Volume 6 Chapter 20 The Heat of Victory
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As the eastern sky began to pale, the air at the base of the World Tree lay stagnant—cold, damp, and thick, like sludge.
From the third floor of the Manor, the Square looked dominated by a silence akin to a graveyard. The Elves were frozen, their gazes locked onto the forest entrance. It was a silence filled with desperate pleading, perhaps even prayer.
But that stillness was shattered by the rhythmic, viscous sound of heavy footsteps.
From the abyss of the mist, a cluster of black shadows crawled forth. Farrell led the way. His entire body was caked in dried mud and splattered with gore. The soldiers trailing him were no different, yet there was no tragic air of the defeated in their gait.
At the rear walked Gauz, his massive frame radiating an unnatural pressure that seemed to agitate the dawn mist into steam. Every one of them stepped with a firm, heavy resolve. There were no stretchers bearing corpses; there were no shadows missing from their ranks.
I released my grip on the window frame and headed down the stairs. By the time I stepped into the Square, a large crowd of Elves had already gathered.
Serafina stood with hands clasped in prayer, while Erland kept her fan closed. Elie-na adjusted her silver-rimmed spectacles, her eyes darting about as if waiting for something specific.
When Farrell spotted me, he dropped to a knee on the damp cobblestones. Fatigue seeped from his frame, which still reeked of iron and blood.
”My King,” Farrell said, his voice clipped and procedural.
”The enemy has been annihilated. Two captives taken; the designated items have been recovered.”
I looked over his report. It was concise and professional.
”It seems all of you are safe,” I said.
”Understood. Casualties are zero,” Farrell replied.
I nodded and swept my gaze across the surroundings. The tension among the assembled Elves slowly began to dissolve.
Yet, no one approached Gauz. They didn’t even cast a glance his way. The giant beast stood silently behind me, the steam rising from his wet fur dancing white in the morning chill.
”Good. You all did well,” I said. “Now, what was the battle situation?”
”Yes,” Farrell answered. “The enemy unit numbered approximately eighty. They appeared to be from a human nation, or an organization acting as such. They utilized unknown magic tools, but our night raid decimated them. We also recovered their currency: five hundred and sixty Gold Coins.”
A human nation. So it was a military force after all. Unexpectedly, a large sum of gold had fallen into our hands.
Farrell paused for a breath, glancing sideways at Lara.
”The fox’s strategy was flawless,” he said, his voice betraying a rare note of admiration. “The enemy could do nothing; they were unilaterally hunted. Had it been only us Elves, this total victory might not have been possible.”
Lara. I turned my eyes toward her. She kept her head bowed, looking modest. But the moment my gaze landed on her, her golden tail gave a single, distinct, lingering twitch. (This one is useful.) I inscribed her value as a tool into the list within my mind.
I broke eye contact with Lara and stepped into the center of the Square. I approached the Elves and raised my right hand to the sky.
”‘Area Extra Heal,’” I commanded.
A pale light enveloped the Elves around me. Fatigue vanished, muscle tension returned. Shallow wounds began to seal.
”Is this… the Spirit King’s magic!?” one Elf cried out in shock. “My exhaustion… it’s gone…”
The Elves around me murmured in disbelief. I moved to the next group, casting the same light. Despite being still caked in mud and blood, the color of fatigue vanished from their expressions.
”Everyone, listen!” I called out. “This is our total victory! The human army has been annihilated. The war is over.”
At my words, the Square erupted. Breaths of relief, someone shouted, and cheers spread like ripples. Serafina bowed her head deeply, and Erland opened her fan to hide the loosening of her lips.
In the corner of my vision, Elie-na adjusted her spectacles, questioning Sasha about something. Sasha appeared to be explaining with excited gestures. I cut my gaze away from the pair and turned back to Erland.
”I am going to interrogate the captives now,” I told her. “I leave the rest to you.”
”At once, my King,” Erland replied, closing her fan with a crisp snap. “Your wish is my command.”
I needed to extract information from the enemy. I took Sylvia and headed toward the prisoners.
In the Square, where the Elves were gathered, Erland opened her fan and issued quiet commands.
”Recover the supplies. Seventy of those who are energetic—ready the mud sleds,” she said, her voice elegant and restrained.
Serafina nodded beside her.
”We must not take too long,” she noted quietly. “Before the monsters gather.”
”I am well aware,” Erland agreed. “Before the stench of rot fills the air… first, we shall dispose of the human corpses.”
Erland’s gaze drifted to Gauz, who stood in the corner of the Square.
”Beast,” she called out. “I request the Elves’ guard.”
Gauz let out a low rumble from the back of his throat. A deep, dissatisfied growl, like the shifting of the earth. But he did not object. His massive body rose with a heavy, thudding sound.
”Tch. Fine,” Gauz grunted, his voice a gravelly, indistinct rumble. “It’s the boss’s order.”
Gauz and two other giants stepped forward as the primary force for hauling heavy loads. No one spoke to Gauz. They simply used him because he was necessary. That was all.
The Elves were already moving. Those carrying large bags, those assembling mud sleds from wood and vines, those sharpening blades.
Erland opened her fan and signaled the departure.
”Go,” she commanded. “Return before the sun climbs high.”
Dozens of Elves quietly left the village. The stagnant air suddenly began to churn.
On the outskirts of the village, in a dim corner where the shadow of the World Tree fell heavily, I brought the two captives.
They were dumped on the ground. One was clearly a high-ranking military officer. The armor covering his entire body was unlike standard steel. A seamless, smooth metal that shone with a silvery white luster. Intricate geometric patterns were engraved on the chest.
There were no signs of hammer blows, no grinding marks. It was eerily uniform, as if liquid metal had been poured into a mold and hardened. I had never seen such equipment. Did the human kingdoms possess such technology?
The commander had a wooden rod forced into his mouth and was completely restrained with ropes. A precaution to prevent suicide. The other was a mage in a white robe. His jaw was shattered; he stared into empty space, drooling.
I removed the commander’s gag.
”Gah!” he choked out.
His breathing was ragged. His mouth trembled as if he wanted to bite his tongue, but he couldn’t seem to muster the strength in his jaw. I didn’t care. If he died, I’d just resurrect him with magic and make him talk.
”State your affiliation and purpose,” I demanded.
”Heretic…” the commander spat, his eyes wide and vacant. “You, beast who serves the spirits… burn in the Lord’s flame… The filth must be purged…”
A conversation was impossible. His expression was hollow, his words fanatical and religious. He simply kept muttering like a broken speaker.
I silently grabbed one of the man’s fingers. I snapped it in the opposite direction without hesitation.
—Snap.
A wretched sensation. The dull vibration of a withered branch wrapped in damp cloth lingered in my palm.
”Gu-h… Heretic… Heretic…” he wheezed.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but his expression remained unchanged.
”Why did you come this far? Whose order is this?”
He didn’t answer. I snapped his middle finger. His ring finger. His pinky.
—Crunch. Snap-snap.
The sound of bone shattering and piercing skin echoed.
”In the name of the God… Our holy law is absolute… The filth… must be burned…”
Still, the fanatical muttering did not stop.
”What is this God of yours? Why did you know this place?”
No answer. This was strange. To have his fingers snapped all at once, and yet he showed no sign of wavering. Was his response to pain dulled?
I searched his body roughly. A small leather pouch fell from his breast pocket. Inside was a white powder. When I brought it to my nose, a pungent odor hit me, striking directly at the brain.
(This is… could it be narcotics? Are these guys a bunch of junkies? Narcotics. Was someone intentionally breaking their reason…?)
I clicked my tongue and turned my gaze to the mage beside him. His jaw was shattered, making vocalization difficult. He was shivering, his stamina near its limit. This one was useless in a different way. I wasn’t going to get any info out of him.
”Whew,” I muttered. “This is useless. Any more of this is just a waste of time.”
For now, I’ll just throw them into the infinite darkness as time-frozen inventory. I can drag them out again if I need to. I held up my right hand.
”‘Interdimensional Space,’” I intoned.
Space was carved out in a square, and the absolute darkness of the void opened its maw. I pushed the commander and the mage into that darkness. They vanished without even a final death cry.
The handling of the prisoners was finished. I hadn’t gained much information, but I now knew that a deranged religious cult had targeted this place. All that remained were those “unknown magic tools” that Elie-na and her group had brought back.
I headed toward the depths of the Manor—the underground laboratory.
By the time the sun had climbed high, the first wave of supply retrieval had returned to the village. The Elves were carrying a mountain of goods into the Square.
Large bags. Wooden crates loaded onto mud sleds. Barrels slung over shoulders. Salted meat. Smoked food. Cheese. Hard biscuits. Blankets. Tents. Pots. Leather goods. Armor. Swords. Spears. Equipment I had never seen before was being piled up one after another.
Kulum picked up an iron armor piece, his eyes shining.
”Look at this… this quality!” he exclaimed. “If we melt it down, we can make hoes and plows!”
”High quality… we can survive the winter with this,” one of the others said, her voice filled with relief.
”And the salted meat! And the cheese! There’s so much!”
Elie-na spread out a blanket, checking the texture. Beside her, Serena opened a bag of food and let out a cheer. A bustle of life began to fill the village.
Before the Spirit King came to this village, the laughter had long since faded from the Square. Everyone had lived while holding their breath. Every Elf in the village felt the future of their kind fading away.
But it was different now.
Cheers rang out in the Square. Laughter burst forth. Someone was sobbing.
Heat had returned to a world that had lost all its color.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi and his elven village celebrate a total victory against a mysterious, drug-addled human military unit. The protagonist interrogates the surviving fanatics with brutal pragmatism, gaining little information before banishing them to an interdimensional void. As the village recovers essential supplies and armor, the atmosphere shifts from stifling despair to collective relief and renewed purpose.
—
Trivia:
The protagonist possesses a skill called “Area Extra Heal” that restores fatigue and minor wounds to the Elves.
The enemy armor was made of an eerily smooth, silvery white metal that showed no signs of forging or grinding.
The prisoners were found with a white powder in a leather pouch, suggesting the use of narcotics to induce fanaticism.
The protagonist can store living beings in an “Interdimensional Space” as time-frozen inventory.
Gauz is treated as a necessary, heavy-lifting tool by the Elves, who consciously avoid interacting with him.
Notes:
• Man – A roughneck wearing a hat who participated in a group assault. He suffers the loss of his right arm and later his left arm during an experiment by the protagonist before being stored.
• Farrell – An elf garrison captain restored by the protagonist, this determined swordsman leads village security with grim resolve and sharp authority. Eager to regain lost honor, he wields a vacuum wind blade and green aura. Shaped by a past defeat by Ryuichi, he respects his King, loathes the beast Gauz, and maintains a tense alliance with the protagonist while tactically protecting his people.
• Gauz – A giant, steel-furred feline beast-man with golden eyes, a massive mane, and dense muscle armor. This hyper-durable, predatory commander wields the axe Agito and possesses an abnormal sense of smell. Arrogant yet fiercely loyal, he led a 30,000-strong force and views the protagonist as the only leader strong enough to hold his leash. Tied to a past security failure, he is now a charred runaway.
• Serafina – Silver-haired Elf High Priestess of Silver Moon Village, she balances refined elegance and a calm, authoritative presence with a voice like a rolling bell. Devoted handmaiden to Ryuichi, she manages his household, maintains the World Tree, and channels the Spirit King through her white robes. While a powerful sacred mage and leader, she is visibly nervous when guarding the sealed domain.
• Elie-na – A lead Elf researcher and analysis unit member with a fragile frame, pale skin, and bluish-silver hair in a chignon, she wears silver-rimmed glasses over blue-tinged eyes. Fascinated by unknown technology, she is an expert at tactical calculations. While fanatically focused on supporting her team, she resets her neurotransmitters for stability and harbors a secret terror of losing bathroom privileges.
• Erland – A 320-year-old elven Village Elder and living grimoire, this sharp-featured woman with glasses and long silver hair holds traditional views on the forest’s sovereignty. She guides her deity, the Spirit King, balancing analytical authority and aristocratic speech with intense devotion to him. Using earth-based binding magic, she stays focused in battle, torn between village order and his demands.
• Elie – An eighteen-year-old virgin research director with pale skin, glasses, and silver hair hiding her eyes. Sold into slavery by her parents to reduce mouths to feed, she now wears a white coat, functioning as a cold, calculating assistant. Driven by an obsessive, mad fervor for forbidden magic, her chilling, detached attitude leads her to treat buyers and others as research specimens to be corrected.
• King – A powerful, authoritative male lead who possesses immense physical strength and magic. He commands absolute loyalty and submission from the inhabitants of the Silver Moon Village.
• Lara – A refined, nine-tailed golden fox-woman of the Hundred-Beast Federation with long eyelashes, serving as a cunning strategist, advisor, and receptionist. Highly intelligent and calculating, she uses Illusion Magic to project power and manipulates Gauz for political goals to survive her own fear. Now a captive subjected to a body search, she observes the protagonist’s magical experiments with visible distress and confusion.
• Spirit King – The male protagonist who acts as the sole source of mana for the Elf village ritual. He possesses limitless stamina and approaches his duties with detached efficiency.
• Sasha – A researcher who serves as a partner to Elie-na and shares her fear of the King’s punishments.
• Sylvia – A voluptuous, silver-haired elven swordswoman with blue eyes and a heavily scarred, porcelain body, Crimson Lotus is a battle-hardened Silver-rank vanguard and living weapon. Enshrouded in a dark-red Spirit Shroud, she wields immense strength and mental fortitude. Despite being battered by a grueling sacrifice against Gauz, she remains a devoted protector with deep affection for Ryuichi, John, Nier, and her King.
• Kulum – A dwarf blacksmith who works alongside his wife, deeply focused on his craft and often oblivious to his surroundings. He is tasked with adjusting prototypes based on the King’s blueprints.
• Serena – A voluptuous Japanese-style Elf warrior with lustrous black hair tied at her neck, wearing a loose kimono dress. Married alongside Elara, she experiences physical manifestations of arousal near her husband, with whom she coordinates ground-based earth magic.
• Ryuichi – A 40-year-old, plain-looking Spirit King with black hair, a beard, and an elderly Japanese past life in a younger body. This cold, analytical protagonist ruthlessly controls the Elder’s Manor, basement, and an elf village. Viewing subordinates, enemies, and the forest as personal property or functional hardware, he uses immense mana, gravity magic, and sensory manipulation to dominate them.
• Ryu – A man with Interdimensional Magic who leads a growing household. He acts as a provider and protector for his slaves, while maintaining a pragmatic and blunt personality.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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