I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 109

The intense sunlight beating down on the desert-like wasteland.

Bathing in that sunlight, I turned around and looked at the Giant village I had just left.

‘It was a really hectic week.’

On the first day, I was caught by the King with the <Future Diary> and heard his story about it.

From that night for three days, a banquet was held to welcome me, Grondar’s friend, and Jereuth and the King, the elder’s friends. The banquet wasn’t very grand, as the Giant village itself was a poor place. It was just the village Giants and Giants from nearby villages coming to laugh and talk.

Still, the lively atmosphere was really enjoyable.

For a few days after the banquet ended, we prepared to head to the Minotaur’s dungeon…… and finally set off today.

‘Will I ever come back to this village again? After conquering the Minotaur’s dungeon, I’ll probably have to return to the royal castle immediately and prepare for the monster army.’

Thinking, I tore my gaze away from the Giant village and looked forward again. Then Grondar stuck close to me like a large dog and said.

“Brother, brother! In the dungeon too, just trust my dad! There’s a Giant proverb that says, ‘A man is either handsome or strong,’ and my dad is on the strong side!”

That means his father is ugly.

Grondar was dissing his own dad quite skillfully.

“Then which side are you on?”

“I’m on the handsome side, of course! I’m weak!”

I almost burst out laughing but managed to hold it in. In my eyes, Grondar was the spitting image of Barut.

“Grondar! Stop talking nonsense and stop bothering your friend! And keep a proper lookout!”

“Aww, dad. I told you monsters don’t show up much these days, didn't I? I told you! I didn’t see a single monster while I was going down south where there are a lot of trees!”

“You said you saw that giant snake!”

“Ah, except for that. I didn’t see any in the wasteland here.”

“Good grief…… To think I have to go to the Minotaur’s dungeon with this completely untense guy.”

Barut grabbed the back of his neck as if he had a headache and added another word.

“Stay on your toes, you never know when a monster might appear! Get back to your position!”

“……He's built like a brick but scared of his own shadow―.”

“What, you brat?! Do you want to get beaten up by your built-like-a-brick dad?!”

“Ah, I’m going! I’m going!”

At Barut’s scolding, Grondar scurried back to his position.

As an aside, we were currently crossing the wasteland in a kind of ‘formation.’ To put it simply, it was an oval formation, and Barut had said the reason for this formation was to prepare for a possible attack from desert monsters.

‘By the way, desert monsters……. He said they were like giant scorpions. He also said that sometimes a worm with a huge mouth appears.’

Come to think of it, the <Future Diary> had also mentioned encountering monsters a few times on the way to the Minotaur’s dungeon. I hadn’t re-read it because I had promised the King not to read the diary for a while, but I vaguely remembered that part.

‘Still, it also said that we dealt with the monsters without any trouble, so it should be fine.’

Lost in various thoughts, I looked at the King walking a little far to my right.

‘Father seems to be doing okay so far.’

After the conversation with the King about the <Future Diary>, I had made a promise to myself. That I would act like a son to him until he died.

If you ask me why I decided to do that…… it’s hard to give a specific answer. I just wanted to play the role of a son until the King died.

“Are you able to walk alright?”

I moved a little closer to the King and asked, and he let out a hollow laugh.

“Do you think I would be tired from just this? I am old, but I am not that weak.”

“Still, the day is hot―.”

“Do not worry. I will tell you first if I am tired. You should worry about Jereuth, who is carrying all my luggage.”

As the King said, Jereuth was currently carrying two large backpacks. One was his own luggage, and the other was the King’s.

Jereuth, who felt my gaze, smiled lightly and nodded his head.

“I am not tired at all from this, so you do not need to worry. Your Highness, please just take care of your own body.”

“Haha…… I understand.”

These old men have a lot of strength.

―I decided to think that way. I tried to ignore the negative thought that the King was sick and had not much time left to live.

***

About a month had passed since we left the Giant village.

The reason I said ‘about’ was because I had stopped counting the days at some point.

Walking through the desert-like Wasteland of Ruin, this brown sandy hell where the same scenery kept appearing, I felt that counting the days was meaningless.

While walking, I thought that unnecessary stray thoughts would only make it harder, so I tried to think as little as possible. Just like when I was marching in the army, I just looked at the back of the leader, Barut, and walked endlessly.

Barut guided us by looking at the position of the sun in the morning and the constellations at night.

After walking for a few more days from then.

The brown sandy hell finally ended.

The desert ended, and we reached that magical ‘boundary’ where lush vegetation began.

Step―.

Stepping from the wasteland onto the grass, Barut said.

“Everyone, you have worked hard crossing the Wasteland of Ruin. From here on, it is the land of the elves, the ‘Foothill's Rest.’ I do not know exactly where we are, but it is probably near the border of the Foothill's Rest and the Plank Kingdom.”

―…….

“It is getting late, so we will rest here today and set off again tomorrow. The Minotaur’s dungeon is at the summit of the northernmost mountain of the Monster Mountains. We will see a familiar mountain on the way. Then, rest!”

As soon as Barut said 'rest,' Grondar threw himself onto the grass. He flapped his arms and legs. It was like the game children play to make angel shapes when it snows.

However, unlike a child’s game, Grondar was so strong that the ground was all dug up, and it seemed like the grass was all dying.

“Ugh! The grass is the best! Dad, can’t we move to a place with a lot of grass like this? It’s much cooler and nicer, right? I think it would be much better to live here than in the wasteland!”

“Where would we have land to move to! Grondar, stop talking nonsense and―!”

“We can just ask Brother Leo for land! Since Brother Leo is the prince of the Plank Kingdom!”

“……Hey, you brat! Stop talking nonsense and come help! If you rip the tent while pitching it like yesterday, I’ll skin you alive and make a tent out of your hide!”

Skinning him alive and making a tent out of his hide.

The Giant father and son’s conversation was scary, brutal, and heartwarming today as well.

That aside, there was something in Barut’s words that bothered me.

‘Giants have no land to move to…… Why? Can’t they just go to another land and settle down?’

Another thing that bothered me was.

‘Barut’s tone sounds like he wants to move if he has land.’

I did not know much about the Giant race, but from a common sense point of view, it seemed better to live in a place with a lot of grass and trees like this than in the Wasteland of Ruin. A lot of grass and trees meant it was easy to get water, food, firewood, and so on.

‘I should bring it up when the timing is right.’

As I was thinking that.

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The grass that had been a mess just a moment ago because of Grondar’s romping was revived. As if nothing had happened.

I had seen ‘magic’ a few times since coming to this world, but this scene was enough to startle me again.

The grass revived?

“……Hmm?”

“Is something the matter, Your Highness?”

Jereuth approached and asked, perhaps hearing my surprised sound.

“Well……. That grass has come back to life. It was the land that Grondar had romped on earlier.”

“It is because this place is the elven territory, the ‘Foothill's Rest.’ In this land, all plants grow quickly and strongly. Even if there is a terrible forest fire, if the elves just hold out, it will all be restored in a few weeks, a few months at most.”

“Ah…….”

Come to think of it, the King had said something like that before. That I had the ‘ability of the elves, to be loved by animals, monsters that follow humans, and plants.’

He had also said that when I took power, the flowers and trees in the garden became large and healthy. He had also said that the kingdom would have bountiful harvests from now on.

‘If just one person like me can do that much, then a land where many elves live can revive dead grass instantly.’

“Then are there elves nearby?”

“They are probably nearby. But we cannot see them.”

“We cannot see them?”

“Yes. Elves are excellent at hiding their appearance in the trees and grass. So those who carelessly set foot in the Foothill's Rest are bound to die from arrows and daggers that fly from nowhere.”

“……Is it to the extent that even the Commander cannot detect it? The elves’ camouflage?”

“I can detect the arrows coming by sound. I can also deduce where the elves shot the bow by backtracking it. But it would be useless as the elves would immediately change their position. I cannot be faster than an elf in the forest.”

“…….”

“The best I could do would be to get out of the Foothill's Rest without dying.”

To think that the great Jereuth could do nothing but run away.

The <Future Diary> said that we would arrive at the Minotaur’s dungeon without any trouble, so the elves would not attack, but…… I could not help but worry.

“Commander. Then isn’t this place dangerous too?”

“Hmm.”

Jereuth carefully looked around and finished his words.

“I think it is alright because we came in with Your Highness.”

“Because we came in with me?”

“Yes. Elves are a race with strong family ties. So they will not attack Your Highness, who is a member of the elven family. Your Highness is a ‘Half-Elf,’ after all.”

“A Half-Elf, so a family……?”

“Yes. Barut also knew about the relationship between the elves and Your Highness, so he chose the path through the Foothill's Rest to get to the Monster Mountains. If we had to come in by ourselves, we would never have come this way. I will say it again, when a race other than elves enters the Foothill's Rest, they really have to risk their lives.”

“…….”

“However, even if Your Highness is with us, there is a high probability that they will not allow us to go deep into the Foothill's Rest.”

Jereuth’s words were a little scary, but I was relieved for the time being. As long as we did not go too deep into the Foothill's Rest, we were safe for now.

***

Jereuth had reassured Leonardo for the time being.

However, he himself did not let his guard down. Because there was always a possibility that the elves would attack everyone except Leonardo.

‘As long as we don’t anger the elves by cutting down trees or starting fires, they won’t attack us if we’re with His Highness. Still…… the elven race has a rather whimsical nature, so I must be careful.’

As Jereuth was thinking this.

―…….

Surprisingly, someone was watching Leonardo’s party from between the trees right next to them, not far away at all. It was an elf.

He had greenish-gold hair, and his well-built body was wrapped in cloth clothes that emphasized mobility—and his figure that could not be hidden by the clothes stood out.

There were places where his skin was exposed because the clothes did not cover them. But the exposed skin was perfectly camouflaged with mud and tree sap.

The same went for his face. His face was also hidden with mud and tree sap.

But no matter how perfect the camouflage, it could not hide his beauty. This elf had an outstanding appearance even among elves, and because his appearance was as outstanding as Leonardo’s, it was enough for a human to lose their heart just by looking at him.

However.

This elf was a man.

The elf observed Leonardo’s appearance with his excellent eyesight, eyesight that a human could only achieve with magic, and thought.

‘A Half-Elf. And those eyes, hair color, appearance, and atmosphere. His face also looks so much like my sister’s…… My sister said she had a human child, is he that child? I think so. A Half-Elf isn’t common.’

The elf had four arrows in his hand. If he wanted to shoot, it would take less than 1-2 seconds to aim and shoot.

And each arrow would pierce its target accurately. At this distance, no one could block or dodge the elf’s arrows.

“…….”

But the elf did not draw his bowstring.

‘It doesn’t seem like they intend to invade the Foothill's Rest…… so there’s probably no need to attack. There’s no need to threaten them either.’

The elf thought so generously, but if Leonardo had not been there, the situation would have been completely different. The moment Grondar ruined the grass, no, the moment Barut set foot in the Foothill's Rest, he would have shot his bow.

‘But why is my sister’s child trying to go to the Minotaur’s dungeon? There are no treasures that humans like in that dungeon.’

The elf wondered, then.

He put the arrows back in his quiver and decided.

‘Let’s follow them for now. And I’ll observe that child and tell Father what kind of child he is. Father has been sad lately because he hasn’t heard from my sister, so he’ll be happy to hear news of his grandson. It would be nice if I could hear news of my sister too…… but to do that, I would have to talk to them directly, so that would be difficult.’

***

Five days had passed since we entered the Foothill's Rest.

For the past three days, we had not gone inside the Foothill's Rest. We had headed south as much as possible along the outskirts of the Foothill's Rest.

From the fourth day, we left the Foothill's Rest and entered the territory of the Plank Kingdom. We could tell that by the difference in the grass and trees.

Like the border between the Wasteland of Ruin and the Foothill's Rest, the border between the Plank Kingdom and the Foothill's Rest had a clear difference.

The height of the trees, the lushness of the groves, etc., were different as if a line had been drawn at the border. As if the climate was changing.

Naturally, the trees in the Foothill's Rest were much taller and the groves were more lush.

And now, we had arrived at the entrance of the mountain where the Plank Kingdom’s Monster Mountains began.

“From here on is the northeast of the Plank Kingdom, the beginning of the Monster Mountains. Strangely, we have not encountered any monsters yet, but from here on, it is the Monster Mountains, so be careful―.”

As Barut was speaking.

Kieeeeeeeek—!

From behind Barut, a very unpleasant and annoying scream-like sound was heard.

It was a sound I had never heard before.

‘A monster!’

But I instinctively knew that the sound coming from behind Barut was the sound of a monster.

“Be―!”

The moment I was about to say something like ‘Be careful!’

Smack—!

Barut did not even turn around and simply raised his fist to the side of his head.

The head of the unknown monster exploded on his fist—literally, its head 'exploded'—and its remains, brain matter and blood, splattered on the side of Barut’s face and his fist.

I did not even get a good look at the monster whose head had exploded on Barut’s fist.

“……?!”

I checked the reactions around me.

But as if only I was surprised…… everyone was calm.

“Yawn…….”

Grondar was even yawning.

Thud―.

The monster whose head had exploded from a single punch from Barut fell to the ground. It was too pathetic a result compared to how confidently it had charged at Barut.

Only then could I see the monster’s appearance. It was about 1 meter tall, a shabby green monster with only its vital parts covered with a piece of leather cloth.

Barut casually kicked the monster’s corpse aside and finished his words nonchalantly.

“As you just saw, the monsters near the Monster Mountains are fearless. A goblin like this even charges at me, the Giant Elder, so no further explanation is needed. But everyone knows that a fearless enemy is the most frightening, so be careful on your own.”

Having finished speaking, Barut casually shook his hand to shake off the blood and brain…… like substance on his fist.

It was quite, no, very cool. This might be the true face of the Giant Elder.

It was a completely different appearance from when he was having a childish father-son comedy routine with Grondar.

“Let’s rest for a bit and then climb the mountain. We’ll reach the front of the Minotaur’s dungeon within today.”

Barut said and sat down under a random tree. I was about to choose a similar tree and sit down to rest, but the King approached me and said.

“Leonardo, lend me the necklace for a while now. We are entering the Minotaur’s dungeon tomorrow, so I think I should wear that necklace now. I need to build up my stamina in advance.”

“…….”

The King said, ‘I’m borrowing the necklace to build up my stamina because we’re challenging the dungeon tomorrow.’

But for some reason, the King’s words sounded different to me.

As if he was saying, ‘I won’t have a chance to borrow it in the future.’

“…….”

I decided not to have any unnecessary gloomy thoughts.

I handed the necklace to the King and smiled. Even if it was forced.

“Now I can see your practical swordsmanship, Father.”

“Haha, practical swordsmanship, you say.”

The King accepted my forced joke.

A little sadly.

“Yes, watch carefully. Tomorrow will be the last.”