Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Benedicta's Arrival
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Benedicta's arrival brought tremendous changes to the elf camp.
"What the hell? Where'd the sentries go during watch?"
"Lady Bianchi summoned us."
"...Fine. Go on. Angelo! You take their spot for a bit!"
At first, it was just a few elves being called away to Benedicta.
"Hey, where'd all the sentries go?!"
"Lady Bianchi said she's adjusting the positions of the trees..."
"Victor came by and chewed them out, you know? We need replacements at least!"
"The Commander-in-Chief..."
"I know! If we're even a little late, it'll be chaos! Make sure everyone around here knows!"
"...Understood."
"Ha..."
Repotting plants, pruning branches, watering, fetching new trees, and so on.
Once they had adapted somewhat,
Benedicta began summoning dozens of randomly selected elves several times a day via mental communication, putting them to work.
"Commander-in-Chief?"
"Lady Bianchi is calling."
"Ha, ha, ha..."
Even Vittorio was summoned and made to prune branches himself.
"...Is one tree growing a bit oddly really important enough to urgently pull in troops from the outer perimeter?"
This only grew worse with each passing day, to the point where discontented murmurs arose among the younger elves who didn't know much about high elves.
"Even if it's urgent, we should at least hand off properly..."
"Hey."
"...Yes, Scout Captain."
"At the very least, never say that over mental communication. Got it?"
"Why not?"
"Because she'll hear it."
"...Pardon?"
The elf officers, on the other hand, warned the soldiers who voiced complaints.
"They said reinforcements, so does that mean they'll fight?"
"Didn't you see them arrive? Not a muscle on any of them. I get that she's important, but what the hell is this during a war?"
"You think? Still, something tells me she's got something up her sleeve."
As a result, distrust toward Benedicta began to spread among the younger elves,
"The elves have been acting weird lately."
"Don't even get me started. Yesterday, they emptied an entire sector?"
"Without a word."
"Exactly! Ah, it pisses me off more the more I think about it."
Since they were intermittently leaving their posts, the dwarves and imperial troops indirectly affected voiced their complaints as well,
"Enemy forces number around 5,000! All estimated to be orc shock troops!"
"Send troops to the walls!"
The opportunity to change perceptions came not long after.
"We need to close the gates!"
"What? They're still open?"
As everyone prepared for defense, a report from an elf officer that the makeshift walls' gates were still open caused widespread panic,
"Right now..."
"I gave the order. Don't close the gates."
Vittorio stepped forward confidently, grabbing an elf rushing out of the command tent to seal them.
"You gave the order yourself?"
"That's right. That way, those stupid orcs will bunch up in the center, no?"
"Of course they will! With the gates wide open!"
Vittorio wagged his index finger at the flustered Blake.
"No, they won't. Because we have our great high elf, Lady Benedicta Bianchi."
"...What?"
"You'll understand once you see it for yourself."
"Hah... You're that confident, huh? Fine."
The officers followed the striding Vittorio up to the watchtower,
"..."
-Crunch! Rrrrip!
And they beheld the carnage unfolding around Benedicta.
"...It's a storm."
At the mutter from one imperial officer, many of the surrounding officers nodded in agreement.
A reddish wind swirled violently around Benedicta and her small forest at the center, obscuring them from view,
-Thwack! Splatter!
"Whoa..."
"'Foolish' is the perfect word for it."
The orcs charging blindly toward the open gates were swept up in the wind and literally torn apart.
-Crack!
"Eek!"
"Watch the archery! Arrows are getting pulled in too!"
The fierce winds even drew in nearby arrows, hurling them back at even greater speeds than they'd been fired.
The number of orcs she'd slain had already surpassed hundreds,
"The enemy is retreating."
And before even an hour had passed, the battle ended with the orcs' withdrawal.
"..."
The raging winds continued to howl long after the orcs had fled, only dying down after a few more minutes.
The forest at the storm's eye had largely retained its original form, though some plants on the outskirts had withered.
"Commander Blake?"
"Y-yeah... We'll inspect right away. Check for any breached sections!"
"Yes, sir!"
"By Lady Bianchi's order! We're on it!"
"Uh, right."
Having witnessed a magic unlike any they'd seen before, the officers snapped to attention only after the storm subsided and the frowning Benedicta retreated back into the forest, then began cleanup.
Vittorio stood with hands on hips, smugly surveying the dazed officers,
"Impressive, isn't it?"
"...Impressive doesn't even begin to cover it."
Victor, who had watched Benedicta's display with a faint smile the entire time, leisurely departed with Anna.
And that night.
"...Heavier than I thought."
Victor arrived at Benedicta's domain carrying a massive bucket filled with something.
---
High elves are less exalted, aloof leaders and more like untouchable local lords within their territories.
They possess overwhelming combat power, but severe limitations—including their insular nature—make them rarely useful in games except in the early game when every unit counts.
Take Benedicta herself.
Even she, the most deployable high elf thanks to her ability to teleport to desired locations (albeit limited),
"She's having them haul dirt?"
"Yes. Could you provide some carts?"
"...Take them."
"Thank you."
After just one small skirmish, over a hundred elves had to bustle about replacing soil and plants, tending to her needs.
If I were an elf, I wouldn't even dream of using her,
-Slosh, slosh.
"Tch. Should've brought someone after all."
Just as a friend's dog or cat is the cutest,
With elves handling all the hard work, I had no reason to just sit idle.
"Ha..."
I hefted the heavy bucket and headed into her domain.
Figuring she'd stop me if she knew what I was up to, I'd made an excuse to ditch Anna.
Having confirmed no elves nearby via minimap, the area was deserted.
"..."
Perhaps recovering her energy, she was tucked away inside a massive central tree, unlike before.
"Just a bit more, just a little..."
I crept forward bit by bit, eyes fixed on the gray dot on my minimap, stopping around 50 meters out.
"Whoa, back!"
The instant the gray dot turned red, I took a big step backward.
-Splash.
"..."
The water spilling from the bucket onto my feet didn't feel great.
But as expected, no attack came.
High elves obsess over their domains but, conversely, couldn't care less about anything outside them.
Barring orcs lunging at her territory or proactive assaults, the chance of her suddenly attacking was minuscule.
Confirming the dot had turned gray again, I edged forward half a step,
-Thud.
Carefully set down the bucket, then quickly backpedaled.
"Phew..."
After ensuring Benedicta remained still, I returned to camp.
"General, where did you go?"
"Just took a peek at Benedicta Bianchi."
"What? Doing something that dangerous?!"
Anna reacted strongly, but
"As long as you stick to the rules, it's not that risky. And no one hates gifts."
"She's not a person..."
With minimap assistance, giving her a gift posed no danger.
And there was some need to make it clear it was from me.
"...So, what was the gift? Related to your wet legs now?"
Anna seemed to give up scolding, sighing lightly and changing the subject.
"Rice water."
What I'd carried in the bucket was the rice-washing water I'd asked Anna for earlier.
"Rice water? Ah, oh..."
Benedicta was set up to use a plant-like nutrition method, even growing green hair for photosynthesis.
And seeing her till depleted soil and replace withered plants today suggested it wasn't just lore.
"Heard rice water's good for plants. Felt bad just drinking or tossing it, so I thought I'd give her some."
I couldn't be sure she'd like it, but
"...I see. Still, next time, bring someone along. It's dangerous."
"That'd be worse. Bringing people would be riskier."
"..."
"My safety comes first, so no need to worry too much."
"...Yes, sir."
Didn't seem like something she'd hate, and handing over rice water wasn't hard.
"Prepare more for tomorrow."
"Understood."
I have a conscience, so I don't expect much.
Just hoping she'll see me as a guest who occasionally brings snacks.
---
That night, after Victor left the bucket behind.
"Ugh, what now at this hour..."
One elf stumbled out sleepily, responding to Benedicta's call echoing in his mind.
"...This it?"
He picked up the bucket, placed it before the tree where Benedicta resided, then returned,
"..."
After the elf left.
Benedicta emerged from the tree with an odd expression, picked up the bucket, and retreated back inside.