a shocking event that rumors about the elves began to circulate around the lord’s castle and neighboring villages.
“Ridiculous nonsense. Elves? Even if they existed, why are they just showing up now?”
“How would I know? But judging from how the lord reacted, it might be real.”
Among those who heard the rumors were some of lesser quality. Criminal organizations that lived illegally and quietly in the lawless border territories were representative examples.
Unfortunately for them, the lord’s fuss only ignited their actions.
“I heard that they appeared in the southwestern forest. It’s a place known for trapping anyone who enters.”
“…That could be profitable.”
Those among them with initiative began to move. Their only concern was money. They had no interest in why the elves had suddenly come forth or what caused their flight.
*
‘What’s going on?’
At the moment the Sacred Brigade and other prepared units were about to depart, Riena spotted Eve, deep in conversation with a boy.
The boy, a spirit mage who could communicate with the wind spirits, was passing on news that the wind spirit had brought.
“Is there a problem?”
Riena approached Eve. The special power Eve possessed was one of the crucial assets, so it was natural for a commander to ensure nothing went wrong.
“There’s a potentially serious issue. But there’s nothing we can do about it. Right now, dealing with the Black Monsters is more urgent.”
Eve flinched at Riena’s gaze but shook her head, believing the immediate mission took precedence.
“That’s not wrong. However, if you don’t explain properly, that person won’t hear it either. He can see places beyond our sight, but if we don’t express the need for help, he won’t offer any.”
“Well, um…”
Seeing Eve’s attitude, Riena furrowed her brow. Eve’s eyes flickered in response to her words. Riena’s claim couldn’t possibly be false.
As he was watching them from the screen, what he could see was not closely related to what they said, but he could freely browse through the troubles that arose from them sharing their concerns.
And he would provide them suitable help based on what he observed. As this happened repeatedly, he became an absolute existence that could penetrate their innermost thoughts.
“While the city has fallen and many kin are fleeing, it seems some have crossed over to the northeastern side. Other areas might be okay, but not the northeast. According to the records, that’s human territory.”
Eve’s words confirmed that the boundary had vanished, and it was officially recognized that the Land of the Elves had now connected to the Empire’s territories.
Listening to that, Riena bit her lip. It was somewhat expected, but she hadn’t anticipated confirming it this way.
“The one who sent the spirit with the news is said to have met with a human lord. They met to explain the situation and spoke about the monsters too.”
“What about us?”
“Oh, I probably didn’t mention us. But the bigger issue is that there are more refugees than just a few. Beyond the ones meeting the lord now, many residents might end up entering human territory during their flight.”
Riena’s eyes glimmered, and Eve hurriedly denied that. As they mentioned the Bugs’ assault, it wasn’t necessary to mention the Arin Tribe, so actually fleeing elves hadn’t spoken about themselves to the Empire’s lord.
‘Father said I would eventually get involved with them.’
Turning her head, Riena recalled Balun’s words. When Balun toppled Luke and officially became the king who unified the Grassland.
They had long discussed becoming neighboring nations with the Empire.
“To be honest, I don’t really like them.”
Right after his coronation, Balun openly expressed his negative stance towards the Empire in front of many ministers who followed him.
Even a messenger from the Kingdom of Baruk was present at that time to hear such remarks.
It was possible because the Kingdom of Baruk had purposely contacted the Grassland powers with the intent of containing the Empire.
“We have too much to do. We have no luxury to care about them.”
The reason was simple: the fight against the Bugs.
Traditionally, the Empire was a large and absolute presence in diplomatic activities on the continent, but the Arin Tribe, which could receive support from the presence outside the screen in various ways, had confidence that they could fight the Bugs even without the Empire.
“But if we persuade them well, we might gain help like the Kingdom of Baruk, who became our allies.”
“They think of themselves as the center of the world. They would never want to form an equal relationship with us.”
While the idea of receiving help while fighting against the Bugs due to their immense national power wasn’t absent, Balun realistically rejected that.
The Arin Tribe was the faction chosen by the gods they believed in. They could never fall under someone else’s banner. If that were to happen, it would mean losing all their established justifications.
Balun had to uphold that ‘faith’ which united people and enabled them to fight against the monsters.
And he was certain that those who had initially seen the Grassland barbarians as mere hounds would never acknowledge them as equals.
“Anyway, exchanges with the Empire were limited to a few tribes near the borders. There has been no interaction with us, so we can ignore them. However, merchants from the Empire who have already moved into the Grassland will not be dealt with. That might give them a reason.”
Ultimately, the chosen best approach was to ignore them. After all, the two factions were far apart with the wide Grassland in between.
Most present believed that the Empire wouldn’t go to the lengths of sending troops this far at the cost of their own blood.
‘If they harbor foolish thoughts, then so be it. We can only fight them.’
Of course, this was only true if the status quo was maintained. As before, Balun was prepared to fight at the slightest inconvenience.
“We have become too close to the Empire through the Land of the Elves. With the monsters rampaging and fighting alongside the elves, we cannot avoid getting entangled with them. What should we do now?”
The problem was that with the collapsing World Tree, the boundaries had disappeared, allowing the Arin Tribe to extend their influence right next to the Empire through the Land of the Elves.
As Balun, who was overall commanding the departing units, heard that some fleeing elves had already contacted the Empire through Riena, he shut his eyes tightly.
“We can’t help it. Manipulating matters beyond our strength is impossible. We must focus on the battle at hand.”
The Bugs were a calamity that spared neither people nor land. Stopping them was an endeavor that required everyone to unite their strength.
Above all else, they had an obligation to prioritize that task.
“Proceed with the plan as discussed. I will select a few to dispatch eastward. It would be wise to ensure the refugees know the west is safe and to prevent contact with the Empire.”
As a necessary safety measure, Balun decided to dispatch a selected few, including elves, to cross through the Bug-occupied regions to rescue refugees.
Given the importance and danger of the mission, only capable individuals were to proceed. As a result, a few elves who had awakened as Slayers and could handle firearms would move together with the warriors.
“I think it’s a relief. Once the full-scale war begins, the monsters’ attention will be drawn to us, making Rasen safe.”
“So I want to go and fight too.”
“The king has commanded. You must follow. It’s precisely because it’s such an important mission that you were appointed separately.”
Rasen, who was participating as a mage, was one of them.
Still inexperienced, but having already mastered two grand magics, Rasen had become the strongest mage who had advanced to the final stage of a mage.
His elder brother, Rakum, chuckled at his younger brother’s eagerness to fight against the Bugs. While Balun purely assessed abilities and placed talent in optimal positions, Rakum truly didn’t want to put his brother in danger regardless of how strong he became.
‘How will those who have cowardly fled respond this time?’
Soon, a large-scale unit began to move. For the elves, it was a revenge mission against the enemies who had devastated their homeland, and for the Arin Tribe, it was a crusade to sever the tiresome connection.
End of Chapter 183