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Chapter 195: The Queen of the High Elves (3)
"...Is it true?"
Arkamis’s face twisted as she rushed up belatedly to grasp the situation.
"All he did was expand his presence?"
"Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds."
Arkamis and Karin were discussing Ketal alone.
Ketal wasn’t present because Karin had told him to rest.
Ketal insisted it wasn’t necessary, but her firm attitude left him no choice but to comply.
"How is this possible...?"
Arkamis was dumbfounded.
She had been in the sacred grounds, so she experienced the impact of Ketal’s expanded presence directly.
In that moment, she felt as if her breath had stopped.
She was like a mouse in front of a cat, her entire body stiffened.
She could barely blink and her limbs trembled.
Even someone as powerful as her struggled to cope with the pressure.
Initially, she had mistaken it for the descent of a spirit god, just like Karin had.
The immense pressure that covered the entire sacred grounds.
It was hard to believe that this was merely the result of expanding his presence.
"...Is he really human?"
Even Arkamis, who knew Ketal well, started to have doubts.
He was far stronger than she had estimated.
Karin gave a bitter smile.
"I don't think so either... but he insists on claiming he’s human, so I can't really argue."
"It doesn't make sense. At that level, isn't he stronger than Her Majesty?"
"That’s..."
No.
I am stronger.
Karin couldn’t say that.
She already lacked confidence, and what Ketal had just shown made her even more unsure.
"...I won't be outmatched."
Ketal’s individual presence was much higher than hers, the Queen of the High Elves.
She couldn't deny that fact.
However, just because someone’s presence was high didn’t mean their strength equaled that presence.
Even the legendary emperor was just a frail human.
"He doesn’t possess power that matches his presence."
Of course, he wasn’t weak.
Someone who could suppress the entire sacred grounds with presence alone couldn’t be weak.
But Ketal’s strength seemed more like he was wielding his presence recklessly.
He didn’t possess power that matched his presence.
In contrast, she was a hero among the strong.
She could interfere with the laws and principles of the world.
This was a power Ketal did not possess.
"I won’t lose. ...Probably."
Karin’s voice lacked conviction as she spoke.
Arkamis was shocked by her attitude.
It was the first time she had seen Karin so lacking in confidence.
She swallowed hard.
"...Then what if Ketal gains the mysteries and learns to wield them?"
If he wasn’t limited by his physical body.
If he transcended that and began to wield the great mysteries of the world.
If he started to handle power that matched his presence.
"...It would be a disaster."
"...Right?"
‘Did I perhaps create a monster?’
Arkamis swallowed.
She had helped Ketal realize the mysteries.
The thought that she might have created an irreversible monster sent chills down her spine.
However, this didn’t change her attitude toward Ketal.
It was too late to fear him now, after all their long relationship.
She just realized and respected his power.
Karin had gently explained to the elves of the sacred grounds, so there was no confusion.
Karin warned Ketal.
"Please refrain from expanding your presence. It frightens the elves."
"I apologize. I was curious to see if it was possible."
"Is that so...."
He did it just because he could.
Karin shook her head.
After that, Ketal continued to contain his presence.
Spending all his time on it, the speed was incredibly fast.
Three days later, Ketal’s presence had significantly decreased.
Now, when he toured the sacred grounds, the elves kept their distance but didn’t flee.
Ketal was deeply moved by the change and invested even more time into it.
Around that time, a horn sounded.
A beautiful yet tense horn sound like a song.
Karin and Arkamis's expressions changed.
"This is..."
"They’ve finally come. Those loathsome ones."
"What’s happening?"
"Enemies."
Karin said, her eyes sinking coldly, different from when she faced Ketal or Arkamis.
"The dark magicians have begun their attack. Just when I thought they were gone, they were preparing."
"Hoo."
"I'll take care of it quickly, so please wait."
Karin was about to descend when Ketal stopped her.
"May I come along too?"
"Huh? I don't mind, but..."
"Then let me join you. I might be of some help."
"Oh. Thank you."
Ketal followed Karin with a cheerful smile.
It was the first time he would see the power of a hero-level warrior.
His face was filled with anticipation.
Outside the sacred grounds, the elves were on guard.
They smiled brightly when they saw Karin.
"Your Majesty!"
"You've come!"
"Ah..."
They hesitated for a moment when they saw Ketal.
However, unlike before, they didn’t seem too bothered.
Ketal’s presence had diminished significantly.
Ketal felt pleased by their changed reactions.
But one elf was startled at the sight of Ketal.
"Ah!"
"Hmm? Oh! Parco! It's you!"
It was Parco, the High Elf knight who had come to take Arkamis away.
Ketal approached with a friendly face.
Parco’s face turned pale.
"Do you know each other?"
"We met when he came to take Arkamis. We had a light sparring session."
"...A light sparring session."
‘Doesn’t seem like it,’
Thought Karin, as Parco looked like he had seen the Grim Reaper.
Ketal smiled warmly.
"I heard you granted my request. I am truly grateful. If you ever need anything from me, just let me know. I'll do my best to help."
"Y-yes..."
Parco responded in a dying voice.
If he could, he would have begged Ketal to pretend he didn’t know him.
But he was too scared to say it out loud.
Karin snapped out of her thoughts and focused.
"What's going on?"
"The dark magicians have started their invasion."
[Uoooo!]
[Kaaar!]
Monsters were running through the forest.
Ketal murmured.
"There are many."
Tall trees were being knocked down and broken by the massive monsters.
The number was enough to clear the forest area.
There were at least over a hundred.
And it wasn’t just the number that was alarming.
Among the approaching monsters, Ketal noticed some particularly powerful ones, similar to those he had seen at the sacred grounds of Kalosia.
The individual strength of the monsters was considerable.
There were also many first-rate monsters.
Several dark magicians were riding on the backs of the monsters, leading them.
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There seemed to be superhuman-level dark magicians among them.
This attack was twice as powerful as the total assault on Kalosia’s sacred grounds.
And that wasn’t the end.
"They’ve even started a fire."
The forest was burning.
At first glance, it was clear that this wasn’t an ordinary flame.
It was burning the vegetation at a very fast rate, growing larger as it spread.
At this speed, it wouldn’t be long before the entire forest was consumed.
The fire was advancing rapidly with the monsters.
The dark magicians and monsters were advancing along with the fire.
It was a very tricky situation.
If the fire wasn’t dealt with quickly, it would spread uncontrollably.
But dealing with the fire would mean the monsters and dark magicians would interfere.
Their attack was filled with a resolve to burn the forest down even if they were annihilated.
"Elves!"
The superhuman-level dark magician at the front shouted with a face full of madness.
"Your forest will burn and disappear!"
His expression showed a resolve for death.
There was no sign of retreat, so they had to be completely defeated.
Given the number and strength of the monsters and dark magicians, it wouldn’t be easy.
Time would inevitably be dragged out, increasing the likelihood of the forest burning.
They had to stop the dark magicians' attack and deal with the fire.
It was clearly a disadvantageous situation for the elves.
But Karin laughed.
"Haha! Hahahahaha!"
Her laughter, full of mockery, echoed through the forest.
"How dare you. Verminous rats of evil. I'll commend you for breaking through our barrier, but you think you can attack our land with just this? Have you sold your brains to the demons too?"
Her voice was extremely cold.
Ketal whistled softly.
Both Arkamis and Karin occasionally showed their temper.
'High Elves have quite the temper.'
"Yes, you want to burn our forest, don't you? You're even willing to give up your lives for it. How admirable."
Karin praised the resolve of the dark magicians.
She raised her hand.
"Then what will you do about this?"
With those words, a strange wind gathered behind Karin.
Ketal's expression changed.
"Hmm?"
A massive wind was accumulating behind Karin, so much so that even he could feel it.
Although the wind itself wasn't visible, it formed a shape.
'...A spirit?'
Snap.
Karin snapped her fingers.
Simultaneously, the wind blew.
It was a very gentle, soothing breeze.
Ketal's eyes widened.
At that moment, he was expanding his senses throughout the entire forest.
Because of this, he could tell.
All the air in the vicinity was being controlled by Karin.
The wind that had spread throughout the forest stopped moving in an instant.
Huff.
The fire went out.
"...Huh?"
The dark magicians, who had been charging with madness in their eyes, hesitated.
The fire, which had been spreading to burn the entire forest, disappeared without a trace.
Not even a single ember remained.
"W-what?"
"U-uh..."
"Your attempt to burn our forest has failed. So, what will you do now?"
"W-we..."
The dark magician hastily tried to turn around.
Karin laughed.
"Trying to run away?"
Snap.
She snapped her fingers again.
As the wind blew once more, the dark magicians and monsters stopped moving.
No, they didn't just stop.
Their bodies were slowly lifted into the air.
The dark magician widened his eyes and tried to resist.
"T-this can't be!"
No matter how much dark energy he gathered and wielded, nothing happened.
No, to be precise, dark energy was being released, but it had no effect.
It was as if the environment itself had changed.
The superhuman dark magician could do nothing but flail like a helpless child.
"You can't run away now. So, what will you do?"
"U-uh..."
"Can't do anything? Then die."
Snap.
With a cold voice and another snap of her fingers, the dark magicians and monsters were crushed.
The wind itself compressed them into a spherical shape.
Karin casually waved her hand.
The compressed bodies scattered and disappeared into the wind.
Nothing was left.
Only the trees felled by the monsters and some charred vegetation remained.
If those traces were gone, one might believe nothing had happened at all.
The desperate attack of over a hundred high-ranking monsters and a superhuman dark magician ended with just three snaps of her fingers.
The elves stared at Karin with astonished expressions.
Karin smiled gently.
"It's all over. You can go back to your duties."
"Ah... yes."
The elves swallowed hard and nodded.
* * *
The dark magicians' desperate attack ended so futilely.
The elves praised the queen's power and majesty with great admiration.
And Ketal was no different.
"Amazing! Truly amazing!"
"R-really?"
"Absolutely! You're incredibly strong! It's astonishing!"
Ketal was genuinely impressed.
The power Karin had just displayed exceeded his expectations.
Everything ended with just three snaps of her fingers.
That was something even Ketal couldn't do.
Although he was undoubtedly strong, his strength was limited to his physical body.
He could have beaten all the monsters and blown away the fire with a powerful wind, but it would have devastated the forest in the process.
He couldn't handle it as cleanly as Karin did.
Moreover, the monsters and dark magicians couldn't put up any resistance.
It was an overwhelming difference in power.
'This is the queen of the High Elves.'
A hero-class warrior who had made a pact with the Spirit King, one of the world's greatest.
It was a power that elicited admiration.
Ketal continually praised Karin's feat, which felt incredibly awkward to her.
'...Why is someone who has accomplished more than I have acting like this?'
Ketal's presence was far greater than hers.
What he had achieved was incomparable to her own feats.
It felt very strange for someone like Ketal to be praising her.
"When you manifested your power, I felt a great wind gather behind you. Was that the power of the Spirit King?"
"Yes. I have made a pact with the Spirit King of the Wind."
"Oh. So that was it. The wind of the entire forest moved at your command. You probably extinguished the fire by cutting off its oxygen supply. You perfectly immobilized the dark magicians and monsters with the wind. It was like witnessing the authority of nature itself."
"You have a keen understanding. Thank you."
Ketal's eyes sparkled.
"Could I perhaps experience a fragment of that power myself?"
"No, I don't want to."
"I see..."
When Karin firmly refused to spar, Ketal looked disappointed.
His reaction, like that of a child, left Karin a bit speechless.
He was beyond her understanding in many ways.
Ketal continued to seek opportunities to spar with Karin.
However, each time, Karin, with almost ghostly intuition, avoided him, so his attempts were always thwarted.
After some time had passed, Ketal finally succeeded in completely containing his presence.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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