Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Gravel and Leaves (5)
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“Ma-Master?!”
-Woof! Woof woof!
A response came immediately. But there was no voice from Lloyd.
“El, are you here?”
“Y-Yes! I’m here! I’m here!”
A voice came from not far away. El hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“I’m sorry. I overslept. But when I opened my eyes...”
“You’re here. It’s okay. Are you unharmed?”
“Yes. Aside from being hungry.”
“That’s a relief.”
I let out a sigh of relief and asked El again.
“What about Lloyd?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem to be here. Ayla’s separated from me too. It’s really cramped in here...”
“Same here.”
Lloyd wasn’t here. If anything, that was a good thing. He was our only hope right now.
After chatting back and forth with El, I tried talking to the others around me. But most of them just sobbed and showed no interest in conversation. They seemed like people who had given up on everything.
Still, there was one person who responded to me.
“...So, everyone here is a Dark Elf?”
“That’s right.”
“And you’re a survivor from the third village.”
“...”
“I passed through the third village. No one was there. Absolutely no one. Except for one child.”
“A child...?”
“Yes. Name’s Pebble.”
“...!”
I heard the man gasp and swallow hard. Soon, his urgent voice came from the darkness.
“That child is alive?”
...Whether I should call it ‘alive’ or not. He might be the mastermind behind this whole mess...
“Yes. He was alive when I saw him.”
The man let out a sigh that sounded like a lament. It felt like a mix of relief and sorrow. Sensing something off, I pressed him further.
“Do you know anything about Pebble?”
“...”
He seemed hesitant. I spoke in a firmer tone.
“That kid was left alone in the village. Doesn’t that strike you as strange? All the Dark Elves vanished without a trace, and yet one ordinary child remains.”
“That’s...”
“Shall I tell you what I think? That kid is probably the culprit who put you in this state. Deep down, you suspect the same. Don’t you?”
“...”
“I thought he was the sole survivor too. Until he made my companion disappear.”
The man sighed again. It was a while before he finally spoke.
“Pebble was a child who couldn’t handle mana. From birth, he didn’t have enough mana to wield. His very existence was a miracle... Yes, a miracle.”
“And you’re saying that child can now use advanced black magic to make people vanish?”
“I don’t know how it’s possible. But...”
“But?”
“A few months ago, Pebble stayed in this village for a while. It was for an exchange between young Dark Elves. And then...”
“...”
“After that, I sensed mana from him. I thought it was just from absorbing the essence of the Dark Forest.”
Pebble was connected to this village too. I clutched my throbbing head. What a huge mistake not to suspect a child. I should’ve listened to Lloyd. The cost of letting my guard down was steep.
“I know Dark Elves use black magic, but I’ve never heard of them delving into it this deeply. You value ‘balance’ above all else.”
“...That’s true.”
“But this village chief was extremely proficient in black magic. Just look at this prison...”
“Impressive skill. That’s why we can’t escape.”
“He probably taught Pebble black magic. But how he overcame the mana deficiency is a complete mystery.”
“I’ve been racking my brain since getting locked up here, but...”
“...Then let’s change the subject. Why did the chief lock you all up here?”
The man fell silent for a long time. It was hard to tell if he was organizing his thoughts or just didn’t want to speak. As I was about to ask again, he answered.
“We rejected his proposal.”
“Proposal...?”
“He wanted to dethrone the Queen.”
“...!”
He told me a story I never could have imagined.
The seventh village, which had the harshest conditions, began thriving rapidly a year ago with the arrival of a new chief. The village transformed beyond recognition, and the population grew. Not just in numbers—exceptional talents emerged. All thanks to the new chief.
The chief claimed he shared the method for the village’s revival with the other six villages. But they didn’t follow it. Or rather, couldn’t.
The seventh village had achieved its prosperity by selling Dark Forest resources to ‘someone.’
The abundant resources of the Dark Forest could only leave for the outside world bearing the name of Lüset. This rule applied to Dark Elves too. Yet the seventh village’s chief broke it without a second thought. With terrifying nonchalance.
“I don’t know who the chief was trading with. We all rejected his proposal.”
That made sense. Elves were corpses without their pride, and Dark Elves were no different. Yet the seventh village’s chief...
“The first to be made an example was the first village.”
The one that burned to the ground. I could almost smell the acrid smoke again. An ‘example’...
“We couldn’t dare ‘choose’ anything. So...”
“You ended up imprisoned here.”
“At first, we thought it was fortunate.”
“It is fortunate. The third village’s residents all turned into zombies.”
“Horrific.”
“We didn’t find bodies in the fourth or fifth villages.”
“They’re locked up here like us. What about the sixth?”
“It looked like a meteor strike. Probably...”
Wiped out. I swallowed the word and let out a deep sigh.
Half the Dark Elves annihilated...
The identity of that ‘someone’ was easy to guess.
The Crows.
No one else would orchestrate something like this.
‘To think they’ve reached even Lüset...’
Even to the most secretive Dark Elves and Dark Forest.
“This village’s chief had a mana deficiency too,”
the man said. I pressed my ear to the bars. What? Mana deficiency? But I definitely felt enormous mana from him... And to build and maintain a structure like this requires...
“But he overcame it through persistent effort over many years. Of course, it wasn’t at this level until a few years ago.”
...A few years ago. Probably when he made contact with the Crows.
Even if not exactly, he must have gained this unnatural power with their help.
‘It’s probably connected to the Queen being trapped in the Dream Maze too.’
To think it all started in a small Dark Forest village. It was absurd that the elves were too busy shunning Dark Elves to notice.
‘...For now, focus on getting out of here.’
Only then could I deal with the chief or seek help from the capital.
Come to think of it, I sent a messenger bird. The capital might have already dispatched soldiers.
So, if I could just escape...
-Piii!
As I pondered, Pipi stretched its neck and cried out. Its clear, refreshing chirp echoed through the entire prison.
“...Huh!”
I saw the runes etched into the bars flicker briefly. Probably reacting to Pipi’s cry.
“Pipi, do it again!”
I urged Pipi on. But it seemed to have reached its limit. The prison restricted mana, after all. Even this was impressive...
-Grrrritch...
“...?!”
A eerie, unpleasant sound like metal scraping echoed. I flattened myself to the floor and strained to listen. The sound of sharp metal dragging on the ground, heavy boots thudding, and a cape brushing the floor cutting through it all...
‘No way...!’
I shot to my feet.
That’s when it happened.
-Skreeek!
A flash of light in the pitch-black darkness.
-Kreeee...
-Thud!
The bars toppled with a heavy crash.
...Whoa. If I’d stayed down, I’d have been crushed.
I swallowed dryly and stared at the shadow that had sliced through the bars. The sword in its hand gleamed coldly.
“I knew you’d come.”
“...”
“Lloyd.”
* * *
Lloyd, I, El, and Ayla escaped the prison unscathed. It was already night outside. For some reason, no moon hung in the sky, leaving everything swallowed in total darkness.
We couldn’t just flee the village like this. Soldiers on watch would spot us, and causing a commotion in the Dark Forest at night was suicide. We might end up fighting monsters and the village’s Dark Elves all at once.
Waiting in hiding for unknown reinforcements from the capital wasn’t viable either. Once they noticed we were gone from the prison, they’d comb the village and surroundings thoroughly.
There was only one way.
Right here, right now.
Purify the chief ‘Grizel’ and this village.
‘Easier said than done...’
Even I had to chuckle wryly at how reckless it sounded. But no better plan existed.
“Haa...”
I chugged potions from the [Sage’s Bottle] and unrolled the scroll I kept in my inner pocket.
“Dimakushel.”
Calling the name I shouldn’t utter, a powerful, sinister mana began to emanate—strong enough to overwhelm the underground prison and even the chief ‘Grizel.’
“Let’s make a contract.”