Chapter 645: Meeting with the Council of Elders
The Council of Elders consisted of around twenty elders and a representative.
Because elves lived long lives, they possessed deep knowledge of history, often from firsthand experience. Naturally, those selected to sit on the Council were individuals who had lived for several centuries.
At the head of them all was Philion, the representative and leader of the entire Elf Autonomous Region.
In the council chamber to which Tauro and his party were led, a large rectangular table dominated the center. At the far end sat Philion, with long golden hair and green eyes, looking remarkably young despite having lived for centuries.
Tauro’s group was seated at the lower end.
“Welcome, ancient allies of the dragonfolk. I’m Philion, representative of the Council. —I must admit, I’m somewhat displeased to see humans accompanying you. However, a young elf named Glasslow came to us with considerable enthusiasm and urged us to hear you out. That passion moved the Council, so we agreed to meet. We’ve also heard that you fulfilled your promise. Tell me, dragonfolk, is that true?”
Philion directed the question not to Tauro, but to Ragune, who stood behind him.
“Representative of the elves, your attitude toward our leader, Tauro Giro Sugar, is disrespectful. I stand here as his companion. If you wish to confirm something, you should ask him directly.”
Ragune pointed this out sharply, displeased by Philion’s anti-human attitude.
“…My apologies. However, dragonfolk, we have no reason to speak with humans. That said, reports claim you eliminated the source of the troll outbreak. But the details are too absurd to believe. We were told that you defeated not only a Troll Grand General, but even a Troll Emperor. Is that truly what happened?”
Philion frowned after saying this.
True, the Troll Grand General was an A-rank threat. Defeating one would require a full-scale effort, but it was still believable.
But the Troll Emperor was S-rank, a calamity-level existence. Its mere appearance was doubtful, let alone its defeat.
For Philion, who had lived for centuries and witnessed many humans, this was beyond belief—especially when the party before the Council was a group of humans led by a child.
Philion had seen heroes in the past, yet even they struggled against S-rank threats and often relied on dragonfolk assistance.
If anything, it would have made more sense if Ragune, the dragonfolk warrior, had been the one to defeat it, but the reports said otherwise.
According to the gatekeeper elf, the young human leader and his party had taken the lead.
It made no sense.
“…Representative Philion. No matter how many words we use, it’ll be hard to convince you. So instead of arguing—how about proof? It’ll be faster if I show you the remains of the Troll Grand General and Troll Emperor.”
Tauro spoke calmly.
Tauro took a large leather sheet from [Magic Storage] and spread it across the table.
“May I place them here, one at a time?”
“…Very well. Many among us possess appraisal skills. I myself am one. Even if you’ve disguised them, we won’t be deceived as we were before.”
Philion appeared to have been deceived by humans in the past.
That experience likely contributed to the representative’s distrust.
“Then I’ll start with the Troll Grand General.”
Tauro pulled the corpse from [Magic Storage] and placed it on the table.
“Th-this is… It truly is a Troll Grand General!”
“Wait… analyze it to make sure it hasn’t been disguised… Hmm… this may actually be real…”
“Yes… it appears genuine…”
The members of the Council of Elders used their own appraisal skills to examine the remains of the Troll Grand General and confirmed that they were authentic.
“Then I’ll put this away for now… Next, the Troll Emperor—”
Tauro stored the Troll Grand General and brought out the Emperor.
A collective gasp swept through the room.
The room fell silent.
The elders trembled at the sight.
The Troll Emperor’s corpse bore vivid marks of battle. Its massive, grotesque form triggered a deep, instinctive fear. It was the natural enemy of the elves.
“Th-this is…”
Philion managed to whisper—but could say no more.
The shock was overwhelming.
Not only was it real, but it had appeared within their territory.
A calamity-class monster. Their natural predator. A threat to their very survival.
Even as a corpse displayed before the Council, the Troll Emperor’s mere presence was terrifying.
For a while, the members of the Council of Elders stared at the corpse of their natural enemy with pale faces.
“…If you’ve confirmed it, I’ll put it away.”
Tauro spoke considerately.
“Y-yes…”
Philion nodded, snapping back to reality.
Tauro returned the corpse to [Magic Storage] and removed the leather sheet.
Then he spoke again:
“As you’ve seen, we’ve eliminated a threat to your territory. As promised to Glasslow, will you hear us out now?”
“…Yes. But… the shock is too great. We’d like to take a short break first. Would that be acceptable?”
Philion made the request, then ordered the windows opened to let fresh air into the chamber.