Ch.106Magic Corps #3

“What? You’re saying you want to form a unit with us?”

Orchus, who had been quietly listening, asked in surprise.

The other dark elves seemed equally shocked, as murmuring began from all directions.

The commotion was no different from a bustling marketplace.

“Yes. I’d like to form an unofficial defensive unit.”

“Unofficial…? What does that mean?”

An army can certainly appear threatening to opponents when visible, giving the impression that one is always prepared.

However, this time I decided to keep it hidden, as revealing it seemed likely to cause more harm than good.

I took my time calming the tumultuous atmosphere, then swept my gaze across the gathering before speaking.

“Assuming you agree, I believe making you an official army would likely cause quite a stir. But since walls are better when they’re high and strong, I want to borrow the strength of the dark elves. This is purely my selfish desire.”

“Hmm. If you want to use us as an army, I’m willing to follow you. Many of us have lived rough lives anyway, and we can consider it payment for the land you’ve given us.”

The other dark elves nodded in agreement with Orchus’s opinion, raising no objections.

It’s embarrassing to say myself, but they were right to be favorable since this place treated dark elves quite well.

“…Besides, war is about preparation. Not standing by and watching. The Grand Duke seems to understand that well.”

“Thank you for your positive consideration.”

“It’s not just being positive. Whatever happens later, this land is our home now. So naturally, we should lend a hand if needed.”

Orchus said that in a way, I had hired them by giving them land, so there was no need to worry too much.

Hearing that reminded me of when I had used land to lure in the Redhood mercenaries.

Though not much time had passed since then, it felt like ancient history.

It seemed like a side effect of experiencing many days that each felt like a month.

“Still, the idea of increasing forces while being cautious about appearances is quite tiresome.”

“This might sound unpleasant, but the more you have, the more hesitant you become to take risks. There are certainly bold people who act as they please without concern for appearances, but unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of courage.”

“I understand completely. You want to avoid bloodshed if possible. That’s a necessary virtue for a leader.”

Orchus spoke with confidence, as if he had read my mind.

Since his answer was indeed perfectly correct, I could only nod silently in response.

Perhaps it’s true that a man understands another man’s heart.

“Thank you. Then let’s get to the main point.”

After expressing my gratitude for the agreement of Orchus and his group, I briefly explained the organization I had in mind.

Each squad would consist of seven to eight members, with three squads forming a platoon.

Three platoons would make up a company.

In the process, squad leaders, platoon leaders, and company commanders would need to be selected, but I decided to entrust that task to Orchus.

I figured that’s what a deputy village chief was for.

“Simple enough.”

Orchus seemed to understand my explanation quickly, nodding his head before asking a rather important question.

“Then who will be the commander? A unit needs a commander, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed. I’d like to entrust that role to Eve here.”

“…What?”

I smiled, pointing to Eve who had been sitting beside me with a straight back and closed mouth.

This caused a crack in Eve’s expression, and the watching dark elves also widened their eyes in curiosity.

“Me…?”

“Yes. You get along well with the elves, and you’re originally a mage. Magic requires a certain level of intelligence, so I think you’d make a good commander.”

“Ah. Well, that’s…”

Eve began to stammer, trailing off as if reluctant or confused.

I understood her hesitation—an army commander might need to kill people when necessary, and Eve had never killed anyone before.

However, I was well aware of how cruel Eve could become when pushed.

Even if I’d only heard stories about how she transformed when her family—or more precisely, the community she belonged to—was threatened.

I gripped Eve’s shoulders to focus her attention and said:

“Eve, we can’t know what the future holds, and an army is the minimum precaution against those unknowns. You understand that, right?”

“Yes, yes. But still…”

“Of course, I know you understand that killing people is never a good thing and should never be done lightly. I don’t want to tell you to kill people. However…”

In the event of war breaking out in the territory, people might die, and others might be severely wounded.

If someone close were to die in such circumstances, the shock would naturally be immense.

I’m not offering this as an excuse.

I’m simply saying that if such a situation were to arise, she shouldn’t hold back her power to protect what needs protecting.

Because when swords clash, only strength determines the outcome.

“Of course, our territory already has soldiers—the elite troops that Helena trains. But if Eve takes command of this unit, the territory will gain even more stability. That’s what I believe, regardless of what others might say.”

I earnestly asked because I genuinely thought Eve would make a good commander, not because I didn’t trust the dark elves and wanted to bring her in.

From Eve’s perspective, my request must be torturous, but I really hoped she would accept.

“To avoid… losing everything?”

“Yes.”

The surprised dark elves calmly observed Eve’s expression, and Eve herself seemed to be growing more composed as she steadied her breathing.

Having interacted with the dark elves the most, she showed no signs of aversion.

They would have accepted whoever became commander, but with Eve, things seemed to flow more smoothly.

After maintaining a calm silence for a moment,

Eve appeared to have made up her mind and slowly parted her lips.

“I’ll… do it. I will do it.”

Thankfully, her answer was positive.

I could breathe a sigh of relief, having one less worry on my mind.

Ellen, sitting beside me, showed a somewhat blank expression, but I was relieved nonetheless.

.

“A Magic Corps?”

“Yes. It’s a temporary name for the unit, but we can change it later if you think of something better.”

The day after appointing Eve as commander.

I called Eve to the reception room to discuss the details about the unit.

While the general organization had been decided, we needed to discuss what tactics to use and what skills would be needed for them.

Even for an unofficial, defensive unit, some minimum training was necessary.

I had explained this to the other dark elves yesterday, and they had understood, so there shouldn’t be any complaints.

“It sounds fine. I’m not very knowledgeable about military matters…”

With just the two of us present, I could hear her soft voice very clearly.

In fact, I found myself paying even more attention to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

If Helena or Ellen had been here, things might have been more chaotic, so I was glad it was just us.

“Understood. Next, let’s establish specific training directions.”

“Ah… do you mean strength training and such?”

“That’s necessary too, but I’d like to focus on breathing and coordination. Even though they’re all dark elves, they were strangers who didn’t know each other’s faces until they gathered in this territory. Besides, they already possess the basic abilities needed for combat, like physical strength.”

“…You’re right about that.”

Eve nodded and readily agreed.

She probably knew how fast and effective the elemental magic used by dark elves could be.

The elves who had been brought as slaves were similar, but the spirits handled by dark elves seemed somewhat more aggressive.

“The four elements—water, fire, wind, and earth, right? Elven spirit magic doesn’t deviate much from this framework, does it?”

“That’s correct. To be precise, spirits recreate parts of natural phenomena, and the four elements are their representatives. So they can also handle spirits that cause phenomena beyond these main elements, though such cases are extremely rare.”

So they can handle a range of elements beyond the basics.

I made a mental note of this knowledge and opened my mouth to resolve a question that suddenly occurred to me.

“Are there any among the immigrated dark elves who can handle such unusual elements?”

“I don’t think so, from what I remember. Those who handle special elements are truly rare. However, mages who specialize in elemental research can create various phenomena through combinations…”

“So such phenomena themselves aren’t that uncommon.”

Continuing Eve’s thought, I suddenly recalled something I had forgotten.

Even the magic items similar to heaters used for camping heated the air, and the freezing magic we had started using in the warehouse wasn’t one of the four elements itself.

To recreate such phenomena, the combination formulas Eve mentioned were necessary.

And those combination formulas were established through calculation, making them quite different from spirit magic, which was used through instinct and feeling.

“Is it possible to teach magic like what you mages use to the elves?”

“I’ve occasionally suggested it before, but they all refused, saying it gave them headaches.”

As mentioned earlier, to recreate magical theory, one’s mind needs to work in a certain way.

Moreover, the theories Eve talked about were dizzying just to hear.

So it seemed that even dark elves who could use magic were no exception.

“In somewhat difficult terms… intellect, is it? That’s necessary, and failing that, at least some interest…”

“They have neither, you mean.”

“Yes. But that doesn’t mean the dark elves are unintelligent. It’s just that the intelligence needed for magic is different in nature.”

It’s like how someone who’s clever and has brilliant ideas might be terrible at mathematics.

Thanks to this explanation, I could completely abandon the idea of teaching magic to the elves.

“Indeed. If they weren’t intelligent, they wouldn’t have survived in such harsh environments. Anyway, we need to create a manual within what’s possible.”

“A manual…?”

“Ah. I mean basic tactics.”

I had unintentionally blurted out the word “manual,” but I glossed over it.

Even though it slipped out by mistake, it wasn’t important enough to explain right away.

Eve seemed to accept it and move on.

“If you’re talking about basic tactics… since all four elements are available, we need to make good use of them.”

“As you said, we should utilize the cards we have. The basic combinations I’ve thought of are…”

Using earth spirits for defense, and mainly wind and fire for offense.

Fire riding on strong winds could easily grow larger, potentially causing effective damage to enemies.

Simply put, just as a fire arrow is much more threatening than a regular arrow.

“These are ideas anyone might come up with. Additionally, we could use mud created from water and earth for defense, or perhaps create icy areas by mixing water and wind to immobilize enemies.”

“It’s possible to create ice by cooling water with wind and making it even colder.”

Ellen had been able to make ice through similar methods, so I thought it would be possible with the right materials.

Moreover, Eve confirmed I was correct, so it wasn’t just idle speculation.

“However, for people using different types of magic to create such phenomena together, they need to coordinate their breathing. As you mentioned.”

“Exactly. That’s why training is necessary.”

The process of making unfamiliar tasks familiar—that’s training.

I thought that I, Eve, and everyone else in this mansion would agree with that.

“Then we should establish specific training plans. Since we’ll be basing this on your magical knowledge, could you help me? It might be tiring as it requires a lot of talking…”

“I, I’m fine with that! Since coming to the territory, I’ve mostly been idle, so I’d like to be helpful when I can!”

Eve answered with sparkling eyes, as if she was already fully prepared.

It seemed she was not only determined but also genuinely interested since it was a discussion about magic.

As long as we could communicate well, that was all that mattered.

Thinking that everything would be fine if things went smoothly, I exchanged ideas with Eve.