Chapter 59
Near the entrance leading to the third ring, Laisen looked back.
Except for a few high elves hiding inside the Guardian Tree, most of the elves were following him.
“Tear up the agreement with the Empire!”
“Tear it up!”
“Prince Roen, step down right now!”
“Step down!”
Naive to a fault, the elves had been bewitched by his followers hiding here and there and kept shouting slogans pressuring Elrod.
It was a truly delightful spectacle.
At sunrise that morning, Laisen had distributed telegrams throughout the Elven Kingdom. The message claiming that the Empire had attacked the World Tree's messenger, along with Laisen's signature inscribed beneath it, had served as an excellent catalyst for the elves' anger toward the Empire, and the elves were now storming toward the World Tree with Laisen at their head.
As the elves' shouting gradually died down, Laisen gave his aide a look.
The aide cast a spell without hesitation, and when Laisen's body floated into the air, the elves' fading voices burst forth in a thunderous roar.
Laisen. Laisen.
Listening to his name echo again and again, Laisen raised one hand.
Then, when he clenched his fist, the surroundings fell silent in an instant.
“The World Tree is in danger.”
With his eyes gently closed and one hand placed over his chest, Laisen began his speech.
“The Empire burned the World Tree, tried to win us over with nothing more than bread and milk, and ultimately insulted us with a false agreement.”
From the long-standing trade in elven slaves to the recent attack on the messenger.
Laisen continued speaking in a sorrowful voice about the Empire's atrocities over the years, and fury blazed in the eyes of the elves listening to him.
“Finally, I wish to give Chief Elrod one last chance to correct her immature judgments. Until sunrise tomorrow, I will pray to the World Tree and the goddess for the revival of the elves and await the chief's word.”
When Laisen finished speaking, he spread both arms toward the sky and raised his head, and a thunderous cheer erupted.
“No matter how difficult and painful it may be, the glory of the elves must be created by the elves themselves. I, Laisen, will lead you all from the front.”
The speech was a success.
Even as the levitation spell wore off and he slowly descended to the ground, he waved to the foolish elves who supported him until the very end.
“We will proceed with the plan.”
Laisen nodded toward his loyal subordinate, who revered him.
In his sinister eyes, the image of the World Tree engulfed in flames beneath the dark night sky rose to the surface.
“You should get plenty of rest until midnight as well.”
Laisen patted his aide on the shoulder, then headed toward the center of the avenue leading to the World Tree.
Fifteen hours remained until midnight.
To make his best move, he would have to wait alone for the right moment, with everyone watching.
***
Silence hung over the office as the slogans continued to echo outside.
Iris, who had been looking out the window to check the situation outside, let out a despairing cry.
Elrod had her eyes squeezed shut, as though she could not bring herself to look outside.
“I'll prepare the knights right now. Fulcare, you get ready as well.”
Allos sounded just as agitated.
But Blanc thought differently.
If they prepared the knights and mages right now, it would only provoke the elves further.
Even so, they could not simply sit back and do nothing.
They had to establish at least a minimal defense against a possible attack.
“Head Mage, spread out a defensive barrier as widely as possible with the mages. Allos, tell the knights and soldiers to arm themselves, but under no circumstances are they to draw their swords without my command.”
Allos hurriedly left the office, and outside the window, a softly glowing golden defensive barrier rippled downward.
“I have relayed Your Highness's orders to the mages.”
Blanc nodded and looked at Elrod.
“What do you intend to do now?”
“I have no intention of continuing to hide like this. For now, I should go out and calm the people.”
“It is true that the chief needs to step forward, but if you say the wrong thing, it may only add fuel to the flames.”
“…Proving one's innocence truly is difficult.”
Elrod let out a pained groan.
“Innocence? Why not kidnap Laisen or whatever his name is and interrogate him?”
“How do you intend to kidnap Laisen in front of everyone?”
Iris replied peevishly to Laurent's rather extreme suggestion.
“Do we have to kidnap him secretly? If Vieta and Fulcare block the way, no one could enter Arba anyway.”
“…That is a truly crude method that fails to consider our position.”
Huh?
Laurent's face crumpled as he was about to retort, but Fulcare stopped him.
“I don't think Laurent is entirely wrong. If we can capture Laisen without causing a major disturbance, there won't be a quicker way to resolve this.”
“Does the Head Mage have any good ideas?”
“Wasn't it my job to come up with one even if I didn't have one?”
Fulcare smiled at the eight eyes fixed on him.
*
“What are you so worried about?”
Fulcare spoke to Blanc, who was looking out the window.
Fulcare was concerned by the prince's expression, which had grown even darker.
“No, it's just that I've kept feeling sad for some reason.”
It must be the World Tree's energy.
Blanc shook his head and sank deep into the sofa.
“…You're not anxious, are you?”
“What is there to be anxious about? I have you, and Vieta.”
Fulcare's plan was so perfect that it was impossible to imagine he had thought of it on the spot.
He claimed that the elves and humans would attack simultaneously at midnight, then eloquently explained the trap for capturing Laisen in front of everyone.
The various reasons Fulcare presented were truly sound, so everyone present voted in favor of his plan, and
under Iris and Allos's command, preparations for the defensive battle at midnight were proceeding steadily.
“What bothers me is why Laisen joined hands with the Kingdom of Madak of all places.”
Fulcare stared at Blanc with an interested expression.
“Simply because he wants to become chief? Or because of his hostility toward the Empire? Those two reasons could explain why Laisen started a rebellion, but they don't explain why the Kingdom of Madak is the other party in the alliance. For the Elven Kingdom, dealing with the nearby Duchy of Sijak would be far more beneficial than dealing with the distant Kingdom of Madak.”
Blanc paused for a moment to sort through his tangled thoughts, then continued.
“From the perspective of elves who have lost most of their mana, one might think they joined hands with the relatively magic-advanced Kingdom of Madak. But then, what benefit does the Kingdom of Madak gain from dealing with the elves?”
“Go on.”
“After discarding the absurd possibilities among all the various assumptions, only one remained. Could it be that the Kingdom of Madak and the elves are joining hands to swallow the Empire?”
“What is your basis?”
At Fulcare's question, Blanc pointed to his own heart.
“Um, my mother?”
“Wouldn't the Imperial Consort have too much to lose to turn against the Empire at this point? Besides, even if the elves and the Kingdom of Madak formed an alliance, I don't think that would bridge the gap in military strength. Neither the Imperial Consort nor the Kingdom of Madak would be foolish enough to start a war they were certain to lose.”
“…My mother is crazy, so maybe she could?”
Blanc sat up from the sofa and chuckled.
"Well, I'll think about it some more and tell you later."
For now, they had to prioritize the defensive battle at midnight.
***
[Vieta.]
The goddess Aurea's voice was feeble, like a reed felled by the wind.
“Why?”
And her chess piece was irreverent.
[There's truly no time left now.]
“Then tell me now. If it was a different sword that stabbed Blanc, why did an identical sword appear in the Demon Realm, and how did that sword end up in the Imperial Consort's hands? And why didn't you tell me until now? No, what exactly are you hiding?”
[I'm sorry, but I can't answer anything.]
Vieta's questions poured out like a waterfall, but Aurea weakly shook her head.
If she interfered with the mortal realm any further, she was certain to disappear before the final chapter of the scripture was complete.
As the guardian of the continent, the goddess could never sleep until every threat had disappeared.
“Why? If you can't answer, shouldn't you at least tell me why? That way, I might be able to accept it.”
Looking at the goddess standing silently, Vieta continued.
“…If you're not going to tell me anything, why did you summon me to this other world in the first place? Did you simply need an obedient chess piece that would hunt monsters at your command and protect the Empire? I've worked under you for nearly eight years. Isn't that long enough for you to tell me, if only because you feel sorry, as you put it?”
[…It's dangerous if you stay like this.]
All she could do was absorb Vieta's emotions while offering only subtle hints.
“You really do only ever talk about yourself. I'm sick of it. I really am.”
Vieta's eyes were filled with contempt as she looked at the goddess.