Arc-7 Ch-14

 “It is fine if you treat me as some legendary hero, but that does not mean I can necessarily solve your problem.”

“First, please tell us what the village chief’s divination actually concerns. Earlier, you said the village would be struck by calamity.”

“I do not know the details of the calamity itself. Only the village chief possesses the ability to divine the future.”

“…”

To be honest, this is so incomprehensible that it makes me want to complain. Now that I am a man in my thirties who understands the darker side of history, I am aware that there truly are people in this world who possess mysterious powers beyond common sense, such as the Saintess or the Priestess of the sacred tree.

However, I am no longer a child who would stake his life on an obscure prophecy spoken by an elf I have never even met. To begin with, I am someone who fundamentally rejects fortune-telling.

“This conversation is going nowhere. I would like to request an audience with the village chief.”

“That would be difficult. In recent times, in addition to his advanced age, the village chief has been confined to bed for long periods due to mental strain. There are concerns about whether he could properly respond even if we were to meet.”

“I understand this may be rude to ask, but is the village chief ill?”

“…The village chief is the longest-living elf in this village. In addition to his age, he has been greatly weakened by conflicts with the villagers themselves and with visiting tourists.”

“I was not aware of that.”

“For roughly the past twenty years, he has frequently suffered from symptoms of depression.”

Twenty years counts as “recent,” apparently.

For humans, that is enough time for a newborn child to grow into a full adult. I doubt I will ever grow accustomed to the elves’ perception of time. Angie beside me looks just as bewildered.

I want to question him directly about the divination, but forcing a meeting with the most prestigious elder in the village would be extremely difficult. There are eyes watching us even now, so making careless contact could obstruct our future actions. It would be wiser to obediently extract as much information as possible from the assistant standing before us.

“If I recall correctly, the village chief’s divination said something like, ‘The crownless king will protect the village from calamity,’ correct?”

“That is the general meaning. To be precise, his words were: ‘Because of the original sin we bear, we stand on the brink of crisis. The crownless king clad in black armor, who once formed an alliance with the ancient demon king, will drive away the calamity assailing the village and restore peace.’”

“What is this ‘original sin’?”

“And could the calamity threatening the village be a metaphor of some sort?”

“I do not know. Only the village chief himself can fully comprehend his own divinations.”

And yet, the calamity is the most critical part. Is it a sudden natural disaster, an unknown epidemic, an attack by sky pirates, or the outbreak of war?

Without knowing what will actually befall the village, I cannot judge how to respond.

The divination is so vague that it can be interpreted in countless ways. There are simply too many possibilities, and that alone is troubling. What I brought with me amounts to only a handful of people, some guards, a moderate quantity of firearms, and a single dedicated suit of armor.

Expecting me to handle everything with such limited resources borders on cruelty.

“To begin with, why did you decide that I am this so-called ‘crownless king clad in black armor’?”

I cannot proceed with this discussion without clarifying that point.

After living through thirty turbulent years, one inevitably comes to understand that incomprehensible phenomena truly exist in this world, just as inconvenient truths of history are erased by those in power.

I have personally experienced five or ten situations where comrades I trusted betrayed me on the battlefield, driving me into desperate circumstances, or where I believed I had cornered the enemy only to find myself ensnared instead, nearly losing my life.

It is difficult to imagine the gentle yet terrifying Saintess aiming to eliminate me, but Kyle, who hails from this elven village, has served as her close aide for many years. I must consider the possibility that she intends to use me to resolve this issue before it escalates, or to discard me once the situation threatens the authority of the temple or her own position.

As for Jilk, who works within the palace and seeks to grasp state secrets, I, a feudal noble favored by the royal family and familiar with the kingdom’s hidden affairs, must be nothing more than an inconvenience. Furthermore, although I planned to retreat to my territory for a time after this matter, it would not be unreasonable to suspect me of causing trouble in a region beyond the royal family’s direct surveillance.

I have already married Angie of the Redgrave ducal house, and among the court nobles who remain wary of feudal lords, there are certainly those who would welcome my downfall.

Before anything else, I needed to confirm whether the female elf assistant who approached us was acting on someone’s instructions in an attempt to entrap me.

“As I mentioned earlier, based on the village chief’s divination, we inferred that you are the ‘crownless king clad in black armor.’”

“But why? Forgive my bluntness, but the divination did not specify a name, a date, or even a time, did it?”

If such precise divination were possible, they would not need to rely on my help in the first place. Though I lack the full picture, the fact that they are seeking the aid of an outsider is proof that the village chief and the others are already cornered. It would not be surprising if they had secretly agreed to cooperate with individuals who harbor resentment or jealousy toward me, setting a trap and later borrowing their power as needed.

Trust is important, but suspicion in equal measure is a necessary skill for a noble seeking to protect his house. After all, it is hardly rare for travelers to be seduced by beautiful, older women and stripped of every last coin through gambling and drink.

“…Based on the scale of the airship you used to reach this village, the dignity I sense from your wife, the status and name recorded on your entry documents, and above all, the presence you yourself emanate.”

“On the documents we submitted regarding the purpose of our stay, it clearly states ‘sightseeing.’ If you believe I brought my children here to deliberately stir up trouble, that is a serious misunderstanding.”

“If you had truly come only for sightseeing, you would not have noticed my presence while I was observing you from the moment you disembarked the airship until you reached the village.”

So the presence I felt earlier was this assistant.

I never imagined that the elf who is likely second only to the village chief would personally observe us. If that is the case, then the moment when I cautioned Angie was probably seen as well. Any careless attempt at deception would only give them an opening.

“The presence you are forcibly suppressing, your movements that cannot be fully concealed, and the battle scars visible even through your clothing. I judged you to be the strongest and highest-ranking human currently staying in this village.”

“I am nothing more than a former soldier and an upstart feudal lord. I am hardly worthy of such an evaluation.”

“You are being modest. Your strength is near the highest level among the humans I have encountered.”

“The highest level?”

“Yes. Among the humans I have seen in recent years, your strength is second only to the Saintess and her party.”

That kind of assessment is precisely what makes this situation so troublesome. Within the Holfort Kingdom, people excessively idolize the Saintess who protected the nation during the war and the five heroes who fought alongside her. To many, even speaking to them is considered presumptuous.

The symbol of the temple, the Saintess.

The new duke who governs the former principality of Fanoss.

The sharp-minded leader of the intelligence agency.

The adventurer famed for overwhelming martial prowess.

The one who inherited the title of Sword Saint.

The guardian of the border territory.

Even in a kingdom derided by other nations as descendants of rough and violent adventurers, these individuals stand at the pinnacle of power.

Across the elderly, the young, and their peers, there are almost none who can rival them. At best, perhaps only Chris’s father, the Sword Saint, might compare. Perhaps out of guilt for constantly overworking such heroes, all troublesome matters are conveniently pushed onto me, whose strength falls just one step below theirs.

I am not some cheap, convenient tool. Could you please clean up your own messes?

“Even if you request my cooperation based solely on my strength, it will not lead to a resolution. I am merely a newly appointed lord entrusted with a territory by the royal family.”

“We can offer advice on what should be done and how to proceed. However, we possess no authority to intervene directly in the village’s internal affairs. Ultimately, the ones who must resolve this issue are the elves of this village themselves. If that proves impossible, it would be better to appeal directly to the capital.”

I tell a small lie.

As a collaborator with the intelligence agency, I have already been granted a certain degree of authority in this matter.

Permission to use firearms.

Permission to deploy armor.

Permission for forced entry and searches.

Permission to interrogate relevant individuals.

Nearly all the powers granted to an investigator handling a case that high-ranking officials would normally oversee personally have already been approved. Taken to an extreme, even if I restrained the assistant standing before me and

 subjected her to torture for interrogation, my actions would be deemed lawful so long as the state sanctioned them.

Moreover, Angie’s family home is the Redgrave ducal house, a quasi-royal lineage and the foremost among feudal nobles. If my methods of investigation were criticized, it would provide perfect material for condemning the higher authorities for having their son-in-law handle the dirty work. Later, under the guise of reasonableness, favors could be extended to the elf village.

Even if matters progressed that far, I would still be unable to take responsibility for whatever ultimately befell the elf village.

The final decisions would be made not by those present here, but by influential figures seated in conference rooms in the capital, reading documents, interpreting laws, and weighing the balance of interests among nobles.

No matter how far I went, I would ultimately be nothing more than a hunting dog used by others, capable only of retrieving the ball thrown by its master and bringing it back. I am merely an ordinary person, lacking the power to save everyone.

Above all, I truly despise people who rely on others. Those who justify their own weakness and have no intention of solving problems themselves always push troublesome matters onto those who are stronger.

When things go wrong, they blame the very person they depended on. When things go right, they rely on that same person again the next time trouble arises, sinking deeper into shameless dependence without limit.

I am not so heartless that I would abandon someone in distress. However, neither am I so virtuous that I would willingly perform good deeds that offer me no benefit.

“We believe your opinions are entirely reasonable. Originally, this is an issue that should be resolved by the elves who live in this village. We understand that the proper path is to solve it with our own hands.”

“Then why not resolve it among the elves?”

“There are circumstances that prevent us from doing so. In the current village, only a minority of elves listen to the village chief.”

I cannot grasp the meaning of that statement. The village chief is supposed to be the most important figure in the village. Yet it appears that almost none of the elves actually heed his words. In that case, he can hardly be called a village chief. At best, he is merely an elderly elf skilled in divination who mistakenly believes himself to be the village’s leader.

“The root of this matter dates back to the time when the Saintess visited the village. Back then, the village was closed off. The elder village chief and the village head who handled practical affairs worked together to govern it. We benefited greatly from the experience and assets that the village head had accumulated while serving as an exclusive servant.”

“…To be honest, I could never bring myself to like that person. One of the reasons Kyle was sold was because that child and I were viewed with hostility by the village head.”

For some reason, a clear expression of disgust appeared on the face of Yumeria-san, who is usually so relaxed. It seems that the village head of that era was an unpleasant individual even among his own kind. Frankly speaking, I also harbor little goodwill toward elves who served as exclusive servants.

As a child, it would have been unnatural for me to like the demi-humans who followed Zola and Merce and took delight in tormenting my family and me. Those exclusive servants were nothing but ungrateful people who abandoned their human masters and fled when the war broke out. From later investigations, and from the fact that no demi-humans among Zola’s companions attacked Angie and the others, I learned that they were a group of scoundrels who did not even trust one another.

“The Saintess visited the village accompanied by the heroes, partly to investigate the village ruins and partly to allow Kyle to reunite with Yumeria. Because she was a devout individual, the village chief permitted the investigation of the ruins.”

“At that time, the ruins were not opened to the public, correct?”

“The village chief does not discriminate against humans, nor does he avoid interacting with them. However, he was deeply concerned that elves who associated with humans abandoned their traditional way of life, indulged in greed, and degraded themselves into slavery. I often heard him lament, ‘Elves have changed since the kingdom was founded.’”

As someone who holds at least a marginal lordship, I understood those feelings all too well.

To prevent one’s people from starving and to develop a territory, it is necessary to establish industries and earn money. Once prosperity arrives, unsavory individuals inevitably gather, drawn by the scent of wealth, and public order deteriorates.

To preserve that order, manpower becomes necessary. To secure that manpower, even more money is required. Thus, lords are forced into an endless cycle of pursuing profit. I have never heard of a lord, no matter how important, who was able to govern exactly as he wished.

“To return to the main point, during the investigation, the Saintess discovered evidence that the village head and certain elves were engaging in illicit dealings with the kingdom and plotting rebellion. Thanks to swift action, their plan was stopped before it could be carried out.”

“I can easily believe that.”

“At that time, during the war, many elves defected to the principality and were punished. If this incident had become public, prejudice and oppression against elves would have intensified even further. To prevent that outcome, the Saintess disposed of most of the evidence. What was conveyed to us afterward was limited to fragmentary information.”

So that explains the Saintess’s vague phrasing when she requested that I investigate the elf village. I do not know what sort of plot the radical elves led by the village head were devising, but judging from the way the Saintess frowned, it must have been something truly horrific.

It was likely a scheme that would have cost human lives. The village of beautiful elves living amidst nature suddenly appeared grotesquely distorted and ugly to me.

“The elf who later became village head had also once served as an exclusive servant. Compared to others, he harbored little prejudice against humans and was adept at negotiating with kingdom officials, so he naturally assumed the position.”

“From what you have described so far, it does not sound particularly problematic.”

“When he took office, the situation surrounding elves became complicated. Many exclusive servants employed by human nobles secretly despised their masters and even participated in treason by leaking information to the enemy nation. Taking this seriously, the kingdom outlawed the use of exclusive servants.”

“At that time, although the kingdom had repelled the invasion of the Fanoss Principality, it had suffered enormous personnel losses, and the treasury was nearly depleted. The purge of traitors was severe, and many elves were caught up in it.”

“There were elves who were punished, but many also escaped formal punishment. However, because they paid bribes in the form of fines or sentence reductions, countless individuals were left with almost none of their property. Elves had been employed by nobles, but they were not treated as citizens of the kingdom. Money was their only means of self-protection.”

No matter how beautiful their appearance, betrayal is rarely forgiven. In fact, that beauty often begins to resemble deception itself, provoking resentment. It is easy to imagine the fury of nobles who had paid high prices to eagerly employ elves and demi-humans as exclusive servants.

Corrupt nobles never admit their own mistakes. They conveniently ignore their own poor judgment in employing people with no loyalty and instead place all the blame on the exclusive servants. At that time, I had only just become a noble, and I was desperately short of manpower to develop my territory.

Therefore, even if they were elves or demi-humans, as long as they worked properly, I paid fair wages and hired them. If they wished to become subjects, I even permitted them to settle.

In the end, almost none of them remained.

When they were servent, they openly looked down on superiors and nobles alike. They could not forget the luxury they enjoyed as exclusive servants and squandered money recklessly.

It was not once or twice that they simply stopped coming to work, and when I visited their homes, they were already empty.

There were some good demi-humans, but because of the misconduct of their kin, they lost their place as well. Ultimately, to avoid friction with those around them, I paid generous severance and had them leave.

This became a bitter lesson for me as a lord. Discrimination between races is far more deeply entrenched than disputes among humans.

“Many elves who lost their livelihoods returned to the village. However, at that time, the village lacked sufficient reserves to keep all the suddenly increased population from starving. On top of that, the kingdom imposed taxes and compulsory labor on elves and demi-humans, who had previously not been treated as citizens, in exchange for granting them household registration. The village fell into even deeper poverty, to the point where riots could have erupted.”

“I despise how ignorant authorities irresponsibly say things like, ‘Just open new farmland.’ From felling trees, tilling the soil, sowing seeds, to harvesting stable crops, it takes years, and if done poorly, nearly a decade. They never consider how many people would starve to death in the meantime. They are nothing but spoiled young masters and ladies, and it makes me sick.”

“…You are surprisingly well-informed.”

“People often misunderstand, but this is actually my area of expertise.”

The assistant looked at me with unconcealed surprise. I have repeated this exchange for nearly twenty years since receiving my title of nobility, so even if I hate it, I am used to it, though I am utterly sick of it. Because of the scar on my face, almost everyone I meet for the first time assumes I am a battle-loving upstart.

I hate conflict, and I want nothing more than to live a carefree retired life, leisurely tending my fields. Sorry to disappoint, but that is all I really am. That is why I think it is extremely dangerous to assume that I am the so-called “Crownless King” you heard about from the village chief.

“It was the proposal of the current village head that saved the impoverished village. He sought a solution outside the village. By further opening the village and inviting tourists, they earned money, and with those funds they purchased food and paid the taxes owed to the kingdom. The proposal succeeded, the village was saved, and he was appointed village head.”

“Well, that is good news. Sounds like the problem was solved.”

“However, opening the village caused friction between the new village head and the elder. In particular, when the new village head permitted entry into the ruins, which are considered sacred ground, the elves of the village became divided.”

“By ruins, do you mean the dungeon that is treated as a tourist attraction?”

“That place has long been regarded as a sacred site of the elves. Elves who lived in this land would visit it, but once many humans began coming under the pretext of treasure hunting, the ruins were ravaged.”

Angie averts her gaze with an awkward expression. Well, it cannot be helped.

The Kingdom of Holfort was founded by adventurers, so to protect their status, guilds were established, and even the royal family cannot interfere with them. Because people were trained to acquire the strength needed for adventure, the kingdom has more tough individuals than other nations.

In other countries, adventurers are disliked and treated as vagrants or grave robbers, and many nations despise the people of Holfort as descendants of barbarians. If sacred land was desecrated by treasure hunters like in the elf village, it is only natural that they would be furious.

“Did anyone suggest stopping access to the ruins?”

“There were elves, led by the elder, who opposed entry into the ruins. However, when the new village Chief, who had resolved the village’s dire situation, asked them, ‘Do you want to return to a life of poverty?’ most elves had no choice but to follow him. Those who supported the elder attempted to obstruct entry, but they were outnumbered. When they were instead accused of being the cause of elven decline because they clung to outdated rules, silence became their only option.”

“That is rough.”

“The elder is a kind person. For many years, he devoted himself to preserving the village’s peace. The reason the elf village has no system of kings or lords is because the elven population is far smaller than that of humans, so their way of thinking is based on avoiding conflict and living together hand in hand. The new village head is capable, but he employs humans to assist in administration and prospers the village. Perhaps it is we who are bound by old rules who no longer belong in the village.”

This is a difficult problem.

The new village Chief’s policy was a rational decision made as a result of trying to save starving elves by turning the sacred land into a tourist destination. As for the elder, judging from how much the aide admires him, he does not seem like a stubborn or inflexible person.

Still, this is an internal issue of the residents. It is not something an outside lord should interfere with. In the first place, the village has no lord to determine policy and no military force to protect the land.

The quickest way to resolve the problem would be to appeal directly to high-ranking officials of the kingdom. The only thing I can think of is to relay my findings to jilk or Lady Olivia and have them come up with a solution.

“On top of that, a new problem has arisen.”

“There is more? Please spare me. I am already full.”

“The former village head captured by the Saintess and his faction have completed their sentences and returned to the village.”

“If they were released after serving their full term rather than escaping, there should be no issue. Imprisoning long-lived elves for decades, or even centuries, is not realistic for human society.”

“They only served a little over ten years. That may feel like a long time to humans, but to elves, ten or twenty years is considered recent.”

No good. Talking with elves is throwing off my sense of time, and I am starting to feel dizzy.

But if a little over ten years feels like just the other day to them, then all kinds of trouble are bound to happen. Some criminals repent after a few months, while others never repent even if sentenced to life imprisonment or death.

If that gentle Saintess personally captured them, there is a strong possibility they committed something extremely serious.

If extremist elves who barely reflected on their actions are released and return home to find their village turned into a tourist site filled with humans, it would be stranger if that did not become the seed of an incident.

“There are many elves who harbor dislike toward humans for various reasons. Some disliked humans from the start, some came to despise them after serving as exclusive attendants, and some grew angry after seeing humans trample the ruins once the crisis had passed. Elves who had lived in a closed village with few opportunities to interact with humans began encountering human adventurers more frequently, and conflicts became increasingly common.”

“That is a bad trend. If things go wrong, it could escalate beyond disputes between residents and tourists into an all-out conflict between humans and elves.”

“At such a time, the former village Chief returned. Those who had long supported the elder, as well as elves who had previously sided with the new village Chief, began supporting the former village Chief and built a new village within the floating islands.”

“Pardon my words, but given the current situation, reports should have already reached the capital.”

At Angie’s words, the aide shook her head. It seems there are special circumstances.

At the same time, I understood why Jilk and the others, no, why the Saintess and her group of five were keeping their distance from the village’s problems.

To elves, twenty years is recent. The six people who captured the former village Chief are likely remembered clearly by the extremist elves.

On top of that, the residents here are elves, not humans. Any mixed race visitors would stand out immediately. Dealing with elves who are adept at using magic is an exhausting task.

That naturally limits who is suitable for this mission.

Damn it, I messed up.

If I had known this would happen, I would not have brought Angie and the others along. I never thought pretending to be tourists would end up dragging my family into this mess. Is it not too late even now? Should I send everyone back immediately?

“The one suppressing the information is likely the new village Chief. He fears that if the village’s reputation as a tourist destination declines, the village will once again face starvation.”

“I understand how he feels, but they should protest, should they not?”

“Those who sided with the former village Chief in order to protect the sacred ruins also went to the new village. Around that time, humans who visited the ruins began to be attacked by unknown assailants. There have even been adventurers who went to the ruins and never returned.”

“So that information was suppressed as well.”

“Yes. The elder, who tried to contain the situation, finally collapsed from stress. At present, we cannot even determine whether the former village Chief, the new village Chief, or both acting together caused this situation.”

It is far worse than I expected. Did Jilk and Greg know about this?

No, it is more reasonable to assume they did not fully grasp the situation either. The Saintess and her companions are unquestionably geniuses, but they do not have a good grasp of the difference in ability between themselves and others. Because problems get solved immediately whenever they step in, they tend to rush forward. However, when it comes to covert missions like this, they are completely unsuited.

They are beautiful and handsome and stand out, and their faces are known. From the moment they entered the village, they would be constantly watched.

“Please, Crownless King, we beg you to cooperate with us.”

Could you please stop calling me that?

Between that and “Villainous Knight,” why are all my titles so terrible?

I must have done something truly awful in my previous life.

I feel like crying.

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Authors Note

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This illustration was drawn by Suzuhara Shion. Thank you very much.

Pixiv

We have finally reached the origin of the incident. It took a long time. A considerable amount of original settings have been added to the elf village lore described in the original work, so readers who have not read the original should be cautious. A bit late to say that now.

With the exception of some cases, elves in Mobuseka are described by role or appearance, and their real names are unknown, which makes it difficult to distinguish them while writing.

Postscript: At the request of the client, illustrations were also drawn by Umri-go, Kegani, and Pizzashi. Thank you very much.

Umri-go- Pixiv

Adult content warning

Kegani- Pixiv

Adult content warning

Pizzashi- Pixiv

I would be grateful for any opinions or impressions, as they would encourage me going forward.