A Worthy Opponent
I was able to hear the detailed story from Alteon.
I thought he would give me a brief summary,
but he droned on with what felt like a college lecture on the history of the Elf Empire. I almost died of boredom.
Anyway.
To put it simply, that was the gist of it:
Once every thousand years, an insanely strong Dark Elf is born.
...Did I summarize it a bit too much?
Though they were divided into Elves and Dark Elves now,
the two races had once been a single people under a single nation.
Until a certain incident occurred.
'Serael.'
The progenitor of the Dark Elves, the one who surrendered the destiny of her race to the Night Goddess.
And,
Alteon's one and only younger sister.
The elves hadn't always been this powerful.
They, too, had a natural predator.
The 'Void'.
A monster that could wither trees just by brushing past the forest,
and make spirits vanish with a single breath.
For a long time, the elves lived hidden deep within the forest to escape the Void.
Alteon and Serael.
Until the two greatest elves in history appeared.
“We were able to drive the Void back,” Alteon had said.
“But we could not kill it.”
Indeed.
The Void was nothingness itself.
Therefore, the concept of death did not apply to them.
And so...
“Serael made a choice.”
“She chose to hold hands with the Night Goddess.”
The Night Goddess.
The ruler of the far side of darkness.
Serael borrowed the goddess's power in exchange for half of her own life force,
and with that overwhelming might, she bestowed 'death' upon the Void.
Thanks to her, the elves survived.
However.
“Serael did not stop there.”
“She feared the return of the Void.”
So, Serael sought out the Night Goddess once more,
begging for an eternal power that could protect the elves.
Pleased, the Night Goddess proposed a new condition.
“Surrender your destiny to me.”
“And I shall promise you eternal power.”
Serael was the first to leap into the Night Goddess's embrace.
But Alteon refused.
“I did not rely on a god.”
“The moment you rely on another, it becomes impossible to grow strong on your own.”
Thus, the destinies of Alteon and Serael diverged.
And with them, the fates of the Elves and the Dark Elves split forever.
So that's why the Emperor called the Dark Elves traitors.
In exchange for her protection, the Night Goddess demanded various tolls.
One of them was,
“The 'curse' laid upon the descendants who inherited Serael's blood.”
“Once every thousand years...”
“A 'cursed existence' is born.”
An entity so consumed by bloodlust and slaughter that it could be considered the incarnation of the Night Goddess herself.
A being that craved blood and reveled in slaughter.
In a way, it was also a 'gift'.
A 'gift' to protect the kingdom...
should the Void ever return.
However.
If the Void did not appear, that 'gift' was nothing but a 'curse'.
Therefore, whenever the 'curse' was born, the Dark Elves sealed it deep beneath the royal palace.
Until it died.
And when a new 'curse' was born, they sealed it away again...
In short, the Dark Elves were a bunch of crazy cultists.
Now I finally understood why those losers I met in the snowy mountains were babbling about offering Contribution Points to their god.
But...
“If it's sealed away anyway, doesn't that mean it has nothing to do with me?”
“If the Night Goddess has handed down a new prophecy, that changes things,” Alteon said, gazing up at the dawning sky.
“If she has noticed your existence...”
“...”
“The Night Goddess will try to claim your power.”
The Heavenly Slaughter Star, huh?
“Hmm...”
Then I couldn't just take the tournament lightly.
“So, do not let your guard down.”
“Got it, Grandfather.”
I nodded.
“I'll be careful.”
“Lord Taepyeong, His Imperial Majesty wishes to have breakfast with—”
“Tell him I'm sleeping.”
Yaaaaawn.
I let out a long yawn and leaned back into the plush bed.
Listening to Alteon's lecture on elf history all night had drained my energy more than expected. I was exhausted.
Ugh.
Keeping that old man company is no joke.
Still...
I had gathered quite a bit of useful information.
Things I, as a human, would never have known otherwise.
According to Alteon, that 'curse' sounded quite similar to the Heavenly Slaughter Star.
I should prepare myself just in case...
I can kill them...
I can kill them.
I can kill them!
Let's kill them!
Let's kill them!!
LET'S KILL THEM!!!
“...Lord Taepyeong?”
At Nairin's voice, I snapped out of it.
“You suddenly started smiling...”
“...”
“Are you alright?”
I pulled down the corners of my mouth, which had curved upward without my realizing it.
To be honest, I wasn't worried.
This was 'anticipation'.
The thrill of finally meeting an opponent worth killing...
...
...
...
Wait.
No, that's not it.
A worthy rival.
The anticipation of meeting a worthy rival, I mean.
“Of course I'm fine.”
“...”
“Anyway, what's on the schedule for today?”
“Before the tournament begins, His Imperial Majesty is hosting a banquet for the participants.”
“Ah.”
“You are expected to attend as well, Lord Taepyeong. But if you wish to rest...”
“No, it's just a meal. I should go.”
“Then I will prepare your formal attire.”
“By the way.”
“Yes?”
“Will the Dark Elf Princess be there too?”
Nairin's expression turned complicated.
“Yes. As a participant, the Princess will surely attend.”
“Hmm, I see.”
I nodded with a smile.
“...Does it not displease you?”
“Huh? What would displease me?”
“Having to share a meal in the same room as those treacherous Dark Elves...”
“Not really.”
Why would I be displeased when I'm just going to kill them anyway?
Besides, I wasn't even an elf; I was a human.
To me, Elves and Dark Elves were all the same.
Like cows and pigs.
Before a butcher, they're all just meat.
The Grand Banquet Hall.
“Announcing the arrival of Prince Lee Taepyeong, the thirteenth son of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Ashtad, the Golden Emperor and eighth ruler of the Great Elf Empire!”
At the name 'Lee Taepyeong', whispers began to ripple through the hall.
Yeah.
It definitely didn't sound like an elf name, did it?
“Let's go, Nairin.”
As I stepped into the Grand Banquet Hall, dozens of eyes locked onto me.
...
...
Yet, no one dared to speak ill of me aloud.
The Emperor must have already whipped them into shape.
Thanks to that, I was able to leisurely look around the hall.
Shhhhh...
Instead of stone pillars, massive trees supported the ceiling, and crystal-like fruits hung between the branches, emitting a soft, ambient glow.
The walls were intricately carved with the likenesses of legendary elven heroes, and at the front, where the throne sat, stood a statue of the First Emperor, Alteon.
Chirrrr...
Spirits fluttered around the statue, scattering trails of light.
...Talk about luxurious.
Spirits, which a human would struggle to summon even one of, were being used as mere mood lighting.
“Lord Taepyeong.”
As I stood admiring the spirits, Nairin whispered softly.
“His Imperial Majesty is waiting for you.”
Ah, right.
Guided by Nairin, I made my way toward the Emperor.
A long banquet table stretched across the room.
The Emperor sat at the head of the table, with his twelve heirs divided equally, six on either side.
“The one sitting on the right is the Crown Prince.”
“Is that so?”
Nairin tipped me off, but I had zero interest, so the name slipped my mind immediately.
I'd just remember him as the oldest.
“Apologies for the delay, Father.”
“It is fine, my son.”
The Emperor looked at me with a benevolent smile.
The other heirs looked visibly uncomfortable, clearly unaccustomed to seeing their father act this way.
They all look so weak.
The Crown Prince was the only one who looked somewhat decent.
Even then, he couldn't hold a candle to the Emperor.
Rustle.
Now that I'd paid my respects, I turned to find an empty seat, but...
“Taepyeong.”
The Emperor called out to me.
“Sit here.”
In an instant, the atmosphere in the Grand Banquet Hall froze.
Glance.
I glanced at the seat to the Emperor's left.
An elf who closely resembled the Emperor was already sitting there.
He wasn't the Crown Prince. The second or third son, maybe?
“Second, stand up.”
Ah, the second.
“B-but, Father...!”
“Your youngest brother is new to these banquets. It is only right that you yield your seat to him.”
“B-but that human is...!”
“Do you intend to make me repeat myself?”
“...!!!”
The moment his eyes met the Emperor's icy glare, the second prince stood up.
He glared at me for a brief second before storming off.
“Sit, Taepyeong.”
“You didn't have to go this far for a seat.”
“No, this is where you belong.”
“Hmm...”
“For you are the only one who willingly volunteered to participate in the tournament for the glory of the Empire.”
Huh?
I just did it because I was bored...
“Since you have eased your father's worries, it is only fitting that you sit by my side.”
The Emperor spoke with deliberate volume.
Man. What a personality.
I sat down in the seat the second prince had vacated.
...
...
...
The silence was deafening.
Tsk, tsk.
You guys should have shown some filial piety before things came to this.
Anyway, I was getting thirsty.
Just as I raised my goblet to take a drink,
“Announcing the arrival of Princess Belakir of the Dark Elf Kingdom!”
Every eye in the hall turned toward the entrance.
Step.
Step.
A silver-haired Dark Elf entered, clad in armor rather than a formal gown.
Her crimson eyes gleamed eerily.
Could that princess be the cursed existence?
I quietly observed her.
Walking confidently to the center of the hall, the princess knelt before the Emperor.
Belakir slowly raised her head.
“...”
Glance.
Oh?
She definitely just looked at me.
For a split second, Belakir's gaze locked onto me instead of the Emperor.
As if she had sensed something.
“On behalf of Her Majesty Queen Irene, the Silver Queen of the Dark Elf Kingdom, I, Belakir, offer my greetings.”
Her voice rang out, cold as frost.
“Welcome to the Empire, Princess Belakir.”
“Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“I have heard much of the Princess's outstanding skills. You must surely be the pride and joy of the Queen.”
“You flatter me.”
“It is merely a pity that I must soon rob Irene of her joy.”
“I shall remain my mother's joy, now and forever.”
The atmosphere turned freezing in an instant.
It was even colder than when I had entered.
Why?
Because the Emperor and the Princess were essentially having that exact conversation:
“You're going to die here.”
“No, I'm not.”
“Your confidence is remarkable.”
“Not as remarkable as the youngest prince, who dares to enter the tournament despite being a mere human.”
“Hahaha!”
The Emperor burst into laughter.
“So she says. My youngest, what do you think?”
At the Emperor's question, I replied with a smirk.
“A bit dull for her last words.”