The Mad Dog of the Dukes House - Chapter 129



Only Krnovel

Episode 129 40. You have to take what you have to take (2)

3.

After the battle ended, all but a few of the fleeing pirates were buried in the ground.

The elves’ arrows and the angry spirits’ power did not allow the pirates freedom.

Although only a very small number of people survived, Caron wasn’t particularly worried.

‘There’s no way the Empress would let you live.’

There is no way that such a thorough empress would have left some devices unattended.

Moreover, Ifrit had already been dispatched and sunk all of the pirates’ ships.

What are the chances that the pirates, having lost their means of escape, will escape the forest?

does not exist.

Such miracles are not granted to them, at least not in this forest.

“by the way.”

Caron turned his head and looked at Han Naga sitting handcuffed in front of him.

Special elven handcuffs imbued with the power of the spirits.

Since I was wearing a restraint that sealed my magical powers, I didn’t see even the slightest danger from Nagara.

“You said you wanted to see me?”

This is the square of the village of Air.

The other Nagas were held captive outside the village in the same condition as this Naga.

All variables are blocked.

There were no unexpected incidents as I had feared.

“Caron. Naga is not a trustworthy people.”

Orion, standing next to Charon, looked down at Naga with cold eyes.

There was an unmistakable hostility in that voice.

“You are the greatest hero of this battle, so for now I will follow your judgment, but please keep in mind that I cannot and should not be trusted.”

“Is there anyone who can interpret? At least we need to be able to communicate before we can say anything… … .”

As Caron looked around, a soft voice came out of Naga’s mouth.

“I can speak human language.”

Human speech with a strong southern continental accent.

To the human words that came out of Nagai’s mouth, Charon answered with shining eyes.

“You are the basis of negotiation. First, introduce yourself.”

“My name is Besar Lokasi. I am the crown prince of the Lokasi Kingdom.”

“What proves your identity?”

“The trident tattoo on my right arm is only for members of the royal family.”

At those words, Charon glanced at Orion, and Orion nodded with a frown.

“… … That’s right. It’s on record.”

“If you judge it by just the tattoo, it could have been manipulated, right?”

“I sense the magic of the deep sea in the tattoo. It is unlikely to have been manipulated.”

“That’s right.”

Caron turned his gaze again and looked at Besar.

The faint golden eyes are impressive.

It’s because his gills are a bit unusual, but looking at him like this, he looks good enough to be called a handsome man.

Maybe it was because I heard that he was a royal? I felt a sense of nobility somewhere.

“Okay, explain to me why we shouldn’t execute you.”

Slurp.

“Caron said, pulling the guillotine from its scabbard.

An eerie light emanated from the guillotine’s blade, ready to cut off Besar’s head at any moment.

But Besar’s expression didn’t change at all.

He just spoke to Caron with a blank expression.

“You may kill me and all my people here.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. If you start talking nonsense anyway, I plan on executing you right away.”

“Only you can fulfill the Nagas’ wishes. For the future of our race, I do not care about such a trivial life.”

Besar muttered softly and looked at Orion.

Elf and Naga.

The eyes of two races that had been fighting for a long time crossed.

“We, the Nagas, are slowly dying.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Elf. You didn’t even try to understand us?”

“You are nothing but invaders who corrupt the forest. You invade the forest ceaselessly, spreading your disgusting magic.”

The conflict runs deep.

Caron raised his hand to stop their argument. Then he spoke to Besar.

“Put aside the thought of selling your emotions. The fact that you have joined hands with pirates will not change.”

“… … We just needed the sacred water from Etaron’s treasury.”

This is what Kerua told me last time.

Etaron, the story of that greedy dragon who stole the divine waters of other races.

It seems that the sacred waters of the Nagas were also included among those sacred waters.

“We have been searching for a way to open the treasure vault for many years, and only recently have we confirmed that the hatchlings have hatched. However, our strength alone was not enough to find the hatchlings and open the treasure vault.”

“So you reached out to the Empress?”

“Because I had no choice but to rely on her greed.”

Caron could understand the general situation.

After all, it was a long story that started from Etaron.

“What is that holy water?”

There must be a reason why these guys approach the sacred water even at the risk of death.

I was thinking of listening to it up to that point and then making a decision.

Besar answered Caron’s question by bowing his head.

“These are my mother’s tears. They are the sacred waters that my mother gave me, taking pity on the Nagas who were struggling under the black magic before they hid in the sea.”

“What is the effect?”

“It transforms the black magic flowing in the blood of the Nagas into the magic of the deep sea. It is a miracle that can only be accomplished through the pure magic of the Mother. Without the magic of the Mother, we would be destined to be consumed by the black magic.”

Hearing those words, Guillotine muttered quietly.

-That was the reason why it was similar to black magic, but different.

I already knew that the Naga race originated from elves.

Because Orion had already explained to me that the elves were a race corrupted by dark magic.

“If the sacred water has been stolen for 300 years, how have you survived until now?”

“I had no choice but to come to the surface and absorb my mother’s magic power.”

It seems that this was ultimately the reason for the periodic invasion of the great forest.

It was a pretty plausible story to dismiss as just something made up on the spot.

Charon glanced at Orion.

“Orion. What do you think?”

Orion’s expression looked more complicated than before.

“Crown Prince Besar. That cannot justify the deaths of so many elves you Nagas have taken.”

Then Besar looked at Orion with empty eyes.

“Weren’t your ancestors the ones who drove us Nagas out of the forest 300 years ago, when they were weakened by the loss of our sacred water?”

Orion could not easily refute Besar’s words.

At that sight, Caron sighed deeply.

It’s a long-standing grudge. And it’s a very complicated one.

Things like this can’t be solved overnight.

Even if I kill that guy called the crown prince and the Nagas here and now, something similar to what happened now is certain to happen again someday.

And that was not a situation Caron particularly wanted.

Etaron’s hatchling, Aqua, will be constantly exposed to danger.

“We need to direct traffic.”

At Charon’s words, Orion and Besar looked at Charon at the same time.

“If you return the sacred waters of the Nagas in Etaron’s treasury, there will be no reason for you Nagas to ever set foot in the Great Forest.”

Then Besar nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll gladly face death with a smile if you just promise.”

“I can return it. I can return it… … But for now, it’s impossible. Hatching can’t use the eloquence to break the seal on the treasure vault.”

Aqua is a hatchling that is still growing.

It will take some time for Aqua’s verbs to become stronger.

“I understand that your story is very complicated, but I’m worried about my elf friends, so I can’t just believe you. So let’s do this.”

Caron, who had placed the guillotine next to Besar, spoke in a low voice.

“You said you were the crown prince, right? I want you to be my hostess.”

Charon instinctively smelled opportunity.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

clearly.

4.

“I’m sure it all makes sense to you. I understand.”

The regent accepted Charon’s proposal to take Besar as hostage.

She didn’t ask for a detailed reason.

All I said was that I would be waiting at Galad.

“Captain. What are you thinking about?”

Kerua looked at the elves preparing to transport the prisoners and asked Charon in a suggestive tone.

Caron nodded, taking some beef jerky out of his pocket and chewing it.

“Kerra. I think there are two kinds of things in the world.”

“What is it?”

“Something that ends with killing, and some that doesn’t end even with killing. This case is the latter.”

He looked at Aqua and his colleagues playing in the distance.

Aqua smiling happily while riding on Utula’s shoulders.

Ultimately, the starting point of this incident was Aqua.

What that means is,

“There may be another threat.”

As long as Aqua is here, there is a possibility that another incident may occur.

“Maybe the last time a glimpse of the massacre appeared, it was related to Aqua.”

“If you think about Aqua’s mother, Etaron… … . It’s certainly a plausible inference.”

“In that sense, it might have been fortunate that I was able to talk to Nagadeul this time.”

Deep sea magic used by Nagas.

It was a magical power that was created in the process of suppressing black magic with the magical power of the World Tree.

To interpret that differently, it meant that the Nagas were a race in an environment that was perfect for being consumed by dark magic.

Maybe that’s why they seemed to hate the demons as much as the elves.

After all, it was the demons who brought them to such a strange fate.

It was clear that if the Nagas were completely consumed by black magic, an even greater tragedy would occur.

It was fortunate that I came into contact with the Nagas before such a tragedy occurred.

“Nagawa’s inviolability might not be such a bad proposition for the elves, right? At least it could reduce the pressure from the south. And most of all… …the sea opens up.”

Until now, elves have been unable to venture into the sea.

Just as they had prevented the Nagas from entering the forest, the Nagas had also prevented the Elves from entering the sea.

That is, the southern great forest was an isolated area.

To the north of the Great Forest, it was blocked by the Southern Kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Keas, and the Sacred Kingdom.

But what if the sea route is open?

Things change.

“If something happens to the Southern Great Forest, we can now move by sea. If we use speedboats, we can move much faster than by land.”

Kerua narrowed her eyes after hearing Charon’s words.

Because now I realize what the captain was thinking.

“Do you plan on starting full-scale interactions with the elves?”

“When I went to Galad last time, there were quite a few resources missing? Resources that were hard to obtain in the forest. For example, high-quality iron ore.”

All I learned about trading was from watching over my father, Pale, when I was young.

But even with that shallow knowledge, I was able to grasp the value of this southern great forest.

Bountiful crops and precious medicinal herbs from the fertile land, etc.

In the human world, there were many things that were valuable.

So it was clear what should be written on the receipt to be requested from the Regent.

“The Duke of Reston should monopolize trade with the Southern Forest.”

An exclusive trading right with the elves would suffice as a gift to Pale.

But since you’ve come this far, wouldn’t it be a filial duty to take a gift with you when you go back?

Of course, the route from Daesurim to Gongjakryeong must pass through the sea ruled by the Empress, but that is a problem for later.

Now that I have met the Empress through this opportunity, I will be able to make appropriate adjustments.

‘And at the same time, I’m filling up my back pockets.’

The more money you have, the better.

As Caron smiled without realizing it, Kerua glanced at Caron and said.

“leader.”

“why?”

“Wipe your saliva. It’s dirty.”

Kerua took a piece of jerky out of Caron’s pocket and ripped it open without hesitation.

“So, to summarize what the captain said… … you’re saying that the Southern Great Forest will also be placed under the influence of the Duke of Reston, right? What, are you planning on conquering the continent?”

“You’re wrong.”

There is one thing I have realized in this life.

“If I want to completely destroy those bastards, I can’t become stronger alone.”

Trade with the elves will make the Duke of Reston even more wealthy.

At the same time, it would open up new possibilities for the elves who were lacking some supplies.

The elves who have become stronger through interactions with the Duke will gladly lend a helping hand in the war of the distant future.

“The more mad dogs, the better.”

“Is it because you were reborn that you now know how to draw the big picture? Bringing the elves back to the continent after being isolated for a long time… … . It’s a plan that requires a certain level of madness.”

“Don’t you think it would be fun?”

“I admit that.”

Caron smiled with satisfaction and stood up, dusting off his pants.

“Let’s go slowly.”

Now it was time to really start emptying the elves’ pockets.

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