Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Chapter 25: The Day the World Turned Upside Down
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“Fascinating. Truly fascinating.”
The elf nodded with empty eyes. The sponsor suddenly clapped and took a step toward the elf.
“By the way, before that, could I possibly get a sword?”
“A sword?”
“I’ve heard that elves make incredibly impressive swords.”
“That’s true. Hmm... Open that up and take a look.”
The elf pointed to one wall of his room. The sponsor walked over and pulled the handle mounted on the wall, revealing a hidden cabinet.
Drurrrrruk!
Inside were dazzling famous swords lined up in abundance.
“Oh... These are...”
“What do you think? Decent enough?”
“Decent? They’re astonishing. The metalworking and craftsmanship are on a miraculous level.”
The sponsor circled the swords one by one, repeatedly exclaiming in admiration.
“How can you create such masterpieces in a dimension with such backward technology?”
“Time.”
“Pardon?”
“Elves have plenty of time. Especially a monarch like me. Pour in time, and pour in more time, and occasionally something like this comes out.”
“If worse came to worst, I was even planning to trick the Committee’s eyes and give you one of our weapons... But this is more than satisfactory. Oh, this massive one would be perfect.”
The sponsor picked up a greatsword over two meters tall from the innermost spot with one hand. The elf paused in admiration at the sponsor’s superhuman strength before opening his mouth.
“I made it out of boredom about 1,500 years ago. I was talking with the Ancient Bear chieftain at the time, and he asked me for it.”
“Ancient Bear? You mean a bear?”
“Not just any bear—an ancient species. Humans call them magic beasts. Anyway, they’re highly intelligent and know how to use tools.”
“Bears wielding swords... I can’t even imagine it. Can they grip a sword with that paw structure?”
“Who knows. Anyway, I put my heart into making a sword fit for his size. But when I finally brought the completed sword, the chieftain was dead.”
“Pardon?”
“It took 500 years to make.”
“......”
“No matter how long their lifespan, they don’t live past 700. He commissioned it around 400. So I just kept it. No one to use it anyway.”
“What a tragic tale. May I take this one and use it?”
The sponsor swung the massive sword lightly as he asked. The elf shrugged indifferently.
“Do as you like. The world’s going to perish anyway, so it’s all meaningless junk.”
“Thank you. Then soon...”
The sponsor stepped into the darkness he had opened, laughing.
“The time has come for the world to turn upside down. I’m curious about the outcome. Will you all vanish, or will I? Of course, the end will be the same either way.”
* * *
A horde of elves charged across the wasteland, kicking up sandstorms.
Do they think they’re a herd of cattle? Why are they charging like madmen, foaming at the mouth?
Elves absolutely do not move like that by nature.
Especially in battle. They lure enemies into their home base, the Eternal Forest, then dart between trees like flying squirrels to harass foes.
Or they sneak up silently like jungle guerrillas to slit throats with daggers, or snipe through helmet gaps with precise arrows laced with magic. Those are their main tactics.
But now...
“Kraaah! Kill them! Kill all the humans!”
“I killed five yesterday! Five White Knights! I’ll kill ten more!”
“Graaaah! Blood! Death! Crush them all!”
What the hell are those? Barbarian warriors?
Of course, elves are strong.
Hard to believe looking at their slender builds, but their base strength rivals knights in low-grade magic armor.
But they don’t have the monstrous power to smash a knight’s helmet with a bare fist from above. Do they think they’re ogres? And what’s with that guy? Why’s he proudly waving around a shattered head?
“Have they gone mad...?”
I had no idea what was happening.
In my previous regression, nothing like this ever happened. And this isn’t even near the Eternal Forest—it’s way down in the Guiness region.
The elf army that crushed the White Knight Order in the first battle had been charging southward nonstop for over a full day without rest.
Even for elves, that stamina is beyond normal.
Unless they ate something amazing or something bad, this was inexplicable.
“...What do you think?”
Guardian Knight Order Captain Dylon asked with an anxious face. Back from aerial scouting, I summed it all up in one sentence.
“The elves seem to have gone crazy.”
“Oh no...”
“As expected from the White Knight Order’s retreat report...”
Blue Knight Order Captain Haine and Iron Mace Knight Order Captain Rexer, waiting alongside, grimaced in unison. I looked back and forth between the two captains and said,
“Elves aren’t ironclad. Avoid direct clashes, drag it out, and they’ll tire and collapse on their own.”
“You’re right, Your Highness. They’ve fought the White Knights and kept coming without rest.”
“If casualties get too high, I’ll step in. Until then, stick to the plan: lure the elves in and trap them in the encirclement.”
“Understood. Good luck, then.”
“Good luck, Your Highness!”
The two captains saluted and returned to their positions. Alone with Dylon, I casually asked,
“The battle with the Legion Command feels like yesterday, and now war again. The world’s tough, huh?”
“As you say, but the Imperial Guardian Knights didn’t lift a finger in that battle.”
The old man shook his head with a wry smile.
“You handled it alone back then. It’d be great if this battle went the same way...”
“It won’t.”
And it shouldn’t. I shook my head and rattled off my prepared excuse.
“Obviously, Turn Undead doesn’t work on elves. I can use elemental magic, but elves have superior anti-magic resistance by nature.”
“I’ve heard that. Even so, this old man believes without doubt that Your Highness will shine.”
“I’ll step in later. Hold the line with the knights until then.”
Upon hearing the White Knights were crushed, the Emperor urgently summoned me and mobilized three knight orders, granting me full command of the subjugation army.
The issue was they were hastily assembled, short of full strength.
And regular soldiers didn’t even reach the battlefield for quick deployment...
No.
That’s not the real problem.
The incoming elf army numbers about 1,500.
Practically the entire combat-capable force from the Eternal Forest elves.
But the elves leaving the forest to fight is a huge thank-you from our side.
Our Blue Knights and Iron Mace Knights are the Empire’s clear main forces.
Though rated a step below the already crushed White Knights, 2,000 combined knights can encircle and annihilate the fatigued enemy.
And that’s the core issue. No! We can’t kill all the elves here!
“Why the long face, Your Highness? You don’t look well.”
The old man’s perceptive. I sighed and laid out another excuse.
“I feel like I’ve burdened the Guardian Knights too much. Already understrength, and they’re taking the enemy’s first strike? Casualties will be heavy.”
“Regrettable, but unavoidable. After the last battle, I’ve done everything to boost the order’s capabilities...”
“It’s not something a captain can fix alone. At least we have reinforcements this time, so don’t despair.”
“Of course, the Knight Master’s joining is worth ten thousand troops. Compared to that...”
Dylon glanced sideways at one knight standing behind.
“Kyle, was it? The young man next to Knight Davy.”
“Yeah. Kyle.”
“Entrusting battle command to that youth... I can’t comprehend it.”
“Why, want to command yourself?”
“I know my limits best. If you’re delegating, wouldn’t Knight Davy be better than a newly commissioned knight?”
Fair question, but you’d be shocked seeing Kyle actually command.
“Everyone has their strengths. Captain, take the reserves and fall back. Just follow Kyle’s orders, and it’ll be fine.”
“If Your Highness insists... Understood.”
Dylon withdrew to the rear without argument. I called over Davy and Kyle from behind and explained the plan once more.
“See that dust cloud? Battle’s about to start. As planned, Guardian Knights hold here against the assault. Meanwhile, Blue and Iron Mace Knights flank left and right to enclose the enemy. Davy?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Focus on saving our men over killing theirs.”
“Naturally. I’ll buy time until the elves collapse from exhaustion.”
Davy nodded calmly. Kyle beside him fidgeted with a half-rotten expression.
“Your Highness, why not reconsider now?”
“Hm?”
“How can a mere regular knight like me command a proper knight order? The captain—Knight Davy—is perfect for this. So please, even now...”
“Davy needs to focus on fighting.”
I cut him off and shook my head.
“The Guardians back there are a ragtag bunch not fit to be called knights. Without Davy shining at the front, they’d be wiped out in seconds.”
“That’s true, but...”
“And Kyle?”
I stood on tiptoes and patted his shoulder.
“I’m not expecting miracles from you. No fancy maneuvers. Just do what they taught at the academy. Anvil to take the enemy’s first blow. You know how, right?”
“......”
“Believe in yourself. With your skills, commanding 500 half-assed knights is a breeze.”
“You really think so?”
Kyle’s dirt-pale face brightened a bit. I nodded vigorously with a grin.
“‘Course I do. Know what’s essential for a top commander?”
“What is it?”
Instead of answering, I pressed his throat with my fingertip.
“This.”
“Your Highness...”
“Do your best. I’ll watch from above.”
I immediately cast flight magic and soared into the sky.
Kyle’s anxious now, but once battle starts, he’ll transform.
So it’s good to give him experience like this when possible.
From high up, I could see the charging elf horde, plus the Blue and Iron Mace Knights spreading wide on both flanks.
A picturesque battlefield straight out of a painting.
Of course, none of this is really necessary.
If I just dumped Tempest in the enemy center, the tide would turn instantly.
“I could handle this alone if I wanted...”
Normal elves would resist with magic.
Elves have plenty of powerful mages—not Arch Wizard level, but strong—and even regular soldiers know basic spells.
But can I expect precise control from those tree-branch-wielding, blood-dripping barbarian warriors?
So even though I could wipe them solo, that’d be a problem, hence borrowing the knights’ power.
Why a problem?
Massacring elves here with my own hands would shatter a key tech tree in my plan.
* * *
Tree spirit Dryad.
Killing an elf doesn’t immediately grant a Dryad.
You already have a Fire Spirit Queen like Ignis—why obsess over a mere tree spirit?
There’s a reason. Dryads massively boost life force.
Here’s what I mean...
There’s a holy spell called Life Link.
An ultimate holy magic like Turn Undead, usable only on friendly living beings (with their consent).
Once cast, it shares damage I take with the target.
Even lethal damage gets split, ending in half-death for both.
But on a normal human, it’s pointless.
Half-death means combat-incapacitated, near death.
That’s why the Dryad—unique among contractable spirits as a living being—has immense value.
A Dryad’s vitality?
Vastly superior to any human’s.
Link to a Dryad, crank damage share to max 9:1, no issue.
Even instant-death shock to me is just a few broken twigs to her.