The Elf King and the 88 Elves
The words from Cariel ignited the elf rescue operation.
If the World Tree Garden is where the emperor is sleeping, what then?
We anticipated that one of two outcomes would unfold: either nothing at all would happen, or the elves imprisoned here would be captured like slaves.
Of course, the latter came to pass. The moment I feigned illness in the World Tree Garden, my neck was locked by a slave collar. The elves were sealed away together in the room housing them.
That collar on my neck had been the iron chain once used in Moncrito Kingdom to restrain slaves. If it had been the binding device placed on captives at the slave market, this version had simply been reshaped to look like the restraint worn by slaves after sale. The function remained identical.
Yet, not every restraint device weakened a slave’s abilities, and the one I wore certainly had its limits.
“But, Your Majesty… since you are wearing a slave collar, we cannot do anything.”
“Ah… this slave collar of mine?”
Cariel, who had not been particularly thrilled by my rescue declaration, pointed at the slave collar around her neck and mine.
“There is a simple way to remove it. First, draw every drop of mana in your body all the way up to your neck…”
I raised my mana as high as it would go, concentrating it toward the collar to give the elves a demonstration.
If I did this, the collar would mistake it for an attempt to use magic and try to control it.
Whoosh!
Without actually casting magic, I kept pulling and compressing the mana until the collar could no longer bear the force required to control it. It reached its limit.
Pop!
The jewel on the slave collar shattered, and all effects vanished.
“The collar’s jewel has shattered…”
“We can finally leave!”
Whispers rippled through the elves.
The gold mana I had been channeling to protect them had been visible, and after the jewel broke they watched the effect vanish. The hope of escape shone in their eyes. They clasped hands and smiled with joy.
“Everyone, step forward one by one.”
I drew the rapier from the magic pouch hidden to avoid my guards and, starting with Cariel, cut the slave collars from the necks of the remaining elves.
“Everyone, gather here.”
The freed elves were still so overjoyed they could hardly stand still. The joy of escaping must have been overwhelming.
“Cariel, how many elves are here now?”
“Including myself, eighty-eight in total.”
Eighty-eight.
Protecting them all while exiting the palace would be far too heavy a burden for me alone.
If only I could leave and handle everything myself…
I needed to buy time here until Alex brought the imperial knight squad from outside the palace.
If I had known this would happen, I would have sent Cariel with Alex instead of keeping her in the palace.
“Then I’ll go first and clear as much as I can…”
“Your Majesty, we can fight too.”
“Eh?”
“Knowing this kind of thing would happen…”
Cariel trailed off and signaled the surrounding elves. They searched corners and empty spaces under the ceiling, then pulled out something one by one.
“Bows?”
“Yes. Knowing something like this would happen, the soldiers had secretly gathered them during moments of carelessness.”
“Ah…”
I had been so focused on getting them out safely that I had overlooked something vital: these were elves.
To elves who lived their entire lives in the forest, a bow was an inseparable companion. Given the forest terrain, the most effective defense against external forces was shooting from the treetops, using trunks and branches as cover. It was nearly impossible to pick them off if a large army attacked while they hid among the trees.
Moreover, since elves picked up their first bow the moment they learned to walk, their skill had been honed since childhood. No other race could match it.
Now eighty-eight elves stood armed with bows, even if their styles differed slightly from those used in the forest. They were each drawing the bowstring once to get a feel for it.
“We may not reach the level of the Elf Army Combat Unit, but we can protect at least one person.”
“That will do.”
Just as Cariel said, these elves possessed strength far beyond any elite human archer unit, and the determination on their faces as they nocked their bows gave me a reliable support in the face of fighting alone.
“Then shall we go? Prepare yourselves for the shock.”
I approached the wall sealed with a magic circle, gripped the rapier’s handle in its sheath, and focused my mind.
Swish!
At the same time I drew the rapier, I unleashed the compressed sword energy in one strike, splitting the wall in two.
Kwack!
The world tree garden stretched out before us. The gentle sound of water from the stream and the rustling leaves as the artificial wind swept through the world tree branches reached our room.
“All to your positions!”
Following Cariel’s command, the elves exited the wall and, climbing the roofs, nocked their arrows at their assigned spots. Even without practice runs, their movements were flawless. They were every bit as good as a skilled archer unit.
Of course, the royal guard knights on guard in the world tree garden noticed our movements.
“The elves are escaping!!!”
One knight’s shout triggered an emergency across the palace. Armored knights poured in from every direction. Behind them came the massive, lumbering figure of Emperor Bardorf.
“W-what is this…!!”
Drud drud drud.
The sound reached me. The elves, unable to control their emotions, had pulled their bowstrings so hard that the sound carried even to me.
“You are surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender! We will spare your lives!”
Severin, the head of the royal guard, scanned the elves on the roof with bows raised, along with me, and issued a warning.
When our eyes met, he averted his gaze again. It seemed he still feared me.
“Y-your Majesty… please lower your weapons too. His Highness the Crown Prince and the imperial knights have left. There is no one left here to save you.”
I did not believe Alex had truly abandoned me and fled with the knights. Even if he had, I could handle it alone, so the warning did not feel like a threat to me.
Even as Severin issued his warning, royal guards flocked to the world tree garden, filling it completely. The corridors were packed with soldiers standing ready for any contingency.
If I could, I wanted to face them all myself, but watching the elves on the roofs gave me pause. Charging alone would only invite resentment.
“That is what I was about to say. Head of the Royal Guard, Severin. Isn’t it you and your subordinates who are actually surrounded?”
I pointed at the elves on the roof, and Severin, following my finger, finally realized the situation.
He seemed torn between continuing the attack and retreating to regroup.
“Severin! Capture that Lowell woman! The others may die for all I care! As long as Lowell is alive…” Kruk kruk kruk…
While Severin was still considering his options, Emperor Bardorf, unable to grasp the situation, muttered nonsense and only confused him further.
“Y-your Majesty’s command… c-capture… capture Lowell! Archers, attack the elves on the roof!”
Following Severin’s orders, the royal guard knights rushed toward me without even drawing their swords, intending to capture me. The archers, meanwhile, were drawing their bows high, aiming at the elves on the roofs.
“Fire!”
With Cariel’s voice, the elves on the roofs unleashed a volley.
Huk! Hu hu hu hu!
None of their arrows struck the ground. They all embedded themselves in the bodies of the soldiers and knights, rendering them combat-ineffective.
“Kyaaaat!!!”
The arrows shot by Cariel struck Severin’s thigh. His pained scream echoed across the entire garden.
Before long, the once clear stream water that rivaled the forest’s was stained red with the blood of the wounded knights and soldiers. The garden, once filled with the scent of grass, now carried the metallic scent of blood.
In a single volley, the royal guard knights and soldiers began to panic. Several stepped back. Even Emperor Bardorf, who had been watching from a window in the corridor, no longer had his confident expression. He was sweating, unable to stand straight, his face twisted in fear.
“Your Majesty!!! It’s terrible!!!”
After the elves’ volley, the world tree garden, which had been silent for a moment, erupted with the cries of a soldier running to report to the emperor.
“Your Majesty! The Crown Prince and the imperial knights are charging toward here, passing through the palace gates!”
“W-what!? T-they said they had returned to the empire!?”
Emperor Bardorf roared at Severin, who was grimacing with the arrow in his thigh.
The knights and soldiers here, realizing the situation had worsened, began to waver.