Chapter 107: The Village Report
"Your Majesty!" The elders’ shout resonated within the grand wooden structure the moment Ryan crossed the threshold.
The old men, with their long robes and faces marked by centuries, rose from their seats in unison and gave a deep bow.
The respect they emanated was absolute, almost tangible in the air thick with incense and old wood.
Ryan paused for a moment, looking at them with an expression of awkwardness he couldn’t entirely hide.
He certainly still couldn’t get used to being treated with such formality.
Runa, who was walking right behind him carrying her tools, stepped forward with a clumsy stride, looking around in blatant confusion.
Her bulging eyes scanned the room, taking in the surroundings and the elegance of the elves who bowed their heads before Ryan.
"Your Majesty?" the dwarf started to ask as she spun on her heels. "I don’t see any king around here. Who are these old-timers talking to?"
Irina, who remained at Ryan’s left with her usual calm, intervened with a brief and gentle smile.
"We hadn’t told you yet, Runa, but when they say ’King,’ they are referring directly to Ryan. He is the sovereign of this place and our people," the elf explained in a soft tone.
Runa stood there with her mouth agape.
She looked Ryan up and down as if she were searching for a golden crown or some jewel that would give away his status, but she only saw the same pragmatic young man in his travel coat.
"What? This guy is a king?" the dwarf muttered with disbelief.
At that moment, one of the elders addressed the young elf accompanying the group, maintaining his deep bow.
"Welcome back as well, Princess Irina. It is a relief to see that you have returned safely from the lands of the dwarves," the elder said in a raspy voice.
Runa felt the ground shift beneath her feet. She turned toward Irina with eyes as wide as saucers, realizing that the girl she had treated with such familiarity during the return journey was actually royalty.
"You’re the princess? A real princess?" Runa asked while her face turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment.
Then she began to mutter to herself in a panicked tone. "And to think I didn’t mind my manners the whole way here. I’ve been talking to royalty like she was a charcoal seller."
Ryan noticed the blacksmith’s nervousness and remarked that it was better that way.
It wasn’t that he felt comfortable being treated with so much respect or that he sought for people to kneel in his path.
He preferred Runa’s blunt honesty over the excessive servility of political councils.
However, the dwarf fell silent for a second, reflecting on the situation.
"Wait, wait a minute. I was impressed about the princess part, but are you telling me that he—a human—is the King of the Elves? That doesn’t make any sense at all," Runa added while pointing at Ryan.
It was then that Kenia, one of the most influential women in the village who was sitting near the table, chimed in with a cynical smile.
"That’s right, Runa. He is the King, but right now his domain goes even further. Here in this village, we now have beastmen, humans from different regions, and even a beautiful young demon girl. And all of them, without exception, serve him and swear loyalty to him," Kenia explained with pride.
The dwarf looked in every direction. She wanted to speak, she wanted to argue that a human could never unite such distinct races under one roof, but the words simply wouldn’t come out.
She decided to stay quiet, as if coming to terms with the fact that Ryan was far more dangerous and powerful than she had thought until now.
Once everyone finished settling in, Ryan walked toward the head of the table and sat in his usual place.
Karol remained at Ryan’s right, occupying her spot with an obvious air of smugness. Beatrice stood by the door, maintaining a watchful posture.
Irina remained standing to her Ryan’s left, while the alchemist Mika and the dwarf Runa stood together at the side of the table, remaining on their feet out of respect for the council’s hierarchy.
Ryan rested his arms on the wood and looked at the elders with searching eyes.
"Tell me, has anything strange happened while I was away? Have we been attacked, or was there any infiltration attempt? I want to know how you have defended yourselves," Ryan asked with a pragmatic tone.
Irina’s grandfather, who was one of the council’s head elders, looked at Alicia and gave a slow nod.
The assistant, who carried a leather folder full of notes, stepped forward to give the detailed report Ryan had requested.
"Your Majesty, during the days you were away from the village, some undesirable people came to the edges of the forest. But they weren’t humans from the Church; they were only demons."
Alicia began as she opened her folder. "Miss Mirian dealt with them personally before they could get anywhere near the portal."
Alicia turned one of the pages.
"In this time, she finished off fifty-two demons. She didn’t let a single one escape," the assistant added. "After every confrontation, I sent the soldiers to burn the remains and dispose of their bodies to avoid disease or magical tracking. But, of course, before destroying everything, we took all their weapons, armor, and valuable belongings. We’ve managed to secure quite a good war booty in the warehouse."
Alicia smiled kindly, satisfied with the economic efficiency they had maintained during their lord’s absence. To her, every dead enemy was an opportunity to obtain resources for the village.
"In addition to that, I have prepared some mixed units composed of elves and beastmen. The purpose is for them to carry out joint missions to gather information."
Ryan nodded, processing the information quickly. He liked that Mirian hadn’t wasted any time and that Alicia was organizing the loot so meticulously.
’Fifty-two demons is no small number. But it seems strange to me that the Demon King would only send principalities or legions to this place.’
The need to move the village remained his most urgent matter.