Chapter 357: Bread and Dagger (55)
Chapter 357: Bread and Dagger (55)
What were Elves to humanity?
They were demons upon the earth and enemies of the Empire. Fallen fairies who slaughtered innocent, virtuous subjects and plundered resources.
The race once called the servants of the bow and spirits had fallen into such ruin.
In the eyes of humanity, Elves were closer to demonic beasts than demihumans. They were merely objects to be eliminated, managed, or avoided.
Yet, no one truly believed that Elves were an enemy capable of threatening the very survival of humanity.
The disparity in power between humans and Elves was clear.
While Elves could carry out small-scale raids, they were forced to turn tail and flee the moment a full-scale battle began. That steadfast belief supported the pride of humanity.
However, that was strictly the perspective of 'humanity.'
At this point, I recalled a question I hadn't been able to ask until now.
What about the Elves?
What was humanity to the Elves?
The answer to that self-reflection was already standing before me.
A heavy silence.
It felt as if the very atmosphere was crushing my lungs. The expressions of everyone in the party, excluding myself, were frozen stiff. And their complexions—how pale they were.
They were truly comparable to the snow covering the fields.
To the Elves, humanity was terror itself.
Beings who could erase their existence from the world at any moment; it would be more fitting to describe them as living natural disasters.
After all, the Elves possessed absolutely no means to resist humanity.
The village where I was staying was particularly small. If an armed force arrived, suppression would be simple.
It was a fact that even I noticed instantly.
There was no way the parties involved didn't know this. Cold sweat beaded on the foreheads of the Elves.
For a while, a silence as thin as ice persisted.
Old Man Pope maintained a heavy silence, and the others waited for the advice of the experienced elder. Since I wasn't an Elf to begin with, I decided to remain quiet.
This was a time to denounce humanity.
There was no reason for me to step forward and ruin the atmosphere. Old Man Pope also didn't seem to have any desire to pick a fight with me.
A low voice leaked from his lips.
"…It’s been quite some time since they left."
He spoke while tracing a finger through the thin layer of snow.
He was a man who had spent hundreds of years hunting. His word was reliable.
I heard the sound of someone in the group swallowing hard.
Old Man Pope let out a long sigh.
"There’s no need to be too frightened. They say it’s half a day’s distance, but to search this entire radius, they’d need a skilled guide… and they’d need time. Above all, this area is a hunting ground."
"Can the snow leopards stop them?"
"We can only hope they hold them back as much as possible. As you know, snow leopards have a habit of calling their kin when their territory is invaded."
To be precise, that wasn't a trait of snow leopards, but of demonic beasts.
Contaminated demonic beasts infect creatures of the same species. Whether a colony consciousness forms in the process or not, even animals that usually lived solitary lives would sometimes act in groups.
Even if they didn't, they would call their comrades when in danger. I suspected the snow leopard demonic beasts fell into this category.
At Old Man Pope’s words, Isha and Avian let out sighs of relief.
The fact that they still had time to prepare was important.
Rather than being attacked without knowing anything, it was better to have time to return to the village and share their thoughts. Then, an answer would emerge.
Whether they would migrate as a group or protect the village even if it meant death.
Old Man Pope was already groaning, his brow furrowed. Isha was the same.
It was understandable.
Avian and I had only recently become residents, but the two of them were different. The weight of the years they had spent in the village was not something to be taken lightly.
But what else could they do?
To live, they had no choice but to run.
That was a truth that wouldn't change whether one had lived in the village for decades or centuries. It was impossible for a mere dozen or so residents to face an army.
However, if there was any hope, it was that there weren't many footprints left in the campsite.
I asked, just in case.
"We could just follow them and nip the danger in the bud right now."
It was an opinion that seemed cruel at first glance.
Old Man Pope and Isha’s eyes turned blankly toward me, as if they hadn't expected me to suggest eliminating my own kind.
Even as I said it, I thought, Ah, right.
The identity of the footprints' owners hadn't been revealed yet. What if they belonged to the Yurdina army?
I had essentially just asked if I could kill my own allies.
But since I had already started, I continued.
Feigning a nonchalant voice, I asked again.
"There are many demonic beasts around here anyway. I don't think they'll send out an additional search party just because someone went missing in the forest…."
"No."
Old Man Pope replied, shaking his head.
When my eyes turned toward him inquisitively, he added an explanation.
"Just as you said, there are too many snow leopards here. And the intruders have just finished grating on their nerves… do you understand what that means?"
"They’ll be looking for something to vent their anger on."
"Or they’ve already finished venting and are looking for food."
A deep sigh escaped Old Man Pope’s mouth.
"We have to withdraw. It’s become too dangerous."
I nodded silently.
In times like this, it was right to follow the advice of an experienced hunter. Avian also trembled at the mention of 'snow leopards' and immediately expressed her agreement.
The one who offered a dissenting opinion was Isha.
"B-but, Old Man Pope!"
At that desperate voice, the group, which had been turning to leave, stopped.
Led by Old Man Pope, our gazes turned toward Isha. Isha hesitated for a moment under the sudden attention, but before long, she raised her voice again.
It was a heartfelt plea.
"The food ran out a long time ago… at this rate, the young Elves will be the first to starve to death. And you said humans are nearby. That makes it even harder to go out and hunt!"
"Isha…."
Old Man Pope bit his lip, showing signs of hesitation.
However, age teaches the virtue of restraint.
The judgment of an elder who had lived for hundreds of years was always precise.
"No. If we die now, there will be no Elves left to hunt next time. We have no choice but to survive on tree porridge somehow."
"But…."
"Isha."
In the end, Isha could not break Old Man Pope’s will.
She merely lowered her head with a gloomy face. It was a sign of submission.
Leaving this behind, Old Man Pope turned his steps once more. His final demand was as follows:
"Be careful not to leave any traces. Do not give those humans a clue."
His voice still carried a faint trace of fear.
Following Old Man Pope, who took the lead, we began our retreat, doing our best not to leave any tracks.
Of course, it wasn't as if there was no conversation between us.
I threw a joke at the dejected-looking Isha.
It was my way of trying to comfort her.
"Isha, can't you let me go now? It’ll be dangerous if a snow leopard attacks."
It was half-serious and half-joking.
If I really wanted to, I could throw off these restraints whenever I pleased. I simply hadn't done so to earn the Elves' trust.
Unaware of my inner thoughts, Isha snapped back.
"Absolutely not!"
The way she glared at me was quite fierce.
It was as if she resented me.
Perhaps her hostility toward humans had been directed at me. I simply shrugged my shoulders.
"Who knows when you might side with the humans?! I’m never letting you go. So don't even dream about it!"
It was a simple venting of anger.
I decided to gladly become the sacrifice, as I felt Isha’s mood had lightened somewhat because of it.
Besides, no matter how angry she got, she couldn't actually harm me.
However, there was one point I felt was unfair, so I spoke up in my defense.
"No, didn't you just hear me? I’m on the Elves' side. That’s why I even suggested taking out my own kind…."
"Don't do that."
It was Old Man Pope’s advice.
Isha and I, who had been whispering, immediately looked at him. But he didn't even show any sign of looking back.
He simply spoke again as he silently trudged through the snowfield.
"You are a human. You shouldn't speak lightly of killing your own kind… you will regret it someday. You say you’re on the Elves' side for now, but well."
Then came a snort.
In the gaps of his words, I felt a worn-down shard of glass.
It was a fragment of sorrow that had dug so deep it felt like a wound.
"…I wonder how long you can hold out."
After that, the forest fell back into silence.
Isha and I exchanged blank looks, shook our heads at each other, and resumed our walk.
It wasn't the first or second time Old Man Pope had said something incomprehensible.
But the silence didn't last long.
Grrrr.
At the sound, my body came to a dead stop.
Isha frowned slightly and asked.
"What are you doing? Hurry up."
An answer wasn't necessary.
Before long, Old Man Pope’s steps stopped. Next was Avian, and finally, Isha.
Soon, the raspy breathing of beasts filled the air.
Snow leopards.
Blue eyes flickered between the shadows of the trees. They had surrounded their prey, running without making a sound.
Avian’s face turned pale again.
She was particularly terrified of snow leopards. There was no way her body wouldn't freeze upon seeing over a dozen of them.
Old Man Pope cried out in desperation.
"Everyone, run!"
The sound of sprinting echoed across the snowfield.
Actually, I had no intention of running, but since Isha was pulling me so desperately, I decided to go along with it for now.
A midday chase began.
The sound of the wind whistled every time our feet sank into the snow and moss. It was the sound of the snow leopards giving chase.
No matter how fast a two-legged beast was, it couldn't outrun a four-legged one.
Before long, the first scream rang out.
"Kyaak!"
It was Isha.
She had been slowed down by dragging me, whose hands were tied.
Unable to resist the opening, the snow leopards pounced. The first to react was Old Man Pope.
"Isha!"
Old Man Pope gritted his teeth and mumbled a spell. A sudden gale blew, and tree roots surged up, surrounding Isha and me.
Avian had already fallen into a state of panic.
She was shivering with her head buried in the ground. I couldn't even tell why she feared snow leopards so much.
Just before the snow leopards pounced on Old Man Pope, I spoke from between the tree roots.
"Can I take these off now?"
"W-what…?"
Isha asked stammeringly. Even then, screams were echoing outside.
There was no time.
So, I put strength into my forearms and asked again.
"You told me never to undo these restraints."
When I asked while lifting my wrists, Isha shouted in a burst of emotion.
"You idiot, is this the time to worry about that?! Just run!"
Snap.
The wooden vines scattered, and Isha’s eyes widened. As if I had been waiting for this, I immediately reached for my waist.
There were three snow leopards targeting Old Man Pope.
Just right.
A streak of pure white light tore through the air.
A silver trajectory drawn on the canvas of frozen time—at its end, crimson blood erupted.
It was the result of one snow leopard’s skull bursting as it pounced on Old Man Pope.
And then, thwack, another splash of color exploded as the trajectory shifted.
Only then did the remaining snow leopard slowly move its blue pupils.
Reflected in those eyes was a pale blue blade.
Thud.
A hand axe embedded itself between its eyes, and its eyeballs popped out.
It was because they couldn't withstand the pressure. The result, of course, was instant death.
A single second—no, less than that. That was all the time needed to finish off three snow leopards.
Silence descended.
Even the snow leopards that had been burning with killing intent made no movement. They simply lowered their stances, staring at one spot with frozen gazes.
I stood at the center.
Creeeak.
Pushing through the tree roots, my body faced the cold air.
Hooo.
The breath I exhaled scattered into white mist. It had been a long time since I’d fought.
And when I raised my hand, the hand axe came flying back with a snap.
Blood and brain matter dripped from the axe blade. The viscous liquid flowed down and soaked my hand, but I didn't care.
I’d be getting a lot more on me soon anyway.
A bitter smile played on my lips.
"Over a dozen, huh…."
The first demonic beasts I had faced were wolves.
Had I caught ten back then?
"Not bad."
Then today, I would catch five more than that.
The demonic beasts that met my ominous gaze took a step back. I could hear them howling, Awoooo, calling for help.
Yet, there wasn't even a tremor in my body.
I was going to hunt today.
It was the first resolution I had ever made for the sake of the Elves.