MTLNOVEL Chapter 168: United Front
Chapter 168: United Front
◆Dark Knight; Kuroki
The dwarves and I returned to Qtar along with the elves and Kouki. And then, once we arrived, Tess sprang out from the carriage, hugged me as if unwilling to let go of me. It seems we were going to enter Qtar this way.
「Tess, can you let go of me a bit? … I can't walk properly like this.」
「No~. It's our long-awaited reunion, after all.」
Despite my protests, Tess had no intention of letting go of me. So, we entered Qtar with Tess clinging to me like a koala. The gazes of the dwarf rangers who accompanied us prickled my back, but the other elves didn’t seem to mind Tess' antics.
Upon entering Qtar, the aureiad-like elf tied the deer to the side of the gate. The napaia-like elf looked at Qtar like a curious child, while the elven princess led them, walking alongside Kouki. That's when I noticed Kouki’s gaze—he was staring at me.
「Come to think of it, Kouki-kun, you don't seem to be an elf. Are you, by chance, from an elven village?」
I asked, genuinely curious. In truth, I didn’t know much about the elves. The only thing I knew was that their race consisted only of females. Still, it wasn’t unheard of for humans to live in the elven country. After all, the Fairy Knight had once been human.
「Uhm… You're wrong, Master.」
Kouki shook his head. That’s when something clicked. Why had he gone along with the elves then?「Dear guest, that boy seems to have been kidnapped from his home by those elves.」
The dwarf ranger gave me the answer I was looking for. I’d suspected as much. It reminded me that the elves had a habit of kidnapping boys with promising futures.
「Tess, is that true?」
「Yup, what's wrong with that, Kuroki?」
「No… I just think it’s not a very nice thing to do.」
「Eh? Why though?」
Tess tilted her head, looking at me as though I’d said the strangest thing. It seemed she didn’t see anything wrong with it.
「Oh my, being able to be with ageless beauties like us is much better than with human women who will wither away in no time, you know. Right, Kuroki?」
The elven princess, Luusien, overheard our conversation and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Yet, Kouki shook his head.
「Uhm… My apologies. But I made a promise to my dear mother to become a splendid knight in that country…」
Kouki rejected the offer outright. At that, Luusien wore the most shocked expression on her face, while the dwarves laughed heartily at her.
「Haah… You mustn’t, Kouki. You will become my knight. If it’s just to become a splendid knight, there’s no need to be so fixated on that country.」
Luusien kneeled before Kouki and caressed his cheek as she spoke.
「But… Dear mother is…」
Kouki seemed pretty stubborn about this. It was clear that he prioritized the promise he’d made to his late mother.
「Elven princess, I think you should return Kouki-kun to his country, to his mother.」
I said firmly to Luusien. Kouki had made his resolution clear, and I felt I had to do something for him, at the very least. I had to send him back to his place—back to his mother.
Luusien glared at me coldly.
「His mother’s place? What are you talking about? Kouki doesn’t even live with his mother to begin with.」
「Eh?」
Now it was my turn to be surprised. How could they do that?
「Kouki-kun, are you really not living with your mother?」
I separated myself from Tess, turned to Kouki, and knelt before him, asking with genuine concern.
「Yes. I’m not living with my dear mother. My dear mother is living in Elios.」
When Kouki spoke those words, it felt like a hammer struck me in the head. In human folklore, when a person died, good souls ascended to Elios (heaven), while sinners fell to Nargol (hell). In other words, Kouki’s mother had already passed away. And Kouki had simply wanted to honor his promise to his late mother.
I felt a lump form in my throat, and for some reason, I wanted to cry.
「I see… What about your father…?」
I asked him gently, but Kouki shook his head.
「I’ve never met my father. I just know that he’s in Nargol.」
I was struck with another shock. HIS FATHER WAS A SINNER!! AND HE'D ALREADY DIED!!
I couldn’t think of anything to say. This boy wasn’t exactly blessed with good family circumstances. And yet, he’d grown up to be such a polite and kind-hearted boy. That, I realized, must be part of his nature.
「Do you understand now? This boy has no family. That’s why there’s no problem with me becoming his family.」
Luusien stood up and looked at me as she spoke. Perhaps, for an orphan like Kouki, that might indeed be the best option. But Kouki still wanted to honor the promise he’d made to his mother. Now, I wasn’t sure what the best choice was for him.
「OOH! WELCOME BACK, KUROKI-DONO!! Uhm, who are those women?」
Just as I was struggling with my decision, Arberon, who had just appeared, noticed Luusien standing beside me.
「Long time no see, King Arberon. Do you remember me?」
Luusien threw a sharp question at him.
「Yeah. You’re that cheeky elven princess, right? What are you doing here?」
Arberon didn’t seem pleased either.
「To form a united front between the elves and dwarves, of course. Haven’t you received news from those in heaven?」
「UNITED FRONT!?」
Arberon’s surprise was evident. Was it really that unbelievable?
The elves and spirit knights were highly mobile but lacked strength in close combat. On the other hand, the dwarves lacked mobility but excelled in close combat with golems and talos. Naturally, combining their forces would make for a truly powerful alliance.
「I heard nothing about that, elven princess. Not like we’ve ever fought together before. But is it true?」
Arberon cast a doubtful gaze at Luusien.
「Oh, are you doubting me now? How rude. If it wasn’t for the orders from those in heaven, I wouldn’t have gone so far as to visit this village.」
As Luusien said this, the aureiad and napaia nodded as if in agreement. I sighed with relief, as Tess didn’t seem to feel the same way.
「Uhm. Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a lie, but…」
As Arberon pondered the matter, a dwarf rushed up to him urgently and whispered something in his ear.
「WHAT!? HOW CAN IT BE!? FROM THOSE IN HEAVEN!? THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!! I UNDERSTAND, I’LL BE THERE!! ELVEN PRINCESS, I HAVE TO LEAVE FOR A WHILE DUE TO AN URGENT MATTER! ANYHOW, PREPARE THE GUEST ROOM. YOU WAIT OVER THERE.」
Arberon left immediately. It seemed the messenger from Elios had finally arrived. Could it be that the messenger was the god Heibos himself? But looking at Arberon’s expression, it didn’t seem that way.
Since I was incognito, I knew better than to do anything that would make me stand out. But just as I looked to the side, I saw Luusien casting a cold gaze at Arberon.
「It seems those people in heaven are really on the move. Let’s go, Kouki. I’ll guide you to the guest room.」
Luusien then walked away, pulling Kouki’s hand.
I still hadn’t decided whether I should let Kouki return to his country or not. But for now, I figured I should wait and see how things unfolded.
◆Serpent Prince; Dahark
A massive number of goblin armies were being amassed in the valley of Kauf Mountain. These goblins and orcs were the forces summoned by Botis. They were meant to be used in our strategy.
「O Great Serpent Prince, Dahark-sama. It's an honor to meet you. My name is Bolda, the leader of these slightly idiotic folks.」
A female orc approached me. Her enormous body was covered in jewels, and even the club she wielded had gems embedded in it.
Bolda, the great patriarch of the orcs, was infamous for her greed. She often led her subordinates, orc boar riders, to raid the dwarven and human kingdoms.
The reason she had come this time was likely because she wanted to plunder the treasures of the dwarves and elves.
「It's an honor to meet you, Serpent Prince, Dahark-sama. My name is Zhagi, the first child of Goblin Lord Gestira the Great.」
A horned goblin stepped forward from behind Bolda. He was surrounded by female humans, their necks adorned with chokers. They were likely Zhagi’s concubines. Zhagi was currently competing with his younger brother for the throne and appeared to be in the inferior position. That was likely why he wanted to help us with our plan.
Though the goblin army he commanded came only from his clan, there were still thousands of them. He had even brought along the spider raider goblins, the elite of his clan.
Botis’ plan was to form a united front, combining the goblins’ high mobility with the orcs’ penetrating power to counter the elves and dwarves. Their quality aside, at least we didn’t have to worry about numbers.
「I see, I’m looking forward to your power.」
I told them this with a cold, piercing gaze. The truth was, these forces were nothing more than decoys, sacrificial pawns for us. They were expendable. That’s why I looked at them with such a cold, calculating stare.
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