— [Elves].
A race with about seven times the lifespan of humans, possessing extremely high magical aptitude. In a passage from a certain book, they are described as “a race that has received the blessing of spirits in its entirety.”
While they have aspects that far surpass humans in terms of abilities, elves as a race also have a fatal weakness. That is their poor reproductive ability.
Some scholars speculate that this is a side effect of their longevity, but they have a fixed breeding period and can only produce children once every three years. Also, there is no country of elves; they are generally divided into several tribes, forming settlements in various parts of the Ispreet Great Forest. While there are some friendly tribes, and some individuals who venture into human countries, from the perspective of elves as a race, these would be considered “oddities.”
Most tribes are closed off and have zero interaction with humans, but elves, being often beautiful, have high value for humans in various aspects. As a result, elves being kidnapped is a frequent occurrence.
Especially if you see an elf in the Kingdom of Mirestia, it’s usually a slave. No matter how superior their abilities might be, elves can never surpass humans in “numbers.” No matter how unjust it may be, they have no choice but to accept it.
Many elves have accepted this reality. However, naturally, there are those who resent this weak position and turn to radical ideologies.
— Terrorist organization [Vritra].
This organization, named after the evil dragon said to have covered the world in ancient times, acts with the ultimate goal of establishing an independent nation for elves.
“How about the recovery of the flute?”
“Sorry… Arthur. I hired humans to search for it, but it hasn’t been found. I watched that battle from afar, and I think there’s a high possibility that the ice dragon swallowed it whole along with the flute.”
“I see. You’ve gone through a lot of trouble, Marius. Still, dark magic… That shouldn’t be something humans can handle.”
“I thought so too. There have been rare cases of humans manifesting rare attributes, but has there ever been someone who could draw out that much power…? And a mere child who’s only lived for about a dozen years at that.”
Arthur, the leader of Vritra, pondered. There’s only one point where elves are inferior to humans. Numbers. Numbers are the only absolute difference that can’t be overcome.
If they could overcome just that, there would be nothing in which elves are inferior to humans as a species. And so, they created the magical tool [Domination Flute] to control and manipulate monsters. If they remain complacent with the current situation, humans will continue to get carried away.
That’s why they don’t shy away from using force against humans at times.
“Well, that flute has magic applied to it that will self-destruct if used by anyone other than an elf. Even if it fell into human hands, there’s no problem.”
“…Yeah. That’s right.”
“What’s wrong? If you have something on your mind, let me hear it.”
“No… There’s no particular reason, but I just have a bad feeling. — About that human.”
“I felt that too. It seems the spirits favor him as well, so we should be careful. Your hunches are often right.”
“Why would the spirits favor such a human…”
“Don’t, Marius. The spirits are just with us. There’s no ulterior motive.”
“You’re right… Sorry.”
The magical tool [Domination Flute] is not yet complete. Although they’ve made improvements and can now control stronger monsters, they haven’t achieved the permanent control they desire.
When that becomes possible, that’s when they will truly begin to move.
“……..”
However, Arthur had just one concern. It was still an uncertain possibility, and voicing it would only cause anxiety among his comrades.
Therefore, he keeps his mouth shut.
(— Dark magic, huh)
For now, he’ll keep this concern to himself. But the worst-case scenario must be avoided. He must keep a close eye on the situation and be ready to act quickly if necessary.
The elven youth gazed into the distance for a moment. Then, he began to contemplate something else.
To fulfill his — no, their — long-cherished wish—.
§
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“I swear!! I swear I’ll forge a sword worthy of Lord Luke!! With my very soul!!”
“I-I see. I’m looking forward to it, Darkin.”
“Uuu… Uoooooon!”
“…Stop crying every time, it’s unsightly. Well then, see you.”
Feeling that if I stayed any longer, I might get caught up in something annoying, I quickly left the blacksmith’s shop. Zack isn’t here now either. I don’t want any trouble.
“That was a noisy human, wasn’t it? If it’s bothersome, I could—”
“Stop trying to kill everyone you see without discrimination.”
I could easily guess what the ice dragon, or rather Dia, was about to say without hearing the rest.
“It’s better to manipulate things to your advantage. That’s much more beneficial, right?”
“…………. Ah, y-yes…! That’s right…!”
“………..”
This dragon definitely doesn’t understand. But whatever. This is just a difference in values as living beings. I gave up on trying to make her understand and walked towards my private residence.
Still, dragon ecology is truly fascinating.
Not only can they freely change their body size, but also the ability they showed at the blacksmith’s.
They can regrow their scales, claws, and fangs at will. That made sense. No wonder she doesn’t feel any fear from my words.
“— [Dark Collar]”
“Wha!? W-w-what is this!?”
“…Kukuku, I told you, didn’t I? That I’d test my magic.”
As we approached my private residence, I suddenly activated magic without warning. In that instant, a collar that seemed to be condensed darkness appeared around Dia’s neck.
Seeing her panic is a bit satisfying. However,
“D-d-does it hurt…!? It hurts, doesn’t it!? Uwaaaan, I don’t like this, I don’t like this—”
“…Hey.”
“I don’t want thiiiis, I don’t want pain anymore! Uwaaaan!”
“………..”
As Dia started crying and screaming excessively, I quickly became depressed. She’s in a complete state of panic. Wait, is this… my fault?
…Huh? Why should I be at fault? She’s the one who attacked me, and I just counterattacked. I’m not wrong at all. If anything, she should be grateful that I let her live.
“…Calm down. There’s no pain.”
“Really…?”
But I can’t deal with all this noise. Calming Dia down should be the priority.
“Go around to the back garden. We’ll test it there.”
“…Okay.”
We arrived at the private residence and went straight to the back garden without entering. Dia looked anxious, as if she might start crying again at any moment.
“Listen. You and I made a contract. Because of that, you can feel an invisible connection between us, right?”
“…Yes.”
“I thought about whether I could utilize that. My [Darkness] steals magical power. Using this connection, I should be able to steal your magical power even from a distance. The magic that serves as the starting point for this is the [Dark Collar]. Can you understand that with that inadequate brain of yours?”
“…So, you’re just going to absorb my magic power now, and it won’t hurt… right?”
“Ah, that’s right.”
“…I understhand.”
“………..”
Sigh… This is tiring. But this is an interesting magic. If successful, I’ll be able to freely use [Ice] in addition to [Darkness]. Well, there’s no way I’d fail, of course.
“Ready?”
“Y-yes…”
Gritting her teeth as if bracing herself, Dia closed her eyes. Really, not believing my words that it won’t hurt, what an insolent dragon.
While thinking such things, I concentrate. — Kukuku, as expected. I can definitely feel Dia’s magical power. Now I just need to steal it.
“— Ahu”
Through the connection from the contract, Dia’s magical power started flowing into me.
“Kukuku… Hahahaha!! As expected— Hey, what’s wrong?”
“…Haa… Haa…”
Dia, who had been fluttering in the air, suddenly fell to the ground. Her breathing is ragged, and she looks in pain.
I only stole a little bit of magical power, you know. What’s going on here?
“Dia, are you in pain—”
“It’s… becoming… addictive. …I want… more…”
“—!”
Ugh, what is this? A strong sense of déjà vu. What memory is this…!!
However, the answer became clear immediately.
— [“More… Haa… Insult me… You should just insult me… Haa…”]
“…Alice”
Yes, it’s Alice. Isn’t this exactly like the scene from that night when Alice first transformed? …What is this? Why is this happening?
No, I can’t dismiss the connection. Rather than being my fault, could this be the “nature of those who possess ice attributes”? Yes. It must be.
It might be interesting to research the relationship between a person’s [attribute magic] and their [temperament]. I should probably base my analysis on the four basic elements. [Ice] is derived from [Water]. Does that mean everyone with water-system attribute magic has this kind of hidden temperament? If so, what about Mia who has [Lightning]? And for Yoland with his special attribute— What am I seriously thinking about?
“Haa…”
Listening to Dia’s still strangely heavy breathing, I sighed deeply and looked up at the sky.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her in a while — I wonder how Alice is doing now.
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