"By Zenon's beard ! I can't believe that in addition to magic he can also conjure a blade aura, and with such precision..."
"I told you Human, if the Chosen One decides to kill us, there is nothing we can do to stop him."
The King and Village chief were standing a dozen of meters from the tent, talking about what they have just seen.
"We absolutely need to get him on our side. Our alliance was originally temporary elf, but I am ready to recognize your clan members as citizen of my kingdom and give you a fief alongside a high-ranked noble title if you help me."
"well... I could say that we don't need your help and the forest is already our home, but after seeing the Chosen One ability with my own two eyes... I feel like things will soon change for the entire region." The village chief answered, with a serious expression.
"I also think the same... I do not mind if you want to keep living if the forest, but we should really tie the knot between your clan and my kingdom. If what happened here get known to the outside powers, I fear all the countries in the region will rush here to capture him."
The King's tone was also serious, and despite his previous little quarrel when he first met the village chief, he was eager to get these elves' support.
After thinking for a while, the village chief stared with confidence at the king's eyes through the thin visor of his helmet.
"Human, I appreciate your proposition, but my clan awaited the Chosen One for too many generations. My final decision will solely depend on the Chosen One's choice."
"You realize that the first to attack if this gets known will be Aliomeri ? You have to know that if we rushed into the forest it was because we heard that Aliomeri was soon going to massively invade the forest with the help of their beastmen allies. Fortunately, we arrived and met your clan before them, but who knows if they are not already in the forest !"
When the King mentioned the elven kingdom of Aliomeri, the village chief's eyes became bloody red filled with rage, and his face contorted in an unsightly way. The King had no idea what had transpired between this elf clan and Aliomeri, but he could tell the village leader despised their former kingdom as much as he did.
"I knew this day would come, but as I already said...my decision will depend on what the Chosen One plans to do from now on. If you really want to get on his good side and ally your kingdom with our clan, you should first ask him about his plans." Despite the temptation of accepting this proposal that could protect his clan, the village chief stood firm in his belief.
"I do not understand why you are so eager to follow an unknown being who fell from the sky. Is this person so important to your clan ?"
After hearing this, the village chief slightly smiled and looked at the sky.
"Human, our entire clan has been persecuted during hundred of years until we fell lower than farmers. We lost our heritage, the prestige of our ancestors, and the honor of our fallen warriors. However, no matter what the Advaris did to make us suffer, they couldn't erase our faith in the prophecy. It is said that the Chosen One will bring chaos to the continent, but it is also said that he will do so to protect what is dear to him."
"Is he some sort of Dark Lord entering the realm of mortal ?"
The King couldn't help but ask, as the elf's previous words made him feel uneasy.
"We do not care what he truly is. But you have to know this : the Chosen One my ancestors saw in their vision already died long ago. The Oracle told us that this one inadvertently took the original Chosen One's fate, but the Oracle also told us to be wary of him, as he will move only for his own benefits."
The King was stupefied by the village chief's words. A being who will bring chaos to the continent and who moves only for his benefits, able to use both magic and blade aura... Isn't this the rise of a new Dark Lord ?
"Alright, I understand." The King sighed and lightly tapped on the village chief's shoulder.
"We should head back for now, let's not make him wait too much. Despite what you said, I still plan to get him on my good side. If Zenon authorized him to enter our world, no matter if he is a Dark Lord or not I do not care. As long as I can protect the people of Lyssandra, I would even sell my soul if needed."
Looking at the human's gesture, the elf could feel his sadness and anxiety. Even if his clan never left the Forest of Truth since they entered, he still knew what happened in the nearby countries.
He was aware of the sensible situation of Lyssandra, being surrounded by enemies. Thus, after sensing the King's sincerity, he decided to change his mind and give him what he wanted. In the end, allying with Lyssandra was also very beneficial for his clan.
"My duty is also to protect the future of my clan. If you are sincere about your intentions toward the Chosen One...then I will accept your proposition."
The human King who was about to leave the vacuum space turned in surprise after hearing the elf's words.
"From today onward, the elves of Ravaleth will be your sworn allies, humans of Lyssandra. May our people face danger together."
The King never expected that after entering this forest he would bring an entire clan of elves to his side. Even if the Chosen One decide to part way with them, it was already a huge gain to get the support from a clan of elves, especially since they were living in the impenetrable Forest of Truth.
Their territory could be used as an advanced outpost to keep Aliomeri in check. In addition to the strategic location of this wide forest between Lyssandra and Aliomeri, these elves would also become formidable allies if trained and equipped properly.
After shaking hands and swearing once again in front of Zenon's altar, both the King and the First Village chief headed back toward the tent. One could see their strong resolution through their serious look.
Little did they know that the one they were about to negotiate with listened to everything they said.
___
'I think I can get a rough idea of the power structure of this region. The army invading the forest is probably this Kingdom of Aliomeri, which is hostile to both of these native groups. What I don't understand, however, is why the pointy-ear leader keeps calling the King 'human'... Is it possible for humans to live here ?'
[In theory, it is. From the few memories you have of your home-world, this planet's atmosphere and ecosystem are very similar to Earth. Except for a few differences in the air composition and the weird energies we can't detect, both planets are almost the same. However, I still can't figure out why gravity is so weak on such a huge telluric planet. Physics laws seem distorted in this universe.]
'I see...'
[As for the power struggle between the natives, I keep thinking it would be wiser for you to side with the third group invading the forest. From Alpha Zero's report, they have a large army and each of their soldiers seems much more powerful and experienced than the pointy-ear and knights in this camp.]
'Logic is not the solution to every problem, Gladia.'
After waiting for a short moment, the King and the village chief came back inside the tent with a solemn look.
"Chosen One, we couldn't comprehend every words you said, but we still understood your questions and we'll do our best to answer them."
The pointy-ear leader talked first, then looked at the King for him to continue.
"This continent is called Lunaris, and the three moons hovering in the sky are the home of the three main gods protecting our world. The energy you talked about is probably mana. Those using mana to empower their body and blades are called blade-masters, while those who can cause phenomena by gathering and manipulating mana outside of their body are called mages. As for the last question, the village chief is an elf, and I am the King of a nearby human Kingd..."
"Remove your helmet."
When I heard the king saying he was from a human kingdom, I couldn't help but stand up and cut him off before he could finish his sentence.
I knew how rude it was, but this news was far too shocking for me to let it go unnoticed. I seriously doubted they were humans. They could have guessed my race under my[Dark Armor]and tried to bait me by disguising themselves as humans.
I had to be sure.
"Pardon me ?"
The King seemed puzzled by my sudden reaction.
"REMOVE. YOUR. HELMET."
I pointed at his head with my finger, activated my Red Mist, and I slowly repeated the question word by word for him to understand.
When he saw the red lines slowly appearing all over my body, Ron, who was standing next to me, also activated his golden aura and hurriedly put himself in front of his king. He was the only one in the tent that saw a part of my powers, and it left an impression deep enough on his mind for him to get frozen in fear.
I couldn't understand everything he said to his King, but it was probably about not testing my patience.
And he was right.
"Either your remove your helmet yourself, or I remove your head from your shoulders myself."
After menacing their king so bluntly, all the golden knights present in the tent drew their swords and stood next to Ron, between me and their King. Those who were standing guard outside also rushed in when they heard the sound of swords getting unsheathed and pointed their weapons at me from behind.
"Human, you should do as he say..."
The village chief tried to mediate, as he knew better than anyone that nothing would come out from antagonizing me.
"sigh... I understand. Everyone, please calm down."
The King told his guard to lower their weapons, before reaching for his heavy golden helmet with both hands.
"My King!"
"It's fine, don't worry. It is also my fault for being so disrespectful by not showing my own visage to our guest."
I would later know that the reason why the King of Lyssandra and all his knights kept their helmets on, even when sleeping, is because of a law the former King established after a few revengeful soldiers from an enemy country that lost a war disguised as bandits and assassinated all the army officers they could recognize, alongside their entire family.
Since then, this law forced all military personnel to always keep their helmets on and never show their faces during wartime, thus protecting their identity from enemy spies and ensuring their safety from reprisals after the war ends.
Even the King and high-ranking nobles were subject to this law.
With both hands, the king slowly lifted his golden helmet finely ornated with runes and engravings and a loud thud resonated in the tent when he dropped it on the wooden table.
"Impossible..."
When the King removed his helmet, I could clearly see his face. He had a square-shaped visage with shoulder-length black hair, deep brown eyes, and a rough beard that hasn't been cut for more than a month. His visage had no special feature except for a small scar on the left of his upper lip. Despite looking like an ordinary middle-aged man, the determination I felt in his eyes and the atmosphere he excluded was proof of his royal bloodline.
I was so surprised to see another human face after so long that my body unconsciously released the pressure of my Red Mist and I almost dropped to the ground. I had to grab the wooden chair next to me with my right hand to not fall off from the shock.
"Are you...human ?"
"Eh ?.. Yes, I am human... Is this a problem ?"
All the people present inside the tent were visibly confused by my reaction and none of them, not even the king, knew what to do.
"ah...ahah..."
"..."
"AHAHAH !!..."
Something snapped in my mind and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the sight of another human after so long.
For years, I thought my squad and I were the last survivors of our species. I fought to the death against the Scyllas who eradicated our civilization and I almost gave my life to ensure my squad would survive and revive our race...and yet, I ended up crashing on a planet populated by humans.
Was this a joke ? Is this shitty River of Fate playing with me ?
"Sir... are you alright ?"
Nobody dared to talk except for the King, who worried about my weird reaction. All the guards lowered their weapons, but they were still afraid of me. I was probably looking mentally unstable in their eyes.
"Ahah... ah... yes... I'm alright."
When I got back to my senses, I stood up straight in front of the King before the black matter protecting my visage retracted under my skin. The smoke my visor was constantly emitting slowly dissipated, and for the first time in a long time, I also removed my helmet.
The jaws of all the people in the room dropped when they saw my real face behind my dark visor.
"I am also a human."
___
While Jun was busy dealing with the King of Lyssandra and elves of Ravaleth, the huge army sent by Aliomeri penetrated inside the Forest of Truth.
This army was mostly composed of half-blood soldiers, and each battalion was led by a bunch of full-blood elf officers.
In the center of the troops were the commander and his aides.
"Your Highness, we should be careful from now on. We will soon enter the domain of the demonic shadow who killed all our men before."
"Where is my brother ?"
"He will soon join us, Your Highness."
"Did he fail his task ?"
"We do not know yet, Your Highness. But if he succeeded bringing the beastmen to our side... it will be a good addition to our current armed forces."
"I still can't get why Mother tasked him with this. I was supposed to lead the army, and yet she asked him to bring these vulgar beastmen into our ranks... is she testing me ?"
The one talking was Aerendyl Advaris, the Crown Prince of Aliomeri. He was a tall elf clad in silvery light armor that looked extremely precious. Every part of it glowed in the dark, and numerous runes were engraved all over the armor plates. His only weapon was a thin sword that was a mix between a rapier and a longsword.
He wore no helmet so all the soldiers could take a look at his perfectly proportioned face. He had a fine visage, long hair of gray color tied up in a ponytail, and beautiful silver eyes.
"Your Highness, I think Her Majesty asked His Highness the Second Prince to take a part in the invasion to see how you will deal with him. You are the army commander, so no matter what your brother may have planned beforehand, he will still be forced to listen to your orders."
"Are you insinuating I should use this opportunity to get rid of him ?"
"I dare not say such things, Your Highness. However..."
This good-looking elf who followed the Crown Prince wherever he went was his most loyal vassal Drannor Glynrie, his Royal Butler. Despite entering an extremely dangerous area, he wore no armor on top of his butler attires. His only weapon was a thin sword hanging on his waist that looked the same as his Prince's weapon, and a pair of daggers strapped to his thighs.
The nobles in Aliomeri always considered this scheming butler from the Glynrie clan to be the real deal ; the real mastermind behind the First Prince faction.
The Crown Prince was smart and strong enough to inspire respect among all the citizens of his kingdom, but he was also extremely selfish, had no respect nor compassion for commoners, and he considered himself superior to everyone except his mother, the Queen.
If his butler wasn't here to constantly give him pieces of advice, keep his faction in check and lead him to the correct path so he can inherit the throne without any issues... this arrogant Prince would have already died long ago after offending a powerful noble clan, or from the blade of a commoner avenging one of the many young elf women he used every night for pleasure.
In Aliomeri, when a royal is born, an entire clan is assigned to tutor him as Royal Guardians. Sheltering the royal children is not the duty of the Queen, but the duty of the clans protecting them. This long tradition ensures a certain power balance between the numerous clans forming the Kingdom, as well as limiting the Adveris royal clan's influence over the different noble factions.
It creates a balance between the royal family and the high noblesse, while ensuring that only the most deserving successor access the throne.
Among the noble clans backing the royal siblings, only their most promising talents would have the honor to be a Royal Butler and grow up alongside the Royal children.
"Drannor, I heard Tialha and Palleas also joined the expedition without Mother's consent."
"Yes they did, Your Highness. They are in the rear with their escort and a group of half-blood."
"sigh... These kids..."
"If I may, Your Highness, why not use their unexpected presence as a way to weaken the Second Prince faction ?" The cunning butler said so with a smile, implying to his liege that the presence of his younger siblings was a blessing in disguise.
"How so ?"
"You could send them scouting the inner forest as a punishment for disobeying the Queen, and once you confirmed their death... you can blame the Second Prince for his late arrival."
If anyone else was proposing such a blasphemous idea, his head would have been rolling on the floor by now. But Drannor Glynrie was not anyone.
"Do you think Mother will allow such a stratagem ?"
If there was one thing all the Royal Siblings had in common, it was the fear of their mother's wrath. Even the Crown Prince, the closest to the throne in the succession battle, was terrified by his Mother. She was the only reason why he didn't just kill his siblings already.
The Queen of Aliomeri did not care much about her children, she only cared about the one who would be the more fitting to inherit the throne. That's why despite not giving them attention, she was still observing them. If the First Prince decided to assassinate his younger siblings, the Queen would probably behead him and hang his head on the capital walls for being so weak that he needed to use an underhanded way to achieve his goals.
The Crown Prince feared the Queen's anger even more than death itself. If she learns he shamed the Adveris Royal family by committing such vile acts to get the throne, he knew his death wouldn't be peaceful.
"While Her Majesty would not allow you to assassinate your siblings, I believe she would not mind if they perished during the campaign.
Otherwise, why would she allow them to join the expedition despite her not giving her consent to their presence ?"
The Prince thought about his butler's words, and they made sense.
"Once again, you are right Drannor. What Mother despise the most is not assassination itself, but the shame it will put on our name if not done correctly. If I can achieve it while preserving the Adveris family's honor... even if she knows everything, she may turn a blind eye to my actions."
"I think the same, Your Highness. The Second Prince late arrival might also be due to the same reason. He may think that delaying the reinforcement would put you at risk. You need to be careful, Your Highness."
After carefully listening to his butler, the Crown Prince finally knew what to do. He decided to use this invasion as a pretext to eliminate his younger siblings.
In fact, he couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Whatever happens in the forest would stay in the forest.
With the help of his Royal Butler, he continued to prepare his plan while continuing to advance through the forest with his army.
They thought they still had a day of travel before reaching the inner forest... and yet, despite their precautions, none of them noticed they already entered the Oracle's domain.
Even if the Scylla who took down their forces during their first invasion years ago wasn't here anymore, there was another being much more wicked and cruel who was watching over them.
'Interesting.'
This tall and slender figure that observed the First Prince from the shadow of a giant tree looked in the direction of the Aliomeri's army rearguard, before slowly engulfing itself in the darkness.
'These. Two. Shall. Please. Master.'
___
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