Chapter 192: It’s a Mess Here Too (3)
Chapter 192: It’s a Mess Here Too (3)
Patrick spoke to Kyrios, who was glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him.
“Hey.”
Grind.
“Did you… just call me… ‘Hey’?”
“Careful, you’ll crack a tooth.”
“…….”
“Anyway, let me ask you something.”
“Why should I answer any of your questions?”
“Why? Well, that’s…”
Patrick thought for a moment, then turned to Elione, who was standing beside him.
“Elione. I’m a bit tired. Mind if I borrow your lap?”
“Huh? My lap… Oh my?”
Elione was startled. Patrick’s head had already come down and settled right onto her lap.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Kyrios roared at the sight. His eyes looked ready to fire lasers at Patrick, who was now comfortably lying down with his head on Elione’s lap.
Regardless, Patrick spoke nonchalantly from his position.
“Don’t you know? This is what they call a lap pillow.”
“How dare you put your head on my sister’s thigh… Get off her this instant!”
“Nope. Can’t do that.”
“You little—!”
Unable to contain his rage, Kyrios grabbed the spear on his back and aimed it at Patrick. However…
“Elione. Look at him. He’s trying to stab me.”
That one sentence ended it.
Elione, who had been wearing a look of pure bliss, looked up. Her brow furrowed as she glared at her brother.
“What do you think you’re doing, Kyrios?”
“B-But sister, that man is…”
“‘That man’? You’ve been incredibly rude to my guest for a while now.”
“Sister, that’s…”
“Apologize. Now.”
“A… Apologize?”
To him?
Kyrios looked absolutely devastated, his face a mask of agony and internal conflict. He couldn’t defy his sister, but he loathed the idea of apologizing to that human.
Patrick chuckled as he watched the emotions play out across Kyrios’s face.
“No need for an apology. Just answer my questions honestly, and we’re good.”
“Urgh… Fine. Fine! Just get up already!”
“If you say so.”
Patrick lifted his head from Elione’s lap, much to her visible disappointment. Then, he spoke again.
“Looking at the elves, I noticed some have mastered Aura while others haven’t. What’s the story there?”
“…….”
Kyrios looked troubled by the question. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to answer; it seemed like he was genuinely in a difficult position.
And for good reason—what Patrick had asked touched upon a weakness, a potential disgrace to the elven race.
Seeing Kyrios hesitate, Patrick added, “If you don’t want to talk, then don’t. I’ll just stop helping you.”
“No, I will tell you.”
“Oh?”
“It’s not something we can hide forever anyway…”
Kyrios began his explanation.
Originally, the primary weapons of the elves were the bow and spirits. With these two, the elves had protected themselves for a long time.
However, as the World Tree continued to wither, the elves had to restrict their use of spirit magic. Consequently, they lost the martial power to defend themselves. Without spirits, an elf’s combat effectiveness dropped to less than thirty percent of its original strength.
A lack of power is a grave problem in any society. The elves tried to keep this fact hidden from the outside world, but they knew they couldn't keep it a secret forever.
No matter how isolationist a race might be, there are no eternal secrets. Eventually, the world would discover that the elves had lost their strength.
It would be a relief if the World Tree recovered and they could command spirits again before then, but what if it didn't? The future of an elven race unable to defend itself was bound to be grim.
Thus, the elves needed a different kind of power—a power to protect their people from external threats.
As a result…
“The Reformist elves, including myself, began training in Aura Blessing.”
“Reformists, huh…”
Patrick focused on the term "Reformist" mentioned in the explanation.
As I suspected, there are factions. In that case…
Patrick asked Kyrios, “What do you call the opposing faction?”
“They are those who believe elven traditions are paramount and must be preserved. They call themselves the Traditionalists.”
“I see.”
Reformists and Traditionalists. The names alone screamed, ‘We don’t get along.’
“If there are Reformists and Traditionalists, there must be people in the middle just watching the situation.”
“There are. They are called the Moderates.”
“Simple enough names. But hey.” Patrick scratched his head as if he didn't understand. “Is training in Aura really that big of a deal? Enough to split into factions?”
“…….”
“Isn’t it weird? You need actual martial power right now since spirits are hard to use. Why hesitate to learn Aura Blessing? Does it somehow damage elven legitimacy?”
“Yes.”
“Huh? Really?”
When Patrick asked in surprise, Kyrios nodded heavily.
“An elf who accumulates Aura within their body…”
Kyrios hesitated for a moment. Then, after seeing Elione nod behind Patrick, he sighed and continued.
“…becomes unable to command spirits.”
“What?”
Patrick was genuinely shocked.
“Wait, that means…”
“It means that the young Reformist elves, including myself, can no longer summon spirits.”
Kyrios spoke calmly, but this was a massive revelation. Matthew and his companions, who were listening in, also stood there with their mouths agape.
An elf who can’t use spirits?
You might as well say a dwarf who can’t use a hammer.
Just how much resolve did they need for this?
To elves, spirits were their greatest strength, but they were more than just power. They were friends and family who stayed with them throughout their lives. They had given up their very identity as elves to train in Aura—all to secure the martial power their race needed right now.
Kyrios noticed the stares and gave a small, bitter smirk.
“Don’t look at me like that. It was my choice, and I don’t regret it.”
He said that, but this was no small matter. Being unable to commune with spirits could cause severe psychological distress for an elf. Yet, Kyrios had accepted that burden to become a spear that could protect his people.
“Not bad.”
Even the great Patrick acknowledged Kyrios in this moment.
Sacrificing the few for the many—it sounds like a rational, obvious choice on paper. But that’s only for those on the side of the "many." When you are the one being sacrificed, the story changes.
In the end, everyone prioritizes their own survival.
Patrick had seen it countless times in his past life—the hypocrisy of high-and-mighty nobles who preached the greater good but hesitated to send their own forces into danger.
But Kyrios was actually practicing it. He was silently sacrificing himself and choosing a path of hardship for the sake of his people.
I like him.
Patrick liked this type of person. Kyrios might be an elf, but he was far more to Patrick’s taste than hypocrites who only talked big from the sidelines without ever leading the charge.
This solidified his decision.
“How many elves have learned Aura, including yourself?”
“About two hundred. Why do you ask?”
“Bring them here tomorrow.”
“And why should I do that?”
“You don’t want to?”
“I don’t!” Kyrios snapped.
Instead of answering, Patrick showed him through action. He leaned back again, resting his head on Elione’s white, soft thigh.
“What are you doing?! You filthy human!”
“Ah, this feels great. Elione’s lap is warm and soft, and it smells nice too.”
“Oh my… Oh, goodness…”
Elione blushed, bringing her hands to her cheeks. Meanwhile, Kyrios…
“Move! Move your head this instant, you human brat!”
“I’ll move if you listen to me. Otherwise, I’m sleeping right here.”
“You wicked human! Taking family hostage… Have you no shame?”
“Nope. Not a bit.”
“Aaaaaargh!”
The elf raged. The human sneered. In the end, the outcome was already decided.
*
The next day.
Kyrios appeared before Patrick with fifty young elven warriors. Patrick scratched his head.
“Didn’t you say there were two hundred?”
“I don’t command all the Reformist elves. These are the ones who specifically gathered at my request.”
“Tsk, tsk. How incompetent…”
“…….”
“That’s just an excuse. An excuse. If you had put in the effooooort, you could’ve done it. You get these poor results because you decide you can’t do it before you even try. Understand?”
“…….”
Kyrios looked up at the sky, a single hot tear rolling down his cheek. For the first time in his life, he cursed his own lack of power.
“Well, nothing to be done. Shall we start with this?”
Patrick smiled brightly at the fifty elves gathered before him.
“Nice to meet you all. My name is Patrick Schneider.”
The elves stirred at the sudden introduction. Patrick quickly pressed on.
“I’ve come here today to share some good news with you. I truly appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here. I would be grateful if you would listen to my explanation and make a wise decision.”
Riman was stunned to see Patrick acting so polite.
“Why is he acting like that?”
Matthew, standing beside him, replied flatly, “He’s always like that.”
“Since when?”
Matthew let out a deep sigh. “When he’s about to scam someone.”
“…….”
Riman’s jaw dropped, while Matthew looked at the elves with pity.
*
Patrick spoke, ignoring the blunt stares of the elves.
“I heard that everyone here is a warrior training in Aura cultivation. And I, the Radiant Dragon… no, the Double Dragon, am also a warrior like you. In other words, we are all comrades walking the same path.”
Scamming Rule #1: Establish common ground.
“And as a fellow warrior, I respect your resolve so much that I’ve arranged this meeting to offer a proposal that will be of great benefit to you.”
Scamming Rule #2: Propose a benefit the target can’t resist.
“Ah, of course, some of you might be suspicious. Given the wall between humans and elves, you might find it hard to trust my words. But think about it. My guarantor is none other than the Elven Knight, Lady Elione. Would I dare make a proposal that would harm you? Of course not, right?”
Scamming Rule #3: Nip suspicion in the bud.
‘Ah… I see. It would be a loss if I didn’t take this.’
‘If Lady Elione guarantees him, he must be trustworthy.’
‘They said the Double Dragon is incredibly strong, right? There must be a lot to learn.’
For Patrick, manipulating the innocent elves was child’s play. The eyes of the elves, which had been wary when they first gathered, were now sparkling with interest.
This was despite Matthew and his companions watching the elves with tragic expressions.
Now, shall we get to the climax?
To put the finishing touch on his plan, Patrick called out to one of the elves.
“You there. Yes, you on the right. Come forward for a moment.”
The elven warrior Patrick pointed to stepped forward. The spear on his back looked larger than those of the other elves, not because the spear itself was big, but because he was exceptionally thin. While elves were naturally slender, this one was gaunt.
Patrick observed him calmly and spoke.
“Lately, you’ve had no appetite, and your stomach feels bloated no matter what you eat, right?”
“Huh? How did you…”
“And you probably have subtle headaches and trouble sleeping at night. Am I right?”
“That’s exactly right.”
“Phew… I knew it.”
Patrick shook his head as if in dismay.
“This is why you have to learn things properly from the start. These are all side effects of Aura Blessing.”
“Side effects?”
“That can’t be!”
The elves began to murmur. One of them challenged Patrick.
“We were told that what we learned is the same technique used by the Royal Guard of the Caesar Kingdom. Side effects? Does that even make sense?”
The Reformist elves had spent a fortune to acquire this Aura Blessing. To hear it had side effects naturally made them angry.
But Patrick didn’t even blink.
“Tsk, tsk. Even good medicine only works if the right person takes the right amount at the right time. Do you think you’ll get healthy just by stuffing your face with something just because it’s ‘good’? You’ll just get an upset stomach.”
“No, what do you mean by…”
“Excuse me? Do you think you know more about Aura Blessing than I do?”
“Well…”
“I’m the Double Dragon. The Double Dragon! You know? The winner of Arcana?”
Scamming Rule Supplement: If they start to doubt you, throw your titles around.