Chapter 70

Guided by the Spirit and the dog, we headed toward the Elf village. I stayed at the very back of the group, ostensibly for security.

Nearly all the captured Elves were women, with a few children making up the rest; it truly disgusted me. In this group alone, there were four women and two children. I didn’t know how many more were already in human lands, but I hadn’t felt this angry in a long time.

As I walked with these thoughts, a mist began to roll in. The Spirits and the Elves walked straight ahead without hesitation. I followed close behind, careful not to lose track of their presence.

Surprisingly, the mist cleared quickly. Beyond it lay a somewhat large village.

So this was the elf village… The entire atmosphere felt bleak. I suppose that was the shadow of the poaching.

“Ryu! Over here!”

Ouka was waving at me, so I made my way over to her.

“Hey. Did you manage to meet the Elder?”

“Yes, I did. However, everyone is quite depressed. They say several more were discovered by humans just a short while ago.”

“Are you talking about them?”

I pointed toward the Elves I had just rescued.

“I wouldn’t know without asking the Elder. But the numbers seem to match, so it should be fine…”

Ouka looked at the Elves as she spoke, but I wondered what the actual situation was.

“Ellen!”

An Elven man rushed over and hugged one of the children. A father, perhaps? That child was the girl who had helped me release the Spirits earlier.

“Great-grandfather, you’re squeezing too hard…”

“I was so worried… If I had lost you too, I don’t know what I would have done…”

…Man, Elves really do look young. Well, I guess I can’t talk, considering my own partners.

“That person saved us.”

The child, Ellen, looked at me as she spoke. The Elven man set the child down and bowed deeply.

“Thank you. Sir Human, I am the elder of this village, Al Rae Solon. This child is my granddaughter, Ellen.”

“I am Ellen Rae Solon. Thank you for saving me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I helped because the Spirit King asked me to. Besides, those guys were weaklings.”

“A request from the Spirit King! Then, are you Sir Ryu?!”

“Yes, that’s me,” I replied to the Elder after giving Ellen a quick nod.

So he really was the Elder… To be honest, he looked so young that he didn’t give off that “elder” vibe at all. He looked like he was in his late twenties. With his blonde hair and refined, gentle features, he’d definitely be a hit with the ladies if he were human.

“We have heard much from the Spirit King. Please, this way.”

The Elder led us to what looked like a community hall. Ril, Karin, and Tiamat were already there. There were also about ten other Elves, both men and women. They were likely officials or village representatives.

Al sat in a prominent seat and began to speak.

“The human the Spirit King spoke of has just arrived at our village. Therefore, we shall now begin the operation to rescue our comrades.”

“Wait. Is that human truly the one the Spirit King mentioned?”

“The Lady Fenrirs, who are bound to him by soul, have said as much. Your question is redundant.”

Hold on a second—rescue operation? Are we already at the stage where we can save them?

“Are you sure about this?” I asked.

“We are. We haven’t simply been sitting here in despair. With the help of the Wind Spirits, we have made our preparations. All we lack is combat power.”

I felt incredibly uneasy. Is this really going to be okay?