Book 1: Chapter 11
Book 1: Chapter 11
Translator Comment: As I mentioned in my About page, one of the things I enjoy doing and frankly am great it is music composition. So Ive added a music player to the site which youll see on certain chapters starting from now. Where I deem appropriate, Ill compose a piece to add to it. I believe it will add a positive element to your reading experience.
And if you somehow missed it, yes, these are my own original compositions. Im going to be adding the scores and download files as patron rewards as thank you for your support, so if youre interested in either, check out my Patreon page. Im also aware the sound quality isnt A+, but thats the reality of free software. If we reach $500 monthly on Patreon, Ill go buy a mic to record in high quality for you.
So sit down, put your best pair of headphones on, block everyone off, hit that play button on the top-right and be mesmerised.
That aside, Ive had a few mentions of the site being down. Yes, that happens. Its because were exceeding the maximum daily traffic allowance. To find out more about it, check out the Announcement post on the first page.
Now onto the chapter
Welcome back, your highness.
The guards knelt down on one knee to greet me. I nodded and said: Good work, leave it to us now. Go take a break.
Understood, your highness.
The guards stepped aside to make way. I knocked lightly, but there was no answer. I sighed and pulled the door open. I stepped into the room floored with a luxurious carpet. This room is larger than mine. The left and right walls were covered with bark. Moss was covering the top of the bark in random spots. The light on the roof was no ordinary hanging light. It was like the moon outside, except on a smaller scale.
Moms bed is made of rattan wood with silk layered on top. White curtains hung from the top. The air in her room carries the scent of flowers and fruits. Her room is whats considered an aesthetically pleasing room to elves. My room seemed to be the only room without anything to suggest it belonged to an elf. I guess mom was being considerate of the fact that I was a half-breed.
Mom laid silently on the bed in her night gown. Her beautiful body reflected the light of the moon. She looked so beautiful it was like she illuminated the moon instead of the moon illuminating her. Underneath her night gown was her sexy body. I didnt have any perverted thoughts as her body underneath the moonlight was spectacular. I was completely captivated by the beautiful scene before me.
Mom was still in her slumber despite the fact that she should be awake by now. The doctor begged on his knees, explaining that it wasnt his fault and that the medicine wasnt the cause of her deep slumber. He went on to explain that it was mom who didnt want to wake up, and therefore begged for mercy. I believed the doctors words. Perhaps mom didnt want to wake up because she wanted to avoid everything.
Mom is choosing to sleep. Its not the effects of the medication thats keeping her asleep.
Was she still afraid? Was she scared of seeing me blaming her when she awoke? Surely she attacked Lucia out of impulse. And to be fair, it was because I was stubbornly trying to have my way. Mom is over-protective and spoils me excessively, but I understand where shes coming from. Thats just a mothers instinct. I almost died once and still didnt change my ways, so as a mother, its perfectly normal for her to get angry. I believe mom is regretting it right now. But she must be afraid of us blaming her and therefore avoiding us.
Shes just like a little girl.
I knelt on one knee beside moms bed and held her hands. Her hands are slender, bright as a pearl and warmer than a piece of jade. I held her hands tightly, looked at her beautiful face and let out a sigh. I understand moms pain, and I dont want to see her blaming herself. I wish shed wake up, but I dont know how to get her to wake up.
This is all my fault.
Sorry mom. I dont know if you can hear me, but if you can, please wake up. It wasnt your fault, and we dont blame you, so please dont make us worry. I promise. Ill listen to what you tell me in the future, I promise
After I deal with the Earth Dragons, I promise I wont run around causing trouble again. Playing with Lucia in the palace isnt so bad. But I cant just give up now that Ive come this far.
A voice suddenly came from behind. It was Lucia who was crouched down by the door. She opened the door slightly, and quietly asked me through the gap: Has her highness not woken up yet?
I gave her a nod, walked to the door and pulled it open. Lucia hesitated for a moment before she stepped backwards, and said: Stop, stop, stop Umm.. For me to enter her highnesss room is a little
Its fine, come in.
After I said that, I pulled her in. Lucia paused for a moment, and then removed her dagger from her belt, and her daggers strapped to her thighs. She then removed the small crossbow on her arm, removed the rope on her head which had small blades on it, and removed her shoes When she took off her shoes, I noticed something sharp which reflected the light Just how many weapons do you have on you?! I know youre a palace guard at night, but it looks to me like youre on an assassination mission!
After removing all her weapons, I held Lucias hand and walked with her across the room. She walked on the carpet bare-feet and slowly approached mom. Lucia knelt down and when she saw moms face, tears welled-up in her eyes as she gripped the bed sheet, grit her teeth and in a shaky voice said: Its all because of me
No, you didnt do anything wrong, Lucia. Didnt I tell you this morning? Moms like this because of me. I was too stubborn. You were just following my orders. Youre not my personal retainer, youre just my bodyguard. As a bodyguard, you dont have to take responsibility for your masters faults.
I grabbed moms hand lightly and said with a smile: Mom will be fine. I think mom will wake up once she thinks it through. We cant do anything other than stay by her side right now. Shes my mother, so I wont blame her, nor am I in any position to, because she loves me most.
Lucia nodded, sniffled a few times and reached out her hand to touch moms hand, and said: Her highness Your highness, your family has always looked after us, and her highness has always treated us kindly. Youre so gentle, and And You accepted me I I Im really touched I will continue to be your sword and shield. I promise to never let anything happen to you.
I trust you, Lucia.
I looked at Lucia and rubbed her head. She smiled, walked to the door, bowed deeply and said: Your highness, I have matters to attend to and must leave, so I shall see you later.
I nodded and said: Alright.
Lucia equipped all her gear again before pulling the door open and leaving. I turned back to mom, still holding her hand as I looked at her face silently for a good while. Just a few days ago, I didnt feel any attachment towards her, this world, the men that died in battle or the prince. But right now, Im the prince of the elves. Im the elf queens son. She may not be my mother, but she has showered me with infinite love. She hasnt been my mother for long, but why? Why am I already so attached to her?
Is it because its an innate response from this body, or have I become intoxicated with this unlikely-motherly-love? Do I possess an admiration for mothers like this? My previous mother was always away working. When she came home, she acted like a commando in the army, rarely showing me her kind-motherly side. Each time she showed her motherly side, I was moved to tears.
I felt motherly love here that I had never felt before. Its probably a combination of the innate wired instincts of this body and my own wishes. I dont want to live with the burden of the lie I told, and I dont want mom to live with the burden of the lie I told either. I could never forget the hazy face painted with overwhelming fear I saw when I first woke up.
I dont feel anything towards the men that died on that battlefield. But to Lucia, mom and the parents of those men, those memories would forever feel like they happened just yesterday. Im a soldier so I know what it means when a comrade dies. They discussed politics together with the prince and all died in battle. I dont want them to disappear from history because of a lie I told.
I was hit with a sudden thought. I will annihilate those Earth Dragons. Since I came here, I need to do something. In novels and games, this would be considered my first mission as a newcomer, right? All the conditions were in place now. I firmly believe that Ill succeed this time.
Ill bring you good news, mom.
I stood up, let go of moms hand and looked at her face. I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I bent my neck down and kissed her on her forehead. I turned around right after and it felt like my face was on fire. Moms just so beautiful. Every step closer to her feels like a thousand mile journey. The world would slow down to admire her beauty. Her beauty is unparalleled.
I turned around and left her room. The guards silently watched both sides. I think its safe to assume that Lucias also looking this way from somewhere right now.
The palace has a place where books are kept. And said place is much larger than that elders, although Lucia only told me this afterwards. These aforementioned books were only accessible to those working in the royal court. This place didnt just have books; many investigation files and many secret files were kept here. Only members of the royal family were allowed to access these. Some were off-limits for even royal family members.
However as the prince, I had no such restrictions placed on me. All the books here have a spell cast on them, so if someone without the rights touches them, the spells on the books will activate. When that happens, the book will bite your hand and alert the guards. I heard that one thief had his whole hand bit off, but Im not sure if thats true.
Im surprised to see you here so late, your highness.
The librarian was old, so old that you wouldnt recognise him if he sat by a tree. I gave him a nod, and said: Im here to do some more research. Please provide me with maps of areas around the capital. The more detailed they are the better.
He gave me a nod and began reciting an incantation, and just like that, a small book appeared before me. Now thats nifty. This is niftier than a modern-day library search system. I pulled up a chair and sat down, and lit up my reading space with a green light. This map has got to be more than a decade old, right? Its so damaged its basically ripped to shreds, plus, people have scribbled all over the map. I frowned and said: Umm Could you please give me a more recent map? This one is too out-dated. A lot of places on here no longer exist.
If you are interested in the researching the changes within the city, then indeed, you need a more recent map. However, if you would like to research more about the areas close to the Imperial Capital, then this is the most applicable map. No major changes have happened around the capital in the last decade. We are not humans, so we do not just get up one day and start relocating or expanding our cities, nor would we destroy the forests on a whim.
He continued mumbling under his breath: This is the map her highness used in the battle with humanity back then. It is extremely detailed and was drawn up by the Shadow squad. This is the most reliable map, that I assure you.
I flipped through while feeling uneasy about his confidence. Arrowheads were used to point out where the two armies mobilised. I found that the last battle was at the seemingly endless plains in front of the Imperial capital. By the looks of it, humanity attacked the elves position, which they successfully defended and followed up with by pushing humanity back.
Mom mustve drawn this. Its old and the ink is fading, but I could envision the bloody battlefield that year. That year, humanity pushed their way to the gates of the Imperial capital. Behind the capital was a gully that looked you couldnt see the bottom of. With nowhere to run to, the elves were forced to fight to the death.
Mom set up three lines of defence, and the humans destroyed the first line, but were pushed back by the second line. I could tell the arrow used to indicate the human forces breaking our first line of was drawn in a rush. By the looks of it, it mustve been quite the situation back then. It was a battle over me, and yet Im stuck trying to find out what happened from these torn bits of paper.
What exactly happened that year? Why did a war break out between the two races? Why was I the catalyst for the war? Why was a war fought? What was the war like? I couldnt ask anyone since I was supposed to possess this knowledge. If I asked, then Id be disrespecting all the people who died in that war.
Theres no way Id forget that war.
Ah, man, I didnt come here for this. I shook my head and removed the thoughts from my head, and I moved my gaze to the left of the capital. To the left of the capital was the Black Forest. A horde of Earth Dragons are roaming around there right now. I dont know what theyre looking for but one things for sure: theyre a violent lot who could attack the Imperial capital at any given moment. I need to find a place where I can set up the ballistae and not let a single dragon escape.
I need to find a plain Wait, no. I need to find a valley, a narrow valley, one that would allow me to line up the ballistae and block off their escape routes. Then I need to lure them to the location and then Ill rain down on them with arrows. I need to find a place that fits all those conditions. The Black Forests terrain was full of high-and-low places, so theres bound to be a canyon
Found it!!
Towards the North of the Black Forest at the highest peak, a small crevice was drawn as a small and narrow path on the map. In other words, its got to be a canyon in real life. If I can just lure them there, then I can kill them for sure!
Thank you! I need to take this map with me, but Ill return it in a few days -time!
Sure, your highness. Please be careful not to damage it. This map was made in the last war, and therefore is extremely precious. Please take care of it.
Alright, thank you!
Ill go there tomorrow! Ill go pay a visit to those Earth Dragons future-graves!!
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