‘This is too blatant.’
Even the Grand Duke of the Elves knew at least Max’s face. I hadn’t spoken to Luke before he left, but I’d seen him around quite a bit.
Of course, he must have noticed that Max was Luke’s henchman. However, he called Max and told the story of the elves and humans.
“Aren’t you saying this half openly?”
Even Luke couldn’t bear to deny Bruno’s words. It was because the intentions of the elven grand duke were clear.
Ray also nodded slightly with a hardened face, probably thinking the same thing.
“What is the Grand Duke thinking?”
“well.”
Luke narrowed his brows. This time, even Luke could not figure out the archduke’s intentions.
‘Do you really want a marriage alliance? Or something else?’
Either deliberately letting the story of marriage enter Luke’s ear to induce him to act, or else he secretly tries his luck to sweeten his body.
However, even thinking about cancer did not come to a conclusion. What would the elven prince gain from doing that?
“Lou, Sir Luke, and sister.”
Then, Leon came in from outside. He had just left his seat, but he came back right away. Ray frowned at the rude action.
“You have no manners.”
“I’m sorry. But I have something urgent to tell you.”
Leon’s face was pale as he stammered. There was a clear look of bewilderment at the unexpected situation.
“What is it? If it’s trivial, be prepared.”
“Ah, Prince Arathion wants to see Sir Luke.”
“… … !”
The entire party froze at the sudden name of the Grand Duke of Elf. The timing was too cynical. All eyes turned to Luke.
“… Let’s see each other.”
Luke pondered for a moment, but soon made a decision. In any case, it is difficult to understand the true intentions of the Grand Duke. It would be quicker to ask them directly.
The other party left the VIP room, and only Luke was left. After a while, someone came in with a chuckle.
“His Highness the Grand Duke.”
“Long time no see.”
Archduke Arathion of the Elves. The ruler of the Western Elves, called the Grand Duke of the Sword. Arathion still had a young face and a cool smile.
“I still wanted to meet you. What to tell you… … .”
The Grand Duke was startled when he saw Luke’s face. Those two eyes were full of surprise and disbelief.
“Are you a descendant of the anti-dragon Rakesk?”
“Half-dragon Rakesk?”
Luke tilted his head at the name he had never heard before. Did the Bernsteins have any ancestors like that?
“Don’t you know the tyrant slayer, the anti-dragon Rakesque?”
“I am hearing it for the first time.”
“Um, is it because of the name of the old dragon? Apparently, another name he used… … .”
After thinking for a moment, the grand duke uttered a name.
“Yes, Leonic. The one you call Leonic.”
“… … !”
Luke’s eyes widened at the unexpected name.
* * *
After a while, the Archduke drank tea with a relatively calm expression. However, there was still surprise in the eyes of both of them.
“I thought you were a descendant of Rakesk.”
“The lineage itself hasn’t changed since we first met.”
“I guess so. But at that time, I didn’t feel the dragon’s energy at all.”
“Well, in the meantime, there was this and that.”
It’s probably thanks to the dragon’s heart awakening the lineage in the north. It would make sense if the elf sensed the energy flowing out of the awakening blood that had faded.
From Luke’s point of view, it was rather surprising that Arathion knew Leonic.
“Are my ancestors famous among elves?”
“Not famous. The name of the old dragon slayer is still being handed down. It is a pity that there is no clear record.”
The stories about Leonic that the elves know are all oral traditions, and even those oral traditions have conflicting stories.
In short, the credibility is a little questionable.
“What is certain is that he almost slaughtered the ancient dragon, the strongest creature of the time. All oral traditions agree on this one.”
“… … .”
Luke silently recalled Leonic’s memories. Dragon corpses piled up like a mountain and a waterfall of blood dyed the river red. What the hell kind of a monster he was.
“All that has been handed down about him is feat. Although the elves benefited from the high dragon slaughter he committed, his purpose and personality were not known at all.”
“It’s ambiguous.”
“Not ambiguous. However, all elves revere him. The mere fact that someone so strong existed in the world makes me shudder. Who wouldn’t?”
It is an old dragon that has an arrogance that cannot be compared to that of an elf, and treats all of the Creator’s creations as if they were insects.
The achievement of a man who slaughtered such an old dragon alone is an object of awe in itself.
“Anyway, it was fine. If you are a descendant of Rakesk, things will work out.”
“A story?”
“Are you thinking of making a relationship with my daughter? If half-dragon blood was mixed, there would be less backlash from those around you.”
“… … !”
Luke’s face hardened at once. Max had a heart attack, but I never thought he would ask me with a quick question like this.
“No matter how hard it is, it’s a marriage between an elf and a human, isn’t it?”
“It is quite possible. It happened often in the past.”
“Most of them faced tremendous opposition and made love escapes.”
“It’s because they made their own decisions. There was no problem with those who were formed under the approval of adults.”
Every time I threw a breaking ball to sneak away, Arathion kicked it back. It seemed like this was planned from the start.
In the end, Luke, who ran out of excuses first, sighed.
“What are you thinking?”
“What are you thinking?”
“I am not stupid either. I know at least how elves view humans. That marriage between humans and elves is basically looked down upon.”
It would be an exaggeration to say that humans are regarded as monkeys, but it is certain that they are regarded as savages.
A race that is very short-sighted, doesn’t know the obvious as a civilized person, and can’t understand it properly even if I teach it.
Even if it’s not a feeling like disgust or contempt, it’s pathetic and funny. Married to such a person?
“Even if I inherit Leonic’s blood, that is the work of my ancestors. There can be no resistance among the elves.”
Even Leonic is only recognized for his great strength and feat of killing the old dragon. It wasn’t like he saved the elven race or erased a huge debt.
Unless you are a recognized party, you will be called a human being. Even so, the Grand Duke was willing to take all the disadvantages and make a marriage alliance with Luke.
“Tell me honestly. Any reason? The reason why I had to marry despite the opposition of many elves.”
“hmm.”
At those words, Arathion smiled faintly. Luke’s answer seemed quite satisfactory.
“Yeah, that’s right. I have a reason why I want to marry you as a daughter. Do you want to hear it?”
“I’m happy if you tell me.”
“Don’t ask me one thing before that. What do you think of elves?”
Luke scratched his cheek at the sudden question. What do you think of elves? Just as he was about to speak with a mix of sincerity and rhetoric, Arathion spoke first.
“An arrogant and sinister side, but an ancient race with great power and mysterious magic. Heirs of magic that humans have lost, and hermits who are hard to get along with even once in a lifetime. That’s about it.”
“… If you’re going to answer by yourself, why did you ask?”
“I wanted an honest answer, but he was picking his words. And was there anything wrong with what I said?”
does not exist. Arathion’s words represented all of Luke’s feelings toward the elves. And most humans will not be much different from Luke.
Arathion lowered his eyes and said.
“It is true that the elves have reached a period of prosperity thanks to the trade you suggested. We have escaped the danger of resource depletion, and there is no reason to fight for territory with humans. Instead, trade has brought other concerns.”
“Have you had any side effects?”
“It is a side effect. In a way, I don’t know if that’s the case.”
Arathion smiled bitterly at Luke’s words. A complicated mood was revealed on his face.
“You and we have been cut off for a long time, and contact has been extremely limited. We didn’t know you as much as you didn’t know us.”
If it’s fragmentary information, it comes in somehow. However, even that is at the level of barely knowing only famous events within the empire that even the little ones know about.
It is the west where information transmission is slow due to the abundance of monsters. Even more so, if it is fragmentary among the information of the West, it is said that it has been said.
“Thanks to the activation of trade, we finally got to know you. To be precise, I learned the size of the empire.”
Arathion paused for a moment and closed his eyes.
“When I first heard it, I doubted my ears.”
“… … .”
“It is not power or magic. The number was frightening. It looked like it wouldn’t take hundreds of years to fill all the continents.”
He knew that humans had better reproductive abilities than elves. Even in ancient times, he was a human with the highest number of heads.
But at that time, elves also had a country, and there were numbers that could not be compared with the present. But what about now?
From noble mtl dot com
Elves barely survived, while humans occupied most of the continent.
“You told me then. Elves have technology superior to humans, ancient magic, and even unknown lands, so humans can’t invade them.”
“It was. I still remember.”
“It is not wrong. But it wasn’t all right. From my point of view, the fact that the elves have been safe so far is thanks to the recognition of the entire continent.”
The ruling class, such as emperors and lords, covet the magic and skills of the elves, but among the common people, there are many who find it awkward to fight elves.
It is thanks to them that the elves are still a mysterious race to them. The question was, how far did that perception go?
Even in the West, which is in frequent contact with elves right now, there is no hesitation in fighting.
“One day the scales will fall from all human eyes, not just the West. You will learn that the Elves are not mystical and enigmatic hermits, but a race with a high civilization.”
And then, the humans will finally be able to attack the elves without hesitation. Instead of being intimidated by the elf’s arrogance, he would think of the benefits he would gain from holding the pod.
The future that makes me thirsty just thinking about it.
“I fear that day is coming. I am afraid of the day when there will be no reason to protect the elves, no reason to look good on them, and only reasons to conquer them will remain.”
That’s why I want to make it in advance. A nobleman who could be proud of the fact that he was mixed with elven blood while still remaining mysterious.
An heir who was a noble of the empire but had a reason to protect the elves. After speaking, the Grand Duke slowly opened his eyes and looked at Luke.
“This is my reason.”
* * *
When the long story was over, Luke was speechless. It’s not that I agree with the Grand Duke’s words. Rather, it was the opposite.
‘I think it’s gone too far. Aren’t you worried too much?’
It’s true that there are many people who have fantasies about elves, but they don’t really hold them up like the sky. Swearing about the elves’ arrogance is also widespread.
In Luke’s opinion, the reason why he didn’t bother to attack the elves was more of a matter of profit versus cost. The reward to be obtained is not certain, so you can’t touch the beehive.
‘Even if the Grand Duke is right, it will be hundreds of years later… ah.’
Locked in thought, Luke unconsciously hit his knee. I forgot that elves live much longer than humans.
It was a worry about the distant future to Luke, but to the Grand Duke, it could be seen as a future that will come true shortly after his death.
The illusion about elves is gradually being shattered. It made sense to worry about a future in which illusions would fade away and only prejudice would remain as trade accelerated.
“In other words, do you want to put your Highness’ blood among the human nobles before the illusion of elves completely disappears? Even in preparation for the future?”
“It is as you say. If your descendants have my right of succession, in the future elves will be able to survive under the legitimate guardians of the ruling class of the empire.”
Wow, Luke could barely hold back a sigh. This was a level that became strange because it looked too far away rather than a wide field of view.
I was worried about the future hundreds of years from now, so I thought I’d buy insurance that might or might not work. Is it because they are a long-lived species that their perspective is twisted?
“I understand your highness. But did Eldir also consent to this marriage?”
Luke thought of Eldira, an elf princess. I got along pretty well with her and had a good relationship until we broke up.
But isn’t marriage a completely separate issue from him? It’s not a friend to share friendship with for a while, but a person to live with for the rest of your life.
“If either party can’t stand the marriage and it breaks down in the middle, it’s worse than not having it at all.”
“That also makes sense.”
Arathion nodded and said.
“good night. I’ll send Eldira to you, so talk to her. If you really don’t like him, I won’t force you either.”
“It is indeed a wise choice.”
Luke let out a sigh of relief. I wonder if I could make political judgments when I was old enough, but Eldira was still very young.
If it’s a decision he doesn’t like, he’ll express his disapproval at once. Obviously the same goes for marriage. However, Eldy, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, shattered Luke’s expectations.
* * *
“I don’t care at all! let’s get married!”
“… … .”
Luke quietly grabbed the back of his neck.
Wkwkwk