âPlease⦠donât kill me⦠Iâm begging youâ¦â
The little girl cowered while sobbing in a weak voice.
Bewildered, Wynn turned towards Kelvin and Locke.
But they also seemed dumbfounded.
â⦠it hurtsâ
âAh, So- sorry!â
Wynn realized that he was clutching her right wrist tightly, so he hastily let go of her wrist.
While rubbing her right wrist, the girl curled up tighter, as if to conceal her body.
âUmm, Iâm very sorry. I didnât mean to hurt you, uh, hey, I wonât do anything.â
With a stiff smile, he held his hands out and took a step backwards to show that he meant no harm.
Not expecting it to be a girl, Wynnâs heart was also pounding furiously.
âYour words⦠Are you⦠from the empire?â
Still crouching, she looked up at Wynnâs face. Her face still showed signs of trepidation.
âUmmâ¦â
Wynn once again looked towards Kelvin.
Kelvin nodded in affirmation, and Wynn knelt down to meet the little girlâs eyes.
The little girl wore simple clothes, and tied around her head was a light-colored kerchief, acting like a scarf. Her clothes were somewhat dirty, but they werenât dishevelled.
Although they were covered in tears, the girlâs large eyes were beautiful. She appeared to be around Wynnâs age. Her eyes were slightly swollen from crying, but she had an attractive face.
âWe are from the Imperial Knight Order. I am Knight Cadet Wynn. That is the person in charge of our unit, Lieutenant Kelvin. And that is Apprentice Knight Locke. What is your name?â
âSherry⦠Sherry Torc.â
âSherry, is it? Iâm sorry for scaring you. Is your wrist alright?â
Sherry nodded in response to Wynnâs question. Her kerchief, which was s.h.i.+fted when the blankets were pulled off of her, came untied and fell off when she nodded.
âAhâ¦â
âYour earsâ¦â
The ears were longer than a humanâs ears.
âNo! Donât look!â
Sherry shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears.
âA half-elf, huh.â
Her eyes were a dark brown. All elves had blue or light blue eyes. There were no elves with dark brown eyes.
Sherry curled up and began to tremble when Wynn said the words âHalf-elfâ.
âItâs alright, donât worry.â
The three knights waited for Sherry to calm down. In any case, they couldnât do anything else, and there was plenty of time.
After waiting a while for her to calm down, she eventually stopped trembling.
âAre you from Torc Village? Could you tell us what happened?â
Sherry timidly raised her head. Tears once again started falling from her eyes. However, she was calmer than before.
She began to tell them of how Torc village was attacked, and of the tragedy that happened that day.
âWhat is it?â
âHow would I know! Tell that to the elders!â
Rosefeld, the leader elf, spat out those words.
With an expression
of disgust, he walked quickly as if to get away from the stone building where the humans were being held as quickly as he could.
Rosefeldâs feelings became stronger when he saw the girl who was already being held in that building.
It was hidden by the scarf on her head, but he could tell what she was from her distinctive magic power.
A Half-elfâ or as the elders would say, a Tainted One.
The elves lived in the forest, but that didnât mean that they spent all their lives in their communities. When they went out to hunt or forage, they would sometimes end up pretty close to human settlements.
Some of them ended up leaving the elven commune, yearning for the humansâ towns.
That was fine.
The news about the human world that they brought back was important.
But some people kidnapped the elves that wandered in the outside world.
Many elves were flawlessly beautiful
That was because elves were closer to the divine than humans were. The ruling tribe of elves were High Elves.
That beauty stimulates the l.u.s.t of the humans, so elves were sometimes treated as s.e.xual commodities. As a result, some of the captured female elves would give birth to unwanted children.
The result of a union between a human and elf would be a Half-elf.
The elves couldnât tolerate their existence, since they were a mark of humiliation.
âs.h.i.+t! I just canât accept itâ¦â
âElves will repay any debt, but those who tarnish our pride will be given a suitable reward.â
That was the Elven Law.
That was why Rosefeld couldnât hold back his irritation.
Due to the Eldersâ old-fas.h.i.+oned thinking, they would repay kindness with hostility.
Rosefeld walked straight to the largest building in the village, where the Elders were, while recalling the day he had met with the elders. He thought of his brothers-in-arms from the pastâ
âs.h.i.+t! Resist it! If we fall here, this front will crumble. The pride of us elves are at stake!â
Rosefeld cut down the spider monsters that were leaping at him.
âThereâs too many of them!â
He gasped for air as he looked around him.
His comrades had numbered almost a hundred, but only a third of them were left. Moreover, none of them, including Rosefeld, were unscathed.
It was a dismal situation.
Quite a long time had pa.s.sed since the battle started. Elves had more magic power than the other races, but even that had its limits.
Rosefeldâs own magic power and stamina were already rock-bottom.
All of the other elves lined up with him were also breathing heavily.
Their enemy, spider-shaped monsters the size of a cow, had slowly cornered the now injured elves with their reckless leaps, and were closing in.
All the fatigue that he had ignored in the heat of battle came cras.h.i.+ng down upon him as he rested.
The exhaustion he felt made it feel like his arms and legs were made of lead.
The spider monsters slowly tightened their encirclement, their fangs chattering. Their fear slowly intensified, like a silken noose around their necks.
The cause of it wasâ
âNo, I should worry about that later! Weâre already lucky that that monster already left, since we would have no chance of winning against it. Instead, I should focus on the mess in front of us.â
He shook his head. The existence that led the horde of monsters was no longer on the battlefield. The monsters right here have nothing to do with that existence anymore.
They couldnât hope for reinforcements.
The whole battlefield faced a similar crisis. Since the Demon Lord appeared on the battlefield, their allies were defeated one after another.
It was a hopeless war of attrition, a fight against despair.
Even worse, there was n.o.body near Rosefeldâs group to provide support. Rather, even if there were, they wouldnât be able to help.
âs.h.i.+t! So it ends here. Then I should take out as many as I can!â
Rosefeld gripped his tattered sword, imbuing the remainder of his magic power into it. Strengthening his body, he glared at the spider monsters that were about to jump at any moment.
âLet them come! Show them the resolve of the elves! Take as many as you can with you to h.e.l.l!â
âYes Sir!!!â
The other elves responded to Rosefeldâs rallying cry. They channeled the rest of their magic power into their swords, intending to fight to the end.
The spider monsters leapt off the ground, their fangs making an eerie sound.
They would fight to the death. Blood and flesh were scattered through the air. Another life, extinguished.
Rosefeld and his comrades fought desperately, but they were hopelessly outnumbered.
Completely overwhelmed, the number of elves still standing slowly decreased.
Time became meaningless to them. The seemed to have fought for an eternity.
Rosefeld lost track of how many monsters he had slaughtered.
The tip of his sword had already bent, but he still impaled the monsters through sheer strength.
âBehind you, Rosefeld!â
âTch!â
He forced himself to turn around at his comradeâs warningâ and his feet slipped.
âd.a.m.n it!â
He didnât know whether he slipped on the blood of his comrades or the fluids of the monsters. He lost his balance.
He tried to recover his footing, but all the strength left his legs due to fatigue, and he was pushed down by a monster.
âSo this is it.â
The monsterâs fangs drew near.
The elf who had warned him was already occupied by other monsters, and wouldnât come to his aid.
Rosefeld braced himself for death.
Then suddenlyâ
The head of the spider monster that had pinned Rosefeld down went flying as the gleam of a sword flashed by.
âWhat?â
Crawling out from under the collapsed monster, what Rosefeld saw wasâ
âYou elves! Get inside the wall I made! The medics will treat you with healing magic as soon as they can! Hurry!â
His saviour was a young man with long blonde hair tied behind him, and narrow blue eyes. Among the humans, a knight clearly was successively giving out orders to his subordinates in a clear voice.
âHumans? You humans ⦠saved us?â
âCan you stand?â
Rosefeld realized that the knight held out his hand and called out to him to help him up.
âAh, yes. Thank youâ
Saying his thanks, he took the hand.
The man who killed the monster that had pinned him down smiled gently.
Rosefeld questioned whether or not this was a dream.
âYou might not be able to believe that humans had just come to your aid, but it would be bad if you guys fell here and we got attacked from behind. Thatâs why General Zaunas ordered us to support you.â
He judged that Rosefeld was the elvesâ commander and spoke to him in Elvish.
âHowever, we were only able to spare two hundred men.â
âThank you. This is plenty. You saved usâ
Rosefeld bowed his head in grat.i.tude. He had thought that there wouldnât be any reinforcements.
He had believed that fighting alongside humans would hold them back since the humans would squabble amongst themselves even in battle.
For those humans to have saved himâ
âHey Kelvin, how long are you going to play around? You canât do anything but fight, so clean all those things up in one go.â
The knight who was giving out orders a while ago walked over. To even an elf like Rosefeld, he was good-looking.
âDonât say such an unreasonable thing, Sir Royce. I certainly do like fighting, but even I canât defeat all those monsters in one go.â
âIf you have time to object, then just hurry up and goâ
âOkay, okay.â
Despite his reluctant sounding words, the young man called Kelvin wore a joyful expression as he leapt into the horde of monsters.
He must have used a unique magic. Every time he swung his sword, a section of the monster the blade hit went flying.
He was strong.
Even Rosefeld could tell that Kelvin was a better swordsman than he was.
Monstersâ body fluids sprayed onto Kelvin. He didnât bother wiping it off and instead leapt at his next prey with glee.
âSheesh, what a battle maniacâ¦â
Royce watched Kelvin fight for a while, then turned to face Rosefeld, who was still slightly dazed.
âAre you the elven commander? I am attached to the Remuls.h.i.+l Empireâs Northeastern army, Colonel Royce. I came to support you under Commander Zaunasâs orders. We were told to come under your command. Currently, we are treating the wounded and allowing the troops to recover their stamina, but we will obey your orders.â
âYou human knights are under my command?â
He couldnât believe it.
All of the races cooperating with each other to defeat the monsters was one thing, but one race taking commands from another race was completely different.
However, Royce smiled boldly while closing one of his eyes.
âThat way, there will not be any confusion. If there are two commanders in this small battlefield, it would cause confusion. Since you have the positional advantage, and thereâs no time for you to completely recover your magic power, you elves will stay back and give us orders and provide support. That is the most efficient option.â
The elves treated their wounds and recovered any stamina and magic power they could while they devoted themselves to providing command and support from the rear as the human knights fought with Royce and Kelvin at their center.
From a section of the battlefield, the army made of both humans and elves, at a cost, fought the weakened monsters until dawn and were able to prevent the collapse of the defensive line.
âWe always repay our debts. Especially a debt to our brothers-in-arms.â
Returning to the present, Rosefeld smiled as he arrived in front of the building where the elders were.
A bright flash came from the roots of the World Treeâs sapling.
âIâm sorry, Kelvin. Iâll get you out of there as soon as I can. That little girl as well. What taint? There isnât any such thing. That girl is innocent. Iâll get you out of there quickly, and then treat you guys to good food and drink!â
He smiled at the chance to finally be able to repay his old friend.
In the World Tree saplingâs roots any layers of elaborate patterns from magic formations emerged in mid-air. The formations spun and shone in a bright light
As the light faded away, two people were in its place.
âHah, Thank you for bringing me here, Tiara.â
âNo problem. More importantly, I look forward to meeting your cherished person, Leti.â
âBig Brother probably hasnât arrived. This sure is convenient though. Can we really go anywhere the World Treeâs roots reach with this?â[2]
âWell, not anywhere. â
âI have to thank Prince Alfred for allowing me to meet Onii-chan.â
âI canât understand human society. Itâs so weird that you canât move freely even though youâre the Brave.â
âIsnât it a bit cold?â
âTransfer magic takes time. It must be night already.â
Leticia s.h.i.+vered slightly.
âWell, the sun doesnât even s.h.i.+ne here during the day, so the nights are cold. Should I get you something else to wear?â
âNo, itâs fine.â
As they spoke, Leticia and Tiara walked towards the center of the commune.
Noticing the light from the transfer magic, a handful of elves had gathered.
âNo way⦠The Princess!?â
âWhy would she come to such a remote place like this?â
The people greeted Tiara the Great Sage, and a well known member of the elven royalty, and Leticia the Brave. Tiara raised her hand in response.
âI am sorry for coming so late in the night. I had thought that guests from the Empire arrived, butâ¦â
The elves looked at each other.
Four elves stepped out from the crowd.
âAh, Princess. You must have come a long way. We extend to you our most sincere welcome. What business brings you here today?â
âThe⦠knights? If itâs about the knights that invaded our territory, then they were brought to the jail.â
âJail!?â
Leticia, who had been silent as Tiara and the elves conversed, interrupted them.
âWhat do you mean by jail?â
Brave Mavis.
The blood instantly drained from the eldersâ faces.
âBig Brother!â
The doors to the magic sealing holding cell were flung open with a bang.[3]
âL- Leti?â
âHuh? Lady Leticia?â
There stood Leticia, who should have been in the Remuls.h.i.+l Empire, panting in the doorway of the cell,
Startled, Wynn threw off the blankets and got up from the floor as quickly as he could.
âWh- why are you here?â
âAre you alright, Big Brother? Did they do anything to you?â
âNothing happened to me. Well, I was locked up here, butâ¦â
âThatâs goodâ¦â
Leticia hugged Wynn with a relieved expression.
Wynnâs heart started racing as he was hugged.
âWh-why are you here, Leti?â
âOf course, Iâm going to help you, Big Brother!â
âEh? Lady Leticia is going to get involved!?â
Locke also jumped to his feet in shock.
âWith Lady Leticia on our side, thereâs no way weâd lose! Right, Wynn?â
Leticia looked up at Wynn with a wide smile.
If Leticia, who could destroy the Demon Lord and hordes of monsters, were with them, then no matter how many people are part of the Petersian army, they would be no match for her.
âCould it be that you are one of Captain Royceâs âtricksâ!?â
Locke looked at Wynn with a cheer, butâ
Wynn put his hands on Leticiaâs shoulders, and gently separated himself from her hug.
âYou canât, Leti. You canât come here. Return to the Capital.â
Leticia widened her eyes, and Locke became speechless.
The room was dimly lit, and Wynn was looking down, so she couldnât see what expression he was making.
âWhy⦠? Why canât I go with you?â
But Wynn didnât respond, and turned to Kelvin.
âVice-captain Kelvin. Was Captain Royceâs âtrickâ to use myself to involve Letiâ no, Brave Leticia van Mavisâ in this affair?â
Kelvin did not answer. His silence was a deafening affirmation.
âYou wanted to use Leti through myselfâ through me? Leti is strong. If Leticia fights with us, what about Petersia? Even if all of the Petersian Knight Order were to attack, Leti could singlehandedly defeat them. Thatâs why the Empire desires her power so much! But this isnât Leti consenting to get involved after being asked. This is just dragging Leti in using me. HAVE YOU NO HONOUR!?â
Wynn clenched his fists, seething with anger, and bit on on his lips hard enough to make them bleed.
Wynn had become aware of it. He knew that he was Leticiaâs weak point.
As the Brave, and as a Dukeâs daughter, she couldnât just leave for the battlefield for his sake.
Society would never allow it.
The Empire would want to use Leticiaâs power. However, n.o.body should be able to use her power against her will.
If only Wynn himself werenât involved.
Because Wynn was involved, Leticia prioritized him.
He might even have been locked up for that purpose.
Leticia couldnât be free.
On the other hand, if anybody wanted to control her, the only existence that could truly keep her in check was Wynn.
Royce took advantage of that.
Wynn was used to summon Leticia.
âLeti, go back to the capital. You mustnât partic.i.p.ate in this.â
Glaring at Kelvin, Wynn walked past Leticia.
âI am very sorry, Vice-captain. It is true that if Letiâ no, Brave Mavis became involved, our victory would be certain. Thatâs why I canât acknowledge this way of doing things.â
Kelvin sighed.
âLeti, come here for a bit.â
Wynn saluted Kelvin, took the stiffened Leticiaâs right hand, and led her out of the cell.
Translator Notes
Well⦠googling the katakana keeps autocorrecting to Roosevelt. Wikipedia says that Roosevelt is actually derived from Rose and Field⦠mangle it a bit cuz Roosevelt is a surname, and I got a nature-ish name!
Onii-chan is now Big Brother. Iâm gonna go full localization because of how this is a Western World. (I wonder if you readers have noticed when I started dropping honorifics? I donât even knowâ¦)
poor Rosefeld⦠he was gonna be bada.s.s and repay his debt and all that⦠thenâ¦Â