Chapter 62 – The Great Assembly (2)
“What kind of nonsense is this? An, the Elves sent a formal delegation?”
Giron, the city’s administrator, stammered at the news he received from his subordinate. However, the report was true.
Several of his subordinates were already urging him to go out. Surely, they couldn’t all be lying or seeing things.
“Damn it!”
He quickly got up from his seat, adjusted his clothes, and hurried out. It was an unimaginable situation, as a shocking and urgent event was unfolding in a quiet city.
‘A messenger from the assembly formed by Elves from across the continent?’
It wasn’t just that. Being a local, he also knew the legend that some Elves lived somewhere near the city he governed.
But he had never properly communicated with those Elves, and he had never even heard tales of scattered Elves forming a unified faction.
“This can’t be. It was real…”
Afterward, he stumbled upon seeing a group crossing the main street of the city. Armed warriors were flanking a mysterious carriage drawn by massive reindeer.
The long, pointed ears of the warriors were undoubtedly Elven. He was witnessing the largest gathering of Elves he had ever seen in his life.
“W-well, we’ve brought them as instructed, but what should we do now?”
His subordinates were staring at Giron, wanting him to give some commands before the Elves arrived.
“First, inform the lord about this. I will entertain them in the meantime.”
He instinctively believed that this was not a matter he could handle solely as an administrator. No matter how small the Elven faction was, their mysteries and assets were worth at least one domain.
In such a scenario, if these were representatives sent from the assembly of all Elven tribes across the continent, they needed to be treated with the respect accorded to a nation.
There was no need for a headache over this.
All he had to do was hand them over to his superiors.
“Ahem!”
Finally, when the delegation stopped in front of him, Giron cleared his throat and adjusted his voice. Perhaps he had become part of a moment that would be remembered in history. Glancing sideways, he noticed that journalists were already observing the scene.
“Welcome to our city. I am Giron, the administrator of this city.”
‘This should be good enough.’
He was satisfied with his first greeting. He was certain that many watching thought he had delivered a smooth introduction.
“I am Eluria, here with the edict of the Elven Assembly.”
Eluria opened the carriage door and stepped down to receive his greeting. She was nervous as well, but she had one solid reason that kept her steady.
It was the mission that bore the fate of her clan.
*
“So, if I understand you correctly, the Elven Assembly is officially seeking to establish diplomatic relations with our kingdom?”
“That’s right. This place has been selected as the first to form a relationship.”
After completing his greeting, Administrator Giron carefully invited the delegation into his residence. Though it was the administrator’s mansion, it wasn’t very grand since the city wasn’t that large.
Regardless, disguised as a maid, I was right next to Eluria and could hear their conversation.
“This kind of significant discussion is not something someone like me can deal with. I believe you should head to the lord. He will likely give you a grand welcome.”
“We have a rough understanding of how human society is structured, as we have guides.”
“Aah… you’re talking about the adventurers.”
Their conversation naturally included us. The administrator, who had intended to send us to his superior, sighed in relief upon hearing that Eluria was aware of the situation.
‘While the external agenda is diplomatic relations, that’s only part of it.’
The mission of the delegation was not merely to announce the existence of the assembly to the world or to establish diplomatic relations. They also intended to handle all matters from the outside.
One of their tasks was to contact the Church of Light to ascertain the existence of the Holy Water.
“Please feel free to stay. If you wish, I can provide escort and manpower to accompany you to the lord’s castle.”
“There is no need for that. We will stay for one day.”
The administrator was being polite, seemingly not wanting to create issues, while Eluria maintained her appropriate authority but kept the line drawn.
If they could resolve things positively like this, there was unlikely to be any bad feelings on either side. Though not much significant conversation arose, it was a somewhat satisfactory meeting for both parties.
“I-I’m so nervous, my heart is racing. I have to talk to humans…”
“You did well. And get used to it. This is for you, but also for all of us.”
After the administrator left, leaving just the two of us, Eluria breathed heavily with a trembling voice. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her allergy-like reaction, petting her head as a gesture of encouragement.
Important matters hadn’t even begun yet.
“Today, I visited the Church’s temple with Rina and Lila along with Arisa. I was able to meet with a priest.”
That evening, while I accompanied Eluria, Patrick, who had moved separately, told us what he had done.
He had approached the Church to obtain the Holy Water and discussed it with the priest.
“He seemed quite flustered upon learning that we were looking for the genuine Holy Water created by the First Saintess. He said that it was not something a mere priest like him could manage.”
“Well, that’s understandable. So what did he say? He can’t get it no matter what?”
“He mentioned that the genuine Holy Water is securely stored in the underground vault of the main temple, treated as a relic used in very small amounts for special ceremonies. The priest added his own view, saying that it would likely be difficult for the Elves to acquire it, no matter how much they wanted it.”
The reason for approaching the priest was to learn more about the genuine Holy Water. However, their claim that it would be hard to acquire it made me scoff. They were talking about the end of the world, yet who were they?
“Perhaps if we persuade him well enough, he might yield? But first, we need to get to the main temple.”
I unfolded a map and pointed with my finger to the city where the Church’s headquarters was located. It was on the opposite side of the continent. Whether it was a flaw in the map or the geography had changed over 10,000 years, it seemed a bit different, but it was certainly an area that was once called Italy long ago.
The location vaguely resembled where the papacy used to exist, leading me to think that perhaps ancient tales had an influence.
It was a place extremely far from the city we were heading to, but that was fine. As long as the spatial leap existed and we paid the enormous fee, we could utilize the magical civilization that transcends reality.
“Tomorrow, we’ll use the leap to travel to the lord’s castle. You should go there first and try to persuade the Church’s people. If the results are not good, then we can only move on to the next step.”
I assigned them a mission. It was undoubtedly my sincere hope that things would end well on their end.
‘The issue of erosion has already started to be known in the world, and the Elves have come out of their long slumber to collaborate, mentioning it as well. With everyone coming together, how could we refuse in a situation like this?’
I felt that I had prepared enough weapons. With Ethan’s organization already in motion, we certainly had a significant number of cards in our hands.
This way, I could naturally hide my identity while achieving my goals. It was virtually perfect.
“…What’s with that look? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Thinking it was a fairly good plan, I chuckled, and only then did I start to feel the strange gazes. Rina, Lila, Patrick, and Arisa, who were in the room, were looking at me with bewildered expressions.
“Now that I think about it, everything seems to be falling into place one by one.”
Patrick’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“Is it true that everything you’ve done since joining Ethan’s organization, purifying the erosion near the city and contacting Professor Renia, was all part of your plan?”
“Was using me to elevate Ethan into an important leader of the organization also part of it!”
Rina and Lila covered their mouths, recalling the events that had transpired.
“Indeed, Iriliana has awakened from a long slumber to save the world in crisis!”
Arisa began spouting nonsensical things again. Startled by their reactions, I hesitated. Until now, I had only been trying to deal with the immediate issues before me.
Thinking back was overwhelming enough; I didn’t have the luxury to look into the future and act upon it.
“Stop saying weird things. I’m not acting on such grand thoughts.”
I tried to explain myself. The problem was that they all seemed not to believe me. If so, why did they even ask?
But I was sincere. I was merely doing what I could do. Truly saving a world in crisis was the task of those called heroes or champions, not something someone like me, who could barely manage my own affairs, should be entrusted with. That was what I firmly believed.
