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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“I am Untinia of House Riiaia. I apologize for my rudeness upon our first meeting.”
“I am Do Inha. I admit, I was surprised.”
“I heard you forgave and protected Annelise despite her grave transgressions. I am deeply grateful.”
I was actually quite pleased with our earlier exchange.
‘I never would have guessed Annelise had a connection to Yeriya…’
While a tenuous connection, I was surprised nonetheless.
‘If they’re blood relatives, then Yeriya was also a member of House Riiaia?’
Moreover, Untinia’s earlier outburst had inadvertently put her in my debt. I now held the initiative in our conversation and knew of her interest in Yeriya, potentially opening up opportunities for information exchange.
Since I had been planning to contact my former master soon, any information, no matter how small, was welcome.
After Untinia formally apologized and I accepted, Kriang sighed in relief.
“Let’s move this conversation inside.”
I invited Kriang and Untinia into the castle, instructing Thea to provide food and lodging for the mercenaries (knights).
“So, Annelise. It seems you’ve received the secret teachings.”
“You’ve gained access to mana as well… your progress is remarkable.”
Annelise beamed at the compliment.
“Hmm… you’ve become calmer as well. How curious. Usually, gaining access to demonic energy makes one more aggressive, but you seem to be the opposite.”
Annelise glanced at me, and Untinia noticed.
“Now that I think about it, you said you were a necromancer, Do Inha-nim.”
“It seems she’s received some guidance in her training…”
“I’ve helped her with demonic energy manipulation. Since she’s joined our group, it’s the least I can do.”
“I see. She was always quite energetic and impulsive, so I was worried about how she would handle mana. I’m glad she’s found good company.”
Untinia continued to converse with Annelise, her expressions shifting as she listened to Annelise’s stories.
“I had heard the general gist, but… you really are… I don’t know whether you’re lucky or unlucky…”
Annelise, as always, was brutally honest, openly admitting her past mistakes.
However, she remained silent about certain things, especially the dimensional fragment. While they would likely have a private conversation later, judging by Annelise’s current behavior, I doubted she would reveal anything sensitive.
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”
“I’ve received sufficient compensation. And she’s been working hard to fit in. However…”
I looked directly at Untinia and asked,
“I heard from Annelise that her standing within the Demihuman Alliance isn’t very high.”
“…Yes, that’s true. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit in front of humans, but the Demihuman Alliance… strongly dislikes humans. Humans hold a very low position within the Alliance.”
Even skilled humans had limited opportunities for advancement, and the same applied to half-humans. In some cases, they were treated even worse than pure humans.
“Yet, the dark elves seem to be quite protective of her.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“May I ask why?”
“…It’s not a particularly grand reason. She’s a descendant of an elder from before the decline of our house.”
She was the last direct descendant of that elder.
“He made significant contributions to the house. That’s why they made an exception and passed down a modified version of the secret teachings, something normally unavailable to half-humans. It wasn’t easy.”
“If she’s held in such high regard, why send her away?”
“…The decline of our house was due to various factors, but the decisive blow was our defeat in the conflict with the elves.”
Untinia’s sudden revelation surprised me.
“And Annelise’s ancestor, the elder, inflicted heavy casualties on the elves before being killed.”
“The elves, having won that conflict, are now one of the dominant races within the Alliance. If Annelise had remained, I doubt she would have survived.”
It seemed the elves were a rather vindictive race.
‘Perhaps that’s why Annelise is the last of her line…’
Of course, it was just speculation.
Regardless, I now understood why they cared for Annelise yet kept her at arm’s length. Annelise seemed surprised as well, seemingly unaware of her heritage.
“I’ll speak with Annelise privately tonight, but I don’t foresee any issues. You can continue to trust Do Inha-nim.”
House Riiaia expressed their desire to maintain a good relationship with me.
“While it’s not much of a reward, if you ever need assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask. While our different nationalities limit what I can do, I’ll cooperate as much as possible.”
Of course, they weren’t simply expressing gratitude for my care of Annelise. They had their own motives.
As they had admitted, the dark elves’ current position wasn’t favorable, and they seemed to be seeking a connection to the royal family.
‘Perhaps they initially intended to use Annelise to establish that connection…’
The Septran royal family also desired a connection to the Demihuman Alliance, so it would have been a mutually beneficial arrangement.
However, due to my influence on history, the connection between the dark elves and the Septran royal family had expanded into a connection between the Demihuman Alliance and the Six-Kingdom Alliance.
Being close to the royal family and having Annelise in my group, I was a valuable connection, especially considering my power.
While their offer wasn’t entirely devoid of genuine goodwill, it wasn’t the sole reason. Regardless of their motives, it was beneficial to me, and I wasn’t going to pass up such an opportunity.
I also had some questions I wanted to ask.
“In that case, may I request some information sharing?”
“Of course.”
I turned to Untinia and spoke.
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“First, I’d like to ask about… Yeriya-nim.”
While I had other questions, the appearance of someone who knew my former master, and the fact that I had ample time for other inquiries, prompted me to prioritize my curiosity.
‘It’s not just curiosity, is it?’
It was a necessary inquiry.
I intended to re-establish a connection with my former master, sooner than anticipated, so I needed to gather as much information as possible. While I had learned much from our time together, there was still much I didn’t know.
“About Yeriya-nim…”
“I would like to know as much as you’re willing to share.”
Untinia hesitated for a moment, then replied,
“…I can tell you everything, as long as you make me one promise.”
“If you find her, please inform my house of her location.”
“…Is there any guarantee that I will find her?”
“You seemed quite interested in her, recognizing her in my face. I believe you’ll eventually find her, Do Inha-nim.”
“…I’ll consider it, depending on your intentions.”
“That’s enough for me. However, if you do find her, please inform me of her… well-being.”
Confirming whether she was alive or dead wouldn’t be difficult. I didn’t think I needed my former master’s permission for that, so I nodded.
“It’s a deal. Ask your questions.”
While she had initially offered to share everything she knew, this arrangement was more convenient.
“I’d like to know about Yeriya-nim’s position within House Riiaia, the reason she left, and the types of dark magic she specializes in.”
“…Some of those questions are difficult to answer. Regarding her position within the house… let’s just say she was highly respected. Even now, decades after she left, she’s still remembered fondly.”
“As for why she left… let’s just say there were internal disagreements. I know this isn’t a satisfactory answer, but please understand that these are things we wouldn’t dare speak of if she hadn’t left the house.”
*‘…So she was highly ranked?’*
Judging by Untinia’s words, it wasn’t just her skill that earned her such respect. She held a high position, and despite leaving due to disagreements, the dark elves were still searching for her.
The fact that even this information was considered sensitive suggested she was incredibly valuable to them.
Considering the dark elves’ current predicament, they would normally publicize a powerful member like Yeriya, yet they seemed intent on keeping her hidden. She was important, someone they needed to protect.
‘Was she royalty?’
Moreover, despite leaving due to disagreements, her goal was the restoration of the dark elves.
While they had parted ways, there seemed to be no animosity between them. If she was royalty, it would explain her desire for restoration. Some demihumans, like humans, valued honor.
However, I had never heard of dark elves or elves having royalty…
While Untinia seemed to think her answers were insufficient, their vagueness actually provided valuable clues.
It suggested that Yeriya, my former master, wasn’t just a powerful mage but also a significant figure to the dark elves.
“And… you said you wanted to know about the types of dark magic she specialized in?”
“…She primarily used beast-type summons and preferred destructive magic. She wasn’t specialized in a single area, having learned a variety of dark magic, including enchantments, necromancy, and curses. Oh, and she was researching pacts with demons before she left.”
“So she hadn’t formed a pact before leaving?”
“That’s correct. Dark elves didn’t typically form pacts with demons. …Or rather, they didn’t have to.”
“How is that possible? You said they can’t do that anymore?”
“That’s right. They can’t.”
Untinia sighed and continued,
“As a necromancer, you’re familiar with Ashen Construction, correct?”
“Of course.”
“Then you must also know about Catacombs.”
Catacombs.
Of course, I knew about them.
Massive underground graveyards, far larger than Underground Tombs, often the size of a city, theoretically capable of infinite expansion.
Her mention of Catacombs explained how the dark elves had used dark magic without demonic pacts.
“…There was a Catacomb. A Catacomb where elves and dark elves were buried.”
“Yes. An ancient legacy, I suppose. Dark elves were once prosperous, a powerful race. Their burial custom was to inter their dead in underground tombs, which gradually expanded over time.”
While it was possible to extract demonic energy from corpses, the process was inefficient and yielded impure demonic energy.
However, this applied to forced extraction. Demonic energy naturally emanating from corpses over long periods, while small in quantity, was incredibly pure.
Dark elves were naturally attuned to demonic energy, and if generations of them were buried in a single location…
“It wasn’t intentional at first. But it happened. The underground tomb, later known as a Catacomb, became saturated with pure demonic energy, which the dark elves used to study dark magic.”
That was the origin of the term “Catacomb,” according to Untinia.
“But it’s gone now. The dark elves declined, and while the Catacomb remained a source of power for a while, it was eventually destroyed.”
“By the elves.”
As a result, dark elven necromancy, once a source of great power, declined drastically.
“So it’s a thing of the past…”
‘So this is why Yeriya and her house disagreed.’
Yeriya believed they needed to preserve dark magic, even if it meant forming pacts with demons, while House Riiaia considered the risks too great.
‘And Yeriya did form a pact with a demon, a demon king at that, and continued to practice dark magic…’
Untinia sighed, seemingly realizing I had deduced the reason for their disagreement. However, she didn’t elaborate. She likely knew it would be difficult to conceal completely.
She had likely accepted that some information would be revealed. Her priority was Yeriya’s safety, not secrecy.
*‘It seems revealing information is less of a concern than Yeriya’s well-being.’*
I decided not to pry further and changed the subject.
“I also have some questions about Annelise.”
“Annelise…”
“Yes. Since you’ve provided her with so much support, I’m curious whether you consider her independent now or whether you intend to maintain contact with her.”
“If possible, we would like to maintain contact. If negotiations with the kingdom go well, a formal communication channel will be established between our Alliance and the Six-Kingdom Alliance, allowing us to visit occasionally.”
Honestly, it was a nuisance.
Annelise was a valuable member of our group, and sending her back to Desert Shield every time they visited would be a waste of time and resources.
However, her next words overshadowed my concerns.
“A communication channel between the Demihuman Alliance and the Six-Kingdom Alliance… are you saying you’re forming an official alliance?”
I had assumed it would be a secret agreement, but this sounded like a declaration of war against the Holy Empire.
“How…? That’s something I would have expected to happen in thirty, no, at least ten years… what’s going on?”
“I can’t reveal any details. Or rather, I’m not allowed to. Unfortunately, the dark elves’ position within the Alliance is rather low. I only overheard a few things because of our connection to the Septran royal family.”
It seemed there was talk of forming a formal communication channel between the two alliances. I wanted to know more, but it would be pointless to press her.
‘I’ll ask Kriang later.’
It seemed unlikely he would reveal anything so sensitive, but I might as well try. In fact, even Kriang might not know the details. He hadn’t participated in the negotiations, having been assigned escort duty.
‘Of course, this is an important task as well.’
I asked about the current situation within the Alliance, their stance on the Holy Empire, and the general atmosphere.
“Besides the Horned Orcs joining the Alliance… the Holy Empire? They’re the scum of the continent. The Alliance hates them even more than before.”
I also inquired about dark elf necromancers, but as expected, there weren’t any skilled individuals.
The destruction of the Catacomb and the elves’ continued suppression had stifled the development of dark elven necromancy.
There were no new practitioners, and the existing ones had stagnated.
“Even those who remained after Yeriya-nim left either left the house or were killed by the elves.”
Untinia’s voice was filled with barely concealed hatred.
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