Chapter 185. Excuses (1)
Night passed, and soon dawn broke.
Caron moved as soon as the sun rose. It was decided that Leo would remain in the tent, while Caron set off for the village with Adina.
Adina was from the tiger clan, and the elves of the Eastern Great Forest had requested reinforcements from the tiger clan, showing that the latter weren't shunned like other races. So bringing Adina along was a more favorable choice for earning the elves' trust than traveling alone with Leo.
Before long, Caron and Adina arrived at the village gates. A palisade surrounded the settlement, but it was no ordinary wooden fence. Reinforced with magic, it was exceptionally sturdy.
The moment they reached the entrance, a group of elves emerged from beyond the palisade. They were warriors, clad in leather armor and armed with bows, much like the elves of the Southern Great Forest. With sharp gazes, they scrutinized Caron and Adina.
One of them spoke, his voice heavy with wariness. "One of the tiger clan and a human. What brings you here?"
Caron sensed no traces of dark mana from them. He gave Adina a small nod, and she responded in fluent Elvish.
"I am Adina, daughter of Tauga, chieftain of the tiger clan. We have come in response to the elves' request for aid," Adina said.
At the mention of reinforcements, murmurs spread among the elves. However, they didn't open the gates immediately.
"And the human beside you?" one of them asked.
"He is a friend of the tiger clan. I vouch for his identity," Adina replied firmly.
"...You could have gone straight to Aileen. Why stop by our village?" the elf asked.
"My friend was injured in battle against the demonic monsters. We only seek treatment, so we will leave after one day," Adina replied.
"Wait here. We must consult the village elder," the elf said.
Perhaps it was because Adina was from the tiger clan, but the elves didn't reject them outright.
Adina lowered her voice and murmured to Caron, "It doesn't seem like they'll turn us away."
"You never know," Caron replied. "If this village has already fallen into the hands of the dark elves... They'll likely try to eliminate us here."
The beastkin and tiger clan were not to be underestimated. If they fully committed to this war, the tide of battle could shift drastically, which would be bad news for the dark elves.
If Caron's suspicion was correct and the elder had been swayed by the dark elves, the elves would undoubtedly attempt to kill them before they could leave.
The chances of this being pure goodwill are slim, Caron thought.
The moment they set foot inside, they had to be prepared for the worst. In a situation where it was impossible to discern friend from foe, they needed to be on high alert.
Ten minutes passed as Caron and Adina waited by the gate.
Creak.
The heavy doors finally swung open, and a group of elves stepped out.
Caron's gaze turned cold as he took in their attire.
That white armor, he thought. It was the same armor he had seen just last night.
"The elder has granted your request," one of the elves announced. "We will take you to him. Follow us."
Before allowing them inside, the elves swiftly searched Caron and Adina.
"Where are your weapons? Surely you wouldn't have entered the Great Forest unarmed," one of the elves asked.
"They were damaged during the battle with the demonic monsters," Adina lied smoothly.
"...I guess we'll need to provide you with new gear. Alright, come in for now," the elf said.
Of course, it was a lie. Both Caron and Adina had stored their weapons in Caron's pouch of dimensional space. On top of that, Caron had used Pluto's power to perfectly conceal the pouch. Not even an archmage would be able to detect it.
"Dark elves attacked recently, so the village is on edge. I hope you understand," one of the elves said stiffly after finishing the search.
"I heard this voice yesterday," Guillotine said.
I think it's him, Caron replied, recognizing the voice.
Keeping his expression neutral, he silently followed the elves while surveying his surroundings.
As expected of an elven village, most of the structures were built from wood. Normally, spirits would be flitting about in such a place, but here, there was no sign of them. The streets were eerily empty.
The few elves who were outside—likely searching for food—recoiled the moment they met Caron's gaze, hastily retreating into their homes.
"It's because of the war. The villagers were never this reserved before. They used to show kindness to outsiders quite often. Well, except for humans, of course." The elf glanced at Caron as he continued speaking. "A human daring to step foot into the Great Forest... You must be quite bold."
"Elf," Adina said, her voice carrying a quiet warning. "This man is a friend of the tiger clan. I'd appreciate it if you refrained from insults."
"Is that so? But don't you beastfolk resent humans just as much as we do?" the elf asked.
"At the very least, we know how to distinguish between friend and foe," Adina stated.
"...Is that so? How unusual," the elf replied.
The response was typical of the elves—disdain for humans came naturally to them. Then again, perhaps it wasn't just elves. Most non-human races had their reasons for despising humans. It was the price humans had to pay for their past transgressions. Their greed had ruined too much.
But...
Of all people, a bastard who abandons their own kind has no right to say that, Caron thought.
At the very least, this elf shouldn't have been the one voicing such sentiments.
Caron felt the urge to draw his sword and cut the elf down on the spot, but he held back. There would be time for that later. Right now, there was no reason to respond to such petty provocations.
"This is the place," the elf said.
Under the wary gazes of countless elves, Caron finally arrived at the elder's residence.
"You will wait here," the elf commanded his subordinates.
"Yes, Captain," they responded in unison, bowing their heads.
The elf Caron and Adina had been talking to was evidently the village's guard captain.
After positioning his subordinates around the house, the captain turned back to Caron and Adina before saying, "I will take you directly to the elder."
With that, he stepped inside, and Caron and Adina followed him in silence.
They felt a sense of warmth inside the house. Well-crafted wooden furniture was neatly arranged throughout, and traces of mana lingered in the air. Several objects, likely artifacts, caught Caron's eye.
They passed through the spacious living room and entered an inner chamber, where the house's owner awaited.
The owner had a head of pure white hair, and Caron was able to sense a calm yet distinct presence of mana. He immediately recognized that this elder was a mage.
"A 7th Circle mage, huh. Doesn't seem like the kind of individual to waste away in some remote village," Guillotine remarked.
Just as Guillotine had said, the elder was skilled—likely at the pinnacle of the 7th Circle.
But that didn't matter much to Caron. Whether the elder was at the 7th Circle or 8th Circle made no difference. The man was already within striking range.
The elder slowly rose from his seat and greeted them in a low voice. "...Welcome to Nenya Village, travelers. I am Rakaon, the elder of this village. Given the current circumstances, I hope you can forgive our lack of proper hospitality."
He then extended a wrinkled hand toward Caron, who clasped it lightly, offering a polite smile and saying, "Pleasure to meet you."
He wondered how to introduce himself to catch this old man off guard. After a brief moment of thought, however, he decided to be honest. "I am Caron Leston."
Perhaps the elder recognized the name, because the gentle expression on Rakaon's face faltered. For a long while, he simply stared at Caron in silence. Then, shifting his gaze to Adina, he asked, "...Who exactly have you brought here, young one of the tiger clan?"
"Whether the man I brought is one of the reinforcements here to aid the elves or an executioner who has come to deliver judgment... That is for you to decide now, Elder," Adina said coldly.
Upon hearing her cold tone, Elder Rakaon let out a deep sigh before turning his gaze back to Caron. He said, "It seems there has been some misunderstanding. Please, take a seat. I will explain everything."
"Oh, I'm eager to hear what you have to blabber about, Elder," Caron said, his voice dripping with mock curiosity.
His insolent tone made the guard captain bristle with anger.
"How dare you, a mere human speak to the elder in such a—" the captain began, but the moment he locked eyes with Caron, he paused.
And instantly...
Brrrrr.
His legs began to shake uncontrollably.
The overwhelming bloodlust that radiated from Caron was suffocating and absolute.
"Don't rush me," Caron said. "If you keep it up, that might make me want to just kill you here and now. Understood?"
The guard captain fell silent, unable to move. Ignoring him, Caron casually perched himself on the edge of a nearby table and gestured lazily toward Rakaon.
"So then, Elder," Caron said. "Tell me—what grand reason do you have for selling out your own kin to the dark elves?"
Not that listening would change his mind, anyway.
***
To summarize Elder Rakaon's excuse, Caron asked, "So, you mean to say that you had no choice but to hand over elves to the dark elves in order to protect this village?"
"I had no other option," Rakaon said. "But look around you. The villagers are still alive, and the village remains standing. If I hadn't accepted their proposal, this place would have been reduced to ruins long ago."
"So you lured other elves here and sold them to the dark elves... Impressive. Most people wouldn't say that so brazenly," Caron replied.
Just as expected, the village elder had struck a deal with the dark elves. In exchange for the village's safety, he had turned it into bait, luring unsuspecting elves to their doom. Those who arrived after hearing rumors of a safe haven were promptly handed over to the dark elves. In return, Nenya Village was spared and even received food supplies.
"You saw it yourself on the way here, didn't you?" Rakaon continued. "Our village is not small. We have as many as three hundred villagers. I saved three hundred lives."
"A noble sacrifice for the sake of the villagers?" Caron asked.
"It's not noble—it's survival. We still have many children in this village. I couldn't just stand by and watch them die before they even had the chance to become something," Rakaon said.
"Oh, I see," Caron said as he slowly stepped toward the elder. Then, with a smirk, he added, "You chose to protect a future where those children could live on—as the livestock of the dark elves. Is that it?"
"Are you condemning me for it?" Rakaon asked.
"Not at all. I can understand it. Even if you handed over those who fled here for refuge, ensuring the survival of your own people comes first. It's a reasonable decision," Caron said.
This was a matter of life and death for the villagers. The real blame lay with the dark elves who had created this situation in the first place. The villagers of Nenya had simply done what they had to and become perpetrators themselves in order to survive, so Caron wasn't going to criticize them.
"So then, Elder," Caron said. "You must have had some idea of what the dark elves were planning, didn't you?"
"...There was no other choice," Rakaon muttered. "Caron Leston, this is not for you to judge."
"Why not?" Caron asked.
"The only ones who have the right to call me a traitor are my own kin. Why should I be judged and criticized by a human like you?" Rakaon asked.
At that, Caron burst into laughter. This elf was even more shameless than he'd expected.
"If someone like you had gone into politics in the empire, you would have done quite well," Caron said. "They say shamelessness is a politician's greatest virtue, after all. Then again, I suppose being an elder is a form of politics, isn't it?"
Just as humans resolved human affairs, elves were expected to handle their own. It was an unspoken rule that had persisted for countless generations.
"But you know," Caron continued. "When you see a thug harassing someone on the street, it's only natural to want to step in and give him a good beating."
"You are misunderstanding something," Rakaon said calmly.
"Pardon?" Caron asked.
"I have no intention of persuading you. If you kill me here, every villager in this town will come after you. I may be an old man who has lived long enough, but you certainly haven't," Rakaon said.
Rakaon was entirely too composed, so Caron assumed that he had to have something up his sleeve.
Caron tilted his head slightly, as if urging the elder to continue.
"Did you really think I would have made no preparations?" Rakaon asked.
"This old man is a bit scary," Caron mused.
"I anticipated the possibility that the dark elves would break their promise, so I set up an enormous self-destruction spell throughout the village. The moment I die, the spell will activate. I've embedded magic circles all over the village, drawing from every last mana stone in our possession. The devastation will be... substantial," Rakaon explained.
He was willing to destroy himself and everyone else in the village without hesitation.
At this point, Caron's lingering suspicion became a certainty. During his interrogation of the dark elves the previous night, he had extracted a certain piece of information:
"T-The Elder... That bastard was promised a high position by the king. If he succeeds in enslaving the elves, he will personally receive the dark baptism..."
At first, Caron had been unsure whether to believe it. But seeing Rakaon's brazen demeanor now, he was convinced. He remarked, "So, you're a complete piece of trash, huh?"
It was just an excuse for Rakaon to say that he had no choice but to do this to survive. A man truly forced into such a decision would have been consumed by guilt.
And yet, the decrepit creature before Caron showed not a shred of remorse; all he could sense was greed.
"Old man," Caron said, tilting his head. "Do you know something?"
"No matter what you say, I—" Rakaon began, but was cut off.
Caron grinned brightly and interrupted, "Among my generation, I'm the best at beating up old people. Although it's usually with words."
"...What?" Rakaon exclaimed.
"You said the self-destruction spell won't activate as long as you're alive, right? You know, guys like you always seem to be quite attached to their own lives. I'd bet Leo's head that you won't go through with it. Oh, by the way, Leo's my older cousin."
Crack.
Caron clenched his fist before saying, "From this moment on, we're going to make a bet. If you activate the spell, you win. If you don't, I win. Simple, right?"
"I-I wasn't joking about—" Rakaon began, but couldn't finish his sentence.
"Oh? But I wasn't joking either," Caron interrupted.
Thud!
His fist slammed into Rakaon's stomach.
"You see," Caron said, flashing a wide grin, "I was serious about being good at beating up old people."