At the end of the harsh cold winter, the development of a civilization snowballs into a flurry.
And its foundation will be the three books, this is the number of books that the Elf King is able to write in the duration of three months while he wages war against the humans. They are namely Fae Legends, Random Ideas, and Instruction Manual.
For a task such as 'writing' stuff on books, it is impressive how his majesty is even able to cram all of his slapdash portions of knowledge into books and categorize them according to their nature.
It doesn't seem weird though that the King is able to do this. To Kara, this is common sense for the King to be able to do it.
Kara everyday spends her time at least an hour reading the 'Instruction Manual', something like a guide for her. This particular book detailing methods of how she can 'conquer the human race' is a very interesting book. Its contents are devious and will corrupt whoever reads this.
Not the Elf Princess though… Or so she confidently likes to tell herself.
She is unsure of why she is feeling pity while she reads the 'Instruction Manual', maybe this is the crystallization of the madness that the Elf King is trying to suppress, or maybe she is just misinterpreting things.
"Scorch earth tactics… Leave nothing behind… Blitzkrieg… Genocide… Value of chemical weapons… The flaws of the feudal system… Terrorism… Rumormongering… Important resources… Importance of logistics…" The most common terms in the book are related to war. Kara recalls Varen's story-telling of the events of the war prior to Urden, and while Kara is hungry for revenge at that time, now, she is not.
"His majesty is truly incredible…" She whispers to herself in admiration.
It is peculiar how such rage and desire for vengeance can just burn out like that. In her eyes, maybe she is seeing the Elf King as her father, so at the thought of him dying, she realizes how futile and hateful revenge is…
Maybe the reason why she is feeling like this is that the target of her vengeance is now dead— the Urden. If she does manage to keep feeding wood to the burning flames of desirous vindication, maybe she will set her eyes out for the rest of humanity in her desire for blind vengeance.
There is a saying, the human heart is complicated and unpredictable, Kara can confidently say that the same is true for the elven heart... Just by how imperceptibly becoming twisted she is... this cannot be more true.
Oh~ how she wishes they can just explode the world and be done with ending all life in existence...
The Instruction Manual is not entirely a warmongering book for it also contains information on how to achieve economic domination… and on top of this other methods of winning against humanity. The things the Elf King wrote are truly fascinating.
In her little breaks, this is the only pleasure that Kara has.
Busying herself with administrative tasks, she swears to make a Kingdom out of the Dark Forest.
First and foremost, Kara prioritizes the increase of working personnel to various jobs deliberately guiding more of her fellow elves to the art of crafting. A Kingdom is its citizens, so Kara has to pay attention to her people very well if she wants to prosper.
The importance of job specialization is something that the King heavily emphasizes especially in their own small conversations when they are still in the Beyronald territory. It is similarly highlighted in the Instruction Manual how this specialization can contribute to their growth in an exponential amount.
The problem is… the elves are truly a lazy bunch… The elves' most popular profession is the 'hunter', and if there is nothing to hunt, these elves will even go as far as just to eat grass on lunch… They are abominably lazy… that they try their best to find the easy way out… always…
As an elf, Kara understands this instinctive laziness… It is like there is this instinct to preserve as much energy as possible.
According to the Elf King, it is due to their diet. The ancient elves are said to be vegetarians and abstain from eating meat. Only in the past millennia did the elves change their habit of solely eating greens, but despite the extra protein, the elves remain physically lacking energy most often times.
This is why when during the war, the Elf King has it as a protocol for the elves to eat three times a day a lot of meat. Usually, elves only eat twice a day or even just once. Thus, this emphasizes the elves' great love of sloth.
Why do elves love hunting? It is ironic how elves also are lazy when it comes to hunting when they have a decisive knack for it.
To this question, an elf will likely answer. "Because it is easy. You just shoot an arrow, and you have a meal!" It sounds crazy, but that is how gifted the elves are in hunting allowing them the luxury of being lazy.
Remembering the Elf King's words on how the elves should change their ways, Kara realizes once again how the humans are so strong… It is not due to their superior steel, or their abundant population, but because humans in general are very hardworking. Though not all of them, a significant amount of humans are certainly possessing a great drive for survival, improvement, and even ambitions unique to their own.
Slowly, society is developing around the Elf Princess's guidance. The most obvious changes are the growing structure of the military. Kara doesn't have to pay much attention to them as the elves specifically under the designation of the King are responsibly doing their duties as members of the forming military. Trudviar, Lafira, and Varen are doing incredibly well.
While the military is steadily growing, the production-type elves are similarly expanding.
Not a second did Kara waste. She is eager, and she will use every method available to her. In a short time, a distinct feudal system takes shape. However, instead of farmlands, the elves have 'Tree Houses' in which they have to pay monthly rent for occupancy.
Kara is not directly using the term 'paying', but 'contribution' instead, this play in words is necessary so that they can reduce the unrest that the Dark Forest brings to her subjects.
The protection fee is in the form of services, which is more than enough for the elves to develop in a steady manner. The secret to making the elves work is using the threat of the Dark Forest as a deterrent, and using the military as a metaphorical fence. It is a different arrangement of the stick-and-carrot approach, but it works just the same.
The true basis of a feudal system is the military, and only with the motivation that comes from the fear of death can elves truly realize their full potential. The survival instincts of the elves are dull, but that doesn't mean they don't fear death.
In barely over a year, a functioning community spanning a couple of kilometers exerts its presence in the Dark Forest. The elves finally have a home, and this is just the beginning for Kara.
"What do you think, Yirlung? Aren't I great?" Kara whimsically asks in a boastful tone to her Guardian Tree of the great progress over the past year.
Yirlung, who always remains by her side, shoots down Kara's happy mood. "Not yet, your highness."
Kara pouts at the bluntness of her Guardian Tree, but it is not so bad either as she likes his honesty as much as his bluntness. "Inform Allenwood to distribute the new soluble. It is time we increase our population in a frenzy."
Under the eaves of the green leaves of the Dark Forest, Kara watches over the elves' growing domain. "I would love to name this place as capital, but it is not time yet. We are still insufficient." She regrettably tells to no one in particular.
Sitting on a comfy lacquered wooden sofa, she gazes at the open terrace in deep thought.
"Hmmm… Also please contact Lafira… It is time we reconnect with old acquaintances. It is the perfect opportunity for us to initiate trade. We have so many things we don't need and a great lack of things that we do need…" A particular merchant enters her mind, to which, she is unsure of how to proceed.
According to Lafira, they can make use of the merchant, Wisley, as much as they like without consequences as long as they can maintain the right amount of wariness.
After writing on a piece of paper her letter to Lafira, Kara hands it to Yirlung. "You may go now. Please give this letter to Varen. He will know how to deal with it. And also, ask Allenwood about the progress of the second type of potion. Allenwood's potioneering will be the core of our race's advancement, so it is necessary that we should adjust to his pace."
Yirlung respectfully nods to her instructions. "As your command, your Highness… but where are you going?" At the sight of Kara standing from her seat, and draping her coat over her shoulders, Yirlung raises his eyebrow with disapproval clearly on his face.
Kara sighs at her Guardian Tree's overprotectiveness. "I will just go on a stroll…"
"Please have someone escort you…" Yirlung's stern voice suggests no compromise.
The number of people who can meet Allenwood is limited. This is for the sake of secrecy, and Yirlung is among the few who have the right to meet with the alchemist. It is a 'law' that the princess devises for the sake of their most important resource. For Varen who is similarly lacking in availability with the nature of his work, only Yirlung can make contact with the fearsome Ratatoskr who is spreading his influence in the underworld. The Valkyries are more out-of-reach as Lafira's units are treading more foreign domains.
Kara shakes her head rejecting Yirlung's words. "I am only visiting the slumbering King…"
The Elf Princess smiles, and understandably, Yirlung didn't offer any more rebuttal.
At the beginning of new winter, Kara revisits the Elf King, and with it comes the preparation of a feast.
"I am going to fulfill my promise to my people. The last winter will only be the harsh winter... It will be different this time." With a charming smile, Kara proudly declares her ambition for this year end.