Chapter 352
Chapter 352. A Misalignment of Perception
Surprisingly, the Night Elf operative, ignited by the Holy Silver Curse and engulfed in flames, still dared to fight back.
“Whoaaa—!!”
While screaming in despair, he thrusts out his right hand with a ring. Trying to stab me with a poisoned needle? Prioritizing counterattack over self-destruction, I can’t help but admire his guts, even as my enemy…
“But you see, there are things in this world that can’t be solved just with guts.”
…I know that all too well, Antedeixis.
With my feelings all mixed up, I drew Adamas and severed the operative’s right hand.
Then I hesitated—could I capture this guy alive? If I handed him over to the Holy Church here, it would serve both as a warning and a means for information sharing…
Nah, that’s a bit tricky. If I go easy on him to try to take him alive, who knows what kind of tricks he’ll pull? Plus, I want to extract information from his soul quickly, so I think I’ll just kill him.
I made a compact thrust with Adamas and pierced through his heart.
“Ugh… ah…”
The operative crumpled down, devoid of strength. The blood of the Night Elves is red. Even having fallen into darkness, it doesn’t change the fact that they are still elves. A pool of blood spread across the tavern floor—
“………”
With the previous commotion now seeming like a lie, everyone except Leila and me froze in place. Even the burly sailors had turned pale, their knees buckling.
“This guy is a Night Elf operative disguising as a human.”
I lifted the corpse by its collar, showing it to the patrons. Rubbing his face with the edge of my cloak, the makeup meant to simulate a tan peeled away, revealing sickly white skin.
Furthermore, prying open the vacant eyes, I pulled out the corn inside—bright red eyes.
“The Night Elves have been spreading false rumors about those fighting on the frontlines, downplaying the threats of the Demon Lord Army, and stirring up discord in the rear of the alliance.”
Receiving my gaze, the sailors—previously infuriated by the corruption of the allied forces—shifted their eyes away in embarrassment.
“Listen up, everyone. Be extremely careful. Those who speak ill of the alliance and try to stir up discontent might be Night Elf operatives. From now on, I recommend checking for disguises before you listen to anyone’s talk by rubbing their skin.”
Among the patrons glancing at each other, one started rubbing the skin of a nearby guy with his sleeve. It was a somewhat amusing sight, but this was no joke.
“The need to confirm means that they had been enjoying such discussions—”
“…Lastly, I want to correct the misinformation spread by this operative.”
I tossed the corpse to the ground and swept the tavern with my gaze once again.
“The claim that the morale of the Defteros Kingdom’s soldiers had collapsed is a lie. They—”
I clenched my teeth.
“—fought bravely, utilizing every bit of strength they had. With limited forces, they took down numerous demon soldiers. Yet, even so, they ultimately lost.”
…It was I who had conquered them.
“The soldiers of the Defteros Kingdom weren’t cowards; the Demon Lord Army was just too strong.”
The tavern was enveloped in a silence reminiscent of a water-drenched stillness.
“The claim that the king fled is also a sly falsehood. King Osshimaier XIII, realizing he could not prevent the fall of the royal castle, ceded the throne to his son, XIV, and took half the garrison and the royal knights to escort the fleeing citizens in order to lessen useless sacrifices.”
I nudged the rolling corpse with my toes.
“—This guy intentionally omitted these circumstances, spreading the notion that the people of Defteros were cowards. He fanned the flames of prejudice against the refugees, tarnishing their honor and cutting off support from the alliance.”
“W-wait, then… is it true that the Forest Elves are trying to ally with the Demon Lord Army?”
One of the sailors asked nervously.
“Of course, that’s a blatant lie. In Arena Kingdom, the Forest Elves’ reinforcements have suffered tremendous losses… The Holy Great Tree Alliance is also shedding blood. For the forest, for the alliance, for us. They would never think of betraying the alliance.”
“What a load of crap… We have been duped by this guy’s lies… Damn it!”
The sailor glared resentfully at the operative’s corpse.
“What a simpleton he is, though the words sound harsh…”
…At least call him straightforward. But it seems not everyone is like that, with some, like this sailor, fuming, while others exchanged puzzled looks, and some even cast suspicious glances at me…
“From what you’ve said—”
A man dressed relatively neatly spoke up, shaking his wine goblet, adopting a pretentious tone.
“It seems that the allied forces have been continuously losing against the Demon Lord Army?”
“…Yeah.”
I nodded solemnly.
That’s an undeniable truth.
“Hmph. Terrifying, isn’t it… If even a strong nation like the Kaizaan Empire can’t stop the Demon Lord Army…”
“Wait, before that, there’s the Holy Great Tree Alliance, right?”
“But if they keep slowly burning the forest, won’t it be tough even for the Elves?”
“I heard there’s a Demon Lord’s Prince who loves to burn Elf forests too…”
Spurred on by the wine guy’s remark, the tavern patrons began discussing among themselves.
While avoiding looking at the corpse on the floor—
While pretending not to notice the smell of blood—
Gradually, the usual commotion returned.
“Um, Hero, could you do something about this…?”
The tavern owner, mop and bucket in hand, cast a very unhappy glance at the Night Elf corpse. The outside was noisy too. Perhaps the guests who fled before witnessing the conclusion of the matter were causing a ruckus. Soon, the personnel from the local Holy Church might swoop in too.
“…Ah. I’ll take care of it.”
I casually snipped a bit of the operative’s hair and pocketed it while dragging the corpse outside. Sorry, tavern owner. I didn’t mean to make a mess—While the sound of mopping echoed behind me, I left the tavern.
“Still, those folks in the rear are quite carefree, huh.”
Antedeixis muttered, sounding a bit exasperated.
“Whether it’s Kaizaan or whatever, do they really think a human empire can stop the Demon Lord Army…”
…True enough.
From the Tritus Principality, we’re only about a day’s distance via Leila’s wings. We are far behind the front lines.
And—I’ve felt it keenly, though it’s not a new realization.
The harsh reality that the people living peacefully in the rear do not truly understand the threat of the Demon Lord Army and the Demon Race.
