WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Alone Against the Tower ◈
Chapter 97: Summit
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I wasn’t the only one taken aback by Erwen’s appearance.
Everyone who had expected Queen Eleanor to attend began murmuring.
The only exception was Reinhardt, the Legion Commander representing the human Kingdom Army, who did not know Eleanor’s face.
“Are you the Queen of the Dark Elves?”
“Oh, a queen? I’m just an old blacksmith.”
“I thought representatives from each race were meant to gather here. Is the Queen not coming?”
He said this as Erwen took a seat. Erwen rummaged through a messy pouch and pulled something out.
It was a small ring. Come to think of it, I remembered seeing Eleanor wearing one like it before.
The ring bore a pattern similar to the Reconnaissance Team emblem on my epaulet. It was probably the Dark Elf royal crest.
“I properly received the role from that child, so don’t worry, big human.”
Reinhardt, the Legion Commander who had been called a big human, frowned slightly. He looked deeply displeased.
“A mere blacksmith is representing an entire race? You must not take this situation very seriously.”
He knew the least about the situation, yet he was spouting nonsense like that.
Well, Erwen sitting at the round table in dirty work clothes clearly didn’t sit well with him.
I could understand it. The Three Major Powers had gathered to discuss an important matter, and Erwen had shown up looking like that.
But was this really the time to care about that? Why was he picking a pointless fight?
“Human, aren’t you the one misreading the situation? What do you think this meeting is for?”
“To negotiate over the future of each race...”
“Hm. Does this look like a situation worthy of the word negotiation? Have humans not seen that enormous snake?”
Erwen pointed into the distance, at the black energy pouring from the snake’s body.
“We have two futures left. We are all destroyed by that thing together, or we join forces and win together.”
“Eleanor, our Queen, said this. Since none of us has a choice, this is not a matter of diplomacy.”
“So rather than someone trying to gain an advantage by racking their brains, it is better for someone without deep resentment toward the others to step forward.”
An alliance was a given. If it failed, we would be destroyed. All that was needed was the act of joining hands.
So, to avoid everyone raising their voices, a broad-minded ordinary person sat at the round table.
Not because Erwen took the situation lightly, but because Erwen understood how grave it was.
More precisely, this was a demonstration to show that the situation was serious enough to require it.
“Well, I am the eldest of the Dark Elves. I’m well practiced at reconciling youngsters who don’t get along.”
Erwen’s expression was remarkably bright as Erwen smiled after saying something that could have sounded like a provocation.
* * *
Erwen might be a mere blacksmith, but Erwen was also practically an elder of the Dark Elves.
The Kingdom had sent a general rather than its king in the first place, so the Dark Elf faction did not necessarily need to send its Queen.
The Kingdom Army did not try to pick another fight, and discussion soon began on an alliance between the Three Major Powers.
Honestly, I did not understand even half of what they were saying.
At first, they discussed the danger posed by that snake, then argued over who was responsible. That much I understood.
But after Erwen mediated and ended the talk about who was better or worse, diplomatic matters were added to the discussion.
How many soldiers the Kingdom Army could or could not provide, how mobilizing weapons would be economically difficult, and so on.
Those parts were easier to understand. But once they got into politics in earnest, I could not follow it at all.
I did not even understand why such things were being discussed. The Kingdom Army had more problems than I expected.
Just as much as the High Elves hated humans, the humans of the Kingdom Army were quite hostile toward Elves.
Listening to them, it felt like they were treating someone like illegal immigrants.
Of course, I knew it had something to do with the history they had endlessly talked about. And perhaps they had experienced the rotten nature of those fucking Elves themselves.
In the end, those bastards kept making practical demands under one excuse or another.
If financial support of a certain scale was impossible, then at least part of the Great Forest should be ceded as territory, and so on.
Whenever this came up, Erwen grew frustrated and said this was not the time for it. But the conversation kept going in circles.
I had planned to bring this up during the operational briefing for the raid, but it seemed I had no choice now. I had to settle this.
“Hey. Hey, shut up. Stop talking.”
I sprang to my feet and cursed at the scheming bastard who was babbling beside the Grand General.
“What the fuck is with demanding this and that every time you open your mouth? Are you so desperate to die?”
The Kingdom Army personnel flared up and began shouting, but I ignored them and opened my inventory.
Of course, I was not going to take out a weapon, cut these bastards down, and force the discussion forward.
“I was deliberately not showing this because of bastards like you.”
I selected the Gold tab in my inventory and poured a massive amount of gold coins onto the floor, just as I had shown Erwen.
Clatterrrrr!
The humans of the Kingdom Army, who had been watching to see what I was doing, gradually took on stunned expressions.
If money and profit were the problem, I would solve it for them, these money-grubbing bastards.
I poured out every bit of Gold I had gathered while climbing from the first floor to the ninth, then took out items as well.
There were hundreds or more pieces of armor and weapons that soldiers could use.
Even excluding those destroyed in my duel with Mercedes, there was still a mountain of them. There was no reason to be stingy.
“If you survive after fighting that snake bastard, you can take everything that remains. I have one condition.”
After dumping out all the items and Gold, I finally took out my beloved sword and threw it at the schemer.
Thunk!
The sword narrowly missed his head and embedded itself in the wall. I had deliberately missed, but I would not have cared if it hit.
“Anyone who has said the words ‘profit’ or ‘money’ until now will be excluded from the operation.”
If we entrusted supplies to people like that, they would definitely try some bullshit to skim something off the top.
* * *
There were several twists and turns, but the summit between the Three Major Powers ended successfully.
All that remained was to finish as much preparation as possible before the raid began. Fortunately, we still had a decent amount of time.
After the summit ended, I revealed everything I had learned about the snake.
Its elemental weaknesses, the effects of stacking blessings, the time left until the snake became active again, and the weapons each faction had that could create synergy.
Some asked how I knew such things existed, but when I brushed it off vaguely, they did not press the matter.
As Non-Player Characters, they could not dig too deeply into questions that might touch upon the System’s existence.
After the first strategy meeting ended, I approached Erwen and asked her a question.
“Hey, where is Eleanor, and what is she doing right now?”
I could accept Erwen coming as the representative. But why had Eleanor not come at all?
Sending Erwen in her place also seemed to have been decided in a hurry. It bothered me in several ways.
At my question, Erwen seemed to deliberate for a moment, stroking their chin before speaking.
“It seems she has something to prepare on her own. She said she was busy, so she asked not to be sought out for a while.”
Erwen wore an oddly bitter expression. It looked like Erwen was saying something they truly did not want to say.
“And, um... it seems her heart is in turmoil. Human, did you perhaps say something hurtful to that child?”
“Nothing comes to mind.”
“It certainly seems connected to you, but no matter how much I ask, she refuses to say anything. Love truly is difficult.”
Erwen patted my back as they said that. Love? What was Erwen suddenly talking about?
Soon, Erwen left, saying she would likely be busy with work at the forge. I was left alone.
I knew Eleanor’s condition had worsened considerably recently.
She had said herself that she was sleeping well, but she had looked more exhausted with each passing day. It had been bothering me.
Why would I worry about someone who would soon return to being an empty NPC anyway?
Whenever I saw her eyes gradually losing their light, a dull ache rose somewhere inside me.
“Something to do with me?”
I remembered Erwen’s words and pressed a hand to my forehead. What did Eleanor’s worsening condition have to do with me?
Erwen had decided on their own that it was about love, but our relationship had been shallow from the beginning.
“Ah, whatever.”
I sighed and stopped thinking about it. There were too many other things to worry about now.
What did Eleanor’s condition matter? If we failed to kill that World Boss, it would all be over anyway.
I would forget about it for now and think about it later. Later.
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