Preparer

Tension suddenly gripped the entire village. Although the Dhakat clan had been their enemies, seeing them wiped out had unsettled everyone.

Cliff ordered a pause until the young elves had rested before continuing their "interrogation." He was confused by all the information revealed to him—hordes, a decimated clan? What was all this, and why was it happening now?

Apparently, a large-scale invasion of monsters was threatening their existence. Cliff's mind was flooded with questions. He called for an emergency meeting to decide how to respond to this threat.

Of course, they would defend themselves, but Rakahn reminded him of the mutual aid agreement between allied clans for situations like these. If Cliff ordered the others to stay put, they would refuse, and breaking the hard-won bonds with their allies was out of the question. Cliff knew this too.

In fact, Cliff believed that having potential allies would be more beneficial, especially since he didn't know the exact danger levels of the monsters they might face.

On the table before him was a map, ancient and cracked in various corners. Cliff scanned it, trying to orient himself, until he saw a symbol with the name "Clan Orleth." He was surprised to be able to read this unknown language.

Suddenly, everything clicked in his mind. Cliff's eyes widened at the realization: How could he understand the people of this world? And vice versa? Could it be some form of self-translation magic? If he wrote something in his native language, would they understand it too?

"Damn it! More and more questions keep popping up."

Once the murmurs quieted down, Rakahn spoke:

"We are gathered today to determine how we should act in the face of this threat that looms not only over our clan but the entire southwestern part of the forest."

"Hmm, Rakahn, I'm a little lost. You've only told me briefly about the clans. How about giving me the full rundown now?"

"Yes, my lord, I apologize. I thought it unnecessary to trouble you with the lesser clans," Rakahn responded firmly.

"And now it seems important," Cliff retorted, irritated.

"He doesn't even seem truly sorry," Cliff thought, casting a suspicious glance at Rakahn.

Rakahn explained that there were nine clans left in the forest—there had been 12, but three had disappeared in earlier monster invasions. This was the reason for the mutual aid agreement. All nine clans were demi-humans but of different races: Clan Orleth, descended from one-horned ogres; Clan Dhakat, from two-horned ogres; the Spirit Elves of water and earth; the Earth Dwarves; Clan Ibara of lycanthropes; the Shizukesa clan of pythonian warriors; the Orion clan, descended from lamias; Clan Xarus of stryges; and Clan Styra of succubi. Though not all equal in raw strength, they had developed various techniques over the years, allowing them to compete with one another.

Clan Orleth had two allies: the beastmen of Clan Ibara and the pythonians of Clan Shizukesa. Together, they had managed to repel the stronger Dhakat clan, which outmatched them in both strength and numbers.

The decimation of the Dhakat clan was shocking, even to those who had once been enemies. While they had suffered losses at Dhakat's hands, no one would wish such a fate upon them. In situations like these, Clan Dhakat could have been one of their greatest strengths.

"But now, what are we going to do? How should we respond?" Rakahn asked, looking at Cliff.

"We'll help them, of course," Cliff replied. "But we shouldn't just plan our attack—we need to increase our strength." His gaze moved toward the map.

Cliff analyzed the map, noticing that the Ibara clan was the closest. If he could unite forces with them, they could better aid the elf clan, and once the elves were secure, they could launch their offensive.

An idea struck Cliff, and his face lit up with satisfaction at the thought of how effective it could be.

"Alright, let's try this."

"Rakahn, you told me the elves could heal themselves if they recover enough mana, right?"

"Yes, my lord, we gave them the crystal containing the mana you purified," Rakahn confirmed.

"Good. When they're ready, have them give us a more detailed report on the situation."

Cliff turned to Dahlia. "Dahlia, have you finished what I asked of you?"

"Yes, my lord," she replied with a smile.

"Where's Seth?"

A small voice piped up from the crowd, "Here, my lord," Seth said, raising his hand.

"Good, go fetch the mana stones. We'll need them right away," Cliff commanded.

"Are you smiling, my lord?" Rakahn asked. "Do you already have a plan?"

Cliff, caught up in excitement, hadn't realized he'd been smiling.

"Damn, this is frustrating."

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Cliff turned to the crowd.

"Everyone who wishes to form a pact with me, line up!" he shouted.

In this coming war, everyone had a role to play. Cliff would see to it that he fulfilled his.