Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

The three eventually arrived at a door deep in the back. Entering the room, they were met with six elves sitting around a wooden table. Most of the participants were old enough to match the title of the Elders Association, carrying scars or other marks on their faces with stern expressions. As the elders of the tribes present, they pretended to be calm on the surface, but they were brought into great disarray by Kyle’s arrival. In the midst of that, sitting in the center, was an elf seemingly in his fifties, still young compared to the other Elders. Solace’s greeting was rather crude at first, but this man had already designated Kyle as the enemy, not even hiding his hostility.

“I have brought Kyle and his allies…Father.”

And this very man was also the elder of the Evenro Forest, Urza’s father Rifuaro.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Kyle. Thank you very much for allowing me this chance to speak to you,” Kyle showed the same greeting he had practiced many times over, but Rifuaro showed no reaction, just glaring at him in silence.

Unable to bear the silence, Urza wanted to speak up, but…

“Urza…” Rifuaro spoke up first, directing his words at his daughter. “Why do you think I didn’t stop you when you ran away?”

“Huh?” Urza was bewildered at her father’s words, but he continued.

“You’ve always been a curious child. I knew immediately you would find interest in the outside world, as nothing ever happened here. And if I had stopped you, you would’ve ran away at a later time. That’s why I taught you how to use spirit magic, and had you learn how to use a dagger. It was all so that you could protect yourself.”

“S-So then…”

“Considering my position, I could never publicly support you.”

Urza thought that her father simply never listened to what she wished. But in reality, he understood his daughter more than anybody else, aware of what she would do, and did his best to support her. Realizing how childish she was, Urza grew flustered.

“That explains why I managed to get away this easily…”

“As my child, I wished you would one day follow my role and support our precious forest. And I figured that, by learning more about the outside world, you would accomplish that best.”

The current elders were all confined to their duties, so Rifuaro must have hoped that Urza could use her experiences outside the world for a better world within the forest.

“That is why I swallowed my tears and let you depart. So…what did you see outside? What did you learn?”

“A lot, actually. But explaining it here would be…” She struggled a bit to express herself fully, but she had truly seen a lot.

Too much for her to lay it bare here. At first, it may have been just another journey, but after meeting Kyle, she became involved in what could very well be described as a heroic tale. After saving the princess of Zilgus, Princess Milena during the fight for succession from an assassination attempt to a battle against the demons…She even met the Dragon King Zeurus and made an acquaintance with Demon Lord Luiza. That said, telling the story of how she met Goddess Mera would cross the boundary, entering the unbelievable type of territory.

“It sure looks like a lot has indeed happened. I can see the proof of your growth…Especially in the fact that you can use high-tier spirit magic.”

“Wha…?!”

This statement had Solace, standing in the corner of the room, raise a bewildered voice. Elves were known to be spirit magic users, but only a handful could truthfully use high-tier magic. Especially those of Urza’s age were practically non-existent.

“I’m still your parent. I can easily tell how much you’ve grown. You really did well…”

“Th-Thank you very much…”

Rifuaro’s gentle smile with his warm voice was truly that of a father who relished the growth of his child, and Urza felt grateful for this. It felt like her misunderstanding toward her father was finally resolved, giving her a refreshing sensation. However, this only lasted for a brief moment.

“That said…I should have stopped you, still. I should have kept you here…and I regret that now.” Rifuaro grit his teeth as he glared at Kyle. “I can’t believe you brought a man with you…” He cursed with a voice full of regret.

“Wait, please. Kyle and I aren’t like that…” Urza tried to explain herself, but she didn’t even know how.

Friend, or ally, were the first words popping up in her mind, but she felt hesitation to say this in front of Kyle.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t realize?!” Rifuaro roared as he hammered his fist down on his desk. “I can see the connection between you and that human! You’ve formed an [Applied Contract]! You’ve already engaged in a marital relationship!” He pointed at Kyle, as his eyes were blood-red.

An applied contract was related to the elf’s true name, to bind themselves to someone, something like a marriage ceremony. And truthfully, the two of them held that ritual.

“Y-You misunderstand! Kyle and I don’t have this kind of relationship! The circumstances leading up to this were…” Urza denied it with a red face, but the way she fidgeted awkwardly with a red face didn’t sell her case much.

Seeing her like that only fueled Rifuaro’s rage, as his hostility toward Kyle grew. Meanwhile, Kyle definitely felt like he should clear the air, but met with so much anger, he didn’t even know what to say. If he were to call him ‘Father-in-law’ now, Rifuaro might just explode.

“Stop it already, Rifuaro.”

In a few seconds, a battle may have ensued, but then an elderly elf spoke up and interrupted him.

“However…” Rifuaro didn’t want to let things rest already.

“As a fellow parent, I understand your feelings, but as the elder, you should prioritize your position.”

The other elves agreed all the same.

“Thank you so much, Grandmother Nirua.”

“It’s fine. You must have been through a lot yourself.”

The woman called Nirua showed a gentle smile. She was probably the one reasonable person in the association that Urza previously mentioned.

“Anyway…your name was Kyle, right? We have opened this meeting because of Urza’s request, but we don’t even know what you’re asking of us. Don’t expect too much, okay?”

She was definitely different from the other elders, but she still held up her position.

“Of course. I’m already more than thankful to have been given this chance.” Kyle showed his gratitude.

“…I’ve been told a lot about your deeds. You seemingly made yourself a name in the outside world.” Rifuaro seemingly had gotten a grasp of himself, and continued the conversation.

The elves were known to live secluded, but that didn’t mean they never made any contact with other races. For example, they were often conversing with the countries near the forest, which is also how they got their hands on goods otherwise unobtainable in the forest. So naturally, they must have heard about the rumors regarding Kyle.

“But none of that matters here. So, state your business.” Rifuaro said while glaring at Kyle as if he was saying ‘I’ll cut you to pieces later.’

If Kyle were to ask for them to reinstate the meetings with the dwarves, he’d be shut down immediately. Hence, he decided to approach it from a different angle.

“I was forced into battle with demons—In the humanfolk territory. I have no doubt in my mind that they are plotting something.” He spoke the truth about the demons.

“Demons?” Solace raised a bewildered voice, but Rifuaro and the other elders didn’t react to that.

“D-Demons have snuck into the humanfolk territory?!”

“That’s impossible! It shouldn’t be…!”

There were those who shot up from their seats with pale expressions, others who screamed in terror, so Kyle could tell how shocking of a revelation that must have been. Even Nirua was visibly distraught, as her expression was filled with terror and rage.

As I thought…

Kyle was satisfied with those reactions. This was his greatest weapon in the negotiations with the elves. And it would be even more effective against them than the dwarves…because they knew the threat the demons posed. The dwarves in Gilbohl didn’t seem to understand at all. Some were surprised, but they only remembered the demons from the heroic tales of 300 years ago. Even if they may be a threat, the demons were a thing of the past in their minds. This was the same for the other races of humanfolk, as none of the ones alive today had any experience fighting demons.

The same couldn’t be said about the long-living elves, however. Many of them had experienced the might of the demons during the Great War, so they were the most afraid of this threat. And this is why Kyle chose to bring out the big guns from the very start. Witnessing this reaction, even Urza was surprised. She had gotten in contact with demons before, but most of them belonged to the peace faction within the army. She had never experienced the true terror of being overwhelmed by the demons. The only ones sharing the dread that Kyle felt at every moment were the elves who fought in the war 300 years ago. And that is why Kyle painfully understood the reactions from the elders.

“And this is the proof,” he said, taking out the horn he had collected after defeating Ganias in Carran.

He also used this as a bargaining chip back in the Empire. Witnessing this, the elves grew even more restless. They must have known that this was the real deal.

“The sheep’s horn is proof that he was human-sized. Mostly profound in using magic, right?”

“And those with a cow horn supposedly were the physically strong ones.”

Even just looking at it seemed to be physically repulsive, as many of the elders started to get pale in the face. The impact the demons left on them must have been nothing to scoff at.

“As you have proof, we must accept that you have encountered demons during your journey,” Nirua said with a stern expression.

“Y-Yes, I encountered a fair amount of them during my journey,” Urza joined the conversation, which made Rifuaro turn ashen grey, but Kyle continued nonetheless.

“And before we finished them off, we tried to get some information out of them. We sadly don’t know the details, but we know that they are planning something.”

Of course, Kyle couldn’t just come clean about all the information they held, so he carefully picked what to tell them.

“The reason we have enjoyed such a long peace is that the Demon Lord is not interested in fighting humanfolk. However, not all of the demons fall under the same banner, so some wish to wage war even now…and maybe the current Demon Lord won’t be at reign forever.”

Kyle only told them the bad facts that he knew about so that he couldn’t be qualified as a liar. Especially the fact of him having formed a pact with the current Demon Lord could not be made public.

“So it seems…they’re finally back for more.”

“But how did they manage to get within our rows?”

The elders discussed amongst themselves with stern expressions.

“And with this made a fact, we humans have already come in contact with the dwarves…and we wish that the elves do the same.”

And with his bargaining chip used up, Kyle led on with the main agenda he came here today—the dwarves. After he raised the tension with the mention of the demons, he proceeded by stating that humans and dwarves were already in talks.

“Humans…and dwarves, huh?” Rifuaro said with a reluctant expression, but he didn’t deny it outright.

It showed Kyle that there was hope for a successful discussion.

“So you are telling us to get along with the dwarves?”

“I’m not asking you to forget the dispute between your two races. However, if we want to be ready for the demons’ possible attack, it is of utmost importance that you share forces with the dwarves.”

Naturally, the elves present had their own opinion regarding this matter.

“So your goal is…”

“Absolutely as you might guess. I wish for the discussions between Gilbohl and the elves here to be reinstalled. The other side is waiting for your approval, and would be willing to accept.”

“What do you mean?”

“…They wish for you to take the first step in restarting the discussions. That is the one condition the dwarves have.”

“So we should grovel on our knees and beg them?!”

Rifuaro’s outburst was understandable, but Kyle couldn’t afford to just let that be.

“Their generation has already changed. Nobody remembers the threat the demons posed, so they don’t understand the gravity of the situation! It is only you who are aware of what danger they bring!”

“You talk like you’ve seen it with your own eyes…”

But oddly enough, Kyle’s argument sounded very convincing. And since Rifuaro experienced the threat of the demons, he couldn’t find the words for a rebuttal.

“Then let me ask you, why are you so focused on bringing our two races back together? Why a human like you? I want to hear your true intentions.” Nirua got straight to the point.

This is where the true battle began.

“Because the demons are an issue that involves all of humanfolk. Be it elf or dwarf, even we humans, we’re all in danger if they decide to attack.”

“…”

“And quite frankly, I don’t want to see either the elves or dwarves suffer the consequences because you decide to be so foolish and stubborn.”

Kyle didn’t sugarcoat his words. Some may say he would even be picking a fight. However, he had grown tired of this back and forth. But it was impossible for one side to resolve this conflict.

“…We will discuss this amongst ourselves. Please give us a moment.” Rifuaro said so, as he had Kyle and Urza leave the room.

“Now, how do the others feel about this?”

After Kyle and Urza left, Rifuaro instigated a discussion amongst the elders.

“To be perfectly honest, I have no intention of getting along with those dwarves.”

One of the elders didn’t even attempt to hide his distaste for the other race.

“A meeting with the dwarves…We haven’t done so in more than 200 years. It’s too late for that.”

“More than anything, why do we have to be the ones to ask for it? If they were willing to beg us for it, I wouldn’t mind considering it…”

The elders didn’t hold Garadoff the 5th in the best regard. And neither did the other elves.

“That said, without the help of the dwarves, we are powerless against the demons.” Nirua’s words cut deep.

“Please permit me a question.” Solace spoke up.

He was allowed to be present for the meeting but had no right to give an opinion, so he had to voice himself like this. Rifuaro gave permission, so he opened his mouth.

“I did not fight in the war myself, but I have heard of the threat the demons posed. So I must ask…Can we really not best them with just our own strength and forces?”

“No, we cannot. We will fall at their hand if they decide to attack.”

This question came mostly from the pride of all elves, but Rifuaro answered bluntly with no hesitation.

“Only if we come together as one force, can we hope to defeat the demons.”

“And nobody but us knows of the threat they pose…”

The elders were all met with despair.

“We’ve grown careless. It is inexcusable that we could possibly forget their threat simply because we haven’t seen a demon in the last 300 years.”

“We just wished to forget…Because we wanted this false peace to continue forever.”

The atmosphere grew heavy as the elders were reminded of the tragedy and terror of the past.

“It’s nothing more than a stroke of luck that I am still alive today…” One of the elves said, as he gently caressed the scar on his face.

“Be honest. You were saved by a dwarf back then,” Nirua said, as the elf’s face distorted in pain and regret, but he couldn’t argue back.

“Do you still remember that dwarf called Garadoff?” Rifuaro asked into the round of elders.

Naturally, he was speaking of the Hero Garadoff who fought in the war 300 years ago, not the current King Garadoff the 5th.

“He did save me…and it’s thanks to him that we’re alive today. Although I would rather not admit to that.”

“And we helped the dwarves, too, so we carry no debt.”

“But as partners fighting in the same war, we definitely did not carry our weight.”

They may have been saved by the dwarves, and yet their opinion of them remained the same: condescending. Of course, this was the greatest possible praise to give from an elf, and that is why they agreed to these periodic meetings.

“The current king of Gilbohl seems to be a descendant of that very Garadoff. I just hope he carries the same qualities as that hero…”

The elves were not willing to lower their heads toward the dwarves, but if the fate of the whole world was on the line, it was at least worth considering.

“Could I have the right to speak?!” Solace once again asked for permission. “I believe we should make certain of that human’s story!”

“What do you mean?”

“To see if he really beat a demon all by himself. He did carry a horn with him, but he may have picked that up from somewhere!”

“But Urza agreed to his story,” Nirua sighed, but Solace bit on.

“No! There is a chance that she might be deceived. Not only that…!”

He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence. But the others understood what he was trying to say. There was a chance that Urza might be blinded by love and decided to betray their own race. That said, they could not utter this possibility in front of Rifuaro, and Solace strongly doubted that could be the case. However, the what-if scenario couldn’t be ignored, and the elders knew.

“Wh-Whatever she may have experienced in the outside world, it has nothing to do with us, and we shouldn’t blindly trust that human.”

Solace’s argument had a reason behind it. The biggest question was if they should trust Kyle’s words or not.

“You are right. We can’t be fixated only on the demons.”

“There is a good chance he was just selling us stories…Yes, we first must find out if he is telling the truth.”

“But how do we make certain of that? Do we have a trial we can put him through?”

Nirua watched the other elders try to forget about the demons by shifting the attention toward Kyle.

“All right, then we shall test Kyle to see if we can trust him!”

“Deary me, Rifuaro. You seem awfully excited to vent your anger on that man, who seemingly is in your daughter’s heart.”

“W-What are you saying?! This is my decision as the leader of this forest!” Rifuaro was thrown off by Nirua’s retort, but didn’t step down.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, I just wanted to give you a warning. Don’t get your personal feelings mixed in with this.” Nirua shook her head and added that comment. “And I’ll say the same to everyone else. Our decision is not just our own, it involves the generations coming after us, and even humanfolk as a whole. It would be fine if only we were to pay for our mistakes…”

These words were so heavy, even the elves who despised the words were at a loss for words.

“Ahem! So, what kind of trial shall we give that human?” Rifuaro loudly cleared his throat and changed the topic.