Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Forest Hunters' Demand
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The Forest of Magical Beasts, nestled in the northwest of Banten territory, was one of the continent's forbidden zones, swarming with every manner of monster spilling forth from the Dragon Mountains.
As Mercy had reported at the previous meeting, the Shield Family periodically launched culls to manage their numbers.
But that only extended to the forest's outskirts bordering the territory and its borders—a demonic lair that repelled any human intrusion into its depths.
At the very heart of that forbidden realm dwelled the Forest Hunters.
Forest Hunters.
The term referred to the elves who had made their home deep within the Forest of Magical Beasts.
Their peerless archery, spirit magic, and unrivaled mobility in the woods granted them a fearsome power no group could afford to underestimate.
Yet with the Dragon Mountains flanking one side and the Shield Family holding the lands below, expanding their influence was no easy task.
Elves had never been the type to covet territory in the first place.
The Sleeping Giant.
That was how the continent viewed the Forest Hunters. And so the Shield Family had always respected their domain, treating them like prized livestock from afar.
So why had they suddenly appeared here in Banten? And at this precise moment, with the esteemed guest Prince Julius in attendance, no less.
This doesn't feel right.
I knew it instinctively. They weren't here for anything good. Something was terribly wrong.
The elves' power would be essential to repelling the Holy Empire's invasion, so I'd planned to venture into the Forest of Magical Beasts at the first opportunity.
"L-Lord... what should we do?"
"...For now, escort them to the banquet hall. If it's the Forest Hunters themselves, we should at least hear them out."
Father excused himself to Prince Julius before ordering the reporting knight to bring the elves to the banquet hall.
It wasn't long before the elves known as the Forest Hunters entered the hall.
Thud. Thud.
Though there were many of them, their steps rang out with the precision of a single person.
The elves exuded an intimidating aura, clad in exotic outfits woven from leaves and each bearing a longbow as large as their torsos slung diagonally across their backs.
Longbows unique to the elves, crafted from woods and monster sinews found only in the Forest of Magical Beasts.
Wearing those marked them as elites among the Forest Hunters.
That attire, that presence... As expected of the elves' famed ranger unit.
The finest sentinels who punished slave hunters preying on elves. What could bring them to our house?
At that moment, the elf who appeared to be their leader bowed to Father.
"We of the forest greet the great iron wall of mankind, the lord of Banten."
"Welcome, forest fairies. Skip the pleasantries and get to the point. What brings you here?"
The elf at the forefront lifted his head and addressed Father gravely.
"A grave misfortune has befallen our brethren in the forest of late."
"Is that so? What troubles you?"
"It pains us even to speak it... but Her Majesty's cherished daughter, our princess, has been kidnapped by slave hunters."
A hush fell over the banquet hall, every soul murmuring in shock. I was no exception.
What the fuck? Which lunatic pulled that shit?
I'd shove three arrows right into their skull.
An elf princess, no less? Kidnapping her? There were plenty of ways to commit suicide, but this wasn't one I'd recommend.
"Such an outrage! Have you captured those foolish slave hunters?"
The elf slowly shook his head at Father's question.
"No. The devils were so elusive, we lost their trail midway."
"Damn it all!"
Evidently, these slave hunters were no amateurs.
They'd taken pains not to leave tracks, given it was life or death for them too. But shaking off the rangers' pursuit?
So why come to our family?
A chill crept up my spine. Father seemed to sense it too—his voice grew a shade deeper as he pressed.
"...A dire blow for the friends of the forest. You have my deepest regrets. Does this mean you've come to demand passage rights into human kingdoms?"
"No, that's not it. Though we lost the trail, we found evidence identifying the culprits."
The elf shook his head slowly at Father's query, then drew something from his belt and tossed it into the center of the banquet hall.
It fluttered down languidly: a flag.
Emblazoned with entwined red and blue dragons soaring into the heavens—a symbol no one in this hall could fail to recognize.
"...Found by tracking spirits' guidance from the carriage our princess rode. Surely even you, my lord, know this emblem well."
How could I not? It was the royal family's banner.
"Our clan was divided. Punish the guilty humans' lands with righteous fury, or send envoys to seek aid? Just then, our forest scouts brought intriguing news."
The elf scanned the hall as he continued.
"A carriage bearing the same emblem as the kidnappers had left behind was headed straight for Banten."
"......!!"
Ah, fuck. We're screwed.
That was the thought flashing through my mind as the elves spoke.
Their demand was obvious.
"What nonsense is this? The royals kidnapping an elf? Absurd! What reason would they have for such base villainy?"
As Julius protested, the elf fixed him with a cold stare.
"Fine garb and regal tone... We'd been wondering which of you was the royal. Perfect."
The elf addressed Prince Julius directly.
"We desire no war, prince of men. But nor will we be bandied about by humans. Until our princess is restored to us, you will remain our guest in our lands."
"What?!"
"Such insolence! Do you even know who stands before you...!!"
Outraged voices erupted from vassals scattered throughout the hall.
Yet the elves didn't so much as blink.
"...And if we refuse?"
Father countered coolly. As a loyal servant of the kingdom, how could he hand over the prince without knowing the consequences?
But the elves, robbed of their princess, had no room to retreat either.
"Then war it is. Even if the cost is great—such is the princess's worth to us."
"You'd truly spill blood? Against our house, no less?"
Father's aura began to swell.
His crushing presence, like a colossal boulder, bore down on the entire ranger unit. The elves gritted their teeth but held firm.
A sign they'd come half-prepared to die.
"...We would have no choice!"
Father couldn't misread their resolve. Sensing they wouldn't yield easily, he gradually withdrew his pressure.
"...Hah! This is all too sudden. We'll speak again later."
He ordered servants to prepare quarters for the elves, then turned to Julius.
"Your Highness, as you've seen, a misunderstanding has arisen. This is no time for proper discussion. We'll continue another day."
Even under Father's dismissal of guests, Julius could muster no reply. He too was dazed by the shock.
"You must hand over the prince."
The Dark Knight, Darkan, stated his opinion calmly.
Bam!
"What insolent drivel! As vassals of the kingdom, how dare you suggest yielding to such madness?!"
Ares shot back furiously.
"Brother, calm down. We should hand him over. Honestly, what have we ever gained from the royals? They're the ones at fault—why should our vassals bleed for it?"
Mercy countered Ares methodically.
"Our house, the kingdom's truest loyalists—how can we surrender His Highness to mere subhumans? What would the continent think of us? Preposterous!"
"Mere subhumans? You can't dismiss them so lightly! Full war with the Forest Hunters? Even at full strength, our odds are fifty-fifty! And if the Holy Empire exploits the chaos to invade, the kingdom itself could fall!"
The council chamber devolved into chaos, split between defending the prince out of loyalty and handing him over to aid in recovering the elf princess. It was a total mess.
In a typical noble house, surrendering royalty without a fight would be unthinkable—tantamount to treason, dooming the family to ruin.
But.
The Shield Family's mission was to protect not just the royals, but the entire kingdom. It was this unique duty that made such a debate possible.
What to do?
Lord Bacchus tapped the table and closed his eyes.
Loyalty as kingdom nobles risked the house and realm's survival.
Preserving house and kingdom meant delivering the sole prince to the elves—smearing the great family's honor in the process.
Whoever orchestrated this prepared thoroughly. A perfect checkmate.
Whichever path he chose, scandal was inevitable. Ties with the crown would weaken, or the house itself. Loss was certain.
It was then that Bacchus's eyes fell on his third son amid his deliberations.
Jerome sat with eyes closed in thought, much like himself. With all the recent changes in the boy, Bacchus turned to him.
"Jerome, what are your thoughts?"
All eyes in the chamber shifted to Jerome at Bacchus's words.
The third young master had folded his arms and stayed silent throughout. Now, he finally spoke.
Ah, what a pain in the ass.
I had a rough idea of what was going on. It hadn't happened in the original history.
Which meant this was a butterfly effect from my changes.
What was the biggest recent alteration?
The Sword Family's grain monopoly—I snatched it instead.
In the original timeline, they'd have slowly devoured it under that pretext. Blocked, they kidnapped the elf princess and framed the royals instead.
With the prince long detained by elves, they'd expand into the resulting vacuum.
And unlike canon, weaken the troublesome Shield Family too.
Hand over the prince? Strains ties between crown and Shields—good for them.
Refuse? Kingdom-backing Shields weakened by war with elves.
Such dirty, underhanded tactics—straight out of Wolfgang's skull.
That bastard Wolfgang. He'd pay dearly for this someday.
I ground my teeth, but couldn't smash his head now. First, deal with the shit at hand.
As I pondered, Father's question came.
"Jerome, what are your thoughts?"
A question from lord, not father. A first in council.
No choice. Since the cake's here, might as well pray and bake it—time to win over the elves.
Their queen, Minerva, was essential for the great war anyway.
I'd been waiting for an opening to woo them, and the Sword Family laid the board. Time to dance.
"Everyone's arguing over handing over the prince or not, but we need to focus on the root. This stems from the elf princess's kidnapping, right? They're demanding the prince as hostage to find her."
"Who doesn't know that? That's why we can't hand him to those scoundrels!"
My brother Ares thumped his chest in frustration.
I'm more frustrated, bro. Shut it for a sec.
"Then just find the princess—no need to hand over the prince or fight the elves."
"Who doesn't know? The elves aren't all bad apples, but these ones came ready for war. You think they'll just go, 'Oh, thanks, we'll trust you and leave'?"
Mercy snapped back sharply. Still sore from our last scuffle, apparently.
"Simple, sis. Send someone as important as the prince from our side to join them."
"......!!"
"Like Brother, you, or me."
Though titled counts, the Shield Family's continental prestige rivaled the royals'.
That offer might make the elves compromise.
"Plausible. But setting aside convincing the elves—who goes with them?"
At Father's question, brother and sister averted their eyes. Understandable.
The rewards for resolving this were huge.
Rare herbs from the Forest of Magical Beasts via elven ties, plus a debt owed by the royals.
But they dodged because.
The risks are too high.
Failure meant instant death from elves, and no telling how long it'd take.
The longer, the easier for the stay-behinds to consolidate factions.
They'd surely thought that far.
So the one for the job was predetermined.
No faction to claim.
Every reason to turn elves to my side.
"I'll go."
It was me.