195 – Ruler of the Great Forest (5)
Chapter 195 – Ruler of the Great Forest (5)
“I don’t have much time to rest. I have to go after him.”
“That’s true, but I’m not in such a hurry.”
Kara sighed. Serenian wanted to follow those who pursued his enemies without a break, but he couldn’t leave everything aside as he was wounded.
“I have to clean up after myself.”
As Kara said, it was an unprecedented large-scale war in the great forest. Everywhere there were corpses and destroyed vegetation strewn about, but more than that, there were actually more prisoners than dead.
“As the enemy began to retreat, the enemy forces surrendered in great numbers. Maybe even more.”
Thran, who used to be Ersilla’s confidant, now acts as a knight of the Great Forest, reported to Serenian and clicked his tongue when he saw the prisoners who kept flocking to this basin.
In the process of retreat, they fell behind, gave up resistance, surrendered, or were captured. That number has already crossed 10,000. It doesn’t sound like a big deal when you hear the numbers, but Serenian’s eyes fluttered in embarrassment when he saw the humans swarming in front of him.
In the first place, we didn’t want to have any prisoners, but that’s why we had 10,000. It was hard to imagine killing all the prisoners who could possibly be more than that.
“I thought the number of enemies pushing in was a little over 40,000…”
“At least 3/4 of them died or surrendered. Those not here must have fled deeper into the forest. The last report I heard was that there were only a handful of people fleeing.”
“I will have to think about this a little.”
After listening to Thran’s report, Serenian stood up and approached the captives. No matter how many times I thought about it, there seemed to be a better way than simply killing them.
I wanted to fix this before running after the chase.
‘Hmm?’
It was then that she saw some special people in her eyes.
Because most of the captives were humans, and there was also a group of prisoners. However, the appearance of some of the prisoners was unusual. She was at least different from the prisoners she had seen so far.
Plus, she could be seen talking to one of them, which intrigued her even more.
“Ren, do you know who these are?”
“Ah…”
Ren, who was distracted from her conversation and didn’t even know that she was coming from behind, flinched and looked up at her as she spoke to her from behind.
But it wasn’t just Ren who flinched when he saw Serenian, it was the same for them who were tied up and on their knees.
‘The queen leading that huge army of elves!’
Serenian herself was unaware of it, but now that the battle was over with the elves’ landslide victory, her reputation for leading the elves had increased rapidly.
Fear itself, especially among the prisoners of the Kingdom Army who dealt with them directly. The same was true of the beastmen who fought the elven cavalry riding fairy ants while Serenian stopped Narg and fought head-to-head.
“Who are these people?”
Serenian approached and asked about them. Of course, they have no choice but to freeze while watching.
They are a group that looks different from other beastmen. There were definitely some beastly parts, but except for some parts such as ears and tail, it was closer to human.
“It was said to be a mixed-race unit belonging to the beastmen unit. He fought with me and surrendered.”
Caught between those who didn’t dare to open her mouth first and Serenian looking at her, Ren flinched and eventually opened her mouth.
Serenian’s eyes shook at the word mixed blood. I had heard about mixed blood that I had only heard about by rumor. Literally, they were mixed-bloods born between humans and beasts.
“The beastmen who followed Narg, the leader of the Myoin tribe, fought and died fighting to the very end, so why did you surrender?”
“Ooh, we’re not like those crazy rabbits.”
When Serenian, who knew how fiercely the enraged Narg and his beasts resisted and how many people had been sacrificed for that resistance, asked in a voice that he sincerely did not understand, the woman talking to Ren hurriedly shook her head.
Rabbit ears towering above the swaying pink hair swayed each time.
‘…Wasn’t the treatment that good?’
Serenian’s gaze turned to another place after seeing her urgent eyes. Unlike the other beastmen soldiers who were well-armed with heavy armor, their appearance was shabby and pitiful because it was after the battle.
“They said they hate mixed races. He said that he was forcibly captured, treated like a slave, and used as an arrow holder. They were forcibly brought to this war as well, and surrendered right away after learning that all the prisoners had died at the hands of the queen.”
She testified to what she had been through, and she gave strength to the words of the mixed-race woman.
Indeed, Ren, who went into battle alongside other elves, stirred the battlefield with her elemental. Even the wizards were armed with steel weapons and equipment, and the kingdom army was incapacitated and exposed at a single gesture from Ren, and was swept away by the pincer attack of the elves.
The mixed race unit was also encountered at that time. The mixed-race woman, who was watching Ren and Serenian, looked at it lightly at first and aimed for the back of Ren’s head, but was immediately caught by the power of her spirit.
“Looking into Ren’s eyes, it seems like he wants to save them.”
“Well, at least I don’t think it’s a lie that I was brought there by force.”
“Most of those taken prisoner are mediocre soldiers. They wouldn’t have come voluntarily to kill us either. I know there are circumstances, but there is no one without a story.”
“…”
It’s been quite a while since we’ve been together. The density of experiences experienced during that time is even higher. So, Serenian, who was able to see through Ren’s heart, smiled.
“We never had prisoners. I’d never even imagined having a slave, and I couldn’t let those who dared attack us.”
“Hey!”
The half-breed beasts who saw Serenian’s eyes looking down with her cold eyes soon withdrew their laughter and shivered in fright. It seemed that an order to kill them all could come out of his mouth at any moment.
“But if you truly regret it, and if you have a desire for a new life and prove it, then I…May give you a chance.”
However, the words that came out of Serenian’s mouth were not execution orders. Now they understand their situation, where they have nowhere to go and no place to stand.
***
“To be honest, I don’t know. Even if they are of mixed race, you don’t intend to take all the countless humans captured as captives to Eden, do you? Human captives are not like those who have no family and no place to go. It is certain that accidents will happen in one way or another.”
“Of course. Human captives still have to think and decide.”
Honestly, no matter how dark he was, he wondered if it would be possible to have a different mind if he went to Eden and saw both God’s punishment and grace, but Serenian agreed with Kara’s concerns. There were too many humans to drag them all to Eden. In addition, the fact that most of the residents there were not very friendly to the human race also played a role.
“Mixed races are also among those who tried to attack our allies anyway. They too will have to prove their heart in this war.”
Serenian wasn’t just trying to take the half-bloods to Eden. As a sign of repentance and proof, he involved the elves in a counterattack.
Serenian’s condition to the half-bloods was that if they made a difference in the counterattack, they would take them to Eden and make them members.
“So, are we leaving now?”
“Yes. As planned, 10,000 pursuers and 10,000 of us pursued. A total of 20,000 men will run along the forest roads scarred by the enemy and invade their territory.”
Serenian nodded his head while stroking his arm, which was quickly healing with the effects of herbs.
Before the results of the unprecedented battles fought here had even spread to the world around them. The elves had already prepared all preparations for a counterattack.
“Since I am of mixed race, I haven’t thought about it deeply in the past, but I don’t know how the world will change. What do you think queen Mixed blood is not a very good symbol for us either.”
“I will not reject them. If the flow of the world goes that way.”
At Kara’s mention of half-race elves, Serenian chuckled. Even among the elves, the perception of mixed blood was no different from that of the beasts. Hybrids with humans.
Even in the past, when the perception of humans was not good, no, it was not a very good perception.