Chapter 28: The Sage Speaks to the Chief of the Elves

Meeting an old friend, I was certainly surprised.

Logan was an elf I met on my journey to defeat the Demon Lord.

I knew he was from this forest, but I didn't expect to see him again in this manner.

At the time I met him, he seemed to have been living in a human country.

As I recall, he said he was tired of his homeland.

I'm not sure of the circumstances, but it seems that he has returned sometime in the past ten years.

As I reminisced about the bygone days, my eyes met with Logan's.

He had a sharp look in his eyes that didn't leave any trace of an opening.

He had no fear or trepidation in his eyes.

Even in front of me, the Demon Lord, he did not show any cowardice.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

Logan, who was observing us, muttered in a grave tone.

His questioning gaze was not on me, but on the other elves, beginning with the Acting Chief.

They averted their eyes and became silent.

Considering all things, it's not surprising that it's hard for them to answer.

Even though they had no other choice, they had after all agreed to subjugate their clan.

It was an act that could have them kicked out of the clan.

When he sensed that the elves were not going to respond, Logan then looked at me.

He quietly asked the question-

"Are you the Demon Lord?

Despite the calm tone of his voice, it had a tremendous sense of intimidation.

The weak-minded people would have hesitated from it.

He was this kind of man even when I first met him, but he seems to have improved over the years.

Just by facing him, you could see how powerful he was.

Well, what to do now?

With the question and answer in front of me, I secretly let my thoughts wander.

From Logan's words and actions, he doesn't seem to be aware of my true identity.

It's no wonder, as every part of me has been transformed.

It's as if the shadow of my former self no longer exists.

There is no point in telling him that I was the Sage Dwight Havelt here.

It would just make things even more complicated.

It's better not to talk about it.

I myself was in danger of being deluded by my emotions.

It would be better to persist with the fact that I am just a Demon Lord.

It's better to forget about everything that happened back when I was alive.

After putting together a plan, I responded to him unabashedly.

“That’s right. I'll explain the situation to you.”

As the Acting Chief and the others had withered away, I told him what had been going on instead.

Although the air turned even more frigid when I mentioned subjugation, no one interrupted me.

I suppose it was to avoid interrupting Logan, who was listening intently.

It was an atmosphere where acting on your emotions and abusing the other seemed inexcusable.

“That's all. I came to notify you of that.”

“I see. I understand the gist of it. You guys, put your bows down.”

After listening to the story, Logan commanded, waving his hand.

The elves in the trees lowered their bows.

They then disappeared within the leaves.

Somehow I knew that the Logan in front of me seems to be in a high position among the elves.

Logan walked up to me.

Ignoring the guards' attempts to stop him, he stood in front of me.

“I apologize for my late introduction. I'm Logan Linn Freetylt, the Chief of the Elves in the Forest of Yggdrasil.”

I noticed that name.

Apparently, Logan had become a chieftain.

It was a high-ranking position, but there was more to that.

He now stands at the top of the Elves of the Forest of Yggdrasil.

However, knowing him from the past, I had to admit.

Logan possessed considerable ability.

He may not have great accomplishments, but he was definitely a man of character.

That is evident looking at him now.

"If we believe the Demon Lord's words, the imperial army will be driven back on the condition that the clan is enslaved. Isn't that right?”

Logan's gaze was directed at the Acting Chief.

She replied in a small voice.

“…Yes.”

The acting chief was shaking with nervousness.

She was pale and looked as if she might collapse at any moment.

If this continued, the conversation would be beyond my control.

I had no choice but to step forward and ask Logan.

“The Acting Chief has already chosen servitude as the consensus of the clan. Do you have any objections?”

“What if I say there are?”

“Your numbers will reduce until it becomes a unanimous decision.”

I answered Logan's question immediately.

At the same time, I slowly let out a little miasma from my body.

It was a kind of intimidation or warning.

But my words were spoken in all seriousness.

I had decided to make the elves my slaves.

If anyone prevents me from doing so, I will purge them, no matter who it is.

Even Logan, who was right in front of me was no exception.

The guarding elves sensed my bloodlust and showed clear signs of fear.

Some kneeled on the ground and vomited.

Among them, only Logan remained unfazed.

He stated his opinion unapologetically.

“I have no objections. We accept slavery. We shall tell those not here later.”

“Wha…?”

“Chief!?”

The other elves were shocked to hear Logan's answer.

I guess it was unexpected for them.

I'm not in a position to speak, since I was the one who suggested it, but it must have been emotionally unacceptable to them.

Nonetheless, their chief had readily agreed to it.

“It’s an embarrassing truth, but we can't defeat the Imperial Army on our own. If it means us not being trampled upon, we will choose the survival of our clan through submission.”

Logan spoke solemnly while drawing the attention of others.

There was a resolute determination in him.

I could not deny it, no matter what.

There was a sense of ambition in him that made me think so.

I took another step closer and reminded him.

“You won't go back on your words?”

“Of course not. So don't meddle with my clansmen. As the chief, I will suppress any dissent.”

Logan replied while looking at me.

I felt no lies or deceptions in his words.

It was a declaration made with unclouded resolve.

I nodded, confirming so.

"Elf Chief. I will believe your words. From now on, the Forest of Yggdrasil and the elves who live here are officially the property of the Demon Lord.”

I exercised the same spell that I used in the audience room.

The rays of light hit the backs of Logan and the other elves' hands.

With a slight frown, Logan checked the back of his own hand.

Then he looked at me, who had finished the spell.

“What did you do?”

“It's the mark of servitude. No harm done, as long as you don't try anything unnecessary.”

I had no intention of abusing it in the future.

If they act in good faith, it would be only a tattoo.

It all depended on the actions of the elves.

“I want to see the Elves' living quarters. It’s to put up some barriers of defensive magic.”

“All right. Sister, you show him.”

“U-Understood…”

The acting chief voiced her acknowledgement.

I had felt a little bit of resemblance, but turned out she was Logan's sister.

Although I had heard that his parents had passed away, I didn't know he had a sister.

After this exchange, Logan and his guards turned on their heels. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

It seemed that this is as far as he wanted to go with the conversation.

He hadn't changed his habit of disappearing as soon as he was done with his business.

“This way, My Lord. Let me show you around.”

The acting chief began to lead the way.

I followed behind her.