The Mad Dog of the Dukes House - Chapter 105



Only Krnovel

Episode 105 32. Southern Great Forest (2)

3.

As we entered the southern forest, a new landscape began to unfold.

Unlike the lands of the Southern Kingdoms, which were devastated by war, the Great Forest was full of life.

Animals were seen running around everywhere, and the growth of plants was incomparable to that outside.

“You look very surprised.”

Were the Caron party looking around too obviously?

Orion continued speaking with a sly smile.

“Wherever Mother’s blessing touches, abundant fruit always forms. Because of this, many lives are established here.”

“Are the only races that are not human beings other than elves?”

“… … Have you ever thought that the expression ‘sub-race’ is too human-centered a way of thinking?”

“I guess so. Okay, so there are no other intelligent life forms besides elves?”

It was a quick acceptance of Caron.

Orion shook his head at Charon’s question.

“That’s not true. There are quite a few races living here. The representative race is the Suin tribe, and among them, the To tribe resides here. The To tribe is not that numerous, so they live in villages. However, they are a race with excellent hunting skills, so they sometimes come to Galad to sell their game.”

“I’m a Tojok. Come to think of it, I did save a Miao person while saving Neria.”

“You do more good deeds than you look.”

At those words, Charon narrowed his eyes and looked at Orion.

“… … Better than it looks?”

“You don’t look that kind, do you?”

“Physiognomy is a superstition. If all humans are ugly compared to elves, does that mean humans are a bad race?”

Then Orion nodded as if it was natural.

“Of course. It can be said that the faces of humans are the best evidence of physiognomy. Selfish and evil. Isn’t it?”

“You guys are racists.”

“I admit it.”

I forgot for a moment that elves are inherently misanthropic.

Looking at that stubborn attitude, I was honestly a little worried.

Indeed, will the elves of Galad welcome us?

It seems like misanthropy is the default, but what if they are uncooperative?

But Orion was quick to see through Charon’s concerns.

“You will be treated as our honored guests, so don’t worry too much. We will do our best to cooperate, so just relax.”

“If you think about it, it’s so different from my first impression. Up until then, you were ready to kill us, right?”

“Isn’t it a given that you take good care of your friends? It’s a new feeling.”

Although there was a huge variable called the Demon King’s Fragment, once we got over that hurdle, we received quite a bit of support.

Seeing things like this, it seemed like luck was on my side in this life.

Maybe I was just trying to make up for my bad luck from a past life where I was like trash.

“There are no enemies?”

In a place this prosperous, it was impossible for there to be no hostile forces.

Orion glanced at Charon at Charon’s question.

“Hmm.”

“… … No, humans should be excluded.”

“Occasionally, orcs and trolls come over from the eastern Lahal Mountains. But the most threatening ones… … are the nagas that come into the southern part of the Great Forest through the South Sea.”

“Get out. I heard about it.”

They are a marine species with gills that extend outward.

A race that built their own civilization under the warm seas of the South Sea.

Who would have thought that such a thing would threaten the great forest?

“The reason they invade the Great Forest is because of the power of the Mother.”

“Why do those who live in the sea have to do that?”

“… … It’s a long story to explain, so I’ll just give you the gist. The Naga Elves are a race that was born when they were corrupted by dark magic. That’s why they always yearn for their mother’s power.”

This is really the first time I’ve heard of this story.

The origin of the Naga race, something I’ve never seen in a book.

Orion continued speaking with a bitter expression.

“They want to contaminate Mother with their magic.”

“It seems a bit different from normal magic.”

“The magic of the deep sea is a fusion of black magic and magic power. It is a magic power that is only allowed to Nagas. So naturally, we have no choice but to fight them.”

I’m interested.

It is a form that combines black magic and magical power.

Then doesn’t that mean they retain their sanity despite being tainted by dark magic?

‘It might be something like an orc or an ogre.’

It wasn’t of immediate use, but it was good knowledge to have.

Since the elf race itself was a closed group, each piece of knowledge was unfamiliar and new.

“It seems like living in an affluent place isn’t always a good thing.”

“To agree.”

It was around this time that Charon and Orion were talking about this and that.

The elven city of Galad, which had seemed so far away, began to appear in the distance.

I thought it would be the size of a village because it was called a city in the forest, but that wasn’t the case.

A high, built-up wall.

And some tall buildings nestled behind the walls.

Charon felt a similar sense of excitement when he saw the imperial capital from afar from Galad.

And further on, when his eyes caught sight of the giant tree behind the wall, Charon couldn’t help but let out a small exclamation of admiration.

“… … World Tree.”

A huge tree that seemed to reach the sky was constantly emitting magical power around it.

“It’s too early to be impressed, Caron Reston.”

“The city is much bigger than I thought.”

“It is also the last stronghold of our race. Of course it has to be big. Judging from the reaction, it seems like they have ignored our elven civilization until now.”

“No, it’s just… … I’m a little surprised.”

Orion smiled softly at Charon’s exclamation and summoned the fire spirit.

Whoosh whoosh-!

The fire spirit rose into the sky, burning white.

After a while.

Woohoo.

Light from the city walls began to illuminate them.

“pretty.”

Leon, who was behind him, muttered with a small exclamation of admiration.

It was beautiful.

Unlike the artificial light emitted by the fanatics, that light was warm, like the sun.

Orion faced the light and spoke in a calm voice.

“It is a light that honors the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for their fellow countrymen.”

Charon turned his head and looked at the elves behind him. More specifically, at the corpses of the fallen soldiers in the spirit’s embrace.

I heard that nearly half of the elves who left the forest were killed.

But the surviving elves showed no sign of sadness.

They were all moving forward with expressions as indifferent as Orion.

“The fallen comrades have simply returned to their mothers’ arms. So we must not show any sadness in front of their bodies. That way, they can rest in peace. This is how we honor our comrades who have gone before us.”

Orion slowly turned his head and looked at Charon and his companions.

“Now that you have new friends, the guys who went before are probably happy too. So you too… … Smile for them.”

At those words, Caron smiled faintly.

“That’s not a difficult request.”

Orion smiled after Charon and spoke in a bright voice.

“Welcome back to Galad, my friends.”

A warm light guided them into the city.

4.

Charon and his party entered Galad together with the elves.

“oh.”

Charon exclaimed in admiration once again as he looked around the interior of Galad.

Well maintained road.

Buildings blending in with trees

And that’s not all.

Elves walking on the road, spirits of various colors, and a small number of foreign races including the Toin tribe gather to create this.

“It’s like a painting.”

As Leo said, it was like a painting.

“There are fairies too.”

A small race of palm-sized fairies sitting on the heads of tree spirits.

The smile on Leon’s face never disappears at the sight of the small and cute fairies.

Even the giant Utula.

“It’s the most harmonious and beautiful city I’ve ever seen!”

He was exclaiming with his mouth wide open.

There was no discrimination here, as Caron had feared.

Those who made eye contact with Caron and his party all placed their right hands on their chests and bowed their heads toward Caron and his party.

“It’s a greeting that shows respect. You deserve their respect.”

At Orion’s words, Charon scratched his cheek lightly.

“I think I’ve misunderstood elves too much.”

“If I had come with an uninvited human, things would have been different.”

“Then what happens?”

“Wouldn’t it have been possible to watch that man being hanged on the gallows in the square in real time?”

“Hiccup.”

Leo hiccuped at Orion’s words.

Then Orion chuckled and patted Leo on the back.

“It’s an elven joke. Only slave hunters hang themselves on the gallows. Refugees who escape to live are detained for a while and then exiled to the eastern side of the Great Forest. There is a refugee camp set up by humans there.”

“I also thought they killed all humans. I heard from rumors that they kill anyone who sets foot on them.”

“… … Do you think we are like you? If you ran away after hearing that rumor, it must mean that you want to live. Killing these people is an act that goes against Mother’s will, Caron.”

Orion finished his brief explanation and quickly took out a silver medal from his bosom.

It was a medal with a tree engraved on it.

He gave the medals to each of Caron’s group and said:

“The audience with the regent is tomorrow. So, spend today freely here. If you present this medal, you can use all the facilities for free.”

Caron smiled brightly and put the medal away in his bosom.

“Free pass is good. Oh, I’m trying to contact Cheonghaesung, is there an elf who knows how to use communication magic?”

“If you go to the plaza, there is a place called a relay station. It is a place that usually handles the delivery of goods, but communication is also possible. I have the communication coordinates of Cheonghae Castle, so you can go there.”

“What are the coordinates of Cheonghae Castle… … . Oh, my grandfather said he visited there before.”

“Don’t worry, the elves’ magic is excellent. I will come to see you tomorrow, so please get some rest until then.”

The elves will have a lot to do now that they’ve returned from their campaign.

After Orion had delivered everything that Charon and his party needed, he led the patrolmen and left.

“hmm.”

Caron let out a small breath as he looked at the backs of the patrolmen. Then he looked back at the group.

“Is there anything you all want to do?”

The first to answer that question was Utula.

“The axe and spade are badly damaged! We need to take them to the blacksmith and have them repaired.”

Because the battle was so intense, everyone’s equipment must have been damaged.

Leo and Leon also nodded and followed Utula’s words.

“I should stop by the blacksmith shop too.”

“Me too, Caron. Hey, but shouldn’t you go too? Come to think of it, your armor seems to have been damaged the most.”

Leo thought of the weapon of slaughter that had pierced Charon’s body.

But Caron just smiled and shrugged.

“Ah, my armor can also repair itself.”

“… … That’s right, it was Cabana, right? The elders are really going too far. They only gave us swords… … .”

“If you feel wronged, you have to become stronger too.”

“Ha, isn’t it true that good equipment should be given to relatively weaker people? They say that experts aren’t picky about their equipment.”

“That’s bullshit. I mean, the more advanced you are, the better the equipment you use.”

Caron, who lightly suppressed Leo’s sophistry, smiled and said to his colleagues.

“Then the three of you go to the blacksmith shop to get your equipment repaired, and I’ll report to Cheonghae Castle and come back. I’ll meet you back here in an hour. Sister Leon, please take good care of everyone so that no accidents occur.”

“Trust me, Caron. But, Caron, can I say just one thing?”

“Yes, sis.”

“Usually you are the one causing the accident.”

“Ahem.”

“It’s just like that. I’ll see you later.”

So his companions also left to find the blacksmith, and Charon was left alone on the street.

“I don’t know if we’re trying to communicate.”

If you can’t communicate verbally, you can just use your body.

Charon nodded and walked straight towards the city square.

And when we finally arrived at the square.

“Wasn’t it time to worry about others?”

Caron couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

A commercial area densely formed around the square.

From the elves walking around without rest to the crazy sales pitches.

Most importantly, all the signs on the shops were written in Elvish.

But Charon was not fazed and put his hand on the guillotine’s handle.

Don’t you have an interpreter?

“Guillotine, find it quickly.”

After a moment, Guillotine replied, seemingly incredulous.

-… … How do I find it?

“You understand elf language.”

-That’s understanding speech. How can I read letters? Make sense, master. Why do you expect so much from a sword?

Isn’t this exactly what they mean when they say that the axe you trusted will turn against you?

Caron said, frowning.

“I didn’t think the interpreter was illiterate… … . What a disappointment, Guillotine.”

-You crazy bastard! You’re cutting down the black enemy! What do you want for translation? Find a translator.

“Ugh.”

It was Caron who became missing in an instant.

But what can we do?

“… … I have to hit it with my body.”

So Charon began to display his fantastic body language to the elves passing by.

It was only thirty minutes later that rumors began to spread that a strange human had appeared in Galad’s Square.

There’s a mad dog living in the duke’s house