Chapter 214: Prep For War; Leaders

The walk with Maylin is quiet and contemplative. She's right that they aren't far away though; after a few minutes of walking going on nearly and hour, the outline of a crowd and lights and tents begins to form over the edge of the horizon and I only have a few minutes left to think of something meaningful and convincing to say to these people.

I already know what I can't say though. I can't say I can offer them the same security Maylin does as an S-rank Mage, that's just not going to be possible.

But what I can offer is pretty much everything else. A place to settle where very little people will question you, actual homes not tents and food at any time they want not to mention jobs.

What I offer is society.

Realizing this I start to form my entire speech around the idea of giving a person the choice to be a part of society. It's a strange thing to think of given that most people are simply born into society and that's that.

But I think it's a choice they can and will appreciate... I think.

For now I simply trail behind Maylin in perpetual silence, without a thought to what goes on in that head of hers. 

Heading over to another continent? And I'm the ambitious one. 

I can't hold my tongue any longer and ask, "You know they're going to die. A lot of them." 

She doesn't seem moved by my suddenly breaking of the silence, or even my sudden talk about death. 

I continue, "You're trying to cross the oceans, you're going to need to go through another one of the kingdoms the Synagogue controls won't you?" 

Again there's nothing, but I'm not really trying to be ignored so I keep speaking and walk up beside her, "You can't be so naive to think that you'll go cross country without any resistance. Do you have any idea what a thousand elves marching looks like?" 

"I'm the last person you should think is naive." she snaps. 

I raise and eyebrow at this, "Oh so you've got a plan then, you've got a plan that won't have the Synagogue send their mages after you?" 

She snorts, "Their Mages won't last two seconds against me." 

"Maybe, but they'll do enough damage to the thousands of elves you've left unprotected, you're not a giant wall, you're one person. And don't you rink things will only get worse once they see you're an S-rank mage? An elf using Magic? That's their worse nightmare and you're going to parade it right out in front of them. "

"It's not any different than what you're doing is it? Kaylin is left in charge of Aste for a few days and look what happens!"

"I'm going to be instilling discipline into the populace. And the people capable of doing anything to Kaylin have been captured and are already slotted to be turned into undead for my army. You in the other hand..." 

Finally she has nothing else to say to that and falls silent. 

"You're right," she suddenly says as we get closer to the camp of elves, "I have worried about this, but I've thought it out and I decided that we could simply just implant a few elves in some cities along the way, get them started so we reduce our number so we don't attract nearly as much attention."

I can already see the problem with this.

" Having trouble deciding who gets to see the land of paradise across the oceans and who gets to stay back?"

She sneers at me but I didn't mean that to sound offensive so I raise up my hands and say, "You can always just leave them with me. Nothing stopping that. I need them anyway."

She scoffs and comes to a stop, we've gotten as close as needed now and the warm light of bonfires warms up our skin, a nice break from the cold of the snow that covers Frozia now.

"You need them for an army. They'll be dying meaninglessly."

"And dying trying to reach a paradise across the ocean, one that may or may not still exist by the way is meaningful?"

Her frown deepens but she doesn't respond, "I think it'll be a lot more meaningful trying to fight for what is yours by birth, what is yours by right of your existence, rather than run away. But I respect you decision either way, I'll simply try to convince them otherwise."

She levels me a contemplative stare for a moment then nods, "I'll gather them up, five hundred of them for now...so we don't make too much noise."

I shrug, completely fine with that and she leaves to do so.

***

It takes a few moments to get the first half to hear me speak gathered and settled, as well as find me something to stand on so everyone gets a good view of me.

I'm currently standing atop the back side of a carriage. One of many carriages they seems to have, it contains some foods, materials and other stuff. I don't bother too much with it as the eyes of hundreds of elves pierce into my skin.

I'm not nervous... No, I've had people stare nonstop since before this world, but I'm a bit frightened about their response.

What will it be? What will they say to my words? Will they accept me or cast me out?

In away, this is the true test for my goals. This may have started out as a mixture of me wanting power, being greedy and with a smack dab of pity and remorse for the oppressed elves of the Kingdom, but now it's a lot more than just me no subtly exploiting the elves as a reason for my conquest across the Kingdom, across the March.

There's no point denying it now, this war, my war, its not about the elves or even the Gods, it's clearly just about me...

Me and my hunger, my hunger for power, for security, for a world where I'm the deciding factor.

And it's a miracle that I've lasted this long at all, ignoring a lot of Anselm's warnings, starting fights I couldn't finish, falling into death traps with Deities and beings of another level.

But I've made it, and I'm not going to take a single step back. This world... The people... It will be mine one way or another.

I look down and around my audience taking in each of their faces, faces I certainly won't remember after this encounter, faces that simply mean I've got yet another advantage up on my enemies.

I smile and clap. Time to give that speech.

"This is not an invitation, this is not a request, this is not a call," I start, gloves empowering my voice, "This is a challenge! This is me, a human Mage challenging you, elves of the Goddess."

I begin to laugh, hysterical and they look up at me like I'm mad. Perhaps I am. "Are you not the children of a goddess? Are you not the descendants of powerful civilizations? Are you not powerful as you stand before me now!"

A cold wind blows over and the elves stand there in shock, in silence.

"And yet here you are, running, running away from enemies much less than you are, enemies that even without your magic you outlive by centuries, by decades."

"Come with me, let me show you how to fight for what is yours. Let me give you the opportunity to be a part of a society built by the morals, lessons and laws of elves, of you." 

The silence doesn't suffocate this time, rather than that, to my surprise and pleasure, I get a question. 

Deep and snack in the middle of the front, a man raises his hand.

"Please let him through," I ask, and a path is made for him. Before long he's standing before me.

"You have a question?" I urge.

He nods, "That I do. And it has to do with the very fact that you're human. Why would any elf follow a human? You talk about being proud children of the goddess but in the same breath you ask us to bow to you, to fight for you. You think we're stupid?"

A bit aggressive, but I understand the sentiment. 

One I simply respond to, "He asks why should any child of the Goddess, any elf follow a human. To that I say don't. Don't follow me rather follow Kaylin, the magic wielding child of Maylin, the one that guides you now. She has seen what I offer and she has take position as stalwart of the dream she and I share. A dream of a Kingdom where elves don't have to be subdued! Where elves are given their magic!"

I shrug, "The reality of this is, I simply have the vision and will to carry this mission out. But as a human, I will never have the lifespan to be at the helm of this... Budding kingdom of ours. And that is why you shouldn't follow me, follow Kaylin!"