Chapter 28

The elf stood there in shock, his voice hoarse as he muttered, "No, this can't be..."

He was the High Priest of Noblewood, the one who oversaw the rituals in the unique Elven religion that worshipped the Sacred Tree and the Wind God. He was also the one who had contributed the most to the unsealing of the fairy dragon, a creature left behind by the gods for the elves.

"...What am I seeing?"

Above his head, the fairy dragon was being consumed by a single crimson beam of light emitted by the Dusk Dragon. The beautiful wings of the fairy dragon were scattered by the shockwave alone, and its body evaporated without a trace. He had witnessed the entire scene, seen it through to the end.

"How could this... How could this happen..."

The guardian dragon of the elves, given to them by the gods, had been lost. Not only that, but they couldn't even injure the mysterious dragon that had suddenly appeared, and were defeated one-sidedly.

Furthermore, an unknown force had launched a sudden attack, and the noble warriors of Noblewood were being trampled like insects. The horror of this reality was far beyond what the High Priest alone could bear.

"Contact the homeland... Contact the homeland of Noblewood!"

The elf, who received the order as if being shouted at, blinked in confusion. This elf was a possessor of the precious "telepathy" ability. Telepathy was a rare form of magic that allowed one to communicate mentally with someone at a distance where the voice couldn't reach. The range of telepathic communication depended on the skill of the practitioner, but he had specialized his abilities in telepathy and was capable of contacting the distant homeland.

"That's... What's wrong!? Hurry up!"

"...I can't establish telepathic contact with the homeland."

The High Priest, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, asked in return.

"Probably being interfered with..."

"Resist it!"

"I've been trying, but... I can't resist it at all. I don't even feel like I can. The gap in skill as a practitioner is just too great..."

"Damn it!"

The High Priest fled out of the small castle and ran north alone. The mysterious enemy forces were invading from the south. They hadn't reached the north side yet. He repeatedly looked back to confirm that no pursuers were following him, and he rushed towards the north gate as if being chased.

"I can't end up like this...! I can't die here!"

The High Priest, who ran frantically, eventually reached the north gate and looked back. There were no pursuers. He had escaped from the death trap. He would survive. Heaving a sigh of relief, he tried to slip through the gate and leave the capital—only to collide with an invisible barrier that covered the capital.

"Ugh!?"

He let out a groan like a crushed frog and fell to the ground, repelled by the barrier.

"What a pitiful sound..."

A voice filled with disdain reached the High Priest's ears.

"Where are you? Where are you hiding!?"

"...I'm disappointed. You can't even see through an optical illusion that doesn't even use existence concealment, even at this distance."

The sound of snapping fingers echoed, and a woman appeared as if seeping out of the space. She had dark skin and long bamboo ears. She was wearing a tight outfit that accentuated her curvaceous figure, and she held a book with the national emblem and the word "four" inscribed on it.

"Are you a Dark Elf?"

"No, I'm not. Don't lump me with that inferior species. I was a Dark Elf many decades ago."

"Your ramblings make no sense!"

"To dismiss what you can't understand as 'nonsense' is quite a convenient way to live."

"You! How dare you mock me, the High Priest of the noble Noblewood!"

"Feel free to be angry, but can you really afford to chat leisurely with me? I think you should look behind you soon."

The High Priest froze at her words. He realized that he was being overshadowed by a large shadow. There was something huge behind him. He hesitantly turned around.

"Hey, Fourth Legion Commander. Is it time yet?"

There, a towering, muscular man over two meters tall, carrying a massive axe on his back, stood.

"Yes, it's time. According to the investigation by the Sixth Legion, this one is apparently one of the commanders, so just take his head quickly."

"Wow, really? Is it okay if I kill this prey?"

"It's fine. I've been ordered by His Majesty to focus on maintaining the containment barrier. Besides, you already have a blunder from the other day, so you should earn some points here."

"...I don't like being given the credit, but I get it. Your pride, you should set it aside this time. If you don't make up for your losses, it's not just you who will be in trouble."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it from the perspective of those who use you and the current state of our country."

"......I don't get it at all, but from the way you say it, is it related to the Grand Commander?"

"Yes, it's about His Majesty being in trouble! There's no spare force to play around with in the current state of the country! At least understand that much! Are you still a general of the army!?"

"I'm not good at thinking. Well, if that's the case, I'll gratefully take the credit."

The conversation in front of him made the High Priest feel dizzy. His life was being treated as nothing more than a symbol of merit. The conversation was based on the premise that he would be killed here.

"Wait! Wait! I understand you're not a Dark Elf, but you're still an elf, right!?"

"So what?"

"The bond of kinship, please, help me! Stop that big man!"

The High Priest had no more will to resist. He had already been shown enough of the Noblewood warriors being trampled by the enemy forces, and the man behind him was clearly a general. There was no way he could win. Therefore, to survive here, no matter how humiliating it might be, he had to cling to the woman in front of him, who should be of the same race.

"The bond of kinship, right..."

"That's right! Please, I can't die here! I will never, until the day I slaughter the filthy humans, I will never—"

"Hey,"

Before the High Priest could finish his words, a look of disgust and contempt appeared on Selis's face.

"I have one question."

"What? Is it about the ritual to unseal the fairy dragon? Or something related to our ritual magic? If it's something I can answer, I'll answer anything!"

"Then answer this. What were you trying to do to the 'High Elves,' who are also elves?"

At the question, the High Priest gasped and let out a strange sound from his throat.

"That's the answer. To begin with, it's a huge inconvenience for us that the pests look like us. If His Majesty ends up disliking us because of this, I'll crush your souls after you die."

The hand he extended to stop her was blocked by the invisible barrier and couldn't reach Selis. In the next moment, the massive axe swung down from behind, and his body was split in two.

---

Salawin, the Chief Hunter of Noblewood, was staring up at the sky in shock.

"Impossible... This can't be..."

What he had witnessed was the fairy dragon being consumed by a single crimson beam of light. After the blinding red light faded, only one dragon remained in the sky. It was not the fairy dragon. It was another dragon that seemed to have been fighting the fairy dragon. The fairy dragon, the guardian of the elves, had been defeated one-sidedly.

"Is this... really happening?"

The core of the revenge plan against humans, which had taken a hundred years to develop, had been lost. It took Salawin more than a few seconds to accept this fact.

Meanwhile, time passed mercilessly. The sounds of battle rose from all directions, and the capital was filled with screams and roars. The former were unfamiliar voices, and the latter were familiar ones. This meant that his fellow elves were being trampled one-sidedly.

Moreover, more shadows appeared in the sky that Salawin was staring at in shock. The shadows were a variety of dragons. Each of them was a monster that seemed to possess power on par with the fairy dragon. The dragon that had destroyed the fairy dragon was followed by a swarm of dragons that quickly increased in number and filled the sky above the capital. To Salawin, this scene was nothing but "hell."

"What are they...? What kind of enemy have we made...?"

There was no answer. No one could answer. The elves around him had been blown apart by the earlier bombardment. Salawin was the only survivor.

"Chief Hunter—!"

Someone ran up to him. He involuntarily shuddered. However, the figure that approached was not from the mysterious force but a familiar face. It was a squad leader who had been dispatched as part of the vanguard.

"This place is dangerous! Flee!"

"Flee...? Where to, where can I flee...!?"

A strong barrier surrounded the capital. From its shape and timing, it was likely designed to keep the people inside. He could feel the immense magical power covering it. It might have been possible for a fairy dragon to break it, but it was beyond their capabilities.

"Even so, if you stay here, you'll be swallowed by the enemy forces soon! At the very least, get away from this place—"

A clanking sound interrupted the squad leader's words. The sound of armor. They cautiously turned their gaze and saw an enemy soldier in full armor standing there.

"...I'll buy you some time. Flee."

The squad leader, with a determined look, told Salawin.

"Leave it to me!"

Salawin immediately fled. He had nowhere to go. But he understood that if he stayed, he would die.

Like a fleeing rabbit, Salawin left the scene. The squad leader, feeling a sense of emptiness that his last words were just "Leave it to me," faced