Chapter 444: I Am the Negotiation Specialist (1)

– Chirp chirp chirp chirp.

Birds fluttered nonstop, chirping loudly.

In this mystical forest filled with trees, light, and flowers, it had been a long time since the birds reacted so fervently.

At the center of the forest, under a tree so enormous it seemed to cover the world, an elven woman was wrapped in vines.

With an expressionless face, she slightly moved her hands, which were bound by the vines.

Snap.

The vines snapped powerlessly, freeing her hand.

Snap.

The same happened with the other hand. With a little more force, the vines restraining her legs began to break as well.

Snap, snap.

Eventually, all the vines broke. She realized that the restriction placed on her had been lifted, that she had regained her freedom.

"Ah..."

She rose from her spot, yet her expression showed no joy. Instead, it was a bittersweet, almost sorrowful look.

"So, the time has come..."

For decades, she had felt the restriction weakening. She had known that a moment like this would eventually arrive.

She had prayed and prayed that it would not.

"But it was inevitable, after all."

Long ago, she had hunted down the priests of the Salvation Church.

Unable to move, she had traced their movements through the sounds of nature and sent other elves to fight them in the shadows.

Even recently, she had found traces of a high priest and sent elves to the Kingdom of Lutania, only for them all to perish.

The same happened with the elves sent to other kingdoms. Despite sending forces capable of eliminating the priests, they had been defeated instead.

"Their power has grown stronger."

The power wielded by the priests of the Salvation Church was a holy power entirely different from that of other priests. The fact that their power had grown stronger meant that the being they worshiped had gained enough influence in this world.

The lifting of her restriction was also due to the same reason. The feared event had finally occurred.

She sighed, muttering words that no one else could understand.

"Have you truly returned…?"

Most people would have no idea why such events were happening. But she knew.

She had lived for a very long time, seeing and experiencing much with her own eyes.

"It seems I must fight again."

Murmuring to herself, she clenched and unclenched her hands several times. The restriction had been so strong that her full strength had not yet returned.

But even with her current strength, she was more than capable of killing the priests of the Salvation Church. She was that powerful elf.

When she stepped out of her dwelling, the elves gasped in shock and cried out.

"Chieftain!"

"The restriction has finally been lifted?"

"The promised time has come!"

The elves who saw her emerge all shone with a mix of excitement, urgency, and desperation. Their behavior was uncharacteristic of a race that loved peace and harmony.

It was unavoidable. The elves were on the brink of extinction.

The elves who ventured out into the world had all been enslaved, and those who hid behind barriers were now greatly diminished after years of conflict.

Even elves could not remain indifferent to the extinction of their race. That despair had made them unlike themselves.

"Yes... it is time to break... the curse that binds us…"

She looked at the elves with sorrowful eyes. They wouldn't know. They wouldn't realize that this was a curse placed upon them by the one the Salvation Church called their king.

And that the responsibility for all of this lay with her, the chieftain.

As she briefly thought of "him," she shook her head to dispel her thoughts.

Now was the time to fight again. To save the world, to save the elves.

'I would make the same choice, even if I were to go back.'

There is no absolute right or wrong in belief. What matters is how firmly one stands by their convictions. And she never thought the choices she made in the past were wrong.

Strengthening her resolve, she slowly opened her mouth.

"What is the situation outside?"

"It's not good. The human armies are barely holding on. Too many nobles have been swayed by the Salvation Church."

"To hold out even that much is fortunate. Are there any remarkable individuals among them?"

"There are a few. Among them, one stands out the most."

"Who is it?"

"Count Fenris of the Lutania Kingdom."

"Count Fenris?"

"Yes, his forces alone are dealing with the rifts without significant damage. No, they're not just holding out; they're overwhelmingly dominant."

"Ho…"

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Having fought against rifts herself long ago, she knew how difficult they were to deal with.

But a mere count, not even a kingdom, was handling the rifts overwhelmingly? Her curiosity was piqued.

The elves provided her with detailed information about the outside world, focusing primarily on Count Fenris.

After listening to everything, she began to deliberate.

To fight the Salvation Church, humanity would need to unite. The monsters of the rift and their "king" were that formidable.

'Fenris… Fenris…'

She repeated the name Fenris several times.

When the restriction was lifted, she had planned to first visit an old comrade she had fought alongside long ago. Stripped of his role as the World's Mediator, he must still be suffering.

But with her restriction lifted, his would soon be as well. She figured she could delay their meeting a bit.

After deep thought, she made her decision.

"Let us head to the Lutania Kingdom. I must meet Count Fenris."

To unite humanity, they needed a rallying point. With Count Fenris demonstrating such exceptional skill against the rifts, it seemed wise to meet him first and decide on the course of action.

She immediately gathered a few elves and departed for the Lutania Kingdom.

***

After the war with the barbarians ended, Ghislain was finally able to receive news from other regions.

"Baron Valois surrendered?"

"Yes. He attempted to seize the territory while Count Rayfold was away."

"Hm, I wouldn't expect Baron Valois to act so easily."

"4th heir Daven pushed strongly. With his legitimacy and the absence of the army, it seems he thought it was a good opportunity."

It made sense. With Amelia away, he probably thought there was no reason to fear resistance.

Not that she would ever leave things unattended without reason.

"And the result?"

"The occupation was easy, but it seems Count Rayfold had hidden assassins inside the lord's castle. Fourth heir Daven was assassinated inside the castle."

"And Baron Valois just stood by?"

"Most of the defensive forces were stationed at the outer castle. With only a small escort, Baron Valois was captured alongside the heir. None of the castle staff or the territory's residents cooperated with them, leaving them helpless."

Hearing the report, Ghislain shook his head. If it had been an ordinary territory, the coup might have succeeded.

But both men had overlooked one crucial point. Amelia enjoyed overwhelming support from the people of Rayfold. No matter what they tried, the people wouldn't have cooperated.

On top of that, they had stationed their forces in the outer castle to defend against Amelia's troops, leaving themselves vulnerable to attacks from within.

"I suppose Baron Valois accepted surrender."

"Yes, after Daven's death, he relinquished everything without resistance."

Ghislain nodded. In his past life, Baron Valois had similarly surrendered when he realized all the heirs were dead.

The baron was a man who considered loyalty to the rightful heir of Rayfold's bloodline his creed.

Baron Valois was an excellent commander. Amelia would undoubtedly keep him alive and put him to good use.

"Tsk, tsk, I told them not to strike first."

Well, it wasn't exactly striking first. They probably justified it as taking an empty castle. After all, Baron Valois had no choice but to occupy and defend somewhere.

And if it was the lord's castle at the heart of Rayfold, even better.

"Any other news?"

"Countess Rayfold has been purchasing large quantities of rune stones since before the war."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"Yes, not only is she gathering all available supplies within the kingdom using food and herbs, but she's also been actively trading with other nations."

Ghislain stroked his chin and nodded.

It was likely that Amelia was pushing herself to gather rune stones to improve the skills of her knights.

While most of the rune stones in the north were controlled by Fenris, meaning the supply wasn't abundant, Amelia had plenty of herbs and food. With those resources, it would be easier to obtain rune stones compared to before.

Currently, other kingdoms were in chaos, and the prices of food and herbs were skyrocketing to unimaginable levels.

While rune stones were certainly valuable, feeding the troops was a more urgent matter.

Ghislain also reviewed the situation in the territory of Perdium.

"Perdium will be busy for a while."

"Yes, they need to merge the barbarian tribes that lost their warriors. For now, they are expanding their territory northward and taking measures to integrate the tribes into our culture."

"Good. It will take some time, but there shouldn't be any major issues."

The barbarian tribes, having lost all their warriors, would inevitably be absorbed into the Kingdom of Lutania. They could no longer sustain themselves.

Even if they had the ability to rebuild, they couldn't be left alone. If they were to grow strong again, they would become a threat once more. This was the perfect opportunity to stabilize the north completely.

The reporter hesitated for a moment before delivering additional information.

"This isn't particularly significant, but… there's a discussion taking place among Perdium's knights and soldiers."

"A discussion about what?"

"About whether or not to expel a knight named Skovan from Perdium…"

"Skovan?"

"Yes, he's currently nicknamed the 'Knight of Calamity.' There's growing sentiment questioning if they should continue to tolerate such an ominous figure while the territory is developing. Some even call him the 'King of Calamity.'"

"…I see. It seems we have a lot of 'kings' on our side."

The opening of the northern rift wasn't Skovan's fault. However, for some reason, his reputation always took a hit whenever he was involved in something.

During the orc subjugation, he had been called the 'Knight of Lies,' and now, his nickname had become even harsher. Hearing that someone who had even been imprisoned because of him was now facing further harassment made Ghislain feel a bit sorry for him.

"…Stop those discussions and make sure Skovan gets promoted. He's a friend who has been diligently performing his duties."

"…Understood."

"Also, tell them to stop believing in such superstitions. Who on earth is spreading these rumors?"

The source of the rumors was Skovan's adjutant, Ricardo, but Ghislain couldn't possibly know that.

Clicking his tongue a few times, Ghislain shifted the conversation.

"There's no major issue in the west, is there?"

"No, Lord Tenant is managing it well."

"Good. Then we'll soon be able to move to the east."

Tenant was leading the northern forces and skillfully holding back the western rifts. While the rift's influence had expanded, they managed to endure by reducing the number of riftborn and retreating strategically.

Unlike the northern rift, which expanded rapidly, the western rift didn't grow as quickly. With their experience, the northern forces could hold out for a few days without much difficulty.

The real issue was in the east. While there weren't many rifts there, the casualties among their forces were steadily increasing.

They needed to finish dealing with the remaining western rifts and move eastward as quickly as possible.

"Before that, there's something I need to prepare."

Ghislain wrote a letter and handed it to a messenger.

"Deliver this to Claude. Tell him to get things ready."

"Understood."

Preparations to collaborate with other kingdoms had to be made in advance. By joining forces with other kingdoms, it would be easier to deal with the duchy allied with the Salvation Church.

Since Ghislain was too busy fighting, he planned to leave those preparations to Claude and Marquis Branford.

"Let's set off now. We need to handle this quickly."

As soon as the war with the barbarians ended, Ghislain and the Fenris Mobile Army moved out again to address the rifts. They could truly be considered the busiest people in the kingdom.

Joining up with the northern forces, Ghislain immediately entered the rift zone to engage in battle. As always, he swept through the riftborn with overwhelming firepower and shouted.

"Now, we're going after Equidema. But starting today, we're using a new strategy!"

At his words, the northern forces widened their eyes.

These soldiers were veterans of rift suppression. They had been dealing with Equidema without major losses so far.

The idea of trying a new strategy naturally piqued their curiosity.

Those who had fought at the northern fortress already knew what the strategy would entail and nodded knowingly. They didn't need to see it to figure it out.

With a satisfied expression, Ghislain continued.

"From now on, Saintess… no, Saint Piote will lead the charge against Equidema! This is the method the goddess has shown us!"

"Wow!"

"Hail the saint!"

"Blessings to the saint from the goddess!"

Though they didn't know exactly how this strategy would work, the northern forces erupted in cheers.

Piote was a priest held in high regard by everyone. On top of that, it was known that he was protected by the goddess. With someone like him receiving divine guidance and leading the charge, it was natural for morale to soar.

"Uh? Uh?"

Piote, who had been listening to the speech with a bewildered expression, turned pale.

Ghislain's words meant that, just like last time, Piote was expected to personally charge at Equidema and fight.

And this time, he would be leading the charge.

'Goddamn…'

For the first time in his life, he muttered a curse from the depths of his heart.

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