Prologue: Two FairiesSomewhere in the South Sea United Kingdom of Mariisua－
Under a perfectly blue sky, the ground is gold － well-grown wheat is blown by the wind and is playing a quiet melody line. The scenery is spreading out, quiet, and peaceful－almost to the extent that it becomes tiring.
Looking up the sky, seemingly getting bored from the bottom of her heart, she sighed, "Whew," and lied on the straw piled up on the buggy.
"Ma"am, where do you think you are going to from the next town, by the way?"
"What?"
The unknown old coachwoman asked her a question from the box seat. She met her on her way to the town to sell some farm goods and got on the buggy. She likes vegetables, but the coach"s smell of potatoes made her feel sick. Yet, she could not complain about it because she rode the buggy for free.
"Well, I just feel like seeing the ocean."
"Haha, that"s nice. I heard you can see something rare there now."
"Something rare?" Her eyes began to shine as her excitement grew.
Taking the rein, the old lady looked back to her and proudly said, "Granny, do you know about the battle that happened the other day?"
"Yes, about the Mariisua army holding off the ambush of the Devolution Imperial Army?" She heard the story from here and there when she was in the last town. In that town, there was even an extra edition of the newspaper published, and there was a herd of people there. Moreover, she strangely heard a minstrel singing a song at a bar about the battle based on what he saw－thinking about the distance and time, it seems that he wasn"t actually there.
Mariisua victory has given hope to other countries which are threatened by the invasion of the empire, but she was skeptic about the breaking news itself. She thought that Mariisua had just held off the reconnaissance unit.
"The empire"s thread is everywhere, so the people in town were so happy about the news."
"Right, right?!" The old lady of Mariisua looked so proud of the news as if it was her own success.
"Wait, but even if they really did hold off the invincible dragon warriors, if that"s true, how does Mariisua have so much power?"
"It is because Lady Hamea summoned an army from a parallel universe to fight for them."
She got up with surprise. "An army from a parallel universe? What"s that? She summoned an army, not summoned beasts?" She was sitting crossed-legged with poor manners and asking questions with interest.
"I do not know about it in detail, but the Mariisua had support from that army and fought back against the dragons."
"How stupid…" she thought. Does this old lady know how much force is needed to stand a chance against dragons? She had some experience in battle, so she knew that it is impossible to hold off the dragons, even if they summoned beasts.
"Stupid?…Hmm…"
"I have been living for 190 years, but I"ve never heard such a bulls.h.i.t story."
"Oh! Even as a distinguished elf, you think so?"
"…d.a.m.nit, I don"t understand why you believe in it so much." There is no need to complain about things to this kind old lady. She had a stretch.
At that time, she realized the reason why the old lady let this shady traveller get on the buggy. Long and narrow ears like bamboo leaves. And surprisingly white, beautiful skin. She was an elf; a guardian of the forest with mystique and longevity.
However, she began to notice the crests on the woman"s cheeks, arms, and thighs, all of which are signs exclusively of the high-elf race. It is rare for elves to show themselves in public, but she was an exception. The old lady had foreseen good in her and willingly gave her a ride, either because of her beauty or for a rare encounter with an elf itself.
Even though she is an elf, which should be mysterious, she had a smile on her face as though she were a lesser being.
"An army from a parallel universe. That sounds…interesting," she mumbled. This beautiful woman wore earrings on her distinguished elf ears and was scantily clad. Here, she found a reason to go on her next journey.
At night, almost of the members of a tribe gathered at the centre court of the reservation. Because of the number of fighters lost in battle, the number of men had become few, and most of the people there are women and kids. Even now, there must be someone getting injured and bleeding.
On the faces of women who are supposed to be waiting for their husbands to come back to them, they look fatigued to the point of giving up on the men ever returning.
That look was not only for the women, however. All of the faces there lit up by the light of the bonfire had a feeling of heavy anxiety.
At the centre of the court field, a girl standing at a point where everyone was visible called out in order to blow away their fatigue and anxiety.
"There is an order from the general!" Everyone began looking at her. With short silver hair and scarlet-colored eyes, she wore tight and skinny black-colored leathers and had two short swords called "Jamadaharu."
It was a strange to see because she was so young. From her appearance, she looked perhaps 15 years old or so. No one expected anything from her small, unmatured body. But everyone there listened sincerely to her words; not to anyone else but the daughter of the head of the tribe.
"This is about a mission on Demetel Continent." With that, groans began to spread like a calm wave. A continent overseas is too far. Not only that, it made matters worse that the continent is not ruled by the Emperor. From his or her experience, everyone knows that this kind of mission in which there is no support in the middle of enemy territory makes the possibility of survival very bleak. Plus, even though the Emperor had issued a gag order, they had heard the story of n.o.body returning from the Demetel Continent.
It was the worst possible situation.
"Do we have to send our family again?" asked a mother of three sons lost in battle, this time asking for the sake of her beloved last living son.
"There is no need to worry. We will not take anybody important from anyone."
With face bearing a painful expression, she answered the question. The last son of this mother is younger than the girl is.
In addition, the girl declaimed with a loud voice, "I have decided this with the general. I will be on the mission by myself this time."
There were panicked voices, even some like screams, coming from here and there. "It can"t be! You are also the last child of the head of the tribe…"
"I am not a kid anymore. Since my father has pa.s.sed away, I am the head of this tribe." She stood firmly. This was all for relieving the people of her tribe, but the people still seemed to not agree with it. Of course, the girl expected this was coming, so she kept talking.
"The goal for this mission, if successful, is to bring all of the people on the battlefield back home." The groans got louder. The people waiting for their families to return were looking at each other"s faces with hope and anxiety.
Then, they all stared at her. If she goes for this mission and she makes it, everything will be alright… As a daughter of the head of the tribe, maybe this is what she does, isn"t it?
These people that once had sympathy for her started to become inconsolable and unable to hide their emotions. She did not blame them.
"Thus, I am going." For her, everyone had the same feeling of respect as they had had for the head of the tribe. Then, they all bowed, and with this, the tribe had once again become one unit. It was solemn but tragic scene.
"My sister!" Suddenly, some children put their arms around the girl. People tried to stop them, but the girl stared at the children and was able to make them release her.
"My sister, are you going far away?"
"Are you not coming back like our father?"
The girl bent her knees in order to look straight into their tearful eyes. Then, she nodded her head kindly like a mother and said, "Do not worry. I shall be back."
The children had eyes that shined full of hope. "Really?"
"Yes, I mean it." Putting their cheeks on the smiling girl, they also had smiles on their faces.
"I want to keep them smiling…" The girl thought so from the bottom of her heart. In this cruel world, for things that mean something, something has to be done. That is, to save these children. There is nothing that can be replace them; they are family.
After the death of the head of the tribe, one of the female soldiers whispered, "Good luck." The girl firmly nodded. Then, she took out her swords with lightning speed and crossed them. There was a look of a searching a.s.sa.s.sin on her face－a white sword blade and scarlet-colored eyes in the moonlight.
To hearten everyone and to show how the tribe can make it through, she called out, "For the pride of dark elves!" There was the pride of the dark elf, of which humans are afraid of as symbol of evil and death.