Chapter 74

Panting, an elf runs alone through the forest.

He was one of those who bore the name of the 'Elders' Council' of the Noblewood.

He held command over the fairy dragons, second only to the Grand Elder and the Acting Chief Hunter. However, he was so terrified of the pursuers that he could not even turn back to check if they were coming, and could only keep running.

It has been more than fifteen minutes since the battle in the sky and on the ground concluded, but there is no sign of his comrades around him. It is not surprising, given that he himself is uncertain of the path he has taken to escape. However, the voice of reason told him that staying put would mean certain death, which led the elders and priests to choose the path of escape.

The only one who did not flee was the Grand Elder.

However, his continued presence there was not due to any sense of pride or responsibility as a representative of the nation. Perhaps he could not accept the scene he had witnessed with his own eyes, or perhaps he had accepted that everything was over. The Grand Elder remained unresponsive to whatever those around him said, reduced to a mere doll.

He would likely remain that way, a hollow shell of the Grand Elder, until his heart stopped beating. Cutting himself off from the inconvenient outside world and shutting himself within his own mind until the end—perhaps, in a sense, it was a happy ending?

"No...! No, no, no! That's not it! Absolutely not!!"

As he pushed through the underbrush, he negated the sweet delusion that had begun to form in his mind.

He could not accept it. He could not possibly acknowledge it. If he allowed himself to accept it even a little, his legs would surely stop moving. And then, he would meet a cruel end at the hands of the enemy soldiers, who had gained momentum by defeating the hunters, just as they had done to the half-elves three months ago.

"No, no, no! It can't be, this must be some mistake. Such a nightmare cannot possibly come true!?"

That's right. That's exactly it. Because they are the noble clan of the Noblewood, the descendants of the high elves blessed by the sacred tree.

Their glorious history cannot end here. Moreover, he is one of the elders at the pinnacle of the Noblewood. Therefore, he must survive at any cost. If he can survive this, surely there must be some way out for them—

"---No, this is the end. This is where your dreams come to an end. A dead-end, with no way out."

A woman's voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"......!?"

The elder hastily stopped and tried to look around, but his body suddenly stiffened without warning.

It felt as if invisible chains had bound his body. He could not move his limbs, let alone his head. As he remained fixed in place, a pale white arm sprouted from behind him.

---There is someone behind him.

"Who... who are you?"

"Heh. What a straightforward question. If you bear the title of Elder, you should speak with a bit more grace."

Well? The woman whispered in a sugary tone.

The arm that stretched from behind touched his neck, and the supple fingertips lifted his chin, making the elder shudder.

Seemingly satisfied with his reaction, the woman released her arm and slowly moved from behind to the front, into the center of his field of vision.

The woman he saw for the first time had a distinctive appearance that he would never forget once seen.

Her eyes were a crimson red like fresh blood, and her hair was a mysterious shade of purple. Her voluptuous figure was wrapped in a revealing outfit, exposing a deep cleavage and porcelain-like skin.

To the elves, she was overly voluptuous, but to human eyes, she would undoubtedly be a beautiful princess.

"......Are you a hound sent by the 'Defiled'? Has death finally caught up with me...?"

"Heh heh heh heh! A hound, you call me a hound! I must say, you are quite capable when you put your mind to it. The poetic expression in the latter part was quite amusing."

What is so funny? The woman laughed.

Despite her refined manner, it was an ominous and unsettling laugh that made the listener's heart tremble.

"However, if I were to be compared to a dog, it would be more fitting to say I am a crow."

What are you talking about? The elder muttered in his mind.

He couldn't understand what she was saying, but he was forced to recognize that she was an 'enemy.' Realizing that he had been captured by the pursuers, the elder stopped struggling and let his body go limp, his gaze falling to the ground.

"Hmm? ...Why aren't you resisting? If you break free from my restraint, you might just survive?"

The woman asked in a tone like a cat toying with a mouse.

The elder remained silent, his head hanging low.

He had made a realistic judgment that struggling would be futile, but more than that, he did not want to show any more disgrace at this point.

He had devoted everything to the greater cause, challenged to avenge the humiliation, and until just a moment ago, he had been running for his survival. As an elder and a living being, he had done what he needed to do. Now that the results were in, any further struggle would tarnish the honor of the Noblewood. This resignation had given the elder a sense of acceptance.

"You are quite noble. It is hard to believe that you, who have massacred the people of neighboring countries and even your own people, would act with such integrity."

"......!"

However, the elder reacted sharply to the woman's words. There was something in her contemptuous tone that he could not tolerate.

Even if he were to die here, and even if the fall of his beloved homeland was inevitable, the history of the Noblewood on the continent must be recorded correctly. It must be recorded that everyone, soldiers and civilians alike, willingly offered themselves to become the flesh and blood of the fairy dragons for the sake of the holy war. This sense of mission gave the elder the words to refute the woman.

"No, that's not true. Upon learning of the annihilation of the vanguard, we immediately convened the Elders' Council and chose the path of war as a collective decision of the clan. Transforming into the flesh and blood of the fairy dragons is an honor, and it was a choice made by the people themselves. We did not massacre the people who were afraid of death...!"

"Hmm? To call that a collective decision, you really are something. If you had any sense of shame, you wouldn't be able to say such things. Your audacity is truly something to behold."

Say what you will, the elder thought.

A lowly different race wouldn't understand. After all, they are just a part of the 'Defiled.' They could never comprehend the noble ideals of the high elves. ---Relying on this rigid belief, the elder glared at the woman who was laughing mockingly.

In front of the elder, the woman suddenly posed a simple question as if it were someone else's affair.

"But, isn't it a bit strange? The vanguard, composed of the elite of the elites, and even the fairy dragons as reinforcements—how could you so easily believe the report that they were all annihilated?"

"......What are you talking about? What's strange about that? The report was brought by a scout who had reached the rank of hunter, a trusted soldier who had been in service for a long time. Therefore, the information that the vanguard was annihilated is beyond doubt... a fact... ..."

---And there, the elder's words stopped.

He felt an overwhelming sense of wrongness in what he had just said.

It was as if he had been made aware of a fatal oversight, as if the ground beneath his feet was shaking.

"---"

About two weeks ago, the elders learned of the truth of the vanguard's annihilation. The 'liaison' who had uncovered the deception and revealed the truth had brought the information. The anger at the realization of the deception was still vivid in his memory.

However, even if it was an incomplete resurrection, the guardian of the elves, said to be left by the gods.

The fairy dragons, with a power so great that even the Holy Sword Duke, counted among the strongest humans, could not defeat them in a one-on-one battle.

How could they have accepted as truth the absurd story that they were slain by mere 'wandering travelers'?

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