After the first delegation had returned, Priscilla finished her meeting with the elf elders and showed a tired expression on her face.
“Whew, it’s been a while since we’ve had to deal with something like this.”
Politics was a word that had no connection with the elves.
From ancient times, the elves had been extremely reluctant to allow other races into their forests, no matter who they were.
Occasionally, they made exceptions for dwarves who came to mine or underground folks who came to absorb the magic of the earth.
Because of this, they had no need for political affairs.
But we have no choice now. Beings that can’t even be used as fertilizer have appeared.
Priscilla consoled herself as she looked at Gordon’s head placed on a table.
Gordon. He was the damn blood mage who had kidnapped elves in their dormant period and turned them into dark elves.
Now, his head has been smashed in half by “someone”.
Shane had said that those who called themselves “Nameless” posed a huge threat to the elves.
The greatest defense of the elves in the Great Mezaiya Forest was that nothing could escape their sight, and yet, that had been rendered ineffective by them.
In the midst of this, she thought it would be a bad decision as a queen ruling over thousands of elves to go to war with the greedy humans.
Fortunately, aside from a few elders, most were viewing this situation positively.
If the world had changed, then shouldn’t they seek change accordingly?
“But there’s no helping the boredom… Ah.”
Priscilla who had been whining like a child perked up her ears at the familiar presence she felt in the forest.
“I was bored anyway, so this is perfect timing.”
Priscilla turned her gaze in the direction where she sensed the essence, and soon, a masked figure appeared.
“Welcome, Shane. What brings you here?”
“I came to check if things were progressing well and to ask you something.”
“Ask me something? Is there actually something you don’t know?”
Priscilla smiled at Shane’s words.
Wasn’t it Shane who had provided the greatest help in opening up the Great Forest?
Afterward, as if foreseeing what would happen, they were able to gain an advantageous position in negotiations with the humans thanks to him.
“I only know what I know. Anyway, do you know anything about the north?”
“Hmm. That’s sudden. The north, huh…”
Priscilla closed her eyes as if she was lost in thought for a moment.
In ancient times, didn’t new kingdoms of different races rise and fall within a single day?
It was such a brutal period that she needed to briefly retrace her memories.
“I don’t think you’re asking about the environment. What exactly are you curious about?”
“The blue-skinned orcs in the north. And the presence of the Mountain King behind them.”
“Hmm… blue-skinned orcs; that’s something I’ve never heard of before.”
Shane wasn’t particularly disappointed by Priscilla’s response.
When the empire first expanded north, blue-skinned orcs weren’t seen at the time.
Considering they appeared suddenly, it was possible they didn’t exist in ancient times either.
“But I do have some memories related to the orc race itself. Even if they’re like this now, orcs were not a particularly remarkable race in the past. They fought daily and were very combative. However, despite their warlike nature, they were quite weak in terms of strength.”
Compared to humans, orcs were physically superior but they weren’t a dominant race in ancient times.
They fundamentally lacked the ability to wield magic, and in terms of physical strength alone, they were inferior to the beastmen.
However, due to their overwhelming reproductive abilities and warlike nature, no race dared to provoke them first.
“It’s true that other races found orcs bothersome, but they didn’t avoid them out of fear.”
But that brought arrogance to the orcs.
“The newly appointed chieftain at the time seemed quite ambitious. He believed that by using their numbers, they could fight against other races.”
It wasn’t an entirely wrong judgment. In his previous life, the empire had struggled for a long time to eradicate the enormous orc population.
Their strategy of overwhelming numbers was indeed effective.
But there are always things in this world that cannot be solved by sheer numbers alone.
“They picked the wrong enemy from the start. They ended up provoking the vampires.”
The blood magic Gordon used in the Great Mezaiya Forest originated from them.
Vampires were truly a race that embodied fear itself.
Though they lived quietly in their secluded castles, they would come out into the world once every few years when it was time to feed.
During that period, most races would hold their breath and even the elves were no exception.
“Normally, nothing major will happen if you touch a vampire. Sure, a few villages might get wiped out by the vampires, but the orcs crossed the line.”
What method did you use?
The orcs launched a surprise attack on the vampires’ castles and took the lives of young vampires.
They were already a race with a critically low population, but the vampires had their royal bloodline, the true-blood vampires, targeted.
The subsequent eruption of the vampires’ fury needed no explanation.
“It took only a single day. The orc stronghold of Urbulak was destroyed at that time. Countless orcs were massacred in just one night. Only a few hundred orcs managed to escape and narrowly avoid extinction.”
Vampires were inherently lazy and inactive, but when they did move, the entire continent’s races held their breath.
Priscilla said that in the ancient continent, where it was considered a miracle if there was no battle for even a single day, surprisingly there was no battle for several days.
This was of course out of fear of incurring the vampires’ wrath.
“Anyway, rumor has it that the orc, who was the chieftain’s son at the time, managed to escape after a desperate struggle. He fled north with a few loyal orcs.”
“Such an event occurred. Yet, no ancient texts remain. How strange.”
“Perhaps it was out of fear. The humans of that time also lacked the ability to use magic, and they might have feared drawing the vampires’ attention through their actions. Well, it’s a bit awkward to say this in front of you, but back then, humans only survived because they were seen as a minor annoyance to other races.”
“I don’t consider historical facts to be shameful. Besides, in the end, humans became the victors among all races.”
“When you say it like that, I guess I have nothing more to say.”
After hearing this far, Shane nodded his head.
The origin of the northern orcs.
The reason the orcs who were decimated by the vampires were able to survive in such a barren environment must have been related to the Mountain King.
“Hmm… But it is interesting. How could those blue-skinned orcs survive?”
A question mark appeared above Priscilla’s head as well, as if she had thoughts similar to Shane’s. Though her question was different.
“To begin with, it’s an environment where no living creatures could survive. Did the god of humans Akasha do something?”
“What do you mean?”
“The mountain range where the blue-skinned orcs live is where the Mountain King lives.”
“I know that.”
“Oh, then the story will be quick. In the place where the Mountain King resides, no living creature could take root. In the first place, the reason the vampires left the orc chieftain’s son alone was because he went to the north where the Mountain King lived.”
It meant there was no need to chase and kill him since he was heading to his death anyway.
“…What exactly is the Mountain King?”
“Hmm. Nothing is known about it. The name Mountain King was just given by others, and no one who entered that place ever came back alive. So they simply called the owner of that huge mountain range the Mountain King.”
“I see.”
Unfortunately, if even Priscilla who had lived for such a long time didn’t know, there seemed to be no other way to find out more.
It can’t be helped. I’ll have to gather the missing information myself.
If he couldn’t get information related to the orcs here, he would have to obtain it himself.
When Shane organized his thoughts and stood up, Priscilla stopped him.
“Oh, now that I think about it, you’ve used up quite a bit of the essence I gave you.”
“It’ll disappear on its own even if left alone.”
“That may be true, but we are… hmm, what do humans call it, business partners, right? Just in case, I’ll replenish it for you. If something were to happen to you now, it would be problematic for us elves too.”
From Priscilla’s perspective, Shane was someone she had to be cautious of, yet he was also the only person who knew the most about the organization known as “Nameless” at this point in time.
Shane silently nodded his head at Priscilla’s words.
The essence didn’t quite align with his Origin, and the dark spirit was also extremely uncomfortable with it as it remained hidden in his shadow, but… a day might come when it would be useful.
But despite the discomfort, there were many ways to use Priscilla’s essence.
“Alright. The essence I gave you earlier has become a bit murky… I’ll retrieve it and replenish it with new essence.”
“…I have no reason to refuse. Alright.”
Priscilla brought her face close to Shane’s face just like she did before. She then retrieved her essence that resided within him and breathed new essence into him.
The scent of the forest brushed past Shane’s nose just like it did that time, and Priscilla smiled as usual.
“All done.”
“Hmm.”
Shane felt his body rejoice as it was once again replenished with a bountiful life force.
With this much essence, he would have a chance to recover even from a fatal wound.
“Well then, I should be going now.”
“My, you’re in such a hurry. I haven’t finished talking yet.”
“Is there more to say?”
“The person you mentioned before has arrived. They should have woken up by now…”
“…I see. I’ll go see them immediately.”
So it finally happened.
Shane thought this as he prepared to move and Priscilla sighed.
“Haah. Somehow, I feel like I’m being used one-sidedly here.”
“Isn’t this all part of our deal?”
“Our deal didn’t include me providing information about the North, did it?”
She had a point.
Besides, didn’t he receive essence he could use like this?
“I also have to maintain my respect as a queen. Please grant me a favor someday in return.”
“Understood. I will.”
Since he would need the elves’ help to deal with the organization anyway, Shane nodded his head without much thought.
“Shall we go then? To that knight from the Haiel Kingdom. His name was… Adam, right? He came with quite the serious injuries.”
“As long as he is alive. His unique senses will be useful in many ways.”
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