Chapter 68

68 – The Correct Posture (3)

“Those wicked humans…”

“Just to clarify, they are only a minority. Those guys are extremists who are rejected even among humans.”

When I shared the information I had found with the elves, including Eluria, I comforted her as she flushed with anger.

Fortunately, the elves now do not unconditionally reject humans and other races as they did before, so unlike my worries, this anger did not lead to hatred towards the whole race.

“What the High Elf said is correct. The humans we’ve met so far… there have definitely been good ones among them. Just like the people here.”

Arisa agreed with me and glanced sideways. Patrick and Lila, who were attracting the elves’ attention for no reason, flinched and cleared their throats.

Until now, the connection of being a nation was too strong, making it still awkward, but they were slowly beginning to interact with each other because they had shared experiences together. It didn’t need to be anything grand; just learning about who each other was was already a bond.

“It seems they have taken security measures, but they don’t realize their plans are leaking. They will probably launch an attack as planned. We will pretend not to know and then counterattack to wipe them out in reverse.”

I smiled and shared the plan. Such extremists were to be dealt with whenever possible, regardless of their race or faction.

No matter how I thought about it, they were of no help. Especially at a time like now when everyone needed to unite their strength.

“Until then, we should be safe. So, you can relax.”

“We must leave this place in two days and head back to the city. What about the High Elf?”

“Once we resolve this issue, we will move to the church headquarters immediately. By then, the situation at the church will have settled down.”

Leber, the High Priest of the church allied with us, is already counterattacking against the opposing faction, turning the tide.

It won’t take long before they sort out the situation. Then I could go there and take what I wanted and be done.

“Then, I will act as instructed.”

Everyone present nodded. It was a bit nerve-wracking to suddenly become the leader of all the plans, but that was the reality.

“Should we not inform the King? His own vassals are plotting such schemes, and they are dangerous people from the start. The Narian Kingdom explicitly prohibits discrimination against different races by its law.”

After the elves had all left, Patrick cautiously whispered. He seemed to feel the weight of starting as an adventurer and getting wrapped up in bigger issues, but given his character, he was diligent in fulfilling his assigned tasks.

“Not informing might risk leaking information, and frankly speaking, the King, that little brat, doesn’t seem particularly trustworthy.”

However, I shook my head at his remark about whether it was right to inform the King.

The King of the Narian Kingdom I had seen was just a teenager who had barely ascended to the throne. He had a certain maturity and seriousness, having learned the ways of kingship, but it didn’t seem necessary to drag a boy around the age of middle school into this.

“Then it means we will have to rely solely on our own strength as we won’t receive support from the kingdom.”

“They’re not going to mobilize a large army or anything. We can manage a few dozen.”

Patrick looked uneasy, but I trusted the combat experience I had accumulated so far. The power I possessed was certainly a force that was hard to imagine in this era.

So, the enemies who do not even know my identity or existence would inevitably fall easier to my power.

*

“Then, please travel safely. I look forward to the day we meet again.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

The day for the elf delegation to depart had come. After only visiting the Narian Kingdom, they decided to return home first to report the results of the meeting.

While it was disappointing for the other nations they wanted to visit, the Narian Kingdom had gained considerable benefits as a result.

“Oh dear, my eyes are going to fall out. Is he a man too?”

Iriliana, moving together with the elves, chuckled at the face of a boy she saw in the distance. Eluria’s gaze was fixated, as if entranced.

The rumor that the King had fallen for the elves was now inescapable.

“Is it really possible? Even if it’s not Eluria, a marriage alliance between humans and elves.”

“Nobody knows how the world works.”

She shrugged at Rina’s words, who was beside her. Right now, both elves and humans may despise half-breeds, but there was no guarantee it would last forever.

“But you’re a High Elf. What do you think, Iriliana?”

Naturally, Rina asked her. Having seen the considerable influence Iriliana held, she thought the elves would follow her words.

“I don’t know either. They will judge and act according to their own needs and desires.”

However, she shook her head as if it was natural.

From the beginning until now, she had no intention of interfering with the elves. Though she had reluctantly intervened to address a necessary issue, she truly planned to stay out of their affairs moving forward.

“We will arrive there soon.”

Passing through the leap zone, they reached their destination in an instant. It was the path back to the elves’ homeland and at the same time, the first and last space where their enemies could target them.

“–, —!”

At that moment, the spirits became agitated. They had excitedly discovered a series of ambushers lurking nearby.

As if she anticipated this, Iriliana smiled slightly while increasing her tension. A battle was about to begin.

“Wait!”

“!?”

But at that moment, something unexpected happened that neither Iriliana nor those lying in ambush had anticipated.

There were people charging from behind. The person on the pure white horse was none other than the King, Mikail, seeing them off in front of the royal palace.

“The enemies are here!”

“Good, activate the spells!”

While the elf delegation was startled by the suddenly approaching King and his escort, unfortunately, the ambushers were unaware of this fact and immediately launched their attack.

The first attempt was to activate the prepared spells to bind the elves’ feet and obscure their sight.

A massive flame ignited, forming a barrier that instantly blocked the elves’ retreat.

“They’re here!”

“Attack!”

The battle between the prepared elves and the ambushers began without delay.

The ambushers, their faces masked, confidently emerged and attacked the surprised elves.

‘We will cleanse the world…!’

Melchies, a member of the masked cult, charged forward with his sword drawn, believing that the elves being startled by their ambush was their triumph.

“What in the world is happening!?”

“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous!”

However, the reason the elves were shocked was not due to the ambush they had anticipated, but rather because of the King who suddenly appeared from behind.

In an instant, the two groups became entangled, and fierce combat erupted. The ambushers were just as startled to see the King and his escort.

“What do we do!?”

“F-focus on attacking the elves! The King must not be harmed!”

It turned into a chaotic scene. The King and his guards hastily assisted the elves in battling the ambushers, and the ambushers gave up on capturing the elves and fought with all their might.

“Oh damn…”

In the midst of it all, Iriliana was feeling irritated. It was impossible to repel the flames conjured by the wind spirits.

This was an unforeseen variable. She hastily raised an earth wall to protect those she needed to guard.

‘In this situation, I need the power of a new spirit.’

Iriliana thought she needed to summon another spirit. Still, the power she had accumulated until now was considerable, so with a little more effort, she could summon a new spirit.

“Let’s focus on winning for now.”

While she couldn’t dispel the spell created by the enemies, that didn’t mean all of her power was sealed.

The enraged spirits unleashed their power, pouring it all over the confused ambushers.

The ground shook as an earthquake occurred, and a fierce whirlwind mixed with sharp stone shards surged, ripping into the enemies’ flesh.

“What the hell is happening!?”

Melchies and the commanders of the ambushers were left in shock. The spirit magic they encountered was a mysterious force that was hard to respond to.

“Counterattack!”

In the meantime, the elves retaliated against the enemies. The arrows and spears of the elves, who were fully prepared for battle, pierced and stabbed into the bodies of the ambushers.

With that level of conflict, the ambushers’ plan to capture the elves without any damage had already failed.

Now, for both sides, it had become a priority to kill the enemy by any means necessary to survive.