Chapter 18
Iseria's parlor had the feel of a squirrel's tree house from a fairy tale.
Because Simaril's baby was so adorable, Vieta, seated on a wooden sofa, was kicking her feet excitedly.
“Ah, how can a baby be this cute?”
Vieta had honestly thought she might not get to see Simaril and her baby.
After all, Simaril had just given birth in a dilapidated old shack.
To make matters worse, the mother had been kidnapped, and given all the adverse circumstances, both mother and child might have suffered lasting effects.
Fortunately, however, both Simaril and the baby seemed to be safe.
Since Simaril had come out to the parlor with the baby as soon as Vieta arrived, Vieta was able to fawn over the baby to her heart's content.
“Honestly, how can the baby's cheeks be this soft and squishy?”
Since the baby was less than a week old, Vieta couldn't hold the baby, but after washing her hands, she was granted the honor of touching one cheek.
The baby's milky-white cheeks were so plump and soft that it was impossible not to touch them at least once.
“Lady Vieta….”
As Vieta continued to fuss endlessly, Iseria called her name in an awkward voice.
Vieta belatedly realized that she had been making too much of a fuss and blushed.
“I'm sorry, Simaril. I was being too excitable. Come to think of it, where did Jim go?”
“Jim just fell asleep. He must be a little tired after looking after Erillon all night.”
Simaril's condition didn't look particularly good either.
Her once-glossy hair was hastily tied back, and the skin beneath her eyes, once as white as porcelain, was dark with fatigue.
“I see. You must be tired too, Simaril, so you should go back inside. Thank you for coming all the way out here.”
Vieta put her disappointment aside and said goodbye to Simaril.
“I'm glad to see you again too, Lady Vieta.”
“I'll leave the baby gifts in Iseria's care, so don't forget to take them! I also bought supplements for you, Simaril, so make sure you take them on time.”
Blanc had recommended the supplements.
He had said that baby gifts were nice, but shouldn't they take care of the mother as well?
The employee listening to them had emphatically agreed, so Vieta had bought a bottle of supplements each for Simaril and Jim.
“I didn't expect you to bring a gift for me too. Thank you so much.”
Simaril smiled with her badly chapped lips.
***
After Simaril left, silence lingered in the parlor.
“You came because of what happened to Simaril, didn't you?”
By the time everyone's teacups were nearly empty, Iseria let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“…For the time being, yes, I suppose. You know the elves' circumstances best.”
Vieta recalled the report from Fulcare that she had been poring over all morning.
[Upon examining the large quantities of ash buried near the scene, elf remains were found….]
The hollows and piles of ash Vieta had seen all over the hut were traces of elves and humans being burned.
A high-ranking mage must have used magic to burn them all in an instant.
Iseria glanced at Blanc, then withdrew her gaze and fell into thought.
She seemed reluctant to expose the shame of her own kind.
“Please speak freely. Sooner or later, the Imperial Palace will learn of it as well.”
“That is true.”
At Blanc's urging, Iseria quietly began to speak.
“It seems there has been some resistance to the new chieftain since the recent change in leadership.”
There were several reasons a new elven chieftain might be chosen. It wasn't always because the previous chieftain had died; sometimes God hid the chieftain, and often they simply stepped down of their own accord.
“Lord Siran was a great leader, but he excelled in martial prowess. Once the Demon King's threat had vanished and the World Tree began to stabilize, perhaps he felt his role was over and stepped down from the chieftain's position. He hoped the next chieftain would lead the elves with wisdom.”
“What was the new chieftain's name again? El… what was it?”
“Lord Ellrod. He is young, but kind-natured and intelligent. However, since he was elected with Lord Siran's support….”
“I suppose the other chieftains' sons and daughters couldn't accept him?”
At Blanc's words, Iseria nodded.
“Yes. Since they haven't openly rebelled yet, it seems Lord Ellrod has no way to push back against them. There are few forces at the World Tree to support him, either.”
“They haven't openly rebelled? What does that mean?”
Despite Iseria's kind explanation, Vieta felt her brainpower plummeting.
It wasn't that she couldn't understand; the mental effort required to parse Iseria's words was far too high for the payoff.
“They must be contradicting the chieftain's policies at every turn under the guise of offering frank counsel. There is no better way to weaken the chieftain's influence while showing off their own power.”
As Blanc frowned, Iseria took a letter from inside her robe and set it on the table.
“Would you take a look at this too? It arrived a while ago, and it asked me to move my residence to the Kingdom of Madak. At first, I started writing a reply without a second thought….”
“The edge of the World Tree leaf on the seal is subtly different…. But it seems difficult to tell whether this is a forgery or not?”
By then, Blanc had even taken out his glasses, and his expression was filled with seriousness.
“Yes. So I replied to the chieftain that the letter had been damaged and I couldn't read it.”
“Since there is always the possibility of such a thing, I think that was a wise choice.”
Blanc calmly gave his opinion while flipping through the report on the table.
“If it is true that someone forged the seal and sent the letter, then the opposition faction must indeed be powerful. However, wouldn't it be difficult to say that the opposition faction was behind the elf disappearances?"
“Why do you think so?”
“To defeat a legitimately elected chieftain and become the new chieftain, they would need to make up for their lack of legitimacy, so support from other elves would be more important than anything. They aren't merely purging elves who are firmly on the current chieftain's side; would the opposition have any reason to kill ordinary elves who might even become their allies?”
Blanc's brow had begun to furrow slightly. The scent of black tea rising from the teacups was the only thing easing the tension in the conversation.
“Even so, you were the one who first brought up the opposition in connection with the disappearances. Do you believe the opposition has joined forces with a third party we don't know about and is using the elves?”
[Of the sixteen perpetrators, 12 were human, while the remaining 4 were elves….]
Blanc pointed to the word “human” in the report.
“Indeed, at the end of the senior investigator's report, it says—albeit as a personal opinion—that a third party may be involved and that its ties to the elven rebels are suspect. Daughter of the chieftain, what do you think? Do you believe the opposition is also involved in murdering their own kind?”
Perhaps caught off guard by Blanc's sudden question, Iseria let out a short exclamation.
“…Was that question too direct?”
“No. I'm still considering that point myself…. To be honest, I don't know what the opposition would gain by murdering their own kind. Especially if they went so far as to involve a third party to get around the taboo against killing their own.”
Elves were bound by a strong sense of kinship. The moment they killed one another, they would not only be banished from elven society but also suffer terrible agony under the World Tree's wrath.
“…I see.”
Blanc tapped the armrest with his fingers a few times, then continued.
“Could that third party be trying to drive a wedge between the Empire and the elves? If not, there would be no reason for them to do something like this in Imperial territory.”
The Empire and the elves.
Iseria's face, lost in thought, gradually paled.
“If their goal is to drive a wedge between the two, then I should contact Laurent right away. If Laurent were to take a hostile stance toward the World Tree, it would only help them. And even if he doesn't, if someone were to attack the World Tree….”
“Laurent? You mean the one who fought alongside the Hero during the Demon World War?”
“Yes, that's right. As far as I know, Laurent has the closest ties to the World Tree among my companions.”
“Indeed, he sounds trustworthy.”
Blanc nodded quietly.
***
“Did you sleep well?”
At Blanc's question, Vieta blushed. She had tried to listen seriously, but at some point she lost her battle with the drowsiness that came over her and nodded off.
"Uh, sorry, Iseria."
“Not at all. I'm simply grateful that you came all this way to listen.”
Seeing the flustered Vieta, a smile bloomed on Iseria's face.
The Hero had often dozed off even while devising strategies in the Demon World.
That was why Iseria knew very well how much Vieta hated anything that required her to think.
“So what's the conclusion?”
To chase away the encroaching sleep, Vieta patted her cheeks with both hands.
“That someone may be trying to drive a wedge between the Empire and the World Tree.”
“This is going to be a pain.”
Vieta clicked her tongue with a 'tch.'