episode_0080

Leones Dreamside.

Surprisingly, it was a name that anyone who studied or was interested in history in the Southern Kingdom had heard at least once. It was quite unusual, considering that he was an elf and not a human. The name of an elven king was recorded in a history book written by humans.

The elven kingdom that had lasted for thousands of years disappeared into history one day due to a certain incident, and those who inherited the kingdom’s bloodline continued to live as the heads of a race, if not kings, while continuing traditional ceremonies and some etiquette. And he, an elf who had once held the title of prince, who had lived for over a thousand years, left his mark on human history books along with his achievements.

Hundreds of years ago, shortly after the fall of the Elven Kingdom, the Demon King descended upon the central part of the continent once again. Having learned lessons from the previous Demon Kings, the Demon King took to heart the fact that the eastern forces, especially the Elven Kingdom, had repeatedly put the brakes on the Demons’ efforts to unify the continent and had even led to their defeat. Upon learning that the Elven Kingdom had collapsed, the Demon King believed that now was the time to destroy the Elves and take over the eastern part of the continent, and launched an invasion.

The East was in chaos. The various races formed their own forces and ruled, so each had their own leader, and eventually they were unable to stop the rapid attacks of the Demon King’s army and were defeated individually, suffering the humiliation of being defeated. By the time the Eastern Continent was half-decimated, the dwarves and the beastmen had fled to the forests of the elves, which were relatively unscathed, and suffered humiliation.

In that situation, the one who stood up with determination was Leones. He called together the leaders of the other races who had fled and held a meeting.

He raised his voice and called for a unified army to be formed, to drive out the Demon King’s army, and to restore peace to the East. Since they were indebted to the elves, both the proud dwarves and the aggressive beastmen had no choice but to agree with his opinion.

In this way, the Eastern Alliance was formed. Leones actively utilized the magic unique to the elves and achieved the feat of receiving military support from the Southern Kingdom through the diplomatic skills he had demonstrated since the days of the Elven Kingdom.

Thanks to this, the Allied Forces, whose morale was boosted, began a counterattack to drive out the Demon King’s forces. The Demon King’s forces, who had underestimated the Eastern Allied Forces, which were better organized than expected, suffered a great defeat because the first invasion had gone too smoothly.

Even the Demon King himself, while clashing swords with Leones, was stabbed in the side, causing him to scream loudly and run away.

Thanks to this, the eastern part of the continent was able to drive out the Demon King’s army and regain peace. At the same time, the aftereffects of the damage suffered at this time caused the Demon King’s army to lose momentum and briefly fall into a state of panic. During the period when the Demon King’s invasion of the eastern continent was suppressed, the human kingdoms that were suffering from the Demon King’s army were able to have time to recover.

The subsequent counterattack by the human kingdom army greatly reduced the influence of the demons. Everyone was happy, but Leones, the leader of the elves, could not hide his concerns, even though he was the one who led the victory.

The sword that stabbed the Demon King was a famous sword made with the blacksmithing technique unique to the elves. However, from the moment it wounded the Demon King, it began to exude a gloomy aura as it was imbued with the blood of the Demon Tribe. When the elders and renowned priests analyzed it, they answered that it was definitely imbued with a serious demonic curse.

In the end, Leones made a decision. He decided to seal the sword in the altar in the deep forest, which had been passed down from generation to generation since the days of the Elven Kingdom. From then on, he strictly ordered that no one, except for a very few, should approach the altar. This was almost the only time that Leones, who had always been merciful and gentle, acted violently and coldly.

Since then, hundreds of years have passed. The Demon King’s defeat and descent continued many times in later generations, and the central part of the continent was always occupied by the Demons. Then, a few years ago, the Demon King’s castle collapsed and the Demon King died due to the descent of the hero and the struggles of the hero’s party, and it seemed that the world would enjoy semi-permanent peace.

And… it was also around this time that an ominous aura began to creep in from the altar in the deep forest.

“If it weren’t for this situation, I was going to hold a festival for our guests. It’s such a shame. I wanted to repay our benefactor, the saintess, who defeated the Demon King…”

“Oh, no. Your Majesty. I would like to thank you so much for your sincerity alone. And, and we are on a pilgrimage, so we are not in a position to receive excessive hospitality, no matter how traditional it may be… I am truly grateful for your words alone. ”

Glenn could swear that this was the first time he had seen a saintess this nervous when meeting someone of such a high rank. She had never forgotten to smile and be confident when meeting the king of the Southern Kingdom, and she had never been this nervous when meeting the prince.

However, seeing with her own eyes the descendants of the fallen elven kingdom, whose names were written in history books, it seemed that even the most calm saintess could not completely calm her trembling.

“Hahaha. You don’t have to call me that high. It’s been over 500 years since the Elven Kingdom fell. My wife and I are also descendants of the kingdom, and we only declared it that way to the outside world so that other countries would understand. In the Elven realm, I’m just an old man.”

“Of course, you can call me queen. Come on, do it!”

But the king, no, Leones, laughed heartily (he had no beard) and advised the saintess to speak more casually. The queen, no, the female elf named Fulvia, playfully demanded while wagging her index finger.

Faced with the contrasting appearances of these two people, the saint found herself in a somewhat awkward position.

The one who offered a helping hand was a male elf who guided the two people.

“Leones, please refrain from being too humble. Isn’t it a common practice in diplomatic settings to honor your titles when interacting with other nations? And Fulvia, it would be difficult to make remarks that might make light of the throne. Since ancient times, the title of queen of our elven kingdom has been…”

No, it was a sermon. The elf leaders, Leones and Fulvia, looked slightly tired at the sight of the male elf suddenly telling a long story from the past.

Leones only smiled bitterly, while Fulvia openly expressed her dissatisfaction by muttering, “Here we go again…”

Of course, the saints and their companions who had been watching all this indifferently were in a position where they could do nothing and just wanted this conversation to end.

“And Sieta! How can someone who serves royalty… no, the Goddess of the Moon, show such a frivolous attitude! Didn’t you guide us, your precious benefactors, of all people! How can you be so disrespectful!”

“Ah, that, that…hehehe…”

The male elf, whose name the group did not know, this time started nagging at Sieta’s behavior. Sieta, who had always been confident and self-centered in front of the group, was quite flustered by the nagging.

It was a pretty cheerful scene, but Glenn, who was caught in a situation where he was neither here nor there, was just frustrated.

“Haa… Silion is still the same now as it was then. Well, I guess that’s to be expected since I’m a former judge…”

“Huh? Briwen. Do you know who that is?”

The one who broke the tense atmosphere of the group was Briwen, a half-elf with a close relationship with the elves. The half-elf, who was watching the elves bickering among themselves with a rather tired face, opened her mouth as if grumbling.

“You didn’t know? Silion, even though he looks like that, he’s been alive for over three hundred years…It would be strange if he didn’t know since he was born like that.”

“Uh…three hundred years? You’re quite old? Is it okay to call me that lightly?”

I said it because I thought it might be a human… or rather, an elf, who would get lectured if he heard it. However, despite Glenn’s worries, Briwen remained calm.

“What are you talking about all this time… A hundred years is a long time for elves. Three hundred years is like the age of a teenager.”

I see… Wait, so Briwen is an adult in human years… but to an elf…

Just as Glenn was about to burst out laughing at the thought of Briwen being treated like a baby, an elf named Silion raised his voice in surprise.

“No…Briienna? Isn’t that Briienna from Crowsong?”

He found Briwen explaining to the group and looked quite embarrassed. It was as if he had never expected Briwen to come back here. Briwen sighed and answered as if he had expected this to happen when Silion spoke to her.

“Yes, Briwen. It’s been a long time, Silion. And please don’t lecture Leones and Fulvia too much. Their friendly appearance will help ease the tension of our group, who are tired from the long journey. ”

“Ugh, ugh…”

Silion cleared his throat awkwardly, still unable to shake off his puzzled gaze at Briwen’s sudden intervention.

Instead, Leones and Fulvia approached Briwen as if they had been saved.

“Ah, Briwena of Crowsong. It’s been a long time. Ever since you saved us from that man’s plot, I was wondering when you would return to the forest. I thought I’d send someone to call you soon.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time, Leones. But soon…you don’t mean in 50 years, do you?”

“Hahaha. Our Wena, you’ve been living outside so much, you’ve become more joking. I’m embarrassed that you showed up like this even though I came by so suddenly…”

“It’s okay, Fulvia. I like this look a lot more. Rather than the royal family and all…well, Sieta’s antics were a bit much…”

“Our daughter is a bit like us in some weird ways…but she’s healthy and lively, so isn’t that okay?”

“Well, that’s part of Sieta’s charm.”

“Right? Hehehe… I’m really glad Wena is back. Aren’t you? ”

“Of course. I’m so glad to be back. Briwena of Crowsong.”

“Please call me Wena, Mr. Leones.”

Much more naturally than expected, Briwen cleared the air. She created a warm atmosphere by talking to the royal couple in a very comfortable tone. At that sight, Alina and Sister Esther opened their mouths slightly, as if they were shocked. Monk Benedict stared at the three elves talking with a strange look in his eyes. In many ways, it was clear that the tension had been relieved.

Glenn couldn’t tell whether he should be happy or sad that the group had relaxed. In the meantime, the elf priestess Sieta had been resurrected and was quietly approaching the three people who were having a conversation. Naturally, she also placed a hand on Briwen’s shoulder.

“Hehe. I’m also really happy that our Wena is back. I can see that she’s anxious to help this older sister who’s in trouble. Right, Wena?”

“Well…I guess I could say that I didn’t expect Sieta to be so cheerful in the face of a crisis for her race.”

“Ah, you, you’re going too far. Wena! I gave you guidance and even chased the people away… Ugh, mistake! ”

“Huh? Chasing out the water people…?”

“Daughter, you said you were going out to guide the guests, but what are you doing…?”

The royal couple tilted their heads and looked at their daughter as if they were hearing her for the first time.

Sieta frowned as if she had made a mistake and quickly covered her mouth, but she couldn’t put the spilled water back in. So, she raised her voice as if she had decided to go out shamelessly.

“Hey, hey! Think about it later! We should put out the fire under our feet right now! Come on, let’s take the guests to the mansion. Father. Mother! And Silion, put your nagging in your pocket, please! ”

“Sieta is really…whoa…”

“Hmm, if my daughter said something like that…”

“Hahaha, you take after your mom and are quite good at avoiding topics. But you still have a long way to go.”

The half-hearted and mischievous elf priestess began to guide the saints and their party to their lodgings, pushing her parents and Silion along.

Exhausted from the forced march for several days, and with the thought of soon resting in an elven-style lodging, the party naturally became drowsy. Fatigue finally took over their bodies, making their steps heavy.

With such slow steps, the saints and their party followed the elven royal family to a place where they could rest. They had high hopes for the chance to sleep under a roof for the first time in a while.

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“Welcome… Oh my, my! Sir! Alina! Sister Briwen too!”

“Oh, really? Already? Hello, Saintess! Sister Alina and Sister Briwen too!”

“I saw two… no, three beautiful wreaths… I guess my luck in love hasn’t run out yet.”

“Ohhh! Saintess! It’s good to see you again! Ohh, Alina! Briwen! And…you’re finally here! It’s so good to see you, ya!”

These kids, I just want to gouge out their eyes, put them in my mouth, roll them around, and spit them out.

Glenn grumbled as he swallowed his resentment towards his four fellow adventurers who had deliberately left him out to greet them.

Among the many trees that the elves made their homes, the party was guided to a gray tree that looked unusual on the outside. They opened the door that was prepared like a painting near the base of the gray tree roots and entered, where four, no, five familiar faces greeted them.

“I’ve finally arrived. Welcome, Saintess. I’m Estil Sabre, a high-level adventurer from the Kingdom of Alcrea. I was investigating the incident under the orders of the guild master. Please take care of me.”

Among them, unlike the adventurers who approached the group and expressed their joy, there was a little girl who sat comfortably on a chair and just turned her head to greet them. It was a face that was very familiar to Glenn.

Estill Sabre greeted the group with a slightly tired face and a languid tone of voice.

Finally, the adventurers dispatched to the East by the Southern Kingdom’s Adventurer’s Guild and the saint’s party succeeded in reuniting.

It had been almost two weeks since Glenn’s knight appointment ceremony.