Chapter 53

The city of Antrem, near the Great Forest.

Still, since this was a fantasy world, we were able to shorten travel time through a teleportation magic circle, but the distance from the State was easily noticeable.

The humid and hot air, the relatively light clothing of the people, and the World Tree, so massive that its form could be observed even from a great distance.

“Uh, President Alan? The elves refuse to allow entry. Instead, their representatives will come here directly.”

That was the greeting I received upon arriving in Antrem city.

The elves, it seems, did not want my delegation trespassing into the World Tree’s territory and planned to personally visit this short-lived race’s city instead.

‘The issue lies in what kind of tendency the elves who will represent them have.’

I had already prepared scenarios for various situations.

A case where an aggressive elf shouting ‘Kill humans’ receives us.

A case where an elf with no particular rank or distinguished lineage is pushed into the role reluctantly.

Or even, though unlikely, an elf who truly seeks genuine communication with humans comes to meet us.

The plan to disseminate heroin will remain the same, but depending on the disposition of the negotiating partner, the specific methods will vary. After all, after just a few days ago we were still glaring at each other; it’s not like they’d happily take the substance just because we smile and offer it.

“Understood, Mayor. When will they arrive?”

“Hmm…”

“Seems like you haven’t received a specific notification.”

“Haha, yes. We practically begged to have the delegation received, and barely managed at that. They promised to send an elf with the stature of an elder, but there’s no telling who exactly it will be.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. Negotiating with a group we were fighting with just a few days ago isn’t easy. Please forgive me, President Alan.”

It certainly seemed clear that the elves were hostile.

‘Maybe a hardliner will come.’

Perhaps an insane elf might arrive with the intent to disrupt negotiations. After all, since I was the one planning a crazy scheme, the possibility of encountering someone similarly insane had to be considered.

“Very well. Mayor, please provide accommodations for my entourage to rest.”

“Understood.”

Bono, who was carrying the heroin crates, along with the other entourage members, headed to the inn.

I needed a short rest too. As I was about to follow them, the Mayor of Antrem glanced at me.

“Uh, President Alan?”

“Speak.”

“It’s…uh…”

His stuttering seemed suspicious.

Could he be trying to curry favor knowing that I am a close confidant of the Second Imperial Princess? Given that he’s a mayor, it’s not strange. The mayor of this southernmost city of the Empire doesn’t often have opportunities to ingratiate themselves with the Imperial Princess.

However, his request was not about connections.

“Could you possibly spare a little morphine?”

“…”

“I’m telling you, I have a severe toothache that makes eating an absolute torment. I requested some morphine from the commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade stationed here, an old classmate from the Academy, but he refused. And, come on, soldiers aren’t the only ones in pain in this world!”

Morphine, he’s asking for morphine.

Seeking it from me, someone on a diplomatic mission, was inappropriate.

But, judging from his near-tearful expression, it seemed earnest. After all, damaged teeth do significantly lower one’s quality of life.

“VictORIA must be handling the control of morphine distribution properly.”

If even a high official like the mayor struggled to obtain a few morphine pills, it said something.

However, I couldn’t offer morphine for toothache.

“Sorry, your information is incorrect. Morphine isn’t a simple pain reliever. You should seek alternative treatments. Relying on morphine simply for a toothache will likely leave you hospitalized in three months.”

“…”

“Or even worse, bankrupt and living on the streets. I’d recommend tooth extraction instead.”

“That’s too harsh…No, you’re right.”

Did my firmness cause him to clam up?

From his expression, he didn’t seem offended but rather thought I was overly emphasizing the risks of morphine to avoid giving it.

Still, I didn’t care. It was better to be misunderstood than to let an official responsible for a city, appointed by the Emperor’s decree, indulge in human’s infinite joy with morphine.

“Also, Mayor, didn’t Her Highness the First Princess prohibit the export of morphine? I’m close not only to Her Highness the Second Princess but also to the First Princess.”

Only after mentioning the Princess did a trace of fear appear on the mayor’s face.

“Mr. Alan, let’s just forget this ever happened.”

“Let’s consider it.”

At this point, he should’ve given up.

Of course, I was planning to unleash heroin, at least five times more potent than morphine, on the elves, though I kept that to myself.

The discomfort from favoring one and not the other didn’t bother me. If I were the type to fret over such things, I wouldn’t have reached this point.

‘There’s no turning back now.’

Upon arriving at the inn, I muttered while looking at the chest containing heroin and the other supplies I brought for easier distribution.

Once I’ve brought it, I intended to dispense it all.

**

Two days later, the first meeting with the elves was successfully arranged.

“Mr. Alan, the elves have arrived.”

“Who are they? Elders?”

“I asked for their identities, but they simply instructed us to guide the empire’s delegation to them. Right now, they’re waiting in the specially prepared negotiation room. They’re quite insistent, so we couldn’t impose any formalities.”

“…”

Still, since they’ve come, I should meet them. Accompanied by a few members of my entourage, I headed to the negotiation chamber.

As I entered, the elves’ gazes immediately focused on me.

‘They have a full contingent.’

Eleven elves were seated or standing, observing me.

There were enough seats, but only one was sitting.

“Human.”

A female elf with green hair briefly scanned me before speaking.

She must be the representative with the other ten as her entourage. Given that she brought ten other elves alongside her, she’s likely at the elder level, though if I asked her role, she probably would have answered. Still, I didn’t do so.

‘To begin with, I’ll ignore it.’

As I remained seated quietly, the room gradually filled with an awkward atmosphere.

They wouldn’t come to glare and then leave. They’d say something. I intended to assess the nature of the counterpart while responding accordingly in real-time.

A silence ensued, but not for long.

“Human! Has the Honorable One called for you?”

An elf resembling a baggage carrier growled but I ignored it, waiting for the green-haired leader to speak.

They wouldn’t want to engage in hours of staring contests, especially since they generally dislike humans.

Finally, the green-haired elf revealed her identity with a slight smirk.

“I am Marcella of the Udrina Clan. You can rest assured that the ‘representative status’ you obsess over has been fulfilled.”

A concise self-introduction.

But even this short statement offered a wealth of information.

Marcella.

She appeared in the original story as an elf.

Marcella, claiming to be high-elf, was a young grand warrior of the Udrina Clan, one of the five clans that guide elves. Although not an elder, she wielded significant influence within her clan due to her impressive fighting skills, the best in the Great Forest despite being relatively young.

Master level combat skills and formidable magical prowess.

Marcella was supported by the more aggressive faction of elves. She had been behind guerrilla warfare, deliberately provoking the imperial army to escalate conflicts until her eventual defeat by Leon and the Saintess in the original story.

‘If you wanted to negotiate, bringing someone as extreme as this was unexpected.’

However, this was better than a vague, moderate elf who’d drag the conversation. Fortunately, we could skip the drawn-out reconnaissance phase.

“I’m Alan Medoff, Consul of the Britannia Empire.”

“Friendship, huh? The premise sounds good. I don’t know your intentions, but nothing you attempt will succeed. I don’t trust you…”

“You don’t need to trust me. I didn’t expect it.”

“…”

Marcella glared fiercely. Her fair skin was charming for an elf, yet her face was saturated with distrust and hostility. She was likely the one behind the countless traps filled with poison herbs and animal dung that maimed imperial soldiers.

I intended to capitalize on this distrust toward humanity.

“You must be curious about the empire’s sudden troop withdrawal. I doubt your forest-bound kind can grasp this, but it relates to internal affairs within the empire.”

“Political factional squabbles, it seems. Short-lived beings like you who fight over a handful of power for less than a hundred years…”

“Marcella, right? Mock humans after you retreat to the forest and remain among yourselves. I’m not here by choice either.”

“…”

“I’ll stay here for a few days, then return to the State and report that after sincere discussions with the elves, we’ve laid the groundwork for friendship. You can report to your elders that you’ve driven humans away. Either way, this entire process is purely for show. All of it.”

Marcella stared at me dumbfounded, but I casually ignored her. My acting abilities wouldn’t expose me to this isolated group.

After a while, Marcella finally spoke.

“…What do you want?”

“Preferably, I’d like a token of friendship to present. It’ll make it easier for me to report back to our superiors. If that’s unacceptable, just putting your name on a peace treaty will suffice.”

“…”

“With so many observers, we’ll have to pretend to converse for a few hours. If you’re bored, I can offer tea. Or alcohol, if you prefer.”

Marcella gave me a disdainful look at this statement.

It would be hard for elves to understand humans’ showy negotiations.

Still, it seemed I’ve managed to lower her guard somewhat. She exchanged glances with her subordinates, shook her head, then turned back toward me.

“Let’s go with the tea. Humans’ alcohol tastes too potent to drink.”

“Should I offer some to the elves accompanying you? If you’re afraid I’ve poisoned the tea, I can provide you with a food taster.”

“Keep pushing such…no, fine. Offer tea to my entourage as well, and I’ll do as you ask. Excuse me for a moment.”

“Sounds good. I was feeling cramped anyway.”

I promptly vacated my seat.

Then, together with Bono, I prepared a special tea exclusively for elves.

Lemon tea with 10 milligrams of heroin in eleven cups.

In reality, heroin being highly lipophilic, inhaling it through the nose or smoking it via a pipe for absorption through the mucous membrane is more efficient. But it’s not the time for efficiency yet. First, I planned to provide a taste.

Naturally, my intention was to offer it for free initially.

After all, I was a envoy sent for the mutual friendship of both sides.

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