Chapter 35
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: After the Raid
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Stepping into the warehouse, Rocana frowned at the gruesome sight before her.
Humans who appeared to be nobles were venting their anger.
Among them, the most prominent was none other than Duke Detoa.
He was locked in a heated argument with Winsor's subordinates, who had surrounded him as if taking him into custody.
"Duke Detoa. We've uncovered evidence that a slave auction was held here."
"Hmph! I know that already! Those insolent fools! How dare they pull this outrageous stunt in my territory! And to top it off, they invite me here!"
Duke Detoa flew into a rage.
He had already figured out that these men were under the Crown Prince's command, which was why he was thrashing about desperately, trying to wriggle out of this situation.
There was no way he hadn't known this place was a slave market.
This spot was undoubtedly tied to Duke Detoa, but he had to play innocent right up to the end regarding this incident.
He wasn't a fool.
He wasn't naive enough not to realize what kind of disaster being caught red-handed here would bring.
"Let me go. I'll bring my soldiers and arrest everyone here."
No matter that it was an order from the old king— a royal decree was still a royal decree.
Defying it constituted treason.
Even for a ducal house, getting entangled in this affair would deliver a massive political blow.
And right now, there was no one here with the authority to stop Duke Detoa.
Setting aside the royals, he was one of the highest nobles in the Adea Kingdom, with power that ranked among the top ten in the realm.
Even if the raiders here were acting on the Crown Prince's orders, they lacked the clout to prevent Duke Detoa from simply walking away.
Watching the scene silently, Rocana could tell at a glance—from her centuries of experience—that he was the highest-ranking human present.
She also saw through his attempt to use his position to slither out of trouble.
"Are you the highest-ranking noble here?"
At the emotionless yet clear, resonant voice, Duke Detoa and his protectors froze.
"Who are you?"
Sensing she was no ordinary figure, Duke Detoa furrowed his brow and asked uncomfortably. Without hesitation, Rocana pulled back her hood.
The moment her face came into view, everyone gasped in unison.
It wasn't just Duke Detoa.
The sudden appearance of a rare elf brought an instant hush to the chaotic warehouse interior.
Rocana brushed her light green hair back as if tidying it, her emotionless red eyes fixed ahead.
"My name is Rocana. I've come to punish those who captured my kin here. As the highest-ranking one, you should grasp the situation well enough."
Her red eyes flashed dangerously, and at the name Rocana, Duke Detoa and everyone else in the warehouse looked stunned.
"Anyone who acts rashly from here on will be treated as an enemy and killed."
Her threatening tone silenced them all.
Leria tilted her head as Eirana approached.
'Why did that monster suddenly stop moving? Lady Eirana's walking over casually... did she win?'
From the atmosphere, it was clear Eirana had won, but Leria had no idea what had just happened.
As she watched tensely, Leria flinched.
The iron giant's sword split vertically and clattered to the ground.
It wasn't just the sword.
Blood sprayed from a vertical gash in its body, soon followed by it splitting into pieces, organs and blood spilling out as the massive form collapsed.
Seeing this, Leria clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the vomit rising unbidden.
Noticing Leria's reaction, Eirana glanced back.
Just as it had turned to flesh before, the corpse now dissolved into black smoke and vanished.
Eirana watched for a moment before losing interest and returning to Leria's side.
Finally calming her queasy stomach, Leria asked Eirana,
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No."
Eirana's curt reply came as she glanced toward the warehouse interior.
The commotion had already died down.
"Does this mean the incident is mostly resolved?"
A breeze ruffled Eirana's hair.
The acrid stench of blood hung in the air.
Eirana surveyed the settled battlefield.
The wounded groaned amid pools of blood.
Winsor's men had injuries too and were being supported by comrades, but they were few.
The mercenaries and noble guards hired by Gold Sky bore the brunt—overwhelmingly more casualties.
Some lay dead in their blood, others writhed in agony from severe wounds.
Eirana let out a short breath at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene.
A few days passed since the incident had more or less wrapped up.
To meet guests staying at a royal villa in the capital, Crown Prince Winsor visited in person, accompanied by his trusted aides Ross and Jedmon.
Curiously, Eirana was there too.
She had been recognized for her role in rescuing High Elf Kirrea.
Leria kept stealing glances at Eirana, who seemed to irk her.
For reference, Kirrea—the one responsible for involving the elves in the slave market affair—was brushing Eirana's hair.
Winsor watched the scene silently before speaking.
"I deeply regret this incident. On behalf of the kingdom, I apologize."
Rocana replied flatly to Winsor,
"This could easily escalate into a diplomatic issue. To prevent that, I demand you thoroughly root out and punish all involved."
"......"
Winsor nodded.
Even without her saying it, he planned to deal with them harshly.
Those implicated were all from the Grand Duke faction anyway.
There was no reason to go easy on his political enemies.
To Winsor, this was an opportunity.
In the history of the Rishan Continent, countless nations had fallen due to conflicts with elves.
And among elves, high elves were revered as noble beings.
Defying a royal decree was bad enough, but nearly sparking a kingdom-toppling crisis meant Gold Sky Merchant Group had no path to survival.
'Duke Detoa can't be fully eliminated, though.'
Politically and in terms of power, taking down such a heavyweight completely was impossible.
Still, inflicting massive damage was feasible.
As he inwardly smiled at the thought of purging Grand Duke faction nobles, Winsor glanced at Eirana.
She had earned the greatest merit in this mission.
She'd even held off Rocana.
Rocana was infamous for always appearing in human-elf disputes.
She had single-handedly toppled a small duchy before.
Stopping her alone proved Eirana's skill exceeded Winsor's expectations.
As Winsor looked her way, their eyes met.
He gave a gentle smile; she looked indifferent.
Then.
"Pfft."
Ross, who had been quiet until now, let out a small chuckle.
As all eyes turned to him, he raised a hand apologetically.
His gaze was fixed on Eirana's head.
"Lady Eirana, take a look. Isn't it fun?"
Kirrea, who had been styling Eirana's hair, handed her a mirror.
She had playfully twisted Eirana's beautiful silver locks into a coiled bun—a style hard to describe without frustration.
Eirana hadn't felt a thing while it was done.
It was masterful handiwork, but treating her hair like a toy earned no gratitude from Eirana.
After staring into the mirror briefly, she snatched the comb from Kirrea and whacked her with it.
Winsor and Rocana sighed softly; Jedmon and Leria panicked and held Eirana back.
Once the commotion settled, Rocana spoke.
"If there's no more business, may we take our leave?"
"Yes."
Winsor nodded and stood.
Ross rose too, smiling as he said,
"I have a question, if I may?"
Rocana paused, looked at him, then nodded.
"Let's step aside for it."
Winsor and Jedmon eyed Ross curiously but didn't dwell on it.
Thus, the elves—including Eirana—moved elsewhere to talk privately with Ross.
The elves looked puzzled at Eirana and Ross entering with Rocana.
They knew Eirana was a dragon, but the human man's identity was a mystery.
As Eirana sat in one corner, Leria asked,
"Lady Eirana, would you like something to eat?"
Eirana shook her head.
"Oh, and this must be Lady Leranas's granddaughter?"
A golden-haired, green-eyed elf approached with a smile.
Judging by the quiver on her back, she was the elf who had shot an arrow at Eirana during the incident.
"Sorry for the rudeness back then. I'm Loa."
"Eirana."
A quick introduction.
Eirana easily sensed Loa was the second strongest elf here.
Then a male elf pointed at Ross and asked,
"Lady Rocana, who is this? A representative from the humans?"
Rocana sighed at the puzzled elf.
"No."
Ross smiled gently at Rocana.
"It's been ages, but you've changed too. Much more approachable now."
"I don't feel I've changed much."
"People are often blindest to their own changes. You know full well you're still a figure of fear among humans, don't you?"
Watching Ross converse familiarly with Rocana, the elves quickly realized he wasn't ordinary.
Loa, who had been observing Eirana with amused interest, tilted her head at Ross, then clapped and exclaimed,
"Oh! Lord Tesserus?"
"Oh! Loa's here too."
Ross beamed and patted the approaching Loa's head fondly.
Loa smiled back at Tesserus's gesture.
"I'm not a child anymore."
"Hm. True enough."
Clearly, Ross—the dragon Tesserus—had deep ties with the elves.
The elves tensed upon recognizing him as the ancient dragon but Ross paid it no mind.
"Anyway."
Settling into a seat, Ross glanced at Eirana and tilted his head.
"You stopped Rocana, huh?"
As far as he knew, Rocana had been an unmatched swordmaster even 700 years ago.
Seven centuries later, she'd only grown stronger, not weaker.
No fledgling dragon just reaching adulthood could possibly stand against her.
Especially not with a sword.
"It was just a simple sword fight."
"That's what's impressive."
Ross marveled at Eirana's response. She tilted her head watching him.
Rocana truly was overwhelmingly strong—hard for Eirana to handle. Neither had gone all out, but a few clashes had given her a sense of the elf's power.
Rocana eyed Eirana with a peculiar gaze too.
"Don't worry about the cleanup. I'll handle it properly."
"I trust you."
Rocana had backed down so readily from talks with Winsor because she knew Ross was there.
Without that, things wouldn't have stayed so peaceful.
Watching, Eirana suddenly asked as if it had just occurred to her,
"By the way, has that rascal caused any trouble?"
Eirana had been busy with aftermath too.
She'd only arrived in the capital today.
"Hm?"
Ross looked puzzled at first, then gave a troubled smile.
"No major issues."
"No major issues means there were minor ones?"
Ross just offered a subtle smile at that logic.
"The princess wasn't the cause."
Eirana tilted her head.
"What are you talking about?"
Rocana asked curiously. Ross pointed at Eirana.
"About this child."
"I know she's wielding a sword as a hired hand in this kingdom... but is there more?"