novelOdin's Ability (1)
| ← Ch.082 | Ch.084 → |
After thinking it through carefully, I spoke.
"First, our power should be concentrated here."
"You want to enlist the young ones here?"
"Yes, the way I see it, I think that the greatest danger will occur here."
It's a simple argument.
Baron Bastian is more than busy going to war with Odin, and the Silver Clan isn't much.
The problem area.
Here, this place where I am getting a bad feeling from, is where we have to strengthen our forces.
"The dark magician is increasing the troops so we should do the same here and increase our power."
"We are plenty as of yet."
"You mean yet?"
"..."
"Of course, I am not doubting your skills, Derrick. But how about thinking about it like this?"
"What else?"
Derrick showed interest in my words.
"They concentrated here and attacked and kept on failing. Today, they increased in number and ultimately failed again."
"They did."
"Then what will the dark magician think? Won't the dark magician then think to attack from a different point?"
"There is no other spot. If not this cliff, the other way is much longer."
"That is the weak point."
"What?"
"They will keep hitting us here and focus our attention here, and cut through an unguarded weak spot. If it were me, that is what I would do."
I continued to explain.
"Since the attack has failed anyway, don't you think it would be used at least as a diversion? No matter how long the other path is."
"Hmm!"
Derrick groaned out loud.
"Your words are right. I must return immediately to the village."
It sounds like he is going to deliver my opinions to the mothers.
"I will go with you."
"That would be good."
We quickly headed back to the village.
Because the 30-minute cool time had ended, I was able to use the Divine Protection of the Wind and was able to keep up with Derrick's full speed.
As the level goes up, the duration goes up and the cool time decreases.
I momentarily regretted it, having raised my teleportation skill instead of using that karma for investing more in the Divine Protection of the Wind.
'No, there will come a day where the teleportation comes in handy. '
No matter, it's a skill I raised for escaping danger.
As soon as we arrived at the village, Derrick and I headed for the mothers gathered under the Tree of Life.
The mothers were busy chatting away and their gazes gathered to us.
"Oh, honey!"
The eldest mother was extremely glad and ran towards us.
The woman ran towards her husband like an arrow and Derrick calmly answered by brushing her hair, nothing could be nicer to see.
Seeing this, I miss Min-jeong.
'At the very least, they've been a couple for 200 years and their relationship is so good. '
Then again, a man like Derrick, that amount of love seems normal. I fall for him sometimes... hmm hmm! I took some deep breaths to calm down and cleanse my mind.
"Why have you come back so soon?"
"I have something to tell you."
"Oh my, something just for me?"
"It would be good for everyone to hear it."
"Oh goodness, while everyone is listening..."
Whatever she is imagining, the eldest mother is blushing.
Whatever she is thinking, it'll be less than that.
"The movements of the undead have become more and more suspicious."
The eldest mother's facial expression changed to disappointment.
The other mothers that were anticipating a good show also had a stunned expression on their faces.
"As for the specifics, you can listen to Kim."
Now everyone was looking at me.
I once again delivered the talk I told Derrick. This time, I was able to give a more organized explanation than before.
"For now, the most important problem is the undead from the southwest?"
"Yes."
"For us, humans are scarier. Humans clearly tried to kidnap our children and, in an attempt to avoid being spotted, used sly means to achieve their goals.
"I understand. As a human myself, I am embarrassed for my kind."
"I do not say such things to hear those kinds of words from you. We cannot, even in the slightest, let go of the surveillance to the north. There was that time Elise almost got taken as well."
At that, I rolled the thoughts around my head once more.
I organized my thoughts and replied.
"About that, I have two things to say."
"You may speak."
"First, clearly the biggest and most dangerous problem the village is facing is due to the undead. But on that side, Derrick and many other heroic warriors are fighting there so we haven't been afraid of it."
"......"
"But you must have all been very shocked when Elise was nearly kidnapped. I understand. That lovable child, taken by shameless people, was nearly almost lost."
From amongst the mothers came a sigh of lament and relief.
Thinking of that time must still sting. This is the mother elves' strength and weakness.
"But because you have been influenced by that kind of psychological scar, I think perhaps the importance of matter has been incorrectly placed."
Everyone was surprised and I continued to speak.
"For just a few small time human kidnappers, invading is not a problem. Forbidding children from going off out of the village alone without adult permission, and even if there were a kidnapping, forming a chase team to get them back takes care of that."
"Ah...... !"
"But the undead are different. If the defense is broken and the Tree of Life is damaged, a disastrous situation, so bad I cannot even say aloud, will happen. So, what side is more important?"
The mothers instinctive love making them feel that every child is precious, because of it they couldn't see the bigger problem.
"If kidnapped, we can rescue the child back..."
"I have never thought of that."
"Shameless humans just putting a hand on our children was unbearably scary to think about."
"A pursuit team, that is a good idea."
"It'll be taken care of to leave the children up to the women?"
The mothers started to stir and talk.
A little while later, the eldest mother spoke.
"Those were very good points. We will leave it to the women and organize a separate pursuit team."
I commented.
"If a child under a women protector goes missing, immediately notifying the pursuit team system would be good to have."
"Yes, of course! That is a good idea."
And with those two pieces of advice, the children's safety was recovered. Those that were guarding the north can be placed to the southwest with the undead.
The whole things went by without a hitch.
The mothers made their decisions and gathered everyone in the village, and notified them of these decisions.
"It is a good idea."
"It's Kim's idea."
"Kim is a genius. Figures."
"So, I just take care of my siblings then?"
Everyone nodded and agreed that it was a good plan. My reputation ended up getting even better because of this.
The young men, especially, seem particularly pleased.
All this while, the southwest area had been guarded by the more adult men, and now they have the chance to join that.
Everyone wanted the chance to fight bravely for their village.
Thus, the southwest border was strengthened and blocking the undead became a lot easier.
Derrick enlisted the young elf men to a fighting unit patrol. In case by way of a different path, to detect undead infiltrating that way.
Because of the near palpable danger.
The elf children for the most part, did as they were told and played within the confines of the village.
Actually, now, the children lost interest of things beyond the village anymore. They were crazy about playing tag.
Every day, I put two flames of life into the small Tree of Life.
Then I went to fight the undead along the cliffside. In the afternoon I trained in games of tag and late at night before I went to bed, I practiced the violin.
I got rid of the violin's sound with Sylph's help and practiced quietly, unknown to anyone.
It was because I felt that if the elves showed an interest in the violin, it'll become bothersome for me. They may all want to try their hand at it. It seemed pretty obvious they would.
I ended up spending nearing a month doing this. A monotonous, but devoted, practice every single day.
"Humans-!"
A big noise came from the village.
That noise was delivered all the way to the cliffside where we were fighting the undead, and Derrick and I sprinted back to the village.
The atmosphere in the village was chaotic.
Of course, the male elves who have returned from patrol, the women too, were armed.
The children must all have been inside their homes, not a single one could be seen.
The group that appeared in the village was three humans, and what looked to be 10 emaciated elves.
Two older women, three males, and the others were five younger elves. All must have suffered, all their faces looked grim.
All three humans were armed but not wielding them.
And amongst them, was a very familiar face.
"Odin?"
At my familiarity, Odin looked towards me, surprised.
"Mr. Hyun-ho Kim?"
The elves looked at us and chattered.
"Do they know each other?"
"Kim seems to know him."
"He's good with Kim?"
"If he's close to Kim, I guess he's not an enemy."
"Let's see for now."
The elves' strong hostility loosened up a lot.
Haha, it was because I have gathered such good faith here.
Odin looked around at the elves, and then said to me.
"It looks like they trust you."
"Yes, they do. But these elves that have come with you..."
Odin nodded his head.
"They were slaves. This is the number I was able to get by using all the funds I had available for it."
Then, the mothers appeared. Next to the eldest mother stood Derrick, like a body guard.
The eldest mother asked me.
"Kim, do you know each other."
"Yes, he is my friend. He is trust-worthy, do not worry."
Odin walked forward and greeted the eldest mother.
"I am count Odin from Ulpenberg/Wolfenbourg."
"What has brought you here? And those elves you have come with..."
The 10 elves saw the eldest mother and their faces froze up. I can only imagine what lives they must have had.
"I heard that my friend Kim Hyun-ho had made friends with the elves and has been living amongst you."
"If you are Kim's friend, I suppose you are not an enemy."
"Yes. The elves that have come with me were living as slaves and I have rescued them."
"Is what he is saying true?"
At the eldest mother's question, the elves nodded.
"That human bought us."
"He said he would take us to the brown mountain in the east."
"He is a wonderful human."
The older three women elves each had a say.
The eldest mother nodded.
"I cannot imagine how much you have all suffered. This place is safe, stay with us from now on."
"Thank you."
"Thank you very much."
The elves that Odin brought, their eyes lit up.
Spending time with elves, I could feel how much they love nature.
Living as a human's slave, I wonder how much they have suffered.
They probably didn't task them with heavy labor but just being far removed from nature, humans could not know how miserable that is for them.
"We are very grateful for what you have done. But I am not sure what kind of benefit that deed was to you."
At the eldest mother's words, Odin replied.
"First, it was as a present to my dear friend Kim Hyun-ho who loves the elves, and secondly, I want to discuss the possibility of a treaty with you."
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