Chapter 269: The Reason I Knelt Was... (3)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 269: The Reason I Knelt Was... (3)[R-18]
Inside the World Tree, the Elders' Meeting Room.
"Elder Sa. ...What do you think?"
Elder Lee was the first to speak.
It had been over an hour since the meeting began, and the Elders' eyes remained fixed on the mirror in the center of the room.
The mirror was connected to security crystal balls placed throughout Elvenheim, showing events in real-time.
—Se-en-pai!☆
In the mirror, Elfriede, who was out on a date, gave a playful wink and clung to Ian.
"...She is being diligent. Though she still has her impulsive streaks... that human named Ian seems to be handling her well. Sigh, has she truly changed?"
Elder Sa shook his head, as if he still couldn't believe it.
It had already been two weeks since Ian and Elfriede settled in Elvenheim.
Surprisingly, during that time, Elfriede had not caused a single disturbance and had lived an exceptionally upright life.
It reached a point where even Elder Lee and Elder Sa, who hadn't been able to hide their suspicious glares at first, had no choice but to acknowledge her transformation.
Of course, Ian had been just as diligent.
Even though he could have lived a life of leisure just by being Elfriede's fiancé, he was always the first to run and lend a hand wherever help was needed, whether it was hunting or gathering herbs.
"Has she not simply returned to her original self? In truth, she only acted like a brat for the past few years. Originally, Elfriede was a child who received the blessing of the World Tree, was she not?"
"Elder Lee, do you not feel that the current Elfriede is quite different from back then?"
"I do feel it... but regardless of the reason, is it not a good thing for us if Elfriede has become diligent?"
"...That is true, but..."
"It brings me great joy to hear the two of you praising Elfriede. In that case, there should be no issue with nominating Elfriede as the 'Grand Elder' once again."
At the Third Elder's words, the atmosphere froze instantly, and the other two Elders clamped their mouths shut.
"Why have you suddenly gone silent? Have the two of you perhaps found another elf capable of holding the position of 'Grand Elder' while I wasn't looking?"
"...It is not that."
"Third Elder, perhaps... what if we reconsider the plan? As you can see, Elfriede has changed a lot, hasn't she? If you think about it, she's still a young elf around 230 years old..."
"Elder Lee, did we not already reach a conclusion on that topic on the first day? This meeting is to decide whether or not to nominate Elfriede as the 'Grand Elder.' And at 230, an ordinary elf would be looking for a gravesite; even for a High Elf, she's lived long enough, so refrain from calling her young."
"...No, Third Elder. Listen to me. We didn't know Elfriede would change like that during the first meeting. And if the First Elder finds out later..."
At the mention of the First Elder, the Third Elder's expression distorted for the first time.
"Elder Sa, I do not believe there is any need to mention an elf who is not present."
"Ahem. I misspoke. Please disregard it."
"Sigh... Elder Lee, Elder Sa. ...When you waver, think only of the greater cause. She may seem diligent now, but what do you plan to do if she suddenly turns again? At that point, there truly will be no way to handle her."
"...."
"...."
The Elders had only one greater cause.
Make Elf Great Again
엘프를 다시 위대하게
Recalling those words, the wavering eyes of Elder Lee and Elder Sa grew still.
Slide—
"Then, I shall ask again. Do you two Elders agree to nominate Elfriede as the 'Grand Elder'?"
The Third Elder's voice echoed low in the meeting room.
At the same time, the Yellow Pansy Knights.
"Ugh... C-Captain... I... I can't do any more. Just a short break..."
"Are you down already, Chariot?"
"Pant... pant... What do you mean 'already,' Captain... It's nine o'clock! Nine! ...I've been up since four in the morning swinging this sword for five hours, how can you say that..."
"Good grief, you talk too much. In my day... Whoa, look at those eyes. Are you about to hit me? Tsk, fine. Fine. Let's take a short break."
Gulp— Gulp—
At the mention of a break, Chariot barely managed to push himself up, grabbed a water bottle, and chugged it down.
"Phew, I feel like I'm going to live now!"
"Is that so? Then, come back over here and—"
"N-No... Captain! It hasn't even been five minutes! Oh! And did you hear about that?"
"Trying to stall for time again? It won't work this time, Chariot."
"Just listen! This is really important!! Haven't there been a series of tomb raids lately? I heard even Yuver got hit this time!"
At Chariot's words, the Captain, Polnareff, frowned.
He hadn't cared much about the previous tomb raids since they were outside Yellow Pansy territory...
But Yuver was a place right next to the Yellow Pansy borders.
"Honestly, how incompetent are those guys up top that they still haven't caught a single grave robber?"
"Exactly. At this rate, who knows if a grave robber will show up inside Yellow Pansy territory."
"Tsk, it's times like this I miss Wagner being around..."
Seeing Polnareff's serious expression, Chariot suppressed the urge to say, 'That worked like a charm~' and quickly continued.
"Huh? ...Wagner? Sorry, I'm not familiar with them."
"Well, it's no surprise. That mercenary group vanished before you were even born."
Polnareff stroked his mustache as he reminisced.
"They were magnificent. They never failed a single commission. Their skill and reliability were both top-tier, so even Yellow Pansy hired them a few times."
"Wow, that's the first time I've heard you praise someone like that, Captain. Just how strong were they..."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but... the mercenaries of Wagner were first-rate at best. Objectively speaking, they were second-rate. I could win 99 out of 100 fights against even their strongest member."
"Second-rate?"
Chariot tilted his head.
Even he, who was currently gasping for air under the Captain's training, was skilled enough to be called first-rate.
"Their numbers were small and their skills were barely first-rate, yet they never failed a commission?"
"Chariot."
"Yes, Captain."
"If you and I sparred 100 times, how many times do you think you could win?"
"...."
Chariot fell silent.
Having just been miserably crushed in their practice duel, it would be ridiculous to claim he could win even once.
"Hmm... maybe three times..."
"If you're not sure, I'll tell you. Zero."
"Hey, Captain... are you saying I'm not even second-rate?"
Chariot asked back, feeling a bit stung.
"Huh? Who said that? Polnareff, the Knight Captain of Yellow Pansy, guarantees it: you have already reached the first-rate level."
"Then that doesn't make sense! Are you saying Wagner, who are second-rate, can beat you once, but I, who am first-rate, can't?"
In response to Chariot's question, Polnareff surged his mana.
"Ack!! I-I wasn't talking back! Please don't hit me!"
"Chariot, tell me why we don't use mana to enhance our physical bodies."
"...Because it's inefficient?"
"Correct. That's the answer."
While it wasn't impossible to enhance the body with mana, the efficiency was extremely poor compared to standard mana applications.
If a Blessed One with a Body Enhancement attribute gets 100 efficiency out of 1 mana...
Enhancing the body with pure mana wouldn't even yield 5 efficiency after putting in 10 mana.
"That is why most people with mana but no blessing become Mages or Spirit Mages. Among them, the Empire encourages Magic, which has an established systematic education method, over Spirit Magic, which relies on intuition. ...However, most of the people in Wagner chose the path of enhancing their bodies with mana even after contracting with spirits."
"That's..."
As Chariot wore a look of incomprehension, Polnareff nodded.
"Indeed. It is an extremely inefficient method. However, because it is inefficient, there exists a Thread of Gap that can be exploited."
The combat style of the Wagner mercenaries, who were fundamentally a group of Spirit Mages, was surprisingly not using spirits as their primary weapon, but close-quarters combat enhanced by mana.
Of course, as explained before, it was a very inefficient method, but...
The combination of a combat style unbelievable for a Spirit Mage and movements that were just slightly faster than expected due to the inefficient body enhancement was Wagner's true weapon.
"Then, if I also learn to handle spirits like Wagner, I could beat the Cap— Ack!"
Whack!
Polnareff's fist connected with Chariot's head.
"Don't talk nonsense. Wagner's technique is merely the result of those without talent struggling to overcome the wall of the first-rate. Someone like you, who is striving to become top-tier, shouldn't even look at it. No matter what anyone says, you are the one who must succeed me as the Knight Captain of Yellow Pansy."
Polnareff spoke with conviction.
Wagner's method was impressive, but while one could reach the first-rate with that method, they could never become top-tier.
The biggest issue was the clear weakness: a lack of attack power.
No matter how much they enhanced their bodies with mana, it was child's play compared to a Blessed One with a Body Enhancement attribute.
Their Spirit Magic was also limited to barely handling an intermediate spirit of a single attribute.
Therefore, if an opponent possessed enough defensive power to block attacks below a certain level, Wagner would have no way to deal with them.
Of course, Wagner knew their own weaknesses, so they tried to compensate by using all sorts of techniques like 'surprises,''traps,' and 'poison'...
But conversely, in a situation where those couldn't be used, their limits were clear.
"So stop slacking off and focus on honing your swordsmanship. Chariot. Now, the break is over. Get up."
"Phew... Yes, sir..."
As Chariot picked up his sword with trembling arms, a knight approached from the entrance of the training grounds.
Step, step—
"Captain."
"Erize, what is it?"
"Well... someone has come wishing to see the Family Head."
Polnareff frowned at Erize's hesitant manner.
"It's not like there's only one or two such people... Unless they're from the Imperial Family or the Three Primary Colors Families, the Family Head said he doesn't need to see them, so didn't I tell you to just send them back?"
"I was going to do that... but this is a bit awkward... If I just send them away..."
"Sigh... Who on earth is it that's making you act so frustrated?"
"It's Lady Evelyn from the Marigold Family."
The Yellow Pansy Reception Room.
"...."
Evelyn stared into her cold teacup.
It felt as if it were raining inside her heart.
‘...If they don't open the door, I have my own ways.’
She had said that to Estelle...
But she hadn't thought for a second that Yellow Pansy wouldn't open their doors to her.
After all, the Family Head of Yellow Pansy was incredibly obsessed with her.
'...Ian and Estelle will be angry.'
She knew it herself.
In the worst-case scenario...
No, in fact, it was almost certain...
That today, she would 'sell' herself to Yellow Pansy.