Chapter 209
Translator: “Hakou” Editor: “Weasalopes”
In the northern part of the Ost continent, Spirit forest spreads with the world tree as its center.
It is a rich forest area nurtured by the magic power that continues to overflow from the world tree.
The trees and grasses that grow their branches and leaves, take in the magical power that drifts through it and become a high-quality food, becoming a food source for many demon beasts and spirit beasts.
『I wonder why is it so warm and comfortable here when it’s so far in the north?』
A human magician who once visited the forest left a note about his amazement in his journal.
Intrigued, he investigated, and later came up with a theory.
『It must be because of the spirits』
Raw magical power is food for the spirits. In addition to the four great spirits of earth, water, fire, and wind, there are many other spirits gathered here.
As a result of them restraining each other, this place has become a place where it is not too hot or too cold, and where a gentle breeze blows through.
Clean water and rich earth. These must also exist for the same reason.
『How wonderful, this is a nature’s miracle』
He likes it so much that he starts living by the lake in the forest. It was shortly after that that he made the acquaintance of a giant turtle.
Why didn’t the elves try to get rid of him as a human?
Was it because they were afraid of the turtle, a powerful spirit beast? Or maybe it was because they recognized him as a skilled magician? No one knows for sure.
Whichever it was, it was a story from a long time ago.
***
And now, in a plain to the south of the spirit forest. Two armored figures were standing there, unshaken by the strong winds.
『If we were to build a checkpoint, it would be around here』
One of them, clad in crimson armor, looks around with folded arms and speaks. The sound of its voice is very artificial.
It was no wonder. Because this shadow was not of a human, but a Knight.
A Knight is a humanoid golem. It was eighteen meters tall, with a person sitting inside its chest and controlling it.
There was nothing to compare it to in this sparsely vegetated plain. But if we had been in the city, we would have been able to understand how enormous it was.
『Don’t you think it’s a little bit too far to the back?』
The one who spoke next was a woman with a husky voice. It was the new lord of the land, the beautiful viscountess.
The crimson knight was slender, but had a noticeable bulge around its chest and waist. This was a sign that this Knight was an A-grade knight.
『It’s quite a bit closer to the city than the border. But if we’re going to be on the lookout for long-ranged magic attacks, we’ll need to be at least this far away』
A B-class Knight standing diagonally behind her replies while staring at the spirit forest in the north.
The elves have no interest in anything other than the spirit forest. Therefore, the border was regarded as the boundary between the forest and the plains.
『With this much visibility, there will be nowhere for them to hide. If they do shows themselves and starts attacking us, well, we’ll deal with that when it happens』
The beautiful viscountess looks back at the crimson Knight and says coquettishly in the cockpit.
She is planning to set up a defense line here. At the same time, she was going to carry out the same inspections that had been carried out at the entrance to the city on the highway.
『Well then, let’s begin to work at once』
A thin man with an old looking face nods to the B-class Knight. This unhappy-looking pilot is the second-in-command of the beautiful viscountess.
In the battle against the northern countries, he was struck in the knee and was the first to get eliminated. The horror of long-range attacks was already ingrained in his mind.
『Okay, next is the location of the lookout post』
The mature viscountess uttered, and walked towards the nearby hills.
To the south was the central city of the territory. The size was probably standard for a small regional city. But the small town in the northeast that she had ruled before. It was much bigger compared to that.
(I thought I was going to sink, and was prepared for it but, to think I will get such a big role instead)
The adjutant thought as he looked at his superior’s Knight’s ample butt that was swaying from side to side.
(This is my last chance. I will have to pull myself together)
He let out a deep breath and made his own B-class Knight follow the crimson knight.
***
The stage moves to the spirit forest, a little north of the border town in the northern part of the empire.
Inside a large hollow-part at the base of the world tree.
It is a large space with rows and rows of bookshelves several dozen meters high. A suspension bridge connects the bookshelves to each other.
This is the Great Library of the elven village. It is an important place where knowledge and memories are stored.
(There must be something)
A fat high elf is sitting on one of the suspension bridges. He flipped through the pages of a thick history book.
What he was researching is the events after the 『Bloodless Revolution』.
Incidentally, the Bloodless Revolution is the reason why the elves shifted from a monarchy to a parliamentary system.
It was a revolution that took place without a drop of blood being shed. It was a sign of how high the quality of their people was, and they were proud of it.
(The royal family that survived the revolution. If they exist, they should’ve left a mark in the history aren’t they?)
If there’s a harsh struggle, it would not have been surprising if it had been recorded.
Or so the fat high elf was thinking and continued to investigate day after day.
(Hm?)
After finishing reading the history of the elves, the fat high elf was flipping through the 『History and Incidents of the Empire』 of the human race.
He found a description that caught his attention and stopped his hand.
(A massive brainwashing incident in a small city of the Empire?)
It happened a few decades after the bloodless revolution hundreds of years ago. And it takes place in a certain brothel.
Many male customers have been contributing money and goods for years.
(It is a common practice of the elves to brainwash their customers in brothels. But there is no record of this incident in the elven village)
In other words, in doesn’t involve the elven village
What was also noteworthy was the strength of the brainwashing technique. It is said that it required an E or D ranked cure status abnormality spell or something similar to that in order to lift it.
Most of the techniques used in elven brothels can be lifted with an F rank. It’s clearly abnormal when you think about it.
(It is impossible for a human being to have this kind of power. Even for the elves, it’s impossible if they’re not a special elf)
The royal family is superior to the general elves population in terms of magical power. Just being born into that bloodline is enough to be recognized as a High Elf.
It’s not so strange to think that such a powerful technique was performed by a survivor of the royal family.
(Someone of royal blood had survived. There should be no problem to assume as such)
Feeling that his prediction was correct, he nodded in satisfaction and stood up.
The strong shaking on his feet reminded him that he was now on a suspension bridge.
(It seems that I was too focused)
This is the top level of the bookshelf. He wouldn’t go unscathed if he fell, and even his life would be in danger if the book he dropped hit him.
He looked at the floor far below with a cold sweat running down his face, and hugged the book he was holding to his chest.
(But unfortunately, the trace of their whereabouts after the incident is unknown)
He regained his composure and continued his thoughts.
The human race had failed to catch the culprit. They have disappeared somewhere with a large amount of money and goods in their possession.
(If it had been me, I would have moved places and continued doing what I was doing there)
Is there a similar case somewhere else? In order to find out about it, he needs to find a new book.
The fat high elf walked fearlessly over the suspension bridge to the history section of the human race.
***
Some time has passed, and the stage returns to the northern city of the empire.
The lord’s mansion that stood facing the central square. A pilot knocked on the door of her office.
「I’ve come to report」
The middle-aged man who was allowed to enter the room was startled for a moment and hurriedly looked away.
He looked away for a moment, because the new lord of the mansion was holding a cup of coffee in her hand, with her legs crossed high in the air.
「What is it?」
A smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, distorting the thin lines of her cheeks. She deliberately crossed her legs as she looked at the pilot.
Part of the female pilot’s uniform was a tight skirt, and hers was slightly shorter than the norm.
Even though it was winter, she was not wearing tights, showing her bare thighs. Her eyes narrowed as she felt a gaze that directed to the back of her thighs.
「A group of wagons was caught at the checkpoint. They seem to have come from the Spirit Forest」
The mature viscount put her cup of coffee and looked at the adjutant. He urges the pilot to continue and listen to the details.
「The things they brought with them is trash, you say?」
Her husky voice echoed in the room. There were six carts pulled by large golem horses, and they were filled with miscellaneous waste.
There was no other way to describe it than garbage.
「Alright, I will go there right away」
The mature viscount gets up from her seat and rushes to her beloved Knight. The old-looking adjutant and a middle-aged man follow her.
A crimson A-class Knight, the adjutant’s plain B-class Knight, and one unattractive C-class Knight. It didn’t take long for the three knights to arrive at the checkpoint.
「Now then, can you explain to me?」
In the tent of the checkpoint, the old, skinny adjutant asks.
Pulled up in front of them was a couple who were leading the group of wagons. It’s a little early to be calling them old.
「So you take the waste from the elven villages and dispose it here?」
The adjutant groaned as he listened to the story. Apparently, the couple had been doing it for a living for many years.
They seemed to have a guilty look on their faces.
「Where have you been taking them? Tell me」
The man and woman couple shrug their shoulders at the sound of the mature viscountess voice, which sounds lower than usual. They seemed to have given up and began to talk in a whisper.
They said that they had dumped them in a valley a little further on.
「Lead the way. Now」
The couple is forced into a small golem carriage in the checkpoint, accompanied by a soldier.
Accompanied by three Knights, the golem wagon arrived at a small valley over a small mountain from the northern city.
『This is… the smell is awful』
The mature viscount nodded at the external sound system of her adjutant.
『I thought the air quality was bad in this town, so this was the cause, huh』
Piles of garbage fill the valley. Perhaps to reduce its volume, there is a debris of garbage that has been set on fire.
It seemed to be still smoldering in the depths, and although there were no flames to be seen, white smoke was rising from various places.
『There’s also some weird colored water seeping out of it』
The middle-aged man said and frowned. His C-class Knight gazes at a stream, with primary colored green and blue water flowing in the distance.
Hearing the external sound system emitted by the Knight, the couple in the carriage paled.
Just like the way they were in the tent earlier they seemed to be aware of the fact that they were polluting the air and water.
(This is our fault too for not noticing this)
The mature viscount thinks with her arms crossed. Instead of going in and out of the city to trade, they just throw it away midway and turn back.
She never thought that there was such a business.
(Anyhow, we must not allow anymore of this)
She frowned and clicked her tongue.
With that many big golem wagons, it would take a lot of manpower to lift and unload the cargo. If we take away their jobs, there will be many people whose lives will be affected.
Aside from the couple, the people who were working for them were not to blame.
『How about we hire that wagon and manpower ourselves? We can use them to transport materials for the construction of the Knights’ quarters』
As if reading her mind, her adjutant made a suggestion. As expected of someone who had been supporting the mature viscount for many years.
A look that seems older than his age and has an impression of being unhappy. This was probably the result of the many hardships he had gone through.
『That sounds like a good idea, let’s do that』
The new lord of a northern city came to a decision.
The valley in the north of the empire and the elven village. The group of large golem carriages that had been regularly traveling between the two were thus disbanded without returning to where they had come from.
***
The stage moves from the northern city to the far southeast.
In the royal capital of the kingdom, a three-story building located on the northern outskirts of its downtown.
I was sitting on the floor in my living room at home, looking at Imosuke in front of me.
The head of my familiar was now lying on a bath towel on the floor, curled up in a ball. He was probably asleep.
(Fumu)
I was the only one here.
Zaratan, our new family member, swam out to the center of the pond. And Dangorou dove under the ground, apparently to tend to the soil.
(The caterpillar is an optimized form for storing nutrients)
If it grows well, it will probably become a pupa. And after that, it should turn into an adult.
(However, he’s a spirit beast. Maybe his appearance will always be like this)
Leaving that possibility aside, I’m making a guess based on my knowledge of my previous life.
(Judging by the shape, he might turn into a swallowtail butterfly)
Imoske flapping his large wings and soared through the air. I nodded quietly while picturing this scene in my mind.
(And the butterfly is an optimized form for leaving offspring)
They use their beautiful clothes to attract the attention of the opposite sex, and then they mate.
「Imosuke, if you ever become a butterfly, will you be like, a guy that goes around wooing women?」
He seems to have woken up, so I call out to him.
『Butterfly?』
He tilted his head. He doesn’t seem to understand what I’m talking about because I’ve talked to him so suddenly.
Judging from his naive appearance, it seems that he is still far away from adult topics.
(But what about after he becomes an adult? Will he be fluttering his fancy wings and mating all over the place, I wonder)
When he’s tired, he suck on the nectar of some flowers as a nutritional drink. Then they fly away again in search of the opposite sex.
「As expected from the head of my familiar」
Always so reliable.
I crossed my arms and nodded a number of times. While Imosuke looked up at me curiously.
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