The Vile King and His 88 Elves
The regal royal guard from the Luteria Empire had arrived.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince Alex of the Great Luteria Empire, I am Sevid, the captain of the royal guard assigned to escort you. From this point onward, we shall provide your protection.”
Clad in the Luteria Empire’s royal guard, the royal guard of the Leoba Kingdom approached us, their armor gleaming with expensive gold plating.
The brightness reflected off the armor was so intense that, even from a distance, the sunlight bounced back and blinded anyone approaching.
After greeting the Crown Prince Alex, the royal guard of the Leoba Kingdom immediately surrounded the carriage and began escorting us in earnest.
Several of the royal guard knights advanced ahead to clear any potential obstacles along the path the carriage would travel.
Among them were commoners begging in the streets, who drew their swords and pushed us off the road to ensure the carriage could pass without hindrance.
Meanwhile, Cali and I watched their actions through the window.
The knights carrying the flag engraved with the Leoba Kingdom’s crest drew near the carriage, using the flag to block our view so we could not see outside.
“This is even more unsettling than I expected.”
With the scenery beyond the carriage windows now completely obscured, I pulled the curtain and let out a sigh laced with frustration.
“Even the Empire has been providing steady support so that no one starves in this place…”
Alex started to speak but trailed off, hinting at something that had not gone according to plan.
“The King of Leoba is notoriously greedy, so convincing him is no easy task.”
“Convincing him? If His Imperial Majesty simply gave the word, it would be resolved.”
“That is no small feat, either, Lady Lowell.”
In my experience with the empires of other worlds, such situations usually involved direct intervention to resolve matters, but here I could not grasp why the current political situation made it so difficult.
“Right now, King Bardof of Leoba is an ally with a pro-Empire stance, and to us he is essentially on the same side… yet intervening here would only provoke opposition.”
Interpreting Alex’s words at length, the current situation caused no real harm to the Empire, and since it did not concern the Empire’s citizens, there was no need to meddle at all.
Of course, showing off the Empire’s immense power and issuing threats was an option, but most of the Empire’s main forces were deployed to the frontlines battling the Demon King’s army, leaving only the reserve troops behind.
The reserves were not exactly negligible, however.
With the Empire’s current reserve strength, it might struggle to unify the entire continent, but it could certainly reclaim the western regions and more.
Yet…
For an Empire that had to fight two wars simultaneously, the burden was undeniable.
“Once we reach the palace, I will speak with the King again and try to persuade him, Lady Lowell.”
Despite the serious conversation we had been having moments ago, Alex still managed to smile at the end, and the way he looked reminded me of his father, Emperor Roberto IV.
Normally he would act meek and obsequious, but when anger finally erupted, no one was more formidable than he.
*
With the royal guard’s escort, the carriage raced onward until late at night, finally reaching the capital.
The capital’s atmosphere was much like the villages we had passed along the way…
Perhaps because we had arrived sooner than expected, soldiers in the capital were herding the homeless out of sight along the streets.
Even though it was nighttime, the houses within the capital were dark except for the single lit palace where the King of the capital resided—the royal palace at its center.
As the carriage stopped before the palace, someone approached the carriage door with alarming speed.
Clang.
“Welcome! Crown Prince Alex! It has been so long! Haha, I trust there has been no mishap in the meantime?”
Why did every villain in this world have to be fat?
Or was it that fat people were assigned to play villains?
How did he even stand up with such a heavy body? The man was enormous, and the King’s robe—woven with gold thread that bore no resemblance to the kingdom’s actual resources—was on the verge of tearing apart.
“Yes. I have been doing quite well, thanks to you.”
“Hahaha, that’s wonderful…”
As soon as Alex stepped down from the carriage and while King Bardof was still engaged in conversation with him, the King turned his gaze directly to me, pausing mid-sentence.
I wondered if he might be someone I knew, but no such face appeared in my memories.
Yet something felt off…
The scent of elves clung to the King of Leoba.
Among human nobles these days, some even used cosmetics made from materials only obtainable in the Elf Kingdom, which is how they tried to appear elf-like.
It made sense, really.
“This… is this elf the Crown Prince Alex’s slave?”
“Please refrain from such words!! This is my mother-in-law and Lowell-nim, one of the Hero’s Party members!”
“What? What!!!?”
The King, who had been grinning with an eerie smile while calling me a slave, suddenly jolted at the mention of the Hero’s Party and immediately changed his expression.
“I-I’m sorry. I did not realize Lowell-nim was present and spoke out of turn!”
Though I would have loved to retort, I held my tongue for Alex’s sake.
“It is fine. It was merely a misunderstanding, after all.”
“Hahaha, you truly are a noble High Elf. Your beauty is matched only by your kind heart…”
The King’s face twisted into another obscene grin.
Cali, who had been holding my hand, seemed to find the King’s face unbearable; her grip on my hand tightened.
“Ah! We cannot dawdle like this any longer. You must be hungry, so let us go straight to the dining hall.”
As we followed the King into the palace, the Monkrito Palace from just days ago felt like a distant memory; this place was far more lavish to the point of excess.
In the corridors, gold decorations and priceless artworks lined every inch, and the ceilings were adorned with murals featuring countless gems.
Since I lacked artistic sense, I could not quite grasp their meaning, but it seemed the King had painted his own self-aggrandizement onto the walls.
The dining hall was no exception…
More extravagant than the corridors, every dish on the table was crafted entirely of gold.
“The royal chefs prepared a special banquet because they knew the Crown Prince was coming!”
“Ah… yes.”
Alex, too, did not seem entirely pleased by the King’s hospitality and wore an uneasy expression while keeping his distance.
“As for Lowell-nim…”
“I can eat anything.”
“Hahaha, no. I had instructed the chefs to prepare Leoba Kingdom’s traditional local cuisine.”
“What?”
Leoba Kingdom’s traditional cuisine was something one could only taste in the Elf Kingdom, and even the ingredients were impossible to obtain here. So why was I seeing it?
But moments later…
I discovered that what the King had boasted about was no lie. The dish before me was exactly the rare local fare available only in the Elf Kingdom.
Elf bread kneaded with rare spices from the Elf Forest, a salad infused with herbs found only near the World Tree, and a stew simmered in a fragrant sauce made from those same herbs…
It was identical to the meals I remembered from the Elf Kingdom.
“Please, eat while it is still hot. Haha.”
“This is such a rare delicacy… Where did you obtain it?”
“Our palace has a chef skilled in Elf Kingdom cuisine. Haha, now that Lowell-nim has arrived, it seems he finally had the opportunity to showcase his true abilities.”
A human chef who could prepare Elf Kingdom dishes…
I was curious to know who he was.
How could anyone in this world enter the Elf Kingdom to learn their cuisine?
There were many things to ponder, yet before I could sort them out, my body had already picked up the spoon and fork.
“Your Majesty, I trust nothing troublesome has occurred in the kingdom lately?”
“What? Hahaha, of course not. With the Empire’s blessings, what troubles could there be? It is all thanks to His Imperial Majesty’s grace.”
Alex’s question did not seem to match this answer.
“The citizens seem to have lost their spirit…”
“Hahaha, worrying about even these lowly people. As expected of the Crown Prince Alex! To prevent you from having to worry, we have also reduced the citizens’ taxes and distributed food to ensure no one starves.”
Lies…
The scene we had witnessed along the way in the carriage was the complete opposite of this story.
“Now, Your Highness, please stop worrying about those lowly people and eat your meal. The soup will get cold.”
“Yes.”
Alex seemed about to say something more, but King Bardof kept deflecting the conversation with a smile and urged us to eat.
“Lowell-nim, how have you been holding up? I heard you endured many hardships…”
“I have been managing well enough.”
“If there is anywhere you wish to go, please consider staying in our kingdom. Behind the palace lies a garden modeled after the World Tree of the Elf Kingdom.”
“A garden?”
At first, I did not understand what the King meant by “modeled after the World Tree,” so I asked him to clarify.
“Actually, I have taken a great interest in the Elf Forest, so I have decorated our palace with many such elements. Haha. I am certain Lowell-nim will be astonished when you see them.”
Even scholars interested in elves had never heard of a king in a single kingdom showing such fascination with elves.
Unless it was for personal gain…