Chapter 135: Selfish and Harmless Determination

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"So, what does this mean? The shrinkage of the elven country has nothing to do with you, right, Lord Eldamar?" Lily asked.

"Simply put, when we shrank the nation, the nobility will also be shrunk. Most of us will be stripped of our Lord's position..." Lord Eldamar explained.

"So, he didn't want to become a peasant and chose to die instead? Well, I can't exactly praise him, but I guess it was okay?" I swayed my tail, and Lily also gave a conflicted thought as she caressed me.

"But if we look at the lineup for Northlangard inheritance..." Edelweiss replied.

"Yes. I should be ahead of both of you. However, elves could not reduce both of you to peasants. We are a proud race and a meritocracy."

"I see," Alistar nodded, seemingly convinced. "Northlangard has four sections, and since Edelweiss and I would be its lord, several other nobles would be demoted."

"King Garme, was this okay with High Magic?"

"The shrinking of our nation was a decision we needed to make for the survival of the elven race. His denial of the compression of our nation was overruled by others. There was no plot to make him fall, and instead of fallen lords, we chose to use the term 'integrating nobles into society.' There was no blemish on his reputation. And thus, his choice now was his own."

"I see." Lily gazed at him. A little bit of disgust was shown, but she held it in. "At the very least, we should give you a medal of honor. Your sacrifice would benefit elves and all who live in this land."

"Thank you. However, such honors are wasted on me, who is about to die." He smiled bitterly. "Besides, honor should only be awarded to those who worked hard, not to some excess lords with nothing to do. Am I right, Lord Lily?"

"Regardless of that, we will always remember you," Alistar said.

"Hah... it was so sad, actually. I am the one who resisted the compression of the country. Yet, deep down, I could not forget the face of my mother and fiancée from Northlandgard. Maybe it was for the best," he sighed as if giving up.

"Do you have any last words, Lord Eldamar?"

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"My fiancée is dead; I can't succeed my house as lords. Even if I didn't sacrifice myself, I would be jobless in our new nation. I could not do anything except be a lord, and I do not want to compete with these fellow lords. I knew I would lose in terms of ability and experience. I am unworthy of becoming a head, and now, I am even unworthy of being someone's tail. That's why I should end it now," Eldamar said. His voice carried a heavy tinge of regret.

I wondered if it would be okay to laugh at him. I was a corporate slave in my previous life. I dreamed about the future when some high-handed nobles, in this case, a lord, would be dragged down and feel the suffering of the commoners. I wished for him to become a commoner and feel what it was like to be looked down upon. What a coward. But his sacrifice was for our benefit. Maybe instead of insulting him, I should stay silent.

Lily looked at me, tilting her head. My feelings must have been transmitted to her, but I swished my tail to silence her, saying it was no big deal. It would not be good to taint her pure heart with hatred.

"Alright, are there any questions?"

"Lord Eldamar, I heard that the process is excruciating. Please gather your resolve," Lord Alistar sighed.

"Who will escort you to dwarven territory?" Reese asked.

"No. I do not desire any companion. Please let me die in peace," he replied firmly. However, that was not an option. Someone needed to go there and come back with the golderite. Or maybe we didn't need to? We could always use a messenger or ask the dwarves to send the golderite back to us.

"Very well. Your wish shall be granted. Next month will be the day you go to the dwarven country," King Garme said. His mouth contorted in sorrow as he spoke. "We are sorry. And thank you."

"I will now excuse myself," Lord Eldamar said, and he left the meeting.

"Very well. Please gather your resolve. Don't worry; elves will rise from this slump. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Everyone else, we still have something to discuss."

"How's the assault? I received a report several days ago that Fort Soleil received over twenty attacks. We managed to hold on fine. But the frequency of the attacks was worrying."

"Well, what's the matter? We will get rid of them in two months. Do you need some backup?" Edelweiss asked.

"No need. I can hold it just fine. However, I still need those soldiers you promised me, Lord Lily," Ghander spoke out. Ghander was our best warrior, right? If he was getting in trouble, that meant this campaign was doomed.

"Alright, um… should I come along?"

"Hm… can you? It would be nice to have you on board," Ghander replied.

"Argh… I still need to order a new shield and axe!" Alistar groaned. The meeting turned informal as Alistar and Ghander exchanged reports of the battle.

"Okay. Lord Lily, when Lord Eldamar passes by Edenthal, you need to welcome him. Since he didn't want to be escorted, you could simply guide him toward the mountainous trail before the dwarves' kingdom and come back. After that, you must catch up with your soldiers at Fort Soleil. Do you get it? And Lord Alistar, you can forge your weapon. However, you need to be at Fort Soleil immediately. The undead was making some weird movements there. I need every manpower in Fort Soleil," Ghander bowed to King Garme and prompted him to end the meeting.

"That is all for this meeting. Thank you for attending," King Garme said. "You are dismissed."

We then went back to our own territory.