Ch.123Consultation (1)

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but the Biography of Xenon is merely a novel based on facts, not something that actually happened.

I know that demon-kind faces discrimination, but at the time of writing, I had no idea what beliefs they held. As for the romance between Kayre and Elisha, it was just a story I’d heard in passing, not something I personally witnessed or experienced.

Yet readers are under the impression that I experienced all these things firsthand. In the case of Sacran’s sacrifice, it was simply a favor I once received from demon-kind, and with Kayre and Elisha, there are even rumors that it’s my personal experience.

If it had been an outlandish story, people might have just let it slide, but the Biography of Xenon consists of stories that seem so “plausible” that readers can’t help but be drawn in.

Moreover, with its unprecedented sentence structure and readability, it’s only natural that people would become immersed in the novel.

Anyway, considering these conditions, people currently speculate that I’m a sage who has experienced the world alone for decades, and simultaneously believe I’m a scholar who has visited the holy land of Alfheim.

If I had written a fact-based novel in my previous life, people would have pointed out what’s commonly called “historical accuracy,” but this is a fantasy world where anything is possible.

Rather, theoretically impossible battles and magic being thrown around is perfectly normal here. Conversely, it’s a place where common sense is so inverted that a “steam locomotive” would be criticized for historical inaccuracy.

In fact, I heard that in the Kingdom of Makina, the land of dwarves, there was an attempt to invent a steam locomotive, but it was so complicated that everyone except the most stubborn gave up.

Anyway, it was good for me that I didn’t need to worry about historical accuracy in detail, but I still felt uneasy. The moment my knowledge ran out, it meant the time was approaching when my true identity would be exposed.

Moreover, the story has begun to shine light on not just humans but all races. Stories featuring humans, demon-kind, elves, dwarves, and beast-folk without discrimination are scheduled to appear.

So I need someone to consult with somehow, but for demon-kind, I have Cecilly, so that’s fine, and for elves, there are Arwen and Cyris. For dwarves, there’s plenty of knowledge available in books, and they don’t play a major role, so there’s no problem.

The only one left is the beast-folk, who still don’t have good relations with humans. Moreover, since the Kingdom of Animus, the country of beast-folk, was established relatively recently, I know almost nothing about its structure.

‘There’s Leona, but… she makes me a bit uncomfortable.’

Leona is the only beast-folk I have any connection with, but my relationship with her can’t be called good or bad. It’s just that we occasionally see each other’s faces.

Although we formed a connection by chance, it didn’t change my daily life. Besides, recently I’ve only been attending history lectures, so I rarely encounter her.

‘Let’s focus on the story between elves and dark elves first. It will take time before beast-folk appear in earnest.’

I shook off my concerns about how to portray beast-folk and concentrated on writing. In the Biography of Xenon, the country of beast-folk pursues a closed-door policy and appears late in the story.

Above all, elves are more urgent than beast-folk right now. I plan to devote as much as two volumes to the invasion of Alfheim alone.

Therefore, organizing the structure of Alfheim takes priority over beast-folk. Fortunately, I had received consultation from Arwen, so there was no problem.

‘First, the council is the highest group, below that is the Warchief, and then…’

Unlike humans with their large population, the elven army tends to operate as a small elite force, which is why each elf warrior is worth a hundred fighters.

Not only that, but even civilians possess very powerful abilities. From childhood, they receive basic martial arts and magic training from their parents, and they are also trained at “Lekeron,” known as the first academy.

And while one might typically think of warriors as people fighting with swords and shields, elves include mages as well. Instead, warriors specialized in magic are called “battle mages.”

Anyway, the position of “Warchief” is the commander who controls all of the above groups. As a commander, their individual combat power is also devastating to humans, and they rarely take the field themselves.

Because of this, even during the racial war, they mostly didn’t participate in battles against humans, thinking, “Do we really need a Warchief to deal with humans?” Considering their rank as commanders, this might be natural, but that arrogant attitude is fundamentally ingrained.

With one exception: Icare, who recognized humanity’s true nature.

When the human alliance advanced with unprecedented strategies and tactics, he sensed the crisis and took to the field himself, but unfortunately, as you know, he was arrested after the council found a pretext to do so.

‘There are four Warchiefs in Alfheim. Since elf warriors serve in the military until death, there are definitely no hidden masters in seclusion.’

Due to their stubborn nature, elves tend to dedicate their entire lives to their chosen profession. There’s no retirement age, and even if they’re injured, they often remain as advisors.

So they would stand firm even if Alfheim were invaded, but their forces would gradually be whittled away as they battle against demon executives.

‘But why don’t elves use mages like an air force?’

As can be seen from when Cecilly levitated me the other day, elves too can fly freely through the sky with a little effort.

It might sound a bit funny to talk about using mages like an air force, but since elves and demon-kind can actually do it, it’s a valid question. If they were utilized like reconnaissance or bomber aircraft, humans wouldn’t stand a chance.

Of course, the narrow-minded and rigid elves would likely dismiss this as a cowardly tactic, insisting on honorable direct confrontation. It might be good to add this setting by including another Warchief in the Biography of Xenon.

‘If this changes their thinking, well…’

Since the concept of an “air force” doesn’t exist in this world, they might just laugh it off. They’d probably dismiss it as nonsense, like the steam locomotive.

I continued writing the story, but had to pause my pen midway. While I know a lot about elves, I don’t know anything about their actual combat methods.

I know they insist on direct confrontation, but I don’t know what weapons they use, whether they fight using magic simultaneously, and finally, how their military organization is structured.

It’s not exactly classified information, but I was ignorant of the most basic aspects.

After pondering what to do and finding no suitable solution, I decided to summon Cyris.

‘I should also ask about the detailed lifestyle of dark elves while I’m at it.’

When Alfheim is invaded by demons and the World Tree is eventually burned down, the elves are forced to leave their homeland. One of their refuges is the forest where dark elves have been hiding.

In reality, dark elves live in deep forests with sparse human presence, and though they call it tribal living, it’s essentially a city.

Cyris has mentioned before that dark elves are quite skilled with their hands, having lived harsh lives like demon-kind.

‘Still, it’s much better to ask.’

I put down my pen for a moment and opened the desk drawer. A rolled-up piece of paper appeared.

It was very thick, consisting of dozens of sheets, and as everyone has probably guessed, it’s a magic paper to summon Cyris. If I tear this paper, Cyris will be contacted and she can either respond to my summons or refuse.

‘I hope she doesn’t come while bathing this time.’

Once before when I called her, she came naked. When I asked in bewilderment, she said she was in the middle of bathing…

In the end, I told her to at least wear clothes when responding to a summon and sent her back. Since then, I haven’t had any reason to summon her, but I was worried if she might do the same this time.

Dark elves are said to be more flexible than ordinary elves, but Cyris is rather rigid. Fortunately, since I only summon her to my quarters, there’s no chance of getting caught, but I still feel nervous.

Swish-

As I pulled out a sheet from the well-rolled scroll, a magic paper filled with indecipherable characters caught my eye. I know that creating one of these magic papers required a strand of Cyris’s hair.

I stood up and walked to a slightly more spacious area. Then I tore the paper without hesitation.

Rip!

As soon as the paper was torn exactly in two, it transformed into blue particles and scattered into the air. Now that Cyris has been contacted, all I have to do is wait.

It’s a bit sorry to call her for such a trivial matter, but she follows along without complaint. In fact, she’s half a slave in all but name, though I don’t actually treat her like one.

‘She’s a bit late today.’

Until the last summon, Cyris would respond immediately when I tore the paper. However, today she seems to be a bit late for some reason.

I had told her that if she had circumstances that made it impossible to respond, she didn’t have to, so maybe that’s why. Cyris also serves as Arwen’s bodyguard, so she must be busy in various ways.

With that disappointment, I was about to return to my desk.

“Did you call for me?”

“Huh?”

A husky, low, and dignified woman’s voice. There’s only one person with such a unique voice.

I turned my half-turned back to its original position. And I gasped at the sight of Cyris that entered my eyes.

She wasn’t naked like last time after bathing, but she was only wearing underwear, which was just as bad. Moreover, her black underwear, which matched her bronze skin, drew my gaze to inappropriate places.

Her 11-line abs and the underwear that barely covered her ample chest came across as provocative. Her usual attire was already quite revealing, but now she was wearing only underwear, stimulating my male instincts.

I looked at Cyris up and down quickly with bewildered eyes, then urgently opened my mouth.

“Why, why are you dressed like that? Did you leave your clothes behind?”

“I came during my deep sleep.”

“… …”

Upon hearing those words, I checked the time. The current time is 1:30 PM.

I’m not sure if dark elves are nocturnal or if she was just taking a nap, but sleeping in underwear is likely Cyris’s sleeping habit.

Meanwhile, seeing my confusion, Cyris opened her mouth with her characteristic husky voice, perhaps recalling the previous naked incident.

“I judged that it would be fine since underwear is not nakedness, so I responded to the summon.”

“No. I’m not fine.”

My head ached at Cyris’s actions, which showed no flexibility whatsoever. She might be qualified as a bodyguard, but she’s completely hopeless in daily life.

The problem is that Cyris herself doesn’t seem to understand what the issue is, as she’s tilting her head in confusion. Thanks to this, I couldn’t help but seriously question dark elf sexual culture.

No matter how much of a half-slave errand runner she is, coming while bathing and coming in underwear while sleeping makes me wonder if she has any sense of chastity or not.

I was rubbing my face when I glanced at Cyris. Her bronze skin combined with the firm body typical of a female warrior made for a formidable impact.

“Um… do dark elves not have any concept of chastity? I heard from Arwen that for elves, just showing their naked body to someone other than their partner is considered defiling their chastity…”

“That’s an elven custom. We live in harsh environments, so we’re more lenient about sexuality. If a partner dies from an accident or disease, we can take another partner if we find someone compatible. Of course, adultery or rape severely deviates from our rules and is subject to strict punishment.”

“What kind of punishment?”

“Men have their genitals cut off, and women have their insides cauterized with heated skewers to make them infertile.”

“Eek…”

Thanks to this, I learned about the terrifying customs of dark elves. Anyway, putting that aside-

“…I’m really sorry for waking you up. If you wish, you can go back and sleep.”

“Then may I take a brief nap here? I came right after training, so I don’t even have enough mana to cast teleport.”

Cyris must really be tired because despite her rigid speech, her golden eyes were gradually closing. She was trying to keep her eyes open, but her blinking suggested she had reached her limit.

Dark elves are said to undergo training where they stay awake for days on end, so she must be extremely tired to show such fatigue. I looked at her with sympathetic eyes and gave permission.

Originally, entry of others into quarters is prohibited, but conversely, if you sneak someone in, no one knows. This means there’s no problem if Cyris sleeps here.

“…Do as you please. There are blankets, so sleep warmly.”

“Thank you. Then excuse me for a moment.”

And so, as soon as she was summoned, Cyris staggered into my bed and began to fall asleep. Just as her tired face suggested, as soon as she lay down on the soft bed, she began to fall asleep…

“The bed has a nice scent.”

“…Just go to sleep.”

It seemed I would have to seek consultation after Cyris woke up.