Finding Wood (4)
“I don’t know. Even if I ask, they just won’t talk. I can’t tell if that thing about knowing Cloud Commander is real or fake. It just sounds like something they said while drunk and tipsy.”
Lucy, who had been standing blankly not far away, suddenly spoke up while watching her friends sit dejectedly on the floor and make no move to get back up. She tossed her head, arms crossed in frustration, and muttered, “Did you touch that woman too?”
Cloud awkwardly cleared his throat. “It was just a passing thing. We got too busy and drifted apart naturally.”
“Even if it’s in the past, it still stings. I feel grossed out.”
Lucy smiled bitterly, disappointment clear in her voice, and stared at him. Then she suddenly gave his chest a light shove. “Lose to Torres.”
“Hey, don’t say that. We’re all just trying to get ahead here.”
“Shut up. Lose to Torres. You’re just a loser who’ll end up ruined.”
Lucy spun on her heel, clearly in a huff, and marched straight into the inn without another word. A few days ago, right after their night together, she had been the one to casually suggest they keep things cool between them. But it seemed plain living wasn’t as easy for her as it sounded. “How did this whole mess even happen?” Cloud scratched his head as he stared at the closed door. He glanced around and spotted Vivian leaning against the wall, still crying, “Uweeh…” and blubbering away. Looking at her, a smile tugged at his lips. “I’ll head home first,” he thought, and turned away chuckling. “Lucy’s even cuter when she’s jealous. Ah~ If only I wasn’t already married~ Under the night sky~” He hummed the tune as he walked off tiredly.
***
“Who are these people?” Cloud blinked in confusion. He came home from work to find not only Elena in the room, but two more High Elves. The moment they saw him open the door, they dropped to one knee at once. “Your Majesty! We’ve come to escort you!” they shouted, their voices echoing as if the inn itself were about to fly away. “Wait… because of the Gesaengquiya?”
Cloud stared at the kneeling High Elves with wide eyes, still on his knees himself, and lowered his head. Elena had said she stole the sword from the kingdom last time, so he had been on edge ever since. He had expected the High Elves to burst in with blazing eyes one day to drag him back. ‘But calling me “Your Majesty” and this prostration… I still don’t get it.’ He had no idea what was going on. Still, since they clearly wanted the expensive treasure, he didn’t hesitate. He pulled the legendary sword Gesaengquiya from his belt and handed it over. “Here, take it. I’ve been careful with it, so there shouldn’t be any scratches. It still looks brand-new, right? You can even resell it for full value.”
“Cloud.” Elena, sitting on the bed rubbing her swollen belly, called him softly. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“These two came to fetch you.”
“Me? Are you really trying to lock me up in prison?!” Cloud’s whole body went cold with a chill. Would he have to spend his life in a High Elf dungeon as payment for using the sword?! He started thinking that when Elena suddenly looked weird. She seemed off—drained, with tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. He rushed over, pulled her into his arms, and asked why she was crying. “Why are you weeping? What happened all of a sudden? Did they say something shocking to you?”
“It’s a misunderstanding, Your Majesty!” one of the kneeling High Elf women cried out. “We would never offend the princess!”
“Then why is the atmosphere in this room like this? Why so gloomy? By the way, why keep calling me ‘Your Majesty’?”
Suddenly something clicked in Cloud’s head. It was a conversation he had with Elena right after using the sword to erase the witch’s power. ‘Gesaengquiya is the symbol of the High Elf king. Only the true High Elf king could own it. The moment Cloud became the new master, he ruled the kingdom. Anyone with the mark on their body would submit to the true High Elf king.’ ‘The current High Elf queen is Elena’s mother. And you’re still a princess. So when I say I’m the High Elf king right now…’ The puzzle pieces finally fell into place. Cloud let out a stunned “Huh, no way…?” and stared at Elena in disbelief. Her eyes were brimming with tears. “Sob! Waaah! Uwaaang!” Elena, still sniffling, finally broke down and sobbed like a child. So it was true. The two kneeling High Elves shouted at once. “Your Majesty! The wedding preparations for Queen and Your Majesty in the High Elf kingdom Iserita are in full swing! Please come with us at once so we don’t miss the ceremony!”
“Holy crap…!” Cloud’s legs gave out and he flopped back onto the bed. “What kind of nonsense is this? A, a wedding?!” Something enormous was crashing down on him. His pregnant wife was still at home, and now it was a wedding to his mother-in-law?! What kind of trash life was this! “Go back. I’m marrying Elena.”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“Please reconsider!”
“Cloud!” Elena beamed and threw herself into his arms. While stroking her hair, he firmly told the two High Elves, “Go tell them: ‘You are my mother-in-law. Elena is pregnant with my child.’”
“That’s impossible, Your Majesty!”
“Then does the queen know Elena is pregnant with my child? That we’re living together?”
“Th-that’s…” The two High Elves looked utterly stunned. Coming here, they realized the king who had just been summoned to marry the queen had actually knocked up his own princess. They must have been shocked. But since the queen had ordered them to bring him without knowing the full story, they had no choice but to fake it. While they were still panicking, the male High Elf gathered his courage and spoke. “The marriage between the king and queen is blessed by the Forest God Vebnus! If we reject this divine favor, Vebnus will become furious. The forest will wither, the rivers will dry up, and no living creature will survive!”
Cloud’s eyebrows twitched at the words. “The Forest God? Did you just say ‘forest’?”
“That is correct.”
“Hmm…” Cloud rolled his eyes and thought for a moment. ‘Come to think of it, the forests where elves live probably have tons of trees we can use for wood. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?’ Hope flickered at the edge of the cliff. He smiled brightly and asked, “The kingdom is called Iserita, right? Are there plenty of usable trees there?”
The female High Elf answered, “Usable wood? There’s so much it overflows. In Iserita, the forest trees have such high reproductive power that we regularly cut them down to manage the population and keep things balanced. And if the amount gets too big, we even call people from neighboring countries for free. They’ll tell you to take as much as you want.”
“Whoa, there are tons of good trees there!” Cloud’s face lit up even more. A cheer almost escaped him, but one problem remained. “How far is Iserita from here?”
“Normal walking speed, it takes over half a year. On a regular horse, about three months.”
“That’s super far!”
“We have to cross the sea in the middle.”
“Huh.” Cloud’s bright expression froze in an instant, wrinkles forming on his forehead. “Is there no faster way? Something like a super-express transport? I’m dying to marry the queen right now. The faster the better.”
The two High Elves exchanged glances. Their faces lit up with color, then they looked troubled. Elena poked Elena’s elbow. She glanced back and saw Elena’s expression was unhappy. With sad eyes, she looked up at Cloud. “You want to marry my mom?”
“Who knows?” Cloud winked. Elena tilted her head, confused. She thought he must have some trick up his sleeve since he said that, so she kept her mouth shut. After a long pause, the male High Elf finally spoke. “If we borrow the power of the elves living nearby, we can reach there in two days.”
“Really?” Cloud smiled again. “How?”
“High Elves and all elves ride giant condors to carry cargo. If we borrow one of those, we can reach Iserita in two days.”
Cloud clenched his fists. “So where do I meet the elves? Far from here?”
“Contacting them is simple. High Elves and elves traveling the human world have special communication tools to handle any unexpected situations.”
“That’s convenient.” Cloud nodded with a satisfied grin. “Condors, huh…”