Chapter 444: I Am a Negotiation Specialist (1)
Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.
Birds flitted endlessly, filling the air with their vibrant cries.
In this mysterious forest, full of trees, light, and flowers, it had been a long time since the birds had reacted so intensely.
At the heart of the forest, beneath a colossal tree that seemed vast enough to cover the world, an elven woman was entwined in vines.
Expressionless, she slightly moved her hands bound by the vines.
Snap.
The vines broke weakly, freeing one hand.
Snap.
The other hand followed suit. Applying a bit more strength, the vines that restrained her legs began to unravel as well.
Snap, snap.
Finally, all the vines were severed. She realized the restraints binding her had been lifted she had regained her freedom.
"Ah…"
As she rose from her spot, her expression betrayed no joy. Instead, it was tinged with a hint of bitterness, perhaps even sorrow.
"So, the time has come…"
For decades, she had sensed the weakening of her restraints. She had known this moment would arrive.
She had fervently wished it wouldn't.
"In the end, it was inevitable."
Long ago, she had pursued the priests of the Salvation Church.
Unable to move herself, she had tracked their traces through the sounds of nature, dispatching other elves to fight them in the shadows.
Even recently, when she had discovered traces of a high priest, she had sent elves to the Kingdom of Ritania but they had all perished.
The same fate befell the elves she sent to other kingdoms. Despite mobilizing capable forces, they had been overwhelmed.
"Their power has grown stronger."
The power wielded by the priests of the Salvation Church was unlike the divine power used by other priests. The fact that their strength had increased meant that the entity the Salvation Church worshipped had grown capable of exerting significant influence in this world.
Her restraints breaking was no exception. It was a direct consequence of this ominous development.
Letting out a sigh, she murmured to herself words no one could understand.
"Are you truly back…?"
Most people would have no idea why this was happening. But she knew.
She alone, who had lived for such a long time, witnessing and experiencing so much, understood.
"It seems I have no choice but to fight again."
Muttering to herself, she clenched and unclenched her hands several times. The intensity of her restraints had left her far from her prime strength.
Still, even with her current power, she could kill the priests of the Salvation Church. She was that formidable of an elf.
When she emerged from her dwelling, the elves gasped in shock and called out.
"Great Chieftain!"
"Has the curse finally been lifted?"
"It seems the time of prophecy has come!"
The elves, upon seeing her, lit up with a mix of excitement, urgency, and desperation an uncharacteristic demeanor for a race that cherished peace and harmony.
They couldn’t help it. The elves were teetering on the brink of extinction.
Those who ventured into the outside world were enslaved, and those who remained hidden behind barriers had dwindled in number after prolonged struggles.
Even for elves, watching the annihilation of their kind was unbearable. It was this dire situation that stripped them of their usual composure.
"Yes… It is time to break the curse that has bound us…"
With sorrowful eyes, she gazed at the elves. They had no idea that this curse had been cast by the one whom the Salvation Church called their king.
Nor did they realize that all of this was partly her responsibility as the Great Chieftain.
Thinking briefly of him, she shook her head, dispelling the thought.
It was time to fight once more for the world, and for the elves.
‘Even if I were to return to the past, I would make the same choice.’
Righteousness and wrongness were irrelevant. What mattered was one’s faith in their convictions. And she never doubted the decisions she had made in the past.
Resolving herself, she opened her mouth slowly.
"What is the current situation outside?"
"It’s not good. We are barely holding off the human armies. The Salvation Church has recruited too many nobles to their cause."
"The fact that we’re resisting at all is a relief. Have there been any notable figures?"
"There are a few. Among them, one stands out the most."
"Who is that?"
"The Count of Fenris from the Kingdom of Ritania."
"Count of Fenris?"
"Yes, his forces alone have managed to confront the Riftspawns without sustaining significant losses. No, it’s more accurate to say they’ve been overwhelmingly victorious."
"Ho…"
She widened her eyes slightly in surprise.
Having fought against the Rifts long ago, she knew how challenging it was.
But to hear that not a kingdom, but a mere count, was dealing with them so overwhelmingly? Her curiosity was piqued.
The elves relayed detailed information to her, especially regarding the Count of Fenris.
After hearing everything, she began to ponder.
To fight against the Salvation Church, humanity needed to unite. The Riftspawns and their king were powerful enough to demand such unity.
"Fenris… Fenris, huh…"
She repeated the name Fenris several times.
When her restraints broke, she had intended to first visit an old comrade she had fought alongside long ago. Stripped of his role as this world's Arbiter, he must still be enduring great suffering.
However, with her restraints lifted, his restraints would likely be lifted soon as well. A brief delay in meeting him seemed acceptable.
After careful deliberation, she made a decision.
"Let us go to the Kingdom of Ritania. I must meet the Count of Fenris."
To unite humanity, a rallying point was necessary. Since this Count of Fenris was excelling in fighting the Rifts, it made sense to meet him first and decide the course of action from there.
She immediately took a few elves and set out for the Kingdom of Ritania.
* * *
After the war with the barbarians ended, Ghislain was finally able to receive news from other regions.
"Baron Valois surrendered?"
"Yes. It seems he tried to seize the territory while Count Raypold was away."
"Hmm, Baron Valois doesn’t strike me as someone who would act so rashly."
"Fourth Prince Daven seems to have pushed hard. With his claims to legitimacy and the absence of Raypold’s forces, he likely thought it was a good opportunity."
It made sense. With Amelia away, there was little reason to expect resistance.
Though it was unusual for her to leave such bothersome matters unattended.
"So, what was the outcome?"
"While the occupation itself was easy, it seems Count Raypold had assassins hidden in the lord’s castle. Fourth Prince Daven was killed inside the castle."
"And Baron Valois just stood by and let it happen?"
"Most of his forces were stationed in the outer castle for defense. With only a small guard inside, Baron Valois was captured alongside the prince. None of the castle’s staff or residents cooperated with them, so there wasn’t much he could do."
Hearing the report, Ghislain shook his head. Had it been an ordinary territory, the plan might have succeeded.
However, both men had overlooked one key factor: Amelia commanded overwhelming loyalty from Raypold’s people. No matter what they tried, the residents would never have gone along with it.
On top of that, with forces allocated to defend the outer castle against Amelia’s forces, they had been left vulnerable to internal threats.
"Baron Valois must have surrendered."
"Yes. After Daven’s death, he immediately gave up everything."
Ghislain nodded. Even in his past life, Baron Valois had surrendered as soon as he realized all his heirs were dead.
He was a man whose principles revolved around loyalty to the rightful heir of Raypold’s lineage, no matter what.
Baron Valois was an excellent commander. Amelia would undoubtedly choose to spare him and use him wisely.
"Tsk, tsk. I told them not to make the first move."
Well, it wasn’t exactly the first move; they had seized an unguarded castle, so they likely rationalized it as a calculated risk. For Baron Valois, it was simply a matter of needing to take and hold some ground.
And if that ground happened to be Raypold’s central stronghold, so much the better.
"Any other news?"
"Count Raypold has been purchasing runestones in large quantities since before the war."
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Yes. In addition to hoarding supplies within the kingdom, she has been aggressively trading with other nations."
Ghislain stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded.
Amelia was likely stockpiling runestones to strengthen the knights under her command, even at significant expense.
Though the supply of runestones from the North was controlled by Fenris, Amelia had abundant herbs and food, which she could use to facilitate trade more effectively than before.
Given the chaos in other kingdoms, food and herbs were fetching exorbitant prices.
Runestones were certainly valuable, but feeding an army was an even more urgent necessity.
Ghislain also checked the status of the Ferdium estate.
"Ferdium will be busy for a while."
"Yes. They need to absorb the barbarian tribes that lost their warriors. For now, they are expanding their territory northward and taking measures to integrate the tribes into their culture."
"Indeed, it will take some time, but there shouldn’t be any major issues."
The barbarian tribes, having lost all their warriors, had no choice but to be annexed by the Kingdom of Ritania. They were no longer capable of self-sufficiency.
Even if they could sustain themselves, leaving them alone was not an option. If they regained strength, they would pose a threat again. This was the perfect opportunity to thoroughly pacify the northern region.
After hesitating for a moment, the adjutant offered an additional report.
"This may not be significant, but… a discussion has been circulating among the Ferdium knights and soldiers."
"What sort of discussion?"
"Whether or not Sir Skovan should be expelled from Ferdium."
"Skovan?"
"Yes. He has earned the nickname 'Knight of Calamity.' With the estate prospering, there is growing sentiment about whether they should keep such an unsettling individual. Some even call him the 'King of Misfortune.'"
"…Great. We sure have plenty of 'kings' around here."
The opening of a Rift in the North wasn’t Skovan’s fault. Yet, he seemed to carry an unfortunate aura, with his reputation consistently tarnished whenever he got involved.
During the orc suppression, he was dubbed the "Knight of Lies," and now, his nickname had grown even grimmer. Ghislain couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy, especially recalling how Skovan had been imprisoned because of him.
"…Tell them to stop the nonsense and promote Skovan. He’s been diligently doing his job."
"…Understood."
"And tell them to quit believing in such superstitions. Who’s even spreading these rumors?"
The origin of the rumors was Skovan’s own adjutant, Ricardo, but Ghislain wasn’t privy to that detail.
Clicking his tongue a few times, Ghislain shifted the topic.
"How’s the western front holding up?"
"No major issues. Lord Tennant is managing it well."
"Good. That means we can move to the eastern front soon."
Tennant and the northern forces had been effectively holding off the Rifts in the west. While the Rift zones had expanded, they managed to sustain themselves by reducing the number of Riftspawn and pulling back strategically.
Unlike the northern Rifts, which expanded rapidly, the western ones were slower, making it manageable for the experienced northern forces to hold them off for several days.
The real problem was the east. While there were fewer Rifts there, the casualty rate was steadily increasing.
They needed to finish handling the remaining Rifts in the west and move east as quickly as possible.
"But there’s something we must prepare first."
Ghislain wrote a letter and handed it to a messenger.
"Deliver this to Claude. Tell him to make the preparations."
"Understood."
It was time to prepare for collaboration with other kingdoms. Uniting forces with them would make it easier to confront the ducal houses allied with the Salvation Church.
For now, Ghislain entrusted this preparation to Claude and the Marquis of Branford while he focused on the battles.
"Let’s move. We need to handle this quickly."
Ghislain and the Fenris Mobile Corps moved to deal with the Rifts immediately after the war with the barbarians ended. Truly, they were the busiest people in the kingdom.
Joining the northern forces, Ghislain headed straight into the Rift and fought. As always, he overwhelmed the Riftspawn with his devastating power. Then, he raised his voice.
"Now, we move to eliminate the Equidema! But this time, we’ll use a new strategy!"
The northern forces widened their eyes in surprise.
These were veterans in dealing with Rifts. They had successfully taken down the Equidema multiple times with minimal losses.
Yet, the announcement of a new strategy intrigued them.
Those who had fought at the Northern Fortress nodded knowingly. They didn’t need to see to understand.
With a proud expression, Ghislain continued.
"From now on, the Holy One… no, Holy Saint Piote will take the lead in attacking the Equidema! This is the method the Goddess has revealed to us!"
"Whoooaaa!"
"Long live the Holy Saint!"
"Blessings to the Saint from the Goddess!"
The northern forces erupted in cheers before even knowing the details of the strategy.
Piote was a highly respected priest, known for being under the Goddess’s protection. Hearing that he would spearhead the attack, as directed by divine revelation, filled everyone with enthusiasm.
"Huh? Wha—?"
Piote, who had been listening to the speech with a bewildered expression, turned pale.
Ghislain’s words meant only one thing: Piote would be personally charging at the Equidema, just as he had previously.
And he would be going first.
"…Oh, for f—"
For the first time in his life, Piote let out a heartfelt curse.