Chapter 50: Nazarick and the Otherworld (12)
The land of the elves—Alvangard.
In the past, it was known as a closed nation, a country so isolated that other nations hardly even knew what went on inside its vast forest kingdom.
But when the previous Elf King died, the country finally began opening itself to diplomatic relations.
Currently, they maintained contact with every nation except two: the Baharuth Empire, which still used elves as slaves, and the Roble Holy Kingdom, which remained strongly prejudiced against other races.
Even with the Holy Kingdom, however, Alvangard was slowly expanding its diplomatic influence.
It took more than a hundred years for the nation to finally reach a stable period.
The previous Elf King had caused such catastrophic damage that restoring the country took an immense amount of time. Even after more than a century since his death, Alvangard had yet to fully recover—proof of how incompetent and tyrannical he had been as a ruler. In truth, he had ascended to the throne for no reason other than possessing overwhelming strength.
"You're here, Kainos."
"…Kainos, huh."
The elderly elf seated at the round table spoke to the young man who had just entered the room.
The youth sighed as he looked at him. Their long ears—longer even than those of Foresight's Imina or the Theocracy's Zesshi—were unmistakable proof that they were pure-blooded elves.
Kainos, as the old man called him, made a troubled expression as he sat in the seat marked with his name.
"I am an elder now, you know. I would appreciate it if you addressed me by my title, Elder Esgard."
"Ah, apologies. You've only been an elder for ten years—I'm still not used to it."
The scars left by the previous Elf King ran deep.
It was impossible for Alvangard to accept another monarch after the devastation caused by the tyrant.
Thus, instead of a king, the nation elected three elders—elves who swore absolute loyalty to the country and were willing to devote everything to its future.
Kainos's predecessor had retired due to old age.
Though Esgard was even older, he showed no signs of stepping down yet.
Esgard stroked his beard as he spoke.
"So then, Elder Kainos… is there a problem?"
"No, nothing in particular. I simply feel like we can finally breathe again. Relations with the Theocracy have been good, and we're making progress with the Holy Kingdom as well. If things continue smoothly, we may even be able to raise the matter of ending the Empire's elf-slave trade, but…"
"But?"
Kainos crossed his arms and frowned.
His naturally sharp eyes made the expression look severe—almost angry. But Esgard had long grown used to his appearance and paid it no mind.
Kainos let out a sigh befitting his position as elder.
"The Emperor of the Empire is not someone easily swayed. Honestly, I can't imagine convincing him. Even if it means accepting some losses on our end, freeing the slaves would be the right thing to do… but for Alvangard, which has only recently regained stability, taking too heavy a loss is not a wise strategy."
His heart ached when he thought of the elves still suffering as slaves.
But this was not an issue he could resolve personally—it was a matter between nations.
Even if the situation was ethically unacceptable, slavery remained legal under Baharuth law.
No matter how distasteful, they couldn't interfere outright.
And even after liberation, it would take decades for public perception to fully change.
Among the three elders, Kainos was the busiest.
He often worried about the dark circles beneath his eyes—something he hadn't had before taking office.
Sleep deprivation was no trivial matter.
Touching his unruly hair, he muttered:
"Well… do your best. The Emperor won't be easy to handle, but still."
"Foreign affairs aren't even my department to begin with. Speaking of which—where is Elder Yucus?"
"Yucus is preparing documents for her upcoming meeting with the Theocracy. She's scheduled to meet a High Priest, so… I imagine she's quite stressed."
"Ugh…"
Kainos rose from his seat.
He had only just arrived, but this chamber existed merely for discussion—not for formal work.
If Yucus truly was stressed, it would be best to avoid her for a while.
She was ordinarily loud and prickly; under stress, her temperament worsened and she became hysterical.
Even though Kainos was a ranger, fighting her in close combat was impossible—she was a monk, and her fists had knocked him unconscious more than once.
"By the way, didn't the whole world tremble recently?"
"That may mean He moved. If so, according to the Theocracy, this would be the trial that comes once every hundred years."
Kainos remembered it.
He had been very young at the time.
He was still young now, yes, but back then he had been a child, while now he was an adult—albeit a young one.
He remembered the figure who had saved them from the Elf King's tyranny.
Alvangard's reverence for Kaiser was no coincidence.
There were ruins related to him, and even the tower that safeguarded the elves' treasured artifacts was originally constructed as a place of worship for Kaiser.
Whenever someone proposed relocating those treasures, the faithful protested.
And given that the tower was the most secure structure in the entire kingdom, they were trapped between practicality and devotion.
Very few even knew what was stored within.
"Should we bring out the treasure?"
"We should at least consider it."
Kainos narrowed his eyes in thought.
Among the elders, he held the greatest influence.
Esgard was close to retirement, and Yucus—though excellent at diplomacy—was temperamental and difficult.
By contrast, public opinion greatly favored Kainos.
Not that he cared. He didn't become elder for power.
He did it to make Alvangard peaceful and livable again—to ensure elves would no longer suffer.
And the workload was immense.
Paperwork piled like mountains every day.
Finishing a stack only meant another mountain would arrive.
"The biggest problem now is the fanatics. The fanatics! Respecting Lord Kaiser is fine—he truly saved us, and his power was enough to be mistaken for divinity!"
Kainos remembered that power clearly.
The elves endured humiliation under their king not because he was royalty, but because he held overwhelming might—strength no elf could oppose.
And yet Kaiser defeated that tyrant effortlessly.
Many saw it with their own eyes—not too few, but not a majority either.
Kainos could understand why elves worshipped Kaiser.
Even he wore a necklace engraved with the shield emblem—proof of one's devotion.
But faith was faith, and politics was politics.
He tossed a stack of documents aside with irritation.
"More people are insisting that we must go to war with the Theocracy because they oppose Lord Kaiser."
"Hah… barely a hundred years after the war ended, and they've already forgotten?"
"Or their faith has grown strong enough to override common sense. Either way, it's a nuisance. We finally began making progress—after a century of goodwill and effort, our relations have only just begun to move forward. If we don't stop this, everything will collapse."
"But you cannot suppress them openly. To us, Kaiser is our savior—almost a god. If we crack down too harshly on people acting 'on his behalf,' even those who weren't involved will rebel."
That was the problem.
The number of fanatics wasn't large yet—but it was steadily, quietly growing.
And if their numbers ever reached a point where they could influence national politics, it would be disastrous.
Ideally, they wanted to deepen relations with the Theocracy before anything happened.
But rushing would only backfire.
Right now, Alvangard and the Slane Theocracy were like two duelists dancing with drawn swords—
Any misstep, any sudden movement, and someone would bleed.
Kainos felt a stabbing pain in his temples and leaned back slightly.
"…Come to think of it, what do we intend to do about the half-elf in the Theocracy?"
"In our generation, some argued she should be brought back…But given her past, I personally believe she is better off remaining there."
"Well… yes."
Considering the hatred she carried toward elves, the fact she hadn't already come to destroy them was a blessing in itself.
Kainos wanted to apologize to the half-elf girl who had suffered more than any other victim.
But because she was the Theocracy's secret weapon, meeting her was impossible—and the High Priests still did not trust Alvangard enough to allow such contact.
"I always think this, but detection magic is so hard to use in Alvangard."
"Well, that barrier was specifically made to interfere with—"
Kainos stopped mid-sentence.
The voice that responded was not Esgard's.
It was a young boy's voice—one he had never heard in this room.
Both Kainos and Esgard turned instinctively toward the same direction.
A cool breeze entered as if to sharpen their senses.
And there, sitting casually on the window frame, was a boy wearing a gentle smile.
"It's been a while, Esgard. And… the new elder, I presume?"
Kainos froze.
The teacup in his hand slipped and fell onto his thigh.
Feeling the hot liquid soak through his clothes, he yelped and stumbled backward.
"Ah—hot!!"
"Kaiser!"
Esgard shouted his name in shock.
Kainos knew he wasn't mistaken.
Even though he had only seen him from afar long ago, the memory was unmistakable.
His expression now was softer—different from the cold, emotionless face of the past.
Something had changed. But it was undeniably the same person.
No, wait—how did he even get in here…?
Had he broken through Alvangard's barriers and wards?
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