Ch.180Bait (1)

The elves had to tell Phiren certain lies. These included Xenon’s real name, residence, appearance, and that they had taken measures to prevent him from writing any more.

Since this didn’t violate their oath, and the fact that Phiren had entrusted them with the tracking meant he trusted them to some degree, there was a high probability he would believe these lies.

Of course, Phiren wasn’t a fool and would demand evidence. For this, they had prepared a “fake oath document.”

While oaths only take effect when mutual agreement is reached, as a type of “contract,” fraud occurs frequently. The biggest scam, as mentioned earlier, is the fake oath document.

There have been many cases throughout history where people lie about having made an oath by showing seemingly reasonable terms without any actual agreement. Since there are various ways to verify whether an oath has been established, this doesn’t work well on strangers.

Therefore, this method only works on someone who has built some level of trust. Karlas had said that Phiren had designated them because he trusted them to some extent, if not completely, so this should work well.

However, it was essential to carefully forge the fake oath document to avoid detection. Cecilly had assured that this wouldn’t be a problem, so there was no major concern.

With all the bait prepared, all that remained was to wait for a bite. By the time all these preparations were complete, dawn was breaking outside.

I looked at Karlas and his group, who had become haggard from the extreme pressure, and sought confirmation.

“You understand what I said? If you don’t want your ears to turn black with rot, you’d better do exactly as I say.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Even Karlas was now using honorifics, having completely set aside his pride. After being restrained and pressured for hours, it’s understandable that their spirits would be crushed.

Moreover, they were elves. They probably had never experienced such a situation before.

“Issac. I’ve written out the oath here.”

“Hmm…”

Shortly after, I received the fake oath document from Cecilly and checked its provisions. I had asked her to write it from the perspective of an arrogant elf, and I was curious to see what she had written.

[From now on, the Biography of Xenon will be written only with the permission of the Council.]

Okay. The first provision alone was sufficient. There were also clauses stating that only the good aspects of elves should be written about, excluding all negative points, but the first one was enough.

It would be fair to say that it contained all the provisions that would appeal to Phiren’s sense of racial superiority. If the Biography of Xenon were written according to these provisions, it would essentially become propaganda.

The provisions were written solely from an elven perspective and were concise rather than complicated.

“Sign here… and you sign too.”

Karlas signed the fake oath document and carefully tucked it away. With the fake oath document also prepared, I warned them once more.

“Remember. Depending on how you act, it might not just be your ears but your lives at stake. Understand?”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

“Now go back to Phiren, that old elf. And make good use of what I’ve told you.”

As I waved my hand dismissively, the elves vanished without hesitation. Judging by the mana fluctuations, they seemed to have used teleportation.

Their eagerness to escape at the first opportunity was somewhat amusing, but there was still work to be done. As soon as the elven tracking team disappeared, I spoke to Cecilly.

“Sis, did you tell Cyris?”

“He should be following them by now.”

“Is there no problem with them using teleportation?”

“No. Once you understand the principles of teleportation, tracking it isn’t difficult. If anything, teleportation increases the risk of detection. Want me to explain how it works?”

“No, that’s okay.”

It’s better to regard magic as simply a mysterious power. Thanks to my memories from my previous life, I have a lot of knowledge, but that doesn’t mean I’m particularly intelligent.

“Son, do you really believe this will succeed?”

Sensing that the situation had somewhat concluded, Father crossed his arms and questioned me. His face showed doubt.

I had explained the general plan to him before the elves invaded the mansion, but he still seemed skeptical. Although he hadn’t directly involved himself in politics, he had observed from afar, so he was concerned about the current situation.

Like Father, I don’t believe there’s a 100% chance of success. The world doesn’t work according to one’s wishes, and people tend to behave unpredictably when cornered.

However, as the saying goes, “know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.” This fight is heavily in our favor. Even if variables arise, we have allies who can block them, so the overall flow won’t be disrupted.

“Well, as you’re concerned, Father, I don’t think it will definitely succeed. But the flow won’t be disrupted. What remains depends on how well the Queen can incite the people.”

“Incitement… I’ve heard she gives excellent speeches, but I’m not sure about incitement.”

Father, having never directly heard Arwen’s speeches, scratched his chin and spoke ambiguously.

However, speeches and incitement are fundamentally similar. Especially when mixing a little falsehood within a large truth, people can’t help but be deceived.

Moreover, this is a world without internet or proper information dissemination. Someone in my previous life left this famous quote:

Incitement can be done with a single sentence, but refuting it requires dozens of pages of documents and evidence. And by the time you try to refute it, people have already been incited.

There’s a rumor that Goebbels, the famous Nazi propagandist, said this, though there’s no evidence. But the fact that such a statement is attributed to him is evidence of Goebbels’ exceptional ability to incite.

And from what I’ve seen, Arwen, while not at Goebbels’ level, possesses a speech ability with strong appeal. I merely provided the speech, and it was Arwen who successfully delivered it, so her ability is undeniable.

“She’ll definitely do well. Father, you know how favorable public opinion is toward the Queen, right? It was Arwen who united the purebloods and half-bloods.”

“That was thanks to your speech. But now you can’t help her…”

“That’s why the rest is in the Queen’s hands. She’s probably preparing even now.”

For Arwen, this is a golden opportunity to eliminate the Council, which has been more than just a thorn in her side—it’s been like a cancerous growth. I’ve informed her of the plan through Cyris, so she should be making preparations accordingly.

I just need to wait patiently and observe the situation. If problems arise, I can take measures then.

“Hmm… I’m asking because I don’t know much about Alfheim’s politics, but I’m curious if the Council’s power and the Queen’s power are evenly matched.”

“They’re similar, from what I understand. Many noble families have been dissatisfied with the Council but couldn’t act openly because of its symbolic status. After all, the monarchy was created to check the Council’s power.”

No matter how excellent Arwen’s diplomacy and political skills are, being checked alone is mentally exhausting. The frequent changes in Alfheim’s throne demonstrate how severe this checking is.

However, seeing Arwen’s steadfast resistance, the noble families have begun to think, “Oh, she might be capable,” and have started supporting her. Moreover, after winning the hearts of the people through her speeches, the support from noble families has become even stronger.

“Then it can’t be helped that a bloodbath will occur in Alfheim. Even the fact that your hand was injured is a major issue, and if it’s revealed that the Council is responsible…”

“Arwen is surely aware of this. But the fact that she approved suggests she’s taken this into account in her planning.”

While the Council clearly hinders Alfheim’s development, its symbolic status cannot be undermined. If Arwen destroys this symbol, the shock to the citizens will be immense.

She will have to bear all the aftermath. I sincerely hope she can handle it wisely. There’s a high possibility that neighboring countries will pressure Alfheim during this period of weakness.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“First…”

I smiled at Cecilly’s question, then answered in a tired voice.

“I’m going to sleep.”

I’ll write the letter later.

*****

After Issac’s expulsion, Karlas and his group fled from the mansion.

They squeezed out their remaining mana to move to a safe location. While teleportation consumes exponentially more mana the greater the distance, they had no choice given the circumstances.

Thus, they urgently moved to an area far from the Mayshall territory. The location was neither a city nor a village but a forest, which was like a sanctuary for elves.

“W-what do we do now?”

Rena, an elf woman with brown hair, spoke with a trembling voice filled with anxiety and impatience. Her eyes were shaking, and her hands were touching her ears.

Mael was not much different. The only difference was his expression, which was closer to despair. He seemed to have already given up.

“Haah…”

Karlas sighed deeply at Rena’s question and rummaged through his pocket. He pulled out the fake oath document written by the demon princess, Cecilly.

He wanted to tear it to pieces and burn it, but he couldn’t. If their ears rotted and turned black, all elven pride would be lost.

There was nothing they could do right now. Karlas spoke quietly with a resigned voice.

“…For now, we return to Alfheim. We must hope that Lord Phiren notices.”

“But the oath…”

“An oath isn’t infallible. There must be a loophole.”

Oaths only take effect on truths, not on falsehoods. They could exploit this.

Karlas thought carefully, then smiled as if he had a good idea. Seeing his smile, Rena and Mael’s expressions brightened slightly.

“Yes. When reporting to Lord Phiren, we can indicate that we’re lying. Oaths don’t take effect on falsehoods.”

“T-that would work! But how do we lie…”

“When people lie, physical reactions occur. Typically, looking to the left, fidgeting with hands, and so on. There are many such signs. Lord Phiren would surely know this.”

Phiren, with his extensive political experience compared to other elves, is quite perceptive. Moreover, he’s so suspicious that once he latches onto something, he won’t let go until his suspicion is resolved.

Even if they don’t lie, the moment Phiren becomes suspicious, he will continue to dig deeper. And they can use this to their advantage.

Ears rotting due to dark mana? The most important thing right now is to buy time. Somehow getting Phiren to take action is the priority.

“But be careful. We don’t know who the traitor in Alfheim is. Given that they even know Lord Phiren’s full name, it’s likely someone from a noble family.”

“How could a mere human… and such a young one at that…”

“They must have had a connection. Or perhaps he really is from the future. The gods must have placed restrictions on him, preventing him from acting freely. So we…”

Shwik- Thud!

While Karlas was speaking, something cut through the air sharply and embedded itself somewhere. Startled, Karlas and his group turned toward the sound.

A dagger was stuck in a tall tree trunk, with a note tied to its handle.

Karlas stared at the dagger embedded just above his head with a stunned expression, then reached out. He gently pulled out the dagger and, with trembling hands, untied the note.

Gulp-

The sound of someone swallowing hard was clearly audible after the sudden attack. Karlas unfolded the note with a sense of dread.

And on that note…

[Don’t do anything unnecessary.]

It was a clear warning.

“… …”

Karlas felt the blood in his entire body turning cold in real-time. He quickly cast a detection spell to scan the surroundings, but nothing was detected.

‘How? We used teleportation? What method did they use?’

Could this also be the demon princess’s ability? Since little is known about demons, it’s not impossible.

Moreover, demons, like dark elves, are a representative race that serves Mora. Hiding in darkness would be easy for them, so such actions aren’t impossible.

It was as if eyes and ears were everywhere. The thought that they would be under surveillance even on their way to Alfheim made Karlas feel like his world was crumbling.

‘What exactly is he…’

How far do Xenon’s, or rather Issac’s, abilities extend? Karlas looked up at the sky with a dejected expression.

In contrast to his mood, the sky was perfectly clear.

‘It’s over.’

Karlas let out a bitter laugh in his despair.