Duke Pendragon

“Our tribe settled here more than 700 years ago. At that time, we were no different from our other brothers and sisters. We had the appearance of the elves that Mister Pendragon is aware of.”

“…..”

Raven followed behind Kara without a word, and she turned her gaze to the sky before continuing. Her eyes felt a little hollow.

“We were all abandoned or deported by our own tribes. Lone elves made a good target for humans. As you might know, some humans consider the elves to be the object of their desire.”

“…..”

Raven could not say anything, as he was a human as well. It was extremely rare, but there were nobles who used young elves as concubines or tools to relieve their sexual desires.

“So we had to stick together. To avoid the threatening humans and monsters, we crossed the sea to the South. After several years, we eventually arrived in this place.”

“When you say ‘we’, do you mean there was a large group?”

“That is right. There were five of us at first, but rumors spread during the long journey, and brothers and sisters who were struggling alone from all over the world gathered. When we started to build our homes after discovering the sacred tree here, there were more than a hundred of us. From then on, we have been continuing our lives for several hundred years.”

“Then that caused you to lose your original forms? Because the environment here is completely different from your original homes?”

“You could say that, but not necessarily.”

“…..”

Raven narrowed his eyes at her confusing words, and she continued.

“I said that we were all abandoned or deported from our original tribes, right? One of the most important reasons lies in that fact.”

Kara turned her face away, speaking in a poignant voice. Her gaze remained on the colossal tree.

“Elves are blessed by Illeyna and Lumina from birth. But sometimes there are beings who are born without blessings or are instead blessed by other gods beside the two goddesses. It’s…”

“Earth God, Tucaran…”

“That is correct.”

She nodded in response to Raven’s speculation.

“It is fine to be born with the blessings of the two goddesses and Tucarans. It is unusual, but it poses no issue with being a member of the tribe. However, it is a problem to be born with no blessings or with just Tucaran’s blessing. Tucaran is the creator of all orcs after all.”

“Hm.”

“The elves respect, but reject Tucaran. Therefore, it is an unwritten rule for the elves who were blessed by him to leave the tribe. Most importantly, elves born without the blessings of Illeyna and Lumina cannot detect mana and spirits.”

“Mana and spirits…”

Raven nodded lightly. It was generally known that elves were able to detect mana and spirits from birth. Of course, humans were capable as well in special cases, and most of them ended up becoming wizards.

However, just because elves were capable of sensing mana and spirits, did not mean they could use magic as well. They were just a little more sensitive compared to humans, and even if they had talent in magic and spiritual arts, they devoted their abilities to protecting the forests and following the will of the two goddesses. Unlike humans, who were full of desires and curiosities, the elves considered harmony and stability as their top priority.

“But the Earth God Tucaran gives strength, determination and courage to the object of the blessing. And his blessing is strengthened in the presence of a sacred tree.”

“Hm, then the reason why Miss Kara and the other elves settled near the sacred tree of Tucaran was because…”

“Yes, it was an inevitable choice for us to survive. All of the known sacred trees are located in the orcs’ lands, and an ownerless sacred tree is truly precious.”

Kara paused briefly then turned to the elf warriors.

“As several generations passed here, all the children born were blessed by Tucaran. In the meantime, our original sincerity for harmony and stability has almost disappeared, and under the influence of Tucaran, fighting spirit and passion have taken its place. That is why their appearances have morphed to reflect the changes.”

“…..”

Raven looked at Kara without saying anything. Her eyes were lonely and sad. It was the expression of the leader of an elf tribe that lived a completely different life dictated by fate, even though they had not asked for it. But Raven noticed something else in her eyes.

Surely she had not told him her stories and led him here to lament her situation.

“Does your story have anything to do with why the warriors over there brought me here without harming me?”

“As expected of the one who has made a contract with the Dragon Queen. You are right.”

A smile hung around Kara’s mouth at Raven’s question.

“Even though they are blessed by Tucaran, they are still definitely elves. They would have definitely noticed that you were different from the other humans, with the energy of the Dragon Queen surrounding you.”

“I see.”

Raven finally understood the reason why the Red Moon elven warriors had brought him here peacefully, especially when they committed such a brutal massacre with the demonic army.

“I was also very surprised to see you as well. I was born in Niels. I have been in the presence of guardian of Niels, the Wise Dragon Ellagrian. I have heard from the Wise Dragon of the existence of the White Dragon Soldrake, the leader of all dragons. But I never imagined a man contracted with her would come here.”

Kara’s voice, which had been somewhat gloomy until a while ago, now held a hint of expectation. Raven asked carefully.

“Hmm… Perhaps, is there something the Red Moon Elves want to ask of me?”

“That is right.”

Kara nodded without hesitation.

“Is it the Troll King?”

“That is an issue, but there is a bigger problem.”

“Hmm?”

Raven furrowed his brows.

The most critical problem in the Great Forest was the Troll King and his armies of monsters. What could pose as a bigger issue for the elves, who had been residing in the Great Forest for hundreds of years?

“Ah! No way…!”

A flitting thought caused Raven to burst out involuntarily. The smile disappeared from Kara’s face.

“You must have already met him. That’s right. The most immediate problem for the Red Moon elves is a sorcerer named Jean Oberon.”

“…..!”

Raven became thunderstruck at her response.

***

The carriage quickly passed the busy streets of El Pasa. The city was busy preparing for a war with the Arangis Duchy’s fleet, which was set to arrive in a few days.

The crest on the carriage led by four horses belonged to none other than the Mandy family. After a while, the carriage arrived at the gates of El Pasa. An old man wrapped in a white robe stepped out of the carriage with a kind smile. It was hard to fathom his age.

“Sorcerer Oberon!”

The captain of the guard recognized the old man’s identity and quickly walked up to the carriage.

“What brings you here sir?”

The face of the guard captain flushed at the rare sight. It was hard to meet a regular wizard, never mind an actual sorcerer.

“I have received news about His Excellency Duke Pendragon. I was thinking that it would be more helpful for me to be there rather than here. More importantly, there are some beings in the Great Forest that could be called my friends…”

The guard immediately nodded when the old wizard spoke with a worried expression.

“I see. Have you received permission from the governor and Lord Mandy?”

“The Pendragon Duchy’s fleet has arrived, and they said they will be able to persist through the attack. If you have doubts, you can send a person to the governor’s residence to receive confirmation.”

“Well…”

The guard captain stopped to think for a moment. He quickly pushed aside his thoughts.

As Jean Oberon said, John Myer’s fleet had arrived yesterday. The Winter Storm Fleet was now serving under the Pendragon Duchy, and a revered sorcerer had no need to deceive himself.

“Not at all! Oi! Open the gates!”

As soon as the captain’s instructions were received, the heavy gate lifted up.

“Then I wish you the best of luck. Justice is by the side of Duke Pendragon and El Pasa, and it will prevail.”

Jean Oberon maintained a soft, gentle expression as he started moving through the gates. The guard captain was a little touched that a sorcerer would show courtesy to an ordinary knight like himself, and quickly saluted.

“Thank you! Sorcerer, I pray that you will be able to help His Excellency destroy the monsters and return safely.”

“I will certainly do so. Then.”

Jean Oberon gave a silent salute before slowly exiting the gate.

“Phew! I am glad that such a great wizard is on our side.”

The eyes of the soldiers and the captain were filled with respect as they gazed at the fluttering gray hair of Jean Oberon as the sorcerer moved further away.

But they were ignorant.

“The world does not flow as humans desire. There are gods, there are dragons, and there are wizards. But when the gods simply look on from the sides and the dragons watch, the wizard sings for the world. A song that kills the gods and dragons for the good of the world…”

The smile had completely disappeared from the face of Jean Oberon. He hummed creepy words of unknown meaning like a song.

Rumbleee!

The sorcerer’s expression was cold as he walked towards the south, where the dark clouds were slowly gathering.

***

“Is that true?”

Raven asked in an agitated voice, and Kara nodded after giving a long sigh.

“I swear by all the gods and the sacred tree, there is no falsehood in my words. Jean Obern. He is the one who created the Troll King, bringing death and chaos to the Great Forest and the South.”

“Why on earth would he…”

It was an unbelievable tale.

Before Raven travelled back in time to become Alan Pendragon, Jean Oberon was the one who destroyed the armies of monsters with his magic. Unless he was a lunatic, what reason did he have to wipe out the armies of his creation?

“I did not understand why he made that choice either. Ever since he built a tower nearby and started living here, he has maintained a harmonious relationship with our tribe.”

“Are you saying he changed?”

“That is correct. After focusing on research for more than a decade, suddenly, he started to capture monsters from nearby areas. We cooperated with him at first, since getting rid of the monsters was not a bad thing.”

“Hmm…”

Even though they were elves serving the Earth God, they naturally had a hostile relationship with monsters. They would not be dissatisfied that the sorcerer was getting rid of the monsters.

“But when I realized that it was a part of his plan to break the harmony of the land, we stopped cooperating with him. With the monsters he captured… He was creating a creature that went against the order of this world.”

“Troll King…”

Raven muttered as he remembered the incredible presence of the monster, and Kara’s expression darkened.

“Yes. Using the captured monsters, he was creating a troll with an intelligence comparable to a human. After we found out the truth, we severed our relationship with him. He did not pay attention to us afterwards as well. A few years passed since, then…”

“The Troll King assembled the monsters of the Great Forest to form armies. Hmm!”

The Troll King had made its sudden appearance one day with thousands of monsters to violate the South. Everyone thought the Troll King was just a product of mutation, but to think there was such a huge plot behind it…

But Raven could not remain in shock. There were still many questions that had yet to be solved. The biggest puzzlement was regarding the way Jean Oberon had acted in the past. In the original timeline, Jean Oberon had destroyed the Troll King’s armies in front of countless humans.

“Hmm!”

A thought struck Raven’s mind like lightning, and Raven raised his head without realizing it.

What Kara had said just now.

She said that Jean Oberon’s creation of the Troll King was part of a plan.

“Don’t tell me… The Troll King was ordered to kill the humans to…”

Raven could not continue vocalizing his thoughts, and Kara continued with a regretful sigh.

“Ha…! It is as you guessed. He is using the souls of the humans killed by the Troll King and the monsters to plot something.”