Episode 3: Dark Elf

 The leader of the Dark Elves, Gia-Naguive-Mazaram, lightly walked down the trackless path.  

He was once called [the steel] by neighboring countries, but now he's skinny; one could even say that he is weaker than a baby. Some of his subordinates who following him are also not much different.    

  

The forest is deep, gloomy, shrouded in darkness and thin, lifeless cold.  

   

"As expected, there is nothing ……"  

   

"Gia-dono, maybe we shouldn't come inside the Daijukai ..."  

   

Gia shook his head in response to a suggestion that they repeated many times. 

He wanted to say, please do not force him to say the same things over and over again, but he knew the feelings of his subordinates, and he agreed. 

But their circumstances made it impossible.  

   

"Now, if we're going out, what's going to happen? Aimlessly we would have to go, and I don't think we can afford to go on a trip with kids with only this amount of vegetables. There must be food somewhere here, for everyone's sake. Let's do our best. "  

 

The smile he made was never pleasant.  

However, his subordinates could only smile back.  

   

"But, we have entered the haunted forest this far, as expected, it's getting eerie."  

   

This in-depth exploration may depress them.  

But Gia still opened his mouth even though he didn't have much physical strength.  

He will go crazy if he doesn't keep talking.  

The quiet and deep forest is one of the reasons for that.  

   

"Along the southern edge of the continent of Hydragia is the cursed forest, Daijukai (the cursed world). In ancient books, it is said that in that land, something evil was sealed, something that will never allow life... " 

   

"Hahaha, that's just superstition. If so, how come the trees here are so dense? Just take a few steps, and as far as you can see is trees, isn't this sign of the abundance of life." 

   

The one who talked about the scary tales is Gia's aide. Among them, she is the one who most understands the details of folktales. 

   

In her golden age, she is such a passionate reader that her income always been spent on books, so they believed her.   

But Gia decided to laugh at her words.  

Everyone prays that their worries don't come true. As the chief warrior, he shouldn't complain.  

   

"Don't give up. Never give up. Our noble spirits and ancestors will surely show us the way to get through this hardship."  

   

Gia was highly respected as the chief warrior was not only because of his skill but also because of his mental strength.  

That's why he became the chief warrior in his clan,  

Even if the safety of their race were at stake, they would still follow him like this.  

The subordinates who followed him picking up the courage from Gia's strong words and continued to move.  

Through the darkness, they had never seen. 

Believing that he will open the way, and he will save them from this desperate situation.  

And--.  

The world has opened.  

They might have been expecting some miracle.  

A man-made place, a sight they have never seen before, is enough to make them wish for something different. 

There may be a hermit who lives in darkness. Maybe a lot of plants can be eaten. Perhaps a lot of wild animals or maybe the Gods will reduce their suffering.  

But all hope is shattered.  

There is only a ruin there.  

   

(Everything went to waste ...!)  

   

When he saw that sight, regret flowed through Gia's body.  

At first glance, this mysterious sight might mean something, but that 'something' is the problem itself. 

The first is the girl beside the stone pedestal who is glaring this way.  

Her hair is dull grey, and wearing a robe with curved trimmings.  

But the girl is not a problem.  

The problem is the other one.  

No, Gia wasn't even sure if it could be called a person or not.  

Its existence is an unrealistic phenomenon, as if it had just come out of the ancient book mentioned by his aide. 

A shape of a person. However, he could not comprehend it.  

As if the world had rejected him. His form shrouded in darkness, just like an evil embodiment that had been told for generations. 

The world has made a mistake, the destruction will begin, and the world is falling apart.  

That existence made him imagine all those things.  

  

(I don't know what that is, but my instincts are continuously warning me. That's a bad thing.)  

  

The girl is still staring at Gia, and perhaps the evil entity also stares at him.  

All of his subordinates hold their breath.   

Then he realized that his actions were foolishness that might affect his race's fate, so he must carefully choose his words. 

   

"I, I am a Dark Elf, the chief warrior of Mazaram Clan, Gia-Naguive! I see you as a noble soul! First of all, I want to apologize for trespassing into this forest!" 

   

He dropped his knees and lowered his head, trying not to anger the other party.  

Even though this is called kneeling down in human sign language, He is unsure if the other person understands what he means.  

He is grateful that subordinates, who saw his actions, immediately took the same reaction.   

Gia waits for words. However, his instincts urged him to show the highest respect.  

   

"... Hmm. You seem to understand the meaning of entering this area. Dark elves, why did you break the taboo? "  

   

The opponent thinks for a few seconds.  

Gia and the others were still worried, but they felt a little relieved that the other party understands their words.  

At least their intention was conveyed.  

   

"We are the Mazaram, a clan of Dark Elf. Once settled in the land of the Elves in the center of Hydrangea. 

However, the former leader of the Supreme Elf Council, the Council of Tetralucia..."  

   

"Tell us briefly!"  

   

"Right, we were persecuted and forced to leave our homeland. We had no destination until finally, we arrived at this forest..." 

   

Gia changes words in a hurry because he notices the girl got irritated. It was a mistake of trying to tell their circumstances.   

Even if just a little mistake. Their lives are now in the opponent's hand. He kept reminding himself about that.  

 

(What should I do? What should I say? Or should we wait for his words?)

 

His mind continued to spin rapidly, and his heart is beating so hard till he feels pain. 

An existence with shallow breath and excreting a sweat. The darkness like a deep forest, and the wickedness that may even overflow the night.  

Gia couldn't stand any of it. He almost let out words begging for mercy from his mouth, but just before he said it...  

   

"What a pity."  

   

The thing that is sitting on the stone pedestal spoke.  

The feeling that something is creeping up his back attacked Gia.  

They realized that until their body is shaking, sweat followed by a feeling of discomfort is flowing. That thing's voice was sound like it belongs to a young man.  

However, there is no emotion there, and on the contrary, he does not even feel his will or soul.  

Even the dead in hell will have a more profound voice.  

It is weird. Weird enough to make anyone think so.  

That's why he subconsciously delayed his reaction and stop thinking.  

   

"My King is asking."  

   

The girl's words are filled with anger.  

   

"We were persecuted that I came to this place to escape! We were running out of food along the way and couldn't secure food to shake off our chasers... We hadn't eaten for days."  

   

Gia was surprised to learn that he had unknowingly made the biggest mistake by ignoring that girl master's question. In a pitiful and hoarse voice, he explained. 

The somewhat hazy ending of his words showed the great regret he had.  

   

"Hmm."  

  

The Gia explanation convinced that existence.  

That is confirmed when the girl nodded a little, with some satisfaction.  

He made it through the thin ice sheet.  

But of course, it's not over yet.  

   

(Why?! Why do we have to be like this! What did we do?! We just want a place where we can live in peace!)  

   

There is no fault in that, but just because he has entered the forest, he desperately needs to lower his head and asks for mercy. 

What will happen to him? It doesn't matter what will happen to him. More importantly, is what going to happen to his subordinates and fellow countrymen? 

It might be destiny for his fellow countrymen to be overpowered and toyed by this evil existence.  

While trembling at the thought of a terrible future, Gia's heart filled with rage and sadness.  

   

(Our desire to live, is it a sin?)  

   

And  

Roll, roll--something rolled in front of him. 

His body trembled as it crossed his mind that it might be the sound of his head falling from his body.  

Who can blame Gia that is so scared that he closes his eyes? 

At this moment, The Warlords from the Mazaram clan is no more. He who once feared as the brave is now only a man who is trembling with fear.  

But when he opened his eyes.  

His neck is fine, which meant nothing happened, but a sweeter, more luxurious scent is tickling his nose.  

In front of him, fresh and ripe red fruits lay on the ground.  

   

"Thi, this?"  

   

"I give you."  

   

That existence answered briefly.  

Gulp.... and Gia unconsciously swallowed his saliva.   

The fruit has a shape that he has never seen or heard.  

Speaking of fruits in their knowledge, they are small and hard. There was a hint of sweetness, but the bitterness was stronger.  

In some areas, people eat fruit as raw food. Initially, people could eat fruit with just a few modifications. 

But what's right in front of him is different.  

The delicate fragrance showed off its sweetness, and its shape was bright red and attractive as if it's telling him to eat it as soon as possible.  

When he picked it up, it turned out to be substantial, and the contents were solid with no cavities.  

Looks like something that could only be eaten by Royal Family. No, they just hadn't eaten it before, the jewel-like fruit.  

He couldn't understand even half of what that existence was told him. 

He only understands that the fruit is called an apple, and it is edible.  

   

"Apple? This, unlike any fruit I know..."  

   

Existence says,

 

"I will give you."  

   

If so, he might take it. However, Gia is confused about whether he could eat it.  

He is worried whether eating at this place would be considered rude.  

Additionally, he was reminded of his hungry compatriots at the camp, waiting for them to return

with food. 

   

"Delicious!!!"  

   

"It's so sweet! And it's juicy."  

   

Hearing that sentence, Gia realized that his men had eaten the fruit before he made a decision.  

But no matter what decision he made, he couldn't stop the hungry people. 

He looked back in a hurry to see what his team members were doing; they took a bite of the given fruit. The fruit has a sweet aroma and dripping juice.  

He swallowed his saliva, his heart tempted to do the same, but there is something else he must do.  

For an instant, he glanced at the strange existence.  

Fortunately, he could see the being nodding. Perhaps the actions of his subordinates were not rude but somewhat correct.  

At the same time, Gia feels relief.  

He believes he should pay attention to his subordinates, which eat the fruit in a hurry. 

As Gia felt relieved, he thought he should remind them to eat the fruit more politely.  

But he couldn't say anything in front of his subordinates who were chewing fruit with tears.   

He understood their suffering and starvation better than anything else.  

   

"There are also pears."  

   

Roll, roll- and something else rolled in front of him.  

This time it's a green fruit.  

It is called pear that he also never knows.  

The surface and the green color may not be ripe, but there is a sweet aroma different from apples. More questions pop up in Gia's mind. 

Indeed this is equally delicious food. 

He picks it up and looks at it vaguely.   

 

"What that person doing? Even though my King is kind enough to give him a hand."  

 

The girl expresses her disbelief and discomfort.  

He doesn't know what the evil being is thinking. But the girl can understand that existence to some extent. 

In light of that fact, Gia conveys his thoughts to the girl and her master.  

   

"There are also other people who have fled to this place. Among them are little children ... our children are hungry. They haven't eaten in days, and they are all thin. This fruit, I want to give to those children. So please... " 

   

When he realized it, there is a taste of rusty iron in his mouth. Without realizing it, blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.  

The feeling of worthlessness and misery had accumulated so much that he's biting his mouth without him noticing. 

The sound of screaming and chewing fruit disappeared from his subordinates. Perhaps his words reminded them of their mission.  

Their comrades who were still fighting the hunger await them.  

Many of their comrades couldn't even stand up, and there is only one thing they have to do.  

But that is their situation.  

He already knew that the girl didn't care about their situation.  

Gia still lowered his head. That is the last thing he must do.  

Bring this food back no matter what.  

The disgusting, devastating existence that had appeared in legends, which would destroy everything, is now before his eyes. He must stay strong and don't be afraid. 

His eyes are showing a strong determination. He has conveyed his heart and soul, determined to fulfill his mission even if he has to die.  

And his wish was finally conveyed.  

   

"What a pity."  

   

The existence said so.  

  

"Wa, Wait! Takuto-sama!?"  

   

The girl heard the words, she rushed to her master and suggested something in a whisper as if she was panicking.  

The jet-black darkness does not care.  

Next, he heard the sound of something falling continuously and overlapping.  

Gia opens its mouth openly for a miracle to appear before him.  

There are also fruits that he saw before. There are giant round potatoes. There were grains of wheat.  

Not only that, but there are also some loaves of bread that so soft they can change shape when falling.  

The last ones are beans and vegetables, salt and spices.  

Piles of foods emerge from the void, around that being.  

   

"I give you."  

   

Understanding the meaning of the word, Gia is stunned and could not hide his tears that fell like a waterfall.  

That is compassion.  

The presence heard about their situation and said, "What a pity". 

Then he creates a mountain of food to help him and his comrades. 

They received that much help, even though that existence had nothing to do with their race. 

The Dark Elf is a creature that escapes from the light. It is allowed to survive by the mercy of the Elf of the light.  

They were always humiliated in such a way, and they live in a place where light does not fall. 

Nobody sympathized when Gia exiled.  

On the contrary, a statement said that the disappearance of filthy dark fairies would purify the world. 

Not to mention the elves, humans, dwarves, and all races avoid them.  

The Gia thought it is his fate, and it is a destiny they had to endure.  

He thought living a noble life, surviving in a harsh and lonely world, is his race life purpose. For them, there is no God; their lives will be spent trembling with their comrades in a world that is cold and lonely. He had accepted that.  

However, it is different now.  

That existence stretched out its hand to them.  

Maybe they are being fooled. Perhaps the being just wanted to play with their emotions.  

But, even though it seems that way.  

There were no people who sympathized with them, especially to the point of showing sympathy.  

   

"It's a miracle!"  

  

"With all of this!"  

   

"Ah! Great master! Thank you!"  

  

He could see that his subordinates were very excited.  

     

"Your highness, please..., please give us your name ..."  

   

Spontaneously he said.  

He remembered that he had never heard of the existence's name until now.  

He understood that the word the girl had spoken earlier was probably his name.  

But it wasn't.  

Gia wants to hear it straight from his mouth.  

The big-name of the being that creates miracles with just one hand.  

The name of the noble being who gave their race warm compassion for the first time.  

 

"I give you."  

   

The existence replied in a voice that doesn't make him feel any emotion or intention.   

  

=Eterpedia＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝  

   

[Emergency production] Domestic command  

 Emergency production is a special command that uses the "magic power" to perform various production types. 

You can produce all the facilities and units, but it consumes a high cost.  

 

Magic power according to the necessary  

<<Building material>> <<food>> resources.  

 

You can also create "materials" and "food" by emergency production, but you cannot make strategic resources.  

Technological development and dedicated facilities can reduce magical power consumption.  

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