Volume 9 Chapter 6 Elven Village
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Five days since leaving Verdaine. We have finally arrived at the forest Mikhail mentioned.
Along the way, we made a little blunder… or rather, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m receiving a somewhat contemptuous gaze from him.
”Well, from his perspective, I must look like the lowest scum for having turned even young half-elf girls and beast girls into slaves and forcing them into sexual servitude,” I muttered, bristling. “But to me, such actions have already earned a terrible reputation even in the Realm of Man, so I decide to brazenly stand my ground.”
Guided by him, we walk through the forest for a while.
”This should be good. I will open the barrier,” Mikhail said firmly.
He stopped, placed the weapons hanging at his waist—a short sword and a whip—on the ground, and stepped a few paces away.
”Spirits dislike steel,” he explained. “Normally, with everyday Spirit Magic, there’s no need to be so particular, but when using such large-scale magic, it becomes a hindrance.”
He must have sensed my question through my gaze. Even though we are in the forest, which is their territory, it’s not something one can easily do during an adventure to let go of their weapons. And doing so is likely a sign that he trusts us to some extent. Well, it seems he doesn’t trust me personally at all, but at least he seems to believe in our skills as adventurers.
”Now then… I will begin the ritual to open the barrier. I would appreciate it if you could refrain from moving until I have fully opened it,” Mikhail instructed with measured calm.
He stood with his shoulders width apart, raised his open hands in front of him, and began to chant in a language I had never heard before. This must be some ancient tongue passed down among the Elves.
In response to his words, the forest seemed to breathe. Glancing at Vera, I saw her staring at Mikhail with a look of astonishment. She must be witnessing some spiritual phenomenon that we cannot.
As the chanting continued, suddenly a wall of shimmering magical energy appeared in front of Mikhail’s outstretched palm. It was the barrier.
A deep, resonant hum vibrated through the air.
Mikhail, pouring an unprecedented amount of spirit into his voice, murmured, “Haaah…”
With a sharp breath, he thrust both hands, shaped like knife hands, into the wall.
A low, tearing sound—crack—split the silence.
”Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!” Mikhail grunted, straining.
And just like that, he forcefully tore the barrier apart… wait, is that really how Elven barriers are breached? With such brute force?
After a while of pushing to widen the gap, Mikhail finally finished the ritual, creating an opening just large enough for a person to pass through.
”Haa… haa… Please, go through here. The barrier will close soon, so hurry,” he urged, breathless.
As Mikhail quickly re-armed himself and passed through the barrier, we followed him, feeling an indescribable mix of awe and apprehension.
The other day, he said, “The comings and goings are quite a difficult matter, and not all Elves can easily enter and exit,” but what it boils down to is that if you can’t perform this feat, then coming and going is impossible. Yeah, for now, it seems absolutely impossible for Vera.
There were various issues with the visuals, but anyway, I stepped into the land governed by the Elves for the first time in my life.
* * *
”How should I put it? It’s not much different from the land of humans, is it?” Mikhail asked, his voice steady.
The Elven Domain I visited for the first time honestly didn’t look much different from the Realm of Man.
Well, forests don’t change much anywhere, but the trees growing here didn’t look particularly special. From the size of the leaves, it was evident that this wasn’t a cold region, but that was about it. I had imagined a wondrous world filled with spirits and magic, overflowing with surprises.
”It’s just sealed off by a barrier; originally, it’s the same land as the continent. It doesn’t look much different, really. Just──”
After glancing at Vera, who had been speechless for a while, Mikhail added quietly, “Here, the strength of the spirit power is different from your world. It must be astonishing for your half-elf daughter.”
He murmured with a cool expression.
”Oh, I see. So, does that mean you Elves can use stronger Spirit Magic on this side?” Vera asked, curiosity tinting her tone.
”No, that’s not quite right. Of course, there is the advantage that it’s easier to summon spirits here, but Spirit Magic is fundamentally about ‘borrowing’ the power of spirits. The mental strength of the user, their summoning techniques, and the bonds they’ve built with the spirits play a significant role. Even for Elves, you can’t borrow the power of spirits without training,” Mikhail explained patiently.
I nodded, feeling reassured. If Volodya and the other Elves, or perhaps Mikhail, were significantly stronger on this side, that would be quite a problem. Elves are already ridiculously strong as it is.
”By the way, is Vera okay? She seems a bit scared for some reason,” I asked.
”I’m fine. I was just a little surprised because the spirit power is strong,” Vera replied softly.
”I see. But don’t push yourself, okay? If you feel even a little unwell, make sure to tell me right away,” I said with concern.
”Thank you. Soyuu, you’re always so kind. I love you,” Vera said, smiling as I lightly patted her head. She happily twitched her ears while Lena and Georgia looked on enviously.
A little distance away, Mikhail murmured skeptically, “…It doesn’t seem like you’re forcing her into submission, but still, I wonder,” while fixing me with a sharp gaze. What on earth does he think I am, some kind of sadistic monster?
The monstrous me, who was leading three slave girls, walked for a while with Mikhail. After being led through a monotonous forest, we finally arrived at his childhood ‘former’ village.
”Welcome to my village… though it is no longer what it once was,” Mikhail said quietly.
It was in a terrible state.
In this small, open area in the forest, there must have been dozens of houses lined up, forming a village. Now, nearly everything had been burned down, and charred remains lay scattered everywhere. It seemed no one had tended to it, as weeds had overgrown, leaving no trace of human activity.
”How long ago did this happen?” Lena asked.
”It hasn’t even been ten years,” Mikhail replied.
Ten years is considered ‘just a little while ago’? As expected of an Elf, their sense of time is different from ours.
And if it was less than ten years ago, it must have been after the battle with the master.
What on earth happened to Volodya…
I thoroughly inspected the village ruins, now nothing but charred building remnants. After checking every house, I looked into the alleys, entrances, water sources, and wind flow—anything that could be investigated.
”Sir Soyuz. What could we possibly learn from investigating these ruins that were burned nearly ten years ago? Please, enlighten this foolish and shallow Lena,” she challenged.
”Well, what we’ve found so far is… Hey Mikhail. Over there, over there, and over there. The burn marks are especially severe, but I bet these are the places where you, the master, and Est used to live, right?” I said.
At my remark, Mikhail widened his eyes and nodded.
”This is surprising. You’re absolutely right,” he admitted.
”Ah, I thought so. I don’t know the reason, but this is revenge. With intense anger and hatred, Volodya burned this place down,” I said firmly.
”Revenge, you say…” Mikhail murmured.
”Yeah. That’s what it looks like to me. Can you tell me the details of what happened at that time?” I asked.
”Yes… though I didn’t witness my brother’s rampage firsthand. I had gone to another village as my father’s representative at that time. I received a message from the spirits, and when I hurried back, the village was already engulfed in flames. I immediately summoned the water spirit (Undine) and went around the village, rescuing people. Of the hundred or so fellow villagers, only a few were still alive. When I made my way to the village head’s residence, I saw my brother, frantically rampaging like a madman. After crying and screaming, he left the village with incredible speed. At first, I mistakenly thought he had gone after the culprits for revenge, but I was stopped by my fellow villagers. ‘He is the one who attacked this village,’ they said. And it was a completely different, unnatural strength than what I had seen in my brother before,” Mikhail explained.
Volodya, who had somehow become strangely powerful, attacked the village and burned it to the ground. And especially, he thoroughly burned down my dwelling, the former dwelling of my master, and the dwelling of the woman who abandoned me to go to the humans. Well, what else could this be but resentment?
What concerns me is that he annihilated the village and then fled the moment he saw Mikhail.
The only thing that can be inferred from this is, well, just one thing.
”Volodya had lost his sanity. He destroyed the village on instinct, and especially burned down the dwellings of the three he hated the most. That’s about it,” I concluded.
”…I see. However, while I can understand Lucia and Est’s dwellings, why did he go as far as my home?” Mikhail asked.
”Well, it’s because he hated it. Probably, Volodya didn’t really want to become the village chief; rather, he wanted to go on adventures with my master, didn’t he?” I replied.
”Why… do you think that way?” Mikhail inquired.
”Why? Because both Volodya and you were trained by that master (Oni Baba), right? If you were taught by someone like that, it’s obvious you’d be influenced,” I said confidently.
At my words, Mikhail smiled with a slightly lonely expression.
”Indeed, human adventurers are amazing. To deduce this much from just these clues. It’s true that both my brother and I were influenced by Lucia. My father didn’t take it well, though,” he confessed.
”Yeah, I can understand your father’s feelings very well. So, Volodya, who was probably brainwashed, must have failed somehow, right? And then he became violent, burning this village according to his hidden rage… that’s my guess,” I reasoned.
At my revealed speculation, the slaves (tsuma T/N) looked at me as if seeing something dazzling, and Mikhail stared blankly at the burnt remains.
…However, I am the one paying the most attention to those burnt remains.
There are several places here that have burned in a way not seen in a normal fire.
One is a large circular burn mark. This is surely from a fireball. That much is understandable. I have seen the flames of the fire spirit (Salamander) myself.
However, the other burn mark, which looks as if a long flame burned in a straight line, is incomprehensible.
What on earth is this? The power of magic? But I don’t know of any magic that burns like this.
Well, I can’t easily conclude since I’m not well-versed in all magic.
Just as I was pondering this—
”Wonderful. A wonderful deduction. As expected of the famous ‘Poison User Boy,’” a mocking voice interrupted from behind, accompanied by sarcastic applause.
”Ah, you finally showed up. We’ve been waiting for you for days, you know?” the voice added.
Yes. Even before entering this village. I answered without turning to the group that had been following us since we were in the Realm of Man.
”I mean, forget about Lena and the others, Mikhail! Why the heck are you making a surprised face like ‘Where on earth did this come from!?’ Didn’t you notice it?!” the man taunted.
”So? How many points will I get for my answer?” he challenged.
Finally, I turned around and looked at them.
One of them was wearing the same gray robe as the guy I defeated in the Goblin Cave before.
And the other one was an Elf man with various foreign objects ‘attached’ all over his body.
”A perfect score. As a reward, you’ll get a heartfelt reunion with the person you’ve been looking for,” the man said with a cruel grin.
I gave a full smile filled with killing intent to the man with the mocking tone and the Elf next to him.
”You’re quite thoughtful, old man. Thanks. And it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve missed you, Volodya,” I greeted him while drawing my sword.
Notes:
• Verdaine – The largest local city in the region, ruled by the Margrave of Verdaine. It houses a branch of the Adventurers Guild and is the protagonist’s temporary base. Located within walking distance from the unnamed village where Lena was found.
• Mikhail – Volodya’s brother and a guest of the guild, seeking to defeat Volodya for destroying his village.
• Volodya – A mysterious and powerful elf, never seen by Soyuz before, who seeks to purge Lucia. He exudes killing intent and is strong enough to intimidate Soyuz.
• Lena – Female. A young slave girl in her early teens. Her appearance is emaciated with brown skin, long black hair, and grotesque scars across her face, including one that blinds her left eye. She wears a black collar and tattered clothing. Her relationship to the protagonist is that of a rescued victim. She is silent and appears to have endured severe physical and emotional abuse.
• Est – An elf who fell in love with a human, leading to conflict with Volodya and her eventual death.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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