Hell Mode: Volume 4, page 20
Even the Central Continent has a history of countries expelling certain demographics from their borders.
Allen had learned the history of the Central Continent while in the Academy, and he knew that not everything that happened in the past had been sunshine and roses. He was now suspecting that this current war with the Demon Lord Army had its roots in an interracial conflict between elves.
＊ ＊ ＊
Allen had been born into a village of only humans and for a while, he had only encountered humans in his life. It was only when Cecil’s magic tutor taught him Demon Lord history at the Granvelle mansion that Allen had learned that other races, like the ones described in novels from his past life, also lived in this world—specifically, there were elves and dwarves who lived on the Northeast and Northwest Continents respectively. During his second year at the Academy, he had further learned in geography class that the Southwest Continent was home to beastkin nations while the Southeast Continent was jointly governed by allied nations. This was when Allen first caught a glimpse of the dark side of this world.
The beastkin had come to occupy the Southwest Continent after fleeing the severe discrimination they faced on the Central Continent—especially from the Empire of Giamut—a thousand years ago. The general narrative of the time was that beastkin were the mixed-blooded descendants of monsters, making them targets of persecution. This was why it was almost impossible to find a beastkin on the Central Continent anymore.
Similarly, the ancestors of the Southeast Continent people had also lost their place on the Central Continent. The Southeastern countries had started off as penal colonies formed by Giamutan nobles who had lost their standing due to political machinations as well as criminals of all sorts. There were others still who had faced undue discrimination for their atypical appearances, such as merfolk and birdkin. Each of these groups formed their own small nations, so there was no singular nation that dominated the Southeast Continent, unlike the other continents. Instead, the leader of their continental organization, the Union, was elected by a council of representatives from each member nation.
Given this history, although the beastkin nations and the Union also had seats at the Five Continent Alliance, they were somewhat looked down on by the other three continents. Taking offense at this treatment, the two southern continents were quite reserved in their support for the war with the Demon Lord Army, sending only supplies but no troops.
This was all the more blatant when it came to Giamut’s fight against the Army. The southern continents only sent the bare minimum required by the Alliance charter, preferring instead to take a step back and allow the situation to take its course. If the beastkin, who specialized in close-quarters combat, joined the fray, the war effort would be greatly bolstered, but that was not going to happen because of this deep-seated schism between the various continents.
＊ ＊ ＊
Cecil, who had taken the same classes Allen had, quickly caught on to what he was getting at. “A-Allen, but if this is a battle between elves, why are there elves in the Demon Lord Army in the first place?”
“That’s what I don’t know.” Allen shook his head. “But the elves here—”
The queen looked up from being deep in thought, resolve shining in her eyes. “I’m not sure if this is relevant to what you’re asking, Lord Allen, but...may I?”
“Of course. After all, everything I’ve said so far has been only speculation.”
“First, let me say this: we elves had always hoped to live in harmony with the dark elves.”
“Dark elves,” huh? So we really are talking about an interracial conflict here.
What followed was an account of Rohzenheim’s history of light and darkness.
“Far in the past, there were two nations on this continent. One ruled by elves, and one ruled by dark elves.”
“And the two were always at war?”
“That is so. We elves always hoped for coexistence, but they did not. The dark elves specialized in Attack Magic and enjoyed battle. According to my predecessor, the wars were fierce beyond belief.”
The queen went on to describe the characteristics of dark elves: they had dark skin, and they were proficient at borrowing spirit power to deal magical damage. This happened to match the impression that Allen already had of dark elves and was a good description of Demonic Deity Rehzel as well.
“If the elves did not want to fight, why did the dark elves attack? Did they want to conquer the whole continent?”
“There is a giant tree that we call the World Tree at Fortenia, our capital. Both we and the dark elves worship this tree, as it gives birth to new spirits. However, the dark elves wanted to keep it to themselves so badly that they tried to chase us from the continent. And so we fought for a long, long time.”
With a quivering voice, the queen told of how elven leaders had suggested a ceasefire and joint management time and again, only to be rebuffed by the dark elves at every turn. Everyone in the audience chamber listened closely to this narrative that had likely been passed down through Rohzenheim’s line of rulers.
When the queen was finished, Allen asked, “But there are no dark elves left in Rohzenheim, right? Did the elves wipe them out in the end?”
“In a way,” the queen said as she nodded quietly. “The conclusion was not one that we wished for. I was told that, at a time, we elves were almost on the verge of being wiped out. We did not have much of a choice in how we eventually dealt with the dark elves.”
After fighting for a long, long time, a brilliant leader had suddenly appeared among the dark elves and led them to consecutive victories over the elves. They seized settlements and fortresses one after another until only Fortenia remained in the elves’ possession. Convinced that they would be annihilated the very next day, the elves had prayed as one, begging the World Tree for salvation.
“Did the praying help?” As someone who had been an average Japanese guy in his previous life, Allen was rather unfamiliar with the concept of divine supplication.
“Yes, it did. As we prayed in desperation, my ancestor—the young girl who would go on to become the founding queen of Rohzenheim—discovered a young spirit emerging from a hollow in the World Tree. When she asked the spirit to save us, he replied, ‘Please give me a name.’”
“And that was Lord Rohzen?”
“Indeed. The girl named the spirit ‘Rohzen.’ In doing so, she forged a contract with him. We elves now call her ‘the Priestess of Prayer.’”
The other elves had been surprised when they watched the contract taking place, but they had not expected much from this young spirit. Generally, spirits needed time to grow in power, with some taking centuries or millennia to become grand spirits. As such, the elves did not expect the forging of this contract to affect their immediate situation in any major way.
“However, Lord Rohzen did have the power to completely change the tide of battle, didn’t he?”
“He did. He transformed the Priestess of Prayer into a high elf, and that made all the difference.”
Right before the eyes of the other elves, the young girl’s eyes turned gold and her hair became silver, making her the very first high elf in history. Having gained the power to wipe out an entire dark elven host by herself, she had gone on to completely overturn the tide of the war.
Drawn in by the story, Allen asked, “What happened to the dark elves, then?”
“The Priestess of Prayer chased the dark elves to what’s modern-day Nest, then gave them an ultimatum. They could either stay after forming a Life Pact to never attack another elf again or they could leave the continent altogether.”
A Life Pact, huh. It forces you to comply regardless of your will, right? “Which did they choose?”
“The dark elves chose to leave Rohzenheim. That is how they became exiled.”
The dark elves boarded ships, every last one of them, and went to live on the Southeast Continent in exile, forbidden from ever returning to Rohzenheim. Considering this had happened a thousand years ago, the length of time that this conflict had spanned was one or two orders of magnitude beyond what Allen could comprehend.
I see. So when they were on the verge of annihilation, the elves were saved by the Sovereign of Spirits and the Priestess of Prayer, and the target of their worship then shifted from the World Tree to the Sovereign. However, the dark elves probably still worship the World Tree.
Allen thought back to his interactions with the elves and realized that he had almost never heard them mention the World Tree—whenever they prayed, it was always to the Sovereign of Spirits or their queen. Pretty much the only exception was when they talked about the Tree as the source of new spirits.
“Do you know anything about Demonic Deity Rehzel, then? For example, would it happen to be the name of someone in power among the dark elves?”
“I have subordinates looking into it at the moment. However, I can confirm that during the three hundred years I have been queen, the leader of the dark elves has always been King Olbaas. The name of his direct predecessor was not Rehzel either.”
“I...see.” Allen leaned back, looking somewhat disappointed.
“Um...” The queen slowly moved down from her throne, prompting cries of “You musn’t, Your Majesty!” from her generals. She ignored them, however, and prostrated herself in entreaty. “Lord Allen, we cannot win this war without you. Please lend us your strength!”
Allen’s expression seemed to indicate that he was having qualms about being involved in a fight between elves, but the queen was desperate for him to bring them to victory. Her actions left both elves and Gamers too shocked for words.
Allen was the only one who appeared unfazed. “Your Majesty, please lift your head. Don’t worry. I said I would help, and I’m not going back on my word.”
“Thank you.” As the queen continued expressing her heartfelt gratitude, Sophie and Volmaar hurried over to help her to her feet.
When the queen had regained her composure, Allen smiled and said, “All I know right now is that there is a Demonic Deity with slightly longer ears and a name that sounds elvish. None of that detracts from the fact that he’s a commander of the Demon Lord Army.”
In the first place, everything I have is mere speculation and hearsay. That said, I’m glad I now know all this.
With that, this account of the light and darkness in Rohzenheim’s history came to an end.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next day, the No-life Gamers gathered in an open plaza inside Tiamo. Allen was about to head off on his own for the day, but before he did so, he would be stopping by Castle Lapolka to leave a few Summons behind.
“We’re glad for all your Summons, but are you sure you don’t need to keep the slots for yourself?” Cecil asked. She rarely sounded this worried.
“I think I’ll manage. And it’d be a waste to erase all these Antsys that I used Deputize on a few days ago. It’s not like they can fight on the ocean, after all.”
“I-I suppose so.”
The Demon Lord Army is coming at us for real this time. They’re sending literally everything they have left at Lapolka.
During their time on Rohzenheim, the No-life Gamers had killed nearly two million monsters in total. However, that left a million still roaming around. All of these numbers were being called north to regroup with the three million reserves approaching Castle Lapolka. As such, Allen was planning on leaving a few Strengthened Insect Bs at the fortress and using the rest of his card slots to destroy the force approaching Nest.
Suddenly, Allen shot a look at Dogora, who had been quite listless as of late. The reason was, of course, his Extra Skill. Krena had been struggling with her own Extra Skill, but not nearly as much as Dogora. He had failed to activate it even during the fight with Glaster the other day, and it was really getting to him.
“Dogora.”
“What?”
“I have very high hopes for your Extra Skill.”
“Wha—?! Dude!” Dogora looked decidedly uncomfortable at being put under even higher expectations.
“Based on the name, your Extra Skill probably expends all your MP in exchange for an incredibly powerful attack that can one-shot absolutely anything. Cecil’s Petit Meteor also uses up all her MP, but that skill deals damage over a large area. Yours is a single-target attack, and for that, I bet it deals even more damage than hers. That makes it literally the most powerful attack in our party’s arsenal.”
“Huh? Even more damage than Petit Meteor? Uh...are you sure?”
“One hundred percent. Your Extra Skill is definitely the ability to attack a single target using all your MP, all your heart, and all your soul. I’m counting on you to learn how to use it during this war. I don’t have an Extra Skill of my own, and I’m nowhere as strong as you think I am. I need every last drop of strength from everyone in this party, and that includes you. In the same way, everyone else needs your strength too.”
Everyone wordlessly nodded in agreement with Allen, but Dogora alone remained unconvinced. “You? Not strong? Allen, you were practically erasing swathes of monsters.”
“No, Dogora. I really am not strong. It’s true that I can kill a lot of monsters because of how many Summons I have, but each attack from my Summons is a lot weaker than what you and Krena can do.”
The way Allen saw it, his class was best suited playing a supporting role, despite all its flashiness. It was Krena—with Limit Break—who had managed to finish Glaster off, whereas Allen’s Summons had mainly only served as distractions, having failed to deal any significant damage themselves.
Currently, thanks to his weapon and equipment, Dogora’s Attack stat was over 8,000, more than what Dragon B and Beast B had. Even though he was only a one-star class in Normal Mode, after putting in the effort to max his level, gathering a full set of adamantite equipment, and wearing two +1,000 stat rings, he now had stats exceeding those of Rank B Summons that had been both Strengthened and Deputized.
“Also, don’t forget that it’s different from person to person how much time they need to awaken their Extra Skill. We learned at the Academy that it takes some people two, even three years, right? Comparing yourself with other people doesn’t do you any good. All that’s important is believing in yourself and not giving up.”
Dogora and Allen had known each other since they were young. As such, they were close enough to be straight with each other whenever they had anything to say. Allen had his gigantic General Bird B pick him up with its beak and lift him to its back as he finished up with, “And that’s all I have to say before I go. Dogora, I’m counting on you! One hit is all you need! Just keep that in mind!”
Without further ado, Allen flew off to first drop off a few more Summons at Castle Lapolka before heading over to intercept the Demon Lord Army force on the ocean. At the same time, the rest of the No-life Gamers mounted their own Bird Bs and made their way to the fortress while escorting a group of magic ships to begin preparing for the upcoming battle.
＊ ＊ ＊
On his way to Castle Lapolka, Allen turned his attention to a Spirit B that was waiting inside a room within a fortress on the Giamutan war front.
Time’s running out. I’m gonna have to fight a million monsters by myself soon. Ellie, has he come yet?
“Not yet, Master. I’ve already sent word, though, so it should not be much longer,” the Summon answered.
After the Spirit B who had made it to Fortenia said everything she did to Demonic Deity Rehzel without waiting for Allen’s orders, the only action Allen had taken since was to remind his Summons to only act for the sake of the party. Otherwise, he was more than happy to let them all carry on according to their personalities.
That’s fine, Allen responded. He then used Ellie’s eyes to check out the room she was currently in. It was a space smaller than ten square meters illuminated solely by candles.
“Hey, sorry I ran late.” Suddenly, the door to the room opened and a blue-haired young man casually strolled in with a woman in armor following behind.
“Lord Helmios, I believe I asked you to come alone,” Ellie said in a reproachful tone.
“Sorry, sorry. I just thought that it’d be faster to have her sit in instead of me going back and forth. Don’t worry, she’s a member of my party. This is Sylvia.”
Allen recognized the woman as the Sword Lord who had visited the Ratashian Academy with Helmios. This was his first time learning that she was in his party, though.
Ellie, there’s no helping that she’s here. Continue.
“Your will is my command.”
“What was— Ah, Allen’s listening to this conversation?” Helmios quickly caught on to the fact that Ellie had been acting on Allen’s orders when she asked for this meeting and that he was participating in this conversation even now. Allen had been trying to keep things discreet as much as possible by only reaching out to Helmios, but apparently the Hero had other ideas.
Helmios secured the round table and chairs in the room and settled in with Sylvia. After Ellie finished setting out cups of tea, he spoke up. “So, how’re things at Rohzenheim?”
He’s so casual as always. Well, I do prefer this. The elven generals all sound so stiff and formal. Is it because of how long they’ve lived?
“The situation in Rohzenheim...”
Through Ellie, Allen caught Helmios up on what was happening on the elven front: The No-life Gamers had been fighting nonstop since they arrived twenty days ago, cooperating with the elves to kill more than two million monsters so far. They had pushed the front line back to Castle Lapolka and recaptured it, seizing the momentum of the war. And now, a host of five million monsters was approaching, split between marching on land and sailing on the ocean.
“Two million in merely twenty days?” Sylvia was so astonished she was at a loss for words. Even she, a Sword Lord traveling with the Hero, was struggling to wrap her mind around these numbers.
“If you’re capable of killing that many monsters, then it’d make my job so much easier if you’d return to the Central Continent,” Helmios said wryly. After a brief silence, he shrugged. “So, the intel that the Demon Lord Army’s reserves are mobilizing was accurate after all.”
