Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki - Book 4: Chapter 7-1: Lies

「Please, this way.」

I guided one of the Four Dukes of the Empire, Voldeck, to the reception room. This place, being the former base of the Empire, had elegant rooms prepared for when important guests arrived.

「Please, have a seat without any hesitation.」

I politely suggested he take a seat, maintaining a friendly demeanor on the outside.

「I appreciate your kind words.」

Voldeck returned my smile and took a seat. His attendant stood behind him, hands clasped behind his back, constantly watching us. Neither Voldeck nor his attendant wore armor, and they had no weapons on them.

If I wished, I could kill them both at any moment. Yet they remained relaxed.

To be honest, I was surprised. The Empire viewed elves as uncivilized savages. The very fact that we were sitting here for negotiations, trusting that we could communicate, was abnormal.

「I apologize deeply for this inconvenience, Elf Chief. The jurisdiction of Duke Florandy and mine are different, and I was completely unaware of his actions.」

While I was lost in thought, Voldeck bowed his head.

「We won’t hold it against you, since there haven’t been any casualties on our side. However, in the recent battle, we did end up killing a considerable number of your soldiers. Do you have any thoughts about that?」

The Empire probably had more than just their interests at heart in this conflict with Erucy. Emotions were likely involved. In our pursuit of victory, we had killed too many.

「It’s a matter of deep-seated resentment, I suppose. Many of my comrades from my officer training days have died. Well, it’s mutual. We’ve killed plenty of elves ourselves. Although it was inevitable, we also destroyed the fire fox Village. Let’s not dwell on that. The lower ranks are one thing, but us leaders arguing here won’t lead to any progress.」

「I appreciate that sentiment. There are few opportunities like this, so I was hoping for a constructive conversation.」

「Elf Chief, it seems we might get along well. Here’s a gift.」

Although their swords and armor were confiscated, there was one leather bag he was allowed to bring. From it, Duke Voldeck took something out.

「It’s a gesture of apology. This is the former commander of the last battle. He has been severely punished. I hope this can ease your grievances somewhat.」

It was the severed head of Lurvish. It bore multiple signs of torture, and his expression was contorted in agony.

This man had different jurisdiction from Duke Florandy and claimed not to know what was happening. However, he had captured Lurvish and extracted information from him.

We should assume that some information about us has been leaked. Especially considering that Lurvish had extracted a lot of information from the spy he planted on Erucy. It was reasonable to assume that all that information had been passed on to Duke Voldeck.

「We’ll accept your sentiment, but we elves don’t have a taste for the kind of cruelty that finds joy in receiving severed heads like humans.」

This gesture was Voldeck’s way of showing his intentions. It wasn’t because they were in a difficult situation that they had changed their plans. He wanted to convey that they had come here for negotiations from the beginning. So, I acknowledged his sentiment.

「That’s unfortunate.」

Voldeck closed the topic with a difficult expression. Then, we exchanged smiles, but the atmosphere remained heavy.

In the midst of this, the door opened, and Kuu and Yukino entered, carrying tea and sweets.

I had instructed them to bring mugwort tea and cookies. The two of them carefully placed cups in front of Voldeck and me and put a small bottle of maple syrup in the center of the table.

「We might have a long conversation, so please enjoy some tea.」

「That’s much appreciated! By the way, I had heard that fire fox women were beautiful, but I had no idea they were this stunning! You two are both exceptionally beautiful.」

Voldeck praised Kuu and Yukino extravagantly. The two of them became more cautious, their fox ears stood erect, and the fur on their tails bristled.

「I’ve always wondered. How did the troublesome fire foxes managed to be accepted by the elves? If it were just for the Wind Magic Stones, the conflict wouldn’t have escalated so much. The fact that we’re still fighting is because the elves accepted the fire foxes, you understand, right?」

While he was questioning the two, he clearly had some other intention. I glared at Voldeck.

「But seeing you two, I understand why now. Accepting beautiful young women like you, how could one resist? Well, both of you, do you ever feel guilty about using your beauty to gain acceptance among the elves? Do you realize you’re causing trouble for the entire village by being there?」

Kuu and Yukino were visibly shaken, and they looked at me with worried expressions. My inner frustration reached its peak.

「These two are my wife and sister. Any insult to them is an insult to me, the Chief of Erucy.」

「I apologize deeply.」

「Both of you can leave now. And Kuu, make sure you never speak of what you heard here to anyone.」

「Yes… Cyril-kun.」

Kuu’s voice trembled, and Yukino gripped the hem of Kuu’s clothing, her face on the verge of tears. Although Kuu and Yukino might have contemplated this before, hearing it directly from a human of the Empire made it more painful.

「Was that intentional? Did you want to anger me?」

I realized I had returned to my usual tone rather than using formal language. But I didn’t mind. He was the one who had been disrespectful first.

「Not at all. I was just curious. I never thought they were your family. Out of curiosity, I have one more question. Do you ever feel guilty about risking the entire village for personal emotions as the Chief of the Elves?」

I had asked myself that question repeatedly. And the answer had long been clear.

「We accepted them because we needed their abilities for Erucy’s development. In fact, Erucy has prospered thanks to their abilities, and it will continue to do so. I am prepared to bear minor troubles for that. That’s all.」

「Minor troubles, you say.」