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Chapter 444 I Am the Negotiation Expert (1)

― Tweet tweet tweet.

The birds fluttered incessantly, chirping away.

It had been a long time since the birds showed such intense reactions in this mystical forest filled with trees, light, and flowers.

In the heart of the forest, beneath a colossal tree that seemed to cover the world, an elven woman was entangled in vines.

With an expressionless face, she gently moved her hands bound by the vines.

Crack.

The vines snapped weakly, and her hands were freed.

Crack.

The same happened with her other hand. With a little more effort, the vines binding her legs began to snap as well.

Crack, crack.

Finally, all the vines were broken. She realized that the binding spell on her had been lifted, and she had regained her freedom.

“Ah….”

As she stood up, she didn’t show any sign of joy. Instead, she bore a rather bitter, almost sorrowful expression.

“Is it time…?”

For dozens of years, she had felt the binding spell weaken. She knew that a moment like this would come.

She wished it wouldn’t come, but…

“In the end, it was something I couldn’t prevent.”

Long ago, she had chased after the Priests of the Salvation Society.

Unable to move, she listened to the sounds of nature and tracked their traces, sending other elves to fight them in the shadows.

Not long ago, she had sent elves to the Ruthania Kingdom searching for the trace of a high priest, but all of them had perished.

The elves sent to other kingdoms met the same fate. Even though she sent capable forces, they ended up being overwhelmed.

“Their power has grown stronger.”

The divine power used by the Priests of the Salvation Society was on a different level from other priests. The fact that their power had increased meant the entity they worshiped was able to influence this world.

Her binding being lifted was for the same reason. Ultimately, what she feared had come to pass.

She sighed and muttered a phrase only she understood.

“Have you really returned…?”

Most people wouldn’t know why this was happening. But she knew.

Only she, having lived for a very long time and directly witnessed and experienced many things.

“I’ll have no choice but to fight again.”

As she murmured to herself, she clenched and unclenched her hands several times. Because the binding spell had been strong, her power hadn’t fully returned yet.

But even with her current strength, killing the Priests of the Salvation Society was not an issue. She was that strong an elf.

When she emerged from her dwelling, the elves gasped and shouted.

“Great Chief!”

“Has the binding spell finally been lifted!”

“It seems the time of promise has come!”

Upon seeing her, the elves’ eyes lit up with excitement, anxiety, and urgency. It was an attitude not befitting a race that loved peace and harmony.

It couldn’t be helped. Currently, the elves were heading toward extinction.

All the elves who had stepped out into the world had become slaves, and those hiding behind barriers had significantly decreased in number after long struggles.

No matter how much of an elf one was, they couldn’t watch their race perish comfortably. That was what was making them act unlike elves.

“Indeed… the time has come to lift the curse that has bound us…”

She looked at the elves with a sad gaze. They wouldn’t know that this curse was placed upon them by the one they called their king in the Salvation Society.

And that she bore part of the responsibility for all of this as the Great Chief.

For a moment, she thought of ‘him’ and shook her head, banishing the thought.

Now was the time to fight again. To save the world, and to save the elves.

“I would make the same choice again, even if I returned to the past.”

In belief, there is no right or wrong. What matters is how much one trusts oneself. And she never thought that her past choices had been wrong.

Steeling her resolve, she slowly opened her mouth.

“What is the situation outside?”

“It’s not good. We’re barely holding back the human armies. There are too many nobles allied with the Salvation Society.”

“Considering that’s the case, it’s fortunate to hold them back to that extent. Are there any special individuals?”

“There are a few, but one stands out among them.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Count Penris of the Ruthania Kingdom.”

“Count Penris?”

“Yes, only he has managed to deal with the rifts with minimal damage. No, one could even say he’s overwhelming.”

“Oh…”

She widened her eyes in surprise. Having fought against the rifts a long time ago, she understood well it was no easy feat.

Yet for a mere count, not even a kingdom, to be overwhelming against the rifts? Curiosity sparked within her.

The elves conveyed detailed information about the outside world to her. Especially the information surrounding Count Penris was abundant.

After hearing all the news, she began to ponder.

To fight against the Salvation Society, all humanity had to unite. The power of the rift monsters and ‘their king’ was that formidable.

“Penris… Penris…”

She repeated the name ‘Penris’ multiple times.

Once her binding was lifted, she intended to meet with a comrade who had fought alongside her long ago. Having lost his position as the world’s mediator, he must be suffering still.

But with her own binding lifted, he too would soon be free. It seemed okay to postpone their meeting just a little.

Deep in thought, she made her decision.

“Let’s go to the Ruthania Kingdom. I must meet Count Penris.”

For humanity to unite, a focal point was necessary. Since Count Penris was surprisingly well-matched against the rifts, it would be best to meet him first and determine the future course of action.

With a few elves in tow, she set off towards the Ruthania Kingdom.

*

It was only after the war with the barbarians ended that Ghislaine was able to receive news from other regions.

“Baron Valua has surrendered?”

“Yes. It seems he attempted to seize the territory while Count Raybold was away.”

“Hm, Baron Valua wouldn’t easily move, though.”

“It looks like Prince Davin pushed hard. Having the advantage in legitimacy and with the army lacking, he probably thought it was worth a shot.”

That made sense. With Amelia absent, they probably thought they could act without opposition.

Even though she wouldn’t leave the matter unchecked without some thought.

“So, what’s the outcome?”

“While the occupation succeeded easily, it seems Count Raybold had hidden assassins within the lord’s castle. Prince Davin was assassinated inside the castle and lost his life.”

“Did Baron Valua just watch that happen?”

“To defend, most of the troops were deployed to the outer castle. With only a small escort left, Baron Valua was captured along with Prince Davin. All the servants and territory residents inside didn’t cooperate with them, leaving them no options.”

Ghislaine shook her head as she heard the report. If it were an ordinary territory, such an endeavor would have succeeded easily.

But there was one thing the two had overlooked. Amelia enjoyed tremendous support from the territory residents of Raybold. No matter what they tried to do, the residents wouldn’t follow them properly.

In the meantime, they had deployed troops to the outer castle to block Amelia’s forces, making them vulnerable to an internal attack.

“Baron Valua must have accepted the surrender.”

“Yes. Once Davin was dead, he surrendered willingly.”

Ghislaine nodded. In her previous life, Baron Valua had also surrendered the moment he recognized that all heirs had perished.

No matter what, he was a person who held allegiance to the successor who carried the blood of Raybold.

Baron Valua was an excellent commander. It was clear that Amelia would use him wisely rather than eliminate him.

“Tsk, tsk, so I told you not to jump the gun first.”

Well, in the end, they didn’t jump the gun; they rationalized it by heading to an empty castle. After all, Baron Valua had to secure and endure somewhere.

If it was the lord’s castle, which was centered around Raybold, it would be even better.

“Is there any other news?”

“Count Raybold has been purchasing runestones in bulk since before the war.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Yes, not only is he amassing quantities within the kingdom using food and herbs, but he is also quite proactive in trade with other countries.”

Ghislaine stroked her chin, nodding.

Amelia was likely overextending herself to improve the prowess of her knights by gathering runestones.

The northern runestones were mostly controlled by Penris, so the supply wouldn’t be large, but given Amelia’s abundance of herbs and food, it should be easier to procure than before.

Currently, other kingdoms were in turmoil, and the prices of food and herbs were skyrocketing beyond measure.

While runestones were indeed crucial commodities, sustaining the troops would take precedence.

Ghislaine also checked the state of the Perdium Territory.

“Perdium will be busy for a while.”

“Yes, they have to merge the barbarian tribes that have lost their warriors. It seems they will expand their territory northward and take action to integrate our culture.”

“Alright, it may take some time, but it won’t be a big issue.”

The barbarian tribes that had lost all their warriors would ultimately have no choice but to merge into the Ruthania Kingdom. It would now be impossible for them to become self-sufficient.

Even if they had the means to become self-sufficient, they couldn’t be left alone. If they grew strong again, they would pose a threat. Thus, this was the time to ensure the northern region was thoroughly pacified.

The deputy hesitated for a moment before making an additional report.

“This may be trivial, but… there’s a discussion happening among the knights and soldiers of Perdium.”

“What discussion?”

“Isn’t it time to expel a knight named Skoban from Perdium?”

“Skoban?”

“Yes. He currently bears the nickname ‘Knight of Disaster.’ While the territory is thriving, public sentiment is rising about whether they should keep such an unpleasant figure around. Some even refer to him as ‘The King of the Calamity.’”

“……I see. We sure have a lot of ‘real kings’ on our side.”

The opening of the rift in the north wasn’t Skoban’s fault. Yet strangely, when he was involved, any evaluation of him ended up in ruins.

During the orc eradication, he had been dubbed the ‘Knight of Lies,’ and now he was being called by an even more dreadful nickname. Hearing that someone who had been imprisoned because of him was once again being harassed made her feel a bit sorry for him.

“……Enough of that discussion. Just promote Skoban. He has been diligently performing his duties.”

“……Understood.”

“And tell him to stop believing in such superstitions. Who on earth is spreading those rumors?”

The source of the rumors was Skoban’s deputy, Ricardo, but Ghislaine had no way of knowing that.

After clicking her tongue a few times, Ghislaine asked about something else.

“Is there still no big issue in the west?”

“Yes, Lord Tenant is holding it well.”

“Good. We should be able to move to the east soon.”

Tenant was leading the Northern Army, effectively blocking the rifts in the west. Although the realm of the rifts had expanded, they managed to hold on by significantly reducing the numbers of the Cracked Beings escaping.

Unlike the rapid expansion seen in the northern rifts, it was not difficult for the experienced Northern Army to hold out for a few days.

The problem lay in the east. While there weren’t many rifts there, the consumption of troops was steadily increasing.

They needed to stop the remaining rifts in the west quickly and move eastward.

“Before that, there’s something we need to prepare for.”

Ghislaine wrote a letter and handed it to the messenger.

“Deliver this to Claude. Tell him to prepare as needed.”

“Understood.”

Preparations to connect with other kingdoms needed to be made early. If they joined forces with other kingdoms, it would be easier to counter the Duke Faction allied with the Salvation Society.

Since Ghislaine herself was busy fighting, she planned to leave that preparation to Claude and Marquis Branford.

“Now, let’s move out. We need to deal with this quickly.”

Immediately after the war with the barbarians concluded, Ghislaine and the Penris Mobile Army set off again to handle the rifts. Truly, they could be considered the busiest people in the kingdom.

Upon reuniting with the Northern Army, Ghislaine rushed into the rift and engaged in battle. As always, she swept away the Cracked Beings with overwhelming force and shouted.

“Now we’re off to capture Equidema! Starting today, we’ll employ a new strategy!”

Her words left all the Northern Army members wide-eyed with surprise.

These were veterans of rift management. They had managed to deal with Equidema without major losses until now.

Yet, despite this, they were curious about why a new strategy was being implemented.

Those who had fought at the Northern Fortress nodded, understanding what kind of strategy it was without needing to see it.

With a proud expression, Ghislaine continued.

“From now on, Saint… no, the Saint Piote will lead the charge against Equidema! It’s the method the goddess has revealed to us!”

“Waaaaah!”

“Long live the Saint!”

“O Goddess, bless the Saint!”

While they had no idea how the battle would unfold, the Northern Army cheered nonetheless.

Piote was a highly esteemed priest to everyone. Moreover, it was well known that the goddess protected him. There was no way the troops wouldn’t be excited about someone chosen by the goddess.

“Uh? Uh?”

Piote, who had been listening to the speech with a bewildered expression, turned pale.

What Ghislaine was saying meant that Piote was to engage Equidema directly, just as before.

And he was to be the first to do so.

“Damn it….”

He let out a genuine curse for the first time in his life.

 

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