Chapter 68
Chapter 68
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Milia's Radical Proposal
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Come on, come on! It's been so long since we last met, but the mood's gotten way too heavy.”
Milia forced a bright tone as she looked at me.
“Young Master, you're here to pick up Misha as well, right? Not just for our exchange. Fortunately, she's made great progress in the meantime.”
Misha. Miron's older sister, the girl who had been slowly dying in the slums due to mana reversal in the past.
Ash knew Milia was trying to lighten the atmosphere, so he cleared his throat and responded.
“Ahem! You have no idea how much this body of mine suffered to get permission from Her Majesty for the World Tree leaves.”
With that, he proudly led us to where Misha was.
“Young Master!”
Misha, who had been chatting animatedly with Miron and the others, spotted me and shouted joyfully, waving her hands.
She could barely lift her body back then.
Now, she was waving both arms naturally, a clear sign her condition had improved dramatically.
“Thank you, Young Master! Thanks to you, my terrible illness is gone, and you're taking such good care of my little brother... I'll definitely repay this kindness!”
Misha's eyes sparkled like stars, with no trace left of the exhaustion from her battle with illness.
I sat down beside her on the chair and gently stroked her head, then turned slightly to express my gratitude to Ash.
The level of mana reversal Misha had suffered was so severe she was racing toward death's door.
To bring her back to such vibrant health.
I didn't know just how effective the World Tree leaves were, but it wouldn't have been possible with just one or two.
Ash must have truly gone through hell to obtain them from Minerva, just as he claimed.
His boasting wasn't for nothing.
Thud!
Miron, who had been next to Misha, slowly approached and knelt before me.
“Young Master... You are truly our family's benefactor. No matter what you do from now on, until the day this life ends, I will follow you.”
A smile crept onto my face at Miron's mature demeanor.
Yes. The connections from the past were reconnecting one by one.
I need to push myself harder too.
I patted Miron's shoulder, and hot tears began to well up in his eyes.
Beskin, watching the scene, turned his head slightly as if something had gotten in his eye.
Ash and Milia looked on with warm smiles.
“Pfft, you're acting like you didn't see this coming. It's cringeworthy.”
Everyone except that guy picking his nose.
“......”
“......”
“What? Why?”
Saladin kept digging at his nose as if wondering what the problem was, and no one in the room sided with him.
After our brief reunion with Misha, we immediately began pondering ways to convince Minerva.
“We don't have time. At latest, three days. That's probably when the orcs will push into Elunheim.”
Ash tilted his head at my firm declaration.
“It's true there's been more conflict with the orcs lately, but how can you be so sure it's three days? They wouldn't start a war against us so lightly.”
It was a natural reaction.
The elves, locked in a standoff with the orcs along Elunheim's borders, couldn't have seen the full extent of their forces.
“You couldn't see the scale of the orc army. Their king isn't some fool wasting all those orcs on mere containment.”
But we, who had broken through the orcs from the outside to enter Elunheim, knew.
The encirclement wasn't just for keeping the elves in check.
“Considering the Orc Lord's temperament, he'll want to lead this war personally.”
Ash asked curiously at my words.
“Have you actually seen the Orc Lord yourself?”
“...Yeah. Even fought him.”
Ash and Milia's eyes widened a bit more.
“When? Wait, before that—were you strong enough to clash with the orc king directly?”
“He was still mutating into a High Orc back then. Now that he's their king, he's probably fully evolved.”
“High Orc?!”
Milia and Ash exclaimed in unison, stunned.
Of course, they probably hadn't seen one either.
Even in the long history of the elves, very few would have encountered a High Orc firsthand.
Maybe just Minerva and a handful of elders.
“Even back then, when he couldn't fully absorb the white flower, he was a monster. Who knows what he's like now...”
It was just speculation, but the title 'High' wasn't given lightly to any race.
It literally meant transcending one's species.
At minimum, approaching master level—or beyond. That was the reasonable assessment.
“This is bad. Then no one but Her Majesty could stand against him.”
Ash's expression turned grave.
Ash was the captain leading the elf rangers. He was no slouch compared to his siblings.
But Hatan had held his own against our eldest brother and sister simultaneously.
In other words, even Ash couldn't match Hatan.
“We might suffer even greater losses than anticipated. We have to convince the queen as soon as possible, before they arrive.”
Saladin questioned my words.
“How? Got a plan? From what you've said, this isn't a snap decision. Botch the persuasion and you might end up dead.”
“...Yeah, that's the issue.”
Fundamentally, without convincing Minerva, there was no way to prevent elf casualties.
Elves, with their long lifespans, didn't have large populations to begin with, so recovery would be incredibly difficult.
That led straight to a bad end. Trade and alliances with the elves? Dead in the water.
But a powerhouse who ascended to the throne.
Refusing so stubbornly—how could we possibly sway her?
It was like putting a bell on a cat's neck.
As everyone pondered in silence, Milia spoke up.
“To convince Mother, we need to persuade Lena first.”
“Lena?”
“The elf who shot an arrow at you earlier, Young Master Jerome.”
Ah, that elf from before.
Unlike the others, she'd spoken bluntly to Minerva and immediately loosed an arrow.
Seemed like a hardliner fully aligned with Minerva's views.
“She's also my older sister, personally speaking.”
I see.
A die-hard follower... sister?
“Wait. Older sister?”
That would make her Milia's sister.
Then why address her younger sister Milia as 'Princess' with such respect?
Elves don't have the concept of illegitimate children.
Milia seemed to understand my confusion fully.
“I'm sorry. It's a personal matter, so I can't go into details... Anyway, my sister hates humans. More like despises them, really.”
“Despises humans?”
“Yes. Unlike Mother, who wants to sacrifice elves to make them stronger, Lena opposes allying with humans purely out of hatred. She can't stomach riding the same boat as those she loathes.”
Summarizing Milia's words: Unlike Minerva, Lena supported the plan out of pure hatred for humans.
“Lena trusts Mother's power, so she believes elf losses to the orcs won't be severe.”
Then.
“If we show her the orcs' power is no joke, there might be room for persuasion?”
Milia nodded at my words and added.
“My sister is trusted so deeply by Mother that she's captain of Alpheheim's personal guard. If we convince her, Mother might reconsider too.”
Indeed.
“But Milia.”
Her opinion was sound, but one question arose.
“I get why we need to persuade Lena and show the orcs' strength. But how exactly do we demonstrate that power?”
Lena was Alpheheim's guard captain. Meaning she hadn't fought orcs on the front lines.
Milia stared straight at my puzzled face.
“Simple. Have the man who clashed with the Orc Lord and broke through the orc encirclement to get here show his power.”
“......?”
“So, Young Master, give Lena a good beating.”
“......?”
Did I hear that wrong?
“What did you say?”
“Beat her up. Enough to break a bone or two. Oh, but not too badly—she needs to stay combat-ready, so moderately.”
Unfortunately, I hadn't misheard. Was Milia always like this?
“...Will that convince her?”
“Yes.”
Milia replied calmly to my dumbfounded expression.
According to her, Lena loved elves more than she hated humans.
She backed Minerva's plan only because of absolute faith in the Forest Queen's power.
The power that had steadfastly protected Elunheim, the elves' domain, for decades—centuries even.
In other words, just creating a small crack in that ironclad trust could change Lena's mind.
“You said you couldn't settle the fight with the Orc Lord, right, Young Master Jerome? Then overwhelm her completely. That way, Lena can feel his power firsthand.”
Persuade by beating up her sister? Ignoring my bewilderment, Milia continued.
“Since the elders secluded themselves for some reason, the elves lack strong fighters besides Mother. Of course, my sister isn't weak, but...”
In short: No top-tier powerhouses besides Minerva, so Lena's been a frog in a well for ages. She needed a jolt.
The elves have their own internal issues. Still... poking the beehive?
Even so, beating the daughter—wouldn't that backfire?
Interpreting my hesitation as concern, Milia added one last thing.
“Oh, if you're worried because Lena's a woman, no need. She despises those who judge strength by gender most of all.”
Ah, like Mercy sis.
“She believes only the words of the strong carry weight, so it might work surprisingly well.”
...It was an extreme mindset, hard to believe for a typical elf.
Then again, that's why she could go along with Minerva's insane idea.
Wasting time zoning out won't solve anything.
Even if Milia's idea was radical, it was worth trying. To minimize elf losses, we had to attempt something.
“No choice, then.”
It felt a bit off—really off. But no alternatives.
Besides, the elf princess said it was fine, so...
...Probably.
Screeech, screeech.
The rhythmic scraping of metal echoed through the silent mountain night, precise without a single deviation, carrying far into the distance.
“Hmmm...”
Twinkle!
The night after the pitch-black new moon had passed, as the three moons of the Cardia Continent shyly revealed themselves once more.
Even in the faint moonlight, the meticulously sharpened axe blade gleamed coldly, flaunting its chill edge.
Dissatisfied, the one sharpening it began again.
Screeech, screeech.
How many repetitions?
Finally, a satisfied smile curved the lips of Hatan, the one holding the axe.
“Two more days... perhaps.”
His quiet mutter alone toyed with the still air of the forest.