Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Chapter 5-1. These People Here Are Gifts Prepared for You.
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Unlike the bustling north gate crowded with evacuation routes, the south gate was desolate and quiet to the point of being pitiful. That made sense, as the only ones who usually passed through the south gate were scouting parties. In a way, it was only natural.
Judah, leaning alone against the south gate's walls while waiting for Via, crossed his arms and let out a sigh.
Just a few minutes ago, he had thought to himself that it was boring with no one around. Suddenly, armed elves appeared out of nowhere and formed neat ranks. They glared intently at Judah leaning against the wall and silently checked their weapons and gear.
He quietly endured their piercing gazes while observing them. At first glance, they appeared to be a properly uniformed and equipped army. Beneath robes fitted with metal armor protecting only one shoulder, they wore leather armor. Between the hem of their robes, belts around their waists held three daggers and a single slim longsword. In their hands, they carried longbows, with quivers packed full of arrows slung over their backs.
'Unexpected.'
It was truly surprising. He had imagined elven forces as little more than village self-defense militias, assuming they would be weak. Yet here were properly prepared troops worthy of the name.
Once they finished their preparations, they stood guard without a word of chatter, much like Judah waiting for Via. Amid the relentless stares, Judah felt awkward. If those looks had been filled with goodwill, it might have been burdensome but also gratifying. But eyes brimming with hostility, as if facing an enemy, were something he desperately wanted to avoid.
Of course, the mere fact that they weren't nocking arrows and firing at him right away was reason enough for gratitude.
'I need music.'
He needed earphones to plug his ears. Why didn't the player-exclusive features include something like an MP3 player? He just wanted to retreat into his own world. But avoiding the spot because of their stares felt like running away, and his pride wouldn't allow it.
He steadfastly endured the gazes, even shooting back looks that said, "What are you staring at?" But being glared at by such handsome and beautiful people made him shrivel up involuntarily. With arms crossed and eyes closed, he waited solely for Via to appear.
From the open gate ahead, the sound of several people approaching reached him. When he opened his eyes, the elves who had been glaring at Judah straightened their postures. Looking toward the gate, he saw Via and several other elves, and Judah instinctively knew they were Spirit Sword owners.
'Two of them?'
Including Via, that made three. Add Judah himself, and it was four.
The numbers were small, but with four Spirit Sword owners, it felt like they might have a fighting chance. The two other Spirit Sword owners, excluding Via, seemed to have already received their orders. Without any speeches, they led portions of the troops and departed. In an instant, some of the densely packed group vanished. Via approached Judah. She was also fully armed. Though she didn't carry a bow, three swords were visible sheathed at her waist inside the robe.
"Are you all set? We're about to head out."
"There's nothing for me to prepare. Let's go. We can't keep them waiting forever."
Judah spoke while eyeing the remaining elves. They were ready to depart at a moment's notice, their eyes burning with the desire to climb trees and rain arrows down on the humans invading the forest. Via smiled at his words.
"Then follow me."
The moment she finished speaking, her expression turned deadly serious, her eyes cold like when they first met. The elven troops parted left and right, clearing a path for Via. With each step she took, an icy chill seemed to emanate from her body.
Then she kicked off the ground, leaped onto the trees, and Judah followed behind her.
Tree-walking was something he had learned briefly from the elves, so it felt awkward, but fortunately, Via didn't move at breakneck speed, allowing him to keep up.
'One slip-up and I'm done for!'
If he even once misplaced a foot and slid off a branch, the thousands of elves following behind would surely mock him. They already seemed displeased by the presence of a human like Judah. Until he achieved some notable feat, this attitude was inevitable.
Glancing sideways, he saw Via facing forward, stepping lightly on a branch while bending her knees slightly. She then launched forward with astonishing leaping power. Mimicking her, Judah felt a cold wind brush past his face. Miraculously, just as his body rose into the air, the next branch was perfectly positioned beneath his feet. He stepped on it and jumped. Easy. Well, more precisely, it was thanks to Judah's extraordinary talent.
The elves following behind, including Via running alongside, seemed surprised by his display.
Clearly, his movements had been full of awkwardness when he first started tree-walking, yet now he navigated the forest as adeptly as any elf, fully adapted.
"You're good at this. You seemed awkward at first."
"I learned a bit from an elf before coming to the forest. Luckily, the branches here are thicker and larger than those in the Decarman Mountains, so it's more comfortable."
"Oh? That's fortunate. Then we can pick up the pace a bit."
Without regard for Judah's opinion, Via surged ahead, widening the distance. Was it a challenge? Judah decided to showcase his overflowing talent. He quickly caught up to her, running side by side, and flashed a grin.
"By the way, how many are in this unit?"
The numbers on the were too many to count manually, so he asked her.
"The detachment that left Bric Castle numbers eight thousand. My two disciples each took three thousand."
Oh ho. From her words, Judah gleaned two things: the two Spirit Sword owners he had glimpsed earlier were her disciples, and the elves following behind numbered two thousand. Not particularly crucial information, but he committed it to memory anyway.
They continued traversing the forest until the sun set and night fully darkened the sky. It was their first break since departing Bric Castle. Elves sat on branches, closing their eyes to rest or eating combat rations like dried fruit or meat. Via pulled a pouch from her bosom and asked Judah.
"Do you have anything to eat?"
Seeing her readiness to share if he didn't, Judah shook his head.
"I've got plenty. Tons. Lots of tasty stuff too... but not enough to share with everyone here."
Well, he could feed them. But doing so would empty the provisions in his <Bag> in mere days. He had bought enough to last in Serenia Castle, Philoria, and Urun, but not enough to supply an army.
"Ah, right. You have a subspace."
Via nodded, recalling as she watched him pull jerky from thin air. He chewed just enough jerky to stave off hunger and went to sleep. When the dawn sky began to lighten faintly, Via woke him.
Sleeping in the cold air had left his body stiff and aching. After loosening up his frozen limbs, they set off immediately.
There was no time for washing up or leisurely breakfasts. Yawning sleepily, he stepped onto a slippery branch and leaped.
'It'd be great if there was a way to check the unit's fatigue or numbers.'
Unfortunately, no such convenient features existed. Human greed truly knew no bounds. What he had was already impressive, yet he couldn't be satisfied. Chuckling to himself as he traveled, Judah spotted a man approaching on the from several kilometers away, too distant to detect normally. The man rode leisurely, looking around casually, but upon spotting the elves, he yanked the reins in panic and fled backward.
"Ambush operations don't mean much, huh."
The enemy's response was spot on. There were no suitable spots for an ambush in the elven forest to begin with. The woods grew atop vast open plains. In dense summer or autumn foliage, maybe, but in winter with all leaves fallen, there was no cover.
Waiting for nightfall would mean retreating as the enemy advanced, which was ridiculous. Judah sped up to close in on the fleeing scout but soon gave up.
Winter's bare trees allowed spotting enemies from afar, but it cut both ways—the enemy could spot allies just as easily. Catching and killing a foe kilometers away would take too long, even for a Spirit Sword owner.
"Via."
"We keep going. We can't come this far and leave empty-handed."
Her response came the instant he called her name. He considered suggesting a pullback, but realized such an attack opportunity might not come again. So he followed her without protest.
Pursuing the scout closely revealed, far ahead amid the trees, an army straight out of a movie advancing through the forest. They had heard of the elves' approach and were responding swiftly. Pulling shields from their backs, they advanced with them held forward. No sign of halting.
"Full combat readiness!"
Via's small but forceful shout prompted the trailing elves to react. They drew bows from their bodies and spread out widely to the flanks. Though the distance was closing, when about four hundred meters remained, they halted and nocked arrows. Looking at the spread-out elves, Judah could see mana infused into the arrows and bows.
Archers were notoriously hard to train in general. Drawing bows meant for killing required immense strength for the taut strings. Yet these elves treated it as basic, or perhaps as elites among elites—every one handled mana.
"Fire!"
At Via's command, arrows launched in unison. Some arced in parabolas to fly far, others shot straight and sharp.
"Defensive formation!"
The shout echoed from afar. The enemy infantry with shields stacked them like building blocks, forming a turtle-shell cover over their bodies. The frontmost infantry slammed his shield into the ground, and those behind stacked theirs atop it.
This was no mere practice run once or twice. Their training was chillingly precise. Somehow, a bluish barrier formed over the soldiers' heads, like a turtle's shell.
"Ha... impressive."
Then the arrow barrage rained down. Arrows passing through the blue barrier weakly clattered off shields, with only the straight-shot ones piercing to inflict damage.
"......"
After blocking the volley, the enemy lowered shields and advanced again. No cheers—just the rhythmic thud of marching feet in lieu of roars. Via's eyes widened at their approach. The elves clearly hadn't anticipated this.