Chapter 186: Wizard of Wizards (6)

Chapter 186: Wizard of Wizards (6)

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Ah!-

Who am I? What is this? Where is this place?

Here? It is a village of banished elves located in the heart of the Blueline Mountains.

Me? I am a formal hero of the great Ro-Haram Order, renowned as the most rightful guardian of this realm.

Whisper whisper-

".Hero, more ferociously! Like a monster with uncontrollable ferocity! Krraang! Woah!"

"No, Lucilla. I am on my way to negotiate a historic agreement with someone who seems to be the great mother of this place"

"Every time you frown, a pile of silver coins falls out! What does it matter! Now, think of yourself as a clown or a bard, and krraang!"

Then, what in the world is this?

Thanks to my efforts to physically clear my mind outside the village, I was somewhat freed from the harsh charm of the water spirit, but the price was also severe.

"It's against our agreement but let's add one condition."

"What condition?"

"Bind this beast."

"Hmm. It's more generous than I thought. That shouldn't be hard. We already have some good ropes in our luggage-"

"No. That won't be enough. The branches of the forest will perform the task."

And so, this is how I ended up in this state.

Wrapped like a mummy in thin and strong threads of gold and silver, or clear blue resembling the forest.

The elves were quite shocked by my appearance in front of the village, enough to bind me with their hair'.

Though my broken head has healed, the blood that flowed down still remains on my face and clothes, giving off a bloody smell. I dared not magically wash it off for fear of reviving the wizardliness' that had just been calmed.

As a result, I now looked like the monster that mothers warn their children about at bedtime, Do the bad thing, and this monster will come and take you!' With a large build and bloodstained appearance, and the bizarre scene in front of the village, the elves reached the ridiculous conclusion to bind me with their most durable and elastic ropes', their own hair.

"It's a human."

"Woah. It's my first time seeing a human!"

"Doesnt he look terribly frightful? Did Narim catch him?"

"Maybe he's a kind of evil beast threatening our village."

As you can see, the result of entering the village in such a state was quite a spectacle.

Lucilla is thrilled since expensive bundles of elf hair are falling, but I am here to win the hearts of the people and foster friendship between elves and humans. An evil beast threatening the village? Isn't that similar to being treated like an ancient undead outside the barrier.

".Kids? Uncle is not that kind of bad person-"

Pabababak!

"Control your emotions, human! He is just a young elf who has just turned 25! We will apologize for the insult on his behalf!"

"Imagine the tender new shoots of spring, the dew at dawn, the fresh fragrance of flowers carried by the spring breeze! I am peaceful, I am peaceful, breathe in, breathe out."

"If you must kill, you must deal with us first! Even if you are an emissary of the human god, we cannot just stand by and watch you brutally slaughter a young elf"

Naturally, there would be resentment towards humans, and I planned to meet such needs. If the elves of the elf forests accepted the Archbishops apology and settled their past with humans, I would pledge to capture all slave hunters, and offer land in a large, safe forest for the elves, among other promises.

Including myself, a half-mute, our party also comprised beings like werewolves, dark wizards, and trolls who, like the elves, had been persecuted. This could show that we werent siding with humans out of bias, but purely sought racial harmony. This approach seemed the easiest

However, the most important aspect for this direction, the [image], was utterly ruined.

The image I wanted was that of a good hero who belongs neither with humans nor monsters but calls for unity among all races in times of crisis'.

The image the elves now had of me was more like a monster tormented by madness, subdued under the power of the god of light'.

With such a negative past already threading through our talks, the situation was tricky.

To make matters worse, our most wise and calm potential representative, Ottoman Boudelaire', had a critical weakness he was susceptible to water spirits, leaving dark wizard Aldritch as the only one who could step up for negotiations.

"First. lets hear what they want and start from there. Its difficult to propose anything right now."

"Really? And what if they want nothing from us?"

"Then, I guess. We might have to kidnap someone who looks like they know a lot."

If negotiations break down, what else can be done? The presence of reinforcements is essential to fend off the Mute onslaught, and if they refuse us here and we go back empty-handed, it's game over.

".Peace negotiations?"

"Hey, they're outcasts, right? Outcasts. We're not making them do anything bad, just asking for a little guidance. Its actually a good thing, right? Giving a friend, who was expelled from the elf forests for some wrongdoing, the opportunity to do something noble as an elf could be considered similar to corrective labor, right?"

"No, that's. kind of inhumane"

"What other sharp ideas do we have?"

"Kidnapping, though? Thats not just sharp, its gouging into the flesh!"

As this fruitless debate continued, an elf named Idrasil walked out towards us from a small house perched in the tree.

".Follow me. The Great Mother wishes to receive the guests."

"Who? The entire party?"

"Yes. She said the entire party of the hero. Including you."

Idrasil's forehead creased slightly as she spoke to me, still evidently uncomfortable with such a dangerous-looking creature approaching the Great Mother.

Following Idrasil up a staircase entwined with trees, squeezing through a gnarled opening covered by vine canopies, we entered a humble room illuminated by warm light.

"A human envoy. truly rare visitors have come."

"Uh um thank you for welcoming us?"

"Do not utter empty courtesies. If you think this is a welcome even after seeing your state, then I may need to reconsider what I know of human barbaric welcoming customs. Sit down, hero sent by the followers of the Light."

The Great Mother gestured for Idrasil to release me.

Having intended to adopt a strong stance from the start, upon seeing her, I swiftly switched to a submissive posture.

The Great Mother of Caneran, resting her body against the trunk that seemed to merge with the ancient tree itself.

Her missing arms and legs, the eyepatch that seemed long untouched, spoke louder than any words could about what she might have endured after being expelled from the elf forests and the hardships she faced in the human world, shaping her current views.

"Now then. Child blinded by the light. Would you dare claim before me that humans and elves can live together in harmony?"

The depth in her remaining eye seemed as profound as the years she had witnessed.

.Crackle.

Amid the soft flickering of firefly lamps, the tense sound of an elf chewing on bark quietly resonated through the air.

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