WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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Chapter 125: Parent of the Elves (2)

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Until recently, Marcus and Sonia had held a typical image of elves in their minds.

For example, leaning against ancient trees in the warm sunlight and spending time with animals that had naturally gathered around them.

After meeting Selene, Johannes, and Aurelius in the north, though, their positive image of elves had faded considerably. Marcus and Sonia no longer had any particular fantasies about them.

Even by their standards, the elves' current behavior was quite bewildering.

"...I've never seen anything like that before."

"Even mercenaries don't usually do that."

Elbridge and Rombel were equally taken aback.

Elves had often displayed strange behavior even in the distant past. Still, they had never shown outsiders anything like that.

"..."

The three Sentinels' quiet gazes swept over Elbridge's group.

Marcus became worried for no reason.

'They aren't going to make us do that too, are they?'

Just then, Elbridge nodded lightly to the Sentinels in greeting.

There were two male Sentinels and one female Sentinel. The silver-haired female Sentinel spoke.

"You are the children I saw last time."

The female elf's gaze rested on Elbridge and Rombel.

Two hundred years had passed, yet she spoke as though they had met only a few days ago. Elbridge answered.

"Lady Bella. You remember me."

"When one remains in the forest for so long, those who come from beyond it stand out all the more clearly."

So she had been there for a long time.

Elbridge studied the female Sentinel, Bella.

At a glance, she looked young like any other elf, but Elbridge could see traces of time in Bella's appearance. Her deep-set eyes, the rough backs of her hands, and the faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

Bella addressed the Pre-Sentinels who still had their heads pressed to the ground.

"You shouldn't be showing our guests such a sight. Get up."

The elves being punished slowly rose to their feet.

They picked leaves from their hair, but even that pathetic behavior looked like elegant grooming. Good looks were powerful indeed.

"Dismissed. Prepare for the next battle."

"Understood."

The Pre-Sentinels left, casting subtle looks at Elbridge's group as they did.

Their gazes held quiet fondness for the group. Elbridge and the others had probably put an end to their punishment.

The group approached the sacred tree and the Sentinels.

White petals and leaves lay thick around the sacred tree, making it look as though snow had fallen only there.

Bella spoke.

"Your name was... El, wasn't it? And the dwarf beside you was Rombel."

"My name is Elbridge. You may call me El."

"Very well. It's been a long time, El. What brings you all the way to Thornbush Forest?"

Elbridge glanced at the three elves accompanying him.

"We received a request for help. We were told that demons around Thornbush Forest needed to be driven away."

"Yes. We needed help. The situation around the forest hasn't been good lately. It would have been better if we could leave the forest ourselves."

The Sentinels made a covenant with the Goddess of Thornbush, a covenant to never leave Thornbush Forest for the rest of their lives.

Because of that covenant, Sentinels could not take even a single step outside Thornbush Forest.

That was why, despite possessing supreme martial prowess in the distant past, all they could do was eliminate demons around the forest's outskirts.

Even so, it had been a great help to the knights of the north.

When their lives were in danger while fighting demons, they only had to enter Thornbush Forest to survive. The outskirts of Thornbush Forest were a safe haven for knights fighting in the north.

"It's a good offer, but I doubt that's where the matter ends. Humans attach a price to every action, so there must be something you want as well."

"I would like to ask for two things."

"Speak."

"First, I want to know how to deal with the Master of the Central Magic Tower."

"I don't even know who the Master of the Central Magic Tower is. Why should I tell you about that?"

Naturally, a Sentinel who had remained in Thornbush Forest all this time could not possibly know about the Master of the Central Magic Tower.

Johannes, who had quietly listened until then, stepped in to explain.

"Lady Bella. After accepting this mission and gathering clues, we concluded that the Master of the Central Magic Tower is behind the current situation."

"...I'll hear the details later. Who is the current Master of the Central Magic Tower?"

"The God of Cycles and Flow."

Bella muttered after hearing Elbridge's answer.

"A god who descended to the mortal world..."

"That's right. The Master of the Central Magic Tower has effectively taken control of the central region, and it's difficult to know the full extent of their abilities."

"I don't know much about the Master of the Central Magic Tower either, so I can't offer an exact solution. I can give you some advice, but... it would be best to gather my thoughts and speak again later. What is your second request?"

Elbridge hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I would like to be taught."

Since awakening from the seal, Elbridge had not diligently honed his skills.

Looking back, that was because the knights of the current age were inferior to those of the past. A person at the forefront was bound to grow a little complacent.

Even with his current abilities, Elbridge stood unrivaled.

But his thoughts had changed after facing the Silver-Gray Knight at Hebron Fortress.

Being ahead of others was not especially important to Elbridge. The opponents he had to face were not people, but demons. People had grown weaker over time, but the demons had not.

Bella smiled faintly.

"That isn't difficult. Still, it would be best for you to recover from your travel fatigue today. Aurelius, show them around."

* * *

As Aurelius led them away, young elves followed behind to stare at the group.

Perhaps because the long years had not yet worn them down, the young elves had a clear sense of self and boundless curiosity.

Watching the young elves' eyes sparkle, Sonia clenched both hands.

"They're adorable. I've never seen elves that young before."

Rombel snorted.

"I guarantee not a single one of those elves is younger than you."

"Really?"

"Even the youngest is probably around Marcus's age."

Sonia glanced at Marcus.

A mercenary in his late thirties with brown hair and an untrimmed beard. He was far from adorable.

Then Sonia looked at the elves.

"...That's somehow creepy."

"Why are you looking at me like that? You think you won't get old?"

"You don't understand. A beauty like me doesn't age."

"...Nonsense comes far too easily to you. Do they teach nonsense at the Central Magic Tower too?"

While Marcus and Sonia bickered, the group arrived at a cabin.

Sonia looked a little disappointed.

"Don't elves love nature? Is it fine to cut down trees so freely?"

Aurelius shrugged.

"We don't cut down needlessly large numbers of trees like humans do. We only hunt as much as we can eat, too."

It was a strangely generous yet practical standard.

"The Sentinels will probably call for you tomorrow morning. Rest well, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Aurelius said that and left.

Sonia asked Rombel a question.

"You know the Sentinels. I heard two are the original Sentinels, while one replaced a Sentinel later on. Which is which?"

"The silver-haired man and woman are Jin and Bella, the original Sentinels. The blond one is Orion, the Sentinel who replaced someone later."

"I thought Sentinels would have grand names like Johannes or Aurelius, but I guess not."

Rombel nodded.

"Elves have a culture of giving names that don't overlap. The old elves used up all the simple, good names, so younger elves end up with increasingly long and complicated names."

"If they're old enough to use names like Jin and Bella... how old are they?"

"I don't know. The elves probably don't know either. Jin and Bella themselves might not know."

Sonia looked unable to understand.

"Does it make sense not to know your own age?"

Marcus snorted and joined in.

"Of course it does. Once you reach your mid-thirties, you start getting confused about your age."

"Isn't that just because you're an idiot, Marcus?"

"Absolutely not. All my friends are like that too."

Sonia was obviously about to say something about birds of a feather, so Marcus quickly asked Rombel.

"Mr. Rombel. How old are you this year?"

"About three hundred."

"See? That's a vague answer. If Sentinels who have lived for at least several thousand years remembered their exact age, that would be stranger."

"Hmm."

"You don't need to know your exact age anyway. Just think of it this way. Jin and Bella are the oldest in this forest, then Orion. That's enough."

* * *

At dawn the next day, Elbridge woke with a strange feeling. It felt as though someone was calling him.

There was surely a reason for such a distinct sensation. Elbridge took his sword and shield and stepped outside the cabin.

The eastern sky had only begun to brighten. Elbridge walked without direction, following where his feet took him.

He soon arrived before the sacred tree.

The Sentinels from before were seated in front of it.

"Did you call for me?"

Bella smiled.

"Yes. It's convenient that you're quick to notice."

Elbridge looked over the three Sentinels' equipment.

As was typical of elves, all three carried only weapons and wore no armor. Bella and Orion had swords. Jin carried a bow and a dagger.

Elbridge had never fought a Sentinel.

All he had done in the distant past was watch them fight demons on the outskirts of Thornbush Forest.

A quiet excitement and anticipation rose in Elbridge's chest.

People preferred crushing the weak and swaggering about to fighting the strong and losing.

It was the same even when their lives were not at stake. Victory was sweet, while defeat was bitter and unpleasant.

Elbridge, though, had little interest in crushing the weak to show off his own abilities.

He found joy not in the sweetness of victory, but in the process of climbing to greater heights.

And those who had led Elbridge upward had always stood above him. Like these Sentinels.

Elbridge drew his sword.

One Sentinel rose from his seat.

It was not the person Elbridge had expected. Jin, the elf carrying a bow and dagger, stood before him.

"...Unexpected."

"That makes it more fun."

A bow was not a good weapon for a one-on-one duel.

It was even more disadvantageous against someone with a shield like Elbridge.

In other words, Jin was the only opponent against whom Elbridge could see even the slightest possibility of victory.

"Shall we begin right away?"

Elbridge nodded.

Jin did not move far away from Elbridge. There were around ten steps between them.

Ten steps might sound distant, but with divinity in one's body, a single kick off the ground was enough to bring the opponent within reach.

'Is he planning to force close combat with the dagger?'

Elbridge took a deep breath.

"I'm coming."

Then he immediately kicked off the ground.

Elbridge's gaze stayed fixed on the dagger at Jin's waist.

But Jin did not reach for it. Instead, he swung the bow in his right hand like a club.

Clang!

Elbridge did not know what kind of wood the bow was made from.

Still, when it collided with Elbridge's blade, Jin's bow rang like metal.

It was an unexpected response, and Elbridge's balance wavered slightly.

Jin's long leg shot out, aiming for Elbridge's ankle.

'Dangerous.'

Elbridge had felt it when he caught Jin's bow with his sword.

Despite his slender appearance, Jin possessed extraordinary strength. It felt similar to taking a blow from Rombel's two-handed axe.

Thud!

Elbridge planted his shield firmly against the ground with his left arm, intending to block Jin's leg.

Jin twisted his body in a strange motion.

The kick became a leap off the shield that had been fixed to the ground, and the distance between Jin and Elbridge widened in an instant.

"...!"

One unexpected response after another.

Still, Elbridge knew exactly what came next.

Jin had widened the distance and was aiming his bow at Elbridge.

He saw a glow enveloping the arrow.

Jin released the bowstring. In the very next moment, Elbridge realized that the arrow had already passed beside his head.

Jin had not missed. He had deliberately shot past him.

There had not even been time to raise his shield.

Elbridge felt blood running down his ear.

"..."

It felt as if he had been possessed.

It was similar to the feeling he had experienced in the distant past when facing Paladins considered the strongest.

The Sentinels had also been counted among the strongest in those days, so it was only natural...

Jin grinned as he walked over and patted Elbridge on the shoulder.

"Not bad. Your reactions are better than most Pre-Sentinels. It'll be worth teaching you."

"..."

"But we still have to do what needs to be done."

Then Jin whispered.

"Put your head on the ground."

Footnotes:

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