61 – Shortcut
It has been three days since the warrior Marcella was dismissed.
Elder Ariel confidently picked up her elegant heroine pipe.
It was a luxurious pipe befitting her dignity. It was a gift she presented while begging for reconciliation with the elves in the empire.
“It’s strange to have been smoking cautiously all this time.”
Marcella. Just a mere 190-year-old girl pressuring the elders who have protected the World Tree for a long time?
She smoked some heroine for a change of mood?
She may be quite skilled in battle, even among the elves, but strength naturally accumulates over the long years of protecting the forest.
Although Elder Ariel had been stuck in Medelin for the past 200 years, if she set her mind to it… Of course, it wouldn’t work on Marcella, but it was strange to brag about being good at fighting.
“Come to think of it, it’s strange that I’ve been favoring you all this time.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Fill it up neatly.”
“Yes…!”
Once a close associate of Marcela, but now a chief aide to the Grandmaster, Lurde moved slowly and deliberately, filling the pipe with heroin.
Gently swaying the cute-sized measuring spoon from side to side, he accurately measured the exact amount, demonstrating a skill that was almost mesmerizing. …It wasn’t anything special, but it felt amazing because of Lurde’s love for heroin.
Amidst all this, the Grandmaster had one complaint.
“Does it have to be exactly 10 milligrams? Isn’t that just a fixed idea?”
“What?”
“If we double the amount, wouldn’t we be twice as happy? Because… the amount would be doubled.”
Lurde raised his head in response to Grandmaster Ariella’s question.
“Well… it’s written in the instructions that if you do that, the pleasure actually decreases. They say it’s similar to getting sick and having a headache from drinking too much alcohol. Humans usually drink alone, don’t they? …How pathetic.”
“Is that so.”
The Grandmaster nodded with a feeling of annoyance.
Of course, she was happy with just 10 milligrams.
But as someone who didn’t have much time left to enjoy heroin, she couldn’t help but feel greedy.
“Can I only smoke it 150,000 times at most before I die? It’s a bit frustrating.”
The frustration disappeared as soon as she took a sip.
The moment she felt the pleasure of being able to indulge in heroin to her heart’s content.
Unfortunately, before she could become completely intoxicated, an intruder appeared.
“Grandmaster, I have something to say.”
The protagonist was an outcast elf who lived in the Hoen District.
Although one of his parents had a less-than-ideal lineage, he was reasonably clever and had worked for the government in his youth.
Why did he suddenly appear after almost 50 years? Could it be because of the heroin?
“Sorry, but only the top 5 families have access to heroin.”
“Grand Elder. I came here not because of that, but because Marcela disappeared.”
“……?”
“I’m talking about Marcela, who the Elder Council had imprisoned on Hoen Earth. She disappeared suddenly on the day of her imprisonment. It seems like she managed to escape outside of Medellin. I thought the Grand Elder should know about it.”
“Why are you telling me this now…?”
“I told the executioner and other elders on the day Marcela escaped, but they seemed too busy smoking heroin to pay attention. So, I decided to come to the Grand Elder. As expected, you didn’t know either.”
“……”
Marcela left? Without permission?
Grand Elder Ariella pondered while rolling heroin smoke in her mouth.
To violate the disciplinary decision made by the elders like that…
It was audacious, but strangely, she wasn’t angry.
Even from a rational perspective, it didn’t seem like a bad thing. Marcela still had significant influence that couldn’t be ignored.
If she had left on her own, it might actually be a fortunate event.
“Well, isn’t this a good thing?”
“What are you saying now?”
“No, just go and see.”
The old elf who had reported stood still for a moment and then disappeared.
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Grand Elder Ariella’s expression turned content, and she nodded her head.
Heroin was delicious, and the annoying elf who always caused trouble was gone. The other elves who sympathized with him were now timidly watching the situation.
Thoughts about Marcela soon faded away, overshadowed by the smoke of heroin.
…
On the day when news of the sole deserter finally came to light,
Elves who indulged in heroin suddenly appeared in the square.
“Isn’t it inappropriate to smoke in front of the World Tree?”
Most of them were young elves under 200 years old.
Unlike the dignified elders, they did not use pipes.
It was partly due to a shortage of pipes, but they also preferred to gather together and enjoy it. They would place heroin delicately on a small stove, heat it up, and inhale the smoke while looking at each other’s faces.
Sseup, hoo
Sseup, hoo
Sseup- cough, cough!!
“Cough! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s a pleasant cough…!”
“…hahahaha.”
The young elves with gloomy expressions looked up at the World Tree. The majestic size of the World Tree made it difficult to even look up at it.
Their expressions showed that they were all delighted to enjoy the grace of both the World Tree and heroin at the same time.
The number of smokers increased as time went on.
There were no elves trying to quit.
**
On the same day when news of Marcela’s escape reached us belatedly (they said they found out a few days later),
I reported in detail to the princesses about the progress of the business through communication.
Naturally, the two princesses had different reactions.
– “Well done, Alan. If that elf named Marcela had been a bit more cunning and started a civil war, it would have been even better. Of course, it’s impressive that you accomplished what three Imperial legions couldn’t do on your own.”
Victoria, the first princess who considered my achievements as her major.
– “It’s a shame that I can’t see it with my own eyes.”
And Sienna, the second princess who simply found it amusing.
I expected Sienna’s reaction, so it didn’t bother me much.
However, she wasn’t just laughing and enjoying the situation.
Sienna had heard about Marcela’s actions and had her own estimate. She said, “By now, she probably wants to kill you, right?” She didn’t say it with the expectation of making things more interesting, but she had her reasons for saying so.
– “Think about it, Alan. Marcela defeated a powerful dru*g that could contaminate the entire high command by herself. It’s a dru*g that’s dozens of times stronger than op*ium. I haven’t tried dru*gs myself, but Marcela is definitely a crazy woman.”
– “And what if you had fallen into her trap and ended up sinking? Don’t you think she would try to take you with her since she has nothing to lose?”
– “How about you return to the system at this point? It’s your decision, after all.”
It was a suggestion to return to the system before getting stabbed by the Master.
‘It’s not unreasonable.’
There was a high possibility that Marcela would target me, just as Sienna said.
Rejected by the high command, ignored by her own kind, and even dismissed from her position.
The only means left for her was to eliminate the root cause (me).
Since I was the one who created the heroin and spread it.
It wouldn’t be strange for her to think that if she eliminated me, she could prevent the spread of dru*gs on a large scale.
Of course, if she killed me as a diplomat, it would only lead to war, but she was originally a frontline fighter. She probably thought that it was better to die in battle than to wither away.
‘Should I consider returning to the system, as Sienna suggested?’
Leaving behind one supply line… wasn’t so bad.
There was no need to stay here, risking Marcela’s assassination threat.
It would be madness to infiltrate a city where an army was stationed alone. But the Master was the kind of being who could attempt such a crazy act. Perhaps he would even threaten to slit my throat tonight while dancing with a knife.
“I could prepare and capture him, but there’s no need to take that risk.”
The collapse of the Great Forest was only a matter of time anyway.
Even if I got caught up in the system and started producing heroin, I could still achieve my goal by coming back down as soon as the signs appeared.
Later, I could either go and demand power using heroin as bait, or bring the army and stage a protest against the weakened elves. I just had to cook according to the situation. After all, Marcela wouldn’t chase me to the system, would she?
Stay or return.
As I weighed these two choices for half a day, a customer came to me.
“Boss Allen, the elves who want to buy heroin have come again.”
The buyer was Elder Essenia, who had come last week. It seemed that he had been designated as the purchasing agent over there.
I greeted them with small packages of heroin, just as I did last time. Even if I returned, I still had to sell dru*gs.
But…
This time, surprisingly, the buyer complained.
“Human. How long do you plan on repeating this?”
It was Elder Essenia who voiced his dissatisfaction without even showing the money. It couldn’t be that he suddenly had a problem with heroin.
“Why are you saying that?”
“Why should we come all the way to the human city to ask about heroin? Isn’t this already the second time? If you really intend to have a sincere alliance with us, you shouldn’t treat us like this…!”
“……”
So it was insulting to come across the border to buy heroin. I was taken aback and looked at him, but the buyer seemed sincere.
“This can’t go on like this, human.”
“Well, what should I do then?”
“Sell more than 10 kilograms.”
“Do I have the money to buy 10 kilograms?”
“… That’s. Or at least, I want to receive goods within Dae Sulin. You can either install a teleportation magic circle at a location we specify, or set up a sales booth at one of the forward bases you used when crossing Dae Sulin.”
“…”
“Of course, military entry is prohibited. If you refuse… you know how brave our warriors are, right?”
Your brave warriors were defeated. Anyway, it was a request to create an environment where you can comfortably buy heroin anytime.
I didn’t show it on my face, but it was a very intriguing proposal.
And Marcela’s face, though it might be a bit out of place, also crossed my mind.
‘There might be a way to use this.’
An elf who opened the door voluntarily because of heroin,
And Marcela, who is likely eagerly waiting for the opportunity as the venom seeps in by now.
If I take advantage of this situation well, I might be able to enter Medelin soon and see the World Tree. There was a shortcut, and there was no reason to hesitate.