Chapter 130: The Negotiation Table Is Now Open (3)
Swooosh! Arrows flew, and the air particles split as they moved forward.
Crash! An arrow flew to pierce into a rock. Javier stepped on the arrow stuck onto it and leaped high.
Leap! He leaped like a bolt of lightning. But he didn’t have any time to enjoy the flight as another shower of arrows came from behind to pierce the back of his head.
Thwackk! Crash!
Javier twisted his body midair in a hurry, and five arrows almost brushed his body. Three arrows hit the earth while two more arrows pierced into a rock. Just then, Javier realized two things: first, darkness didn’t matter in the slightest to the elves. Second, they shot in a way so that the trees or patches of grass didn’t get hurt.
This is outrageous.
This chase was happening breathtakingly fast. Javier was running through the dark and thick woods. And the arrows flew so accurately and fast that chills crept up behind his spine. What was more chilling was the fact that these arrows hit only the empty ground and rocks.
I’m moving at full speed, and yet, they can predict my movement with their senses. They were calculating the angle and surroundings of every incoming arrow in their heads. Each shot is the result of a meticulous calculation.
The more Javier thought about it, the more amazed he was. But it wasn’t the time to marvel at their prowess.
Tap! Javier landed and jumped high again. He moved through the trees and bushes and zoomed forward. Chills ran down the back of his head and his back. Dozens of arrows were flying at him, and the mere noise they created as they left the string stung his skin.
But I can’t be caught so easily.
If he got caught, Master Lloyd would be in danger. So he could never let them catch him. He would do his best in his role tonight, which was letting the elves recklessly chase him. Thinking so, Javier sped up. But the elves started to corner him.
Swish! Fwish! The arrows that only flew from behind started to come from the side as well.
“…!”
Slash! Javier wielded his sword, slicing the two arrows with his sword blade. He bounced away the other one right so narrowly before it pierced his forehead.
“…”
Javier realized that he was being cornered. This was bad.
I was told to come back within 30 minutes.
There was something else he needed to do besides avoiding the clutches of the elves. It was to meet Lloyd after successfully distracting their attention away from his young master. If his timing was off, Lloyd could end up in danger. Javier wondered if he could make it within 30 minutes.
I might be a bit tight on time.
The elves were chasing him relentlessly, cornering him with every bone-chilling shot. But now, it seemed that he had to turn back and rush into the path where he came from. This only meant that he had to break through the siege head-on.
There was no time to hesitate anymore. It’ll be too late if I go any further.
Javier made a decision, which was to turn back at the creek ahead and jump into their siege. He would protect his body by wielding his sword that was charged with aura. If possible, he would threaten them with the mana blast to make sure they would retreat.
Perfect.
He finalized his plan in seconds. He jumped three steps forward, and four arrows were nailed to the ground as they swooshed in the air. Just then, Javier’s eyes glinted.
Now!
Leap!
Javier instantly wheeled around and brought his sword to his chest. A brilliant ray of light, the aura, appeared.
Fwoosh!
The moment the aura appeared, Javier wielded his sword 57 times in accordance with the wind current and the way the pollen flew, creating a storm of aura.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clank! Clank Slash!Fwoosh! Kaboom!
86 arrows flying at him were sliced in an instant, sending the arrowheads to the ground and the body back to the owners in the woods.
“…!”
The elf archers panicked in confusion as the shots they thought to be perfect were sliced by the aura and sent back to them again.
“Argh!”
“Ack!”
A handful of them, who failed to evade the counterattack, were struck. Some were hit in the shoulders. Some were hit in the shin. But no one was injured. It was comparable to a small sting or slap. But the elves didn’t have any time to focus on the burning pain.
That human is trying to break through us!
One elf hinted as she gazed at another. The rest of them picked up Javier’s intentions soon.
Thwack!
The silver-haired human in front of them charged forward, and this time, he was more forceful and relentless, unlike when he was trying to flee earlier. It was easy to see what he was doing. Breakthrough, not escape. Direct hurtling.
“…!”
Of course, the elves would never open the path for him so easily. Once the 86 elves realized what Javier was doing, they all pulled their bowstrings at the same time. Javier was about 50 yards away. Everyone’s eyes glimmered coldly. Javier’s speed. The direction and force of the wind. The humidity and density of pollen in the night sky. The elves instinctively calculated everything, and as they pulled their strings and aimed about 24 yards ahead, the arrowheads shone brightly. Deathly glare appeared in their eyes. 24 yards ahead of them was a tiny opening between the bushes, which was as small as the eye of a needle. There. That area will be the very venue where this silver-haired intruder would be pierced to death.
Stretch!
The veins on their arms popped out of their skins. The bows were pulled all the way to the back, and they bent to the point of breaking. They were about to let it go, but just then…
“…!”
There came a whistle. Soft but loud at the same time. It was only audible in the ears of the elves, and it was used to put a halt to the chase and chaos.
“…”
The archers looked at one another in confusion, but no one understood the sudden hearing of the whistle. Even still, they had to obey the signal as it was the way of life they had internalized over their years in the woods.
Rustle. The elves pulled away the bows and hid in the darkness. Some hid in the shadows cast under the beech tree. Some hid in between the vines, while some chose behind the rocks where the moonlight was unreachable. They left the scene so naturally, like sugar melting in the water. It was as if they were melted in the shadows. As such, Javier was confused.
Thump! Javier simply jumped and passed over the elves’ designated killing area, releasing energy from his sword to protect his whole body. However, it was strange.
What’s happening?
No one shot him. Not a single arrow flew in his direction. Something else was also gone.
The blood thirst that hung around the place was gone.
But Javier didn’t stop charging ahead as he knew that he could be easily taken down should he stop now. That could be something the elves were after, perhaps. So Javier kept sprinting while trying to make sense of the situation.
Something’s off. What is it?
Throughout his travels, Javier didn’t feel the presence of the elves that tried to take him down. It was as if the zealous chase that had taken place some minutes ago was all a lie or a dream.
How strange.
Javier wondered what in the devil these elves were up to. But instead of letting his guard down, he grew more alert and vigilant. At the same time, nervousness started to creep up on him.
Could it be that something happened to Master Lloyd?
Javier direly wished that wasn’t the case. But he was nervous as the elves had suddenly halted their chase and decided to let him go as though nothing had ever happened. Javier’s anxiety grew with every step he took. The silence around him made him more anxious.
I shouldn’t have left him alone there.
Even though Javier became a scapegoat, Lloyd was already exposed to a considerable amount of danger. Javier knew that but foolishly trusted his young master’s confidence too much. He had conveniently thought that Lloyd would have a plan in his head. He simply passed over the grave responsibility to Lloyd, which was making sure he stayed safe.
Please… Master Lloyd.
Please be safe and well, Javier thought to himself. He prayed that Master Lloyd would later welcome him in his usual nonchalant and brazen manner. Javier longed and longed for it as he rushed through the woods, growing hastier and speedier with every second. He jumped over rocks and thick trunks and slithered through the branches and twigs. The handkerchief that covered his nose and mouth was removed, and pollen started to assault his senses. But he didn’t care. He simply barreled through the woods until he arrived at where he had started. The place where he had left Lloyd.
“Master Lloyd!” yelled Javier.
Slide! Screech!
Javier stopped dead in his tracks, sliding as he landed. He turned and glanced around to hurriedly search for Lloyd. The elves? Javier said to himself, resolving to respond the moment he spotted them. Even if it meant killing some of them and being chased for his life, he would rescue Lloyd first. Javier gripped the sword with a deathly determination, but before he found them, he was discovered first.
“Hey. You’re here?”
Javier turned at lightning speed to the source of the welcoming voice and the smell of grilled meat. And there, he saw Master Lloyd with five elves, all seated around in a circle. They surrounded a grill with sizzling cuts of meat being cooked.
“What… are you doing right now?” asked Javier.
“Hm? We’re grilling some pork belly right now.”
“What about… them?” Javier said as he pointed at the awkwardly seated elves. His finger trembled.
“I’m eating with them,” Lloyd beamed as he answered.
“…”
“You’re right on time. Take your seat.”
Lloyd spoke as he tapped the empty seat beside him. Javier sat down on the rock as though he was entranced and naturally joined the elves as the meat sizzled on the pan.
“What is happening-”
“Introduce yourself to them,” said Lloyd. “These are the archer elves. In particular, she is Moira, the chief of the Myosotis tribe that settled here in the Everglow Woods.”
“…”
“See that?” went on Lloyd. “This guy is taciturn and not very social. He’s Javier Asrahan, my personal knight I told you about a while ago.”
“…”
Moira and the other elf archers greeted him awkwardly at Javier with their eyes. Blankly staring at them, Javier felt that these elves, too, were overwhelmed with embarrassment as they greeted him.
“So, tell me, what’s happening right now?” Javier groused after he managed to collect his thoughts. Javier felt cheated. He was sincerely concerned about his young master, so he rushed to get here. And yet, this was the situation they were in? What on earth happened between Master Lloyd and the elves while he was gone that they would be sitting around the fire grilling pork belly like some good friends? Javier thought to himself.
I can’t wrap my head around this at all.
Confusion rushed through him. But Lloyd was completely unaware of the latter’s feelings for he simply continued to grin at Javier.
“What do you think I’m doing? We’re in the middle of a negotiation,” said Lloyd.
“You’re negotiating?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just sit and watch. Now, take the tong. Make sure you flip the meat before it burns.”
“…”
Javier took the tong in a daze, and he flipped the meat on the pan in his stupor. Meanwhile, Lloyd and chief Moira continued their discussion.
“Haha, how’s the meat?” asked Lloyd.
“It’s good…”
“Right? I heard that elves don’t use fire,” said Lloyd.
“For obvious reasons. Fire is created in the sacrifice of the plants.”
“Is that why you dry your game meat raw and process them into a jerky?” inquired Lloyd.
“It’s quite tasty, you know,” defended Moira.
“Tastier than this meat?”
“…”
“I knew it. Grilling pork belly like this is never the wrong thing to do. Tell me, are you bothered by the smell of coal in the meat?”
“Not at all.”
Moira shook her head shyly, and her eyes moved downward toward the fiery coals.
“It’s surprising. I didn’t know you can start a fire without sacrificing trees or depending on magic,” commented Moira.
Coal. Rock that started a fire. She was stupefied when she first laid her eyes on it. It was more than surprising, she felt emotional. She had never imagined that such a thing existed.
A rock that starts a fire? I never knew there was something like this.
Coal could be used to start a fire without throwing wood there. This meant that they could grill their game and cook them nicely. Moira’s eyes started to hold a glint of desire that was thick and deep as a cup of espresso. Lloyd was quick to catch the change of emotion right away.
Well, well, I expected it but never really thought the elves would be drawn to coal.
Lloyd had packed some coal to help start a fire. And the meat and pan were meant to encourage him on the cold journey. So he never imagined that these items would work so wonderfully to facilitate a deal with the elves. Seriously, even Lloyd, who liked to draw out large plans, considered himself lucky.
“Well, anyway, to continue the negotiation… give us what I ask, and I shall supply you with a generous amount of meat and coal every month.”
“Coal? Do you mean this burning coal?” Moira asked.
“Yes.”
Technically speaking, the coal wasn’t a rock. It was a tree that died and was buried trillions of years ago. But Lloyd decided that it was superfluous to tell her that.
“What I demand is simple,” Lloyd said as he brushed away the thought of what coals actually were. “The right to extract the sap of the Elensia Tree roots. Of course, I won’t recklessly go about extraction. I will take the exact amount approved by your tribe under your supervision. And…”
“And?”
“Send us 100 elves who can jump from great heights without fear. They will be working as metal workers in my fiefdom. It will be a sort of outsourcing,” Lloyd said.
Juicy meat. Marvelous coals. Lloyd dropped his demands on the negotiating grilling pan as he revealed the two cards he held in his hands.