63 – 63. Exit
“Marcela has returned.”
When I received this notification, I was in the middle of negotiating with the Elven elders.
More than half of the elders were just sitting there, not offering any opinions. And there were elders who kept mumbling in the meantime.
The agenda on the table was, of course, the establishment of a distribution network.
“Please allow the Empire’s mages to be dispatched and install magic circles in Medelin. There will definitely be no misuse. Isn’t it impossible to transport a large amount of mana with teleportation?”
“It will be purely used for the transportation of heroin. Think about it. It’s cumbersome for the leaders of Medelin to personally come and go just to purchase a little heroin.”
“If you accept, we will provide corresponding compensation.”
I played with my lips diligently. At first, they seemed willing to accept whatever I demanded, but it wasn’t that easy.
It’s true that all the elders are heroin users, but that doesn’t mean they’re all idiots.
There are humans who spend all day drooling as addicts, as well as those who manage to juggle a job. So it wasn’t strange.
But just by bringing me here, it was already a fierce battle.
I was unraveling their guard by unraveling the pills and speaking. Marcela arrived at this very moment.
“Faster than I thought.”
I decided to welcome Marcela with the elders.
More precisely, I had to welcome her regardless of my intentions.
Just the fact that I was receiving guests in the heart of Daelim was enough to make Marcela go crazy.
Perhaps elders who have lived for five or six centuries might be envisioning a scene where they prostrate themselves beneath my feet, begging for heroin.
Shortly afterward, a commotion erupted outside the conference room.
“Step aside.”
“Marcella, the meeting is in progress. If you enter carrying weapons…”
“Fine. Here.”
“Huh?”
It seemed like she willingly disarmed.
Probably because she had given them a confusing hint about clemency, she acted more politely than expected…
-Clang!
At that moment, the negotiation room’s door burst open pathetically.
The protagonist was undoubtedly Marcella.
Green hair tied in a ponytail, looking somewhat shabby due to wandering in the woods.
Once a young leader of the hardliners in elven society, she was now Marcella, a fallen former warrior who attempted a coup and ended up in disgrace.
She didn’t immediately cause a disturbance.
Just gazing at me with an expression that’s hard to put into words. Then, she slowly spoke.
“…Originally, I was going to demand an explanation from you, Alan Maidof. About the pardon.”
“Are you referring to the pardon?”
“Yeah. I wanted to ask why you played such a prank for some purpose. But… on the way here, I realized it was a meaningless thing to do. I found out that everything you do has a strategic intent.”
“……”
“You’re that kind of creature. I realized it now. Too late though.”
Marcella looked around at the elders as she spoke.
Among the elders were several of Marcella’s relatives. The elven society was originally dominated by the five major clans who claimed themselves as high elves.
Even amidst this harsh atmosphere, Marcella couldn’t detect any anger on the face of any of the elders, including one who was a distant relative.
“…Alan Maydoff. As you may know, I am the one who commanded military operations to expel your imperial army.”
“I know.”
“I’ve set up traps using the terrain, specifically targeting only the feet or ankles. I’ve even had many encounters with troops escorting soldiers trapped in these traps. I aimed to inflict only moderate injuries.”
“I suppose it’s more effective to disable than to kill.”
“Yes. I felt no guilt while doing such things to humans. I knew that you all feared me and it gave me a sense of accomplishment. …Alan Maydoff, I believe you are the same.”
So understand me. Marcella closed her mouth tightly after saying this.
Finally, a cold energy began to wrap around her arms.
There was no need to guess what she was trying to do.
Aurablade. The type of aura manipulation called “Oru” in the East. It must be aimed at me since she suddenly wants to demonstrate her power.
Still, I didn’t feel threatened.
“Stop, Marcella.”
The elven barrier was already blocking the space between us.
**
I have to kill Alan.
But I couldn’t move.
It was because of the voices of my fellow elves, scolding, restraining, and calming me. I wanted to ignore them, but it was impossible.
The elders were blocking her way completely.
Considering age and lineage, heroin smoking would be restricted, so don’t worry about the outflow of goods. Do you think we don’t know the human market? You know heroin is good too.
Among them, the decisive blow came from Elder Ariella.
“It’ll be fine if you smoke together.”
With this one sentence, Marcela’s composure wavered. The radiant aura that had been emanating from Aura began to ripple unstably.
“Smoke together in this situation?”
In fact, there were times these days when she felt a longing at least once a day. Especially after losing the position of a champion.
To overcome all that and try to kill Alan Maydof, the root of all problems, only to be hindered even in that.
“Why are they stopping me?”
Marcela forced herself to ask, even though she knew.
The elders, and not just the elders but also the middle-aged elves with crucial roles in Madeline, were wary of her.
Some elves were ready to respond at any moment. Well, it’s natural to be cautious in front of the elders, or is it really natural? Why are they blocking her when she’s not trying to attack her own kind but just thinking of removing one Alan Maydof?
Why, indeed.
While Marcela hesitated, the elder smiled with a softened expression.
“Marcela, do you think we’re being manipulated by Alan Yeongsah? …No, that’s not it. In fact, I read that human’s inner thoughts. The author told me about the tube… It’s good to sniff it, but it’s hard to enjoy it together with many people.”
“Elder.”
“I figured that out. hehehe.”
In other words, we have the upper hand in negotiations.
Marcela just stared blankly at the elder who openly displayed an intoxicated expression. A languid expression that clearly revealed an appreciation for something called a tube, even though she didn’t know what heroin was.
Originally, the fact that you fell into heroin in the first place is a problem. Do you really think saving a measly amount of money makes it worthwhile? I couldn’t even tell if you genuinely saved anything.
‘No. Still, she must die.’
Marcella tried to focus on Ellen, her words echoing in her mind,
but even that had become difficult.
More elves surrounded her while she hesitated. One of them even drew a knife and then, with a sigh, sheathed it again.
Is it to prevent it because of the possibility of war with the Empire?
If that’s the case, it could be understood.
Marcella herself was a consistent advocate, but not the majority of the elves. Moreover, launching a full-scale battle in the current state of the broken leadership was suicidal. If they were stopping it out of concern for that, she could forgive them.
But no matter how much she thought, it was clear that it was not to protect the future of the race but to prevent the ‘heroin alchemist.’
To endure death because of heroin. Wasn’t she worried about the situation where she, who had already failed, pretended to be crazy and attacked her own kind?
… Of course, Marcella never had such thoughts.
The reason she was doing this now was ultimately for her kin. She wanted to avoid every elf falling into heroin.
However, her kin were physically blocking her.
‘Then, what am I doing this for?’
The aura she had drawn with determination had long disappeared.
The face of Alan Maydoff, standing behind the elf barrier, was devoid of any expression.
If he had a smirk or something, Marcella would have exploded in anger, but he didn’t. As if the human knew this would happen, he just nodded his head.
“Ha.”
Marcella just laughed.
From Noble mtl dot com
One of the elders patted her shoulder, saying she had thought well.
After a brief commotion, the negotiations came to a vague halt. The sudden intrusion of the elf was quite remarkable, but it was entirely possible in the current situation of Medelin. Considering that all members of the leadership were already considered severely poisoned.
Marcella stood in the deserted negotiation area, lost in thought.
I approached her, with the elf warrior on either side.
I didn’t sense any hostility in Marcella’s gaze as she looked at me. She even held a pipe for heroin in her hand.
It was an item given to her for comfort by one of the elders. Although she wasn’t smoking it, her hand trembled continuously.
“If you smoke it, you’ll feel better, right…?”
Marcella asked, alternating her gaze between me and the pipe.
“I won’t stop you.”
“Of course, human. If it were you.”
She already had a resigned expression, but my purpose was not yet fulfilled.
“Your elders plan to distribute heroin only to the five major clans. And they also said they won’t give it to any elf under the age of 150. They think that if all elves start enjoying heroin, the consumption will increase endlessly.”
“….”
“I think it’s a relatively wise decision. I don’t see it as discrimination either. Elves like you bear heavier responsibilities as their bloodline becomes more noble, especially in military aspects. I see monopolizing heroin as a fair trade-off, not just greed.”
“What are you trying to say…?”
Marcella finally asked, slowly and hesitantly.
I decided to answer willingly.
It was not to mock her but to test the waters. If she cooperated a little, things would become easier.
“The intentions of the elders are good, but in the end, all elves will desire heroin. The consumption will increase, and although there may be the ability to supply, I doubt if they can receive the proper compensation.”
“……”
“Marcella. Honestly, I wish I could maintain a moderate level of heroin consumption myself.”
She seemed to understand the meaning behind my words, even though I said I wouldn’t worship heroin like all the other elves.
Marcella, who had thrown away her pipe without hesitation, was looking at me directly.