The Shadow of the Dark Elves
Sybel stood up with a stern expression on his face.
“We must find him immediately. If that bastard manages to send word from here…”
“Kwaaaah!”
“He might even cut off his tail and hide his body.”
“Kweeeoh!”
Jin Chen rubbed his ear and asked.
“What did you say?”
“The dark elves were confirmed involved, so we can’t just let them run away!”
“Don’t get all worked up. Sit down.”
“You don’t understand how serious this matter is! The dark elves are……”
“Krrreeeek.”
Sybel’s eyebrows twitched again at the squealing.
“They’re different from other races! The only race that doesn’t submit to dragons……”
“Kwaaaah!”
“Worshippers of fallen gods and the dark god. Back in the ancient days, they teamed up with the demon realm and plunged this world into a sea of death.”
“Even a thousand years ago……”
“Kuuuooook!”
“Those who opened the passages between the demon realm and us… I suspected the dark elves were behind it, but no traces were ever found. They hid their tracks perfectly……”
“Kweeeek!”
“We couldn’t question them either. And then you captured a dark elf. A race that might even know the secrets hidden for a thousand years!”
Sybel finished his speech and suddenly walked somewhere else.
Right beside the deputy who was writhing in agony from the Bone-Fracturing Muscle-Displacing Art.
Sybel looked down at him and kicked out with his foot.
Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!
He started beating the deputy with his fists as well.
“Why do I only scream when I speak! That human stays quiet when he speaks! I’m already about to explode and that damn black mage! He must be going crazy to die!”
“Kwaaaaah!”
“Die! You human! You bandit!”
Jin Chen, who had been quietly watching the scene, took a swig of his drink and said.
“Eyes have gone round.”
“Can we really leave him like that?”
“Leave him. It’s embarrassing that I found what they couldn’t for eight hundred years.”
“I thought you might be an existence incomparable to gods since you’re the representative of a deity, but you don’t look that high up.”
“You’d look like that. When I told you to shut up you turned your eyes and started venting your anger. A guy who’s already about to die using my mood as an excuse to beat me senseless.”
The conversation between Jin Chen and Bbakbbaki pierced straight into Sybel’s ears like a dagger.
The bandit who had come to deliver the news added one more word.
“I heard from the guild workers that dragon personalities are extremely fierce. They said turning one kingdom to rubble is no big deal if they don’t like something.”
“Absolutely shameless.”
“You should stop associating with him now. The destruction of the guild hall and everything else shows he’s a being that would cause a huge mess even if you kept him by your side.”
“Really? I’ve already received everything.”
Sybel secretly lowered his fist as the conversation continued.
Grrrr… This is all thanks to that human!
Having lost his composure completely, it was all because of one man.
Jin Chen, the boss of the bandits.
Huuuuwuuuuwuuuuwuuuuwuuuuwuuuuwuuu!
Calming his excitement. I’m the lord of the gold dragon. As a dragon, I must uphold my dignity and honor.
Sybel returned to his original seat and Jin Chen laughed.
“Feel better now?”
“Hehe, don’t misunderstand. I just gave him a little beating because it seemed like you were intentionally trying to disrupt our conversation.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s not because your pride was hurt since you found the dark elves first.”
“I’ll tell you it’s not.”
“No, it’s not!”
Sybel’s voice trailed off as he paused.
After controlling the rising emotions, he opened his mouth again.
“Let’s stop with meaningless chatter and finish the talk about the escaped dark elf.”
“Alright, whatever.”
“As I said earlier, the appearance of dark elves is not something we can ignore. They might be plotting the second dragon war or carrying out plans to dominate the world using jiangshi and undead.”
“Hmm, how long do those dark elves live?”
Sybel answered with a puzzled look at the sudden question.
“I believe around fifteen hundred years.”
“So when the dragon war happens, there might still be survivors?”
“That’s likely.”
“Last time you said you easily defeated the dragon war and decided to send their heads to the demon realm.”
“…No way?”
“They live for fifteen hundred years and are sinister? That’s worth thinking about.”
Sybel slowly nodded with a hardened expression.
If everything was planned since a thousand years ago?
With this premise in place, even the easy victory and the weak demons made sense.
And not finding those who opened the demon realm’s gate.
Because they knew the demons would retreat, they must have finished everything and hid before that.
Of course, everything wasn’t perfectly matching.
The strange points filling his head started to rise.
Sybel narrowed his brows and asked Jin Chen.
“Our clan predicted that they would head to the demon realm? And why hide their appearance for a thousand years?”
“Why ask me that? You should think it over yourself.”
“Somehow I feel like you’d come up with an answer I haven’t thought of.”
“Does that mean you think bad people know bad people better?”
“I won’t deny it. Bandits are never good people either.”
Jin Chen snorted at that.
“The guys who say they’re feeling good by destroying a kingdom don’t seem like the ones who should say that.”
“Ah, it’s just an extremely rare case that’s been passed down like a legend.”
“There have been cases, right? These are really nasty guys. I knew from the moment he blew up the guild hall in anger.”
“It might not be just me.”
Jin Chen, after capturing the dark elf, immediately headed toward Cologne. He crossed the bustling streets at incredible speed and headed to the room where Sybel handled his duties.
He left the perfectly intact door and smashed through the wall.
Recalling that moment, Jin Chen pointed toward the pile of guild hall ruins behind him.
“I did it a little. You did it completely.”
“A little? The shock was so big I might have to rebuild it again.”
“Let’s say I rebuild it. But I didn’t kill anyone. You massacred them all.”
“Th-this is what they say now, but I knew you were already under the influence of illusion magic.”
Jin Chen narrowed his eyes at Sybel’s words.
“The representative of death, the destroyer of the middle world, the master of murder, the supreme murderer on earth.”
“Y-yeah, you talk as if you didn’t kill even one ant!”
“I still don’t do meaningless killing. That’s why I didn’t kill you and kept you alive. Twice, even.”
“Grrrr.”
Words really don’t match.
Sybel, unable to find a proper comeback, gulped down the wine bottle when Jin Chen smirked and spoke.
“If there’s someone who made it so we can’t go to the demon realm and let everyone know that not all dragons went over?”
“…That’s impossible! Our race can’t have teamed up with those kind of guys! We’re beings who have the duty to protect the middle world!”
“I’ve been thinking about you while looking at you all this time. Among the nicknames symbolizing you, which one fits best?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
Sybel showed his puzzlement.
“The master of magic. Yeah, I’ll admit it. The strongest life form on earth. That one was given even when I wasn’t around, so I’ll admit it. Then what about the rest? Representative of a deity? Are the gods of this world all the kind that do whatever they want? So the representatives were chosen to be like them?”
“Your words are too much!”
“And the protector of the middle world. What exactly are you protecting by killing and destroying whatever you feel like?”
“Grrrr, what do you want to say already!”
“It’s just that I gained many opportunities to enjoy special benefits, but there’s not much different from other existences.”
“Ugh.”
“Thinking with the head and feeling with the heart, the difference is natural. It’s the same with the ones who act to change that without admitting it.”
Jin Chen brought the bottle to his lips and said.
“Of course this is just my guess, but it’s better to keep the possibilities open. Because nothing feels as bad as getting hit in the back of the head.”
“You talk as if you’ve actually done it.”
“Of course I’ve done it. And… I lost everything. But can you lose everything?”
At the coldly spoken words, Sybel’s expression hardened.
Dragons are beings with their own identity.
Most of them either leave their lairs to play or go into hibernation, so gatherings without inter-racial cooperation or calls from the general lord are rare.
Therefore Sybel spoke firmly.
“If your words are true… I will personally execute the one who lowered the dignity of our race to the ground right here.”
“No need to worry then.”
“No, he’s still out there. The dark elf escaped!”
“I included that in what I said.”
“Included it in what you said?”
“I said earlier. That guy has separate things to do.”
Sybel, recalling what Jin Chen had said earlier, widened his eyes.
“No way?”
“That’s right. I deliberately let him escape.”
“Why would you do that?”
“People say that. If you touch the bush, the snake gets startled and comes out, so be careful. But I’m not like that.”
“You deliberately made the snake come out?”
Jin Chen’s cold smile.
“I would have said that too. Hatred… that guy has more than me.”
“So you’re telling the opponent that your existence exists and checking if he’s the kind of guy you think he is by his reaction?”
“No need to check the reaction either. Anyone who hit me hard enough will come running like crazy.”
“A monster-like guy!”
Jin Chen shrugged at Sybel’s outburst and looked at the deputy.
“Alright! Now let’s hear again what you know.”
With a coldly smiling face and eyes that gave chills.