chapter 38
38 – Episode 4. It only takes a moment for things to go wrong. (Complete)
[Will you protect it? Will we leave it alone?]
Category: Main (yarn).
Duration: 10 minutes.
『Now that Mine Illuston Perator has appeared, you can no longer hide the assassination squad. It’s only a matter of time before they are discovered to be dark elves.
Even if the extermination squad has no intention of harming the academy, it is a problem that could escalate into an inter-ethnic conflict just by coming into the academy without saying anything.
Not only the princess and academy officials but also the emperor will question you regarding this.
You must take responsibility for this.
But here, you can avoid responsibility if you pretend not to notice the assassination squad.
In fact, you warned the assassination team not to enter the academy, and it is true that you received an assassination attempt, so the assassination squad has no justification for arresting you.
So, if you stay on the sidelines, you can definitely avoid this situation.
Instead, the killing squad will face certain death.
A cornered assassination team never surrenders. I will swing my sword even if my arms are torn off and death awaits me. That’s how they were raised.
But if you are going to take responsibility for them, you have to fix this situation somehow.
Fortunately, there are still ways to remedy this situation.
That is the surrender of the assassination squad. They never lay down their weapons voluntarily. However, if you say that you have been kind, appeasement may be possible.
You don’t have much time. Of course, there is no time to worry.
If someone involved in the academy gets hurt or dies, the situation will never be corrected.
Rather than the harmony you think, war may break out. If that happens, when the demons come to this world in the future, they will not be able to expect to receive help from the elves.
Therefore, if you want to take responsibility, you must induce the elves to take off their masks and surrender.
It is enough to show that you are trying to protect the assassination squad, but if they are going to die anyway, it would be better to ask them to entrust their lives to you for a moment.
If you can overcome this situation, you will be able to make a deal with the elf who is currently coming to the capital. Maybe you can give me the freedom of the assassination squad.』
[Clear conditions]
[Execution Squad Surrender 0 / 1] OR [Execution Unit Surrender 0 / 1]
Reward: Irine Tersi’s pendant.
When choosing to stand by: Yan dies.
Is it because I always read novels?
I was able to quickly read and understand the content in less than a few seconds. However, I could not readily take action on a quest that was different from usual.
This main quest was different in two ways.
First, there is no failure.
Second, the quest gave me a choice.
Quests have taught me the way to survive until now. Although it was close to one-sided coercion, it clearly served as a guide.
But this time, I am being presented with the choice of which path to take. It’s like playing a simulation game.
What is it? What was the purpose of giving the quest like this?
“Surrender. “There is nowhere for you to escape.”
I came to my senses at Mine’s low voice.
It doesn’t matter what intention the quest was given.
The important thing now was ‘What to choose?’
If you look at the clear conditions, it means that you can clear it by either surrendering or standing by, but if you choose to stand by here, Yan will inevitably die.
But I couldn’t help but worry because I knew that the process of finding an extermination squad would not be smooth. The fact that I am Abel is not only a problem, but it will not be easy to prove the innocence of the elves who have been out of contact for a long time.
I wondered if it was really right to take risks with only the future in mind, but those doubts were quickly resolved.
I cannot abandon important key figures.
I don’t know what direction it will develop in the future, but if you try to tell the story by abandoning the thread here, it may actually become more difficult.
In fact, in the original work, the development of Mine unintentionally sacrificing Yan made the process of finding out the location of the cult leader cumbersome. And as time passes, the summoning of demons is allowed.
While watching this, I remember admonishing the writer, saying that the plot could have been unfolded much more easily if he hadn’t abandoned Yan, who was excellent at scouting.
However, since Mine, as the main character, had Munchkin-level strength, she was able to continue the development.
On the other hand, what about me?
Because I had no power to resist force, I needed at least one more number that could respond to the variable. Therefore, even though the process of increasing the number was cumbersome, it had to be done.
In addition, considering that the reward is Irene Tersi’s pendant, it seems that it will provide a way to continue the relationship with the elves in earnest.
The ‘Let’s create a relationship with the elves’ quest was a linked quest.
“It doesn’t look like they will surrender easily.”
Mine exchanges opinions with her knights through glances. It was her signal to subdue.
I quickly got off the bed and stood in front of the sword Mine was holding out. We dug into exactly the timing when no one could make a hasty move during the standoff.
“… Abel Sirius? “What are you doing now?”
Mine’s eyes narrow. Golden eyes are staring at me, examining me. I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart.
I always feel like it’s not right for me to come forward like this.
“If you’re blocking me here, doesn’t that mean you’re related to them? Is that correct?”
“That’s right.”
I answered without hesitation.
I am confident in my actions. I trust the path that the quest shows.
If you decide to do it, hesitation is just a luxury.
“… Abel?”
I just turned my head at Jan’s call.
She had a confused expression on her face with her dagger raised. His response was that he couldn’t understand why she was trying to protect him.
“Wasn’t this a trap you set to catch us?”
“If that was going to be the case, why are you persuading me?”
I expected it, but was that really what I thought?
I shed a bitter smile in this bloody situation where I didn’t know when the battle would break out.
“Jan. “You are going to die now.”
No matter how much the assassination team is, it is impossible to deal with the main character and the knight department professors.
Currently, Mine has started to use her energy, and the professors are already expert level knights. All of them were at a level that was acceptable for competing with Force.
Going head-on with such people was like committing suicide. The assassination corps were specialized in assassinations.
“Do you know what level the people you are facing right now are at?”
“…… I know.”
“Okay. “Then you also know that if you resist, you won’t be able to return alive.”
“… ….”
Jan was silent, but it was enough for him to take it as a positive sign.
“Abel Sirius, what do you want to do now?”
“I don’t think it’s something we have to fight for.”
“What?”
Instead of answering Mine’s question, I took a deep breath.
I’m afraid that if I make even a single mistake, that sword could be pointed at me, but it was impossible to turn it off once I got involved.
“Jan. Since this has already come to an end, why don’t you entrust your life to me?”
“What…… ?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden, Abel Sirius… !”
“It’s the last choice. This is the only way for you to return alive. “If you are willing to entrust your life to me, please take off your mask and robe hood now.”
“Abel Sirius, I asked what we wanted to do now. “If you don’t answer, I’ll subdue you first.”
Mine had an expressionless expression, but she folded her arms so that she could swing her sword at any time. I looked at the squad behind her as she gulped.
The assassination team was looking at each other and keeping an eye on each other. Eventually, the crew focused their attention on Yan and finally asked him about his intention.
Yan, who was thinking, nodded his head slightly, and the assassination team members took off their hoods and lowered their masks one by one.
Sureuk. Sreuk.
Even before the sound of clothes rubbing against each other subsides, a commotion noise can be heard from around you.
I can’t keep my mouth shut at the sight of a dark elf with brown skin and pointed ears, a symbol of the elf race.
Even Mine, who usually remained unresponsive, had her eyes widened.
“Dark elf…… ?”
“What? Why is there a dark elf here…… ?”
“Abel Sirius! “Explain how the elves are in the capital of the empire!”
Mine shows a rare excitement.
“Their goal is to retrieve fragments of the World Tree. And the fragment is in my hand.”
While everyone was confused by the unexpected situation, I took a step forward. I took out a branch of Magi Purification Water that I kept in the drawer next to the bed.
When the cloth wrapped around the tree branch is removed, it brightens up the dark room.
“Abel Sirius, the third son of the Duke of Sirius, guarantees that the reason they are in the Academy is for my own purpose and not to harm the Academy.”
Express opinions confidently yet calmly.
Since they trusted me and decided to surrender themselves, I must also repay their trust.
Although the process of gaining trust was not smooth, I think it was because Jan was honest to the point of being foolish.
And if you think about it conversely, it means that once Yan opens his heart, he will not betray me in most circumstances, so he was able to take it.
“…… I did listen. The fact that Duke Sirius obtained a fragment of the World Tree. So there was talk that you were related to the elves.”
Miné looked at the tree branch I was holding and spoke softly.
“But that doesn’t mean you can think that the elves gave you a fragment of the World Tree. “It is an item that can never be obtained now that communication with the elves has been cut off.”
Tsk. I know it very well.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
If this happens, there is no way they will believe you if you say you just got it. It’s completely different now than when I explained it to Houston.
Something persuasive was needed here.
I slowly turned my eyes to the quest window. After re-reading the content step by step, I found words that were persuasive.
“What if I received it from Irene Tersi?”
It’s a lie, but if you say you received it from your subletting mother, you can gain sufficient probability.
“!”
Everyone who heard me was surprised and there was an uproar for a moment.
Irene Tersi.
This was a person who could never come out of Abel’s mouth.
She had been dead for more than a dozen years, and even if she had met Abel, he would have been a child at the time, so she would not believe that Irene had entrusted her fragments to her.
I’m sure you’ll feel uncomfortable with what I say.
But it was clear that it was the most persuasive word I could think of right now.
“Abel! Do you know Irine-sama?!”
Yan suddenly shouted.
I held out my hand to her and she shook her head. There was no time to explain everything to Jan right now.
Of course, I understood Jan’s reaction. Irene is a mother who was generous to dark elves.
Irine Tersi was not someone who thoroughly pursued practical interests like Marie Tersi. She was so freethinking that she insisted that first she must interact with humans.
The emperor often described her Irine as an elf who was awake and an elf who served as a role model.
If she had been alive, the emperor might have supported her again after the war ended.
“I got it from her sublet mother…” … ?”
“It doesn’t really matter who you received it from.”
“Can you prove it?”
She tries her best to reveal what she is trying to gloss over.
“It’s hard to believe, right? I know. But Princess Mine, do you think I can enter the El Dorado Forest and steal the fragment of the World Tree? “I don’t have any abilities?”
It is absurd and laughable that people can be persuasive because they are incompetent. It would be nice if I too was a capable person.
“People—”
“If we had used people, it would have cost money. My father probably knows my spending history better than anyone else. “Let’s ask.”
“… ….”
Mine frowned slightly at my clear response to my words, but she didn’t argue. She seems to be convinced herself.
After Mine kept her mouth shut for quite some time, she opened her mouth as if she was frustrated with the professor.
“Hmm… …. So what will you do with these elves, princess?”
Mine is staring at me. There were still some suspicious parts, but it seemed like they couldn’t find fault right away.
“…… Don’t kill me right now. However, there is no change in the fact that the presence of the infamous dark elf in the academy is an act that increases students’ anxiety, and threatening the duke’s self-control with a blade is also a serious crime. I will hold the elves responsible for this in the future. “If you have any objections, say them now, elf.”
Mine asked while looking at Jan. Jan gave me a look.
After confirming that it was really okay to trust me, she closed her eyes for a long time and then opened them.
Clink!
She threw the weapons hidden in her arms on the floor. She meant total surrender. Her crew members also dropped their weapons on the ground.
It is surprising how many weapons are hidden in the body.
Mine also seemed to be dumbfounded, so she stared at the blades for a while.
“I will imprison you in Catena Prison managed by the imperial family. “Professors, please hand it over to the Imperial Knights.”
“I will do so.”
“Abel Sirius, I have a few more questions for you. “Please follow me to the student council room.”
“Yes. Let’s do that. But before that…… “Let me tell you one thing.”
I said as I watched the professors aim their swords at the elves.
“Please tell the knights not to even think about torturing them.”
“…… “I will deliver it.”
“Please convey clearly. “When I check, if there are any injuries, I will torture them in the same way.”
“… Yes.”
The professors seemed to disapprove of my coercive attitude and frowned.
No matter how much I worked as a professor at the academy and was an expert knight, I felt like I was trying to avoid touching the duke because it would only cause scratches and bruises.
I approached Jan and his crew.
“Hold on just a little longer.”
“Abel, you… ….”
“It’ll be okay. Entire.”
Because I will make it that way.
“…… Huh.”
The assassination squad is dragged away. Even as they were dragged away, they did not take their eyes off me.
As soon as the situation seemed to be coming to an end, the employees came into view.
The employees, including Clara, were restless. I smiled to show that it was okay.
They must be more concerned because they have already seen the threat of the extermination squad once.
Anyway, the situation was resolved. But the problem was not solved. There were still steps to go through in order to save the assassination squad.
“Do you think those elves are really precious? “When I see you trying to protect me like that.”
Mine approached me and asked.
“…… Well. Rather than being precious…… “I want to move forward comfortably.”
“What?”
If they don’t grow up properly, I’m the one in trouble.
“Oh, and the elves will be coming to Ferrator soon.”
“What?”
When the quest details were delivered, Mine opened her mouth and slightly pulled her eyebrows together.
“Abel Sirius, you…… “What on earth do you know?”
I turned my head towards Mine without answering her. I muttered while looking at the moon seen through the open window.
“Most of the time.”