Elves.
Before the Great Seal of Akasha, they were the rulers of the forest.
They worshiped the World Tree as their god and lived with a reputation for their beautiful appearance and love for the forest, but…
In reality, elves were far from the gentle beings that dreamers imagined.
They were the fairies who loved and guarded the forest, and they were also akin to the overlords of the forest.
They could become fiercely aggressive and were willing to lay down their lives without hesitation to protect their forest.
Therefore, to conquer the Great Mezaiya Forest, it was necessary to reduce the elves’ hostility.
Of course, preparations for that had already been made.
[Calm down. I did not come to harm you.]
[…?!]
When Shane’s voice echoed in the elf’s mind without his mouth moving, the elf’s eyes widened in surprise.
Naturally, elves did not speak the language of humans.
Before they were sealed in dungeons or cradles by Akasha, humans were just a handful of insect-like creatures.
Naturally, there was no reason for elves to know the human language.
So the elf who had been sold to the Liam family by Count Salier, who was killed by Shane, could not comprehend the situation.
When did humans become so powerful?
Why has the world changed so much?
How could a race that was once unable to use magic now rule the world?
In the midst of this humiliating reality, the elf tried to commit suicide several times, but for some reason, her body would not obey whenever she attempted it.
Each time, the cursed human who brought humiliation and scorn would laugh and say something, but the elf couldn’t understand his words.
Naturally, it was all because of the noble’s artifact designed to prevent the death of his “precious” slaves.
One day, after enduring countless humiliating days, a man with a white mask appeared.
Moreover, he spoke the elven language.
[You, what are you? I do not sense the presence of our kind on you. How can you use our Connect Road?]
The Connect Road was the elves’ means of communication.
Unlike humans, elves communicated using their unique low-frequency magic.
This was the elven language.
However, this low-frequency magic couldn’t be imitated just by mimicking it.
It required a special magical power source.
Specifically, the leaves of the World Tree.
Shane had taken a leaf necklace from the troll in the last dungeon raid. That very leaf was from the World Tree which the elves held sacred.
[Who are you?]
Therefore, the elf had no choice but to ask that in a trembling voice.
And the response she received was an arrogant one.
[I am the one who will break the seal.]
[What, what did you say?]
[I am the one who will bring freedom to the world and become your ally.]
[……!]
Suppressing her trembling heart, the elf Ella Lu Orca barely managed to ask while looking into those arrogant eyes as if they owned the world.
[What do you want from me?]
[The freedom of your kind.]
[What do you mean……]
[Don’t you want freedom?]
[……I do.]
She couldn’t utter a lie in response to those words.
Even now, her kin who were trapped in dungeons and cradles were unable to escape the eternal cycle.
For some reason, Orca had managed to escape the seal to a limited extent, but before she could find out why, she was captured by humans and lived in humiliation.
After calming her anxious heart, the elf asked,
[What price must I pay for that freedom?]
She could ask this question because she was certain the person before her wouldn’t kill her.
[Devotion to the desire for freedom. Offer that to me. That’s all I need.]
[Are you saying our entire race should be bound to you?]
[No. I mean use the power to fulfill that desire for me. I will become your freedom.]
[I can’t believe that.]
Fear was fear, and belief was belief. The elves’ beliefs were steadfast.
Sometimes, their delicate appearance led others to think they would yield to the strong, but the elves were brave warriors who defended their forests even in ancient hellish times.
They would never sell out their kin for their own safety.
Even if their relatives were killed before their eyes.
And so Shane also did not expect to gain the elf’s cooperation with just words.
So, he would have to make her experience it firsthand.
[You must know. Those sealed are frozen in time. And even though you escaped the seal, it’s no different for you. Aren’t you aware of this?]
[…….]
Orca couldn’t refute Shane’s words. Everything he said was true.
Orca was deprived of her own time and could not grow.
She was indeed a stagnant existence.
This meant that the blessing of life known as growth was blocked for her.
[Due to the new birth, time was not allowed for you who have not escaped the seal. However, it’s not that there’s no way at all.]
Shane squeezed and compressed the flickering darkness, gathering his origin power and magical power in both hands.
A single rune.
Imitate.
The reason Shane who was tainted by corruption could reign as the commander of the First Legion before his regression.
He extracted the one magical pattern he had used to exhaustion and handed it to the elf.
[Th-this is…]
Orca tried to reject the magical pattern she had never seen before in her life, but her body itself naturally accepted it.
It was as if a child instinctively crawled, stood up, and walked.
[Ah!]
From the magical pattern absorbed into her, she felt the undeniable aura of an absolute being.
The magical pattern was qualitatively different from what had seeped into Shane’s gaze.
When it entered her body, Orca was enveloped in a sensation as if something had been liberated within her.
[Wh-what have you done to me…]
[A sense of liberation. Very briefly, I have released the seal that binds you.]
There was no physical change.
But Orca was an elf sensitive to spiritual energy. She felt an indescribable sense of liberation in her soul.
It was like the sensation she always felt before the Great Seal of Akasha.
[No way, no way… Dragon! Are you a dragon?]
Magical power that could ignore even the Great Seal of Akasha.
It was an existence at the pinnacle of all races, a demigod that protected the world. Only the dragons who had entered the realm of demigods could achieve this.
[No. For now, it is simply an imitation.]
[How is that possible?!]
[I merely presented a glimpse of the future. Even now, it’s just a fragmentary imitation. In time, you will be sealed again.]
[…….]
Just like Shane said, Orca felt her soul which had regained its freedom from the seal growing heavy very slowly.
It was a sensation as if chains were being placed on her soul.
Orca closed her eyes.
[I will follow you. But, I can only speak for myself.]
[That is enough.]
In the end, those who yearn for freedom will not be able to refuse.
Shane showed a faint smile behind his mask.
With this, the most crucial preparation for the Great Mezaiya Forest was complete.
It was not until the next day that the incident that occurred at Liam Allchin’s villa made headlines and caused an uproar throughout the coalition.
***
“Wow. Today’s news article is pretty intense.”
Dilaila who was sitting in the dining room with the morning paper spread out read the article with a serious expression on her face.
[Exclusive! Another Coalition Noble Murdered. Motive: Non-human Slave?]
[On April 27th, Viscount Liam Allchin, a noble located on the outskirts of the coalition, was found murdered in his villa.
The investigative agency in charge of this case believes that the brutal murder scene from last night is the work of the same individual responsible for the recent murder of Count Salier.
…
Therefore, when considering the methods and circumstances of these two victims, this reporter also shares the same thoughts as the investigative agency.]
The noble murder case that happened just yesterday.
In less than a month, two nobles have already been murdered which is not something to be taken lightly.
Especially for Dilaila.
Moreover, it is known that Liam Allchin was also secretly keeping a non-human slave when he was killed.
As evidence, there was a ledger left behind on top of Liam Allchin’s corpse.
“Wh-What are you looking at so seriously?”
The person who approached Dilaila who was sitting in the dining room was Bernshtein Osten. The student who ranked second in the Command Department’s test.
“Huh? Oh. Look at this. Another noble has been murdered.”
“Th-That’s nasty.”
“Right? We shouldn’t be out at night anymore.”
“This, this is the central region of the coalition. The chances of such a, a major incident happening are lo, low.”
“Ah, right. That’s true.”
“B-By the way, you seem busy these days.”
Dilaila nodded her head at Osten’s question.
Indeed, she had been very busy for the past two weeks.
“Don’t even get me started. That guy is telling us to clear the dungeon with some strange restrictions, it’s been a nightmare.”
“Restrictions?”
Taking advantage of the situation, Dilaila eagerly began to share her story.
“See this? This lady cleared a dungeon with just this bit of dirt. I thought my head was going to split. Although thanks to that, I’ve improved my skills quite a bit.”
“Hmm…”
Osten looked at the handful of dirt that Dilaila held out.
Then he took a small monocle from his pocket and examined the dirt more closely.
The monocle was a magical tool that allowed even someone like Osten, who couldn’t sense magic, to see it.
“This, this dirt is infused with ma-magical power, isn’t it?”
“Huh? Well, it’s the dirt I use, after all.”
“N-Noo, I mean, it’s not just coated with magical power, i-it seems like the dirt itself is infused with ma-magical power.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Dilaila closely examine the dirt she had taken out.
Just like Osten had said, she could faintly sense magical power in the soil.
“How, how is this happening?”
“Ha, haha, you, you’re stuttering like me.”
“No, but really, what is this?”
“Ha-Haven’t you felt that it ta-takes less effort to control this dirt lately?”
“It did feel like I was getting more used to it…”
It’s not uncommon for magical power to permeate inanimate objects.
Magic stones brimming with power are often found in dungeons, and there are even magic stone mines.
Sometimes, old objects absorb magic over time and become artifacts themselves.
However, what surprised Dilaila was that she had only been using this dirt for about fifteen days.
If magic could permeate inanimate objects in such a short time, artifacts would be everywhere.
For magical power to naturally permeate inanimate objects, a long time is required.
“Sha-Shane probably wa-wanted to show you this.”
At first, when Shane restricted her, Dilaila thought it was just a method to increase her magic control.
And since she had never controlled dirt to this extent, her magic control was improving daily.
“No way…”
It couldn’t be that.
How could someone who isn’t a member of the underground folk race know their traits better than herself who was an underground folk?
In any case, this wasn’t a bad thing. It was actually a great opportunity.
“You, you could probably use this in more di-different ways, right?”
“Hmm…”
Dilaila fell into deep thought at Osten’s words.
Dirt infused with magical power.
Then this…
“I could eat this, you know?”
“Huh?”
“I can eat anything with magic infused in it.”
When Dilaila spoke and revealed the sharp teeth she always wanted to hide, Osten nodded his head.
“Bu-Bt this magical power was made by you, wo-would it really increase your magical power?”
“If it’s just about increasing magical power, it might be useless. But my understanding of my own magic would improve.”
Just as a person cannot see their own organs, the same goes for magic.
It usually takes a long time to understand one’s own magic, but Dilaila could increase her understanding simply by consuming dirt infused with her own magical power.
This was a method that ordinary humans couldn’t even think of.
“Wow… amazing.”
Realizing how useful the current training was, Dilaila’s face lit up.
It was only natural since she found a way to grow without eating expensive magic stones.
Dilaila who had doubted whether she should stay with the team after Anais joined quickly changed her mind.
“I think I’m going to stick around.”
“You, you’ve made a good decision.”
Such thoughts were not limited only to Dilaila.
Shane had told them to wait and adjust their condition before heading to the Great Mezaiya Forest, but Klein and Anais were eager.
They didn’t want to forget the insights they gained from the dungeon Shane had led them through.
Thanks to this, Dilaila also went to the dungeon with them. To earn money and also infuse the earth with her magical power.
In the dungeon, discussions between Klein and Anais always continued.
“So, it’s not that Anais’s sword is necessarily bad. It just needs a slight adjustment.”
“Right. But your swordsmanship, though unconventional, relies too much on instinct. By targeting only the vital points based on instinct, its unconventional nature feels diminished.”
“Oh, so that’s why during yesterday’s duel…”
“Mhmm. But the anomaly in your swordsmanship comes from a shift in thinking…”
….
Afterward, the time to meet the Raviata Adventurer Party finally arrived, and everyone gathered together at a high-end restaurant in the Kingdom of Haiel.
And then.
Their eyes naturally turned to someone sitting in a corner.
An elf whose appearance went beyond simple words like beautiful.
Even while staying still, the elf Orca seemed to emit a faint glow.
[Human gazes are always disgusting.]
[Endure it.]
[…Understood. I’ll do it for the sake of my kind.]
Orca used her hand, which lacked a ring finger and pinky, to let her hair fall over her face.
“Hey, hey. How did you bring that elf here?”
At Dilaila’s question, Klein and Anais also showed similarly curious expressions.
“You don’t need to know.”
“What?”
“Don’t try to find out.”
“…Ugh.”
“She’s not a slave. We have something to gain from her.”
“What? What kind of thing?”
“You’ll find out in due time, so be patient.”
“Ugh…”
Then Dilaila who had relaxed her expression cautiously approached the elf.
After all, they were both non-human.
She felt an awkward sense of kinship forming, so she approached with a forced friendly smile.
“Uh, hello?”
“……”
Naturally, Orca who did not speak the human language didn’t understand Dilaila’s words and frowned as she looked at Shane.
[Do I really have to deal with these beings?]
[Ignore them since you can’t communicate anyway.]
[I will.]
“Excuse me, hello? Hey? Excuse me? Who am I talking to?”
And so Dilaila’s first attempt at making a non-human friend ended in failure.
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