Chapter 342: Rhine Alliance (1)

Chapter 342

Rhine Alliance (1)

With gifts exchanged, the first summit between the two nations concluded successfully. Originally, they were to part ways as soon as the banquet ended, but King Nikolai wished to stay longer.

He had taken a liking to Britannia’s new king, and he also developed great interest in the goods loaded on the Moving Castle.

“Here are the items available for trade.”

As King Nikolai perused the ledger Eugene provided, the weariness evaporated from his face. He summoned all his ministers, put their heads together, and wrote out a purchase list on the spot.

The scale of the transaction was so enormous that even Eugene was taken aback.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“It must be! If I didn’t have enough money, I would have borrowed! Oh! Thank you to the gods who sent Your Majesty to us!”

King Nikolai answered firmly.

“Living as a doubly landlocked nation is extraordinarily tedious. If I miss this opportunity, I’ll have to buy at even higher prices from across the inland sea.”

“Do other nations impose such heavy tariffs?”

“At minimum two border crossings, and merchants pass through many hands, so prices snowball.”

Lantzheim’s mercenary industry being a national enterprise wasn’t solely because the land was barren. It was because they were situated deep inland, cut off from the sea.

If only they bordered even Roman’s northern inland sea, but even that was limited to owning a single tributary derived from the inland sea. Ships passing through that tributary required permission from the neighboring small kingdom.

Britannia, in this respect, was perfectly positioned to grow into a great power.

“Don’t pay entirely in cash. Let some of it go toward provisioning supplies at the Great Forest’s entrance.”

Diversifying supply units was always reliable insurance. Carts and supplies pre-prepared from the Lantzheim capital arrived in a steady stream.

From the Moving Castle, the first batch of trade goods also arrived, including the tofu Eugene had ordered.

“Is this tofu?”

Nikolai brought his face close to the steaming rectangular block on the plate.

“It looks… like cheese.”

“It’s better than cheese in every way. It’s gentle enough for even food poisoning patients to digest, and every bite turns to muscle.”

The homeland foods Eugene yearned for were mostly incompatible with the people here. Even the Lantzheim warrior unit, who had never eaten such things, recoiled at the smell of doenjang.

Among these, tofu was the only dish that could barely meet the minimum threshold of the local palate.

-Son. My teeth are in such shape that even chewing bread is difficult, but the tofu the count sent down – it tastes absolutely wonderful.

Distributed as patient food from the Shade Garden, it spread rapidly throughout Britannia.

“To make tofu, you need to grow soybeans, so it’s also efficient for restoring soil fertility.”

“Let me try.”

King Nikolai’s eyes widened at a large spoonful. Instantly, the spoon flew back and forth, the firm tofu disappeared piece by piece, and an entire block vanished.

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

“If you take the gaminess out of fat and replace it with nuttiness, this is exactly what it would feel like!”

Nikolai, who had lived on nothing but wheat porridge or grass gruel his entire life, had always appeared gaunt. Seeing him now tap his belly, his retainers looked moved.

“My stomach is full but there’s no nausea. I don’t know how long it’s been since I felt satisfied. I already feel healthier.”

For Nikolai, who had lived as a vegetarian, tofu was the equivalent of the finest meat. In taste, nutrition, and satiety.

“King of Lantzheim. These are soybeans suitable for tofu cultivation.”

At Valda’s gesture, a cart filled with bags of improved soybeans arrived.

“My thanks for the queen’s sincerity! Next year, the palace fields will be filled with these beans!”

“I’m delighted. Please distribute them widely.”

When Nikolai made this promise, Valda smiled brightly. She was the successor to the First Era royal house. Seeing the crops she had personally developed flourish was a source of pride and joy.

“Your Majesty. The tofu will be a step below what you just ate, so lower your expectations. Without the elf princess’s touch, you won’t get this flavor.”

“…”

Valda quietly stepped on her husband’s foot.

*

The vast forest Eugene was heading to was commonly called the Great Forest of the Elves, but in truth, the area the elves firmly controlled was quite small.

This ecosystem had been a battleground since ancient times, with countless creatures fighting for better territory. At the end of the First Era, elf exponents had seized one axis by force, but it remained a place full of mystery and danger.

“From the forest’s outer edge to where Elenost is located, villages are distributed like a network. Some villages are friendly with each other, others aren’t, but neither side has deep relationships.”

Hermann, who had visited before, explained.

“Those merchants you see are all officially licensed by Lantzheim.”

A short distance from the forest, several merchant caravans waited. They stared longingly at the forest, stamping their feet anxiously.

Crossbow-armed caravan guards watched the forest with tense expressions. The forest had always been dangerous, but recently the danger was intensifying. It might look peaceful at a glance, but a monster could appear at any moment.

“Can’t we enter the forest?”

“The elves hate it when humans set foot in their territory. Though we’ve been commissioned a few times and entered briefly.”

When a heavily armed army appeared without warning, the merchants panicked.

‘King Nikolai? No, it can’t be him – too many…’

Merchants were more sensitive to rumors than anyone. Eugene mounted on Might was clearly visible, and the wooden crown on his head and the number of knights accompanying him provided clues to his identity.

“I am the King of Britannia. Are you waiting here to trade with the elves?”

Eugene pointed to the most experienced-looking merchant and asked. The seasoned merchant, despite his awe, immediately drew an answer.

“It is an honor to meet Your Majesty. As you say, we are insignificant merchants who make our living here.”

“You all look anxious. Something must have happened in the forest?”

The merchant bowed deeply with a posture conveying both affirmation and respect.

“The elves, who always kept their appointments, are already over a day late. Something seems to have gone wrong.”

At the forest’s outer edge, there were also bases for venturing outside. The nearest elf village was about three hours’ ride.

“We have business in the forest. We’ll investigate what’s happening. Would you clear the way?”

“Y-your Majesty! The elves in the forest have not permitted foreign intrusion since ancient times. Even a king means nothing to them…”

Several merchants spoke despite their fear. Naturally, it wasn’t concern for a stranger’s safety that drove them. They worried that if the elves were displeased by a foreign military intrusion, they might suffer disadvantages in future trade.

These merchants had lobbied extensively and offered wealth to trade at this location in Lantzheim. They hadn’t even recouped their investment yet, and having their relationship with the elves sour would be agonizing.

Eugene chose to call Valda instead of persuading them. An elf girl with golden hair, riding a golden-maned horse, appeared wearing a royal tiara.

“We are not a foreign power. The elves there sent me a gift, and I have come to offer questions and answers. If my visit is unwelcome, anyone who objects should come out and say so to my face.”

There was one thing about Eugene more famous throughout the world than his martial prowess or his magical castle: that the King of Britannia had taken the last descendant of the First Era elf royal house as his wife.

Tales of humans and elves forming bonds appeared in every region. In the First Era, many human heroes who served members of the royal house had fallen in unrequited love.

But cases of love actually coming to fruition were virtually nonexistent. In fairy tales, they might have somehow ended up together and lived happily ever after, but these were stories of real history.

A boy or young man stepping into adulthood by overcoming bitter rejection was the common ending. The few exceptions were Britannia’s half-elf household.

Merchants had grown up hearing these stories. That was why seeing Eugene and Valda holding hands was refreshing. They had finally witnessed in reality the happy ending they had always yearned for as boys.

“Caravan master! Riders from the forest!”

At the guard’s shout, all eyes turned toward the forest.

Two horses trotted toward the forest’s edge. One carried an elf youth slumped over the saddle, and the other rode riderless.

Whistle!

When Homi whistled, both horses approached her as if they had known her all their lives.

“He’s dead.”

“What got him to look like that…”

With each step the horse took, drops of blood rolled down its flank.

“He used vine ropes to bind himself and the horse. Not by someone else – he must have sensed death approaching while gravely wounded and used his last strength.”

Homi examined the corpse as she spoke.

Flutter-!

The riderless horse had injuries on its hindquarters and legs. It seemed to have been ambushed during the journey here and thrown from the saddle. Its severed left ankle dangled from the stirrup.

“There there. It must have hurt and been scary. You’re safe now. Calm down.”

Homi soothed the horse, trembling in pain and fear. Applying ointment from the horse healer’s supplies and kissing its cheek, the animal quickly calmed.

Hermann and his men laid the body on the ground. The injuries were so severe that much internal organ and blood had been lost, making the body lighter than an adult woman’s.

“He seems to have been a messenger. He completed his mission at the cost of his life.”

Hermann found the folded letter and handed it to Eugene.

“To our friend and wise leader, King Nikolai of Lantzheim. The people of Mushroom Village ask for help.”

The letter was written not in elf script but in the common tongue, and its tone was polite.

“The forest’s order has collapsed. Footsteps and shadows the village elders have never seen before roam the forest. Monsters that have strayed from their original territories fight on all sides, and some eye our village with hunger. Those who can fight dwindle by the day.”

The letter’s final portion was somewhat blurred by the rider’s blood.

“You are the only one who can save us isolated. Please, do not let our flesh and bones end up in the monsters’ bellies. As our ancestors did, allow us a humane end…”

The letter ended there. Eugene closed the elf corpse’s staring eyes.

“Asking King Nikolai for help would be too late.”

“Just running to the capital and requesting an audience would take days. Then there’s the king meeting with ministers, the army mobilizing…”

The merchants whispered with grave expressions, stealing glances at Eugene. Just moments ago, he had been an uninvited guest who might ruin their livelihood. Now, they couldn’t feel more secure.

“In your assessment, do you think Ostir would send rescue?”

” The likelihood is low, Your Majesty.”

The merchants spoke in unison.

The Great Forest’s elves were nominally bound as one nation, but their cohesion was extremely loose. Living in the forest meant limited range of activity and dangerous exchanges.

“Some don’t recognize Ostir as king, and many have been exiled from power struggles. Mushroom Village is a settlement built by such elves.”

The elf king’s family had maintained isolationism for generations.

-Those who trade with humans are more despicable than humans themselves.

Most past kings had maintained this stance, and the current Ostir was no exception.

But it was also true that certain goods couldn’t be obtained from the forest, so someone had to handle the menial work. The elves who traded with the outside world were those struggling to survive after being pushed out of mainstream society.

Because of this, a peculiar relationship had formed – Ostir’s relations with them were terrible, but not completely severed.

“Ostir wouldn’t send an army to protect the village.”

“They’re useful to him but disposable at any time.”

The merchants answered, downgrading Ostir on their own initiative.

“Not to me. We march to the rescue immediately.”

Eugene also ordered the elf corpse to be prepared. The merchants wrapped the damaged torso in clean cloth and wiped the face grimy with sweat and blood, loading it onto a cart. To return it to the Mushroom Village families.

*

Heavily armored knights and crossbow-carrying Lantzheim warriors passed through the forest.

“Everyone stay sharp!”

“Anyone who attacks anything that moves will face severe punishment. We’re not here for hunting or extermination – we’re here for rescue.”

“Remember the green cloth. Anyone wearing green cloth is a member of the Rhine Alliance.”

Among the Great Forest’s outer-edge elves who had formed friendly relations with humans, green cloth served as their marker.

Initially, it was merely a sign for smooth trade, but as forest factions joined one by one, it solidified into something resembling a confederation.

Because in the Great Forest, where all manner of threats lurked, merely pursuing self-survival was foolish.

Since it encompassed the bases formed around the Great Forest’s outer edge, it was called the Rhine Alliance.

“Owlbear!”

“Wait! Don’t shoot!”

Homi reacted quickly when a wounded monster blocked the army’s path. The scent it gave off was similar to that of the aquatic beastkin who had taught her to fight in the New Continent.

In an instant, the owlbear’s bulky muscles shrank dramatically, its fur vanished, and it transformed into a gaunt human woman. Her naked body was covered in severe injuries.

Even the severed left ankle would rank as only fourth or fourth priority.

“The village… in danger… please…”

The druid left a brief message and died. Perhaps because the messenger she had sacrificed her life to send had brought an army, a faint smile lingered on her face despite the pain.

Her mind had been too muddled for logical thoughts like ‘How did the army arrive so quickly?’

“Infantry, don’t rush. Maintain formation and follow. Those on horses, increase speed with me.”

Valda, Homi, Hind, and the knights below him galloped after Eugene.

What they discovered was an elf village’s palisade wall, and before it, a battlefield in full swing.

“Grue! Open the gate!”

“If you don’t open immediately, we’ll kill everyone!”

Orcs hammered on the tightly shut logs, threatening. Naturally, the elves had no intention of opening the gate.

“Talk sense!”

“Save the arrows! Shoot only those trying to climb up! Don’t waste them on those creatures!”

The elves had solidified their defense with arrows and spears with no gaps. Orcs attempting to climb from all sides were shot down, tumbling with screams.

Blub blub blub.

And behind the orcs, a giant crab feasted amid the bubbles.

A three-way battle was unfolding.

“So this is what they meant by the forest’s balance collapsing.”

Eugene muttered with a bitter expression.

In the wild, even a small wound could be fatal. So predators each occupied territories matching their strength, achieving a certain harmony. Both the orcs and the giant crab had strayed from their original habitats, causing this chaos.

Squeeeee!

“Graaah!”

Of course, the crab seemed to have forgotten its anger at being displaced by a stronger predator. It was busy shoving orcs into its mouth with relish. Its technique with the massive pincers was truly artistic.

Snap snap!

In perfect synchronization with those very sound effects, the pincers snapped upward, pushing orcs into its maw.

“Sa-save…”

The orc that went in feet-first screamed as its body convulsed with each bite. Though they were monsters, they were still sentient beings. The knights winced at the rather gruesome sight.

“Your Majesty! Fortunately, we seem to have arrived in time.”

“The village is safe, and the creatures haven’t noticed us at all. Shall we charge?”

“No.”

Eugene looked at the knights, who burned with battle fever without considering anything, as if they were fools.

“Let them eat more. When would we ever see such a sight again?”

Eugene planted Blackout in the ground and watched leisurely. The orcs would decrease, and the crab would grow heavier. A perfect two-for-one deal.