WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈
Chapter 53: The Tyrant's Statue
──────
For the past several days, the servants had moved about the estate without making a sound.
Lady Selena was in an extremely foul mood.
There was a clear reason for it.
News of the Ashen Forest Expedition had become the talk of the imperial capital, no, of the entire Empire.
Astin, rather than the house head, was in overall command.
Selena had learned of it the day after the public notice was posted.
It was bad enough that she had not been informed of such an important family matter, but things had spiraled completely out of control.
Bang!
The office of the Cardenos house head.
Unlike usual, Selena threw the door open and stormed inside.
Valdemar stopped turning the pages of his documents and looked at her.
Selena marched up to his desk.
“You must stop him.”
It was a blunt demand.
Valdemar leaned back in his chair.
“Even now, you need to call this off and contain the situation.”
Selena had never raised her voice before her father.
Today, she showed no sign of backing down. Deep anxiety and anger filled her silver eyes.
“It’s the Ashen Forest. This isn’t an expedition, it’s suicide. You know that too, House Head.”
Selena believed Astin’s decision stemmed from a sense of rivalry.
As a concubine-born daughter, she had returned in glory after earning military achievements on the northern front.
Astin, the legitimate son, must have feared that his position would weaken.
He must have felt compelled to achieve something even greater than she had.
She could understand that feeling well enough, but the Ashen Forest was another matter entirely.
It was a realm of inhuman horrors, beyond comparison even to the north.
She could not simply watch him throw away his life out of rivalry.
“Are you going to let the legitimate son of Cardenos die such a pointless death?”
“...”
“You must step in personally. Only then will Astin stop.”
Valdemar set down his pen.
“I have no intention of doing that.”
Selena’s eyes darkened slightly at that incredibly calm reply.
“His departure on this expedition was already discussed with me.”
Her father, the house head, knew about this mad suicide mission and had allowed it anyway.
Selena’s body trembled at the thought that followed.
Could it be he wanted to get rid of Astin...
“Father.”
Her furious gaze shot toward Valdemar.
It demanded an explanation, or a denial.
Before answering, Valdemar turned toward the window.
“Look outside. Even I would find it difficult to gather that many people. Yet Astin did it. He brought together thousands of warriors, and he is leading them.”
Valdemar rested his clasped hands beneath his chin.
“While you were away, Astin changed a great deal.”
“...”
“Trust your younger brother, Selena.”
It was an answer she had never expected.
Still, it did not clearly resolve Selena’s doubts.
Her lips parted as though she wanted to argue, but in the end, she spat out words that differed from what she truly felt.
“I only believe what I see.”
Bang!
With that, Selena left the office.
There was no trace of lingering attachment in her retreating figure.
After she was gone, Valdemar smiled faintly.
“So she does worry about him.”
Astin had changed, though Selena did not know it.
No.
She must have heard rumors, at least.
She said she only believed what she saw, but all she had to do was look outside to see how much Astin had changed.
Yet Selena denied it.
“...”
Valdemar himself had once doubted Astin, even after seeing his composed demeanor.
How much could you possibly change?
He had been trapped by memories of the past and failed to see the present.
Valdemar saw his former self in Selena.
* * *
“Whew.”
I let out a long breath in front of the door.
In front of Selena’s door. For some reason, I could not help feeling tense here.
I straightened my clothes.
After fixing even the stray hairs sticking up, I raised my hand.
Selena always found fault with everything, going on about the family’s legitimate son. Proper preparation was necessary.
Knock, knock.
After several seconds of silence, the door opened just a crack.
Selena’s silver eyes appeared through the gap.
“Ah, Sister. You were here after all...”
Just as I was about to greet her with a pleasant smile.
Grab!
A hand shot through the gap and seized me by the collar. Before I could resist, brute force yanked me inside.
Bang!
The door slammed shut the instant I was dragged into the room.
It happened in a flash.
I hid my surprise and gave her an easygoing smile.
“That’s quite an intense welcome. Oh, it looks like you’ve been using the cosmetics. Your skin looks much better.”
Whoosh!
Still gripping my collar, Selena pulled me closer.
Our faces were close enough that our noses could have touched. Heat radiated from Selena.
“What are you thinking?”
“I came to ask you for a favor.”
“I asked you. What are you thinking?”
Her grip tightened around my collar.
I had no intention of giving her a straightforward answer. I had come for another reason.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Please join the Ashen Forest Expedition.”
Selena froze. The strength of her grip weakened slightly.
Her hand slowly released my collar.
Before I could even straighten my clothes, she shot me a fierce glare.
“You came all this way just to say that?”
Her voice was dry and flat, as always.
“Yes. If you help, the chances of the expedition succeeding will rise exponentially.”
“Get out.”
“Think about it carefully. If I succeed in the expedition, my achievements will surpass yours completely. Won’t that eat at you? Wouldn’t it be better to join the expedition and earn achievements together...”
Crash!
A deafening boom rang out, and a fierce blast of wind swept past my cheek.
Fragments of the shattered wall flew everywhere. Dust billowed into the air.
I stopped speaking and slowly turned my head.
Selena’s fist, having barely missed my cheek, was embedded in the wall after smashing through it as though it were paper.
“I don’t care about achievements. If you die there, I’ll become the house head.”
“...”
“I don’t care whether you die or not.”
With those venomous words, Selena coldly turned her back on me.
“Get out.”
I smiled bitterly at her unyielding retreating figure.
I had confirmed what I needed to. I now knew the true emotion beneath my sister’s harsh attitude.
Knowing how she had treated me in my first life, it was easy to tell that those cruel words were not sincere.
“I know you very well, Sister. You’ll come in the end.”
Selena did not look back.
I watched her until the end, then grabbed the doorknob.
* * *
“Ooh...”
“Damn, that’s incredible...”
The open lot packed with expedition applicants fell silent.
Elves, a sight one could live a lifetime without seeing even once, had appeared before them in a group of several hundred.
Their flawless silver and green hair, pointed ears, and beautiful features caught the eye regardless of gender.
The appearance of elves who had secluded themselves in the forest for centuries was a wondrous spectacle in itself.
The expedition applicants’ gazes, however, were not filled with admiration alone.
“Elves. Real, living elves.”
“How much do you think they’d sell for at a slave market?”
“Damn, look at those bodies. I’d die happy if I could touch one just once.”
The crowd was a mix of mercenaries and rough wanderers.
Blatant greed filled their eyes.
The elves’ fair brows furrowed at the vulgar remarks.
Some elven warriors placed their hands on their bowstrings and warily watched their surroundings.
Humans truly are lowly.
Priestess Ariel bit down hard on her lip.
She had expected this reaction to some extent, but facing it in person made her feel suffocated.
Human influence was one reason the elves had withdrawn into the forest.
At this rate, conflict would arise before negotiations could even begin.
Just as the tension hung ready to snap, someone spoke.
“Please make way.”
Someone parted the crowd and appeared before the elves.
It was a woman dressed neatly in a Black Lion uniform.
The moment they saw her, the elves unconsciously held their breath.
Elves were a proud race, said to stand at the pinnacle of beauty.
Yet the woman before them was so captivating that she surpassed the gifts of their race by far.
Mysterious silver hair that seemed woven from the Milky Way. Crimson eyes brighter than jewels. Flawless skin and sharply defined features.
Even the aura encompassing it all added to her overwhelming presence.
Even Priestess Ariel forgot her wariness for a moment and stared in a daze.
“You must have had a difficult journey.”
Lucia, the representative and adjutant of the expedition’s chief organizer, gave the elves a small bow.
“You’ve come to join the expedition, correct?”
“Ah!”
Ariel came to her senses and quickly answered.
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
“Young Lord Astin isn’t here right now. He should be back soon, so please wait inside.”
Lucia made way and gestured to one side.
Lucia recalled Astin’s earlier instructions.
“The indigenous inhabitants of the Ashen Forest will come of their own accord soon enough. If they arrive while I’m away, escort them politely into the residence. If they remain outside, they may be mistreated.”
“He instructed us to bring any elves who arrived inside, so please come this way.”
Ariel was quietly surprised. He had known in advance that they would come.
Of course, anyone aware of the elves’ circumstances could have predicted it.
They entered the grand ducal residence under Lucia’s courteous guidance.
Complaints came from behind them. People grumbled that the elves were being invited into the residence while they were given tents.
A mocking remark quickly dismissed those complaints.
“He’s probably planning to use them as slaves. As servants in the residence.”
“True, nobles go crazy for elven slaves.”
Ariel squeezed her eyes shut and pretended not to hear.
Humans truly were lowly beyond measure.
“Priestess, something feels very suspicious.”
One of the elder elves came close and whispered to Ariel.
“Why are they specifically bringing only us into the residence? What if, as those humans said, they have some other scheme...”
Ariel felt cold sweat run down her spine.
Astin von Cardenos, the expedition’s commander-in-chief.
From what she had heard of his notoriety, he was more than capable of doing such a thing.
The several hundred elves were made to wait in a spacious annex beside the residence.
Although the surroundings were comfortable, their unease only grew.
Priestess Ariel alone was led to the drawing room.
“Then please get some rest.”
Lucia left the drawing room.
Sitting alone on the luxurious sofa, Ariel swallowed dryly.
“...”
The silence in the drawing room weighed heavily on her shoulders.
She was an elf who had lived for a thousand years, but at this moment, tension got the better of her.
Young Lord Astin. Our fate rests on negotiations with that man.
No matter what insult or humiliation he inflicted on her, enduring it had to come first.
As long as he did not capture them and use them as slaves, she would have to count herself fortunate.
Ariel clasped her trembling hands and strengthened her resolve.
“Whew...”
Her whole body felt as though it were stiffening.
What sort of attitude would that man, whose behavior made even other humans shake their heads, show them?
She could not even guess what unreasonable demands he might make while holding her tribe hostage.
Ariel slid her shaking hand into her clothes. She tightly gripped the World Tree Seed, which held the elves’ hopes.
Divine Tree, please grant me wisdom and courage.
Too tense to lean against the backrest, she kept her back perfectly straight.
Gulp.
Her parched throat made the dry swallow painfully noticeable.
Creak.
Then the drawing room door opened.
“Cough!”
She choked while trying to steady her breathing.
“Cough! Cough! Ack!”
Forgetting all decorum, Ariel hurriedly patted her chest.
Only after coughing hard enough for tears to well in her eyes did she finally calm down.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
A figure passed before her.
Ariel steadied her breathing and raised her eyes.
Sharp, clearly defined features.
Gracefully arched brows and upturned lips.
An overall impression marked by the arrogance unique to nobility.
It was hasty arrogance to judge someone’s character by their face alone.
But the instincts of an elf who had lived for a thousand years and the survival instinct of someone driven to the edge of a cliff sounded an alarm.
“Ah...”
The man before her was not a negotiator.
He had the face of a merciless tyrant.
Author's Note
I’ll be posting consecutive chapters on Friday!
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried