The Elf King bows to me. Could this be a big deal?
I look around and see that the expressions on the faces of all the elves present are frozen. The king is bowing down to a race that they, too, have long disregarded. It must be an incredible sight.
"I am sorry. ....... I tried to harm the man who saved my daughter's life. I am sorry for all the disrespect I have shown to a man who owes me a debt of gratitude. On behalf of the Elven clan, Honnoichi, I offer my sincerest apologies."
"Please raise your hands. That's enough. The bandit has already been killed by your hand, Elf-king. That is enough.
He looked up as I spoke and slowly stood up. He looks around at the elves who are looking at us.
"......Why have we fallen?"
He mutters to no one in particular. His shoulders are shaking slightly.
We were a proud race. We have never been one to fight, but to find ways around it, generation after generation. This has given us intelligence and skill. We did not think that even with all of that, we would end up in this situation. ....... What ...... went ...... wrong?"
"Maybe we've all become weak."
"Weak?"
Perhaps my words came as a surprise to the Elf King. Well, if we thought we were the best and he said we were weak, then of course he would be surprised.
"Indeed, I believe that you elves have great knowledge and skills. They have built wards and cities in this unexplored land, and they are making a decent living. I think this is something that no other race can do. I am sure that you have sacrificed a lot to have this life. It must have been hard.
The king nodded quietly at my words.
"It would not be emotionally right for another tribe to enter this village where such blood, sweat, and tears are soaked in. But even so, the move to eliminate them is too much. It is not normal."
I open my mouth, looking at the elves around me. No one makes eye contact with me.
"First of all, I don't understand why you dislike the human race in such a way. It is true that there are bad people among us. But on the other hand, there are also good people. You are focusing only on the bad parts of the human race, aren't you? Instead, I ask you to focus on the good points of the human race. You do not have to have a relationship with those who want to harm you or take advantage of you. But the idea of eliminating all of them is too extreme.
I can feel the indescribable feelings for me slowly rising up. I feel like I'm talking about ....... It's still not a very pleasant feeling. But the Elf-king is giving me a kind look. When his eyes meet mine, he nods his head.
"I am sorry if I am wrong, but I believe that you are all of a very intelligent race. I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but I believe that you are all very intelligent people, but I suspect that you have had very limited information and knowledge about other species because you have not interacted with them for a long time. With this little information, you have built up an image of our people. Furthermore, you were thinking of yourselves as superior, weren't you?"
The mood of the elves changed again. They seem to be gasping for breath.
"But I don't think we are what you thought we were. Ortó's plan was foiled because he did not have the right information and acted on an image he had created on his own. I think this was the main cause. If the current situation continues, there will surely be a second or third Ortoh in this village. I don't want that to happen and I don't think it should.
"Do what you want! I mean dangerously!"
One of the elves shouts loudly. Perhaps because he is not accustomed to speaking, the meaning of his words is not quite clear to him. As I'm having a hard time understanding what he's saying, Siddee overhears me from behind. Apparently, releasing the village would put them in danger. He seems to be saying, "You want me to do that?
"The point is that the elves are afraid that their people will be in danger.
Sidi translates for us. I see, that was their underlying thought.
"There is one way to keep the elves out of harm's way."
The elves are buzzing at my words.
"You must communicate with the other races. No, don't get mad at me here, but hear me out, okay? What you need is information about other races. What kind of people, what kind of knowledge, what kind of way of thinking ....... It would be better to have such information. Well, it is impossible for all elves to communicate with each other, but it is better to communicate with as many different races as possible. Of course, some of them may try to attack or use elves. Those who do not should not associate with them. Interact with the races that can help you."
"What does that have to do with not being dangerous?"
The Elf King opens his mouth with a serious expression. I nod my head and continue speaking.
Do you know the word "strategy"? Senryak ....... It is written to abbreviate battle. As the name suggests, you should not fight. You must avoid fighting as much as possible. To do so, we must increase our allies. ....... I can tell you from my own experience that Agartha has recently experienced a big battle. We managed to get through it, but we suffered a lot. It was an inevitable battle ......, but I will try to avoid it as much as possible from now on. I will try not to make enemies as much as possible. If there are no more enemies, there will be no more fights. If that happens, we will be invincible, won't we?
...... I thought I had said it well, but apparently the elves didn't seem to get it.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the elves are leaving the room in droves. Have I said something to offend them?
"...... father told everyone to leave and that we would discuss this later."
Meek speaks to me in a whisper. What, why didn't you just say so?
"Come, come to my bunk. "Come to my bunkhouse... and rest tonight."
The Elf King looks at each of us as he speaks. I looked him in the eye and nodded slowly.
He turns on his heel and walks away slowly. We follow him.
The bed of the Elf King is very simple. There was a large canopied bed and two other beds a short distance away from it. It seems that the Elf King had them brought in separately for us.
"This room has been cleared out. "Rest easy, my friends. And when dawn breaks, you may descend the mountain.
He nodded. At that moment Meek leaps onto the big bed and looks at the Elf King. He notices this and sits down on the bed to make eye contact with Meek. He remains motionless in that position. Father and daughter seem to be having a long conversation.
"You were looking good just now, Mr. Linos!"
Sadie speaks to me in a small voice with a twinkle in her eye.
"I thought it was very good of you to say ...... that you would be invincible if your enemies were gone. I wanted to hug her from behind.
......If just one person understands me, that's all that matters. With these thoughts in mind, I kissed Sadie on the forehead as I watched the Elf Kings.