Chapter 53 : The Sly Princess

After everything was said, I returned to the crash site where the remains of our flagship were laying, accompanied by a group of elves warriors, the Lyssandra King, and his knights. The first village chief didn't tag along as he went back to the villages in a hurry to evacuate the last elves who didn't leave the forest yet.

Prior to my arrival, the first village chief had formed an arrangement with the human king to transport elf civilians from the forest to the Lyssandra kingdom. The majority of the elves in the villages had already departed, escorted by Duke Eddington, but there were still some who needed to be evacuated.

When I thought about facing Aliomeri, I was thrilled at the idea of making an entire kingdom submit to us. I had intended to make this forest our main base until we could get more information about this new world, but directly taking control of an already powerful country would save us a lot of time. We won't have to build new infrastructures, nor would we need to justify our presence to the world.

I talked with the King about my plan to reveal ourselves to the world without giving our identities, and he authorized us to fight under the Lyssandra's banner and use his kingdom's name when battling against Aliomeri. Of course, we would be under his authority in name only. In reality, we would just pretend to be a secret mercenaries group that has been hired by the Lyssandra kingdom to deal with Aliomeri after their recent kidnappings through the borders.

This justification will keep other nations from being overly interested about us. They risk antagonizing Lyssandra if they make a big deal out of it and decide to probe more into our background.

Our sudden appearance will still be suspicious, as the timing coincides with the 'meteor' that everyone in the region saw falling into the forest, but it would still be better than just acting on our own without the backing of a powerful native kingdom such as Lyssandra.

Unlike conventional war where each campaign lasts for weeks, I was confident that we could resolve this conflict in just a few days ; fast enough before another country gets involved.

We will be fast, deadly, and precise in our strikes. I still don't know how many bigshots are living in Aliomeri, but from what the King told me, they have no mages in the fifth-circle level, nor do they have any blade-master at the fifth-star level. Even their Queen, which is supposed to be the strongest existence of their Kingdom, has been a four-stars master for more than fifty years.

"We are here."

After walking for a while, we finally reached the beautiful lake in the center of the forest of truth. The first thing I saw was the still smoking Lance of Kar'goth getting dismantled by the swarm of engineer drones under Gladia's command.

I noticed everyone behind me stunned by this scene.

"Sir Jun, are these... golems ?"

The King asked the question everyone had in mind, while pointing at the numerous battle-drones that patrolled the area.

"Not exactly, but you could consider them as such. From what your scholar Duke told me about how you rank warriors on Lunaris, we estimated that each of our battle-drones is equivalent to a peak two-stars adept in close combat, and a second-circle mage in long range combats even though this isn't their specialization."

I heard the knights gasping when they heard me ; it seemed that most of them had a hard time believing me. I didn't know how powerful a two-stars adepts were on this continent, but based on their reaction, they were definitely highly valued.

Even the King couldn't hide his surprise behind his helmet. I could order a battle drone to show off its strength in front of them so they believe me, but it would just be a waste of time and my role wasn't to please these knights.

Trusting me is up to them. They would soon realize the gap between us anyway ; once we will reduce Aliomeri to ashes, no soldier, noble or monarch in the entire region would underestimate us.

"What about these smaller golems ?..."

This time, the King pointed his finger toward Douglas and his elite-drones regiment monitoring the area from the top of the flagship.

"These are called elite-drones. Their armament is designed for long-distance engagement, and while they are less armored than the battle-drones, they have a much higher firepower. For comparaison, if the battle-drones would be the equivalent of your heavily armored knights who handle the frontline, these elite-drones would be the precise archers or deadly mages that take out targets from afar."

"I can't believe you can control so many war golems without having a group of mages managing them or a legendary item... Are you sure none of you are using mana ?"

I didn't know why I would need such things to control the drones, but from the King's reaction, I guessed these were the requirements to control 'golems' in this world.

"Before coming here, we didn't even know what were these energy particles you call mana. The Scyllas we fought in the past, that you guys call the Fanatic Ones, were able to control mana and create the same strange phenomenon as the mages of your world. They were probably using mana, but we never knew how they did it, nor did we try to copy them."

When I got to the ship, I was greeted by all of my squad members.

They were all on high alert, ready to fight at any time because of the code 1 I initiated earlier. Each of them was cautious of the hundreds of natives who had followed me to the ship.

I clapped my hands to bring the attention of our guests who were still looking at our drones with their jaws dropped by shock, before telling them what to do for the time being.

"You guys can establish your camp here. This place will serve as our HQ until we deal with Aliomeri. I will assign to you a few drones for protection in case something goes wrong. If everything go as planned, you won't even have to fight, but in the worst case scenario where the ennemy has a means to penetrate our defense perimeter without being detected... it would be wise for us to be prepared."

"I understand." said the King, pleased with my consideration.

"Oh right ! Before I forget about it, I will also release the men we captured earlier. We didn't harm them, so I hope you will understand why I kept them prisonner."

"They... didn't die ?"

The King presumably thought I killed them on the spot to give an example and show my strength, while in reality I just asked Gladia to teleport them into the flagship.

"No, I just kept them at bay in our ship as hostages. I hope you understand that I needed some insurance when I first met your group, as I didn't know your intent at that time."

"Yes... I understand, and I appreciate that you did not execute them. I assumed you made an example of them, but it seems I was mistaken."

"Even animals do not kill without a reason. We may be ruthless sometimes, but we are not mindless murderers."

I didn't want to become a righteous hero, but it didn't mean that I wanted to be a cruel sociopath. The King nodded at me, so I hope he understood the real meanings of my words.

After I told Gladia to release the two prisoners, I also asked her to prepare the green-eyed elf who spied on us and his two weird friends to be interrogated. I could communicate easily with the natives now that Gladia almost completed the translation of their language, so the language barrier won't be a problem anymore.

"Please excuse me, I have some matters to resolve before dealing with Aliomeri's army. I'll come back to you when all preparations are done, so until then, you are free to do as you please as long as you don't get too close to our ship."

"Thanks you, Sir Jun."

I left the King and his men behind, and I headed toward the ship where Alpha Zero was patiently waiting for me. I passed through the myriad of drones working like crazy to dismantle the ship, and I went straight to the isolation cells.

This room was a long corridor with two rows of square cells on either side. Each compartment was surrounded by a bright blue energy field that could instantaneously dissolve any organic substance that came into contact with it.

The Ancient Scyllas most likely constructed these chambers to hold and contain the ancient entities they fought against at the time. These cells, like everything else the Ancient Scyllas invented, were technologically well ahead of our time even though they are hundreds of thousands of years old. I'm not even sure if a modern Scylla in its original form could escape these chambers, which is why we named them 'isolation cells'.

I walked in silence through the long passage with Alpha Zero closely following me, until I arrived in front of a cell in which the green-eyed elf that Alice captured was kneeling on the ground with his legs crossed.

His eyes were closed, and some colorful particles were floating all around his body.

"Is this mana ?"

Startled by my presence, the elf opened his eyes and straightened up himself in a hurry.

"Uhm, y-yes. These are elemental spirits, to be more precise..."

"Interesting. What is your name ?"

"My name is Tom. And... I guess y-you are the Chosen One ?..."

"Just call me Jun. Tell me Tom, why did you spy on us previously ? Did you really think we couldn't see you ?"

"I-I just..."

The young elf hesitated before answering, as if he was afraid of offending me.

"Speak freely."

"I felt the Oracle presence and soon after, I heard a loud explosion sound... I came to see what happened, as I was afraid a powerful beast might have invaded the Oracle's domain... But I didn't expect that the ones fighting the Oracle would be the Chosen One and his comrades..."

"Why is it so surprising ? All of you are revering this Scylla as an oracle, yet none of you knows the cruelty of these beings."

It seems like my words hit a sensible spot, as the young elf suddenly stood up and looked at me with a determined gaze.

"The Oracle protected our clan ! Without the Oracle, we would all be dead !"

"Maybe, but this same oracle's species killed billions of humans in our universe. I heard you guys calling them the Fanatic Ones, so let me tell you something : the one you worship as an Oracle is also a Fanatic One. She is a Scylla. She might be 'more moderate' compared to those of our universe, but it's not enough of a reason for us to blindly trust her."

"I-impossible..." The elf muttered, visibly shaken by these revelations.

"Yet, this is the truth. I originally planned to question you and your two friends, but I don't want to waste any more of my time arguing with another religious zealot. To be honest, you and your clan should also be called Fanatic Ones : you are as obsessed with this prophecy as the Scyllas were with their Revered Mother."

I moved my right hand to a small round button in the control panel just next to me, and as I pressed it, the energy barrier of his cell and those of his two friends vanished.

"I would rather spend this time interrogating the royals from Aliomeri my subordinate just captured than explaining to you why a Scylla is everything but an 'Oracle' or a 'Protector Spirit'. Consider yourself lucky, and just leave with the two walking plants that followed you here. You guys are free."

The elf looked at me dumbfounded, as if he couldn't believe that I would just let him go like this. Did he expect me to take him under my wing or what ? Because this was the impression he gave me. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if he wanted to tell me something, but I just ignored him and left.

I might have been a little harsh to him, but he should know and accept the truth rather than trusting a Scylla or revering me as a savior. I am not a hero coming from the fairy tale these guys idolize as a prophecy, and I don't plan to become one anytime soon.

I walked and passed by many other cells with Alpha Zero still quietly following behind me, before I stopped in front of another prisoner.

'These. Are. The. Ones. I. Told. You. About, Master.'

"Hm... Good job. None of them are hurt, they are in perfect state to be used as hostages."

"Hmpf! I don't know who you are, but if you think that our Mother cares about our lives... you are delusional."

The one who talked was an extremely good-looking female elf. She had a slim body with charming curves, and her refined clothes were of the best quality. The energy field's blue light reflected on her beautiful visage made her look like an angel.

I had to admit, these elves from Aliomeri had a much better style than those punks living in the forest. Her appearance was day and night compared to the simple-looking elves I met until now.

"And you are ?"

"I am the Second Princess of the Aliomeri Kingdom, Tialha Advaris. The little guy who pretends to be asleep next to me is my little brother the Third Prince, Palleas Advaris."

"Sis!"

I couldn't tell if the little guy who faked being asleep next to her was naive, or just an idiot. Did he expect us to just leave him alone if he was sleeping ?

"Remember what this ghost did to our escorts when he kidnapped us. Do you still think you could fool him ?"

"..."

This princess looked smarter than all the elves I've met so far. Even the village chief paled in comparison.

"As long as you answer my questions truthfully, I do not plan to harm you. However, as soon as one of you lie...ripping your limbs apart would feel as a blessing compared to the pain we'll inflict to you. Are we clear ?"

"...Y-yes."

"Good. Now tell me, why were you so far from the main army when my subordinate captured you ? I doubt two siblings of royal bloodline would be used as mere scouts."

"And yet... this is exactly what happened. We also didn't expect our big brother the First Prince to act so openly against us..."

"So the one leading your army is yet another royal ? The first prince at that ?"

"Yes, his name is Aerendyl Advaris and he is the closest to the throne. He forced us to explore the forest ahead of the army as a punishment for joining the expedition without our Mother's consent..."

Even though the princess tried to hide it, I detected a shift in her facial expression. She was skilled at controlling her emotions, but it seemed that she resented her brother too much to conceal her inner feelings from my piercing gaze.

"Tell me about this First Prince. What does he plan to do, and why did your Mother deployed such a huge army to this forest ? Is your Queen not afraid of offensing the Scylla who resided here ?"

"I don't know who is this 'Scylla' you are talking about, but the reason why our Queen dispatched troops inside the forest is mainly because of you and all the other strange people clad in black. Mother ordered my brother to conquer the forest, investigate what fell from the sky and explore the inner mountains once he has built a foothold in the forest."

"What does it have to do with me and my comrades ? I don't know what you are trying to imply, but we are just mere mercenaries hired by the Lyssandra King."

"...You guys look like everything but a mercenary group. We couldn't see much before the ghost behind you transported us to this cell, but we saw a glimpse of all the war golems patrolling the area. As for your ghost subordinates... is he a summoned spirit ?"

As I thought, this girl was very smart and perceptive. If she came to this conclusion just by seeing a glimpse of the drones working around the ship, she might be a real genius among the natives.

She also asked about Alpha Zero while trying to avoid his gaze. I didn't know what kind of horrors he did to their escort, but he left an impression deep enough for even the stoic Princess to be terrified by his presence.

"Yes... he is my summoning."

I answered yes even though I had no idea about this summoning stuff. Can the people living on Lunaris summon spirits and ghosts ? This was yet another surprising news for me.

"You can say you are a mercenary group, but you can't fool me. I heard my Mother talking about a proph..."

"Stop right there. If you guys speak about a prophecy, a Chosen One, Fate or any other similar bullshit, I will personally drown you deep in the lake behind our ship. You are warned."

"..."

I was so tired to hear this crap every time I tried to converse with a native that I couldn't help but cut off the young elf before she finish her phrase. Are all the elves living on Lunaris as zealous and religious as the Scyllas ?

"A-anyway, to resume our situation : our Mother decided to invade the forest and she sent the First prince to lead the army, our second brother is on his way to bring the nearby beastmen tribes as reinforcements, and we have been used as scouts only because of our first brother's ambition. He probably wished for us to die as an 'accident', so we wouldn't be a problem anymore to his succession of the Throne."

"I almost pity you."

"He may have his plans, but I also prepared my owns when I joined the expedition. I have a lot of loyal servants hidden inside the half-blood legions. They are all waiting for my order to create a rebellion. If, as you said, you are mere mercenaries hired by the Lyssandra King...then bring me to him. I am ready to negotiate with him. I could help you beat our kingdom's army if the Lyssandra King gives his full support to my faction."

This girl was cunning. She used my own words against me.

By forcing them to believe we were just mercenaries, we indirectly put ourselves under the Lyssandra King's authority. Thus, she has the right to ask for a meeting with the human king.

To be honest, I could just slaughter both of them, leave no traces behind and end things there... but playing along with her schemes might not be too bad of an idea.

I already planned to fight Aliomeri anyway, so if her ruses can prevent us from losing drones in combats... It was worth considering her suggestion.

"Very well. However, the King gave me the highest authority when it comes to the matters concerning the Forest of Truth. Thus, I have another proposal for you."

The sly princess probably thought that we wouldn't let such an opportunity to strike a fatal blow from within the Aliomeri army. She also knew she'd get what she wanted as long as the King accepted her proposition for a temporary alliance. If Lyssandra sides behind her faction, she will have enough power to compete against her two older brothers.

What she didn't know, however, is that she was already trapped in the palm of my hand.

Her life will now be determined by whether she follows my instructions, or tries to betray us.

"Here is another proposal..."