Beliac Village in Peril

“A big problem? What kind of problem?”

I sat up in bed and asked.

Elnoa Creiper. A former slave, she was one of the senior maids working at the mansion. She handled her duties well, and she and I had shared our bodies more than a few times. She had never caused any trouble, and she had even said herself that she was content with her current life. Her personality was the cheerful, easygoing sort as well.

In short, she had no sharp edges. For her to barge into my bedroom unannounced like this was a first. Since she had called it a big problem, something truly serious must have broken out. The last traces of sleep fled from me at once.

“It’s… Beliac Village is in danger!”

Elnoa cried out.

“…Beliac Village?”

I furrowed my brow and turned the name over in my mind. This war had expanded my territory. Naturally the number of villages under my rule had multiplied several times over.

But Beliac Village did not come readily to mind. It sounded familiar, yet where exactly was it?

“You’re speaking far too chaotically. Elnoa, do not overestimate our Master.”

Melissa entered from behind Elnoa as she spoke.

“Master. Beliac is Elnoa’s hometown.”

“Ah.”

I remembered.

Beliac was an elf village nestled deep in the Forest of Polemp within the western Vitrase Kingdom. The elf population living there numbered a little over six thousand. Even among the elf villages scattered across the continent, it ranked among the larger ones.

It was also a place I had been eyeing.

Anyone who knew anything knew the name of Beliac Village. The problem was the Forest of Polemp itself. One in ten who entered that forest vanished without a trace. Even veteran adventurers were no exception. To keep from losing one’s way inside, a guide from Beliac was essential.

I had planned to gently coax Elnoa and then march on Beliac Village to enslave every last elf there.

Without Yuria’s power the plan had been impossible, so I had shelved it for later. Then I had simply forgotten about it until this very moment.

Even now that it had resurfaced, I still could not march on Beliac and claim every elf as a slave. I lacked the strength. My army and knight order were in the thick of war ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up north, and Yuria had lost her power.

“Give me the details. What exactly happened?”

“The forest…! They’re saying the forest is on fire!”

“The Forest of Polemp? Why?”

“The Vitrase Kingdom sent an army after Beliac Village!”

“Why?”

“That’s…”

Elnoa’s voice trailed off. From the look of her she did not know the particulars either. She had simply rushed to me because Beliac was in danger.

My gaze shifted naturally to Melissa. She opened her mouth in her usual calm tone.

“I trust I need not explain the current state of the Vitrase Kingdom?”

“A little better off than the Balt Kingdom, which is on the brink of collapse.”

“They are cornered. And a few days ago a rumor began circulating through the capital of that cornered kingdom. A rumor that a powerful ancient relic lies within the Beliac elf village living in the Forest of Polemp.”

An ancient relic.

A rare object of mysterious and tremendous power.

“No one knows where the rumor started, yet most of the Vitrase Kingdom believes it. Their only basis is the rumor itself.”

Melissa’s lips curved upward on one side. She made no effort to hide her open scorn for the Vitrase Kingdom.

I kept my mouth shut. That baseless rumor happened to be true. Beliac Village did possess an ancient relic. The very reason the Forest of Polemp had become a deadly labyrinth was the power of that relic. Only a handful even within Beliac itself knew the truth. In the original story no such rumor had ever arisen.

“…Go on.”

“The king of Vitrase issued a royal decree to the Beliac elf village. Bring the ancient relic and offer it up.”

The Forest of Polemp belonged to the Vitrase Kingdom. Since Beliac Village sat inside that forest, a royal decree from the Vitrase king was not, in itself, strange.

“Beliac ignored it, of course.”

“Correct. How did you know?”

“Beliac Village has a longer history than the Vitrase Kingdom. And they never formally acknowledged belonging to Vitrase in the first place. From Beliac’s perspective there was no reason to listen to—or even answer—a Vitrase command.”

Melissa and Elnoa both looked impressed.

“…Master. Forgive me. It seems I have been underestimating you all this time…. I shall reflect.”

“….”

I could not work up any real indignation at Melissa’s words. Everything I had just said had been written in the original story, after all.

“Ahem. So the Vitrase king lost his temper and sent an army?”

“Exactly. Twelve thousand in total. Every soldier and knight he could still field. I hear five thousand of them are slave soldiers.”

“And the burning of the forest?”

“The Forest of Polemp is a bizarre place where one almost inevitably loses the way. It is also infamous for swarming with monsters, so they are burning it from the outer edges inward while advancing slowly, trying not to lose men.”

“They’re going all out.”

“That is how desperate the Vitrase Kingdom—more precisely the Vitrase royal house—has become.”

“But things will not go smoothly for them, will they?”

“The spirits are interfering, apparently. Even so they are advancing step by step. They do not know Beliac’s exact location, yet a result should appear within two weeks at the longest.”

Whatever that result, it would not be good for Beliac Village. I flicked a glance sideways. Yuria had already woken and was quietly watching the situation unfold while covering herself with the blanket.

“Master! Please help Beliac Village! I’ll do anything!”

Elnoa dropped to her knees on the floor.

“You’re already doing everything.”

“That’s true, but… still, if there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it! Please help us, Master! There are so many beautiful elf ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠women in Beliac Village!”

“….”

Elnoa knew me well.

I could not leave Beliac Village alone. Every elf in that village was mine. They had to be mine.

From here to the Forest of Polemp would take at least a month by carriage. It’s at the western edge of the continent. Factoring in wartime interference, two months would be more realistic.

Far too late.

In two months the army would already have swept Beliac Village clean and claimed the ancient relic.

“You appear to be thinking of a way to reach the Forest of Polemp.”

“Right. Going by carriage would be far too slow.”

“There is a method. Use a spatial transfer scroll.”

“…Spatial transfer scrolls require coordinates to be stored in advance. They are not items that simply take you wherever you wish.”

“There is a spatial transfer scroll set near the Forest of Polemp.”

“…There is? Why?”

“Not only near the Forest of Polemp. There are spatial transfer scrolls stored with coordinates for locations all across the continent. Do not ask me why. I did not prepare them—the head maid did, before she lost her memories. Truly a thorough head maid.”

Our gazes turned to Yuria. She wore a blank, bewildered expression; she had no memory of any of it.

Come to think of it, the last time we traveled south… there had also been a spatial transfer scroll Yuria had prepared.

Even after losing her memories, Yuria was still helping me.

I pulled the Yuria beside me into my arms and stroked her hair.

“Ah…”

Yuria looked briefly flustered, then quietly accepted my touch.

Next came the forces I would take with me.

I needed combat power capable of handling both the elves of Beliac Village and an army of twelve thousand.

“Master. Let me say this in advance. Aside from roughly three thousand slave soldiers, we currently have no usable forces. Do not forget that the soldiers and knight order are fighting the war in the north.”

“…And the AM Unit?”

“Who will guard the mansion? Melissa and the AM Unit must remain. The moment word leaks that Master is absent from the mansion, rebellion will break out as surely as the sun rises.”

Melissa was right. The AM Unit had to stay to protect the mansion. Splitting them in half was also too risky. Their main work was assassination; defending a mansion already prepared with multiple layers of security was a different matter entirely.

I have to leave the AM Unit behind. Melissa, their leader, as well. Nepia, the deputy head maid, handles mansion affairs well enough… but she is still immature when it comes to combat and strategy.

Then what forces could I take?

Only Elnoa and Yuria, who were right here. If this were the Yuria from before she lost her power and memories, it might be different. The present Yuria was merely at the peak of Aura Expert. The three of us alone felt precarious.

No other forces… Nepia is buried under mansion work.

My eyes met Melissa’s. Her expression was utterly serious.

“If you lack the capacity, abandoning the matter is also an option. It is unfortunate for Elnoa, but… Master should put his own safety first.”

“N-No! Master! Please help us!”

Elnoa pressed her forehead to the floor. I looked down at the back of her head for a moment, then an idea surfaced.

“If forces are lacking, we simply add more forces.”

“Planning to use guns or bombs? Drawing too much attention would be unwise for any number of reasons.”

“I know. I have another method.”

It was a bond summon that consumed no points.

Elena Valdert, the Illusion Duke of an empire that did not exist in this world, appeared in the center of the bedroom. In one hand she held a wine glass filled with red wine. Her short blue hair swayed softly along with the wine.

In the silence that filled the bedroom, Elena’s head slowly turned as she surveyed her surroundings. Melissa standing dumbfounded in surprise, Elnoa kneeling on the floor with her head bowed, Yuria simply nestled in my arms. After taking them all in one by one, she spoke.

“Aha. So this is another world. I understand. Yujin, if what you said is true, then time does not flow in my world. Since I am not a duke at present… in a way this could be considered a form of rest.”

Elena spoke with a face that looked somehow unburdened. She sat in the chair beside her, took a sip of wine, and continued.

“Well then, Yujin. Tell me. Why did you summon me?”

I roughly explained the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠current situation to her. That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yuria had lost her memories through a relic trial, that the entire continent of this world was at war, that an elf village called Beliac was now in danger, and that I had summoned Elena to save that village.

Elena listened while steadily drinking her wine. No matter how much she drank, the wine in her glass never diminished.

“Help me, Elena.”

“Very well.”

Elena answered simply. It was unexpected. I had thought she might refuse or grow angry.

“You look surprised that I agreed so readily.”

“…I figured even you would demand something at the very least.”

“I am already in the position of having been summoned by you. As a summoned being I ought to help, of course. And as for compensation…. I already owe you far too much on my side. Complete Recovery…. That skill is far too broken….”

I agreed with that assessment. Complete Recovery ranked among the very best of my skills. And for her, who used illusion arts at the cost of her own lifespan, it suited her better than anything else. The reason the wine in her glass never disappeared was her Illusion Butterfly Art, which turned illusion into reality.

“However.”

Clack.

She set the wine glass down on the table.

“How long do the two of you intend to stay glued together like that?”

Elena’s voice was cold.

I turned my head and met Yuria’s eyes. Her blue irises did not waver in the slightest. She seemed to be pretending she had not heard Elena’s words. There was not the faintest sign she intended to leave my side.

“Watching you two is starting to irritate me for no reason. Is this jealousy…?”

“It is jealousy. Come over here beside me too. While we’re at it, let’s have a threesome. Just thinking about it already has my cock throbbing.”

She laughed as if she could not believe what she was hearing.

“…No, never mind. I would like to take a look around this mansion once. I am curious about this world as well.”

I decided to respect Elena’s wishes and asked Melissa to show her around. Melissa led Elena out of the bedroom with a face full of wariness.

I also sent the tearful Elnoa out for the time being, then had morning… no, lunch sex with Yuria.