Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Guardian of the Dark Forest (3)
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“If you truly desire talent, you would do well to heed my advice.”
It might have come across as impertinent. Fortunately, however, the queen listened attentively to my words.
I demanded that she summon the representatives of the surviving Dark Elf villages as quickly as possible. With no elders left to oppose it, the queen granted my request immediately.
‘To even prepare a portal to bring the Dark Elves here.’
Village chiefs who had survived, or their children, or temporary representatives from the villages. Dark Elves of all ages began arriving at the palace one after another. Some were stepping foot in Lüset for the first time in their lives.
I spotted a familiar face and greeted her.
“Luisa.”
The representative from the seventh village was none other than Luisa. She looked around with clear dissatisfaction. To someone who lived in a poor, underdeveloped village, the opulent palace must not have seemed appealing.
“Druid.”
“I told you to call me Theodor.”
“Hmm.”
She shot me a glance before nodding lightly.
“You’re the one who invited us all the way here?”
“It wasn’t me. It was Her Majesty the Queen.”
“……Well, that’s something. Not just near the capital, but inviting Dark Elves right into the palace. I guess the rumors about Dark Elves kidnapping and eating Elves have finally died down?”
“There were rumors like that?”
“Elves can be unbelievably stupid sometimes.”
Her sharp words drew a laugh from me. I handed her a cup of tea prepared as a welcome gesture and said,
“Here, today’s not a day for worries. It’s a day for expectations.”
“I don’t have any expectations from Elves.”
“This time, you might want to make an exception.”
I headed to the conference room beyond the corridor with Luisa. Seven Dark Elves and I sat at the long mahogany table covered in a red carpet, and soon after, the queen appeared. The Dark Elves had been wary up until then, but when the queen entered, they fell silent, stood, and paid their respects.
“Hello, everyone.”
The queen’s smile toward her subjects remained as benevolent as ever.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I only wish we could have met sooner……”
No Dark Elf responded to the queen’s words. The awkward, tense atmosphere was already stifling, so I spoke first.
“A good meeting isn’t diminished by a late introduction.”
“Theodor, you always whisper such wise words.”
Thank you. The queen’s soft murmur echoed quietly. After she took her seat, we followed suit.
“The reason I invited you all today is……”
The queen began cautiously, glancing at me. Sensing her gaze, I nodded silently. She smiled and slowly met the eyes of each tense Dark Elf one by one.
“To offer comfort for your sorrows……”
“…….”
“And to express my gratitude for your hard work.”
Comfort and gratitude.
The Dark Elves’ eyes widened. It was unimaginable that such words would come from the queen’s mouth.
For someone of her stature to offer ‘comfort’ and ‘gratitude’ to Dark Elves burdened with original sin.
“And there is also something I wish to ask of you.”
Even a ‘request.’
Dark Elves were different from ordinary Elves. By their very nature, they were descendants of ‘sinners,’ living generation after generation like slaves. Some even treated them as no better than vermin, akin to barbarians or monsters.
For the queen herself to make a ‘request’ to such beings.
Joy, fear, hope, and distrust swirled chaotically in the Dark Elves’ eyes.
It was only natural.
Most of them probably thought they had been brought here to atone for Grizel’s crimes.
“What is it?”
It was Luisa who asked in a trembling voice.
As the representative of the seventh village where Grizel was born, her heart must have been especially heavy. She might have even thought she’d have to offer her life. And now the queen was making a ‘request’…… Her face showed utter confusion.
“A request to us Dark Elves?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t it enough that we risk our lives guarding the border in the Dark Forest?”
Her voice carried indignation.
“Calm down, Luisa.”
I soothed her gently. She turned to me, still fuming.
“Druid, you humans can’t understand our history.”
“No, I do understand. That’s why I suggested inviting you here.”
I looked at Luisa and the other Dark Elves as I continued.
“Please don’t misunderstand. I’m the one who asked for this meeting.”
A murmur rippled through the room.
“Yes, as you can see, I’m human. That allowed me to view this situation objectively, without bias toward either side.”
The room quieted again. Even the queen was listening intently.
“Grizel—no, his real name was Selem. You all remember how he gained enough power to control six villages entirely. He was trying to protect the villages from the darkness of the Dark Forest. But the result was a ‘disaster’ in itself.”
Two or three villages were nearly wiped out, and the others weren’t much better. If this continued, the darkness of the Dark Forest would soon lick its lips at Lüset again.
“You all know the current situation. Nights are growing longer, the darkness thicker. The monsters emerging from the Dark Forest are getting stronger and more numerous by the day. In this situation, relying solely on Dark Elves to hold the border is foolish—for you and for the Elves inside it.”
The queen nodded quietly. A couple of village chief-like figures nodded as well.
“Dark Elves are Lüset’s finest warriors. That’s undeniable. But you alone can’t stop the disaster. The same goes the other way. Even the Elves’ power alone isn’t enough.”
Luisa bit her lip and glared at me. She looked furious.
“In this situation, rejecting each other is truly idiotic. It’s a luxury and a waste. Ruin will be upon us before we can blink.”
“…….”
“But…… if we work together, things change.”
Sending Elves to the Dark Forest border for training, and having Dark Elves come to the capital to share their knowledge—many things would improve. The imbalance in forces by region would balance out, combat levels would rise. Plus, resettling Elves on the abandoned lands near the border for farming would boost production significantly.
‘Once the Dark Forest side is secure, I have ways to help with the farming.’
That would improve the Dark Elves’ lives too. Deep-seated grudges from centuries wouldn’t heal overnight, but it could get better bit by bit.
Many other things would improve in various ways.
No more ‘Grizels’ would arise.
The queen and the Dark Elves engaged in long discussions with me in between. What started as hours stretched into a three-day conference. The queen offered new ideas, the Dark Elves offered theirs, and I steered the direction as the framework took concrete shape.
After the long, long conference—no, summit……
The Dark Elves returned to the Dark Forest with many promises. They would convince the others. There might be dissenters, but once exchanges began, it would be fine—I believed that.
After the summit, the queen quietly called me aside.
“Thank you, Theodor.”
“I’m getting tired of hearing ‘thank you.’”
The queen smiled amusedly. I flashed a playful grin back, then leaned on the balcony railing and gazed at the enormous moon hanging in the sky.
“Good thing it ended well.”
“It’s thanks to you.”
“Of course. All my doing.”
The queen looked up at the moon too. We stared at it together for a long while.
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you as well.”
“Anything, Theodor. Anything.”
She replied as if she’d been waiting. Her cheeks glowed pink in the moonlight. The queen clasped her hands, awaiting my words.
“I want you to……”
-Gulp.
An unidentified heartbeat thundered fiercely.
“You to……”
“…….”
“Build a stele.”
“……Pardon?”
The queen responded in a deflated tone. What had she been expecting? I scratched the back of my head and continued.
“A stele, yes. I want to erect one for the Dark Elves in the seventh village.”
“…….”
“Ideally blessed directly by Your Majesty……”
A stele blessed by the queen herself, inscribed with various spells, erected in the seventh village deep in the Dark Forest— it would benefit the village in many ways.
The queen stared at me quietly, then nodded slightly.
“That’s a good idea……”
“Right? It’ll help with village security. Embed it with plenty of magic stones too.”
“Yes…….”
“And I’ll plant purification trees around it.”
“Thank you…….”
What was with this disappointed atmosphere? But I didn’t point it out and kept enthusiastically discussing the stele. What to add, how to do this……
Contrary to the disappointed vibe, the queen granted my request fully. Inviting even dwarves, the finely carved stele was imbued with blessings from the queen and priests, along with protective and warning spells. I, Luisa, other Elves, and Dark Elves transported and erected it via portal. Demolishing the burned chief’s house, the stele placed there seemed to shine.
I planted a few willow purification trees around the stele and offered a quiet prayer. At the very bottom of the stele, the words ‘For Selem’ glowed faintly.