Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Calculated Gamble
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The Reinhardt Family.
A family located in the western region of the Libre Kingdom, a prestigious house that had wielded considerable influence for dozens of generations.
‘In the past.’
Not anymore.
The family began its slow decline three generations ago.
The number of merchants heading to their domain dwindled, and their interactions with neighboring nobles became sparse. The number of nobles applying to be squires or maids all but vanished, and the scholars-in-residence who once stayed at the mansion were, at some point, gone.
The Reinhardt family was currently politically isolated.
‘Withering away would be a more accurate description.’
To put it dramatically, if this continued for a few more generations, the family might crumble from within, leaving nothing but its name.
While this was due to a combination of various misfortunes, the primary reason was related to an experiment conducted by the family three generations prior.
‘An experiment to harness the Divine Tree.’
The Divine Tree is a special tree.
Its mere presence allows surrounding plants to grow healthily and forms a kind of safe zone that monsters cannot invade.
The elves communicated with the Divine Tree to cultivate the surrounding forest, producing an immense amount of food, and based on that, they accumulated incredible wealth.
The Reinhardt domain, bordering the Mikelant Mountains and situated close to the Great Forest, had witnessed it all.
And so.
‘They made a foolish choice.’
Perhaps the idea that only elves could communicate with the Divine Tree was a lie.
Perhaps they, too, could become like that if they used the Divine Tree.
Perhaps it was all a trick to monopolize the Divine Tree.
The questions and desires that had built up over dozens of generations eventually crossed a threshold, and as soon as a plan was formed, they went so far as to steal the nearest Divine Tree.
And they tried to corrupt it.
They must have had their own confidence.
Having observed the elves for centuries and conducted secret research, they must have thought it was enough.
They must have judged that if the experiment succeeded, they could break the current reliance on elven food. When success was right before their eyes, what did public condemnation matter?
Indeed, had the Reinhardt family succeeded in controlling the Divine Tree, they would have instantly acquired immense wealth and power.
The same went for the elves’ protests or threats.
Had the experiment succeeded, the Libre Kingdom, which would have shared in the benefits, would have surely stepped in to protect them.
The elves wouldn't risk a war that staked the fate of their race against the humans, so the ancestors' predictions could be said to have been quite accurate.
‘Yes, if the experiment had *succeeded*.’
The experiment failed.
How could research born of such greed possibly succeed without a hitch?
Many people, including the mages who participated in the research and the head of the family, were wiped out in an accident during the experiment, and the Divine Tree was later recovered by the elves who arrived.
Since the masterminds who planned the theft and experiment were all dead, the elves did not decide to retaliate, unwilling to risk worsening their relationship with the humans.
However, the nobles in the capital and the surrounding areas had already turned their backs on the family.
From then on, the family's fortunes began to wane.
There were surely other reasons besides this one.
‘But Father is hiding them.’
I’ll be able to uncover that someday, too.
But it was undeniable that this incident had signaled the beginning of their downfall.
Therefore.
“How do you think we should act?”
It was, in a way, quite natural for the family to react this way.
“The elf in question is unconscious, having left only a ‘request for support.’ Her condition is critical, so it will take at least a week for her to regain consciousness.”
For any other family, this might not have been taken so seriously.
“What do you two think our response should be?”
But because it was the Reinhardt family.
The news of an elf’s arrival alone had become an issue important enough to warrant an emergency meeting.
Gaiel's solemn gaze turned to Allen and Julius.
Allen was now in the mansion's meeting room.
Around them, the Knight Commander, boasting a large frame, stood with his eyes closed, while Head Butler Gadel stood by with his head bowed.
The situation was too urgent to summon the other vassals, so they had to begin the meeting with only a few people.
Allen carefully studied Gaiel’s expression.
‘So he didn't know about this beforehand.’
Judging from his father’s earlier reaction and his current demeanor, it was highly probable that he, too, was unaware of this incident.
‘Does that mean the people around Father don't know everything either?’
No, it was also possible they had only kept their mouths shut to Father. The fewer people who know important information, the more valuable it becomes.
‘But they didn't seek his cooperation in advance for a situation like this?’
Wouldn't things have gone more smoothly if they had coordinated their story beforehand?
Allen had too little information about them to gauge how vast they were or how much power they held, making it difficult to assess.
Even so.
‘But that won't be a problem for me to lead the situation.’
This was something he had been planning since reading about the divine beast's abilities in the black book several months ago.
The current lack of information about them didn't create any problems for the plan he had already established.
Allen spoke up, a step ahead of Julius, who was staring blankly into space—no, at the quest.
“Father, first of all, we know nothing about the support they're asking for.”
‘Last time, things proceeded because of Julius's strong insistence…’ This time, it would be known that ‘Allen Reinhardt’ was the one who proposed and argued for it first.
Gaiel's gaze turned to Allen.
“And what of it?”
“Therefore.”
Allen recalled the few lines from the book that had made him resolve to act, that had made him form his plan.
『──In the forest of the young divine beast, lives a divine beast that grants wishes.』
『──A divine beast that fulfills desires, that gives a chance to those who seek it.』
『──Along with a worthy trial.』
‘The divine beast that bastard Julius called a hidden boss.’ I needed that divine beast’s power.
“We must accept this request for support.”
That was why Allen needed to be proactive in this matter.
It offered hope of finding his brother's whereabouts and a way to track his trail, of which there were no other clues.
In addition to that.
“This incident could be an opportunity.”
It was because he could intercept what that bastard Julius had done and prevent him from expanding his influence.
‘What did Julius say before my regression?’
Did he say the elves would repay the favor if we helped them first?
In the end, he found it amusing that his argument wasn't so different from the one that bastard had made.
“…Why do you think so?”
In response to Allen’s confident answer, Gaiel didn’t give an immediate reply but instead questioned Allen's intentions.
“The place where the elf requested support is at the edge of our domain, closer to a neutral zone than our territory. We don't know what dangers might be there. And yet you say we should accept?”
“Yes.”
Gaiel stared at Allen with a strange expression. This wasn't the kind of baseless statement he was known for.
Allen smiled bitterly at his reaction.
‘If it were the past.’
If he hadn't regressed, if Julius hadn't been possessed, he might not have made this decision.
No, he would have refused without a second thought.
Since their relationship with the elves was already strained, he would have chosen to quietly monitor the situation rather than offer useless aid.
Because that was the prudent and rational choice.
But.
“On the contrary, we should provide support *because* we know nothing.”
Not anymore.
“…Because we know nothing.”
The Knight Commander remained silent, as if he would follow any order, while a sharp gaze from between Gadel's wrinkled eyes was directed at Allen.
“To put it another way, it means we'd be supporting the elves despite knowing nothing.”
“Is there any meaning in such wordplay?”
Gaiel was right.
It was just wordplay; no matter how you framed it, the inherent danger of the situation remained unchanged.
However, if one knew what was going to happen, if one knew what dangers existed…
‘It becomes a gamble with a guaranteed chance of winning.’
Allen nodded as if it were obvious in response to Gaiel's words.
“Yes, there is meaning.”
“What might that be?”
“We may not be able to completely reverse our relationship, which could be called the worst possible. However, this will be enough to make the elves see us in a new light.”
The elves, too, knew that they were different from the family's ancestors.
That was why some elves would develop a favorable impression of their decision to provide support despite the risks, even with an unclear request.
It was a plausible, yet dream-like story.
The kind of thing one might say from ignorance of reality.
Could they even be sure of that elf's identity? What if it was just a personal request for aid? What if they went to help only to be turned away at the door?
‘All of it.’
It could be called unclear and uncertain.
But if one knew the future.
If there was hope of finding his real brother's whereabouts there.
‘I…’
…have no reason to hesitate.
Allen met Gaiel’s gaze confidently.
“The repercussions of this event will be quite significant. After all, an elf, a member of a race that could be said to despise our family, has personally requested our aid.”
Whether the situation was so dire that they had to make a request for support, or whether it took time to bring troops from the Great Forest.
It meant they needed help, even from the Reinhardt family, with whom their relationship was at its worst.
So, if the family were to act in their time of danger without any information?
“This will be the first step toward mending our relationship with the elves and will create an opening to improve our relations with them.”
Gaiel listened to Allen's argument in silence.
“Sending troops blindly without any information. This is clearly a foolish choice.”
Who is the enemy, how many are there, what is the situation, what has happened?
Without knowing any of this, on what basis could they send troops?
However, Gaiel spoke with a rather unimpressed expression.
“But is it worth stepping into an unknown danger just to gain an ‘opening’ to improve relations with the elves?”
Though they didn't say it, Gadel and the Knight Commander also seemed to view Allen's argument as somewhat dream-like and divorced from reality.
“Especially considering our relationship with the elves, it might be better to wait for them to be weakened. However.”
Allen paused for a moment.
‘If I don't have facts to back this up, I'll be no different from that bastard who forced his way into this.’
But.
“But what if we could have some idea of the situation?”
Allen wasn't so careless as to force things through like Julius.
“If we knew who the enemy was, if we could grasp the situation.”
Allen savored the dumbfounded look on Julius's face and smiled refreshingly.
“What would you do then?”