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TL: ALT
Chapter 152 – Day 44 of the Strategy Life
“What’s going on?”
“Margrave, the elves are waiting at the fort.”
A spear-wielding soldier reported.
“I see. I’ll go now.”
After gathering our belongings in the forest, we returned to the road and were greeted by a large number of soldiers from the fort.
“You were the real one, weren’t you?”
“People often say I’m hard to see.”
“We will protect you if anything happens.”
“Yes, that would be a great help.”
When we arrived at the fort, we were asked to write our names and positions on three documents. In addition to receiving a pass, this was to prove that we were not impostors and had not been ill in the past few months.
A middle-aged soldier dressed as a magician kindly guided us through the Kingdom of Estinia’s fortress without any problems. Sasha and the rest of the cavalry left their horses there.
“Diplomatic relations between Estinia and the Elves are still in the negotiation stage. We hope that this incident will bring us one step closer to reconciliation, so we would appreciate it if the Margrave were treated generously.”
The captain smiled, then suddenly became serious and continued.
“That’s the official line, but if anything goes wrong, call us immediately. We’ll be ready to go at any time.”
It seemed that the captain had no intention of forgiving the elves who broke through the border and joined the rebellion in East Kenya.
“Understood. Watch the sky, too. There seems to be a familiar spirit bird flying around.”
“Yes!”
The captain and his soldiers watched us off as Sasha’s cavalry, and I crossed the border and entered the elf kingdom.
“Welcome, Makyo-sama, Margrave of the Estinia Kingdom.”
The tall ambassador, surrounded by elf soldiers, greeted us.
“The healing potions you gave us earlier were a great help.”
“How many people were injured in the explosion?”
Hel asked.
“Helgen Turoon… The elf kingdom is not united. Just like you.”
The ambassador said with a bitter expression.
“I’m asking how many people were injured.”
“Eight. They are all recovering thanks to the healing potions.”
“We warned you, but you wouldn’t listen. Your logic isn’t the only one that applies. Thinking you’re the only ones who are right is arrogant. Now, hurry up and lead us to the magic circle to break the curse.”
Hel walked ahead, ignoring the ambassador. The soldiers and the ambassador hurried after her.
The interior of the large stone fortress was well-lit by magic stone lamps.
“The magic stone lamps are just blinding you. If you look closely, you’ll see that it’s full of familiars, so be careful.”
Hel warned me, but I didn’t know how to be careful. I could see a magic circle drawn near the lamps that lit the hallway, though. The armor on display seemed to have insects nesting inside. When I listened to the sound of my footsteps, I noticed that the floorboards weren’t uniform in thickness; some parts felt thin.
The place seemed full of traps.
As we proceeded down the long hallway, we came to a large room. In the center was a carpet with a large magic circle drawn on it.
“This is a magic circle to break curses. It can instantly break minor curses. To prevent the curse from spreading to the elf kingdom, please step on the circle.”
This is for epidemic prevention, so it’s better to step on it. It would be helpful if it could also break my curse.”
Hel stood on the magic circle and joked. We followed suit.
For a moment, a pale blue light enveloped the entire room, but nothing in particular seemed to happen.
The only thing that happened was that Sasha’s necklace broke.
“Was that a cursed necklace?”
“No, it’s for eavesdropping. The captain gave it to me. Everyone is worried about the Margrave.”
“I see.”
When we left the fort, a carriage was waiting for us. I thought there would be dwarf engineers at the fort, but we were told they were being transferred and that we should wait in a nearby town.
Since we didn’t have any large luggage and could move faster on horseback, we declined the carriage. The cavalry lent us horses from the Elf Kingdom. Perhaps it was because the cavalry was skilled or the horses were docile, but none of them refused to carry soldiers from another country.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right? There are monsters around, and it will be dark soon.”
“I can take care of myself. Besides, I want to take a good look at the elf kingdom.”
“I see. Then…”
Only the ambassador boarded the carriage.
As expected, the Elf Kingdom was covered in coniferous forests. There were signs of people and monsters everywhere.
However, I couldn’t hear any monster cries or footsteps. Perhaps they were small.
As the sun set, darkness enveloped the area. There was only one road, so it was impossible to get lost. However, the horses were frightened and refused to go fast.
We proceeded at the horses’ pace. Occasionally, we sensed the presence of bandits or monsters in the woods beside the road. When we tried to investigate, though, they fled.
By the time we reached the town, the moon was high in the sky.
The elf town was lit by colorful magic stone lamps and full of life. In the center stood a huge tree as if protecting the town.
“That big tree is called the Spirit Tree. The elves relied on it to hear the voices of the spirits and develop their village. In the old days, there were even shamans who could see spirits.”
Hel explained as she looked at the giant tree from the inn window.
“A-Are there any shamans left now?”
Sylvia asked Hel.
“As magic has been deciphered, it is said that the spirits’ power has gradually faded away.”
For Hel, who had been imprisoned before arriving in the demonic land, this might be her first glimpse of an elf town in a long time.
While Hel and Sylvia chatted, I lay down on my bed. Whether from the fatigue of the journey or the sense of security from entering the elf kingdom, I soon fell asleep.
“Wait!”
The elf ambassador shouted. I ignored him and had the dwarves climb onto the wagon.
Saketsu took the driver’s seat and guided the old horse. When the horse started moving, the thick poles supporting the wagon lifted off the ground. The wagon tilted slightly and started moving slowly.
“Whoa! What’s going on?”
Hel and I were curious, so we asked Saketsu.
“We’re using the force of the tilt. The horses just provide the initial momentum, and they determine the pace.”
“Are you using a magic circle?”
“Yes, we’re using an old dwarf magic circle.”
“So there was no point in discriminating after all.”
Hel was filled with regret.
“Margrave! Let’s go through the town!”
“There are preparations for a welcome party for you, and the nobles will come greet you the day after tomorrow!”
Sasha and the elf ambassador followed us, trying to persuade us to stay.
“Sorry, but I’d rather not. Let’s get back to the demonic land as soon as possible.”
“But there’s no path there…”
The elf ambassador protested, but we ignored him and continued along the outskirts of the town.
There were fallen trees and rocks on the grassland, but I cleared a path for the carriage to pass through. If the wheels fell into a ditch, we could simply lift the wagon out. If monsters attacked the horses, Hel and Sylvia would shoot arrows or crush them with bone clubs, respectively.
Sasha and the others had been complaining the whole time that it was crazy to go through a place like this, but they stopped once we reached the west gate on the other side of town.
All we had to do was return to the road; there were no particular dangers or problems to contend with. If anything, our speed was slow. We matched the pace of the old horses and walked at a normal speed.
We took our lunch break by the side of the road. Katan made a meat and vegetable soup that looked incredibly delicious, so I asked her to share some with me.
“It tastes three times better than it looks! Hel and the others should try some, too.”
Hel and the others enjoyed the soup as well.
“That’s because it has a lot of spices in it. By the way, Margrave, are you really sure you can accept such thick dried meat?”
Katan asked apologetically.
“Sure. If it’s just meat, I can hunt some nearby. What kind do you want?”
“Anything is fine. Then I’ll have boar meat…”
“Is it okay to hunt in this forest?”
I asked the elf ambassador, just in case, and he said, “If you can, please try.”
I released my magic and let the wind carry it into the forest beside the road. I could see the forest as if it were right in front of me.
Nearby, Kahiman jumped out of the wagon and stared wide-eyed at my magic.
“There it is!”
I saw a Field Boar digging up bamboo shoots on the ground.
I focused all my magic on my legs and closed the distance in one leap.
The Field Boar was startled, and I placed my hand on its abdomen. With my magic cube, I extracted its internal organs. I tied its hind legs with vines, hung it from a tree, and drained its blood. Then, I dug a hole in the ground and discarded the internal organs and blood.
“A-Are you in a hurry?”
Sylvia caught up and asked.
“Ah, yes, please.”
“Okay.”
Sylvia manipulated the field boar’s blood and poured it into the hole in one go. So, the vampire clan can do that, too?
She peeled off the fur with a knife and separated the legs and abdomen. She said the head wasn’t edible, so she threw it away with the internal organs. She filled the hole so that the monsters wouldn’t dig it up, and the hunt was complete.
“Are you giving me all of this? This will last us a month!”
Katan was delighted when I handed her the boar meat and rubbed salt into it.
“That’s a problem in the demonic land, isn’t it?”
“We have plenty of meat but not enough vegetables.”
“Maybe we should preserve the meat and use it for trade?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Sasha and the elf ambassador watched us with distrustful eyes.
The afternoon passed without incident, and we arrived at the border fortress by nightfall.
Upon learning that neither the horses nor the wagons could be taken into the Kingdom of Estinia, the dwarves looked despairing.
“It’s okay. I’ll carry the luggage.”
But that didn’t seem to reach the ears of the panicked dwarves.
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Everything above :
Is from the previous chapter. From there several character names are mentioned that haven’t been introduced yet so I can only assume you accidentally removed the first half or so of this chapter and replaced it with a large portion of the previous chapter.
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