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Chapter 305

In Alkeion, there’s a saying: “Do not wage war against the Elven Forest.” It was one of the reasons why, despite numerous nations bordering the Great Forest, peace remained.

But why has such a phrase been passed down?

There are several reasons. The first is that most elves are born with exceptional talents.

The late-stage Sword Expert level is something that only a remarkably skilled human could hope to reach as a baseline.

Additionally, their lifespans are long. Elves who participated in past wars have grown not old, but stronger, rejoining the conflict, which results in a phenomenon where, despite their relatively rare engagement in battles, they do not lack in military experience.

Considering that the elven population is clearly small compared to humans and that most prefer defensive strategies over offensive ones, one might think that with a well-crafted strategy, victory is achievable. However, nations that thought this way were all crushed by the Great Duchy.

One must not forget. The forest they inhabit is, in itself, a fortress and territory.

In such a place, it’s not odd to have countless beings referred to as Arch Mages, and the Queen could even rival the might of a Grandmaster swordsman.

There are already numerous entities that could be deemed strategic weapons, and all their abilities are enhanced under the influence of the World Tree within the forest.

“Whoa, that’s electrifying.”

In the peaceful banquet hall, countless elves were all formidable late-stage experts.

Considering that even the knights of the Lionel Count’s household, known as the Sword Clan, averaged around mid-expert level, it was absurd.

“Is there perhaps a condition that one must be a late-stage expert to inherit the family title?”

“There’s no such thing.”

Claire shook her head at Yeon-woo’s plausible question. There isn’t? Why not…

“It’s just that they live long, that’s all. Everyone here is roughly around 200 years of nobility.”

“Wow.”

Thinking like that made one wonder. Did living for 200 years just not lead one to Master level? It was a slightly bizarre feeling.

Strictly speaking, it was more about not feeling the necessity to become a Master.

“Well, let’s stop overthinking and have some fun. I’m not used to such a cultured atmosphere, but…”

“There’s plenty of food for a reason. The cuisine of Igrdals is renowned, and the royal chef is famed for his skills. Look over there? He’s been the royal chef for a staggering 700 years!”

“Cough. Just hearing that makes me curious about the taste.”

When Yeon-woo looked where Claire pointed, he saw an elf with a magnificent beard, reminiscent of a Grand Mage. That’s the chef?

Claire, smiling at Yeon-woo’s remark, slowly moved to approach some noblewomen she seemed to recognize. It looked like she had familiar faces there.

As for Yeon-woo, with no acquaintances and feeling out of place, what should he do? Of course, it was consuming the food.

The children were mingling surprisingly well with the noble kids, and as he watched from a distance, Nea seemed to reach a similar conclusion, her gaze meeting his.

“Indeed, eating is a good way to get by.”

“Yeah, I had a little taste earlier, and it’s delicious. There’s so much variety, so should we try a bit of everything?”

As they discussed what to sample, Yeon-woo suddenly felt a gaze from the Queen’s table.

When he unconsciously lifted his head, he locked eyes with Chloe. It seemed she was waiting for the group to get accustomed to the banquet, and as soon as their gazes met, she slipped out of the banquet hall. Concerned about something, it seemed.

Naturally, the purpose of Yeon-woo and Claire was just beginning here. A few nobles who had been stealthily keeping an eye on the throne noticed Chloe leaving and began to check where Yeon-woo and Claire were.

It appeared that Claire was the easier target for approach. A crowd had begun to form around her, who had just stepped away from conversation with the noblewomen.

Yeon-woo watched this unfold from a distance. It wouldn’t be easy for him, as the Dragon’s Contractor, to approach so easily.

He figured once Claire finished speaking, they’d come over as if earning a reason to do so.

“Until then, I should keep eating… Oh.”

“Isn’t it delicious!? I think the chef’s skills are truly remarkable!”

As he bit into a salad-like dish of unidentifiable greens on his plate, a taste and texture that seemed unbelievable danced on his tongue.

A gasp escaped his lips involuntarily, leading Nea to excitedly exclaim. She was thrilled to have someone to share her impressions with. It truly was a delightful flavor…!

As he and Nea reveled in the culinary experience, a strikingly handsome elf man approached them.

“Greetings, Contractor. I am Count Elliot Tarasacco.”

“Ah, Tarasacco is south of the Great Forest, right? Thank you for the kind introduction. I’m Choi Yeon-woo.”

Surprised at Yeon-woo’s cheerful reply, Elliot stood speechless for a moment.

Heh, all the effort I put into matching the nobility’s titles and territories paid off. My memory has also improved since the contract, so remembering isn’t hard at all.

“Uh, ahem, I thought I should greet you since no one else has come to do so.”

“Thank you. Thanks to your consideration, I believe I can enjoy myself a bit more. How shall I repay this debt?”

“Haha, just visit my territory sometime. But, um….”

Elliot chuckled lightly while discreetly glancing behind him, his lips moving.

“Make sure you listen well and respond to what the others are saying.” It seemed Count Tarasacco was part of the current Queen’s loyal faction. Got it. I’ll need to remember this and pass it on.

“Thank you. I’ll make sure to heed that.”

With Yeon-woo’s reply, Elliot smiled and departed. When he noticed that a line had formed as long as Claire’s, his vision briefly blurred.

“Nea, can you just stay… Nea?”

“Hang in there!”

S-she’s run away! Ugh…!!

*

Countless noble introductions finally came to an end. This might be the sorrow of working in a customer service center. Hang in there, customer service staff out there…!

Among them were those who subtly inquired about Yeon-woo’s intentions, so he made sure to remember their names.

There might be some miscommunication within, but Chloe would undoubtedly look into that.

After fending off the noble crowd to a reasonable extent, Yeon-woo headed to the balcony. In novels, characters often go to the balcony for a break during such banquets, so he was curious if it would be a nice spot.

“Oh.”

Once out on the balcony, Yeon-woo let out a sigh. The night breeze was refreshingly cool. The view was excellent. One might expect the night scenery of a forest to be dark and dreary, but the elven village was different.

The light streaming from window frames in the trees and the fireflies flitting between the houses illuminated the dark woods. It was a sight that naturally calmed the heart.

“Ah…”

Leaning back in a chair on the balcony, Yeon-woo sighed. Oh, so tired. Especially his unfamiliar prosthetic leg was intensely numb.

Since a proper prosthetic requires precise sizing, he used a makeshift one this time, which made it worse.

While massaging his calf after removing the prosthetic, he began to smell something burning coming from somewhere. What is that? Did something get burned in the kitchen? As he pondered, black smoke came into view.

It wasn’t from the World Tree. There was a fire breaking out outside of Yggdrasil. As he stared blankly at the scene, elves began to move into action.

Their response was swift and orderly. Numerous mages rushed towards the source. Living in a forest, they were surely accustomed to dealing with fires.

“Well, it’ll probably be extinguished soon enough…” But Yeon-woo’s thoughts flipped abruptly. No matter how much water was poured, it wouldn’t go out. Rather, it began to blaze even stronger.

“Wait, that….”

He recognized the characteristics of that fire. It was Smelting Transformation—a type of bomb that manifests flames through inner energy, different from normal flames that seize and spread.

It couldn’t be extinguished with water. Not with dirt, or by any standard method. Rather, all common attempts to put it out would only intensify the flames.

“Damn it…!”

Yeon-woo quickly expanded his perception. The broad sensitivity detected Chloe’s presence. He hastily sent a telepathic message to her.

“Your Majesty! There’s a fire! That’s not regular flames, we need to create a vacuum to extinguish it!”

Chloe seemed startled by Yeon-woo’s sudden voice, but she quickly regained her composure and surveyed the situation.

The Queen began to manipulate her mana, looking out at the surroundings through the buds blooming on the trees.

Chloe’s presence vanished within the World Tree. If she intervened directly, the situation would be resolved smoothly. Yeon-woo let out a sigh of relief but couldn’t shake his suspicions.

Thinking back, it seemed he had heard stories of a fire breaking out in the Great Forest around this time before.

At that time, it had been overshadowed by the events in Hae-yeon City.

“Smelting Transformation, what on earth is going on.”

There were many implications regarding the existence of Smelting Transformation. Of course, the essence of that bomb could be discerned by its name—it came from the martial arts domain.

In a world where transcendents actually exist, Smelting Transformation posed a direct threat, especially since even martial sages could often find themselves helpless before it.

However, Smelting Transformation was a technique that existed only in legends. Therefore, there had been attempts to replicate its skill.

“And it was mages that sought to reproduce it.”

The prototype—or perhaps a perfected version of such magic—had seeped into the Alkeion continent? This was no trivial incident.

Something was happening in Yggdrasil. A conspiracy that even Chloe wouldn’t be able to predict.

“…Wait a minute.”

At that moment, what caught Yeon-woo’s eye wasn’t the flames that were rapidly evolving, but rather, the thick smoke that began to erupt in multiple places simultaneously.

It wasn’t just one or two. Smelting Transformation’s flames were spreading, wrapping around Yggdrasil.

It wasn’t that Chloe had failed to evolve the flames. Rather, as one area was being contained, another spot had erupted in an explosion.

It wouldn’t take long for the flames to evolve, but this pattern felt odd. As if desperately trying to draw the Queen outside to seize her attention.

“Then perhaps.”

As that thought crossed Yeon-woo’s mind, he expanded his perception even more. He thought there might be a backlash from the World Tree, but fortunately, there didn’t seem to be. Was the World Tree also sensing something unusual?

“…Damn it!”

Quickly donning his prosthetic again, Yeon-woo dashed through the banquet hall. Approaching the World Tree were two figures cloaked in terrifying auras—definitely not elves.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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