Chapter 64
Chapter 64
“You mean what you said earlier, that you wanted to ask me for a favor?”
Miron nodded and held out his empty cup.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I have another cup of coffee?”
Tabin had been the same—everyone seemed to love mix coffee.
Then again, in the real world too, people liked it regardless of age or gender.
“Here you go.”
Miron slowly savored the newly brewed mix coffee, then let out a satisfied breath.
“As expected, this coffee is the best I have ever tasted. Honestly, I wish—”
“Let’s leave the coffee discussion there. I’d like to hear the reason you came to see me.”
Since the conversation kept drifting into pointless topics, I cut him off and brought it back to the main subject.
Miron gave an awkward smile and set his cup down.
“The village where I live is located in the Ervrin Mountain Range in the northwestern part of the empire.”
If it was in the northwest, then it was extremely far even from Nubiar in the eastern part of the empire.
So that’s why that man questioned the elves during the meeting, asking why they were interfering when it wasn’t even their territory.
It did make me curious.
“The Ervrin Mountain Range has long been called the sacred land of the elves. That is where Lord Arke, the god we elves serve, sleeps.”
So the elves had a god as well. I was learning that for the first time.
“To reach the place where Lord Arke sleeps, you must cross a bridge. It is made by weaving together thin tree vines, and from a distance it looks like a slender thread.”
“Then it wouldn’t be able to support the weight of someone crossing it.”
“As expected, you immediately noticed the problem.”
Honestly, it would be stranger not to notice.
“As it happens, three years ago monsters and demonic creatures clashed in a battle, and the bridge was destroyed. Beneath it is a sheer cliff, and a rapid current flows below. Without a bridge, it is absolutely impossible to cross.”
Miron clasped his hands tightly together as he continued.
“For the past three years we have made many attempts to build a new bridge, but every attempt has failed. Even when we asked the dwarves, they shook their heads and said it would be too difficult.”
Oh, so dwarves existed in this world too.
“So that is why I am asking you. Please build a bridge so that we may reach the temple.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure.”
The answer had already been decided, but I pretended to think about it for a moment before replying.
“I think I mentioned this before—I don’t know how to build bridges. And if even the dwarves couldn’t do it, there’s no way I could.”
“The dwarves also failed to solve Belheim’s monsoon problem and the flooding of the Raed River in Nubiar.”
Miron stared directly at me, almost to the point of being uncomfortable.
“But Aileen succeeded. So I believe you will solve this as well.”
That only made the pressure worse.
“Please come with me to the Ervrin Mountain Range first. If you see the place yourself and still think it’s impossible, you can return then.”
Miron bowed his head politely, asking earnestly.
What should I do?
He was asking so sincerely that it was hard to refuse.
But if I accepted, the most likely outcome was that I would return having accomplished nothing. And more importantly, Calix Krauvel would never allow it.
He disliked elves.
Just as I was about to refuse, a System Window appeared before my eyes.
[CH3 Main Quest Open]
[3-1. Go to the Elf Forest in the Ervrin Mountain Range.]
[Reward: 50,000p]
Since the Chapter 2 quest had taken place in Nubiar, I had expected the next quest to occur in another region—but I hadn’t imagined it would be the Elf Forest.
Then I have to go.
And judging by the pattern of quests so far, there was a very high chance I would have to build the bridge too.
Honestly, this system is always causing trouble.
At this rate it might make me travel across the entire empire.
Actually, if it was only the empire, that would be fortunate. I was afraid it might make me roam the entire continent solving problems.
“If I go there and it still seems impossible, I can just come back, right?”
First I needed to make that point absolutely clear.
Perhaps taking it as a positive sign, Miron’s face brightened instantly.
“Yes, that’s correct. Does that mean you will accept my request?”
“I would like to, but I’m not sure if I can obtain the lord’s permission.”
“Don’t worry about that part.”
Miron answered confidently, as if he had a clever plan.
“I will obtain permission.”
“My lord, an elf named Eirenos Miron has come to see you.”
Calix, who had been reading the summer monsoon damage report in his office, raised an eyebrow at the butler’s words.
It had already been quite some time since Miron returned to the Elf Forest, and there had been no news, so Calix had begun to find it strange.
If there had still been no news by the end of the summer monsoon, he had planned to send word.
And yet Miron had come himself.
So I wasn’t deceived after all.
Calix chuckled softly and told the butler to let Miron in.
“Thank you for making time for me, Your Grace.”
Miron entered the office and bowed politely.
Seeing how much more respectful his attitude was compared to last time, Calix tilted his head slightly.
“I thought you came to fulfill your promise, but it seems you have another request.”
Miron smiled quietly, having been hit right on the mark.
“I did come to fulfill my promise. However, there is a matter that must be resolved first.”
“A matter to resolve?”
Miron nodded and repeated exactly what he had told Aileen.
“…So we would like Aileen to build a new bridge.”
“Ha.”
After hearing the entire story, Calix gave a hollow laugh and crossed his arms.
“So from the beginning you planned this—offering to let me meet your god.”
“That is not the case.”
Miron answered firmly.
“At first, we attempted to build the bridge by other means.”
“Other means?”
Miron nodded and continued in a lowered voice.
“When we held the negotiation meeting in Nubiar, you asked who had requested that we intervene.”
“I remember.”
“It was Arachne.”
Arachne—a demonic creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a spider that commanded tarantulas like subordinates.
Now that I think about it, a tarantula attacked Aileen before.
Could that also have been Arachne’s doing?
It seemed likely, but there was something Calix needed to confirm first.
“You elves go around boasting that you are noble beings chosen by the forest, yet you say you acted at the request of a mere demonic creature? And you expect me to believe that?”
“If you cannot believe it, there is nothing I can do. But it is the truth. Arachne promised that if we fulfilled her request, she would build a bridge using tarantula silk.”
Tarantula silk was incredibly strong—so strong that ordinary scissors could not cut it.
Given that reason, it became easier to understand why the elves had agreed to Arachne’s request. Calix gestured slightly for him to continue.
“Why did Arachne try to stop the retention basin and sluice gate construction in Nubiar? That place isn’t even a tarantula habitat.”
“She did not tell us the reason, so I do not know either. But when we told her that we could not keep our promise, she became furious. Judging from that, it seemed she truly wanted to stop the project somehow.”
“Is that so?”
Did Arachne hold some kind of grudge against Nubiar?
Calix quickly dismissed the thought. There was no reason for him to worry about affairs in another lord’s territory.
“So the deal with Arachne fell through, and now you want Aileen to build the bridge instead.”
“That is correct.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then Your Grace will not be able to meet Lord Arke.”
Calix asked sharply, but Miron answered without blinking.
“Without a bridge, it is impossible to reach the place where Lord Arke resides.”
“Are you threatening me right now?”
“Of course not. I am simply stating the facts.”
As if. Calix scoffed.
He had no desire to help Miron after being so neatly drawn into the elf’s carefully arranged scheme.
But the thought of being unable to meet Arke bothered him.
This was the first opportunity he had found while repeatedly experiencing the same nightmare.
And this is also the first time Belheim has avoided summer monsoon damage.
Calix looked down at the monsoon damage report. Though it was called a damage report, every line simply read no damage.
Aileen… that woman changed the future again.
When he thought about it, the chance to meet Arke had also come because of Aileen.
“Fine. We’ll do it.”
Thinking that he could not afford to miss this opportunity, Calix accepted Miron’s proposal.