450

Episode 450: The General Manager must have written it well. (3)

Erenes pursed her lips and observed Dark. She stared at Dark quietly, then something occurred to her and her eyes widened. Her heartbeat gradually increased.

'No way... ... No, that doesn't make sense.'

There was one being that he was curious about. However, that being, as far as he knew, was sealed together with 'him'. Even if it reappeared, it had to be with 'him'.

'No, no. It's just a similar vibe.'

The being was neither so shallow nor so childish. It was not some crazy spirit or something.

The being that was born in the midst of a tornado of emotions contained only sadness and gloom.

"That spirit… … Where did you get something like that?"

"I picked it up… … ."

Dark interrupted before Giselle could finish answering.

"Don't try to find out, Elf! If you don't want to be cursed by me!"

"… … ."

Dark just didn't want to tell anyone about his miserable past.

Erenes looked at Dark again. The aura was similar enough to a being he knew, but it was still a little different.

I just felt a sense of ominousness, and no particular malice.

She unconsciously placed her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes.

'The world has changed a lot while I was away.'

It seemed like he hadn't been able to properly adjust to the world since it had been so long since he had been out. Could it be that something he didn't know about had developed during the long years he had been locked up?

The same goes for the Mana training method. Humans are beings that develop faster than anyone else. So, it is impossible for them to know everything.

The energy of the Divine Power and the Salvation Church are in conflict, especially the monsters of the Crack.

If Giselle was related to the Salvation Church, she would not have been with a priest who was under the protection of God. In fact, didn't Earl Fenris stop the expansion of numerous rifts?

'I made a mistake.'

It seemed like it was just a coincidence that Earl Fenris's power was similar to what he knew. It was suspicious, but it was something we had to wait and see.

Eventually, Erenes took off his armor and bowed his head slightly.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. Please forgive me."

"… … ."

People looked a little bored.

'If I misunderstand twice, I'll end up destroying a kingdom.'

'Do you have anger management issues like Ascon?'

But Giselle accepted the apology lightly. Having experienced Erenes in his past life, he knew that her personality was extremely stiff.

"Well, that could be possible. Since it's come to this, let's throw manners aside. It's uncomfortable."

"Okay… I see."

Erenes also accepted it obediently.

Jiselle looked back towards the command tent. It had long since been blown away by the shockwave and turned to dust.

Erenes followed Giselle's gaze and then looked at her and spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry."

"… … Okay. I will receive compensation."

The two went into another tent and got straight to the point. They were accompanied by only a few close associates.

Jiselle spoke first.

"It seems like you have a bit of a grudge against the Salvation Church?"

"I intend to eradicate it, not just a little."

"Do you intend to tell me why?"

"Because they are the ones who are making the world a mess."

It was a basic answer. Giselle couldn't help but suspect that there was something else going on.

Of course, there was no need to ask about that now.

"Yes. You're really skilled. Did you come here to join us?"

"I was trying to decide after seeing what kind of person you are."

"If you're going to fight the cracks, you'd better join us."

"Why?"

"The allied forces centered around the Kingdom of Rutania have just been formed. If we're going to fight the Salvation Church, it's best to fight here."

Jiselle knew quite a bit about her, but she didn't show it. For now, she acted as if it was the first time she had met her and tried to gain her power.

Erenes thought for a moment and then asked.

"I heard that the Kingdom of Rutania has stopped most of the expansion of the rift. What are your future goals?"

"First, we'll hit the Delphine Dukes. They'll move soon. Since they've joined hands with the Salvation Church, the Salvation Church will come with them. I've also told the Allied Forces to come here first."

"To here?"

"Yes, the Allied Forces' primary goal is to resolve the issue in the Kingdom of Rutania."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"If this place gets sorted out quickly, I can go help out somewhere else. Wouldn't that be the most effective?"

"I see."

Erenes nodded in understanding. It was a reasonable argument.

From what I've heard, the Northern Army is the one most certain to deal with the current rift. The sooner they handle the internal affairs, the sooner they can help other areas.

'It would be better to deal with them one by one quickly rather than spreading out my strength here and there and then being dragged around.'

Erenes said after thinking about it.

"Let me help you deal with the Duke of Delphine and the Salvation Church here."

"I thought about it carefully."

Jiselle nodded with satisfaction.

He doesn't know how many superhuman-level Salvation Church priests are attached to the Delphine Dukes. With Erenes joining, they should be able to deal with the Salvation Church priests.

"Of course I can't stay here forever. Once the internal reorganization of Rutania is complete, I will leave."

"If the goal is to deal with the cracks anyway, can't we just keep moving together?"

"That can't be. I'm looking for something else."

"What is that?"

"… … I can't answer yet."

"Yeah, I see."

This time, Giselle didn't ask any further questions. In her previous life, Erenes had been like that. She acted independently without telling anyone about her true feelings.

Claude, who had been scribbling something on a piece of paper for a while while listening to the conversation between the two people next to him, said.

"So the elves are also with us, Fenris. Are we allies now? Oh, I am Claude, the governor of Fenris. I am in charge of administrative affairs."

Erenes nodded.

"For the time being, yes."

"Then is there anything you want from this side?"

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded again.

"Since this is something we were going to do anyway, I guess I can tell you in advance. I would like you to abolish slavery against elves here in the Kingdom of Rutania. Even if it takes time, can you help me with that?"

Erenes had demanded the same from the Human Union in her previous life, as she was the guardian of the World Tree and was essentially the representative of the elves.

"Hmm, I see. Our territory is doing it that way anyway, so there shouldn't be any problems. The allied forces should do the same. Let's get started right away."

Giselle looked at Claude with an amused expression.

Erenes asked with a slightly surprised expression.

"Is it that easy? Shouldn't we change the laws of the kingdom?"

"There is nothing in this kingdom that our lord does not wish to do. And if you don't, the Chieftain will raise a fuss. You are wearing that fancy armor. Oh, it is really fancy. Do you have any more of that armor?"

"… … ."

Erenes lowered his gaze without saying anything.

She had no intention of using her power to liberate the elves. She tried to negotiate, even if it was difficult. She wanted to fight the Salvation Church, not turn all the humans on the continent into enemies.

Erenes, who had learned of the power that Giselle possessed, bowed his head to him and said.

"I see. If possible, I'd like you to do that first."

There was a hint of regret on her face, as if she was saying that it was her fault that the elves were enslaved.

Perhaps, he was concerned about having abandoned the elves while in his position as the chieftain.

Jiselle nodded at the honest and straightforward request. The stiff elf rarely bowed his head.

'In my previous life, I showed my power first and asked for improvement in the treatment of the elves.'

That's why the elves were freed from their slavery and were able to fight alongside the Human Alliance.

In any case, this was something that Jiselle had been trying to change by revising the kingdom's laws. This was because it was something she had promised not only to the elves but also to the dwarves.

A thought suddenly occurred to Giselle, who asked.

"The dwarves?"

"That is for the King of the Dwarves to decide."

"Then just leave me as a slave?"

"That is for the King of the Dwarves to decide."

"...okay."

Erenes kept repeating the same thing, pretending not to know until the end. It is well known that elves and dwarves do not get along well, but was it really necessary to draw a line like this?

Certainly, Erenes' sense of justice seemed a little twisted.

But what did that matter? As long as I had a firm belief that I would save the world, that was enough.

As the conversation came to a close, Claude gathered together the various pieces of paper he had been writing on, took out one sheet, and handed it to Erenes.

"Well then, please sign here to confirm our alliance."

"signature?"

"Yes, it's a contract. We need to leave evidence."

Erenes said with a slightly displeased expression.

"I am the chieftain of the elves. How can you write such a thing about me?"

"That's just the way things are. Is there any job in the world that doesn't involve a contract?"

"The words of the chieftain are not light. The covenant I made with you will be heard by the heavens and the earth, the trees and the flowers, and the wind, and will spread it throughout the world. You just have to keep your promises properly."

Claude said, sounding frustrated.

"No, that's why we write contracts because they can't guarantee anything. What can trees and flowers do?"

"I mean, Mother Nature guarantees… … ."

"Mother Nature and Nabal… … No, I'm sorry. Why are you talking like this? If you just sign this, you don't have to talk so much. Haven't you ever heard that the more of a conman he is, the longer his words tend to be?"

"… … ."

"Elf Chieftain, would you just sign it?"

Whoosh.

Erenes nervously snatched the paper from Claude's hands. In all his years of existence, this was the first time a human had asked him, the elven chieftain, to write a contract.

There's definitely something strange about these guys living in Fenris.

'Especially this guy Claude.'

Having lived for a long time, I am someone who doesn't lose my composure in most cases. However, this guy who is urging me to write a contract is strangely breaking my composure.

The air was also very unpleasant. It was like looking at sticky, muddy water. No, should I say swamp? Anyway, it was a disgusting thing.

Erenes, who was about to sign with a pen, stopped when he saw the strange writing next to the signature field.

"The World Tree… is just a big tree?"

"Oh, I was bored while waiting, so I doodled something. Sorry. Just check the other parts first. I'll rewrite it for you right away."

Claude immediately wrote a new contract on another piece of paper.

"Okay, here it is again. Let's check it out. This says the Chieftain will help us, and here it says we will free the elves from slavery… … and here… … ."

Claude explained the contract, pointing out various parts with his finger.

Erenes' head started to hurt. This guy talks too much. Why is it so complicated when it's just a promise?

"Okay, okay. Why don't you just sign? The way humans conduct business is complicated, both then and now. We elves conduct business with faith."

In a fit of rage, she signed and 'threw away' two new contracts without even reading them properly, only to see that there was another strange phrase next to the signature line.

Claude took the contract to Giselle with an evil smile and nodded.

"Your Majesty, please sign quickly."

Giselle knows Claude well. She glances over and sees Wendy staring at the ceiling. That means Claude has done something again.

So, I could quickly detect the 'manipulation' written in the contract.

This crazy guy, he overheard the conversation in such a short time and did something like this.

"Ahem, I'm sure the General took care of writing it down. All I had to do was sign it. It was a good thing I brought the General along."

Jiselle cleared her throat, pretended not to read it, and quickly signed.

Claude rolled up the two contracts and quickly tied them with string.

"Okay, now it's done! I'll be counting on you in the future, Chieftain."

"Yes, elves always keep their promises. So don't worry."

"Yes, a promise is something that 'must' be kept. Then, should we keep both of them? Do you have a place to store them?"

"Give it to me. I have a place to keep it."

At Erenes' gesture, vines sprouted from the ground.

The rolled up contract was wrapped in vines and returned to the ground. It was truly a novel technique, but it seemed unlikely that I would ever see the contract again.

Claude saw that and said in a frenzy.

"Oh my, our chieftain is very good at keeping things safe. It looks very safe."

'He seems like an old man who doesn't know anything about the world. Well, no one would dare mess with an elf like this. It's a contract guaranteed by Mother Nature... ... That's really nice.'

Claude smiled broadly.

He deliberately did strange things to take Erenes' mind. She didn't pay much attention to it, as she didn't attach much importance to the contract in the first place.

Having lived for many years, she knew well how evil human beings could be. However, she never thought that there would be someone in this world who would start scamming people the moment they met them.

What more so than the one who is called the hero of Rutania and its governor?

So she didn't see it.

I'm talking about the contract period, which was written in very small letters as '30 years'.