Chapter 178: Trap (2)

Even a person with exceptional abilities will meet their doom if they become complacent. This holds especially true during critical moments. This common sense applies even to elves. Especially among the older generations of elves, there was a strong tendency to underestimate other races.

However, it was merely a narrow-minded way of thinking, akin to a frog in a well. Among humans, there are monsters with skills comparable to elf warriors, and there are even demons with abilities comparable to elves.

To carry out important missions, considering each and every variable was not a choice but a necessity. Of course, no one could have imagined there being a human warrior of equal caliber and demons of higher status among those variables.

"Are these three all of them?"

"Yes. The publisher also confirmed three, and the dark elf lady said it's these three."

"Is mother alright?"

"She woke up in the middle, but she's probably asleep again."

After hearing my father's words, I looked ahead. In front of the desk, three elves, two males and one female, were kneeling with their hands tied with ropes. They were still unconscious and had their heads lowered, but when I saw them earlier, they possessed the beauty typical of elves. It was fascinating to see that their hair colors were different.

However, these individuals were villains who not only intruded into our mansion but also planned to kidnap me as soon as they realized I was Xenon. Considering the laws of the Minerva Empire and the current era, executing them immediately would pose no problems.

"But Isaac, did you really have to reveal yourself as Xenon?"

Cecily, who easily subdued two of the three elf intruders, asked me with doubt. She was the one who figured out their real-time kidnapping plan by eavesdropping telepathically.

I looked at the elves in front of me and replied.

"It wouldn't have taken long for them to realize that I am Xenon anyway. I might have let my guard down, but I'm not that foolish. Just the fact that I set a trap should have given them some idea of what to expect."

"But it's still too risky... What if these people leak the fact that you are Xenon?"

"Then, I'll have to detonate the 'ear bomb' for real. If not, there's also the 'pact'."

"Ah."

When the magic used to establish a master-servant relationship, the 'pact,' was mentioned, Cecily showed a nod of understanding. As everyone knows, a pact was made between Arwen and Cecily at the time of Rain's punishment.

The pact imposes a significant penalty on the 'servant' if they don't act as written in the contract, and the 'master' also becomes aware of it. Thus, concealing anything is absolutely impossible.

In the past, slavery existed and was frequently used in human society, but it disappeared over time. There have been cases where slaves collectively committed suicide, stating that they couldn't live like that, and events where they rose up in rebellion.

The pact is powerful enough to prevent unnecessary actions.

"We'll have to make good use of it so that they can't exploit any weaknesses. For example, they should never reveal Xenon's true identity. What happens if the pact is broken?"

"Initially, it causes intense pain in the heart, and if you try to force it, it stops beating. If you receive emergency treatment, you can be saved, but they would never consider revealing it."

"So, transmitting information through writing or code instead of speaking?"

"Don't worry. Anything related to your identity cannot be done without violating the pact."

It was reassuring to see Cecily so confident. Even if it's not a pact, we can use Siris to prevent any foolish actions. I'll have to discuss this separately with Arwen. In any case, we've managed to lure even the ancient fish, now all that's left is handling the aftermath.

Frankly, we could dispose of these elves silently without any major issues. From the council's perspective, they will think that the pursuers just met their demise and will send another pursuit team. This fight will continue until we eliminate the source.

"Alright then. What about... When will these people regain consciousness?"

"Shall I wake them up now?"

"Yes."

Snap-

Cecily listened to my request and lightly flicked her fingers. I felt a faint wave of mana.

"Ughh..."

"Ugh..."

Before long, the restrained elves began to regain consciousness, groaning in their sleep. The room relied on a few candles, so it would take some time for them to recover their sight.

Moreover, although the ropes themselves were ordinary, Cecily had used magic to prevent them from using mana, eliminating any chance of resistance.

"Ugh... My head... What?"

"W-What? Why am I..."

"... ..."

As soon as they realized they were tied up, the two elven men and women looked startled, but the elven leader in the center remained silent. He merely confirmed the situation, restrained by ropes, with an expression that seemed to say "as expected," showing almost no reaction.

According to what their father had said, unlike the other two elves, he had acted alone. The possibility of the blond elf being the leader seemed likely.

"This, what on earth... I'm certain..."

"What, who are you all?"

While the woman was still trying to grasp the situation, the man asked in an anxious voice, seemingly having noticed us. The woman, who had been fidgeting, also raised her head to look at us.

Lastly, when the hazy blond man also turned his gaze towards us, I stepped forward and crouched down to meet their eye level. As soon as our eyes met, I felt a twinge in my heart.

"R-right now, untie these ropes, human! It seems like you don't know what you've done...!"

The brown-haired elven woman demanded urgently, either boldly or arrogantly in an elven manner. I could hear my father sighing behind me, frustrated.

I looked at the elf who seemed completely clueless about the situation and smirked as I cut to the chase.

"What we've done? We caught a bunch of intruders in our mansion."

"... ..."

"And it seems like we know roughly what you came to find."

"...Are you Xenon?"

A blonde elf, presumably the leader and not the elven woman, asked in a soft voice, and then the subordinates on both sides belatedly realized the situation and closed their mouths.

However, it didn't take long for their expressions to contort. It seems they must have tried to use telepathy, but they must have realized that using mana itself was impossible.

In the end, one of the subordinates conveyed the truth with an expression of helplessness.

"This... This man is definitely Xenon. There were notes and letters on the desk."

"I see."

Unlike the subordinates, the leader maintained composure. I can't fathom why they would even try to use telepathy having mana disabled.

Cecily and Father seemed to notice that as well as they subtly moved. First, Cecily stood beside me, and Father stood behind the elves.

It was an expression that meant they would immediately stop any futile actions. I must admit, it made me feel secure and oddly confident.

Meanwhile, the leader of the pursuit unit trembled when he saw Cecily approaching me.

"Could it be Princess of Helium?"

"Do you know me?"

"I might. I saw you from afar during the speech."

Cecily was also present during Arwen's speech. At that time, they had an unexpected encounter at the immigration checkpoint, and she got to know the true nature of the elves.

The elven leader gazed silently at Cecily for a moment, then smirked and made a remark that gently teased her nerves.

"Indeed, you knew who Xenon was. So I suppose that's why you were capable of doing such things."

"Hmm. I'm not so sure. It doesn't seem like an elf who has done dirty deeds should be speaking. Is your conscience doing well?"

"... ..."

He got hit after poking his nose where it didn't belong. I guess a certain level of cheekiness was necessary.

"Anyway, can you tell me your names? If you don't want to, you don't have to."

"...Kalas."

"The others?"

"Mael."

"Lena."

The elves responded in curt tones, unwilling to bend their pride even when cornered. Honestly, I didn't expect much.

But soon enough, they would have to swallow that pride. I'll take my time building up until then, it's not an urgent situation for me, but it is for them.

Their safety is now in my hands.

"First, let me ask this question. Why did you bother looking for me? I haven't done anything to harm you."

"Your knowledge is very dangerous. So we tried to persuade you."

"Persuade?"

"We were willing to pay a price in return if you would help us."

'Persuasion' was pure nonsense. The very same bastards who declared they would censor my book couldn't utter a word when faced with persuasion. It was so amusing that I couldn't find the words to express it.

Cecily seemed to share a similar sentiment as she pointed out Kalas's contradiction with an astonished voice.

"So, those people attempted to censor Xenon's Biography? They went to such lengths, and now they're willing to negotiate. Truly cunning."

"Censorship wasn't our doing. It was a direct order from the Queen herself."

Now, Kalas even shamelessly resorted to lies. If being able to lie shamelessly without a change in expression is a skill, then he surely possesses that skill.

And they claim that elves don't engage in dirty deeds. I found out through Kalas that it's all nonsense.

I scoffed at the empty words and spoke to Kalas with a chilling voice.

"What about the Queen? You all received orders from the Council, didn't you? Don't think I'm ignorant."

"I don't know where you heard that nonsense, but you're wrong. We follow the Queen's..."

"Fieren Garrit Stormwalker."

"...!"

As soon as I mentioned the name of the Council's leader, the one who gave orders to them, Kalas's eyes widened significantly. It was an expression of disbelief, asking how I knew that name.

The other elves had similar expressions. Mael's jaw dropped in astonishment, and Lena seemed to be trying to verify the truth of what she had heard.

From their perspective, just the fact that I knew Fieren would complicate things in their minds. They might think that I've been playing them from the beginning or that they've been fooled by me.

Either way, as long as I lead them to the situation I desire, that's all that matters.

"That old elf gave you an order, didn't he? To find Xenon. Didn't he?"

"How, how did you... No, you can't be..."

"I don't have to explain myself. Anyway, you must know it too. From the moment you were caught by me, you are nothing more than abandoned dogs. If you go back now, you might disappear silently, or you might face the punishment of having your ears cut off. And for you elves, having your ears cut off is a worse punishment than death, isn't it?"

I've heard about Fieren, the Grand Councilor, from Arwen. He wields immense power as the head of the Council of Elders and goes to great lengths to maintain that power.

After the racial war, when even the Council of Elders was on the brink of collapse, Fieren forced a revival. At that time, Fieren was a prominent figure in the Council and just about to soar to new heights when the racial war broke out.

Naturally, Fieren must have hated the idea of the Council of Elders fading into history. Once you taste the power, it's harder to quit than a drug.

And now, Fieren was constantly keeping Arwen, who poses a threat to his power, in check, even resorting to various dark schemes.

The reason these elves came to the publisher to check the manuscript in the first place is that Arwen accidentally left her speech behind, which was obtained through a certain channel. Arwen noticed it belatedly and tried to burn it, but the damage was already done.

The saying that elves don't do dirty tricks is only applicable in war. In front of power, whether it's humans or elves, everyone's the same.

"So, here's my proposal. You wouldn't consider staying attached to the Council of Elders, talking about loyalty or anything like that, would you? No matter what happens, your life is the most important thing. Especially for you elves, your ears would be more valuable."

"Hah, do you really think you can manipulate us with such threats!? Just a mere human!"

The elven woman introduced as Lena snarled with some pride still left in her, but her voice was trembling, likely consumed by fear.

I looked at her expressionlessly. Lena stared back at me with a defiant face, but as I remained silent, her resistance gradually subsided.

"Should I just cut off your ears here? Do you really think you can return to Alvenheim with your ears cut off?"

"Hick..."

Lena whimpered as I threatened her in a relentless tone. The atmosphere was tense, and even a seemingly minor threat like this was enough to put considerable pressure on her.

With no mana available, and two lions waiting with their mouths open, ready to pounce, there was no guarantee for her life.

If these were humans who valued honor more than life, they might have said, "Go ahead and kill us!" But they were elves. Honor and nonsense aside, their lives came first.

"No need to emphasize it further, your lives are in my grasp. And with my noona, Cecily, you can't pull off any tricks with magic. Bound up like this, you're in a vulnerable position. Got it?"

"...If you plan to use us, it's better to get rid of us. The Council of Elders won't send us off nicely either way. It might be cleaner to handle it here."

"Well, in that case, if the Council suspects something, they might send more people our way. It's probably better to uproot everything."

"Hah, do you think that's possible? Even if you use us as bait, you won't gain anything."

"I don't know. I see it differently."

I showed my right hand to Kalas, who had been calling me a fool. In response, Kalas narrowed his eyes slightly.

As he said, the Council of Elders boasted a history of over hundreds of years as a political organization. Even during the racial war, it has survived like a cockroach, enduring through the ages.

However, since the racial war, there has been a growing opposition to the Council of Elders. Especially after the speech, support for Arwen has increased significantly.

If we ignite the fuse of discontent here, the Council of Elders will be unable to lift a finger and face its downfall. With a cold smile, I spoke to Kalas.

"What would happen if I said something like this? Blaming my right hand injury on the elves, making it impossible for me to continue my duties for a while. Xavier, who annoyed me with the idea of me being canonized as a saint, will undoubtedly join forces with Helium. The human kingdoms will do the same."

"... ..."

"Even if it's Alvenheim, it won't last more than a few months. Just cutting off the trade routes alone will cause massive damage. War will break out before that. What decision should we make to prevent this?"

The more I spoke, the stiffer Kalas' expression became, eventually turning pale. No matter how the Council of Elders decides to handle this, they will undoubtedly be eradicated.

They will probably claim it was an independent action, something they know nothing about. From their perspective, it's a desperate situation.

If they do it this way, they'll lose their ears, and if they do it that way, they'll lose their lives. Even if they plead with the gods, they won't listen to their sins.

"Even if you ask the gods for help, it will be useless. They warned you directly, but you still committed such a deed, so they will probably bring down divine punishment instead."

"... ..."

"So what will you do? Will you help me and eradicate the Council of Elders, or will you just quietly disappear? Honestly, it won't matter much if you're not here. Eventually, the Council of Elders will come looking for me again."

That's all I had to say. If you're smart, you should have a rough idea of the situation by now. The rest is up to you.

Whether you cooperate with us to crush the Council of Elders for what they've done, or quietly vanish.

I hope you choose the former if possible.

"Ka-Kalas...!"

"Y-You must accept our request! It's the only way we can survive!"

Mael and Lena pleaded with Kalas with desperate eyes. Even if they were chosen as a race favored by the gods, they were still just people when they begged like this.

No matter how strong their honor and pride were, they meant nothing in the face of a situation where their lives were at stake. There was no point in glorifying sacrifices.

Kalas listened to his subordinates' pleas and hesitated for a moment before meeting my gaze. My face reflected in his blue eyes like a mirror.

"Then... what do we gain?"

"Hmm?"

"We should have something to gain, shouldn't we?"

"Haha."

Look at how shameless he is until the end. He must have been utterly flabbergasted for Father to even chuckle. I, too, lowered my head and let out a laugh, as if agreeing with him.

The impulse to just cut off their ears and send them back to Alvenheim grew stronger by the moment. However, we need to use these elves until all the events are concluded. In fact, it could be considered the most crucial aspect. I slowly lifted my head again and met Kalas's gaze.

His expression was stiff, but the corners of his mouth subtly lifted, indicating that he expected to gain something from this deal. Of course, there were some benefits for them as well.

"Yeah. There is something. Something very good for you too."

"What is it?"

Kalas asked with anticipation.

"I'll let you live."

"... ..."

"There should be some limits to shamelessness, right? Where did your conscience go?"

I delivered my verdict kindly.

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