Darkness, Light, and the Elf
Darkness, Light, and the Elf
The reason we didn't use regular explosive shells was because of the risk of friendly fire.
I'd only fired them a few times in training, and it wasn't even my assigned duty.
'Darkness concealment magic is useless in bright places. Just illuminating their field of vision should be enough.'
"Lord Deville! Please assist me!"
"You mean help you use that magical device? What should I do?"
"First, dig deep into the ground and drive this in!"
"Understood!"
Lord Deville swiftly gouged out the earth with his aura-infused machete, then simply pressed the baseplate into the ground with his bare hands.
'Is this... mana muscle?'
I used the deeply dug terrain to set the barrel angle to 90 degrees.
"Please pile up soil on the opposite side to brace the body so it doesn't fall over."
"Understood!"
If it tips over, it's a complete disaster. At the very least, I would die.
"You're launching something with that? I've seen similar magical devices."
"Correct. Please brace yourselves for the sound and shock."
"You heard him? No one be alarmed!"
I prepared to fire the illumination shell without adding any range charges.
'With this, the range was 800, wasn't it?'
My memory is a bit hazy.
Anyway, it doesn't matter since I'm firing at the minimum range.
"Three, two, one, fire!"
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The illumination shell soared vertically high into the sky, then slowly descended, emitting a brilliant light.
I flipped up one lens of my night vision goggles and checked with my naked eye.
The elf soldiers who had concealed themselves with darkness concealment were all completely exposed.
Like cockroaches suddenly losing their hiding places under an abruptly risen sun.
"Major Piel! What in the world is this magic!"
Lord Deville's eyes widened in astonishment.
The soldiers remaining around me were also shocked.
This reaction, very satisfying.
"Continuing! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!"
The box of illumination shells I was supplied with contained a total of 50 rounds.
I kept firing illumination shells high into the sky so the darkness couldn't operate.
"Major Piel! I roughly understand what kind of magical device this is! I'll adjust the angle!"
"If you touch it with your bare hands like that, it's ho—, huh?"
"Hahaha, if you use aura, this much is nothing. Now, hurry and load it in."
I briefly mistook a biological weapon that expends tens of thousands of kilocalories a day for a regular human.
Dvil firmly gripped the barrel with both hands.
I loaded the illumination shell.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
"Euhaha! This way, our allies can see the elf bastards more accurately!"
"H-how are you dropping them so precisely over the bastards' heads?"
"Because I watched roughly how far they flew! A knight is useless if he can't do this much!"
Is this what they call instinct?
It's like he has an angle adjuster installed in his hand.
Dvil adjusted the muzzle angle so that the illumination shells poured down exactly over the elves' heads.
'Wow, knights are freaking awesome.'
Literally, a living aiming sight.
***
Hildea charged without hesitation.
With the darkness lifted and their concealment broken, the elf archers were no longer a threat.
The soldiers also dodged arrows by ducking low at the moment the elves released their bowstrings.
Casualties decreased significantly, and the distance was closed in an instant.
Kwa-kwa-kwang! Ku-gu-gung!
The thunderous explosions were ceaseless.
The small sun blooming in the night sky kindly fell over the elves' heads, illuminating the surroundings even brighter.
Hildea felt like tears were welling up.
'Major Piel! Thank you so much!'
Hwareureureuk!
An aura blade, soaring higher than ever before, displayed her resolute will.
"Show no mercy, but capture any individuals that can be taken alive!"
The advantage was overturned in an instant.
***
Without needing explosive shells, it was all over with just illumination shells.
The battlefield was cleaned up in no time.
I checked the distance with my night-vision telescopic sight.
"Lord Deville, it seems our allies are coming."
"What? You can see that? Truly amazing!"
In my eyes, you turning the barrel this way and that with your bare hands without a tripod looks even more amazing.
Does it make sense that you watched the parabolic arc of the illumination shells a few times and now you're precisely dropping them over the elves' heads?
'Alright, Lord Deville. From now on, you are a mortar gunner.'
Our allies finally arrived.
At the front was Rebecca, holding her bow.
"Major Piel!"
The moment she saw me, she ran over with a bright smile.
"I'm so glad you're safe! I was so worried! Why does the Commander-in-Chief drag Piel into such a dangerous battlefield anyway?"
"It wasn't particularly dangerous."
Dvil interjected with an uncomfortable expression.
"Commander Rebecca, if Piel hadn't come, we might have been annihilated. Thousands of elf archers were concealed with darkness concealment and were firing arrows unilaterally."
"Thousands of elves? Is that true?"
Rebecca was horrified.
"Why on earth would those bastards? Without even their enslaved plant monsters?"
"We don't know. We'll have to interrogate the prisoners."
"Could it be that they lost so many Ancient Tree monsters last time that they've run out of reserves?"
"I hope that's the case."
The battle was completely over.
Before we knew it, the clouds had cleared, and the moonlight was revealed.
It changed from pitch-black darkness to a somewhat very dark night.
'Still, I shouldn't let my guard down.'
While scanning the surroundings with the right lens of my night vision goggles, I discovered something strange.
A single human heat signature.
I could see it standing alone in a completely isolated spot.
"Commander Rebecca, you have good eyes, right?"
"Of course. I am a Bow Master, after all."
"Can you see a person standing alone in that direction over there?"
"An elf?"
"I think so."
Rebecca checked the direction I subtly indicated, then shook her head slightly.
"I can't see it. It seems to be hiding with darkness concealment."
"If you use this, would a snipe be possible?"
"Those magic eye glasses? Let me try them on."
I placed the night vision goggles on Rebecca.
Rebecca, still holding her bow, suddenly trembled.
"Good heavens... everywhere looks like broad daylight, doesn't it? And I can see everyone clearly. This magical device is truly incredible! I've never even heard of such a thing!"
Rebecca, who had been trembling with emotion, nocked an arrow to her bowstring with a wicked smile.
"You're dead."
***
Wearing the night vision goggles Piel gave her, Rebecca drew the bowstring taut, aiming the arrowhead toward the ground.
It would be troublesome if the elf mage noticed.
She had to aim in one breath and release the arrow.
'To be able to see an elf mage using darkness concealment magic this clearly...!'
Aura shimmered on the arrowhead.
After steadying her breath and raising her concentration to the limit.
Rebecca launched an aura arrow straight at the elf's heat signature.
Kwa-kwang!
The arrow flew in an instant, and a thunderous explosion rang out.
Simultaneously.
"Kkiyaaaaaaak!"
A sharp woman's scream.
Rebecca confirmed the elf's heat signature collapsing as if falling.
"Damn! It was blocked by a shield spell! One more shot!"
Another aura arrow flew.
But this time was different.
The arrow exploded before reaching the elf.
It had been blocked by an additional powerful defensive spell.
"Pursue! Follow me!"
"Yes!"
Rebecca took the lead, and her knights drew their swords and followed behind.
The elf's heat signature, having staggered to its feet, began fleeing toward the horizon.
"I won't lose it... What? Why is it so fast?"
"It seems to have used an acceleration spell!"
"Damn, we can't lose it!"
Rebecca fired aura arrows while running.
But without any further hits, the elf completely vanished far into the distance.
"Damn, it got away."
Rebecca stood tall on the spot, grinding her teeth in regret.
Piel, who had hurriedly followed on horseback, asked in disbelief.
"It got away?"
"Some kind of magic, it fled at incredible speed. I don't think there's any point in chasing further."
"Do you see any bloodstains?"
"Judging by how the trail cut off, it seems it used hemostasis or immediate healing. But this thing even clearly shows blood that's fallen on the ground? Amazing."
"It detects the heat contained in the blood. So once it cools, it becomes invisible."
"That's even more amazing. Seeing invisible heat. What kind of great mage could have made such a magical device?"
Rebecca, Piel, and the knights returned to the main camp.
The soldiers were diligently gathering the elf corpses into one place.
On one side, the captured elves were tied up.
Seeing Piel, Hildea beamed brightly and grabbed both of his elbows.
"Major Piel! This is all your achievement! If you hadn't driven away the darkness by launching small suns into the sky, we would have been annihilated!"
"I saw it on my way here too. Thanks to that, we knew the exact location and could join up quickly. It was truly amazing."
Vice-commander Dvil, who had carefully carried the mortar over, also spared no worship and praise.
"It's a truly astonishing magical device! With just this, we no longer have to fear the elves' ambush tactics using darkness!"
The eyes of the commanders looking at Piel were filled with admiration and amazement.
'That magical device... must be expensive, right?'
'Just how wealthy is Piel's maternal family?'
A family beyond explanation or speculation.
Having personally experienced the power of the illumination shells, Hildea clenched her fist.
While glaring invisibly at Rebecca, who was beaming with eye-smiles.
'I will absolutely not let Major Piel be taken away to the 4th Army.'
Fortunately, since she was the Corps Commander, no matter what tricks Rebecca tried, there would be no transfer for Piel.
It was then.
Vice-commander Basel came running hurriedly, his face pale.
At his urgent expression, Hildea's face hardened too.
"Sir Basel? What is the matter?"
"While searching the dead elves' bodies, we discovered something astonishing."
"Something astonishing?"
"It would be better for you to see it directly."
"Lead the way. Major Piel, you come with us too."
"Yes, Commander."
"Major?"
"...Understood, Commander Hildea."
Only then did Hildea step forward with a satisfied look.
***
I nearly vomited upon seeing the elf corpses stripped naked for the body search.
It wasn't because seeing corpses disgusted me.
I had seen the fallen many times before.
The elves were missing something that should have been there.
"Look. They are all identical. They are neither male nor female. They all have male faces and body types, but they are not true males."
Judging by their faces and builds, they were without exception handsome men.
So I naturally assumed they were male elves.
'They have no reproductive organs?'
Where their genitals should have been, there was nothing, just smooth skin.
A sudden thought struck me, and I ordered a soldier.
"You, soldier! Spread the elf corpse's buttocks and check for an anus."
"Understood!"
The soldier spread the buttocks, examined it closely, and then shouted in horror.
"There is no anus!"
"Check the other corpses too!"
"Yes!"
The expressions of Piel, Rebecca, and the commanders were also colored with shock and horror.
There were no exceptions.
All had handsome male-type faces and body types, and lacked reproductive organs and anuses.
There weren't even vestigial organs.
"This is insane."
"How can this be...."
I asked the two commanders.
"Is this your first time killing an elf?"
"...We have succeeded in killing elves before. But because of the plant monster legions, we've never secured a corpse. Other elves always retrieved them."
Rebecca bit her nails.
"If they lack even reproductive organs and anuses, how do the elves excrete? No, what do they even eat to live in the first place?"
I suddenly thought of wasps.
When spring comes, the queen wakes from hibernation and does everything alone—building the nest, hunting, raising the young.
Once the eggs hatch, the worker wasps come out to work, and the queen focuses only on laying eggs.
In autumn, new queens are born, and when winter comes, all the other individuals die except the new queens.
Drones, workers, even the old queen.
And only the lone new queen enters hibernation to prepare for the next year.
"This is my hypothesis. These creatures may not contribute to the reproduction of their species and might be degenerated individuals specialized solely for combat."
"Understood. So they're a kind of slave class."
"So they are born without reproductive organs and anuses from the start? But they have to eat something to have strength, don't they?"
"For now, two speculations come to mind."
I swept my eyes over the surviving elf prisoners.
There was no more fear in their eyes.
"One is that they starve to death once they exhaust the life force given to them at birth. Meaning, a time-limited life."
Rather than resignation, it seemed like they simply acknowledged and accepted the situation itself.
Like fanatics accepting their fate.
Hildea asked urgently.
"Then what's the other one? What do you speculate?"
"I think we'll have to confirm that when day breaks. But I have a feeling this one is correct."
Dawn was breaking before we knew it.
As the sunlight shone on the surviving elves, an astonishing thing happened.
"The elves' hair color is changing...!"
Their hair, which had been dry and white, was turning a fresh, verdant green.
Just as I expected, it was photosynthesis.