The coniferous forest was vast and complex.
Wherever I went, only coniferous trees stood, so unless you were a guide trained since childhood, it was impossible to discern direction. That was also the reason I couldn’t carelessly leave the elf village.
If I left the village alone like this, I would only become a lost child.
At least my companion Abiyang was familiarizing herself with the path, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask her to accompany me.
She still had work to do.
Abiyang was inquiring about the whereabouts of her younger sister.
Her name was Betty, if I recalled correctly.
According to her, her sister was staying at a place called the “Headquarters.” It was a place where elves with disabilities or those who had grown weak were sacrificed to make food.
It was also where that “Leorick” resided.
The “blessings” were granted there, and the work of creating mages would also take place.
I asked Abiyang.
“Why are the elves short on food?”
“……?”
Abiyang looked as if she had heard an absurd statement.
In her gaze, there was a hint of reproach directed at me, so I had to ask again.
“Why is the food situation for the elves poor? There shouldn’t be a reason for that!”
“It’s all because of those wicked humans… I mean.”
Abiyang’s voice rose as she was about to shout in frustration, but then she hesitated, checking my reaction. Clearing her throat, she added a few more words.
“It’s because of humanity. They’ve driven us into this cold, dark coniferous forest. They periodically burn our food stores… raid us, and kill our kin!”
A sound of grinding teeth echoed through the air.
As her response continued, the flame of anger in Abiyang’s eyes intensified. It seemed she could no longer contain her fury and hatred.
It was understandable.
Until now, I had only understood the sentiment rationally. It was a result of accumulated resentment over centuries. But what of the scenery of the elf village I had seen?
Were these beings demons?
Were they strong enough and remarkable enough to be considered enemies of humanity?
In just a few days, I was plagued by a slight doubt. Deep inside, I repeatedly told myself that they were the enemy and that I had to fulfill my duty as a noble of the Empire.
But no matter how I thought about it, waging war against the elves was not war at all.
It was better described as hunting or slaughter.
Then what about the village that had been burned by them?
I forced myself to calm my confused heart. After all, this was a truth I had to unearth.
Living with the elves would naturally open the way.
Yet still, there was no way to address the immediate question that arose.
“No, I know that… but why aren’t they using the mages?”
Abiyang tilted her head at my sudden question.
While pouring out her long-standing emotions, she turned to me and asked.
“What do you mean by mages?”
“Didn’t you see? The monster that resembled the snow leopards I fought with, that was a mage. And mages can control similar monsters.”
This was proven when I fought with Guildford at the orphanage.
Guildford was controlling the monkey monsters. That’s why he surrounded the orphanage, pressuring me into a life-and-death decision.
At that point, I couldn’t help but wonder.
Why didn’t Leorick and the mages utilize the monsters?
This was puzzling, even when they attacked the military camp. For instance, they could simply improve the food situation by controlling the monsters.
They could summon monsters and slaughter them for food.
Monster meat was surprisingly nutritious. Depending on how it was cooked, it could even be quite delicious, to the extent that specialized monster restaurants were established in trend-sensitive places like the Empire and the Academy.
Yet Leorick did nothing of the sort.
Why on earth?
There was no such thing as an effect without a cause. When I pointed this out, Abiyang wore an expression as if she had never heard such a thing before.
“What are you talking about? You mean they are mages?”
“Of course mages… never mind, let’s not talk about it.”
At a glance, Abiyang seemed to have no knowledge about that.
Instead, I inquired about her.
“So, how has it been lately? Have you heard any news about your sister?”
“No, there are limited personnel that can go to the Headquarters. So, when the village representative goes to the Headquarters, I intend to send a letter. Of course, I could go if I wanted to, but…”
As she said so, her blue eyes glanced at me to gauge my reaction.
I let out a small chuckle.
“No. The Headquarters is too dangerous.”
Not just for Abiyang, but for me.
The choker around Abiyang’s neck would explode if I were not around. There would be no effect for half a day to a day, but the Headquarters would not seem so far away.
And the elf leadership, including Leorick, would likely be there.
No matter how remote the place was, I couldn’t disregard the elves’ information network. By then, they would likely know of my appearance.
There was no need for me to take unnecessary risks.
I felt only a little pity for the depressed Abiyang.
I patted the girl on the shoulder.
“But today, we’re going for a walk after a long time, right?”
“It’s not a walk; it’s hunting…”
“It’s the same thing.”
Abiyang gave me a look of disbelief at my teasing.
Perhaps because we had spent the last few days together, Abiyang seemed to have lessened her fear of me. Given the way she shot me mischievous glances, it was a change that wasn’t bad.
After all, we had to live together for a while. Since humanity and the elves were in an antagonistic relationship, there was no need to get too close, but there was also no reason to grow too distant.
I reassured her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. There’s no way anything unusual will happen in the forest, right?”
Surely that wouldn’t happen.
It did.
I looked down at my wrist with a grim expression.
There were several layers of tightly tied ropes. My ankles were free, but just being bound at the wrists felt disgusting.
Isha swaggered with pride about this.
“I told you! We still can’t trust you!”
“Mr. Dolph, Ms. Miela, and Ruget said they trust me.”
“That’s those elves!”
Isha yelled fiercely, like an agitated cat.
I could only let out a hollow laugh.
No matter what, isn’t it problematic to bind my hands when going on a hunt?
But it seemed that this dubious restraint had its own history and tradition.
“Concentrate on your feet, human.”
The elf who seemed like a young boy spoke.
Despite his appearance, he was the only elf who was referred to as “Pope.” That meant he was quite old.
I shifted my gaze toward him.
Pope Eyong didn’t even glance at me. He merely spoke in a curt tone.
“All the young elves learn to hunt with their hands bound. It means to focus on your feet and memorize the path… only after going out hunting several times, when you can finally find the way with your eyes closed, will your hands be freed and you’ll learn to hunt.”
“But I’m not a young elf.”
“Hmph, I bet you’re younger than that ‘young elf.’”
I had no rebuttal.
I sighed and declared my surrender instead.
At that time, the elder who used to look strangely young indeed showed a seasoned side as we talked.
I was a model noble who respected the passage of time and tradition. Without further ado, I decided to try following that educational method once.
Focusing on my feet, one step at a time.
It was a rather dull process.
Eventually, my resolve to quietly follow the elf’s method shattered.
“Can’t I memorize the path with my eyes? Why must it be with my feet?”
“Tsk, tsk, foolish thing…”
He shot me an irritated and contemptuous gaze.
I felt wronged but didn’t particularly argue about it.
Pope Eyong hated me.
To be precise, he loathed all of humanity for killing his family. Nevertheless, he had brought me along because he couldn’t resist the pressure from the village elves, including Ruget.
If I had caused trouble, I had to bear the corresponding treatment.
Furthermore, what Pope Eyong said wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Get familiar with the ground. Every time you take a step, it makes a sound, you know? What if the prey hears that and runs away?”
“It’s natural to make noise when you step on something.”
“No, it shouldn’t! Ideally, there shouldn’t even be any footprints left!”
With that, Pope Eyong abruptly turned his head away.
It was a sign that he no longer wished to speak.
I took a breath and quietly glanced at Isha. She was moving quietly, but then she suddenly looked at me.
My eyes were fixed on Isha’s feet.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
“I was checking if it made a sound. Also the footprints.”
Isha seemed to grow nervous and cleared her throat.
Then, her face slightly reddened as she took a stiff step.
A faint sound scraped at my ears.
I snorted and turned my head away.
“…Ugh.”
“Hey, hey! This, this is a mistake! It’s because you kept staring at me…!”
Isha’s face flushed as she began to come up with excuses.
But that line of reasoning didn’t last long.
“Wait.”
Pope Eyong raised his hand to signal us to stop.
Isha closed her mouth, and both Abiyang and I looked at him in question.
Pope Eyong quietly bowed his posture, pressed his nose to the ground, and began sniffing.
Then he even leaned in to listen.
What was he doing?
He then closed his eyes and began to move cautiously.
The remaining party could only follow him with puzzled expressions.
And it wasn’t long before I noticed a peculiar trace.
It was a campfire site.
There were few scraps, but melted snow around a certain point proved it. And there were traces left here and there.
I squinted and asked.
“Could it be that other elves camped here?”
Receiving no reply from Pope Eyong, Abiyang quietly approached his side. She looked around, and suddenly her eyes landed on the faintly fading footprints.
They were unusually deep impressions.
Abiyang fell silent, and the rest of us couldn’t contain our curiosity and approached.
And we saw.
Those footprints were too familiar to me.
Only Isha looked at me, wondering what was happening.
“W-what’s going on? Why is everyone like this? What’s happening?”
The reply came from Pope Eyong.
“…Humans.”
His voice was paralyzed with fear.
Pope Eyong’s face had turned pale. Perhaps short of breath, he muttered.
“The humans have come this far.”
It was just half a day’s distance from the village.
