Chapter 130
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Opening the Negotiation Table (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Screeech—!
An arrow came flying.
The air split apart.
No, space itself cracked.
Thwack!
The incoming arrow slammed into a rock.
Right after, Haviel stepped on the arrow embedded in the rock.
Thump!
A leap like lightning.
But there was no time to savor the jump.
A barrage of arrows came flying one after another, all gleaming as they targeted the back of his head in unison.
Thud thud thud! Thwack!
He twisted his body mid-air.
Five arrows grazed past his entire body.
Three embedded into the bare dirt ground, two into the rock.
In that moment, Haviel realized two things.
One. The darkness of this night posed no problem at all for those elves.
Two. They were shooting their arrows in a way that absolutely avoided damaging any trees or grass.
*What unbelievable skill.*
When he thought about it, it was staggering.
It was a breathless pursuit.
He was sprinting through a dark, dense forest.
Yet every time, arrows came flying with chilling speed and precision.
And those arrows were always hitting only bare ground without grass or rocks!
*They're precisely predicting my movements at full sprint using nothing but their senses. Calculating the angle and environment of where the arrow will land in that instant. And they pull off all that in a split second to loose their shots.*
The more he thought about it, the more astounding their skill seemed.
But this wasn't the time to just stand in awe.
Thud!
He landed.
Kicked off the ground again.
He dashed between trees and trees.
Through bushes and bushes.
Even as he ran, his nape and back still tingled.
Dozens of arrowheads aimed at him.
The killing intent in their gleam made his skin sting.
*But I won't get caught that easily.*
If he got caught?
Lord Lloyd would be in danger.
So he absolutely could not let himself get caught.
Continuing this precarious evasion of their pursuit like this.
That would be the best role he could play tonight.
Reaffirming that fact, Haviel pushed himself to run even harder.
But the encirclement was gradually tightening.
Screech, whoosh—!
Arrows that had only come from behind now started flying from the sides as well.
“……!”
Slash!
He swung his sword.
He sliced two with sword wind.
The remaining one, he deflected off the blade as if shaving it.
From a distance of just a fist from his brow.
“…….”
He was being cornered bit by bit.
This was trouble.
*I was told to return within 30 minutes.*
Blindly running away wasn't his only role tonight.
After efficiently drawing their attention, he had to return to Lloyd.
If the timing was off there, Lloyd would be in danger.
Could he really make it back in 30 minutes?
*This'll be tight.*
No matter how he ran, the elves kept chasing right to the end. These were the ones who squeezed his breath with their chillingly accurate shots every time.
To turn around against such foes and retrace his escape path.
That meant charging into their encirclement and breaking through.
*But there's no time to hesitate now. If I go further, it'll be too late to turn back.*
Haviel made his decision.
He'd turn around at the stream visible ahead.
Charge into the elves' encirclement.
In the process, he'd defend his whole body with aura-infused sword strikes.
If possible, he'd fire off intimidating blasts to force them back.
*Good.*
He organized the plan in an instant.
One step, two steps, three steps—he ran.
Screech, whoosh, thud thud thud—four arrows grazed his heels and stabbed into the ground.
In that instant, Haviel's eyes gleamed.
*Now!*
Thud!
He spun around in a flash.
Raised his sword in front of his chest.
Summoned a brilliant glow—aura.
Rooooar—!
As the aura rose, he unleashed his sword strikes.
Following the flow of the incoming wind.
Following the drift of scattering pollen.
He scattered 57 storm-like sword strikes in all directions.
Slash slash slash slash slash! Slash slash slash! Slaaash! Thwack slash! Chiiiing!
The 86 arrows flying toward him were all severed.
It wasn't just severing them.
The arrowheads fell to the ground.
The back halves without heads flew off toward spots in the forest.
Straight toward the positions of those who had loosed the arrows.
“……!”
The elf archers were stunned.
They thought they'd hit this time.
But this human suddenly unleashed aura and sent the back halves of all their arrows flying back at the shooters!
“Keuk!”
“Guh!”
Elves who couldn't dodge the counterattack cried out one after another.
Some took hits to the shoulder, others to the shin.
But none were seriously injured.
Just a momentary sting and pain, like a switch's warning.
But the elves had no time to dwell on the sting.
*This human's trying to break through us!*
One elf archer signaled with her eyes.
The other archers quickly realized Haviel's intent too.
Thud!
The silver-haired human charged with even fiercer momentum than before.
A reckless charge that showed no intent to dodge like earlier.
The meaning was obvious.
Not evasion, but breakthrough.
Or a head-on clash.
“……!”
Of course, they had no intention of backing down.
The 86 elf archers who grasped Haviel's intent nocked their arrows in unison.
The remaining distance to Haviel was now about 50 meters.
All their eyes gleamed coldly.
Haviel's charging speed.
The direction and strength of the blowing wind.
The humidity and pollen density in the night air.
All calculations were made instinctively.
Soon, the elves' gleaming arrowheads all aimed at the point 24 meters ahead.
Killing intent filled their eyes.
24 meters ahead.
A needle's eye-like gap between the underbrush.
Tonight, the silver-haired human who invaded the forest would meet his end there as a pincushion.
Tssscreeech!
Tendons bulged on the archers' forearms.
Bows were drawn to the max.
Bows bent as if they might snap.
They were about to release the strings.
But at that moment—
“……!”
A whistle sounded.
Low but immense.
A signal audible only to elven ears.
A whistle commanding to halt pursuit and combat.
“…….”
The archers exchanged puzzled glances.
Of course, no one here knew why that whistle had come.
But that didn't mean they could ignore the signal.
Signals had to be obeyed.
That was the law etched into their bodies from living in the tribe's forest.
Swish.
The elves lowered their bows.
And melted into the forest's darkness.
Some behind the shadows of overhanging fern leaves. Others into gaps between hanging vines. And some behind rocks untouched by moonlight.
They withdrew as naturally as breathing.
All vanished smoothly.
Like sugar dissolving in water.
They retreated, blending naturally into the forest shadows.
Thanks to that, Haviel felt puzzled.
Thud thud thud!
He passed through the kill zone the elves had set in one breath.
In that moment, he radiated energy from his sword to protect his body like a shield.
But it was strange.
*What the...?*
No one shot at him.
Not a single arrow flew.
No, before even that...
*The killing intent vanished in an instant.*
Haviel didn't stop his charge.
Stopping his steps could make him a perfect target for killing.
That might even be what the elves were aiming for.
He kept running through the forest, pondering the mystery.
*Strange. What is it?*
As he ran on, he felt no presence targeting him at all.
It felt as if the intense pursuit from moments ago had been a lie or a dream.
*Eerie.*
What on earth were they scheming?
Haviel grew even more tense, heightening his vigilance.
At the same time, he felt creeping unease.
*No way something happened to Lord Lloyd.*
Please, nothing like that.
But he was anxious.
Their pursuit stopping so suddenly.
Letting him go as if nothing had happened.
Each running step was enough to awaken and amplify his anxiety.
No, the very silence made him more uneasy.
*I shouldn't have left him alone.*
Even if he was the bait, Lord Lloyd was in plenty of danger too.
Yet he'd trusted Lord Lloyd's words too much—trust me and go.
Assuming he had sufficient countermeasures.
Handing off the responsibility so conveniently.
The heavy duty of protecting Lord Lloyd.
*Please. Lord Lloyd.*
Please be safe without issue.
Greet him casually and shamelessly as always.
Let him know he's fine with lame jokes and taunts.
Haviel hoped and hoped as he crossed the forest.
He pushed his sprint even harder.
Leaped over rocks in one bound, crossed stumps, wove between branches.
He even untied the handkerchief masking his nose and mouth like a bandit cloth.
Pollen blowing wildly didn't matter.
He ran without even time to sneeze.
And finally, he reached the starting point.
The place where he'd left Lloyd.
“Lord Lloyd!”
Scraaaape!
After sprinting full tilt, he landed in a skid like a crash.
He turned his head.
Cast his gaze around.
Searched frantically.
Where was Lord Lloyd?
Where were the elves?
He'd react the instant he spotted them.
Even if it meant killing a few elves.
Even if it meant a lifetime of their vengeful pursuit.
He'd rescue Lord Lloyd first.
Gripping his sword with murderous intent.
And finally, he found him.
No, he was found.
“Hey. You made it.”
A welcoming voice came from somewhere.
A savory smell wafted from somewhere.
Haviel's head snapped toward it at light speed.
He flung his gaze like a flash.
And witnessed it.
Lloyd was there.
Five elf archers were there.
All seated in a circle.
In the center was a modest grill pan.
And on the grill, meat sizzling away.
So right now, Lord Lloyd was...
“What... what are you doing right now?”
“Hm? Grilling some pork belly?”
“And... these people?”
Haviel's finger trembled slightly.
Pointing at the five elves sitting awkwardly.
Lloyd answered brightly.
“Eating together?”
“......”
“Perfect timing. Here, take a seat.”
Lloyd patted the empty rock spot beside him.
Haviel sat down, feeling as if possessed.
Naturally, with the sizzling pork belly grill in between, he joined the elves in a cozy circle.
“What in the world is...”
“Introduce yourself. These are elf archers. Especially this one—her name's Muira. She's the chieftain of the Forget-Me-Not Tribe that dwells in Everglow Forest.”
“......”
“You saw, right? This guy's a bit blunt and bad at greetings. My bodyguard knight I mentioned earlier, Haviel Asrahan.”
“......”
The woman called Muira and the elf archers gave awkward glances and nods our way.
Staring blankly, Haviel thought.
*Looks like even the elves over there are embarrassed and don't know where to put themselves.*
“So, what the hell is going on here?”
He barely gathered his wits.
Half-accusatorily asked Lloyd.
He felt wronged.
He'd been genuinely worried.
Raced here out of his mind.
But what the hell was this situation?
What had happened while he was gone that Lord Lloyd and the elf chieftain were sitting fireside grilling pork belly together?
*Doesn't make any sense.*
It was utter confusion.
Whether sensing this mood or not.
Lloyd just grinned mysteriously as ever.
“What situation? We're in negotiations.”
“Negotiations?”
“Explanations later. Just watch. Here, tongs. Flip the meat before it burns.”
“......”
He took the tongs on reflex.
Flipped the pork belly on the grill in a daze.
Meanwhile, Lloyd and the elf chieftain Muira's conversation continued.
“Haha, how's the meat taste?”
“......Good.”
“Right? I heard elves don't use fire.”
“Of course. Fire torments and sacrifices plants to create.”
“So you dry hunted game raw into jerky?”
“That's quite tasty too.”
“Better than this pork belly?”
“......”
“See? Pork belly is eternal truth and the answer. But does the coal smell bother you or seep into the meat?”
“Not at all.”
Muira shook her head slightly.
Then her eyes turned to the grill below, toward the glowing coals.
“Amazing. To think there's a way to make fire without sacrificing trees or relying on magic.”
Coal.
Burning stone.
When she first saw it earlier, she'd been utterly shocked.
Shocked to the point of no return.
Because it was a phenomenon she'd never even imagined.
*Stones that burn? I had no idea.*
With that, you could make fire without sacrificing trees.
Meaning, you could grill hunted game deliciously.
Freshly brewed espresso-like desire burned in Muira's eyes as she gazed at the coal.
Of course, Lloyd wasn't one to miss that vibe.
*I half-joked, but I didn't expect an elf to fall for coal for real.*
It was just coal he'd brought to add to a campfire. Pork belly and grill pan for energy on cold journeys.
Who knew it'd become the killer item in negotiations with elves.
Honestly, even for him who loved grand schemes, this was an unexpected stroke of luck.
“Anyway, back to our negotiations... If you meet my demands, we'll steadily supply plenty of meat and coal every month.”
“Coal? This burning stone?”
“Yes.”
Strictly speaking, not stone.
Trees dead and buried eons ago.
But no need to mention that.
Lloyd wiped his mouth clean and said.
“My demands are simple. Grant me the right to harvest Elensia root sap. Of course, not indiscriminately. Under your supervision, sticking to precise amounts. And...”
“And?”
“Send just 100 elves to our territory. Ones who can freely climb heights and work as rebar workers. As dispatched outsourced labor.”
Greasy meat.
Mysterious coal.
Lloyd's proposal, gripping those two cards, took shape.