136 – Truth (10)

A prison in an elf village.

Twenty elves were trapped inside.

Everyone raised their voices with red eyes, but there was no logic in their words.

They only argue against the devil’s army and war.

It felt like he was just spitting out words as he was told.

“Do I have to live like this forever, brainwashed?”

“No, not that.”

There is only one way to break brainwashing.

If the person who did the brainwashing dies, the person can be released.

It was the same as the last Ragnar attack.

Among the children at the monastery, there was a child named Mark.

He too was brainwashed, but after Ragnar’s death he returned to his senses.

Similarly, if the person who did the brainwashing dies, the elves will also be fine.

And I already knew the person who brainwashed the elves.

“Don’t worry too much. “I will definitely win.”

“…Yes. “I will trust you.”

While answering, Tyria could not hide her anxious expression.

She was naturally worried.

Although there are only 20 people, they are all key members of the scouting party.

Among them were the scouts who had been with Tyria.

“Tyria.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to save your comrades at all costs?”

Then she nodded her head with a determined expression.

“Yes. “I will save my friends no matter what.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. Even if it means losing your life.”

I asked her one more time out of concern.

Only the answer comes back as expected.

“Okay. Okay.”

In the end, she decided to leave the choice to Tyria.

I hope that her decision will not be reversed.

I just wish in my heart.

“Tyria. “Everyone capable of fighting has been gathered!”

The scouts who came to the prison gave us news.

After Aelia’s declaration of war, the chaos quickly subsided.

Half a day’s time. It was resolved faster than expected.

I left the prison and headed to the town square.

There were numerous elves lined up in a row.

And there was someone who stood at the forefront.

“Sister Chloe!”

Tyria raised her hand to her, glad to see her.

But she just nodded, keeping her mouth shut.

Tyria’s smile froze as her cold response returned.

Until just yesterday, we were fighting with each other.

Tyria was the first to offer her hand of reconciliation, but Chloe refused.

At least in front of the elves, I pretended nothing was wrong to save face.

I noticed that the atmosphere was very different from before.

“Chloe. “Are you planning on taking over as captain?”

“Yes. “Because there is no one who can step forward except me.”

I didn’t really like it, but I decided to wait and see.

Everyone capable of fighting was gathered behind her.

“Six hundred people. “It’s too little.”

“…At least this is the number of people who can fight.”

According to Tyria, there were 2,000 people before her large-scale migration.

Now, only half of the people remained.

There were even young-looking children among them.

“Of these, how many people will be left excluding those who will protect the village?”

“…Probably five hundred and fifty people.”

Did you ever think of fighting the Demon King’s army with only this many people?

Of course, each elf’s military power is excellent.

It was far from being able to respond to thousands of demons and tens of thousands of monsters.

I don’t know if there were 2,000 people before, but it was only 500 people.

But that didn’t mean there was no chance of winning.

According to predictions, the Demon King’s army is crossing the rugged mountain range.

If the knights had arrived in the forest area, they could have gained an advantageous position in advance.

But the Demon King is not a fool either.

Knowing the dangers of the rugged terrain, only monsters familiar with mountain ranges would have been selected.

Of course, there were some dangerous monsters, although not as dangerous as elves.

“Harpy. Chimera. Besides that, you have to watch out for wolves.”

“Don’t worry. “I’m sick of seeing monsters like that.”

Tyria smiled as if it was okay, but she couldn’t hide her complicated feelings.

The same goes for me too.

‘It’s difficult to cooperate with elves in the first place.’

The fighting methods of the elves and the knights were significantly different.

Rather than forcing them to fight together, it would have been better to divide up their respective roles.

“Tyria. “You must lead everyone.”

“Yes. And there’s Chloe.”

When I glanced sideways at Chloe, her expression was stiff.

Then, the moment his eyes met mine, he immediately turned his head away.

“If you are ready, let’s go.”

Actually, there was nothing special about preparation.

The number was only five hundred, and even there was a chaotic atmosphere.

Still, we decided to place significance on the fact that we had elicited the cooperation of the elves.

While I was leaving the village, Erina was always by my side.

She continued her vigil, sending a fierce look at the elves who followed her.

Like a puppy growling at a stranger.

“Erina. “Calm down a little.”

I didn’t think much of it because it happened all the time to me.

The elves who saw Erina for the first time were embarrassed.

“They might attack you.”

“That won’t happen.”

Is there a possibility that the elves will harm me?

At least not now and never.

Of course, even if I tell Erina a hundred times, she won’t listen.

Instead, he distanced himself from the elves.

Because he always smiles in front of me.

As the distance from the elves widened, the vigilance gradually began to soften.

“Why on earth do you come to a place like this and suffer?”

Unlike before, the tone of voice is full of charm.

As I patted her head moderately, the tightness in her arms became stronger.

“I don’t understand why you care about those bitches.”

It was a complaint I always heard, but I could understand it.

Would I want to be troubled by elves?

But it was obvious that if she was left as is, she would self-destruct.

If you actually ignore Hellwood Forest’s request.

Hellwood Forest is occupied by the Demon King’s army, and all the elves are taken prisoner.

In the process, Tyria dies.

‘It’s not enough.’

Of course, the character I cherish the most is Erina.

I also had some affection for Celica and Tyria.

She each has her own story and is a character I see as often as Erina.

I had a desire to help the two people in any way possible.

I was lost in thought for a moment.

“Hey, Seohyun?”

Tyria suddenly intervened.

Then Erina’s eyes suddenly changed.

In an instant, he blocked my path and tried to push Tyria away.

“Get away from me.”

But Tyria noticed the situation and backed away.

“…Chloe asked me to tell you this.”

The strategy Chloe planned was as follows.

Divide the 500 men into four and defend at a base halfway up the mountain range.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like a bad strategy.

But I shook my head at Tyria’s words.

“No, don’t follow Chloe’s orders.”

“Yes? But Chloe is the commander-in-chief?”

Of course that is true.

Tyria is just the leader of the scouting party. Her actual command is Chloe’s role.

But her command was nothing short of nonsense.

“But Chloe…”

“Tyria. “Listen carefully.”

I repeated what Tyria and I said a few days ago.

“We need to get away from Chloe.”

“…”

“You know it well. “It makes no sense to divide the number of people into four.”

Even so, we are short on personnel.

If they were divided into four again, it would have been perfect for them to be defeated individually.

“Chloe is the leader, but you are the one with the most experience.”

“That’s right…”

“What do you think is the best method?”

Tyria could not open her mouth without permission.

After thinking for a long time, Tyria answered in a shaky voice.

“I think we need to take a defensive stance at the entrance to the forest area.”

“Okay. “Exactly.”

She knew the answer from the beginning.

Still, the reason why he asked me was obvious.

To make her confident in her thoughts.

“Don’t be obsessed with the base. “The important thing is each person.”

There was no reason to obsess over a place that was difficult to defend and difficult to supply.

It was most efficient to block the entrance to a forest area with a narrow entrance and steep slope.

“So please ignore what Chloe says.”

I emphasized it again.

Even though I may not feel like it.

This was all said for Tyria.

***

“Are you back?”

From Noble mtl dot com

Kayla greeted me with a polite bow of her head.

When he gave her a short hug, she was surprised and fell into his arms.

Do I still remember what happened yesterday?

I patted my back gently as if there was no need for that.

“Seohyun! “You’ve been there!”

In contrast to Kayla, Serika welcomes me with energy.

Likewise, when I give her a light hug, she smiles brightly.

Would it be like this if she had a younger sister?

“It looks like you successfully persuaded the elves.”

“Okay. “It wasn’t easy, though.”

Unfortunately, the hug ended not long after.

Celica notices Erina’s gaze and gently falls.

Still, she never lost her smile until the end.

Has she gotten used to it?

He was melting into us while keeping a reasonable line.

Then she turned her eyes to Catalina, who was watching next to her.

“Katarina. “Have the knights arrived?”

“Okay. “Everyone said they were tired and fell asleep.”

What she said was not wrong.

A forest area not far from the entrance to the elf village.

Thousands of knights were lined up and taking a rest.

As I approached them, numerous gazes poured in.

Five hundred elves with us.

The sight of a large gathering of elves was a sight not often seen.

The male soldiers, in particular, were watching with fascination.

At least the knight commander pretended to remain calm and raised his voice.

“Everyone line up.”

Soldiers get up from their seats in an instant and get into line.

The tired look from just a moment ago has disappeared, and only spirit and morale remain.

After calming down the soldiers, the knight commander approached me and said hello.

“It’s been a lot of hard work. And…”

He swallowed dry saliva and walked over to Chloe and held out his hand.

As I naturally accepted the handshake, boos erupted from behind.

“Everyone be quiet.”

The whispers did not disappear from the knight commander’s order.

He continued his words regardless.

“Chief of the Tarn Knights. “His name is Eric.”

“…My name is Chloe.”

As soon as the greetings were finished in a subtle atmosphere, we moved on to the main topic.

A group of knights numbering approximately 3,000.

And five hundred elf warriors.

With this number of people, we had to face tens of thousands of demon king forces.

If you look at the numbers alone, it is overwhelmingly disadvantageous.

Still, there were many aspects that were believable.

First of all, the knights of Tarn Village are competent in their own way.

It is said that he lived in the border area for a long time, so he was used to fighting.

The same goes for the soldiers who follow him.

Most of them had experience with the Demon King’s army and monsters.

At least it won’t hold us back.

“We planned to use the entrance to the forest as a base and defend it.”

As expected, the knight commander’s strategy was similar.

Although not as good as the elves, the knights also knew the Hellwood Forest well.

Chloe, who was listening, made a disapproving expression.

“…We take care of it ourselves.”

“Then can you just tell me where you are stationed? There should be no conflict between allies.”

“You take charge of the northwest. “We take the southwest.”

After a short conversation, Chloe turned around and disappeared.

Eric scratched his head at such a cold response.

“Tsk… “It would be difficult to expect cooperation.”

“Don’t worry too much. “We will stick to the elves.”

As the number of elves was significantly small, we decided to provide support.

Although he looked worried, Eric obediently gave his permission.

“Let’s do that. Since you said you defeated Ragnar, there can be no doubt about your skills.”

I left the place with a satisfied smile.

As the elves moved away, a cry full of regret rang out.

‘Everyone is calm.’

Of course, there were many people who were nervous thinking about tomorrow’s battle.

Morale wasn’t bad and it seemed like there was plenty of room to spare.

“If one side collapses, we will retreat into the forest without hesitation.”

“Okay. “That won’t happen, though.”

He smiled with confident words.

This is not just bravado. I never intended to lose.

All the knights need to do is buy time. We’ll take care of the rest.

After the conversation with the knights, I followed the elf with my colleagues.

As he headed southwest into the woodland, he looked around for his companions.

“Catalina. “What do you plan to do?”

Then Catalina pulled out her great sword with a confident expression on her face.

“Don’t worry about me. “I’ll take care of it.”

Then Malcolm, who was next to me, whispered in a low voice.

“You have to be careful because you run at me without knowing what to do.”

“Malcolm. “Keep your mouth shut.”

“All my colleagues got sick of seeing me fight…”

In the end, it was only after being stabbed in the back of Malcolm’s head that he kept his mouth shut.

Anyway, I decided to leave Catalina alone and worry about my colleagues.

“Celica.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t be too nervous. “I will protect you.”

If you just keep the recovery spell behind me, Celica’s role is over.

As long as I’m here, she won’t be in danger.

“In this battle, protecting Celica is the top priority. Got it?”

“I understand.”

The answer came only from one person.

Erina just clung to me with her mouth tightly closed.

And she complained in a low voice.

“I just have to protect you.”

“Okay. Please protect me and Serika too.”

“…Only you. “I will only stick by your side.”

Erina never gives in to her will.

Have I heard too many endlessly selfish words?

Now it felt like a light complaint.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like