Clearing the Game at the End of the World

Chapter 186: Wizard of Wizards (6)

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Ah!-

Who am I? What is this? Where is this place?

Here? It is a village of banished elves located in the heart of the Blueline Mountains.

Me? I am a formal hero of the great Ro-Haram Order, renowned as the most rightful guardian of this realm.

Whisper whisper-

".Hero, more ferociously! Like a monster with uncontrollable ferocity! Krraang! Woah!"

"No, Lucilla. I am on my way to negotiate a historic agreement with someone who seems to be the great mother of this place"

"Every time you frown, a pile of silver coins falls out! What does it matter! Now, think of yourself as a clown or a bard, and krraang!"

Then, what in the world is this?

Thanks to my efforts to physically clear my mind outside the village, I was somewhat freed from the harsh charm of the water spirit, but the price was also severe.

"It's against our agreement but let's add one condition."

"What condition?"

"Bind this beast."

"Hmm. It's more generous than I thought. That shouldn't be hard. We already have some good ropes in our luggage-"

"No. That won't be enough. The branches of the forest will perform the task."

And so, this is how I ended up in this state.

Wrapped like a mummy in thin and strong threads of gold and silver, or clear blue resembling the forest.

The elves were quite shocked by my appearance in front of the village, enough to bind me with their hair'.

Though my broken head has healed, the blood that flowed down still remains on my face and clothes, giving off a bloody smell. I dared not magically wash it off for fear of reviving the wizardliness' that had just been calmed.

As a result, I now looked like the monster that mothers warn their children about at bedtime, Do the bad thing, and this monster will come and take you!' With a large build and bloodstained appearance, and the bizarre scene in front of the village, the elves reached the ridiculous conclusion to bind me with their most durable and elastic ropes', their own hair.

"It's a human."

"Woah. It's my first time seeing a human!"

"Doesnt he look terribly frightful? Did Narim catch him?"

"Maybe he's a kind of evil beast threatening our village."

As you can see, the result of entering the village in such a state was quite a spectacle.

Lucilla is thrilled since expensive bundles of elf hair are falling, but I am here to win the hearts of the people and foster friendship between elves and humans. An evil beast threatening the village? Isn't that similar to being treated like an ancient undead outside the barrier.

".Kids? Uncle is not that kind of bad person-"

Pabababak!

"Control your emotions, human! He is just a young elf who has just turned 25! We will apologize for the insult on his behalf!"

"Imagine the tender new shoots of spring, the dew at dawn, the fresh fragrance of flowers carried by the spring breeze! I am peaceful, I am peaceful, breathe in, breathe out."

"If you must kill, you must deal with us first! Even if you are an emissary of the human god, we cannot just stand by and watch you brutally slaughter a young elf"

No. I just looked. Just looked! And even if they are twenty-five, they are older than me, you guys!

The elves, as if the children were exposed to a serial child killer, made a big fuss and then started to firmly tie me up with their braided hair, cut from their own heads.

"Calm your madness, don't give in to yourself!"

"I have no religion, but I'll pray for your god, human!"

Around me, the elves are bustling as if handling nuclear fuel rods. Lucilla is taking notes with a happy expression as she watches the accumulating elf hair. The followers who came with me are keeping their distance, pretending not to know me as they tour the elf village.

".It's said that starting is half the battle."

Since this venture has started off poorly, the path ahead looks fraught with hardships.

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"Wait here for a moment. I'll speak to the Great Mother and return."

"Just a moment, really just a moment and I'll be back, so keep yourself together! If you cause a disturbance here, we'll have no choice but to kill you."

"Ah, I won't! I won't! When have I ever caused a disturbance!"

As Idrasil, full of suspicion, leaves, the followers who had been pretending ignorance and keeping their distance finally approached me.

"Hmm. An elf village, indeed. It has been quite a spectacle. Right?"

"That's right. The elves are quite different from the rumors known to the world. They seem not as hostile to outsiders as I thought. It was quite shocking to see that valuable elf hair is simply used as tough and sturdy rope. It's also used to weave roofs with leaves or hang small firefly lamps. Isn't elf hair famously used for top-quality bowstrings? I thought you, being a wizard, Aldritch, would be very interested in such a rare material?"

"I was curious about that too, and asked. They said freshly cut hair, apart from being tough, isn't of much value. It turns out that an elf bow reveals its true value over many years and after being passed through many elves' hands. It is finally perfected being constantly exposed to spirits and mana on the bowstring."

"So, the story that using elf hair for bowstrings among humans is beneficial?"

"It turns out to be a myth. Actually, such a bow becomes good only after an elf has used it for over 200 years, since the bow is made from wood and hair nurtured by the elves. We simply misunderstood it as a material issue. Ive gained some very precious knowledge. Hmm. This visit has been worthwhile."

"The talks about their food culture were interesting too! The elves prefer more natural flavors, not that they can't eat meat. When they hunt, they take only what they need and then perform rituals to send the spirits of their prey back to the earth. Seems like there's a demand for the spice-like fruits I brought up; they were quite familiar with them!

"Kind heart, big ears. Its rare for a bipedal creature not to scream at the sight of Notum. Good ears. Pretty ears."

Damn it. I'm envious. I've been blocked by the fierce barrier of elves and couldn't even explore the village, let alone talk. And they were able to wander around and chat with the elves?

I wanted to see it too! Elves! The first race you think of when you think of fantasy! The house that seemed to swell up like a whole tree at a glance, the elf street vendors with their lights hanging irregularly yet simply between large branches, and most of all, the elf village waterways that clearly seemed to flow from below upwards! I didn't come here to be treated like a monster!

"Damn. Some are treated as hazardous material and transported under guard, and it seems you had a good time?"

"Hmm? Ah, yes. It can't be helped, can it? Given the grave task you're undertaking. If you're out of favor, we'll have to engage in the negotiations ourselves, hence the distance."

"Great. It wasnt useless. You sacrificially managed to get us into the village. Big small human, crazy. Crazy, but does the job well."

"That's right! Although it turned out to have no magical value, outsiders still dont know that, right? You've still managed to procure a whole lot of valuable elf hair, so the hero is without fault, right? Yep!"

"Eraii."

".Keep in mind. If the elf called the Great Mother frowns upon seeing you, just scream like a monster and be dragged away by the elves. Then I'll proceed with the apology and negotiations with the Great Mother. Well, To come this far, I had to borrow the strength of such a monster. That might actually earn some sympathy. Hmm. Do you have any negotiation strategies planned? It seems like you would have thought of a few, and it would be good to share them before we face the Great Mother."

Professor pondered Aldritch's question.

Negotiation, of course, there had been a strategy in mind from the start.

The most basic and standard approach:

Win their favor and present an irresistible offer to engage in the trade.

I hadn't thought about what they might want given the village situation. But dont I have an item almost like a cheat code?'

Safely tucked within my robes lay a precious piece of paper.

A handwritten apology letter, stamped prominently with the Archbishops seal.

The elves here werent just any elves; they were banished' elves. Those expelled from the safe elf forests and who had suffered all manner of hardships in the human world, and their descendants who were raised here.

Naturally, there would be resentment towards humans, and I planned to meet such needs. If the elves of the elf forests accepted the Archbishops apology and settled their past with humans, I would pledge to capture all slave hunters, and offer land in a large, safe forest for the elves, among other promises.

Including myself, a half-mute, our party also comprised beings like werewolves, dark wizards, and trolls who, like the elves, had been persecuted. This could show that we werent siding with humans out of bias, but purely sought racial harmony. This approach seemed the easiest

However, the most important aspect for this direction, the [image], was utterly ruined.

The image I wanted was that of a good hero who belongs neither with humans nor monsters but calls for unity among all races in times of crisis'.

The image the elves now had of me was more like a monster tormented by madness, subdued under the power of the god of light'.

With such a negative past already threading through our talks, the situation was tricky.

To make matters worse, our most wise and calm potential representative, Ottoman Boudelaire', had a critical weakness he was susceptible to water spirits, leaving dark wizard Aldritch as the only one who could step up for negotiations.

"First. lets hear what they want and start from there. Its difficult to propose anything right now."

"Really? And what if they want nothing from us?"

"Then, I guess. We might have to kidnap someone who looks like they know a lot."

If negotiations break down, what else can be done? The presence of reinforcements is essential to fend off the Mute onslaught, and if they refuse us here and we go back empty-handed, it's game over.

".Peace negotiations?"

"Hey, they're outcasts, right? Outcasts. We're not making them do anything bad, just asking for a little guidance. Its actually a good thing, right? Giving a friend, who was expelled from the elf forests for some wrongdoing, the opportunity to do something noble as an elf could be considered similar to corrective labor, right?"

"No, that's. kind of inhumane"

"What other sharp ideas do we have?"

"Kidnapping, though? Thats not just sharp, its gouging into the flesh!"

As this fruitless debate continued, an elf named Idrasil walked out towards us from a small house perched in the tree.

".Follow me. The Great Mother wishes to receive the guests."

"Who? The entire party?"

"Yes. She said the entire party of the hero. Including you."

Idrasil's forehead creased slightly as she spoke to me, still evidently uncomfortable with such a dangerous-looking creature approaching the Great Mother.

Following Idrasil up a staircase entwined with trees, squeezing through a gnarled opening covered by vine canopies, we entered a humble room illuminated by warm light.

"A human envoy. truly rare visitors have come."

"Uh um thank you for welcoming us?"

"Do not utter empty courtesies. If you think this is a welcome even after seeing your state, then I may need to reconsider what I know of human barbaric welcoming customs. Sit down, hero sent by the followers of the Light."

The Great Mother gestured for Idrasil to release me.

Having intended to adopt a strong stance from the start, upon seeing her, I swiftly switched to a submissive posture.

The Great Mother of Caneran, resting her body against the trunk that seemed to merge with the ancient tree itself.

Her missing arms and legs, the eyepatch that seemed long untouched, spoke louder than any words could about what she might have endured after being expelled from the elf forests and the hardships she faced in the human world, shaping her current views.

"Now then. Child blinded by the light. Would you dare claim before me that humans and elves can live together in harmony?"

The depth in her remaining eye seemed as profound as the years she had witnessed.

.Crackle.

Amid the soft flickering of firefly lamps, the tense sound of an elf chewing on bark quietly resonated through the air.

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