Chapter 93

I observed Friegoss contemplating in front of me.

‘Whether human or giant, those in power think alike.’

To summarize what Terato desires, it seems to be closer to eliminating any elements that might threaten his power.

Of course, it’s different for a mere human emperor of the central continent and the king of giants, who has no one to challenge him in this world, to dominate all beings living on this planet.

‘I’ve gotten into a bit of trouble.’

Terato’s movements were too swift.

I had just returned to Pohelrn and was immediately on the move for rescue.

In terms of time, it hadn’t been long at all.

At this point, it seems he either pinpointed Gal’s hidden nest right after arriving or headed south without needing to check on Gal’s condition.

‘Was this an aspiration that had lingered for a long time?’

Simply put, his movements reflected an undeniable urgency.

The worst worries about how Terato would act following Gal’s absence in the north were manifesting in the worst possible way.

The best situation would have been for them to live quietly in the northern territories without Gal.

I genuinely thought this scenario was likely.

It is understandable, given that there wouldn’t be suitable land for giants to live in if it weren’t influenced by the two Elder Roas, Gal and Terato.

Though there are giant-type monsters only about half the size of a Titan that sit atop the natural food chain, their numbers remained incredibly small.

The giant race, which has produced many offspring over a long period, has likely quickly devastated their surroundings to extinction.

Giants are inherently very inefficient beings as they live in large groups in nature.

Thus, I believed they wouldn’t venture into areas that offer little attraction for giants…

‘An existence that even Elder Roas would make such a choice.’

The Elder Roas I had seen or heard of until now had always followed the principles of fate rather than worldly gain as humans understand it.

‘…Is it because Terato is an Elder Roa based on humans?’

Terato’s value judgment and choices were remarkably human-like.

Even the balance mission of the World Tree and Elves, which I thought was quite far-reaching, could not compare to Terato’s desire to place all living beings under his dominion.

Besides, he possessed decisiveness, making him swift in action.

‘…The situation isn’t good, and our preparations are overwhelmingly lacking.’

I assessed the potential of Terato, who might become an enemy, and our side.

It wasn’t bad to recall my promise with Palas before returning to the Elven Road.

In terms of pure military strength, humans still paled in comparison to the Elder Roas and their allied races.

A thousand years. Or rather, this millennium is still far away.

As Friegoss predicted, the remaining troops of humans after the current battle wouldn’t be able to effectively withstand ten rampaging giants.

In that case, what about the succubi? What would happen with the six Harmonious Swordsmiths?

Currently, the Great Sage Antrea, though not originally dominant with her left arm lost, faced significant power loss.

And while the five children could manage against about three or four ordinary giants alone, facing a proper giant warrior would be overwhelming.

Alia is also an excellent sorceress, but it seems she isn’t particularly accomplished in battle.

‘It’s unlikely she could adequately handle even one of Terato’s Einherjar.’

To make matters worse, judging our numbers accurately was difficult.

The giant brothers had long been exiled from the Village of Giants, so they were unaware of the current situation.

It was the same for them not knowing us, but we were equally in the dark about their circumstances.

If anything, Gal had recently collided with Terato, gaining some insight…

‘It seems Gal couldn’t accurately assess the enemy’s full power even with the surprise attack.’

In that case, the only variable on Friegoss’s side, currently under Terato’s burdensome gaze, was Deus Ex Machina.

I could view it as a type of magical tool created from the Elder Roa Ul Kanadiel and the cores of the 72 Roas that existed across the continent.

One of the best weapons humans could currently possess, a gift from Alia and me.

However,

‘It’s still unstable, which is problematic.’

Even the mana corresponding to the essence of a past life was in a state where we did not understand its existence, let alone its knowledge.

If it were about simple charms or basic protective taboos, perhaps it wouldn’t be so problematic, but there was no way to accumulate the knowledge necessary to create items that could be called magical tools.

We had to start everything from nothing.

Let alone, would it be easy to interpret and utilize the origins of the Elder Roa, the most magnificent miracle among all beings born on this planet, and of the 72 Roas?

By utilizing my knowledge, Alia’s sorcery expertise, and the powers of the Mind, I had barely managed to establish the framework.

Yes, just the framework.

‘If used clumsily, it still means it could lead to a cataclysm.’

It’s an item that connects the pathways of the mind through Alia’s powers as a Mind Master.

Unless one was a being harmonized with minimal spirit, it would be impossible to maintain one’s consciousness entirely intact if things went awry.

Due to this confidentiality and risk, only two could execute this grand plan, and while there had been some progress over the years, stabilization remained a distant prospect.

Simply put, if the human forces, now preparing to mature, clashed with Terato, the outcome was obvious.

A futile attempt… Zero-sum game.

It was clear we would lose a hundred times out of a hundred.

Should the Elves view this battle as a natural conflict between species on the continent?

Though Algul or myself were there, it was in a league of its own compared to thousands of humans scuffling together.

Even if the Elves participated, the resulting casualties would surely not be negligible.

‘…No, victory cannot be assured either.’

I glanced at Gal beside me, attempting to gauge the ‘distance’ between us.

The significantly improved instincts and spirituality surged in my mind like an explosion.

At the same moment, Gal frowned and looked down at me.

『…What’s going on? All of a sudden.』

A dissatisfied thought reverberated through my mind.

As the fleeting internal struggle subsided, I let out a sigh filled with laughter while glancing at Gal.

『Just.』

Gal’s brows furrowed further at my trivial answer, tilting his head to the side.

Somehow, he appeared cute, and I quietly smiled before resuming my thoughts.

In my mind, the memories of Gal and our battles were overwhelmingly more than nine out of ten.

It was clearly a sequence of defeats for me.

The difference in esteem was not minor between a being born inherently as an entity of the realm or higher, living for hundreds of years, and someone who had only just barely stepped into that realm.

Even that Gal had nearly lost his life to Terato and those in his rank.

Had I not drawn my sword, Gal might have perished.

While there may have been some trickery involved, a being that could take on the world would have casually come close to killing Gal without much harm.

It’s highly likely that I wouldn’t be able to fully handle Terato either.

Gal too, although I couldn’t comprehend Terato’s schemes, found that his breath and presence didn’t reach Terato and the giants.

In the great battle against giants, Gal’s claws and fangs were his only weapons.

‘…I’m unsure if Gal would help.’

Still, having recently faced near death at Terato’s hands, there was a chance, given Gal’s prideful nature, that he’d assist for revenge.

‘…Or perhaps due to his strong pride, he’d hesitate to help and prefer to resolve it himself?’

Even considering any limitations, Gal remained a gigantic force.

If the Elves also joined Terato’s war, whether Gal participated could significantly alter the number of surviving Elves.

‘…If he refuses, I might need to tempt him somehow.’

For now, I set that thought aside and considered the next one.

‘…I might need my mother’s assistance.’

However, as she is rooted in nature, unlike the other Elder Roas, her movements are not entirely free.

If the battlefield isn’t in the Elven Road, even my mother might struggle to wield her full strength.

Then what else?

While Giants’ hands are scarce, it’s the same with Elves.

And aside from myself, there are six High Elf siblings and 300 Guardians.

Considering the situation, a few Elves might be able to participate in the battle.

As the mental picture of the battlefield I formed progressed, I silently bit my lip.

‘The odds are fifty-fifty. Moreover, even if we win…’

I looked at Gal, Palas, who sat beside me, and Saras, who was playfully interacting behind us, and Anya, who cast a peculiar glance at Friegoss.

And then to the Guardians, with whom I had shared hardships while clearing the forest.

A significant number of them were quite likely to die.

While death is the nature of the cycle, I still didn’t want to lose this miraculous bond to the insane dream of a hapless giant.

“Friegoss.”

At my call, Friegoss, who had been talking seriously with Alia and her aides, turned his attention towards me.

“It would be tough for the soldiers to move right now, wouldn’t it?”

“…I’m ashamed to say so.”

“No need to feel ashamed. They’re brave kids who fought valiantly, right?”

In a short span, there had been two major battles where lives hung in the balance.

One of those was a retreat under mental stress without proper rest, so the accumulated fatigue for these ordinary humans was beyond imagination.

It wouldn’t be difficult to assume that once the built-up tension was released alarmingly after victory, the backlash would be quite significant.

The prisoners captured are nearly three times the current combatants, and attempting to move quickly could lead to serious issues.

“I’ll leave 40 Guardians here, Friegoss. The captured humans have seen the Elves’ divine form, so the probability of them causing a ruckus should considerably decrease.”

“What?”

At my sudden words, Saras and Palas turned to me simultaneously.

“I’m not saying we’ll clash with the giants immediately. However, the opposing side has undoubtedly taken some action. We are currently in a state of ignorance. Saras, did you see? The Grand Temple.”

“…Hmm.”

“Their intentions are clear, and we shouldn’t give up easily. If we don’t know how the future will unfold, we need to prepare to some degree. Especially since we have Alia missing in action now that we’re trying to rescue Friegoss. There’s currently no one to protect Pohelrn.”

I turned my gaze back to Friegoss.

“We High Elves don’t have much to worry about. We’ll take the least fatigued Elves and lead them out first.”

“…Araya, didn’t you say you would return to the forest after this?”

“The enemy may have forces that are as large as, or even larger than, the Elves. The Elder Roa of such a force is mobilizing the entire species for some objective. How we prepare now may lead to fewer casualties in any future wars. This is no time to be idle, is it?”

“…But.”

“Don’t be so inflexible, Palas.”

Palas seemed to want to say something but ultimately shut his mouth as he couldn’t find any persuasive words, and his expression turned stiff.

He might have seemed a bit peeved, but I could always diffuse that later.

I stood up and left the tent, gently tapping Friegoss on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“…Thank you, Master.”

“It’s not necessarily out of priestly duty, so you don’t need to be concerned.”

◈ ◈ ◈

The mood within Pohelrn upon my return felt somewhat chaotic.

It hadn’t been long since I left; news of our victory had yet to arrive, and just as reports of the first defeat began to spread, the atmosphere felt unsettled.

“…What did you say?”

I blinked in disbelief as I listened to Antrea, who had been acting in Alia’s stead in Pohelrn, repeating the information she had just shared.

Antrea didn’t hide her grief and repeated the news in an apologetic voice.

“Suddenly, from the area bordering the north, dozens of giants have turned the surroundings into chaos. Within a day, several villages have disappeared without a warning, while the town of Enburg, the only city that sent news of the giant’s invasion before being taken, managed to alert us.”

“…”

“…Pohelrn has no military forces left to mobilize from this recent war, and in the end, those divine beings who were healing their wounds moved out to protect the towns from the giants descending upon them…”

Antrea closed her eyes, speaking in a quavering voice.

“The divine beings managed to defeat a considerable number of giants, including their apparent leader… but in the process, Golb sustained significant injuries, and… Silv was killed.”

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