Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: 21. Other People's Stories (1) #1 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Elf
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# 199
“Until when do we have to stay here?”
“Right?”
An incredibly lavish room. So lavish it felt awkward.
Where on earth did things go wrong? No, before that—why am I confined here with Hill?
“How’s the church doing?”
“Not great.”
“I figured.”
An elf carrying out a mission as the mental pillar of the high elves, who could be called the spiritual leaders of elves, and a church’s saint.
Confining people like us would bring immense diplomatic pressure unless you were insane.
Unfortunately, Hill and I had the bad luck of being kidnapped by an entity that not only ignored such pressure but could even counter it with their own abduction.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Maids knocked and entered, lightly cleaning the room.
Over a month had passed already. During that time, Hill and I had done nothing but receive the utmost hospitality.
“Just how long do we have to keep this up...?”
In this excessively ornate room that felt uncomfortable instead, all Hill and I could do was sigh.
After the Hero suddenly declared we had to flee, we tried to escape Nayden Kingdom through a hole in the capital’s walls.
But blocking our path was Princess Vera of Nayden Kingdom and countless soldiers surrounding her!
Caught off guard by the sudden soldiers, we were seized. By the time we came to our senses, the Hero was on the verge of capture too.
Then, a single woman appeared, snatched us and the Hero away as if the soldiers were a joke, brought us here, left the Hero behind, and vanished.
And so, we ended up confined in the Karan Empire.
“But is this really confinement...?”
“It’s ambiguous.”
It was confinement. We weren’t allowed outside the city.
On the flip side, within the city, we could do as we pleased.
We could stroll freely or contact the Church of Nature, and our watchers imposed no restrictions.
It seemed similar events had occurred in Nayden Kingdom, but the difference was the blatant surveillance here in the Karan Empire.
From maids delivering cleaning, meals, and snacks, to six escorts trailing us whenever we went out under the guise of protection.
They didn’t follow into the bathroom or bathhouse—places without windows—so sneaking away discreetly was impossible.
As expected of the empire. Even ventilation used magic stones and magical devices!
The upkeep for just this building probably exceeded our village’s monthly living expenses.
The real issue was how perfectly secure the building was.
“Hill, if I force a breakthrough, can you keep up?”
“No way. Honestly, could you escape alone?”
“Probably not.”
Every guard nearby outclassed me.
Even though I was rated in the upper echelons of elven fighters—not the absolute top—taking down even one was a struggle, and there were at least six.
Their movements suggested plenty more hidden ones too.
“If we escape, the Hero can too...”
“No, from what I see, even if we escape, the Hero won’t be able to.”
The people here called themselves trainees, still too green for full missions.
It was hard to believe that foes tough even for me were mere trainees, but sadly, it rang true.
Their leader—who seemed acquainted with the Hero—a girl around the Hero’s age named Mirua, was leagues beyond me.
Not twice or three times superior; I couldn’t even glimpse a fragment of her power.
If I’d passed her on the street, would I have pegged her as exceptional? Probably just an ordinary girl.
And most of them looked about her age, from what I’d glimpsed before arriving.
“No wonder they go on about the empire.”
Most skill comes from experience.
Broadly, life’s battles; narrowly, daily sword swings.
Experience etched into mind and body.
The one thing mediocrity has to devour genius. That’s experience—and why other races average stronger than humans.
Humans live barely a century on average, while elves and dwarves hit 300, even 500 for the long-lived. An insurmountable wall.
Yet now, that wall crumbled effortlessly.
An ancient dragon of 20,000 years fell to a 20-year-old human. A 50-year-old like me pushed back by 20-year-old soldiers.
And their commonality? Born and raised in the continent’s sole hegemon, the superpower unbeatable even by ten nations combined: the Karan Empire.
“I doubt it’s that simple.”
As I glimpsed the empire’s overwhelming might and trembled in fear, Hill calmed me.
“The empire has a major Church of Nature temple. Speaking as a former imperial citizen... these guys are the abnormality.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Among all continent’s creatures, humans top the liars without hesitation.
That’s why you can’t trust humans. Ever hear the elven proverb: “Trust an orc before a human”?
But Hill’s words I could trust. As a church saint, he knew the weight of his speech better than anyone I’d met. More trustworthy than even the Hero, honestly.
“If the empire brimmed with such absurd powerhouses, they wouldn’t have just won the Great War—they’d have unified the continent.”
“True.”
The empire dominated the Great War but wasn’t invincible.
Some famed generals died; they lost battles big and small.
Yet they emerged victors without balance-shattering defeats, until one unit’s string of triumphs collapsed the equilibrium...
“No way?”
“Yes. That’s probably it.”
“Why on earth?”
Even non-participating elves couldn’t ignore a war of Great War scale.
No—our forests burned, raiders targeted us amid the chaos, so we intervened more than ever.
Thus, we knew well.
The identity of the undefeated elite unit of the Great War.
“Why that mad witch’s unit?”
Atia Nel Karan.
Inside the empire: Iron-Blooded Sovereign, Undefeated Empress.
Outside: Cold-Blooded Witch, Mad Witch, Blood Witch—monopolizing witch labels.
Born the imperial family’s First Imperial Princess, she stayed quiet early in the war, then plunged in.
Rallied defeated forces, bolstered her army, then annihilated two nations and crushed three beyond recovery!
Why did that witch’s unit grab us—no, precisely the Hero!
“The Hero, surely not...”
According to Hill, we fled Nayden because Princess Vera fancied the Hero, endangering his chastity!
“No, not that.”
“But what else?”
“Even so...”
“No, the Hero’s from the Karan Empire—son of Duke Rainer’s house! Why’d a noble like that run off to be a hero!”
Wild tales spun and vanished in my head. Absurd fantasies to “Huh? That could happen?”
“Maybe... just maybe. The Hero unknowingly charmed Her Highness, and the lovesick princess kidnapped him to...”
“Can’t listen anymore.”
“Huh?”
“Who’s there!”
Mid my most plausible imagining, a man’s voice cut from beside us.
“What flowerbed do you graze to sprout such madness? Elves weak too? Oh, right—drugs from plants. Plant-loving elves. ‘Plant’ meant that kind?”
“Who are you?”
Insulting elves, but first identify the foe.
Frankly, not shaking was my mental limit.
“Me? Leader’s subordinate.”
Casual bombshell.
Our known leader: only Mirua, who took the Hero.
So this man’s her subordinate.
Meaning...
‘How strong is she!’
Sensing him, I felt the gulf.
Demonic darkness coalesced.
But not mere darkness; he harbored something else.
The Church of Nature saint Hill’s holiness! Godly purity?
Inspiring urge to bow and gaze up.
“A demon cleric?”
“No.”
“Yeah, I’m human?”
Hill answered first.
Does Hill know this man?
“Otherworldly gods exist—summoners who call those.”
“God-tier summoner?”
Otherworld or not, summoning gods.
Aptitude and talent prerequisites absolute.
God-tier summoners tiered in three: 1st borrows god’s power sliver; 2nd, god’s weapon; 3rd, god’s aspect or full descent.
But this defied categories.
Aura suggested 3rd-tier, yet human essence, not divine.
Unknowable why, but definitely human. Holy human.
“Well, we wouldn’t normally meet... but since we have, greetings.”
Shrugging inevitability, he dipped his head slightly.
“Astr Abduction Squad Fourth Squad Leader, Lisen.”
“Huh?”
“Abduction Squad?”
I thought my ears failed.
The world’s superpower’s—its top unit—the princess’s: Abduction Squad?
“Abduction Squad?”
“Yeah, abduction squad?”
Absurd, yet his “Problem?” stare silenced me.
Weird. Too weird.
“Something off?”
“Well...”
Silent pressure bore down. Don’t say it’s weird!
“N-No... it’s... f-fine.”
Trembling lips answered; he smiled satisfied.
“But that was weird.”
“Huh?”
“Your earlier delusion. Her Highness likes who?”
“Oh, that...”
I’d slipped.
Me, trash-talking the continent’s strongest princess, Great War icon?
Temporary madness?
“My apologies.”
Own up quick if wrong.
Empire: humans’ nation closest to elves.
One slip couldn’t ruin that.
Lisen accepted promptly.
“Yeah, slip-up. If just some hero punk, no hassle.”
Reply veered oddly!
“Our prof hunt’s massive investment—no comparing to hero trash!”
Overwhelming pressure, speechless!
But what’s he mean!
“Wait... not the Hero, but the sage—no, Hero’s master the target?”
Unlike me, Hill grasped it.
“Yep. That hero’s master: our goal, Her Highness’s too.”
“Just checking, but the elf Selena’s theory... spot-on?”
“Hill?”
Too far, even past my Hero-princess link!
“Yeah, correct.”
But my fears missed wildly.
From then, everything I thought veered bizarrely true.