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168 The Battle of Those Who Refuse to Fight

 

Far to the west of Fathie lay the capital of Narshe, Parfait Amour, where various government ministries were gathered. In a stone government building tucked into one corner of the city, a man who held the post of internal affairs director flipped through a submitted report with an expression that betrayed his lack of interest.

After reading it through, the man, stroking the beard that lined his gaunt cheeks, voiced a question regarding someone who had barely been mentioned in the report.

「And what of that old man who supposedly came up with this whole scheme? I was told there was someone like that involved.」

「He’s reportedly dead. Seems he had a lung condition and passed rather easily. A soldier spotted him collapsed in a corner of the barracks, and no one’s seen the body since.」

「Hmph. What a fool.」

Many heads had rolled over the Fathie affair. Blame had been passed back and forth, but the general expectation was that it would all be swept under the rug once someone at the top was replaced.

Relieved that he had managed to safeguard his own position, the man turned his thoughts to what lay ahead.

「Well, no matter. The House of Avik may have emerged unscathed, but the neighboring country is in shambles all the same. I’ll shift strategy—pull back the army under the guise of an expedition, sever their trade routes, and let them rot from within. It’ll take time, but so be it.」

Muttering to himself, the man found particular satisfaction in plotting from the safety of his office. Though, in truth, his ‘safety’ extended only as far as the power struggle allowed.

「That won’t do, Minister. Timing is everything. Drag things out and you’ll find they never go your way.」

「Wha—!? Wh-who said that!? Where are you!?」

Startled by the sudden voice behind him, he spun around—and there stood a beautiful woman with green-tinged golden hair.

「Oh? Don’t recognize me from the ears and hair alone?」

「An Elf… Are you the one called Remonde!? I read about you in the reports. How did you get in here!? Where are the guards!?」

「That’s what you want to ask? You humans always focus on the wrong things. How I got in doesn’t matter—what you should be asking is why.」

As she approached, Remonde chuckled softly.

「But since I’m feeling generous, I’ll answer your how too. Yes, the security here is tight. But with elven secret arts and a top-tier stealth skill like [Idle Shadow], even your guards couldn’t spot me. Too bad for them.」

「Wh-what’s your aim!? Have you come here to kill me in revenge!?」

「Oh, don’t flatter yourself. Offing some small fry like you wouldn’t do much beyond putting a stain of infamy on the Vehl Family name. I’m here for something far more productive. Take a look—here’s another skill I borrowed.」

She placed a hand on his face and locked eyes with him.

What she activated was a hypnotic skill, one that only took effect if both parties could see each other clearly.

「[Placebo Master’s Golden Spoon], activate.」

「Uh… ah……」

「You will obey my every word. Without doubt, without hesitation, with all your strength—even if it breaks you.」

「I will obey Remonde’s every word. Without doubt, without hesitation, with all my strength—even if it breaks me.」

After confirming the suggestion had taken hold, Remonde smiled thinly.

「Well then. It took me three days to get here, so I’ve got one week left. For that time, dear Minister, you’ll be my little puppet. Now, what sort of policies shall I roll out… Ten days is a lovely span of time.」

When she’d negotiated with Marge in Fathie, Remonde had borrowed two skills—not just for escape.

The first was the stealth skill: [Idle Shadow].

The second was the hypnotic skill: [Placebo Master’s Golden Spoon].

With a ten-day limit on both, Remonde had watched Marge claim victory in Fathie and immediately set out west.

Taking only a handful of comrades, she made her way to Narshe’s capital as fast as possible.

「Most people probably think the battle in Fathie was the main event, but if you ask me, that was just the opening act. The Elves’ true offensive begins now.」

The goal of the main force led by Remonde was simple:

Turn key figures into puppets through suggestion, and carve out a foundation on which the Elves could live.

「Creating an autonomous region for the Elves in just one week would be pushing it, but we’ll start by restricting human entry into our forests and mountain ranges. Frame it like this: ‘The Elves have been assigned to manage a dangerous area with a sudden outbreak of monsters. It’s so hazardous we’ve declared it off-limits.’ That won’t raise too many eyebrows.」

As she flipped through documents not available to the general public, Remonde filled in the details of her plan.

She could aim higher—she might even become the de facto ruler of the country while the hypnosis held—but such a move would quickly unravel. The key was to leave minimal traces while producing long-lasting, high-impact effects.

「Once we’re in under the guise of being forced there, the place becomes our backyard—our own Elven Forest. Send the army in later if you like. They’ll just get swallowed up by the woods.」

The monster outbreak had occurred near the mountain pass—that is, along the trade and diplomatic route to the neighboring country.

Controlling that area would be like gripping a main artery. There were no alternate paths through the treacherous mountains, and detouring around them would take too long to be viable.

「As for the army out on its ‘expedition’ toward the neighboring country… well, I’ll let Duke Abik handle that. Even if they hurry back, it’s no concern of ours. Let’s hope the two forces keep staring at each other until we’ve settled deep into the dark forest.」

Just like the Elves’ endemic skill—subtle, but certain—Remonde began building an environment where the Elves could live undisturbed.

The Elven Forest wasn’t meant to be a hidden sanctuary invisible to humankind like the Werewolves’ Hidden Village.

Nor was it meant to be a cozy, fluff-filled town where Elves and humans lived side by side.

It was meant to be a venomous serpent: once it bit, it wouldn’t let go. A force that would threaten the country of Narshe and bargain from a position of power. No interference, no separation—mutual recognition without domination.

「We Elves hate war. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that means we won’t solve things with force—when necessary. Fufu…」

Having completed her outline, Remonde grit her teeth with quiet fury.

「If those barbaric, rust-smeared Dwarves could build a nation of their own, then there’s no reason we Elves can’t. Just you watch, Dwarves—I’ll show you where Elves wisdom wins out.」

The long night of Narshe was about to begin.