Chapter 116

Swoooooosh—!

A terrifying sound of something cutting through the air came from behind.

It was an arrow. An arrow shot by Paras.

‘…He shot an arrow from that far away to here?!’

Heliai, flustered, tried to twist its body to avoid the arrow, but it accurately pierced through Heliai's torso—between its giant eye and wing.

Shhhhwak—!

“G-Gwaaaaaaah!!!”

Although it was hit by an arrow, the wound it left was larger than a fist.

The pain was naturally immense, and Heliai let out a loud scream.

However, Heliai did not fall.

‘Thankfully, it hit my wing. If it had hit my body, I would have died instantly! Or I would have fallen to the ground and died!’

That was right. Heliai didn't particularly need its wings to fly. It was not the wings but flotation magic that kept it afloat.

The wings were merely for show.

Swoosh—! Swoooosh—!

Immediately, more arrows flew in. Each one of them struck Heliai's wings.

“Gwak!! Gwaaaaaah!!”

Even if the wings were unnecessary for flight, and could be considered decorative, they were still a part of its body. Naturally, it hurt to be shot by arrows.

The pain was rather intense because they were a sensitive part.

Before long, Heliai lost both its wings.

But it barely managed to maintain its magic, floating gently and heading south, toward the gathering place of the monster army.

‘That damn Elf… I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him one day!! I’ve memorized his face!!’

***

“Well now……. Why isn’t it falling?”

Paras, who had been shooting arrows into the sky for a while, made a slightly bewildered sound.

He seemed to be concentrating intensely, so I hadn't spoken to him, but now that he had lowered his bow, I cautiously asked.

“Lord Paras, what is the matter?”

“I told you to call me Uncle.”

“Ah, yes. Uncle.”

“A monster got away. Its body is a large eye with wings… I kept hitting its wings trying to capture it, but it wouldn’t fall. Even after I shot down both its wings.”

…There was a monster with a large eye for a torso and wings?

I hadn't even seen such a monster.

“Why did you only use arrows? You could have captured it with magic.”

Barut, who was nearby, asked, and Paras shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“I’m not very good at magic.”

“But you’re an Elf?”

“Don’t think that all Elves are good at magic. Are all Giants big and strong?”

“That’s right. All Giants are big and strong.”

“…….”

Seemingly not expecting such a response, Paras paused for a moment before smiling again and answering.

“Most Elves are good with magic. But I practiced archery in the time I would have spent on magic practice. I wanted to be better than my sister at least at one thing.”

“Your sister… so you wanted to be better than Victoria.”

“That’s right. As you know, my sister’s magic was tremendous. I knew I could never catch up to her in magic, so I practiced the bow. Thanks to that, I became the best archer among the Elves, but my magic is—.”

Pop……!

As Paras spoke, he created a large water droplet in his palm.

“I can only do this kind of magic. Basic magic like creating water or fire. Instead, I can imbue my arrows with magical power to make them stronger. It’s a magic only I can use.”

I didn't quite understand what ‘imbue arrows with magical power’ meant. The sound of the arrows he shot earlier was incredibly fierce, so perhaps it was related to that.

‘Anyway… it seems this crisis is over.’

As that thought came to me, I relaxed a little.

Jereuth approached and said.

“Your Highness. We’ve captured one monster. May I go and interrogate it?”

“Interrogate?”

“Yes. To find out why they attacked Your Highness, how they knew we were here, and other information.”

“Uh…….”

Jereuth spoke calmly, but I could feel the anger in his voice. And it wasn't just anger; it was extreme rage.

You know that kind of voice. The kind that gets low when someone is extremely angry. That was exactly how Jereuth sounded now.

It seemed Jereuth was extremely angry about the monsters' attack.

‘I know why the monsters came here, but… it might be good for Jereuth to interrogate it, as he might find out something else.’

“I understand, Commander. Will it take long?”

“If it talks right away, it will be over quickly. But if it doesn’t answer immediately…….”

Jereuth smiled, or rather, only his eyes smiled as he finished his sentence.

“It will take a little while.”

“…….”

“Then I shall be back shortly.”

***

In the bushes, a short distance from Leonardo.

A Black Oak, 'Hor', barely breathing, was bound to a large tree. Its arms were forcibly twisted back, its shoulders grotesquely contorted, and its legs lay limply and pathetically askew.

Jereuth had done something to its legs to prevent it from escaping.

But contrary to its appearance, Hor's eyes were alive. They were sharp as a blade, burning with hostility and a will to fight.

‘How dare they inflict this humiliation upon me… I will somehow survive and return, and I will repay this a hundred, a thousand times over. I will kill you, Human! Giant! Elf!!’

As Hor was thinking this.

Rustle—.

An old human knight in armor appeared, parting the bushes. His body was covered in blood, all of it monster blood.

“You son of a bitch!! I will kill you no matter what!!! Did you form an alliance with the Giants and Elves?! You cowardly bastards!!”

Upon seeing Jereuth, Hor thrashed his body violently. It was useless since his shoulders were already shattered and his lower body wouldn't obey him, but he still tried to do something with the human knight so close.

Like a beast in a cage, it was common to fear a monster, no matter how bound.

Especially a powerful monster like this Black Oak.

But Jereuth didn't even blink.

“I am Jereuth. One of the knights serving His Highness Leonardo.”

Clank—.

Jereuth took off his helmet and placed it beside him, continuing to speak calmly.

“You seem to be a Black Oak. I've heard many rumors, but this is the first time I've seen one in person.”

“Damn it, you bastard! I’ll kill you!! Hey, come a little closer—!!”

Smack—!

Jereuth expressionlessly struck Hor across the face. Jereuth’s gauntleted fist instantly shut Hor’s mouth.

Its jaw shattered, and several teeth flew out.

“You have two choices. One is to answer my questions immediately and die a relatively easy death. The other is to keep resisting like this, suffer all kinds of pain, and eventually tell me everything before you die.”

“Ugh… ugh… damn it…!”

“It would be best not to expect mercy from me. Just as you monsters see humans and other races as food, slaves, or even less, I see you the same way.”

“…….”

“Also, don't delude yourself into thinking I will hesitate in the slightest to torture you or that I might accidentally kill you. I guarantee you, I have tortured far more monsters than you have killed humans. …Though this is nothing to be proud of.”

Shing—.

Jereuth drew a dagger and held it right in front of Hor's eye.

“Now, the first question. It’s an easy one, so I trust you’ll answer right away. What was your purpose in coming here? Were you really after us? If you weren't after us, then—.”

“Ptooey—!”

“……So you choose the hard way. And I don’t enjoy inflicting pain on others.”

“Fuck you, you son of a bitch!! Gwaaaaaaaah!! I’m gonna kill you! You bastard!!”

The Black Oak couldn't contain its fury.

This time too, Jereuth didn't even blink. He merely let out a sigh.

“Another sin piles up.”

***

—Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…!!!

Ever since Jereuth went into the bushes to interrogate the monster, screams like that had been ringing out. I was startled when I first heard it, but as I kept hearing it, I gradually grew accustomed to it.

Well… being accustomed to it didn't mean it didn't bother me.

But as if I was the only one who found it serious, Paras was smiling cheerfully.

“Leonardo, shall this uncle teach you how to shoot a bow? Even if you have no talent, if I teach you, you could be called a ‘divine archer’ among humans!”

“Haha…….”

“There are two theories in Elven archery. One is ‘overcoming the wind,’ and the other is ‘using the wind’! But this uncle, through original training and theory, has figured out ‘how to rule the wind’! What do you think, want to learn?!”

For reference, Paras had been sticking by my side, talking about this and that. Since he was my benefactor and it seemed best to maintain a good relationship, I had been responding, but… to be honest, he was too talkative.

‘Is this how uncles feel when they see their newborn nephews? He did say I was the youngest among all the Elven families in the world.’

After talking to himself for a while, Paras stood up and said.

“More importantly, it seems Jereuth will take a while. It looks like we’ll be camping here today, so I’ll go get some food. Do you like ‘Phlpine’ fruit?”

“Phlpine?”

“You must not know. It’s a special apple that only grows in the Monster Mountains. It’s a fruit with lots of nutrients and is very filling. You’re at an age where you need to eat well and grow well, so I’ll get a lot for you.”

Fwip—!

After saying that, Paras immediately leaped up into a tree. I had no idea where that jumping power came from in those thin legs. He said he wasn't good at magic, so it must be physical ability.

Are all Elves like that? Then will I also one day…?

‘Probably not. Anyway, this is a good opportunity. I should check the Future Diary.’

Jereuth had gone to interrogate the monster, and Barut and Grondar were holding a funeral for King Philip.

I didn't know if it was a traditional Giant funeral, but Barut and Grondar were gathering pieces of wood to build an altar and burning the king’s belongings.

Though the king’s belongings were only the backpack he was carrying and some minor clothing.

Shhk—.

I didn't know when Paras would return, so I decided to check the Future Diary right away.

‘This crisis should be over. Still, just in case… shall I look at the future closest to the present?’

I opened to the future closest to the present.

But the content was a bit strange.

…….

Four years have passed since the Minotaur was sealed.

During that time, the kingdom has been very peaceful. It has achieved considerable development in all fields, including military, commerce, and agriculture.

The ‘long-distance communication crystal ball,’ which was at a prototype level about two years ago, has also seen much development. It couldn't send video like a video call yet, but the calls worked very well. Not only had the sound quality improved, but the communication range had also increased to a maximum of 10km.

It was a great advancement in magic technology.

Recently, to extend that communication range, something called a ‘radio wave receiver’ is being built throughout the kingdom.

When I casually mentioned something like the transmission towers I had in Korea, the elders of the Mage Tower heard it and started building it in a flash, saying, 「“King Leonardo… you are truly a genius. It’s enough to give me chills!”」.

To be honest, I don't know the principles of transmission towers, let alone magic, so I don't know how it's progressing. Still, since the elders of the Mage Tower, who are serious about magic research, are doing it, I think it will work out somehow.

Agriculture is also abundant. Cows, horses, and other livestock are healthy and plump.

The kingdom has gradually become prosperous.

As such, on the surface, the kingdom was peaceful.

‘On the surface,’ that is.

Ronak's report, who went to scout the Monster Mountains, has arrived.

…….

‘…Peaceful on the surface?’

The nuance wasn't good.

I immediately turned to the next page.

…….

Ronak's scouting report on the Monster Mountains.

The report was once again filled with heavy content.

It was a report of over ten pages. To summarize, it said, 「It seems the monsters have almost finished their preparations to advance.」

‘The monster army has finished preparing to advance…’

In fact, it has been quite some time since I learned that the monster army would attack the kingdom.

The reason we didn't launch a preemptive strike was because of Jereuth’s opinion that we would surely be defeated if we entered the Monster Mountains.

Jereuth had said this.

「“For humans, who are physically inferior to monsters, to fight them on equal terms, we must form ranks and fight together. But if we fight in mountains, rivers, or forests, there’s a high probability of a chaotic battle. In such places, our chances of winning are low, no matter how well we fight.”」

It was a valid opinion. So I sent Ronak’s 'Kingdom’s Bandit Army' to the Monster Mountains.

They were more accustomed to fighting in mountains or rivers than other armies.

The mission I entrusted to them was to grasp the movements of the monster army.

And, if possible, to ambush the monsters and reduce their numbers even by a little.

Unfortunately, Ronak’s army could not reduce the number of monsters by much. Still, their information was of great help.

‘Is this the last page of the report?’

Flip—.

I checked the last page of the report Ronak sent.

「—Confirmed a part of the monster army's elite, about five thousand, moving towards the northwest of the kingdom.

—As a result of kidnapping and interrogating several monsters, found out it was ‘to destroy the Giants first before attacking the Plank Kingdom.’

—The reason they are attacking the Giants is said to be because they judged the Giants would become reinforcements for the humans.

—Requesting instructions on whether to support the Giants or return first.

—Important. It seems the war Your Highness was concerned about is imminent.」

…….

Reading this far, a cold sweat ran down my back.

‘…The monster army will attack the Giants before attacking the kingdom?’

This was information I didn't know. And it was not something I could take lightly.

‘If Barut and Grondar hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have been able to seal the Minotaur in the first place. Then the kingdom would have been finished without a doubt. So it’s right to help them.’

While I felt a moral responsibility towards the Giants like this—

In truth, I was more worried that I might not be able to receive the Giants' help in the war against the monster army.

‘The diary says the monster army will eventually attack the kingdom. …The war is unavoidable, I suppose. So if the Giants fought alongside us in that war, it would be a great help.’

If even I was thinking this now, the future me must have thought the same.

‘The future me must have supported the Giants, right? He wouldn't have just stood by, knowing they were being attacked by the monster army.’

—The moment I thought that.

Scribble, scribble, scribble—!

“!”

More was written in the diary.

But… the content was anything but ordinary.

…….

As soon as I read Ronak's report, I immediately sent troops to the Wasteland of Ruin to support the Giants.

But… it was a trap.

A few days later, a report that looked like it was hastily scribbled by Ronak arrived.

「…Your Highness, we tried to support the Giants, but the Giants of the Wasteland of Ruin had already been annihilated. The monster army headed to the Wasteland of Ruin to surround and attack our kingdom's reinforcements from the north and east simultaneously. They fed us false information.」

…….

Reading up to this point.

My mind went blank.

‘…The Giants have already been annihilated? Does that mean the Giants will be annihilated within five years?’