Chapter 105
Chapter 105
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The Elf Queen's Proposition
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The summit, convened under the pretext of continental peace, predictably fell apart after just one hour.
It was impossible to continue due to the confrontation between the Elf Queen and the Third Prince.
But the First Prince, who desperately needed some diplomatic achievement, showed uncharacteristic patience to the end and extended the summit by one more day.
The Elf Queen and the Third Prince, who were itching to devour each other, didn't refuse again amid the tension.
We, who hadn't spoken a single word throughout the summit, quietly slipped out of the venue.
Thus, the fleeting time passed, and night deepened.
After confirming that they had each set up camps outside the plains—near the borders and the coast—the leadership finally issued orders to rest and gathered in one place.
Snow-Covered was the first to complain of fatigue.
"...My head hurts."
She had already been preoccupied with monitoring the enemy units, and on top of that, she had been directly exposed to the auras and presences emanating from the top powerhouses of each nation.
No matter how much Snow-Covered and Richard had improved, they still fell short against these monsters in their own right.
The Prime Minister specially prepared a medicinal tea good for mental recovery and tended to them with care, ensuring they could regain their strength at least for tonight.
"Still, we learned a great deal thanks to you."
But it hadn't been entirely fruitless.
Through the insults exchanged at the summit, we confirmed that our inferences had been correct.
If you sliced the current continent like a cake, the power balance came out to exactly 4:4:2.
Naturally, it was Elves, Orcs, Humans—in that order—and these objective figures hadn't changed much since ancient times.
That's why the North had hung its hopes on recapturing the White Gate, enduring so many sacrifices.
To overcome an 8:2 disadvantage, defending the gate had been the inevitable choice.
But this time was different from the past, when humanity's downfall had been the primary goal. The power dynamics had shifted.
The Third Prince, who had risen like a comet, had turned the Elf Kingdom into an enemy.
The First Prince couldn't abandon the Third Prince, and the Elf Queen had to watch her step with the nobles and royals.
This war clearly wouldn't end easily unless one side gave up.
And this was...
"...A chance that won't come again."
In a situation where the continent's two superpowers clashed, which faction stood to gain the most?
It was us—the North and the East, who had only suffered between the great powers all this time.
"The war must drag on."
What humans lacked most wasn't a powerful army, supplies, or victory—it was time to develop civilization and history.
We had laid such solid foundations in just four years. If granted even longer peace, how brilliant a civilization could we achieve?
I thought of the new era of humanity that the previous king had mentioned every time he spoke, steadying my surging breath and pounding heart.
Murmurs filled the air.
"Hear me, my lords."
And so, after a long meeting, the concrete path we must walk was decided.
Snow-Covered and Richard, having resolved their deliberations, rose from their thrones as if by prior agreement.
"We have harbored a long-cherished wish. To exact vengeance on these vile enemies who slew the previous king and destroyed the kingdom."
"That wish still burns, of course. We remember the humiliation. But what our people need now is no more war."
Deep down, I wanted to lead the army right then and raid their camps.
But that would be revenge for us—not the peace the kingdom and people desired.
"It's time to thaw the Eastern Wastes."
Time to melt the long-frozen Eastern Wastes and bloom a brilliant civilization upon them.
Before this solemn declaration, every hero rose from their seats and willingly knelt on one knee.
"As you will, Your Majesties."
We would aid no side. Nor would we let the scales tip one way or the other.
Aiming for the longest war possible, we were about to conclude the late-night meeting.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Make way!
Flutter!
"Forgive my rudeness, Your Majesties!"
But at that moment, noisy murmurs from outside accompanied the tent flap being thrown open.
The one who burst in after hurriedly opening the entrance was none other than the commander in charge of gate defense.
"Moments ago, an Elf delegation arrived at the gate and requests a private audience with both Your Majesties."
Daring to show up unannounced—not to mention demanding a meeting with the kings themselves.
Recalling the unpleasant memory with the past Elf delegation, Snow-Covered firmly refused.
"Tell them we refuse."
But the gate commander didn't withdraw despite the king's order.
Bowing his head, he whispered in a voice too low for those outside to hear.
"...The Elf Queen has come herself."
'If things go south, give the signal. Queen or not, I'll put a hole through her head.'
The cavalry, swiftly assembled, had completed full armament, ready to deploy at any moment.
And the black arrows capable of long-range sniping were also in position atop the gate, prepared for any contingency.
True to the Elf Queen's promise, only three had come.
Knight King Snow-Covered, East King Richard, and I—who had ultimately been chosen to accompany them—trudged toward the flickering lanterns at the front of the gate.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.
There, the Elf Queen, puffing on a bear-shaped pipe, waited with two priestesses whose faces were veiled in thin fabric.
As promised, they were unarmed.
Confirming no traps in the surroundings, I approached the lanterns alongside the kings.
"Hoo."
The Elf Queen, changed into comfortable attire, exhaled smoke along with the discarded pipe.
Her languid eyes scanned us once, then her reddened lips parted.
"Familiar faces."
Even after years, she hadn't aged a day—maintaining that infuriating youth.
Hiding my disgust behind a mask of beauty, I unleashed my energy toward the queen.
Tzzzzzt!
"Before Their Majesties."
From earlier, she had been subtly pressuring Snow-Covered and Richard with invisible aura.
I erased her momentum with a single burst, warning that time was short.
"............"
"So speak your piece."
If she had something to say to us, she could have done so at the summit.
But requesting this private audience meant it was something the First Prince couldn't hear.
"Very well."
The Elf Queen nodded readily.
With her final puff of smoke, she set down the pipe and spoke.
"I've come to demand an alliance."
I'd half-expected it.
The ones who could shift this war's balance were us, threatening the First Prince's rear.
But I never dreamed she'd make such a brazen demand without so much as an apology.
Snow-Covered was outraged, and Richard didn't hide his displeasure.
"Such impudence...!"
"No need to sharpen your blades so, Knight King. Emotions are a luxury in diplomacy for national interests, wouldn't you say?"
Not shedding her arrogant demeanor, the Elf Queen quietly rose.
She stepped forward to the small flickering lantern and met our gazes directly.
"Sincerity and attitude can always be feigned. Even if I begged your forgiveness, would you believe it real?"
"...Good that you know, Queen. Be grateful we're not killing you right here."
From the moment the massacre began, Elves and humans had crossed an irreversible river.
Nothing but each other's blood could quench this deep-seated grudge.
"Calm yourself, child. I know your human grudge better than anyone. We were the invaders, and you were not. I don't expect an alliance to form easily."
The Elf Queen smiled bewitchingly, as if this provocation wasn't her sole purpose.
Locking eyes with the cursing Snow-Covered, she whispered like a rattlesnake.
"All diplomacy comes with a price. And I know that well. I've prepared a gift for the alliance."
One veiled Elf priestess promptly brought a small jar, as if waiting for the cue.
It contained transparent liquid with something glowing inside.
Slosh.
The Elf Queen extracted the glow.
She brought it ostentatiously before the lantern, sloshing the liquid in the glass vial.
A liquid of sublime beauty, as if holding all the world's nobility, in a mysterious glass bottle inscribed with chaotic ancient Elvish script.
"Elixir."
"------!!"
"A spirit medicine made by concentrating World Tree fruit."
World Tree fruit—the legendary ingredient that cured all diseases and extended lifespan.
The concentrated Elixir was practically another life.
"Even I, as queen, can obtain only a few. For another race to get it is unprecedented in thousands of years."
"...What does this mean?"
"I ask little of you, human kings. Emerge from the gate and harass the First Prince relentlessly. If the alliance forms, I'll hand over this Elixir immediately."
Its value was incalculable.
If Snow-Covered drank it now, not only would her accumulated wounds and scars vanish, but she'd gain over two hundred more years of life.
Ptoo!
But such petty temptations couldn't sway Snow-Covered's ironclad convictions.
Furrowing her brow, she spat on the ground as if seeing filth.
"Master was right. Elves are just a wretched race obsessed with living forever. Mind your dignity, Queen."
No amount of World Tree fruit could mimic her innate grace and radiant energy.
Before Snow-Covered, who shone from within, the queen twisted her beautiful face.
"...You'll regret this."
"Think what you like."
"I'm not speaking to you, Knight King."
But despite the firm refusal, the queen turned her gaze elsewhere.
There stood not Snow-Covered or Richard, but Broken Sword—me.
Whoosh!
Through the blazing red lantern, the Elf Queen's eyes turned blue.
And those blue eyes clearly pierced my inner self and the fate behind me.
"Not much time left, Sword Saint. Your guts are a mess from all the aura you've withstood."
"............"
"The time I see for you isn't long. I hope you don't regret your choices."
With those words, the smiling Elf Queen stored the Elixir back in the jar.
As if that concluded her business, she whispered her final devilish temptation.
"If you change your mind, come anytime. Merciful Elves count time slowly. May the mother you've sought so long be with you."
The fiercely burning lantern slowly faded into the darkness, as if it had never blazed.
And the last thing I saw in the dying light were trembling eyes.
"M-Master..."
Richard had long bowed his head, and Snow-Covered gazed at me with quivering eyes.
Overwhelmed by despair, I could only lower my head like the extinguished lantern.