Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Tree and Iron
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In truth, whether it was the elves' forest or the current mountain woods, they all looked the same to Judah—nothing particularly special. He wasn't fond of climbing mountains to begin with, so that feeling might have been amplified.
However, the elves were different from Judah.
They were born in that forest, grew up there, and shared memories and recollections within it. Having been forcibly driven out from the forest where they had spent more than half their lives, only to return now, it was bound to hold special meaning.
"Come on, now stop crying and let's head to the forest. You're not satisfied with just looking from here, right?"
The elves knew they had to stop crying, but was that something that happened on command? They made the effort, but with their hiccuping sobs threatening to make them pass out, the worry was immense. Only after a long while did they begin to calm down one by one, finally ceasing their tears. Seeing them go limp with exhaustion, Judah shared his water with them.
"Th-thank you..."
Upon receiving the water, they burst into tears once more. They ended up spending unexpected time on the summit. Descending wasn't quite as grueling as the ascent, but it was tiring all the same.
Nevertheless, the elves' footsteps were remarkably light. Watching them excitedly hurry ahead down the path, Judah dragged his weary feet over to Arhil's side.
"You worked hard."
"Heh—what are you talking about? I didn't do anything."
"Because you stuck with us, we made it here. That's not nothing."
"Thanks for saying so. Well, it was tough, that's for sure. Running into a demon called one of the Seven Deadly Sins, then getting chased by some group of unknown identity! It's like I'm racking up experiences I never even imagined."
Seeing her nod along with a hum, Judah felt a pang of guilt. If she'd been traveling with anyone else, she wouldn't have endured such hardships. Noticing his expression, Arhil tilted her head.
"Why the long face? It's like you've committed some crime. Just to check... no, haven't I told you this several times already? Don't worry about it."
"You did. Of course, I remember perfectly."
"Then my mouth's tired, so I'm done talking about it."
With a pouty expression, she huffed and turned her head away.
That sight brought an unbidden smile to his face. He naturally reached out to pat her head but thought better of it.
"Got it."
"...But can we really enter the elves' forest too?"
As Arhil carefully parted the obstructing underbrush on the slippery descent, a sudden question occurred to her, and she asked quietly.
The path was slick; she nearly slipped and fell, but he steadied her. She thanked him as she regained her balance.
"If it were just us, we couldn't enter the forest normally. The elves' hostility and distrust toward humans runs deep."
Arhil's knowledge matched exactly what Judah described. Elves rarely shed their distrust and enmity toward humans.
'Still, from what I'm seeing now, it doesn't seem entirely that way...'
At least in her view, the elves' treatment of Judah felt sincere. She had never sensed any pretense up to now.
With Judah's assistance, she navigated a particularly rough stretch of the path.
"Arrows would probably come flying the moment we step into the forest. They wouldn't even hear us out for a conversation, not after everything they've been through."
"Ugh! Then isn't that dangerous?"
"That's why I rescued the elves."
"Eh?"
Arhil whipped around in surprise.
"Not out of pure goodwill?"
Judah let out a hollow laugh. Goodwill alone? Rescuing elves from the nobles out of mere pity would demand more lives than he had. Buying them outright was impossible—they weren't for sale, and they'd demand an astronomical sum regardless, far beyond even his gambling winnings.
"I'm not exactly brimming with a sense of justice. If it were pure goodwill, I wouldn't overlook beggars on the roadside. Did you really think I'd saved them out of nothing but kindness?"
"Yeah..., of course. It's a little disappointing now that it's different from what I expected."
"Haha. No need to be that disappointed."
The elves probably already knew. That male elf, Sirin, had grilled Judah alone on the first day about why he was helping them, and no doubt relayed it all. As they focused on the descent, the conversation with Arhil naturally tapered off.
+ + +
Duke Iyes drew in a deep breath and leaned back into his chair. He had finally finished approving the towering stack of documents on his desk.
With the magic lamps lit through the night, repeatedly reading and signing papers, he hadn't even noticed the sun rising.
"Whew."
Fatigue was setting in. The duke tilted his head back, pressing his thumbs and forefingers into his eyelids like a massage. He felt as if he could drift off right then.
Circulating mana would ease the bodily exhaustion to some degree, but it was only a temporary fix. To truly recover, he needed sleep. Rising from his seat, he winced—his butt ached on one side from sitting too long. Probably poor posture.
He loosened up with some simple stretches. Rather than refreshment, exhaustion flooded him, and he let out a massive yawn, dignity forgotten. Drowsiness crashed over him fiercely.
As he moved to head to his bedroom, someone knocked from outside.
"Your Grace, may I enter for a moment?"
"Come in."
The duke replied in a voice thick with weariness. The door opened smoothly, and a man stepped inside. He glanced at the documents piled on the desk—last he checked, they had been stacked on the left side the night before, but now they were all shifted to the right.
"You pulled an all-nighter after all? It's not good for your health."
"It just happened that way. Besides, if I left the work piled up, you'd curse me for it."
The man chuckled softly at the duke's words.
"As if. How could I possibly resent Your Grace? If you command it, I'd have no choice but to obey gladly."
"Is that so? Then starting today, handle the documents on your own without bringing them to me. I need some rest before deployment."
"Understood."
The man bowed his head politely, as if to say not to worry. The duke retrieved his outer coat from the chair and draped it over his arm. The approvals were done, and he'd take care of tidying the desk. After giving the office—one he wouldn't visit for a while—a quick scan, he turned his gaze back to the man.
"So. What brings you here?"
"A letter arrived from Langritsa Magic Tower."
"What."
"The combat clans <Crusio> and <Sirsia> have agreed to our proposal. Crusio will join on the promised date, and Sirsia by the day after tomorrow. Neither had any special additional conditions."
"They wouldn't, if they had any conscience."
The duke gave a light smile. With the magic tower's combat clans on board, all preparations were complete. Troops, provisions, transport, sealing tools... everything proceeding smoothly. His fatigue evaporated in an instant.
"We were right to heed Miloca's advice. The timeline's advanced far more than expected. Ah, but why haven't we heard from Miloca and Owen? Did they capture the Radiance impostor, or let him slip away? And what of the elves?"
The last report the duke received was from two days ago. Upon hearing that the fake Radiance was leading a group of elves, he had dispatched eighteen more Radiance members to capture them. The results should have come in long ago.
The man bowed his head apologetically.
"Still no contact?"
"I'm sorry, Your Grace. I'll look into it as quickly as possible."
The duke's eye twitched, but he held his tongue. No word from the twenty dispatched Radiance could only mean something dire had befallen them. Having served the duke for years and sworn loyalty, they wouldn't betray him over mere elves....
"Let's advance the deployment schedule further."
"Even more from here? It's doable, but are you certain you're not rushing too much?"
"No matter. Securing His Majesty's permission is straightforward, and the soldiers and mercenaries are already on standby in their forts anyway. They're just burning through supplies—moving faster saves coin, even if just a bit."
"Understood. Then I'll issue the orders today. How many days ahead?"
"Three days... no, make it five. Announce departure from each fortress in five days. Ah—I'm too worn out for more discussion. I'll catch a nap first; we'll go over details later. The rest is yours."
The duke gave the man's shoulder a couple light pats and exited the room. The man left behind let out a small sigh. It felt like the duke was pushing too hard. Accepting Miloca's input wasn't wrong, but this was a matter demanding utmost caution, and handling it so hastily seemed off.
Yet with the duke's mind made up, changing it was unlikely.
He paused in thought for a moment, then gathered the documents from the desk and left the office.
+ + +
Judah's group, having begun their descent from the mountains, took four full days to completely exit the Decarman Mountains. Even afterward, they had to repeatedly climb and descend smaller hills, which stretched the time further.
Setting foot on the open plain, Judah turned to look back.
The massive Decarman Mountains loomed grandly, as if showing off their majesty in farewell. He briefly considered crossing them again to return—horrifying. He had zero desire to scale those peaks once more.
The elves urged him to hurry. They showed no signs of fatigue at all. It being winter, the trees dotting the plain were bare of leaves, and the sprouting grasses had turned yellow. Once they crossed this plain, the elves' forest awaited.
Thinking once more how grueling the schedule had been, Judah followed behind the elves and exhaled. His white breath billowed out long like cigarette smoke. Watching it melt into the air, he suddenly looked up at the sky.
"Oh?"
Arhil, walking alongside him, let out a sudden gasp of admiration and followed his gaze upward. White snowflakes were drifting down from the heavens. He held out his palm, and a large, plump flake settled lightly upon it.
'Palm-sized snow...?'
As if celebrating the elves' return to the forest, snow began to fall over the plain.
========== Author's Note ==========
If it's the difference between a Spirit Sword owner and a non-owner,
it'd be on the level of differences in swordsmanship, mana quantity, control, and physical abilities.
Think Swordmaster.