Chapter 139 - 128

As I search for him, this self-proclaimed Demon King, pinpointing that drifting smell among the crowd things starts changing around me, the food is taken away and the tables cleaned, chairs and flowers put across it while many elves start filling the already full place in even more.

I keep looking around, inhaling the air, but no matter how much I strained my head there is no use in trying to find a single person among so many elves, and eventually I get stuck in between the crowd, having to push elves away from my path wich makes advancing a very slow process.

"Thank you all for coming to our annual gathering." I barely hear an elf talk, but at this point everybody seems to get in position to watch the center where the tables are now and silence any murmurs to hear him talk, all rooted in place and making it almost impossible to move, so without even wanting to I hear them talk I end up doing so as he continues: "This year, above all the ones before, has many subjects that need to be attended to. There is chaos among the other races, and some… conflict within ours. So please join our discussion, elders from within family names, as we shall decide how to protect our children once more."

At that the crown starts shifting once more, but this time to allow the elders to step forward, many elderly elves that, for humans, would appear to have forty years of age, but probably were even older than the trees in this forest, all with those characteristic tattoos covering their entire bodies, some more, some less, and even among the elder elves there seems to be some sort of hierarchy for the ones with an older aura to them and the ones with more tattoos, even along the knuckles, fingers and long ears, for they sat closer to the first elf that was talking at the edge of the table.

At that point they start talking about the demons, the human war that the south has with the north, and how things have not escalated between both sides since the demons started stretching their paws in the continent.

The tone of voices raises when they start discussing about their reaction against it all, how they should not care about the demons or humans, and even if some try to say how is unavoidable that the other races affect the elven kin somehow the majority still believes in neutrality, or lack of interest in anyone beyond their own rather.

"It has been like this for years, is what has protected us against the ravaging anger of the other youngling races, and we are not to change it now." Or so they told.

I cannot say that I am surprised by the outcome of their conversation, having contact with the elven kin for so many years already that I almost thought the way they act with us, magical creatures, is the way they behave with anyone.

One of the few places that been a magical creature has some benefits I supposed…

However, even if most kept to themselves as the elders talked, with minimal murmur around so they could hear them better, someone, a known voice, resonates in this chamber, bringing silence soon afterward as the crowd shifted to reveal his form at the sound of his words, all bodies turning and tiptoeing to see better.

"I have a solution to your problems elders." At that all sight falls upon him, and I knew before his smug smile turns his lips up who that voice belonged to.

How could I ever forget? My brother's kidnapper voice.

Cain.

I should have expected that he would be so bold and confident as to speak up in the middle of a discussion with the elders, and as, growling, I start trying to approach, I consider that there is no proper place to fight him on and there are many innocent elves around, so I end up going against the flow and climbing upstairs to watch him better from the balcony, ready to pounce down at any given opportunity.

After all I do not want to hurt nor be as impolite as to start burning everything up with one of the few kind kin towards myself.

So I wait for the opportunity to fish him out of there, eyes glued on his figure as he comes closer to the long tables.

He is dressed in some sort of armor, the silver plate mixed with some red cloth crisscrossing his body, as well as a metal rose on the side of his chest, a mix of formal attire and battle armor.

"Interrupting our meeting like this, who is this impolite youngling?!" One of the older elders says, hitting the table with his fists in a loud bang, and with that heated conversations seem to burst out of everyone around.

The elder who spoke first and sat at the end of the table raises the palm of his hand, asking for silence without saying a word, and in a few seconds all the murmurs die out again.

"Mister Demon Lord, a pleasure to meet you, glad you could make to our meeting."

"The pleasure is mine elders." He says with a quick bow that makes me want to puke, all this fake respect with clear mockery in his eyes.

Proving to have a lot of self-control the leading elder says: "Sorry for this, Mister Demon Lord, however only elders can speak up at the table of discussion, and is even more restricted for outsiders to speak, so would you please refrain from speak out until called?"

"An elder you say? Well, I'm old enough to talk with the a.d.u.l.ts."

"Y-you!" The same one from before seems to be turning red as his fists hit the table once more, proving that even among elves there are those that are different from the most, and this one seems to be the fiery head leading kind, with battle scars and muscled arms to wield the slightly curved sword lying beside his chair.

"Only an elder can make another on into an elder, and above it is a gift only given to those of our kin."

"Is that so… what a pity. Well, but since you so politely asked of me to respect your costumes, perhaps you may respect mine as well."

"Very well."

"Is that, really, I don't care about all this bullshit, because with my kin is not the elders that are respected, but the strongest of us all, and guess what? I'm their king, so what that makes me? Don't you think I have the same level, no no, an even higher level of importance than just simple elves that the only thing they did up this far is not dying of old age?"

I don't even need to say that the room irrupts in flames at his disrespectful words, and this time it took far longer for the leading elder to make all chatter cease, especially since the elders, too, are talking loudly at this point.

"It seems debating is not an option for us anymore. I guess it was a mistake to have you with us Demon Lord, I must ask you to leave us be then."

"Oh, but I haven't even said what I came here to say. It is very simple, really, the solution to all your troubles." At that he is smiling from ear to ear, a full innocent smile that did not fit in with his words and character as he stares each and every elder in the eye, only to say simply:

"You just have to bound down to me."

That's when the true chaos interrupted.