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Volume 5 Chapter 7-1: Contract

「This is the first time we’ve talked like this. I’m Cyril, Cyril from Erucy.」

I turned around and spoke to the woman who had been standing behind me. She appeared to be in her late teens, with a slender and well-proportioned figure, bright golden hair, and above all, the characteristic emerald eyes, a sign of a High Elf… Jade Eyes. My elven instincts were urging me to kneel before her.

We had never met in person, but an overwhelming sense of familiarity surged through my chest.

「Nice to meet you. I’m Ashno, a hero of this world and its guardian.」

She bowed politely, presenting a very dignified appearance.

「I’m impressed. You said you didn’t expect me to catch on to the Empire’s intentions so quickly, but I didn’t expect you to find me this fast either. I was on my guard, but still…」

I turned my hair black and concealed my ears. Not only that, I had used magic to disguise my soul and the wavelength of my magic.

「So you were trying to hide, you didn’t do a very good job though. So, tell me, what are you? What are you to my dad, the great mage Suzina? Don’t lie to me. If you lie about my father… I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to control myself.」

A chilling killing intent emanated from Ashno. I carefully chose my words; one wrong move and I would die.

「I am the reincarnation of Suzina. I’m just a stranger who has his memories.」

That is the truth. I have Suzina’s soul and memories, but so what? I’m not the mage who began this reincarnation circle, Shouji, nor I’m Ashno’s father, Suzina. I’m Cyril. I have lived as Cyril, and I will continue to be Cyril.

「I see. So you’re not my dad. I sensed a familiar scent from your soul so I thought that maybe…」

For a brief moment, Ashno looked like a child who had been separated from her parents and was on the verge of tears.

“Me” had told me about the promise to meet again that Suzina made to Ashno five hundred years ago. My words confirmed that Suzina was dead. How much despair Ashno must have felt after believing in that promise for five hundred years.

「I am Cyril, not your father.」

「I understand. Cyril, let me show you something. Come with me.」

Ashno turned her back, and I silently followed.

「What is this place?」

「It’s the Empire’s training grounds. More than ten thousand soldiers are training here, combining new recruits and veterans. We’re doing our best to turn them into capable warriors in just two months.」

Ashno brought me to a hill that overlooked the Empire’s training grounds. The intensity of the soldiers could be felt even from here.

「What is this eerie atmosphere?」

「Everyone is desperate. You should listen.」

I used [Perception Expansion] to pick up the sounds from the training grounds. And my spine chilled.

「This is… what the…」

Voices filled with resentment echoed through the training grounds.

「Kill the demons! Kill the elves!」

「Eradicate them!」

「Kill! Kill! Kill!」

Several soldiers with bloodthirsty eyes were striking wooden mannequins dressed as elves with their swords. Their actions were driven by pure hatred, devoid of reason.

「What do you think? Surprising, right?」

「What is this…」

The soldiers’ actions were not being forced upon them; it was their genuine feelings that fueled such hatred.

「Don’t you understand? Until now, Erucy has killed too many Empire soldiers. Of course, the soldiers have families and friends.」

「I understand that. But this is still abnormal.」

「Well, this is the result of the Empire’s effort, you could say.」

I understood the situation with that one word.

「Propaganda, huh?」

「Exactly. Paper has finally become cheap, and literacy has increased somewhat, so it was easy to do. For the people of this city, this war has been portrayed as an invasion by the savage elves, and they are fighting desperately to defend their city. The citizens think that all the casualties were made to protect the city.」

It’s a ridiculous story. There’s no reason for the elves to attack this city. We fought because we didn’t want to be destroyed. The Empire was the aggressor, and now it’s as if the roles have been reversed.

「There has to be more to this.」

「Yes, of course, there is. The people of this city believe that their difficult life is all the fault of the elves. As long as the elves exist, this hell will continue. By eradicating the elves, they believe they can be happy. The people training here are trying to become stronger with a burning desire to protect their loved ones and to find happiness. The morale of these soldiers is on a completely different level than the imperial soldiers you fought in the past It also compensates for their low training level.」

In the past, I had used the elves’ hatred for the Empire in the training of Erucy’s citizens, this was the same but on a much larger scale. To be honest, it was scary. An entire city had become an enemy.

「Tell me, Ashno. Did you orchestrate this? Do you want to destroy Erucy?」

「No, that’s not it. I knew about it and didn’t stop it, that’s all. The one who created this scenario is, someone you know well, Voldeck, one of the four dukes.」

That man, huh? I remembered the face of the shrewd man I met in Bell Erucy some time ago.

「And I promised to cooperate in this war. Do you understand the meaning of that?」

「Over ten thousand highly motivated soldiers are coming with an abundance of supplies. Moreover, we won’t be able to use attribute magic, which gave us an edge in our past battles against the Empire.」