Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Humans Have Their Own Ways
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The situation on the ramparts was even more of a shitshow than I'd imagined.
"Gaaah! Arrows! Dodge the arrows!"
"Raise your shields! Magic incoming!"
Down below the walls, the elves had set up camp. Taking advantage of humans fighting among themselves, the elven legions had crossed the border under the pretext of providing support and advanced all the way to the capital.
Support, my ass. They were a pack of hyenas here to scavenge the scraps the moment the Empire crumbled.
"..."
I rested my chin on my hand, gazing down at the scene. Honestly, it was fucking ridiculous.
Ungrateful bastards.
Elicia had told me about it. Three hundred years ago, they were the ones who broke the pact first. Claiming humans were barbaric and short-lived, so the noble elves had to rule over them or some such nonsense.
Who the hell saved the elven forest?
We purified their polluted woods and even pulled a sapling of their precious World Tree from the depths of the demon realm when it was on the brink of extinction. Who was it that handed it over? They were so grateful back then, but now that things are cozy, they stab us in the back?
Should've burned the whole lot of 'em back then.
Keep showing them kindness, and they start thinking it's their right. Now I'm pissed on principle too.
You think you're so noble you get to lord over humans? Hilarious. Time to carve the logic of power into your bones.
Later, when I meet the elven queen, I'll grab her by the hair and shake some sense into her... Ah, right, she's probably long dead by now.
That queen back then, Titania. We got along pretty well—she could hold a conversation, even dropped by my tent now and then for tea. By now, she's probably returned to the embrace of the World Tree.
That queen was a pacifist who flinched at stepping on a single flower petal, but it looks like her descendants got a rotten education.
If she saw her progeny acting like this from underground, she'd pop her coffin lid open and wail.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue, gripped the railing, and stood up. This is exactly why they say raising kids properly matters.
"Isn't it beautiful? The screams of humans."
The elves were leisurely firing arrows and spirit magic from beyond the walls' range.
"Lord Kasian!"
As soon as I reached the ramparts, a guy who looked like the commander stared at me.
"Those are the elves' elite Silver Arrow unit! Their range is at least double ours. If we go out to fight, we'll be turned into pincushions before we even get close!"
"And? Their range outstrips yours, so you've just been sucking your thumbs and taking it?"
"Well... Our mages are mana-depleted and struggling just to maintain the barrier..."
"That's why you're losing. Fighting fair like idiots."
"Pardon?"
"When the weak beat the strong, it has to be dirty, sneaky, and brutal. That's war."
I smirked at the garrison commander.
"Here's a quiz. Humans are weak compared to other races. Our mana sensitivity doesn't reach the elves' toenails, our strength can't hold a candle to orcs, and our lifespans are short."
"That's true, but...?"
"So how did the Empire unify the continent and take the Demon King's head? Sheer guts? Because some god loves us humans?"
The commander went mute as a clam. I patted his shoulder and gave him the answer.
"It's because we're the meanest sons of bitches out there. We don't give a damn about methods or means."
I pointed inside the castle with my finger.
"There's elven prisoners in the underground jail, right?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes. We captured a few scouts a couple days ago, but..."
"Drag 'em up. All of them."
The commander's eyes went wide.
"Are you planning to negotiate with them now? Trade hostages for a ceasefire...?"
"Negotiate? Hell no. They're gifts. Just bring 'em."
"G-Gifts?"
"Can't get through to you, huh? They wanna go back to their buddies. We're gonna send 'em home."
"But Lord Kasian! Empire law states that war prisoners must be treated humanely and can't be used as battlefield tools—!"
Shwick.
The red feather plume on the commander's helmet was effortlessly sliced off by my Demon Sword Levatein before he could even finish.
"Eek?!"
The commander screamed and collapsed in a heap.
"Humane treatment, my ass."
"...!"
"Your country's about to fall and your heads are on the chopping block, and you think you've got time to worry about prisoner rights? You think those pointy-ears will treat you humanely if they breach the walls?"
I pointed to a soldier dying from arrows below.
"If that was your family down there, your wife and daughter getting trampled by those bastards—would you still be hugging the law books?"
"U-Ugh..."
"Don't puke. You get three minutes."
I ground the severed feather under my boot and added,
"If they're not here in three, you'll take their place tumbling down there. Wouldn't recommend being the human bomb."
"We'll do it! Bringing them right now!"
I looked back down at the elves below. Their commander spotted me and flashed a sleazy grin while pretending to nock an arrow.
"Heh..."
A hollow laugh escaped me. That bastard doesn't know who I am, huh? Well, it's been five hundred years—no reason he should recognize my face.
Back in the day, scum like him couldn't even meet my eyes...
I fiddled with some mana crystal dust in my pocket.
"Yeah, keep smiling, pointy-ears. Your camp's about to host a fireworks festival."
I curled my lips into a grin. It'd been a while since I'd smelled blood this thick.
======
A short while later, the clanking of chains announced the arrival of five elven prisoners dragged to the ramparts. Even as captives, they held their heads high with arrogance.
"Release us, you filthy savages!"
"How dare you treat a noble child of the forest this way! Aren't you afraid of the forest's curse?!"
The blond elf at the front shook off a soldier's hand and spat venom. From his glare alone, you'd think he was the triumphant general, not the prisoner.
These damn elves... Always looking down on other races.
It was the same back then. They'd invoke alliance oaths when it suited them, then mock humans as barbaric short-livers the moment they gained the upper hand.
Five hundred years—enough for mountains to change fifty times over—and that rude streak was still etched into their genes.
I approached them with a predatory smile.
"Hey."
"Hmph."
The blond elf eyed me like a bug before pointedly turning away.
"What's that stench? Blood and the vile aura of black magic. Are you the leader of this ragtag mob?"
"Watch your mouth, punk."
I roughly grabbed his chin and yanked his face toward me.
"Unhand me! How dare a lowly hand touch—!"
"Can't read the room, huh? Your lives are in my hands right now. How about bowing your head a bit?"
"Ha! Death? Elves do not fear death. The body returns to the earth, the soul to the World Tree's embrace!"
He thrashed to break free and shouted.
"Kill us! The Empire will become the enemy of all continental elves the moment you do! Think your primitive race can handle that?!"
The other elves chimed in.
"You can't do shit to us!"
"Release us now and offer reparations! We might spare your lives out of mercy!"
I couldn't help but burst into incredulous laughter. They really thought they were the top dogs. Well, the Empire had been too soft on them—let 'em climb right to the tip of the bamboo pole.
And the World Tree?
I planted that damn sapling myself, you ungrateful shits.
I swallowed my rage, plastered on a magnanimous smile, and grabbed the noisiest blond by the collar.
"Alright, alright. You're all right. We're the ones in the wrong."
"...What?"
Caught off guard by my response, the elf blinked. I grinned wider, pressed my palm to his chest—right over his heart—and channeled mana.
Black Magic: Delayed Mana Overload
Injects mana into the target's body, using it as fuel. Explodes after a delay or on command. Power scales exponentially with target's mana reserves—living high-yield bio-bombs.
Woooong—
His body glowed red briefly before settling.
"Guh... Wh-What did you do?!"
"Your parting gift. Wouldn't want you lonely on the way."
I did the same to the other four. One of my signature moves: Black Magic Delayed Mana Overload.
"There, all set."
I dusted off my hands and beckoned the soldiers.
"Untie them. Gotta send 'em back to their families."
"Wha?! Lord Kasian! Letting them go will leak intel to the enemy...!"
"Untie them, punk. Too chatty."
The soldiers hesitantly cut the ropes. The elves exchanged gleeful glances, like manna from heaven had dropped.
"Idiots. Should've kept us locked up if you caught us. That weak pity of yours will bring your defeat."
The lead elf spat and growled.
"Just watch. I'll bring the main force back and hang your heads on the gates!"
As soon as the gates opened, the prisoners bolted toward their camp with everything they had. The soldiers on the walls stared blankly at their retreating backs.
"You're really letting them go...? Two of our squadmates got wounded capturing those bastards..."
"Feeling hard done by?"
"Of course! They're the enemy! If they report back our wall height or troop positions, that's straight-up treason!"
The commander frothed at the mouth in a fit. The surrounding soldiers' eyes mirrored it—resentment and anxiety at this madman releasing prisoners on a whim.
"Wait and see. I'll wipe that grievance clean."
I propped my chin on the railing, leisurely watching the elves scamper away.
Cheers erupted from the distant elven camp. Morale must've skyrocketed seeing their comrades return safe.
"Our kin have returned!"
"The humans are showing signs of surrender!"
The elven commander threw open his tent flap, arms spread wide. Soldiers hugged the returned prisoners, clapping backs in welcome.
They were being escorted straight to the commander's ornate main tent, densest with troops.
Gonna interrogate them for intel, huh...
I clicked my tongue.
"Modern elves got no fear."
"Pardon?"
"Back in my day, elves isolated returned prisoners for at least three days, checking for curses or plagues with purification magic first. But look at these idiots—hugging away like it's a party."
Long peace turns heads to flower fields, humans and elves alike. Made things convenient for me, though.
"All gathered now?"
Dozens of high-ranking elves clustered tightly around the returnees.
"3, 2, 1."
I murmured softly and snapped my fingers.
Snap—
-Massive Mana Detonation
Prisoners' bodies erupt, chain-reacting with surrounding elves' mana. Black magic desecrates life itself.
KABOOOOOM—!!!!
A crimson flash erupted in the heart of the elven camp. The eardrum-shattering boom hit a beat later, shaking the walls.
"Gaaah!"
Soldiers clutched their ears and dropped to their knees from the shockwave.
It wasn't a mere blast. The elves' mana-laden bodies detonated, igniting a chain reaction with those around them.
Black magic's specialty: profaning the living. No wonder the magic academies banned it frothing at the mouth.
"Gaaaah!!"
"Wh-What's happening?! My body... Gaaah!"
The prisoners at the center vanished without a trace, dragging their hugging comrades—and nearby elves—into the maelstrom.
Flesh and blood rained down like a storm. The once-noble, elegant elven camp turned into a blood-soaked slaughterhouse in seconds.
"...".
Silence blanketed the ramparts. Our soldiers stared at me in horror-struck eyes. Not joy at dead enemies, but frozen terror at my method's brutality.
The commander clung to the railing, legs buckling, trembling. I approached and patted his shoulder.
"Eek?!"
He jolted back like I'd burned him. I chuckled and pointed to the burning enemy camp.
"Well? Say it again."
My red eyes gleamed.
"Still feel hard done by?"