“Yes, I guess I’ll be waiting around here.”
Repenhardt nodded weakly. Shaylene grinned.
“Let’s go together.”
“yes?”
“You’re the one who saved us. “If you don’t repay your benefactor, it will damage your clan’s honor.”
Reppenhardt was rather surprised by Shaylene’s words, which completely opened her heart.
“Is it okay to recklessly reveal the location of the hideout to others?”
“Because you can be trusted.”
Repenhardt clicked his tongue at Shaylene’s calm answer. Still, wouldn’t it be difficult if you were this lacking in vigilance? Shaylene shook her head at his question.
“If I take that child, it’s no different than if I take you.”
If Repenhardt acted like this with his slave to find out the elf village, whether he takes them both or just Siris, their hideout will be exposed anyway. So, as long as Siris is allowed, there is no reason why Repenhardt cannot go along as well.
“And anyway, even if we both refuse here, you will find our hiding place in no time.”
The Spellat Desert is too harsh a place for people to live. The places where people can live are extremely limited. And, as outsiders might not know, Siris spent his childhood here. If you remember just a little bit, you can quickly think of a place where the Danheim clan could hide out. In the first place, there are few places where elves can gather and hide.
After hearing all the explanations, Reppenhardt nodded with an understanding face.
“That’s a reasonable way of thinking.”
“Elves are always reasonable.”
Of course, humans still cannot be trusted. However, considering the situation, Shailen concluded that Reppenhardt and Siris could be trusted.
Unlike humans, elves move based on rational judgment rather than emotion. It was not at all strange that Shaylene, having grasped the situation, came to this conclusion.
“Then I guess we should get ready.”
Reppenhardt raised his right hand and gathered the camels. After using a light mind control spell, ten camels naturally lined up at Reppenhardt’s beckoning, as if following their trainer. The children were curious and walked around Leffenhardt.
“Let’s go, Laide, Netina.”
Shylene called the children and put them on the camel. The camel began to walk slowly. The elf children who rode a camel for the first time in their lives cheered. After making sure the children did not fall, Shaylene slowly approached Siris. She was walking silently near the center of the line.
“Serendy… … .”
“Are you acknowledging me now?”
Shaylene comforted her in a slightly strained voice.
“You would have done the same if you were in the same situation as me, right?”
“That’s right.”
Siris smiled softly and nodded. Shaylene apologized again and glanced behind her. She mumbled with a look on her face that showed she was amazed.
“You met a good person.”
“yes.”
Siris answered right away. Although the situation was complicated, there was no denying that I was lucky to have met Reppenhardt.
“He is a really good person.”
“okay… … .”
Shaylene nodded with an understanding expression.
“Because you told me your name.”
“yes?”
For a moment, Siris looked at Shaylene in confusion. Shaylene shrugged her shoulders.
“Is that so? “Did I call you by your real name earlier?”
“ah… … .”
Siris’ complexion hardened. She remembered a conversation she had just had, something she hadn’t even noticed.
Leffenhardt spoke clearly.
-Do whatever you want. Siris, no, Serendi el Arelpiana.
spoke clearly. She was her original name, a name she couldn’t even remember, so she couldn’t have said it out loud.
‘how… … How did this happen… … .’
My mind is confused. Shaylene looked at her dazed and worried as she looked at her face.
“huh? “Why are you doing this, Serendi?”
“… … “Oh, no.”
Siris shook her head and looked away. It was something she couldn’t even explain to herself. She didn’t want to bring up that topic with Shaylene. Siris glanced behind her. Reppenhardt can be seen trudging along from a little distance away. Right now, she desperately wanted to rush over and find out the whole story, but… … .
‘You won’t answer anyway… … .’
After fighting like that, I don’t really feel like talking. Siris buried her doubts in her heart and started walking again. The camel caravan slowly began heading west across the desert.
2
There is a large valley about 15 kilometers away from Deryu Elde, the village of the Danheim clan. A dry canyon where life is hard to find, like a scar on the earth between the endless wilderness.
The Danheim clan was currently hiding in the canyon.
Having lost most of their clan in a large-scale slave hunt 50 years ago, they realized that they needed a separate hideout to avoid repeating that nightmare, so they prepared a separate hideout in this canyon.
Tents made of animal skins and gumbul are located here and there between the steep cliffs on the left and right sides of the canyon. In various places along the narrow road between them, defensive positions made of shiny bricks have been built. It was a glassy brick made by melting sand. All of this was disguised so that you wouldn’t notice it unless you looked closely.
This canyon, which is completely invisible from a distance and is made up of loose sandstone with steep cliffs, was truly a fortress made of heaven. In fact, if the conditions were right, the village might have been moved here.
The reason it couldn’t be done was simple.
“I’m running out of water, Elder Relhad.”
Inside a crude tent made of animal skins and swords, a white-blond-haired young elf was looking embarrassed at a middle-aged elf. The middle-aged elf, Relhard, closed his eyes and nodded.
“I guess so.”
Relhad, who turned three hundred and forty-three years old this year, was the eldest and head of the Danheim clan. Although he was old enough by long-living elf standards, his appearance did not look much different from that of a human in his early 40s.
A human would be amazed to see Relhard maintaining this appearance even as he becomes an old man, but in fact, elves maintain their youthful appearance after becoming adults until their death, so in reality, there is no such thing as an old person. The fact that an ageless elf now looks middle-aged is a clear example of how difficult it is for them to live in this harsh remote area.
Relhard sighed and asked the elf in front of him.
“How long can you last with the remaining water?”
“Even if you use it sparingly, about a day is the limit.”
This was why this canyon was no more than a hiding place.
There is no water here.
Of course, the Danheim clan also built a separate water storage facility. Just because it’s a desert doesn’t mean it doesn’t rain all year long. Sometimes the desert can pour down frighteningly heavy rain. The problem with so-called sudden downpours is that they occur only a few times a year, and the dry desert cannot retain moisture no matter how much rain falls. It cannot be preserved unless a separate storage facility is created.
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Although the amount of water stored in the water storage can’t be used for farming, it was enough to quench one’s thirst while hiding in a hiding place. Of course, since it is stagnant water for a long time, it becomes quite polluted when left unattended, but if you filter the water through desert sand and receive the blessing of the spirits, it can be purified to a level where it can be used as drinking water. However, at most, it was only enough for about 200 people to use for about a week. This means that it is only used for drinking water. It is absolutely not at a level where one can lead a daily life.
“Have those sent as scouts returned?”
“Yes, after looking around carefully, it appears that the humans have given up on further exploration and have gone back.”
The wrinkles of agony that appeared between Relhard’s eyebrows became deeper. he asked again.
“Have the bodies of the clan’s warriors been recovered?”
The noble warriors who stayed in the village and sacrificed their lives to protect their clans cannot allow their bodies to become food for beasts. The young elf nodded with a gloomy face.
“Everyone is sleeping under the desert sand.”
“I hope Ragel takes their souls and places them in the spirit’s arms.”
Repeating the name of Ragel, the spirit of fire, Relhad prayed to the souls of the dead warriors. And he was worried.
“then… … For now, can we say it is safe? … .”
“I can’t stay here any longer anyway. “If we have any remaining stamina to return to the village, water is now our limit.”
In order to return to the village from here, you must cross the huge river of quicksand in the middle. Adults may not know this, but it is a very difficult journey for children. If we wait any longer, there may be more children dying.
In the end, Relhard expressed his consent.
“… … Let’s go back this evening when the sun begins to set. “Tell me to get ready.”
“Yes, Elder.”
The young elf bowed his head and walked out of the tent. Relhad was distraught and raised his head to look into space.
‘What should I do?’
I was worried.
‘I can’t live in the village forever with my location discovered… … .’
Since the location of the village became known 50 years ago, the number of raids by slave hunters has already exceeded double digits. Thanks to regular evacuation training and hiding places, there were no urgent cases like that one, leading to a situation of extinction, but each time, the precious women and children of the clan were lost little by little.
Some kind of solution was needed. Continuing to live like this in a place whose location is already known would be nothing but suicide.
‘But the problem is that there is no other place to live.’
The Danheim clan’s village cannot be the only oasis in the Spellat Desert. However, all of the oases that were worth living in were already occupied by human nomads. However, I couldn’t go any deeper here. Even further west, deep in the Spellat Desert, there is an oasis, but there are formidable monsters that the Danheim clan’s power cannot deal with. Even now, only half of the children born have reached adulthood, and if you go further into the remote area, the Danheim clan will gradually die even if there is no human attack.
This hideout was the final limit of the Danheim clan. If you retreat further than this, even survival becomes impossible. But that doesn’t mean there is another way.
“Eldia, please make way… … .”
Lelhad lamented as he called out the name of Eldia, the goddess of the elves. Of course, Eldia did not answer. Eldia, who had already lost the World Tree and Elvenheim, could not provide any helping hand to her children.
It was then that the old elf, Relhad, let out a deep sigh.
“hmm?”
Relhad perked up his pointed ears. For some reason, it was noisy outside.
For a moment, his expression became scary.
“no way!”
Has the location of this hideout been discovered by humans? He was surprised and lifted the sword that had been left by his side. And with breakneck speed he ran out of the tent.
☆ ☆ ☆
At the entrance to the canyon, on the narrow mound overlooking the wilderness, dozens of elves were already waiting, armed. Metal was rare in the desert, and there were only about a dozen elves with iron swords, and most of them were holding bone swords or spears made from animal bones.
The High Elves, who once boasted elegance and nobility, are now wearing animal skins and wielding animal bones. It would be truly deplorable for anyone who remembers the old days. Of course, no one in the world lives long enough to remember those long ago times.
Relhad ran quickly along the narrow path and came to the entrance of the canyon. Then he looked down and looked perplexed for a moment.
“What the hell is that?”
In the wilderness below the canyon, there was a group leading ten camels. The one in the lead was a woman of an unmistakable clan, with platinum hair, brown skin, and pointed ears. In addition, there were two children riding on the camel’s back. These are all people that Relhard knows well.
“Shylene? And Netina and Laide too?”
Are they alive? Of course, if that were all there was to be such a fuss, there would be no way. No, there would have been a commotion. A clamor of joy happily welcoming the returning family.
But behind them, standing an elf girl who was clearly a human slave, and a large human youth who seemed a bit too big for a human. I really understood why the other elves were confused. I can’t figure out why something like that happened.
Seeing Relhad’s puzzled appearance, Shaylene walked away with a smile on her face.
“Lelhard!”
At that time, one of the canyon elves screamed.
“Don’t come any closer!”
At the same time, several elves were swinging slings made of animal skin.
Hehehe!
Something flew one after another and landed near Shaylene. From a considerable distance, it was clear that it was only a threat and not aimed. So even though Siris was on alert, she did not respond right away. She didn’t feel bad or anything. Honestly, I would have been disappointed if they hadn’t been on guard.
Siris suddenly tilted his head as he looked down at the projectile that had flown nearby. She was in a sling and I thought she just threw a rock or something… …
“Not metal, not stone… … .”
The projectile that flew in did not have the characteristic luster of metal. However, it feels too smooth and strangely transparent to be a stone. Reppenhardt spoke to her privately and answered her questions.
“I melted sand and made a sling bullet out of glass.”
“ah… … .”
