Chapter 342: Graxar (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 342: Graxar (6)
Roman Dmitry took in his surroundings.
The World Tree stood tall, its vitality fully restored. Beneath its boughs, the elves, led by the Mother Elf, knelt and swore their allegiance.
Taking in the scene that had transformed in a mere instant, Roman Dmitry recalled the words Brown Rock had spoken to him.
"Several decades ago, we discovered a mass of the Flame Demon's fire deep underground. It is a dangerous power capable of burning the entire world, but conversely, if utilized correctly, it is also our only hope of thawing the World Tree."
He could roughly piece together what had happened. The Flame Demon's fire must have erupted while he was connecting his mind to the World Tree. Just as Brown Rock had theorized, those controlled flames had thawed the frozen ancient tree. If that was the case, the elves' reaction was entirely understandable. To a race that revered the World Tree as a god, his existence was now nothing short of extraordinary.
However, he would not accept their oath of allegiance based on awe alone. While the elves were a highly useful race, Roman Dmitry preferred relationships built on clear, mutual exchange.
"I do not desire blind loyalty," he declared. "Luna wished for me to guarantee their nation's safety, and I came to Arcadia to fulfill my deal with them. What do you desire in exchange for your allegiance?"
His tone shifted. From the moment they bowed their heads, there was no longer any reason to speak with deference. Even if the other party was the Mother Elf, Roman Dmitry was a man accustomed to being revered.
The Mother Elf did not raise her head. Remaining on her knees with her face bowed, she spoke from the depths of her heart.
"We desire only one thing. From the moment the Flame Demon's fire revived the World Tree, Arcadia was granted a chance at rebirth. Therefore, please help us seize this opportunity. Even if evil forces from beyond the dimensions invade this world, we will not be in danger as long as you, Lord Roman Dmitry, stand firm."
It was the exact same sentiment. Just like the Luna Kingdom, the elves wished to guarantee their safety by offering everything they had.
"Those who threaten this world will inevitably clash with you, Lord Roman Dmitry. Grow stronger. The elves will assist you in every way possible, so please build a force that no one dares to challenge. If you can promise us just that, I, Gaiar, will gladly lay down my life to serve you."
"We will serve you."
"We will serve you."
Every elf bowed their head.
Gaiar had spoken for all of elvenkind. With the World Tree revived and the Mother Elf showing her absolute support, the ordinary elves stood united. Among them was Tersha.
It was a simple matter. Swearing loyalty in exchange for safety was a highly familiar transaction in a world ruled by the law of the jungle.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"I accept. In exchange for your loyalty, you shall receive the protection of Dmitry from this day forward."
The elven race.
This was the moment they officially became a part of Dmitry.
*
With the situation settled, Roman was just about to leave the elven territory when a late guest arrived.
"Your humble servant, Jairo, greets the hero of the Luna Kingdom!"
Thud.
It was a familiar sight. Just as the Mother Elf and her people had done, Jairo fell to his knees the moment he laid eyes on Roman Dmitry.
"That the Luna Kingdom and our hero had to suffer such hardships is entirely due to my stupidity. Even though I was explicitly told to wait, I led our forces outside and lost all of Luna's troops. Everyone paid a heavy price for the mistake of one pathetic, foolish human. Thank you so much. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you had not saved us, Hero, Luna would have been utterly destroyed."
It was a desperate, heartfelt cry.
Roman Dmitry had reclaimed Luna's fortress and subjugated the Orcs. As Jairo traversed the path toward the elven territory, stepping over the mangled corpses of monsters, he had constantly envisioned the moment he would finally meet Roman.
The hero of Luna. He knew it the instant he saw him.
Looking at the man who exuded an overwhelming presence all on his own, Jairo poured out his emotions without a second thought. If not for Roman Dmitry, Luna would have been finished. Knowing that his catastrophic mistake had been entirely resolved because of Roman, Jairo shouted until the veins in his neck bulged—yet he still felt he couldn't fully convey his gratitude.
He choked up, the tears streaming down his face a testament to his sincerity.
"Please accept us. Even if I am worthless, if there is anything I can do for you, Hero, I will do it, no matter what! If you tell me to die, I will die. If you tell me to jump, I will throw myself off a cliff. On the day I led Luna's soldiers to their deaths, the man named Jairo died as well. From now on, I will no longer live for my personal feelings, but for Luna—and for you, Lord Roman Dmitry!"
Behind him, the soldiers of Luna knelt one by one. Among them was a familiar face: Caden.
"Please accept us!"
"From now on, we will live for Lord Roman Dmitry!"
It was an amusing situation. Only moments after the elves had sworn their allegiance, the exact same scene was playing out before his eyes.
Jairo had been undeniably foolish. If he had been one of Dmitry's men from the beginning, he would have found it difficult to keep his head attached to his neck after such a crushing defeat. However, Roman did not hold him accountable now. Jairo had merely been foolish; he had still done his absolute best for Luna. Since he had not been under Dmitry's command at the time, there was no reason to bring up past events to punish him.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"Caden. What were the terms of our contract?"
All eyes turned to him. Caden, who had been shouting along with the crowd, spoke with a cautious expression.
"...In exchange for helping Luna, we swear our allegiance to Dmitry."
"Indeed. And Dmitry has fulfilled its end of the contract."
The people's eyes widened.
At that moment, Roman said, "Rise. You are already Dmitry's people."
*
A few days later.
The council of races reached a conclusion quickly. They had held a meeting beforehand, excluding Dmitry, where two individuals had passionately led the discussion, shouting until the veins in their necks bulged.
One of them was Jairo.
"This is a no-brainer! When Graxar was pressing us with overwhelming force, Lord Roman Dmitry turned the tide with a mere thirty soldiers. Even after achieving such a monumental feat, what does he stand to gain from this barren land? If we are beings who understand gratitude, we must at least repay him by swearing our loyalty!"
The other was Tersha.
"I agree with Lord Jairo. Lord Roman Dmitry did not just defeat Graxar; he performed the miracle of reviving the World Tree. The Mother Elf described him as our savior, and having witnessed the events firsthand, my thoughts are no different. You all know what the World Tree represents to us. From the moment he brought the World Tree back to life, we have been duty-bound to live for him."
Their arguments were powerful, and ultimately, a consensus was reached. In truth, even without their passionate advocacy, Roman Dmitry—the man who had single-handedly resolved the crisis of Arcadia—was a figure more than worthy of their allegiance. The races aside from humans and elves—the Yetis, Beastmen, Trolls, and others who had survived the war—all agreed to unite and swear their loyalty.
Thus, they faced Roman Dmitry. Looking down at the representatives of each race swearing their allegiance, Roman spoke of the future.
"Arcadia's top priority is self-survival. Cultivation will begin in the elven territory, which has regained its vitality, and the labor for this will be shared among all races. Until you can resolve your food shortage within Arcadia, Dmitry will assist you. We will use the power of the World Tree to establish a Warp Gate directly connecting Arcadia and Dmitry. Beyond basic aid, Arcadia will be able to obtain what it needs by providing labor."
It was not blind charity. By laying the groundwork for Arcadia, Roman Dmitry wanted them to establish an environment where they could survive on their own two feet. It was the same approach he had taken with the North Sea Ice Palace. In a land abandoned by all, they had forged their own path to survival.
"Keep this in mind. If you do not achieve self-reliance, Arcadia will ultimately regress."
"We will keep that in mind."
With that, the meeting concluded.
Now, it was truly time to return to Dmitry.
The following day, Roman Dmitry led his forces back across the Endless Mountains, cheered on by countless non-human races.
*
While crossing the Endless Mountains, Roman Dmitry received several communications from Dmitry.
[The situation in the Odelia Lawless Zone is worsening by the day. With the royal family gone and no one to control the populace, those with power are seizing control and causing conflicts across various regions of Odelia. Until now, we could not act hastily as we were busy dealing with the aftermath of the war, but we will need to take extraordinary measures before Odelia's situation severely impacts other nations.]
This was something he had been briefed on before. He had been keeping an eye on Odelia's situation for the time being, but according to the Information Guild, the unrest had reached its boiling point.
The Southern Three Kingdoms—Umberto, Redford, and Frank—wished to hold a meeting regarding this issue.
And the next communication:
[As a result of investigating Isabelle's movements, we found her last trace in the Umberto Kingdom. We confirmed that she left for somewhere after refitting her soldiers' armaments there, but we have been unable to trace her movements beyond that.]
Both of the previous reports were matters he had ordered to be investigated before leaving Dmitry. However, this particular detail was unexpected. He had heard that Isabelle was moving to thwart the Kronos Empire's conspiracy, so why on earth was she spotted in the Umberto Kingdom instead of Kronos? This, too, required a thorough investigation. Although the Hao Sect led by Lucas had grown into a formidable force, their intelligence network was not yet absolute.
The final communication. This time, it was a report from Knight Commander Jonathan, not Lucas.
[Two guests from Valhalla have arrived. One is a man named Sanchez, and the other is Count Bragan. Both have come as guests from the Valhalla Empire, but their business seems to differ.]
Sanchez. Count Bragan.
What their presence implied was clear. Sanchez was the disciple of Morales, who had sought out Duke Vieto following Roman Dmitry's advice. In short, he was currently a key figure in the rebel forces. Conversely, Count Bragan was the Valhalla Emperor's man. The Valhalla Emperor did not have a good relationship with Roman Dmitry, yet he had unexpectedly sent an envoy.
There was much to do. With so many people waiting for him, Dmitry—no, the entire Salamander Continent—needed Roman Dmitry.
*
Just as Knight Commander Jonathan had reported, Count Bragan, who had arrived in Dmitry, looked considerably anxious.
"Sigh. Of all the missions, I had to be tasked with this one."
Recently, the dark clouds of war had gathered over Valhalla. Duke Vieto, who condemned the current state of Valhalla, and the Valhalla Emperor, who refused to compromise, were locked in a fierce confrontation. Absurdly, the figure being discussed as the crucial variable in this civil war was none other than Roman Dmitry.
Past and present. The situation had changed drastically. Back then, Roman Dmitry had been in a precarious position, under attack by the Kronos Empire. But now, he was the undisputed leader of the Kingdom Alliance. The fact that Dmitry, Cairo, Hector, Umberto, Redford, and Frank would mobilize at a single command from Roman Dmitry was a terrifying variable that even Valhalla had to be wary of.
Furthermore, Sanchez had ties to Roman Dmitry. When Valhalla had made the mistake of crossing the line, had Sanchez not stood on Roman Dmitry's side?
For that reason, Count Bragan had received strict orders.
"Win over Roman Dmitry by any means necessary. At the very least, you must prevent him from siding with Duke Vieto."
It was an absolute order from Marquis Belfir. It was a difficult task. However, he did not lack confidence.
Count Bragan was a master of negotiation, and he had been granted full authority for this mission. Since Roman Dmitry was also a man who lived in the world of power, he surely wouldn't reject Valhalla's proposal outright. Though the world whispered that Duke Vieto's rebellion might succeed, those truly in power knew better.
It was then.
"Lord Roman Dmitry has arrived."
It was a report from his escort knight. He immediately stood up. He intended to meet Roman Dmitry right away, but he was met with absurd news.
"...I apologize, but it seems you will have to wait for a moment. I requested an audience as soon as I received the report of his arrival, but I was told he cannot meet you right now because of a prior engagement."
In an instant, his expression crumpled. There were only two guests who had sought out Dmitry: himself and Sanchez.
It seemed this negotiation was hitting a major roadblock right from the start.