Chapter 54: Prospects for the Future

“This secret is only shared with close people,” Arthur’s serious expression conveyed the weight of his answer.

Gale looks at Karla with a questioning expression, seeking her judgment.

“…It’s not like I’ve forgiven you, but I’ll trust you,” Karla says.

“Karla-sama has placed her trust. I will also trust,” Gale adds.

“Karla, Gale. I also believe that Arthur-san can be trusted. Can we join forces with him to ally the human race? ” Mia asks.

“…Fine. As a princess, I cannot be swayed by personal grudges,” Karla responds.

Gale and Mia nod in agreement.

“All right, the alliance is established. The alliance of the demon race and the human race, with Takumi and Mia as ambassadors of the Dwarf race. This is the Tri-Race Alliance to counter the Elves,” Arthur declares.

“Yes, that’s right. There are only six of us, but there are no more reliable members than this,” Karla remarks.

　Upon hearing Karla’s words, Arthur and Mary bow deeply.

“Thank you. This alliance means a lot to us. Until now, we didn’t have the means to consult with other races. By the way, I was surprised to find out that Takumi and Mia are ambassadors of the Dwarf race,” Arthur says.

The King’s sword, the Princess of the demon race, and the Dwarf’s ambassador.

It’s a splendid team, but it’s still not enough to dismantle the Elven social hierarchy.

We need to expand this circle.

　First of all, I want to bring the humans to this side.

“Arthur-san, we want to separate the Elves from the human race. Do you have any ideas on how to do that?” I ask.

“From now on, I want you to call us Arthur and Mary. We are comrades who will fight together,” Arthur replies.

“Understood. We’ll do that outside of official settings. So, do you have any plans, Arthur and Mary?” I inquire.

“To sever ties with the Elves, we need to address the issues of ‘the source of magical artifacts’ and ‘the operation of the Adventurers’ Guild.’ Without resolving these, it will be difficult to persuade King Melchid,” Arthur explains.

“There is no need to worry about magic tools. The dwarves have succeeded in developing technology that surpasses magic tools. From now on, trading with the dwarves should be the main business.”

　Karla assures.

Since words alone won’t be convincing, I show Arthur and Mary the artifact made of expandable wood.

“W-Wow, this is amazing. And it doesn’t require magic stones,” Mary exclaims.

“We still have a lot of trial and error to do, such as ensuring stable supply and long-term usage. But eventually, I want to create a society where we don’t rely on Elven magical artifacts,” I explain.

“It’s indeed a wonderful technology, but… with that, the ‘Sin’ won’t be consumed anymore. Ah, by ‘Sin,’ I mean…” Mary’s voice trails off.

“It’s okay Mary. We also know the story of ‘Sin’ and ‘Miasma’.”

　Since the Dwarf King forbade us from speaking about it, we won’t reveal any further details.

“This is just my personal idea, but first, we’ll ask the demons to create magical artifacts that consume ‘Sins’ energy. Any excess magic stones at the Adventurers’ Guild can be disposed of using those magical artifacts. However, only demons can operate the demon’s magical artifacts. Therefore, we will have demons employed as magical artifact technicians in all Adventurers’ Guilds,” I suggest.

　This also aims at getting the closed-off demon tribe to interact with the outside world.

Frankly speaking, the demon tribe is overpowered against monsters.

There are many things the demon tribe can excel at, like monster defense.

Since there may be various emotions between the races, I think it would be good to gradually increase opportunities for interaction.

“I see, but we’ll need my father’s permission for that. But if it works out, it seems like the issue of ‘sin’ can be resolved.”

“What if we create a new organization from the Adventurers Guild? Speaking from our past experiences, that organization has become completely corrupt.”

“You think so too right, Takumi? I share the same thoughts. The Adventurers Guild has become a mercenary group for the elf race. Especially recently, the Adventurers Guild in the capital has been acting suspiciously. There have been more conflicts with the Melkid Kingdom’s army as well,” Arthur said. 

Are the elves planning something?

“When did these suspicious activities start?”

“About three months ago, around the time when you guys, the people from another world in Takumi’s group, appeared.”

　

“Come to think of it, I heard from Gibson that an otherworlder as promising as Onii-sama has come,” Mary recalled.

“Gibson is a senior from another world who was kind to us when we came to this world. Now he is a general in the Kingdom of Melkid’s army, and he is also my best friend. By the way, he knows about our skills. He’s a really good guy. I’ll introduce you to him next time.”

　Someone from another world who arrived at the same time as us in this world… That must be referring to someone who was in that white space.

“For now, we understand the prospects ahead. It may take time, but I’ll try to persuade the Melkid King.”

I also don’t expect negotiations to be resolved in one go.

I handed the artifact with the expanding and contracting wood to Arthur.

He’ll surely make good use of it.

　Afterward, I also gave the “Portable Telepathy Device” and the “Mobile Transfer Magic Circle” to Arthur and Mary.

“I never expected to have a phone in this world. And the ‘Mobile Transfer Magic Circle’ is amazing too. If we can install these in towns and villages, the world will change significantly.”

“The ‘Portable Telepathy Device’ is for Arthur and Mary. As for giving it to the Melkid King, I want to assess the situation first. The ‘Mobile Transfer Magic Circle’ is intended to be eventually installed in the Melkid capital. But for now, I want Arthur and the others to keep it. Just in case.”

“Understood. I’ll keep them in my storage bag. Well then, we should head back to the capital soon. We need to inform the king as soon as possible.”

“How long will it take from here to the human capital?”, Gale asked.

“By Mary using the owner of the sheath as a horse, we could get here in eight days.”

“That’s too slow. The war between the demon tribe and the human tribe could’ve started by then. Karla-sama, I arranged for two dragons to be brought to the nearest village.”

“That’s right. It seems better for both of us if you help stop the human side as well. Understood. I’ll send you to the human capital on the dragons, so come with us.”

And so, Arthur and the others joined in and we headed to the nearest demon tribe village.

　◇

　——After leaving Shirakami Dungeon, we arrived at the nearest village in about two hours.

　And then, we split into two groups and boarded the dragons, conducting final checks.

I was in the group heading to the demon capital, “Zoff.” The members were Karla, Gale, Mia, and myself.

The other group was heading to the Melkid Kingdom’s capital. The members were Arthur, Mary, and the demon tribe attendants.

　Up to this point, B-rank monsters had appeared one after another, but they were all instantly annihilated by the flash emitted from Arthur’s sword.

I had some free time, so I talked with Mary and learned about her skills.

Her skill, “Divine Protection of the Magical Sheath,” could make a specific person invulnerable within a range of about 1000 meters.

　If they get too far from her, the invincibility of the sheath’s owner would be nullified, and they would no longer be invulnerable.

And there could only be one owner of the sheath.

In other words, when someone was made invulnerable, Mary would be at risk of dying if she were attacked.

That’s why Arthur and Mary always acted together.

　At first glance, they seemed invincible, but once you knew the mechanism, various strategies came to mind.

Separating them or attacking both at the same time.

Revealing this secret to us required a considerable resolve and trust.

I also wouldn’t do anything that didn’t live up to the value of that trust.

“Are you all ready over there!?”

“Yeah, we’re all set.”

There was no sorrow on anyone’s face; their eyes were filled with hope.

“If anything happens from here on, contact us using the ‘Portable Telepathy Device’!”

“Got it. Well then, until the day we meet again!”

As Arthur’s voice faded, the two dragons flapped their wings powerfully and soared high.

Their figures were as if clad in the wind, incredibly beautiful as they raced through the sky.

　　–Volume 2 End–

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