Hildir of the Wooden Jagorn Forest

Several days passed in a flash.

It was late in the night already, and Victor had passed out on the cold training room's floor, drenched in sweat, his body full of wounds.

Even though Arthur greatly restrained his strength and even used wooden swords, Victor could not land a single strike on him. The more they fought, the better Victor was getting though. His stance revealed many less openings than before, and he no longer closed his eyes upon slashing or thrusting. He was getting better at a fast rate.

[Name - Victor Landragon | Class - Level 5 [Beginner] Knight

HP - 44 / 60

Attributes:

Strength – 4 | Agility – 2 | Vitality – 6 |

Status - Passed Out

Skills - Beginner Swordsmanship (39), Horsemanship (35), Spear Mastery (15), Strategy (10), Leadership (5), Etiquette (20),...]

Knight Skills - Heavy Vertical Strike (13)]

His proficiency in swordsmanship had leaped from 34 to 39, meaning that three days had been enough for him to earn 5 points of proficiency through spars. This was an incredible growth, and it wouldn't even take months before he would reach intermediate rank swordsmanship. His potential was much higher than Arthur had originally anticipated.

Arthur didn't carry his brother to his room, since it would reveal the fact that they trained together. Instead, he left.

Upon returning to his laboratory, which had also become his room, Arthur frowned.

Because he didn't enjoy the presence of others, Arthur had created a small array of barrier runes, which prevented normal humans from entering into his laboratory. As for supernatural creatures, they would have trouble entering the castle with the number of knights surrounding the walls.

Yet, Arthur could feel a presence in his laboratory.

This foreign presence made him incredibly angry.

Inside his laboratory, there was countless magical resources. If you counted Arthur's personal belongings and what he had gotten out of the family's treasury, there were more than 1000 magic crystals' worth of magical resource.

Worse still, his insights on [Ice Monster Creation] were all written down in the room.

Arthur entered the room, and he was greeted by a druid.

'Southern Kingdoms possess huge forests, some of which are inhabitated by elves. And unlike humans, elves walk the path of druidism...Fortunately, elves are usually bound by traditions, and would not steal anything since it is against their very nature', Arthur analysed.

[True Name - Ithil Haleth | Alias - Haldir

Class - Level 10 Druid

HP - 50/50 | MP - 100 / 100

Attributes:

Strength – 2 | Agility – 1 | Vitality – 2 | Magic Power - 10

Status - Healthy

Skills - Druidism Knowledge (85)...

Craftsmanship - Beginner Alchemy [16]

Spell - (?)

Magical Artefact - Elven Moonlight Pearl [+30 HP], Vine Ring (Cast [Vine] 1/1)]

Arthur's ring could usually tell skills and spells of his opponents, but it didn't work against targets that were stronger than him. Evidently, the Level 10 druid was quite the strong individual. His green robes, kind face and crest on his chest made Arthur wonder.

"I greet you, Arthur Landragon. I am Hildir of the Wooden Jagorn Forest", the elf knelt

"Rise, Hildir of the Wooden Jagorn Forest. May I know the reason why you came into my laboratory without my permission? Had you asked for a meeting, I would have welcomed you with open arms, and offered you tea. I am very curious about elven druids, if I may say so, but I am not too kind with trespassers. Had I not known about elves' kind nature, I would have killed you on the spot", Arthur spoke without hiding his killing intent.

Hildir remained unfazed and stood up: "I am afraid this matter cannot wait. Count Elderwood is planning on declaring war against the Lark Barony, and this will create a huge rift in the Porfield Kingdom. Count Elderwood possesses several vassals, including your household, and Baron Lark has made powerful connections over the years. If we allow this war to begin, the scale of the battle will be enormous, and the Wooden Jargorn Forest will be caught in the fires of battle. Since my tribe resides in the Wooden Jargorn Forest, I could not wait for the one who broke the balance to receive me properly"

Arthur could not help but frown: "I will tolerate your impoliteness because elves do not know etiquette. However, please understand that your presence in my laboratory is as offending as me entering your wooden Jargorn Forest without your permission and strating to live there"

Hildir nodded: "I apologize. My impoliteness was not intended. I merely wished to speak with you as fast as possible. If the war were to break out, Count Elderwood would lose terribly. I am not just saying that to scare you, but I have followed the human politics for quite some time already. Count Elderwood is a man drunk on his former glory, and his current self is nowhere near his prime. His army possesses good equipment, but there are too few skilled knights to lead such a huge number of soldiers. The standards of his soldiers are quite pitiful too, as they were not trained rigorously. Baron Lark might not have a big army, but his soldiers and knights are strong. With his disciples, he can probably last for years in a siege battle. The South will greatly suffer if you pour your respective territories' funds into war rather than the incoming black winter. Once you discover that there are famines in your territories, you will look for food supply, and my tribe will suffer greatly"

Arthur smiled: "I am afraid that my mana contract does not allow me to refuse Count Elderwood's direct orders. And I don't think that Baron Lark can resist us if we were to fully commit to this battle"

Actually, this part was false. Arthur didn't know why, but it seemed that the mana contract was bound to the soul. And it was the original owner of this body who had made this oath, rather than him. As a result, he had to complete the contract because otherwise, other acolytes would find it suspicious and might dissect him for the secret he was hiding, but he wasn't enslaved by Count Elderwood.

Hildir nodded: "I understand. And now that I see you in person, it seems like your words are not based on pride alone...However, I am afraid that Jagorn Forest elves are part of Baron Lark's forces. He will only use us as a last resort, but we are also bound to him. If this terrible moment happens, then I am afraid it won't be a stalemate anymore. I don't wish for blood to be spilled between outsiders to this conflict. And from what I can perceive, the fact that you just said 'if we fully commit' means that you are quite against this conflict"

Arthur smiled: "What a perceptive elf...I thought elves were hermits who lived peacefully in their forests, but you seem to be quite used to human politics. What kind of life have you led to know such a dark place?"

Hildir shook his head: "I have had my share fair of misfortunes, which led me to serve Baron Lark in the past. I have broken free from his grasp, but he still has leverage on my tribe. May I know your future plans?"

Arthur laughed: "We are basically enemies. Did you really think I would spill my plans to you?"

"We are not necessarily enemies. Based on my observation, your next course of action is easy to deduce from your character. You will try to take advantage of this conflict to grow your family's influence, even if it means condamning my tribe and thousands of humans to suffer for years. However, you are underestimating the Dalian Kingdom and the incoming Black Winter. The Dalian Kingdom is looking for an opportunity to invade the Porfield Kingdom. If you involve yourself in a war, then they will march on your territory without hesitation. We will not involve ourselves in this war, unless Baron Lark is crazy enough to free us against our support. However, he won't do it unless he is forced to do so. This much should be enough information for you to tell us a piece of information of equal value. Acolytes are known to follow the principle of Equivalent Exchange after all"

Arthur smiled: "I will do the same with Count Elderwood. But you are mistaken on one thing. Count Elderwood is not as weak as you think him to be. Even if they are untrained, an army of one thousand soldiers is enough to crush Baron Lark, even if he is an intermediate rank acolyte"

Hildir laughed: "Baron Lark is not just an intermediate rank acolyte, I am afraid. He is an elite intermediate rnak acolyte. You just graduated from the Ivory Tower from my sources. You might have been a strong acolyte there with your cultivation, but this man has burned more people than you can imagine. And believe me when I say Baron Lark is a demon, I experienced his terrifying self for quite some time"

"Then we will see about that. I wish for your own good that we won't meet on a battlefield, old elf"

"It seems like I can't convince you to withdraw from this battle. Your words comfort me though, since you do not plan on blindly following count Elderwood. My goal here has been finished. It seems like I will have to bid farewell to you"

Arthur, however, didn't plan on letting such a powerful enemy go out unscathed.