Episode 4: Encampment

 

At the end of Daijukai (the Great Cursed World), where dark elves enter a temporary camp, death was quietly about to visit.  

Maybe there were about 500 of them? Most of them consist of women, and there are a few men. 

The things common to them are they were all stuck together in one place, they were all skinny, and their eyes were the color of despair.  

From time to time, they could hear babies crying, but then it got weaker and disappeared.  

They don't even have the energy to cry, even the babies, everyone is nearing their limit. The situation is dire. 

But fate seemed to prefer dramatic developments, and finally, this situation changed.  

Suddenly A relatively healthy woman who was caring for a sick person felt nervous.  

There was a strange smell.  

No, it's the smell of food—strong sweet aroma of food.  

At the same time, a different sound was heard from the trees in the distance.  

A group of people suddenly gathered. Has the person they been waiting for, the chief warrior they entrusted their destiny to, succeed in fulfilling his mission?  

They were about to give up, but reality finally turned around.  

  

"I'm back! Look! I found food!"  

  

And miracles happen.  

Their faces that were previously looks like the dead now brightened again and they began to eat while setting aside food for their great warriors, who have struggled to complete their mission. 

  

"Prepare a pot! Prepare a meal! Prioritize the sick person or the person who is in a bad condition?! Feed them this fruit!"  

  

It suddenly became noisy. Each of them started working while squeezing out the remaining energy.  

They prepared pots, prepared water, lit fires, and rushed to bring fruit to the sick.  

The hemp bag they brought is still packed with food.  

Their gazes are still filled with wonder, but there is no free time to be amazed, they have many things to do.  

Finally, the group that was previously in a very critical situation was saved. 

Some are in critical condition, finally survived thanks to the chief warrior who returned with food.  

After all this time, finally, the good news came, and now all their faces were showing happiness.  

Overflowing food. There's more than enough to fill everyone's belly.  

  

"Where did you get so much food? Despite how hungry we are, shouldn't we save a little more and eat sparingly?"  

  

A middle-aged woman questioned the warrior's chief, but he managed to convince her, the question was finally erased by the desire to satisfy her hunger with the best food she ever ate.  

  

◇ ◇ ◇  

  

After a few moments, the hustle and bustle finally settled down.  

The surplus food is carefully sorted out and stored with strict caution.  

Most of them are now fell deep asleep, as deep as death, and there was only the sound of firewood crackling under the empty pots on that lonely night.  

Those who were starving were given food, and they survived the long and hopeless nights.  

Finally, they can head to the world of dreams without spending a hungry, sleepless night. 

However, some still have their eyes open when most of them are asleep.  

A little away from the camp, the Chief Warrior Gia sat next to small firewood and silently looked at the starry sky through the trees.  

  

"Today .... Thanks for your hard work."  

   

"Elder Mortar? How the condition of our brothers?"   

  

It was a man who led this group, the wisest and longest-lived dark elves. He had appeared from the trees that the light of fire could not reach.  

His body looks like a dead branch. He walks with a cane. Then he sits in front of the chief warrior Gia with firewood in between.  

"Everyone's stomach is full and they are sleeping soundly now. The twins who were previously in bad condition have also recovered." 

  

The fruit you brought back was amazing. I lived for a long time, but I have never seen the fruit."  

  

He quietly closes his eyes and recalls what happened today.  

Today was like going through the raging tides.  

A ray of light brought to them who seemed hopeless. Gia, returning with a word of hope, brought enough food to fill everyone's belly.  

In addition to bringing back food that no one had ever seen or heard of, it was so delicious that it was terrifying.  

  

"Ah, I tasted a little too --- incredibly good. For the first time I knew of such a delicious fruit in this world."  

  

After confirming that the food distributed to everyone, Gia finally took a bite of the apple in his hand.  

Maybe he will never forget that moment.  

Together with the sound of a bite, a sweet taste overflowed in his mouth.  

Fruit juice seems to flow out of the source.  

He felt his dry body begin to fill with strength.  

Even the expressions of heavenly taste are not exaggerated.  

So, it was an incredible event.  

  

".........What happened?"  

  

Gia keeps his silence.  

He didn't have the option of not saying it, but he couldn't find the words to explain.  

It was an unrealistic event. More than anything else, there is a fear of being fooled by that existence somewhere in his mind.  

Perhaps the elder Mortar had noticed his inner conflict, patiently wait for his words.  

Seeing the look on Gia's frantic face, Gia must be going through a tough situation, so he decided not to force Gia to talk.  

It's not straightforward.  

Maybe this was a problem he had solved with his knowledge and experience? Elder Mortar decided to keep quiet.  

But Gia's next words are beyond his imagination and surprises Elder Mortar. 

  

"In the depths of the forest, I met an existence that only appeared in legends."  

  

His long white eyebrows shook.  

There are various things in the legend. Some are good, and of course, some are bad.  

Some are friendly with humans and elves, and others are not so much.  

There are many kinds of traditions, but the only thing they have in common is that they are all-powerful.  

Here is Daijukai (the Great Curse World), a cursed forest that no one visits.  

Elder Mortar prays in his heart that his anxiety will not become a reality.  

  

"What kind of legend? Do I know?"  

  

"I'm sure my subordinates said that existence was sealed in a world of great curses?"  

  

"Did you meet the King of Ruin?!"  

  

He started getting dizzy.  

The traveling colossus.  

The Living Sea.  

The Messenger from the afterlife.  

The torture machine.  

The most dangerous and scariest of all legends.  

He was stunned to remember that his clan had gone through such hardships without stopping. Still, he remained calm, thanks to the experience that had accumulated over the years.  

  

"Do you know Elder Mortar?"  

  

"It is still a part of ancient literature. When the world becomes saturated, the King of Ruin will emerge. He will destroy everything and start everything all over again. The truth is unknown, but we cannot consider it a lie..... Does it call himself that way?"  

  

There aren't many stories about the King of Ruin.  

He was sealed in this Daijukai (the great cursed world), and he came from nowhere; God already destroyed him. There are also several other different stories.  

The only thing consistent with all the stories is that his goal is to destroy the world.  

  

"I didn't hear his name. He didn't say his name. But I'm sure ... he's so terrifying that he deserves that name."  

  

"Did you speak to the king?"  

  

"No, the king... isn't something that we could really understand, but there was a girl who followed him, she conveys the king's words to some extent."  

  

Gia recollects.  

  

Who is that girl? ‥  

But he can say that the existence didn't bring the girl there.  

That is a devil. It's a pure demon.  

She alone poses a danger to the world.  

Even though Gia tries to remember, she was always shrouded in darkness.  

Dull gray hair. Clothes with curved designs. White skin like the dead.  

And the eyes that worship the darkness who seem to hate the whole world.  

He remembered when the girl looked at him, and that made him shiver a little.  

  

"I don't know if the existence you have encountered is the King of Ruin.  

But it's not a good thing.  

Since now I am full, and my mana recovered a little, I can feel that this forest is not normal. Maybe I should have noticed earlier. ''  

If they were aware of the dangers of this forest earlier, they could avoid this situation.  

Even if he entered Daijukai (the big cursed world), they could have chosen a place where he won't meet them.  

However, that didn't happen.  

Since that was not the case, then, a crisis came before them.  

Come as if to bring disaster.  

  

"What do you offer to pay for the food?"  

  

"I haven't offered anything. The food is unilaterally awarded to us."  

  

"Hmm, will an evil being reward something for nothing?"  

  

"I don't know. We were just asked and talked about our circumstances. That's it."  

  

"Then why did the King of Ruin do such an action?"  

  

The moment of silence has arrived.  

Gia couldn't understand either. At least they knew he was acting differently from the image they had.  

The evil existence hates all living things.  

Because of that hatred, he will never take any action that is beneficial to a living being.  

The exception is if there is a contract with a price, and maybe it was a trap.  

However, Gia was thinking about a completely different thing. He believed in another possibility.  

That is why he explains to the dead branch elder his fear that he might be deceived and what he has in mind.  

  

"It's compassion."  

  

"Compassion...?"  

  

Warning surfaces in the eyes of Mortar.  

It's close to hostility,  

Even without realizing by Gia, he grabbed a stick that was lying on the ground.  

  

"Yes, it's was a compassion. That Gentleman sympathized with our circumstances and gave it to us."  

  

"Bastard. Did you just called him "gentleman"? Are you being manipulated?"  

  

"No, definitely I am not."  

  

"Why do you say something like "that gentleman"? It's a word of respect!"  

  

His anger exploded. The Elder Mortar stick left the ground and hit the Gia.  

  

Although he was old, he was a mage who survived the battle, the warrior chief Gia jumping away, maybe It would be quicker for him to cast magic.  

However, even though Gia is facing his death,  

Without fear, he replies to the Angry Mage words.  

  

"That Gentleman! Gave to us! To us who are hungry! It's natural to have respect!"  

  

"But the other party is evil! Don't you feel the haze of destruction enveloping this forest!? "  

  

"It has nothing to do with the haze! That Gentleman said, "What a pity" to us who are starving. That's the truth!"  

  

"It's a scam! He was trying to manipulate you with sweet words!"  

  

"Then! Then what should I do!?....We can fight wasting energy like this too because that Gentleman was kind enough to give us food! "  

  

With those words, the question and answer that resembled mutual abuse ended.  

Elder Mortar finally realized. What would happen if the King of Ruin didn't give alms...?  

However, anxiety and fear, a future wrapped in mysterious darkness, enraged him.  

And at the same time, they finally admit that they have no choice but to move forward and negotiate with an entity that seems to be the King of Ruin.  

He had no choice but to admit it.

  

"Elder Mortar, what should we do ...?"  

  

"I also don't know ..."  

  

As if he was already exhausted, he answered in a low voice, on the other hand, his opponent replied in a faint voice. So far, wherever they are, they have no significance.  

No one knew what to do.  

They could not do anything, so they had no choice but to accept the reality in front of them.  

That was it.  

"I'm sorry. Gia, our brave warrior. You have done well."  

  

Gia nodded with a small nod and accepted an apology.  

As the next candidate for the clan head, he also understood how much pressure the clan leader felt.  

  

"I will negotiate with the king as the head of the clan. I don't know what he is thinking,  

Even though I look like this, I've lived 200 years. Let's try to do something.''  

  

"Please do, we rely on you."  

  

The discussion was over.  

  

Only the crackling sound of firewood gently wraps up the two.  

  

"I wonder when I will be able to spend the night with peace of mind..."  

  

There is a large amount of food that the king casually produced.  

He's brought as much as he can, but it's still less than 10%, the servant girl told him to bring the rest home as soon as possible.  

He would have to see them again the next day.  

Gia tells the chief and discusses some of their plans.  

The King of Ruin that appears in legend. At the very least, we are convinced that the existence is him.  

Elder Mortar looked at the stars in the night sky, holding back the feeling of dread that he had long forgotten.  

………  

  

……  

  

…  

  

Meanwhile...  

The existence that feared by Elder Mortar and Dark Elves, the king of ruin, is...  

  

"Takuto-sama, SEIZA! Why did you use magic power for something like that?"  

  

"Bu, but I feel sorry for them, so..."  

  

"There is no BUT!"  

 

 "Heeee!!!"  

  

Was being scolded all out by his subordinates for the waste he had done.

.  

 

  

***SEIZA (kneeling with the tops of the feet flat on the floor, and sitting on the soles)  

 

=Eterpedia＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝  

  

[Dark Elf] Race  

  

  

《Race Compensation》  

  

Forest bonus +15%  

Night Vision Bonus +5%  

Cold resistance bonus +10%  

Fertility bonus-5%  

Food production bonus-5%  

  

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~~ Strong light produces darkness that is just as strong.  

The light fairy is no exception ~  

  

The Dark Elves are a neutral-type race, descended from old Elves.  

Mainly specializes in magic and assassination that are classified as darkness attributes, forest bonus, cold resistance bonus, and night vision bonus as race characteristics.  

On the other hand, the magical suitability and archery suitability of an elf is lost, and a different playstyle is inevitably required.  

  

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