Chapter 74: Uninvited Guest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 74: Uninvited Guest
Asilla Banel made her way toward the city gate under the cover of night.
It had been fifty years since her skills were recognized at a relatively young age, making her the leader of the Capital Defense Force's 3rd Reconnaissance Team.
Her team was in charge of Sector 14, where their main duties were to monitor those passing through, investigate any unusual phenomena in the forest, and keep track of the magical beast population.
Asilla was busy with preparations for an upcoming mission, but her mind was preoccupied with a rumor she had heard during the day.
It was a rumor that humans outside the Great Forest thought of the reconnaissance rangers as bloodthirsty maniacs who tried to kill any human on sight.
A moment's thought would reveal it was a misunderstanding, but on the other hand, she couldn't deny that the situation made such rumors inevitable.
Currently, Peledeia was on the brink of a great war.
The declaration of war by the Northern Empire, a great power that commanded the continent, had thrown international politics into turmoil, which in turn had a negative impact on domestic affairs. It was only natural that public sentiment, which was already poor, had grown even more hostile.
As a result, the directives within the Capital Defense Force had inevitably become harsher.
-Raise surveillance of other races passing through the Great Forest to the highest level. If anyone is deemed suspicious, they may be arrested immediately.
This was especially severe when it came to humans.
The Northern Empire was famous for having little interaction with other races. In fact, among the other races, their perception of the Northern Empire was close to the worst imaginable.
Because of this, even as a state of war approached, the surveillance and response toward other races remained largely unchanged from normal times. Humans, however, were a different story.
The vague idea that if ten humans passed through the Great Forest, all ten might be spies from the Northern Empire, naturally led to rougher treatment of humans.
Asilla let out a heavy sigh at the current situation, where anti-elf sentiment was stirring among humans, and anti-human sentiment was brewing among elves.
So much had changed in just 200 years.
Starting with the fall of the Goddess's Church, which had once revered elves as objects of faith, a series of incidents, both large and small, had been casting a dark shadow over Peledeia's future.
And now, as if that weren't enough, they were facing a war with the military powerhouse, the Northern Empire.
‘...O, World Tree. Please watch over the future of us elves.’
Asilla prayed quietly, gazing at the Divine Tree of the World Tree, the largest in the Great Forest.
On a night made unusually bright by the full moon, Asilla led her team members toward their designated sector for their nightly patrol, just like any other day.
As she moved forward, stepping on branches, her eyes didn't miss even the slightest movement of a small animal.
Although she hadn't reached the level of an Aura Expert, as an Aura User who could also command a low-rank wind spirit, her movements were precise and swift.
If she didn't intentionally slow down, the other team members would struggle to keep up.
Then, something strange caught her eye.
‘...A tent?’
The closer she got, the clearer it became.
The more she thought about it, the stranger it was.
Sector 14, her jurisdiction, was a dangerous area where powerful magical beasts frequently appeared, making it unsuitable for a campsite.
No matter how little knowledge other races had of the Great Forest, if they had decided to pass through here, they would have at least hired a guide.
And a guide wouldn't have missed the magical beast tracks, droppings, and territorial markings scattered all around this area?
That was impossible.
Asilla's gaze turned cold.
In cases like this, it was usually one of two things: either their party included a powerful individual who could handle the magical beasts, or they had a reason to act so covertly that they had to spend the night in an area teeming with them.
Asilla immediately signaled her team members.
‘Pure and Brillit, take the left. The rest of you, surround the right.’
The most crucial position, the front, naturally fell to Asilla. The 3rd Reconnaissance Team quickly formed up, their hands on the hilts of their swords, maintaining their tension.
They even had an emergency flare ready, just in case.
“You in the tent, disarm yourselves and come out immediately! You have trespassed into a restricted zone of the Kingdom of Peledeia!”
Of course, Sector 14 wasn't actually a restricted zone.
This was a kind of bluff. Entering a state-controlled area was a serious matter, so if they were ordinary merchants or adventurers, they would likely plead their innocence and beg forgiveness for their ignorance rather than resist.
Asilla hoped they would cooperate peacefully. They could be taken to the city without any need for bloodshed, and if an interrogation proved their innocence, they would be released quietly.
If they refused to cooperate and tried to flee, however, she would have no choice but to use force.
And Asilla knew better than anyone that things didn't always go as hoped.
Twenty seconds passed since they had surrounded the tent.
If they were truly innocent, they would have been flustered and making a commotion by now, but the tent was so quiet it was as if no one was inside.
‘...Sylphid, if someone attacks me and my friends, can you protect us?’
At her question, the low-rank wind spirit, Sylphid, nodded.
She had a bad feeling.
“...I will count to three! If you do not come out by then, we will use force—”
Shhhk-
Before Asilla could finish her final warning, someone walked out of the tent.
Just then, the clouds that had been covering the moon were blown away by the wind, and a gentle moonlight brightly illuminated the forest.
“A human...?”
The one who emerged from the tent was a human male, a head and a half taller than her.
In that instant, Asilla's eyes narrowed.
At this time, nine out of ten humans who entered the Great Forest were commoners who knew nothing of international politics. But the remaining one was a spy sent by the Northern Empire.
Judging by his build and the aura he exuded, the human before her was no commoner.
“...If you wish to surrender, please hold both hands out in front of you. As long as you do not offer futile resistance, your safety will be guaranteed.”
This was less of a warning and more of a recommendation.
In Asilla's mind, she was already certain that Kang Hyun-woo was a spy from the Northern Empire or someone of similar standing.
“Six of them.”
But just by the fighting spirit in the man's eyes, she could tell he had no intention of surrendering.
It was a touch-and-go situation.
The moment her team members’ swords were halfway out of their scabbards, it was the human man who moved first.
A fierce wave of magic power spread out from him in all directions.
A pressure so intense it sent a chill down their spines bore down on the 3rd Reconnaissance Team, but Asilla and her members immediately drew their swords and charged.
The fact that their legs didn't give out and cause them to collapse pathetically was already worthy of praise.
However.
[Extreme Speed]
“...Huh?”
Just 0.8 seconds.
If they had been given that much time, Asilla would have blocked Kang Hyun-woo from the front while the other four members attacked his flanks and rear. The last member would have set off the emergency flare to prepare for any enemy reinforcements.
But not only did Asilla fail to block him, the emergency flare was never even fired.
The moment a flash of light sparked under the full moon, only Asilla collapsed, aware that she had been struck by something.
That was her last memory.
*
“Is this about right?”
As night deepened, the elves who had surrounded the tent and intimidated innocent citizens like Iris and me became one with the trees.
At first, I just tied the six unconscious figures to tree trunks with a few loops of rope, but that didn't seem like enough, so I also tied their wrists and ankles quite thoroughly.
It was my first time doing it, but I was rather proud of how well it turned out.
“Anyway, they're all women.”
It seemed Peledeia was seriously lacking in men.
“That's because talent for being a ranger is usually innate in females.”
Iris, who had emerged from the tent at some point, was rummaging through the pockets of the women tied to the trees.
“Find anything?”
“Yes, I believe they are a reconnaissance team from the Capital Defense Force.”
“Oh, did you find a unit insignia or something?”
Iris shook her head at my question.
“Reconnaissance teams, in principle, are not allowed to carry anything that could reveal their identity in case they are captured by the enemy. However, the swords they wear at their waists are weapons issued only to the Capital Defense Force.”
Iris handed me a sword.
At first glance, it was an ordinary iron sword with no distinguishing features or patterns.
“It looks like a normal sword, but the entire blade is actually a cipher. It's a Class-1 secret, but it seems they still haven't changed it.”
“Isn't it because of budget cuts?”
“I wonder...”
Iris seemed to be pondering something, a look of suspicion on her face.
To give her some time to think, I walked over to the elves tied to the trees.
I had thought their voices and figures seemed feminine, but I never imagined the entire unit would be composed of women.
‘I went easy on them just in case. Good thing I did.’
If I'd been sure they were men, I would have killed all of them except for one to answer my questions.
Their crime of interrupting my happy time with Iris was that great. In fact, I wanted to wake them up right now and ask them all sorts of questions, but I held back for Iris's sake.
She wouldn't like seeing me treat her own kind—her former people—so harshly.
The figures tied to the trees were all dressed in dark clothing and wore masks, befitting their title as rangers. Anyone seeing them would have mistaken them for assassins.
I removed the mask of the woman who had been the only one to react, however slightly, to my attack. She was probably the highest-ranking one.
Beyond the mask, as expected of an elf, was a sleeping woman of a beauty not easily found.
“...A dark elf?”
Unlike Iris, however, her skin was dark.
“Hyun-woo, is something wrong... A dark elf...?”
Iris's reaction upon seeing the masked woman was strange.
She looked even more bewildered than I was, and I was seeing a dark elf for the first time.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“...Dark elves are a minority tribe that lives throughout the Great Forest. Because of their laws, it's impossible for them to enlist in the kingdom's army.”
Iris frowned, her mind clearly tangled in a growing web of questions.
“...Iris, there's something I need to tell you. Do you have a moment?”
Seeing her like that, I had no choice but to explain Peledeia's current situation and the various circumstances I had learned from the World Tree.
Now that we had escaped the underground cavern, there was no reason to hide it anymore.
Of course, I didn't know much myself, but just hearing about the Northern Empire's declaration of war made Iris's face go pale. However, when I told her we were heading to the Santala Kingdom to remove her sealing device, she seemed to regain some of her spirits, her expression brightening considerably.
Still, she seemed to have a lot to think about, and she excused herself for a moment.
Since it had come to this, I decided to wake up the sleeping dark elf first.
Since I couldn't let them see Iris's face anyway, it was right for me to handle the interrogation alone.
I lightly tapped the cheek of the dark elf, who was dead to the world.
“Ugh, ugh...”
Seriously, is this really a reconnaissance team?
She's still not waking up?
I couldn't hit her hard with Iris watching, so I had no choice but to pour a cup of water over her head.
Splash—
“Hyaak?!!”
With cold water suddenly splashing on her head, the dark elf finally shot up with a start.
“Sleep well?”
The moment the dark elf's eyes met mine, she immediately scanned her surroundings, looked at her bound self and comrades, and then glared at me with fierce eyes.
Not that glaring is going to get her untied.
“If you just answer my questions, I won't do anything rough—”
“Kill me!”
“...?”
What the hell.
“It's obvious what a spy from the despicable empire wants. If you're after the kingdom's secrets, you've got the wrong person.”
The dark elf woman lifted one corner of her mouth in a smirk that didn't suit her at all.
“...So what, you're going to kill yourself?”
“I wouldn't be against it.”
Seeing her suddenly open her mouth and stick out her tongue, I immediately stuffed a piece of cloth in it and tied the remaining rope around her mouth to gag her.
This bitch is completely insane.
Of course, a person can't die just from biting their tongue. It just hurts like hell. It takes a considerable amount of time to die from blood loss.
But that only applies to ordinary people.
Someone with magic could bite off their own tongue and swallow it to reverse-circulate their magic and make it go berserk.
It was an easy way to commit suicide when the use of magic was restricted.
Judging by her expression, she planned to kill herself the moment I removed the gag.
She didn't seem to have any intention of listening to my side of the story.
As I looked at the dark elf glaring at me with defiant eyes, my blood began to boil all over again.
Looking at the situation objectively, I was the victim.
It was like I was in my studio apartment, about to have some happy time with my girlfriend, when the cops suddenly burst in, treated me like a criminal, and tried to arrest me.
The back of my neck stiffened and a curse rose to my lips, but I decided to let it slide once.
They had their jobs to do, after all.
But I gave her a chance, and she threw it back in my face and glared at me?
I wanted to conduct this interrogation like a gentleman, but she was the one who refused first.
There was only one place for my anger-filled hand to go.
“...Mph?! Mmmph!! Mph-mph!!!”
At the touch of my hand grabbing her breast, the dark elf woman, who had seemed like she wouldn't bat an eye no matter what I did, began to struggle violently.
“From now on, I'll treat you like a gentleman.”