Chapter 164 : Two Years Later (2)
Two Years Later (2)
[Break their arms and legs... what are you talking about?]
From the mouth of the new spirit sitting on Louis's shoulder, Silia's voice came out.
"Just as it sounds."
[So, what the hell is going on! Don't tell me something happened to the kids?]
"It's nothing like that."
Although Silia asked in great concern, contrary to her worries, the elf children were safe.
It was because Louis had saved them right before it got dangerous.
"Let's talk later. The kids are right by my side, so don't worry."
Louis cut off the conversation through the spirit.
At the same time, he turned to Garoma, who had tried to harm the children.
"Now, let's see... what was your name again?"
"Don't tell me you don't recognize me?"
"Nope."
At Louis's blunt answer, Garoma replied, his expression flushed with anger.
"I am Garoma Pades, eldest son of the Pades family."
"Pades?"
"Now do you get it?"
"Still don't know."
When Louis replied as if uninterested, Garoma's mind went blank. His thoughts froze briefly, overwhelmed with explosive rage.
"I at least get that you're one of the leading nobles in the imperial court, but for such a distinguished noble to come causing trouble in a small village like this, is that acceptable?"
"Did you just say causing trouble?"
"That's right, man. What else do you call drawing your sword immediately after bumping into some kids? If that's not causing trouble, what is?"
The enraged Garoma suddenly burst out laughing at those words.
"Kuhahahaha! It's not just that you know nothing at all, you seem completely devoid of knowledge. Did you just say you don't know about my family? Well then, let me tell you myself."
Garoma showed a badge engraved with what appeared to be his family emblem from his pocket.
Coincidentally, Louis recognized what it was.
"Is that a gold badge awarded by the imperial court?"
"Hooo... So you know that much. As you said, it's a badge directly received from the imperial court. From the fact that I have this badge, you should know what kind of family we..."
"So-so."
Seeing this, Louis nodded.
"That's a badge given only to families who did something truly great. Especially my family—the Pades family—subjugated a great horde of monsters that escaped from the demon realm."
"Oh, then you do deserve it."
Indeed, subjugating those monsters was a great achievement. Louis admired and acknowledged that part.
But that was a separate issue from what was happening now.
"So? Having received that badge, why don't you act with some dignity instead of beating up innocent kids?"
As Louis glanced at the kids hiding behind him, Garoma snorted.
"That's exactly the problem! Some bratty kids dared block my way. Do you think that makes sense?"
"You could've just ignored them and walked by, but you chose to grab and beat them even though the kids didn't even get your clothes dirty."
Louis pressed him, unable to understand, but Garoma was in no mood to listen.
"You really have no fear, going up against the eldest son of a knight family."
Garoma held his sword to Louis's neck. Startled, the people in the marketplace began to run away.
"We are a knight family who risk our lives fighting monsters. Without us, country bumpkins like you wouldn't even survive. You should be thanking my family, not daring to block my way!"
Simultaneously with his rage, several knights surrounded Louis. The children, seeing the knights' fierce looks, were terrified.
"Looks like I can't just let you go."
"So? Just because you're a knight, you think you can get away with anything?"
"For those who risk their lives to protect the empire, special treatment is a given!"
A dangerous profession that fights monsters?
That was true.
But there were always people wanting special treatment because of dangerous work.
Even among the soldiers of the 7th Legion, there were plenty who got caught pulling that stunt.
"And besides, aren't those brats elves? If they're elves, they must be the ones who enslaved our imperial citizens and abused them like trash, right?"
Ever since the incident two years ago, bad rumors about elves had spread.
Garoma sneered, seizing upon that point.
"Anyone trying to shield such a trashy race must be trash themselves. So there's no one who'll stick up for you, no matter what happens."
"Really?"
But upon hearing that, Louis only laughed.
"If what you've said until now is true..."
Suddenly, a special tattoo appeared on Louis's arm out of nowhere.
"... I guess I can do whatever I want too?"
"Huh?"
Seeing the tattoo, Garoma suddenly froze. It was a tattoo he had definitely seen before.
For two years, Garoma had lived listening to one piece of advice from his father, the head of the family.
His father had always shown him a particular tattoo and said: if you ever meet someone with this tattoo, always treat them with utmost respect.
"Wait... don't tell me you are...!"
"If you abuse your authority, I guess I can do the same, right?"
"Sp... Special Task Force...!"
Garoma's attitude, which had just been so arrogant, changed in an instant.
"Special Task Force... why would they be in this village...?"
He had no idea there was a special task force in this village, which was natural.
The reason for Seifert Village's revival was not well known publicly.
No one knows, of course, that the special task force is related to this village.
So Louis lied.
"Did you forget about the event happening in this village today? It's the day a member of the royal family visits in person."
"Does that mean...!"
"That's right, kid. I'm here on royal bodyguard duty."
When it became clear he was special task force, Garoma began to step backward.
Even the surrounding knights froze in place, unable to resist.
Because there's not a single noble unaware of what the Special Task Force is.
It's known as a monstrous group that not even the royal family can truly control.
"You said your family fights monsters risking your lives, right? How much have you actually fought to speak like that even in front of me?"
"Well... I didn't know you were special task force...."
"So if you didn't know, you can do whatever you want? Then I guess I can just collapse your entire family?"
Louis whistled with his fingers and a spirit flew over.
Seeing the spirit, glowing like gold, Garoma was horrified. It was a spirit used only by the imperial court.
"Emperor...."
Just as Louis was about to use the spirit to communicate with someone from the imperial court—
"I'm sorry!!"
Sensing how serious it was, Garoma immediately pressed his forehead to the ground before Louis.
The knights also knelt down in apology.
"We committed a crime deserving death!"
"What did you do that deserves death?"
"Well..."
Garoma trembled as he recited what he'd just done.
"We were disrespectful, not realizing you were with the special task force."
"And?"
"We acted arrogantly, flaunting our status as a knight family."
"And?"
"Huh...?"
Was there something else? Just as that doubt arose, Louis scowled.
"You wronged not just me, but some others as well."
Louis grabbed Garoma by the hair, forcing him to face the children.
"But... these guys are elves! They're no different from arch-enemies of our imperial citizens... Ugyaaaaa!"
"So you think they don't deserve an apology?"
"Kaaaaaaah!!"
Louis slammed Garoma's face into the ground and twisted his arm. Hearing a sinister cracking sound, Garoma burst into tears.
"I'll do it!! I'll apologize, so please!!"
As soon as Louis let go, Garoma immediately apologized to the children.
This was the special task force.
If he clashed with them recklessly, his entire family could easily be wiped off the face of the earth.
"We committed a crime deserving death!!"
To avoid that fate, the only option was to sincerely apologize. And then...
"But why are you all laughing?"
Louis noticed the children stifling their laughter when looking at him and wondered why.
****
Louis safely brought the children back to the orphanage.
Silia, overjoyed that the children were unharmed, hugged them as soon as they returned.
"You're really like a mom to them."
"What are you talking about? I'm not even thirty yet."
To Louis's joke, Silia snapped back. Still in her mid-twenties, Silia always got angry at any mention of age.
"Hey, elder sister..."
Just then, one of the children in her arms spoke up.
"Are we really bad people?"
"Why are you saying that all of a sudden?"
"I've heard people say... that elves like us did really bad things to the empire. Of course, we know since two years ago..."
The children all knew what their parents had done. They were told everything when taken in to the village two years prior.
Now Silia had inherited the authority held by Hero Mirianne—the authority to command all elves.
She used that power to inform the children.
"To be honest, at first, we resented you and the big bros. You were the ones responsible for collapsing our parents and the elves' village. But..."
The children couldn't stand up to the special task force.
Not just because of the power difference, but because they'd learned all about the elves' misdeeds.
And thanks to Mirianne's authority, they were unable to do anything.
"Our parents were the truly bad ones, and you and the big bros were the kind ones. So we're grateful to you all. But... it feels like people still hate us."
The elves' crimes had become known across the continent.
Having deceived humanity with the World Tree, they became objects of resentment and hatred, especially for those of faith.
"That's why we almost got cut down by a sword. If it hadn't been for this big bro..."
They likely would have ended up as a noble's plaything if they'd been caught.
There were even rumors that elves found these days were promptly enslaved.
"That's why I stopped you all from going out today. A lot of people who might target you kids are in the village right now."
It was a day of a major event for the empire's nobles, even the royal family was participating, so the scale was immense.
That's why, without explaining in detail, she restricted their outing. Of course, the kids' curiosity only grew.
"So, can you just be patient for today?"
"... Okay."
The children meekly agreed with Silia. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, Silia asked Louis,
"By the way, when you showed the special task force tattoo, did you hide your identity properly?"
"Of course. A few weeks ago, headmaster Ferus gave me a new disguise magitech device as a gift."
Louis showed the pendant hanging on his neck.
"That's the magitech device you got?"
"As long as I think about it, I can turn into anything. What do I look like to you right now?"
"Pffft—!"
Silia burst out laughing at his transformed appearance.
Since the transformed figure was only visible to others, not himself, Louis had no idea how he looked and wondered what was so funny.
"Puhahahaha!!"
"Hahaha! Big Bro, what the heck?!"
Even the kids started laughing at him. He was glad to see them cheerful again, but—why?
What did he do?
"What's so funny, everyone?"
Louis asked, confused. Silia answered.
"B-bald... bald... pfft!"
What? Bald?
"It's an octopus!"
"Elder Sister! Let's catch that octopus and cook something tasty!"
"Quick, get the bathtub! We'll make octopus stew!"
"No, it's not! Isn't it an egg?"
"Right! Not octopus stew, it's a boiled egg!"
Louis still didn't know how he looked.
Just one thing was odd—the magitech device for disguise didn't transform him exactly as he imagined.
Bald?
He'd never once pictured looking like that. So the culprit must be the one who made the device.
"Ha... our headmaster's getting cheeky, huh?"
So that's why the kids were stifling laughter earlier.
Now he wondered what kind of reaction that noble brat had seeing his disguised face.
****
"What? You met the special task force?!"
Kirma Pades, the family head of the Pades family. He was shocked after hearing what his son Garoma had experienced.
"Well, at least there weren't any big problems."
"My arm was twisted by that baldy, but our family is safe, father."
"Baldy? I don't know what that means, but anyway, it's a relief."
After hearing his son's story, Kirma felt relieved. But then his expression sharpened.
"But is it true you met elves?"
"Yes, but..."
"Elves... I've finally found them."
With his expression steadily darkening, Kirma summoned a spirit.
"Just as investigated, the elves are in this village. Proceed as planned."
Through the spirit, he relayed the plan to various communication recipients.