Chapter 75

†† (Ferret, the Elven Queen's Perspective)

Ferret, the queen of the elves, sighed as she put down her pen. Seeing this, her maidservant offered words of comfort.

"Thank you."

Ferret thanked the maidservant for her warm words and accepted the herbal tea, a specialty of the elven village. She enjoyed the aroma for a moment, then patted her own shoulder. The maidservant asked if she should massage her shoulders, but Ferret declined.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm not that tired. I was just a bit nervous about writing the letter. Given the content, it was quite stressful to choose my words carefully."

Hearing this, the maidservant asked:

"Is it really a disgrace to write a letter asking the dwarves for help... I can imagine how much stress you must be under."

The maidservant asked this, but Ferret replied with a smile, not wanting to worry her loyal servant.

"Indeed, it's frustrating to write to Lord Gunther now. But I'm not really bothered by that."

—That was a lie.

In truth, she was very reluctant to ask the dwarves, with whom they had a poor relationship, for help. However, there were circumstances that made it impossible to say such things.

Currently, the elven village was being threatened by the Alliance of Kings. They were given a choice: submit to the Alliance and provide troops and tribute, or face death. It was a terrible choice.

Personally, she didn't want to choose either. She would prefer to ignore the situation, but she couldn't. If she made a mistake in her response or delayed, the forest would be engulfed in war.

She wanted to avoid that at all costs. It was her duty as the elven queen and her personal wish.

"So, what did you write in the letter?"

The maidservant asked hesitantly. The content of the letter was confidential, but she could probably talk to the maidservant about it. Perhaps she just wanted to confide in someone.

"I tried to write it in a roundabout way, saying that we want to indirectly seek the help of the Demon King's army..."

Would it be understood?

Ultimately, her pride as an elf prevented her from writing it directly. She could only write it in a roundabout way.

—Moreover, Ferret didn't trust humans, nor did she trust the Demon King's army.

Her younger sister often teased her, saying that her head was full of flowers, but Ferret wasn't that foolish.

If she feared humans too much and relied on the Demon King's army, it could lead to the worst situation for the elves.

"But, I am still interested in the Demon King's army."

Her true feelings slipped out. The maidservant nodded slowly in response. Seeing this, Ferret asked:

"To be precise, I am interested in a person named Ike who is in the Demon King's army."

"The commander of the 7th Legion of the Demon King's army, right?"

Ferret shook her head.

"No, according to my sister, he has been promoted to the commander of the 8th Legion."

"Already a legion commander? I thought he was still a brigade commander recently."

"I'm not sure, but according to my sister, he has achieved great victories by bringing humans and dwarves under his command and has been promoted."

"An unprecedented promotion. I've never heard of a legion commander who can get humans and dwarves to cooperate."

"Yes, even though I have lived a long time, I've never heard of such a demon. If this story is true, he might treat us as equal allies rather than trying to enslave us like humans."

"That's why you are considering relying on the Demon King's army, isn't it?"

"Yes..."

Ferret murmured.

She said this to avoid worrying the maidservant, but in truth, she was a bit worried.

She had heard rumors about Ike, but forming an alliance with the Demon King's army was unprecedented in elven history.

However, based on the rumors about Ike, it seemed like a much wiser choice than submitting to humans.

So, she wrote the letter to see if Ike was truly a trustworthy person, but she wondered if this choice was correct.

After finishing the letter, Ferret's worries did not end.

Would Ike be a savior for the elves, or a more terrifying enemy than humans? She wanted to confirm this.

Ultimately, everything would be decided when she met Ike, the Demon King's army's strongest magician. The future of the elves, and perhaps the fate of the world, might change.

Ferret had observed the world's future for centuries, but she had never felt the tides of history so strongly.

With the appearance of Ike, the demon magician, history was about to shift dramatically.

All Ferret could do was pray and work to ensure that the outcome of this history would be a happy one for the elves.

"O Goddess of the Forest, Sharis, please let Lord Ike be a hero who can save the elves—"

She prayed and instructed the maidservant to send the letter.