Chapter 79

"This forest of elves is also known as the Forest of No Return."

The elf girl who was guiding our group spoke eloquently.

"The reason for this name is that anyone who wanders into this forest will never return."

"Why can't they return?"

The maid Sati asked.

"The earth spirits create a magnetic field to confuse compasses, and the wind spirits mislead travelers to prevent them from entering the depths of the forest."

"In other words, the entire forest is blessed by the spirits, right?"

"That's right."

"Then, wouldn't the Alliance of Kings be unable to invade?"

Sati asked a simple question.

I was the one who answered Sati's question.

"Even if they can't invade, they can still set fire to the forest. Besides, the power of the spirits is powerless against a large army."

The elf girl outright denied this.

"No matter how large the army, the elves blessed by the spirits will never lose. Besides, this forest is like our backyard. We have the advantage of the terrain."

Though she firmly denied it, it seemed overly optimistic. However, there was no need to point it out.

Whether the current forces could stand against the Alliance of Kings was a decision for the elf queen.

Moreover, her argument wasn't entirely off the mark.

To win a battle, one needs the timing of heaven, the advantage of the terrain, and the harmony of people.

At the very least, the elves had the advantage of the terrain.

This had to be acknowledged.

Furthermore, from what I could see, the elves also had the harmony of people.

Their concern for each other was evident at a glance.

By utilizing the terrain of this forest and fighting skillfully, they might be able to scatter a large army.

The only thing left was the timing of heaven—

This was something only the elf queen could judge.

If she were a wise queen, she would say:

"I would be honored to form an alliance with the Demon King's army."

And so—

I believed the elf queen would say this as I headed deeper into the forest.

On the way, we passed through the elf village.

It was a simple village.

Huts were built on the trees.

While "simple" sounded good, it could also be described as shabby.

Lilith bluntly commented, "It looks poor."

On the other hand, Sati murmured, "It's really beautiful."

Both comments hit the mark.

Compared to human homes, it was indeed simple, but living in such a place wasn't bad.

In both my past and present life, living in a tree house had always excited a boy's heart.

There was no boy who didn't dream of a tree house.

If I were a child, I would have been thrilled to climb into one of these homes.

Actually, even now, I was itching to climb a tree, but I restrained myself.

Despite my appearance, I was the commander of the Demon King's army.

I couldn't afford to lose my dignity.

As I was thinking this, the elf girl stopped and said, "We've arrived at the palace."

"Is this the palace?"

Lilith, as usual, was the one to voice the group's thoughts.

This girl really lacked manners. I would have to lecture her later.

However, her words were true.

My thoughts were similar.

(This is where the queen of a country lives...)

That was my honest reaction.

It was built on a particularly large tree in the center of the village, but it wasn't particularly large or grand.

The spiral boards around the tree were also rather crude.

Or perhaps, they were simple.

If it were the dwarf king Gunther, he would have adorned even the stairs with elaborate carvings, but the elf queen didn't seem to see the need for such things.

In fact, he sighed, "If I were the master of this palace, I would make it more grand."

Hearing this, the elf girl looked displeased.

This was probably why elves and dwarves didn't get along.

Dwarves, who wanted to craft everything they saw, and elves, who valued harmony with nature, were a difficult match.

It was unrealistic to expect them to get along, but this time, they had to.

Thinking this, I stepped between them and spoke to the elf girl.

"What kind of person is the elf queen, miss?"

"I'm not a miss, I'm 280 years old. Don't treat me like a child."

She said this without hiding her displeasure.

"I see, you don't look that old at all."

"Elves stop growing at 17."

Indeed, it seemed that the elves in this world could maintain a young and beautiful appearance.

There were many such races among the demons, but I didn't envy them.

Living for just a few decades was already troublesome, and the thought of living for several centuries was terrifying.

I wanted to create a peaceful world as soon as possible and use up my lifespan quickly.

As I was thinking this, Lilith whispered in my ear.

"Elves are really arrogant, aren't they?"

I couldn't help but agree, though I chuckled.

"Well, that's their nature. But everything has its limits. You are, after all, a high-ranking officer of the Demon King's army and a formal envoy. That attitude is unacceptable."

"There's a saying, 'If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek.'"

"What? That's a stupid saying. Is it something a masochist would say?"

"It's a quote from a great prophet in another world. He also said, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"What does that mean?"

Lilith looked puzzled.

Sati added,

"Perhaps it means to have a forgiving heart?"

"Exactly."

I answered, but she still seemed unconvinced.

"By the way, what happened to that prophet in the end?"

Lilith asked.

I answered honestly.

"He was betrayed by his disciple and crucified."

"......"

Sati and Lilith fell silent.

"Well, the lesson is not to trust people too much. However, getting angry because someone is rude is pointless. You don't have to be as kind as that prophet, but a little tolerance is necessary."

"In other words, we shouldn't get angry over such things, right?"

Sati summarized.

"Exactly," I said, and we reached the top of the spiral stairs and arrived at the elf palace.

The elf girl opened the door and guided us inside, but she stopped and said, "Those not directly involved, please wait in the anteroom."

By "not directly involved," she meant everyone except me and Gunther.

As expected, Lilith pouted, but Sati accepted it with a smile.

I told Lilith to accept it.

"It's for security reasons. No king would invite a large group from the Demon King's army into the audience chamber."

"That's true, but shouldn't they at least offer tea?"

As she said this, an elf lady-in-waiting appeared with a silver tray of tea.

It seemed they would at least offer tea to their guests.

According to Gunther, elf tea was a simple herbal tea without even sugar.

Still, it was a relief that Lilith backed down, lured by the rare tea.

Gunther and I exchanged a glance and followed the elf girl to the audience chamber.