Chapter 141 Human Intailaction

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"I see. What about the outskirts villages?" Lily asked.

"... they are ignored," Isaac said, tightening his fist as he nodded, his face contorting further.

"What's the use of this fort if undead could get past them? Well, as expected of these apes—"

"I asked you to be silent," Lily cut off the arrogant elves. They stood at attention and fell silent. Despite their arrogance, they still obeyed their superior. Good job with the training there, elves.

"Why didn't this fort send out cavalry to intercept the undead? I have a report of about two thousand refugees."

"We asked you not to kill them," Isaac glared at us. I was surprised. The servility of his past days was gone and replaced with a veteran commander's aura.

"They will become slaves. We do not view humans kindly."

"Thank you. If we have you, was there any chance to repurchase them?"

"Unlikely, but not impossible. Are you sure you can hold out against the undead?"

"The Human Nation is not as monolithic as you thought. Every lord in our country is effectively their own king in their territory. When Silvester died, the Lord's Union blamed it all on you. However, there was a gap in our defense after the defeat when we assaulted elven territory. The lords feared your retaliation. That's why they pulled back many of their blessed people and assigned them to their region.

"This fortress had the same fate. It really hurt us when Valusta and Valundra pulled their troops from here. Fortunately, I received a blessing just a month after you left. My blessing is from Zephyr. I can summon Mana Arrows. That's why we could hold on," he told us his story. Human beings being selfish was not news to us, but this is troubling.

"I see. You could operate ballistae to kill Vargmuth and waste arrows without restraint with mana arrows. Your blessing, is it not a big deal, right? How long can your summon last?" Lily asked. She was correct; having more arrows is not a big deal for a giant fortress like this. However, he was still employed as the fortress captain. Other humans must have been pulling out of this fortress to defend their city.

"About three hours. Well, that is not important. As long as I have this ability, this fort will not fall. However, there are less than a thousand troops here and less than thirty horses. We cannot send anyone outside. Though, if it is a blessed person such as you, I could arrange it immediately."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Thank you for your information, Isaac. I mean, Lord Isaac. We will take our leave now. I assume no one will bother us if we take a look at the outskirts of the Verundra Trois?"

"I shall write you a permit. How long will it be? Just in case someone bothers you. However, if they still bother you despite the permit, you are free to kill them. Some lords have been getting lawless lately."

"About two days?"

"Very well. May your journey be safe."

"You are welcome. Here's a little secret for you as a token of gratitude. The elves were preparing to assault the undead lands. We have figured out how to stop them from spawning."

"Really? That's great news! No wonder these stuck-up elves wanted to offer us a truce. I wish you success," Isaac smiled. His face glowed with excitement as he eagerly reached out to shake my hand.

"Very well. Please don't attack us when that time comes, okay?" Lily smiled. However, Isaac frowned.

"I can promise not to attack you myself. However, other lords won't be as cooperative as I am," he said. His honesty widened Lily's eyes as she looked at him in a newfound light.

"I see. Apparently, you are different from Lord Albert."

"Hahaha, he is no longer a lord. After the humiliating defeat at the Northern Forest, his people hanged him in front of the town square. And now, a merchant named Baron Gron holds the town. He calls himself Count Gron now since he has a city under his thumb."

"I see."

"Oh, I commend your honesty, human," Elyas said.

"Then, I shall share a confidential secret of the elves with you. Would you like to know?"

"Really? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone! About the attack or anything."

"No, the attack on the undead must have been leaked by the envoy of the elves when they came here for peace negotiations. I will tell you another secret."

"What is it?"

"I planned to divert most of the undead to this place during the undead assault. It would prevent you from attacking the elves when we were at our weakest," Lily said. She smirked and then stood up, brushing her skirt and preparing to leave. "Best be prepared."

"Wait. How did you even guide them here?"

"That is a military secret even I don't know," she said. Her aura changed from that of a sweet child to that of a villain. She leaked this information and tried to incite the humans so they could withstand undead attacks and prevent them from attacking our country.

"Can I tell this to my superiors?"

"You should not. I believe they would label you a traitor for speaking with me. Instead, I think you should fortify this fortress with everything you've got when the day arrives."

"I see. I don't think they would listen to me either. I will follow your suggestion. Thank you for the information, Lord Lily."

"We may not see each other again. But if we do, and the undead threat is finally over, how about we annex this fortress into our country?"

"I am inclined to say yes. But I have to refuse at the moment. Changing countries and allegiance is not a simple matter, Lord Lily. Our cultures and traditions are simply too different. I believe we would face much ridicule if we were to join the elven country."

"I see. Bye-bye. I have a task to assess how much the undead has penetrated this land. If you need any help, you may send me a few tailfolk that bear letters. I will do what I can, but I cannot promise anything."

"Just the fact that you didn't kill any of the refugees was good enough for now, Lord Lily. If fate permits, we will meet again."

With that, we left the human fort and scouted the nearby area.