Chapter 189: Everyone’s Hope
The chains were clearly made of light, and yet it felt solid to the touch.
Brom Daystar could feel the slippery coils of the Chains of Penance around himself. Aside from feeling gooseb.u.mps, the wood elf could not help but worry.
When did the magic of humans so quietly progress to such level? He had cast several spells to free himself, and yet he was still caught within the chains.
That said, was this really magic?
***
Defeating the enemy by capturing the king—while there was no specific idiom for that in this world, it wasn’t that hard to understand as a strategy. Even if it was simple and unrefined, it often proved effective on many occasions for Edward.
Therefore, even before attacking the elves, he had already discreetly drawn up a plan with Eleena and the others: He and Joe would get the enemy’s attention and do all they could to cut down the enemy’s forces.
Although the elves did not have the chivalry to hold back against women and children, they would still underestimate them out of sheer instinct and not attack either Jessica or Eleena outright.
When Edward and Joe had the elves full attention, the elves would not direct most of their forces against Jessica even if they would notice her healing ability and thought of denying their group a healer. It was more likely that the elves would stick to their prideful style, and have their commander go out alone or bring along a handful of lackeys to take out Jessica.
And should the elves do that, Eleena—Saintess-in-training, the strongest Player and the trump card of Edward’s party’s chance would arrive.
After all, the situation just now made evident that the wood elves did not believe that they were on the same level as the humans, just like how humans would never deliberately try to understand what a pig is saying.
It was only by capturing their commander that they could stand on equal footing to talk terms with the elves.
Naturally, Edward had also considered that the wood elves might not understand human language, but now that things had come to this, it didn’t matter if they had fought just because of a language barrier.
Either way, defeat merely means death and some lost EXP, and a free trip back to the Unnamed Town.
But it was evident that the elves could understand human language—even speak it.
“Human, let him go!”
Brom Daystar could see his second-in-command shouting angrily at the two human girls behind him.
“Just because you tell us to? That cheek of yours!”
Joe and Edward had also seen their chance and broke through the elves’ encirclement from the other side to gather with Jessica and Eleena.
And at that elf’s words, Joe downed a c.o.ke to pull his dangerously low HP back to a safe level, burping before mocking him in return. “Who do you think you are, Lord Angora?”
Meanwhile, Angora sneezed while having tea with his father back at the Silver Eagle Castle, splashing the old duke in the face.
“You…” The elf was left fuming but somehow couldn’t retort against Joe.
“Joe’s way of putting it is rude, but he’s right. Your group was the one who started the fight without provocation.” Edward added coolly. “And now, you are trying to stop the fight when things have gone wrong for you, even demanding that we give up our advantage. Do you think that’s really going to happen?”
“Hmph! Don’t mind those humans and their pesky words! Shoot them, you don’t have to care about me!” Brom Daystar yelled at his second-in-command. “Don’t forget your duty—there’s no time to waste!”
While his words were bold, justified and held conviction, the bondage posture in which the Chains of Penance was holding him was as funny as it was embarra.s.sing that whatever he said became unserious.
Edward and Eleena shared a glance. She nodded slightly, her silver hair dancing behind her.
As a powerful Level 40 skill for the hidden Saintess-in-training cla.s.s, the Chains of Penance wasn’t as simple as a nonviolent takedown. As a matter of fact, it was more similar to Wonder Woman’s La.s.so of Truth that compels the target to speak honestly without deception. They would feel a desire to confess everything once asked, and should their will fail to hold out, they would tell Eleena everything in their heads.
Therefore, what that elf had so boldly shouted was all real. He cared more about the ‘duty’ that the elves shouldered than his own life, and it was urgent enough that ‘there’s no time to waste’.
In other words, things appeared much complicated and troublesome that Edward and his party had imagined.
After thinking for a moment, Edward asked, “What is your duty? Has something happened to your dwelling?”
“Cease that ugly pretentiousness. You d.a.m.ned humans know what you’ve done to the greatest treasure!” Brom Daystar sneered even as he was still held in the standard bondage position.
“Greatest treasure?” Edward asked in curiosity.
“Yes, the greatest treasure that the wood elves of Trinia possess, the Divine Spear Sefarim!”
“Sefarim? If I’m not mistaken, could it be the same spear used for climbing up the World Tree of Silvermoon?”
“You know nothing! That’s a myth pa.s.sed down by word of mouth amongst you humans. We elves had survived since the last age, immortals who survived the War of G.o.ds and Demons! Sefarim is no legend—she exists, and she’s the greatest treasure that Luna the Moon G.o.ddess has bestowed upon all elves so that we survive extinction!”
Edward came to a realization right then. “In other words, you lost it?”
“She should have been kept safe in the Moontree, but you humans somehow tricked her and she left our bounded field!”
“She?”
“Sefarim is a supreme existence even amongst divine relics. What’s weird about her having self-awareness?!”
Meanwhile, the other elves were gaping at their commander who was having a question and answer session like some stand-up comedy routine. Brom wasn’t hesitating to reveal truckloads of the wood elves’ secret, which made the other elves feeling indescribably ill-at-ease.
…Could he be a spy sent by the humans?
Brom himself had only realized what he was saying as the other elves started to stare at him weirdly, and the look on his face darkened immediately. “d.a.m.n you, what have you done to me, human?!”
What he was saying felt especially meaningful with that amusing position of his.
Still, Edward wasn’t that mature and had no intention of coming out of the closet, which was why he took no mind of Brom’s yelling and quickly shared the information with Gou Dan instead.
From the way the elves postured as if they have not settled things with them, they are not going to leave their dispute behind for the time being. This meant that the Gou Dan was the only one they could hope to complete their quest.
That said, Gou Dan’s reply arrived quite late.
[Oh.]
Edward: ???
‘So, you’re not telling us what’s going on?
‘Whether you’ve found the wood elves treasure or if you had been idling, at least report your situation after getting my message! That would at least be a fair exchange to the six hundred plus words I just typed, man!’