“Where are we going right now? Are we really going treasure hunting?”
“Yes.”
“Wow~ A treasure from a lost ancient kingdom. It’s something straight out of a legend, isn’t it? I’m so excited. I wonder what kind of things the ancients made.”
The sled pulled by the frostwolf.
Perka, sitting across from me, chattered away.
“I was going to leave you behind if I knew this would happen.”
Perka, who had thrown herself on the ground, insisting on coming with me.
She’s not my slave, so I don’t have to look after her. I was going to ignore her lightly, but then she changed her target to Asies, didn’t she?
“Smart one.”
We’re not exactly friends, but we’ve seen each other every morning. It seems we’ve gotten closer. Asies wanted to bring Perka along, so there was no choice.
Whatever it is, it was a good sign that Asies was concerned about something.
“Don’t get too excited. We’re officially going to fight monsters, you know. I won’t take responsibility if something goes wrong.”
The purpose of our wandering is to recover the treasure that Darika requested. This is the final story at Lake Fortress.
We need to defeat the bosses, recover the treasure, and hand it over to Darika. If we give all the treasures, we’ll receive Lazurite along with hints about the frozen kingdom.
In terms of combat power, it’s not difficult to defeat the monsters with Asies, who is already close to being fully developed. Instead, finding the location of the monsters is a real chore.
Darika did give us a map, but like most maps given in games, this one is blurry and hard to read.
Only phrases reminiscent of codes are written at each location.
“It was a pain the first time.”
There are not just a few monsters in Isgangar, and the ones that give treasure are randomly assigned each time.
I’m not even sure if the monster I need to defeat is this one, and with the drop rates being terrible, I had to grind under uncertainty.
Of course, due to the increased playtime and accumulated strategies, it eventually just turned into an ordinary quest.
Anyway, I can say it’s a relief that I remember it well.
First, the first one.
A clear monster sleeping in the glacier swallows treasures.
Crystal Serpent.
It’s a snake monster.
It has a passive that nullifies magic, so we need to beat it with physical attacks.
The fairy of the silent snowy field, will draw death upon the snowy ground while pulling the silvery bowstring.
This one is the snowfield elf.
Those wrapped in the hatred of extreme cold with their rough bodies will trample the snowfield alongside horned beasts.
Finally, the orc chief.
“The list is pretty weak.”
The serpent is fine, but the elf and orc are among the worst offenders appearing. The elf is very cautious and hard to find, while the orc appears in way too many numbers.
If the serpent is a single stage, the orc appears in groups, so there are three stages. Thus, the time consumed is three times.
Since it’s not a game, there won’t be stages, but wouldn’t orcs swarm here?
“Wow~ We’re going to fight monsters. Monsters are scary, but watching you fight is like an art performance. It’s not scary at all; it’s just beautiful. It makes me want to be an artist rather than a blacksmith!”
The one who had been hammering away like a soulless doll in Doomheim has become very bright. One could almost think she came out for a picnic.
“Perka… an artist…?”
“No. I’m a blacksmith. My goal is to become a better blacksmith than my father.”
“Thorvar…?”
“That’s right. I don’t want to admit it, but my father’s abilities as a blacksmith are genuine. He’s the worst as a husband and father, though.”
“It seems you don’t have a good relationship with Mr. Thorvar.”
Perka nodded vigorously in agreement.
“That man only knows work. He wasn’t there when my mother was passing. He was busy guarding the flames of Magmar.”
“Guarding the flames of Magmar is the duty of a flame keeper, though.”
“No matter how important work is, how can it take precedence over a family’s last moments? Don’t say such things. If you keep it up, even Carami will get angry.”
“I understand. It’s rude to interfere in other people’s family matters.”
Seeing Perka showing hostility, I didn’t pry any further.
While we were talking, the sled arrived at its destination. It was a coniferous forest densely packed with sharply rising trees.
The first target I set was the snowfield elf, as it was the closest.
We got off the sled and walked into the depths of the forest.
Whoosh!
A cold wind whipped through the gaps between the trees.
The eerie atmosphere suggested that something could leap out at any moment.
Perka shrank back, keeping a wary eye on her surroundings.
“Is there really an elf living in a place like this? Aren’t elves supposed to live near the World Tree in the great forest?”
“Just like not all dwarves live in Doomheim. There must be some dwarves living in the woods somewhere in the world.”
As Perka said, the origin of elves is the great forest where the World Tree stands. That place is indeed where I left Arfia.
However, long ago, some elves left the great forest and settled in other regions. They can be found in the gloomy woods, deserts, and even in this snowy region’s forests.
Of course, their numbers are significantly fewer compared to their base in the great forest.
“I’m a bit worried.”
“What do you mean?”
“Elves are extremely wary of outsiders. Since there are dwarves here too, they’re likely to be more aggressive.”
I can’t help but worry that they might shoot arrows at us immediately.
We need to be as careful as possible.
“Let’s move carefully without casting shadows.”
“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”
“Isn’t there a saying? A mouse should move without being noticed by shadows. It means to act as discreetly as a mouse and a shadow wouldn’t notice. Now, if you understand, let’s go.”
Perka chuckled in disbelief.
“Please let Asies know as soon as you sense anything unusual. Don’t keep it to yourself like last time.”
“Unusual…?”
“For example, if there are elves nearby.”
“Like that…?”
Asies pointed with her finger towards the top of a tree. A person was hanging from a tall conifer.
The thick animal leather clothes were no different from those of northerners, but of course, their ears were long.
Long Ears.
They are elongated.
It’s the snowfield elf.
We got spotted right away without needing to sneak like shadows.
An arrow tip of an elf was swirling with a gust of wind. It was the power of a spirit.
“Lami. Back.”
Asies stepped forward, blocking my way and keeping an eye on the elf. However, contrary to my worries that they would attack right away, the elf merely aimed their bow but did not shoot.
After whispering something among themselves, they soon came down to the ground, still wary of us.
Peeking out from behind me was Perka, who had hidden when the elf appeared, nervously sticking her head out.
“Wh-what is it?”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
It was an unexpected act from them.
An elf woman, who appeared to be the leader, stood before me. Unlike the elves from the great forest, her hair was blue, and her pupils were the same color.
“Who are you? Why is a human carrying the essence of our lord?”
“Our lord?”
“You mean the World Tree.”
“Aha.”
I understood what she meant.
I had received the blessing of the World Tree, hadn’t I?
The buff that dramatically increases the stats of an elven slave obtained after liberating Arfia.
The animal kin with sensitive noses sometimes told me I smelled like the forest. On the other hand, the generally dull-witted dwarves didn’t recognize it at all.
To the elves, the scent would be far more intense.
“You seem to know something. Speak plainly, or I might draw a picture on the snowy ground with your blood.”
No matter how much they lived outside the great forest, an elf is still an elf. They worship the World Tree as a deity. An elf wouldn’t attack recklessly for the presence of its blessing.
There’s no reason to be intimidated.
I stepped forward confidently to face the elf.
“How surprising.”
“What?”
“I’m a mere human blessed by the World Tree. The blessing, traditionally bestowed only upon elven queens, has found its way to me. Don’t you understand what that means?”
“W-what…?”
The elf’s stance weakened instead, due to my confident attitude.
But even though I threatened her, I wasn’t quite sure how to explain it further. Nothing else was coming to mind.
There’s a good method for situations like this.
“Are you really unsure?”
Forcing the other party to make predictions and answers. Applying pressure as if there were something more.
The elf wore a serious expression.
I could almost hear her brain working through the silence.
Soon, her eyes widened in astonishment.
“Don’t tell me?”
“That’s right. It’s exactly that possibility.”
“Are you the queen’s consort?”
Oh my.
It seems like the idea of being the queen’s consort is a bit too much.
I thought they’d only see me as a benefactor.
But if they understand my presence in that way, there’s no reason to refuse.
“You were slow to catch on.”
“There’s no way. The elven queen of the great forest would take a human as her consort? Are you asking me to believe that right now?”
“I speak nothing but the truth. I and Ibrelya shared a thousand-year pact under the protection of the World Tree. Even the World Tree has blessed us. The energy flowing through my body is proof.”
“…You’re insane. Truly insane. An elf, that is an elf queen, sharing a pact with a human!”
“It means that times have changed. In a world where even gods are not eternal, the only immortality is love.”
“Hah…”
The elf let out a breath of exasperation and lowered the bow she had aimed at me. Thankfully, it seems we managed to get through this somehow.
“What is the consort of the queen doing in Isgangar? Bringing along even a ground mole, no less?”
The elf shot a glance at Perka.
Perka flinched.
It’s easy to recognize her as a dwarf by appearance alone, but being half-dwarven, it seems she has a bit of dwarf-hating DNA inside her.
“We came to collect the royal treasures held by elves. Do you know anything about them?”
“I do. But why do you need that?”
“I’m returning the items to their owner.”
I glanced at Asies, and the elf’s gaze followed mine.
Indeed, being a race that lives for a thousand years, she seemed to know about this kingdom that even history has forgotten. Maybe noticing something as she looked at Asies, she nodded to herself.
“Hoh, how interesting. I never thought there would be survivors. Yet, it seems they’ve become mere puppets.”
“Will you give us the items? If you refuse, I’ll take them by force.”
“Don’t worry. We proud elves don’t covet the items of others like some. If the owner wishes for them back, it’s only right to return them. Just a moment.”
The elf sought permission and left the area, swiftly returning. What she brought back was a tiara gleaming blue. The elf handed the tiara to Asies.
“I wish you good fortune.”
“Th-thank you?”
Asies stared intently at the tiara.
She couldn’t take her eyes off it for a long time.
“Fortunately, we’ve received the first treasure without any issues. Shall we head back now?”
“I have something to ask first.”
The elf called to us as we were about to leave.
“Consort of the queen, what is your relationship with the princess of ice?”
What should I say?
If I say “slave and master,” it feels like it would stir up unnecessary flames.
As I searched for an appropriate answer, it quickly came to my mind.
“I’m someone who guards the princess’s side.”
As expected, when it comes to princesses, it’s knightly.
Knights are cool, right?
*
After Carami’s group left, the remaining elves in the forest were frozen in shock at the shocking statement she made.
Someone who protects the princess’s side.
In this case, it falls into two categories.
One is a knight.
A person who, in the literal sense, protects the princess.
However, Carami doesn’t look like someone who would be involved in battle.
She’s certainly not a supreme knight.
Then naturally, it leads to the second case.
There is a prince.
Though not at the level of elves, Carami has a somewhat delicate appearance. To the elves, she seems closer to a prince than a knight.
Having a prince in a world that is not modern Earth is not strange. However, Carami’s case is different.
“The queen’s consort is up to no good…?”
It feels oddly strange.
Why would the queen’s consort come to such a remote area?
In reality, it was all to have a secret affair with the princess, unbeknownst to the queen!
What a piece of trash.
I wish I could reveal this abominable fact to the world right now, but if I did, the elven queen would not escape criticism either.
How could she not even control one human male and allow him to betray? That would be a shame not just for the elven queen but for all of elvenkind.
The lofty pride of the elven race would plummet deeper than the dwarf tunnels. Such a thing must never come to pass.
The elf wrote a letter and placed it in a container attached to the foot of a bird.
The destination was the various elven elders scattered throughout the continent.
An urgent message must be delivered.
