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Chapter 33: The Sage Enslaves the Elven Clan
ăThe Imperial Army was annihilated.\năThe Demon Lordâs army, led by Henry, pushed back the reinforcements.\năThey may have been in charge of mopping up the elven villages, but they must not have thought that the main army would be destroyed.\năEven I couldnât help but feel pity for the reinforcements, seeing the undead and demons that showed up to greet them.
ăEvery last corpse of the Imperial Army was turned into an undead.\năThose that had missing parts molded together and formed grotesque four-legged abominations, created for the purpose of having demons mount them.
ăIt was unnecessary this time, but I would like to prepare something like a cavalry unit at some point.\năThe Demon Lordâs army should be able to respond to various war situations.\năThe human armies too, will eventually come up with countermeasures.\năWe should be able to adopt a variety of tactics as well.
ăAfter the battle, we had gathered at a temporary base set up by the imperial army.\năThere were tens of thousands of undead newly added to the Demon Lordâs army, who had lined up in an orderly fashion.\năSuited up in armor, the undead maintained an eerie silence.\năThe scene was quite impressive.
ăWith such a large army, it would be impossible to enter the Forest of Yggdrasil.\năJust stepping into the forest would have a considerably negative impact.\năThe elves would show rejection.\năThe best thing to do would be to send them home as soon as possible, to avoid unnecessary conflict.
âIt was a refreshingly overwhelming victory. I think Iâm going to have a nice drink tonight.â
ăHenry smiled with satisfaction.\năHe was dyed red with the blood of the enemies.\năI didnât see any injuries on him.
ăHenry was the first to leave the vanguard, but he fought a fierce hand to hand battle against the imperial army.\năHe fought like a war god, and the demons under his command were too afraid to approach him.\năIn fact, if they had approached him carelessly, there was a high possibility that they would have been collateral damage.\năIt can be said that the demons were wise in their decision.
âWash yourself up before you drink.â
ăI used my magic to create water and poured it over Henry to wash away the blood.\năOnce the blood was sufficiently removed, I let it dry in the wind that I made to blow.\năHe still had important work to do.\năI didnât want him to be soaked in blood.\năHe had to at least look and act like a human being.
ăAfterwards, I said a few words of encouragement to the demons and sent them back to the capital with transfer magic.\năThe undead that had grown in number during the recent battle were sent away with them.\năIâm sure Grom or Luciana will store them in an appropriate place over there.\năIn the worst-case scenario, we can just let them roam around the outskirts of the capital.\năIf there are some outside invaders, thatâs enough to stop them.
ăThe only ones left were me, Henry, and Logan.\năThe three of us would now head to the elf village to explain the series of events to the villagers.\năThen we will grant the Mark of Servitude to those who have not yet received it.
ăThe only reason Iâm bringing Henry along is to give the elves some peace of mind.\năIt will make a somewhat better impression rather than if I were to go alone as an undead.\năThe concept of enslavement might draw some ire, but it couldnât be helped.
ăLogan had informed them in advance that the Demon Lordâs army was coming.\năIâve also been to the village once and have set up barriers and defensive magic.\năIâd like to think there will not be any major confusion.
ăWe transferred to the Forest of Yggdrasil and headed to the village on foot.\năOnce we passed through the barriers, we found a large group of elves waiting for us.\năRoughly counting, there were about six hundred of them.\năAccording to my perception magic, everyone living in the village was gathered here.
ăThey must have been waiting for the Chief to return.\năIt was understandable that they were worried.\năLogan had accompanied the Demon Lordâs army to attack the Imperial army.\năThe situation was worrisome in many ways.
ăLogan stood in front of the elves.\năAmidst the silence, he began to speak.
âThe Imperial Army has been annihilated. By the hands of none other than the Demon Lordâs army.â
ăThere was a stir in the hall.\năThe elves knew the power of the mighty Imperial Army.\năThey had just heard that such an existence had been destroyed so easily.\năThe abrupt announcement was hard to believe.
âOur clan has been saved from the crisis of our survival. We must repay the favour.â
ăWhen Logan had said that much, some of the elves raised their voices in protest.
âYou mean to say that we repay with servitude!? If we are going to be ruled over then they are no different than the imperial army!â
âThe Chief wants us to be slaves of a lowly undead!â
ăIt was as if the protests had been planned beforehand.\năIâm sure they were planning to respond in this way as soon as Logan informed them of the existence of the Demon Lordâs army.
ăHenry, standing beside me, made a show of picking up his bow, so I gave him a casual glare.\năHe may have been annoyed by the elvesâ refusal, but if he shot someone dead here, things would get out of hand.\năWe must stay on the sidelines.
ăLogan, on the other hand, remained resolute in his stance.\năHe affirmed in a composed tone.
âThatâs right.â he said. âIn order to fight back the force of the imperial army, we have succumbed to a force beyond that.â
ăAgain a murmur spread among the elves, but this time it was mixed with strong curses.\năIt seems that the elves living in this land are not a monolithic culture.\năThere are some planning to overthrow Logan, the chief, out of office.\năThe details of the situation are not clear, but it seems that there is a lot of discord swirling around.
âCall me a dastard, call me a cowardâ but Iâm the chief. I made my choice according to the responsibilities I have been entrusted. And I donât regret it.â
ăFollowing Loganâs words, the elves instantly fell silent.\năEven those who had been abusing him shrunk back.\năIn the face of his drive, they were unable to say anything.\năThat was the weight of his words.
âIf you have a problem with this, you can abandon the village. I wonât blame you for it. Those who remain in the village will receive the mark of servitude. You have a choice to make here, right now.â
ăLogan cut his words off there and stood quietly with his mouth closed.\năIt was to express that he would say nothing more.
ăThe elves who were left to choose looked at each other.\năThe one who had objected hesitated, as if they wanted to say something.\năHowever, when they sensed Loganâs disagreeable mood, they whispered their complaints before leaving.\năOthers followed, albeit sporadically.\năThey had given up on Loganâs opinions and policies.
ââŚâŚâ
ăLogan did not stop them.\năHe just quietly waited for the villagers to make their choice.\năI was the only one who knew that the fists clenched behind his back were trembling slightly.
It canât be helped. I understand the feeling of rejection.
ăLogan made this suggestion with the determination to be hated by his clan.\năThere had to be a more amiable way to proceed.\năHe was compelled to make the decision in spite of this in order to clear the fate of the clan.\năHe didnât like to be ambiguous.\năIt was almost a kind of self-sacrifice.\năHe would be forced to bear stigma for the rest of his lifeâŚor perhaps even longer.\năLogan accepted it.\năEven if he was called a fool, he decided to work for the good of his clan.\năHis majestic appearance had a commonality with the way I, the Demon Lord, should be.
ăEventually, the elves had made their choice.\năThe majority of the elves remained where they were.\năThe acting chief- Loganâs sister â was also there.\năLess than a tenth of them had left.\năThe elves present had decided to entrust the future of their clan to Logan.
âI understand your intentions. Do you have any regrets?â
ăLogan, who was attracting a lot of attention, asked them.\năNo one said a word.\năIt was a silent affirmation.\năAfter acknowledging this, Logan turned to me and said,
âThatâs all. We are now slaves to the Demon Lord.â
âVery well. I accept your oath.â
ăAfter hearing his declaration, I placed the Mark of Servitude.\năA common mark was placed on the backs of the hands of all the elves present.\năI stepped forward in front of the elves.
âWhat needs to be done is done. I now order the elves to move to the Demon Lordâs territory.â
ăThe sudden announcement made the elves very upset.\năMost of them were confused, and some of them were even angry.
âWhat do you mean? We accept slavery, but we canât abandon this forest. Even if we were to emigrate, some of us would have to stay behind to manage it.â
ăLogan, as expected, pinned me down with a stern look.
ăFor the elven race, the Forest of Yggdrasil is more important than life itself.\năIn order to protect the forest, they abandoned their dignity and became slaves.\năAnd yet, they were suddenly asked to emigrate.\năThey must have felt that their familyâs pride and determination were being belittled.
ăOf course, this was a misunderstanding.\năI told the elves in a firm tone of voice.
âThe elven clan and the Forest of Yggdrasil are already my property. Iâm taking them back with me.â