The Western Turmoil (7)

Beyond Kazaria to the north lay the country now occupied by the elves.

Its name was, I believe, Inelda.

Seventy percent of Inelda's territory was covered in forest, and surprisingly, it had apparently once been a country where humans and elves maintained ties.

Thus, just as Glenda, the lord of Jilchias's port town of Tomhans, had been, the learned people of this region had inherited knowledge of elven customs.

But when the Western religion began to spread through the west-central region, and many elves fled to and settled in Inelda's great forests, everything changed.

However, it was not the people of Inelda who had changed. Rather, the surrounding countries that had made the Western religion their state religion invaded in pursuit of the elves.

Much of Inelda's territory was covered in forest, making it a pleasant place for elves to live, but there was little land—too little and too cramped—for humans to prosper.

If they had cleared the forests and turned them into fields, things might have been different, but the people of Inelda, who had interacted with elves, apparently chose not to do so.

In short, Inelda was a country with a small population and little national strength.

It was far too weak to resist invasions from the surrounding countries...