I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 90

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (91)

A week had passed since the marquis’s visit. The marquis was so happy about his contract with Elena that he could hardly contain his excitement even as he was leaving.

After that.

Ethan spent a frantic week. He had to finish his last preparations before leaving.

He looked at the knights training in the training ground.

Nerian, the former commander of the knights, and Raymond, the commander of the 1st squad.

The two were exchanging swordplay as if in actual combat, smiling at each other.

When they first met.

The knights who had once looked down on the former Dragon Slayers were now completely different.

Through repeated joint training, the knights’ prejudices toward each other’s abilities disappeared, and the knight corps was perfectly united.

Everyone now had a passion and determination that was different from the past.

“The system is more or less complete.”

After about two weeks of training camp, they would move to their assigned areas.

Nerian, the knight commander.

He had appointed Myers as the deputy commander of the order.

If Myers could learn a lot from the experienced Nerian,

he planned to promote him to the commander of the Dragon Slayer Corps in the future.

The basic framework had been established, so the experienced Nerian would be able to organize the knights well.

“The internal affairs are more or less settled.”

Before going to retrieve the branches of the World Tree.

Finally, he received a report from Silvia.

As he was reading through it.

He found an interesting phrase written on the document.

The necessity of a military organization connected to an intelligence organization.

“Are you planning to train assassins?”

“Yes. Until now, we have been operating Black Moon and utilizing the Assassins for military matters, but knights and assassins are fundamentally different in their behavior.”

“That’s true.”

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“That’s why we want to train assassins. There is no other profession as useful as them for assassinating important figures and secretly protecting intelligence agents.”

“Assassins…”

Come to think of it.

There was a fairly famous assassin group in my past life.

The Black Society.

It was one of the organizations that had ties with the Gong family long ago.

I knew where they were.

Their headquarters was in Carmen, a lawless city in the western part of the kingdom.

Unless their past had changed and they had moved their headquarters, they would still be active there.

“It’s on the way back.”

He thought he could meet with the Black Society then.

Ethan looked at Silvia.

“Is it necessary right now?”

“No, but I’m thinking of cultivating such an organization in the future.”

“I think I can help you with that.”

“Do you know of any such organizations?”

“Have you heard of the Black Society?”

“I’ve only heard rumors. I hear they’re a group of assassins with considerable firepower…”

“Take a look into Carmen. That’s where their headquarters are.”

Silvia nodded.

Her master seemed to want to absorb the Black Society. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lit up like that.

“Understood. May I contact you when the Grand Duke returns?”

“Yes.”

She knew that the Black Society’s headquarters was in Carmen, but she didn’t know exactly where in the city it was located. A skilled strategist would be able to pinpoint the location.

“Oh, here.”

“Is that a communication crystal?”

“Yes.”

She needed something that would allow her to communicate immediately in case something happened while she was away.

What Ethan handed him was a high-quality crystal ball that could connect to places far away.

“Thank you. I will contact you if anything happens.”

“Yes.”

After his conversation with Silvia ended, he immediately went to find Ilia.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course. I’ve taken care of everything from drinking water to food and blankets for a comfortable night’s sleep. It’s all in this magic bag.”

He was quite a capable porter.

Ethan nodded.

“Then let’s get going.”

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The two climbed into the luxurious carriage bearing the coat of arms of the Duke’s family.

Soon, the carriage began to leave the inner city.

* *

It had been nearly two weeks since the carriage had set out. Perhaps because of the duke’s crest, no one stopped the carriage.

“We’ll arrive sooner than expected.”

Ethan looked at the scenery outside. Originally, they had planned to take a month to reach the Great Mountain Range.

“Leave it to me.”

As Ilia cast all kinds of magic spells on the horses, the pace of the journey quickened.

A grand magician.

He was definitely very useful.

“We’ll be there tomorrow.”

They would be able to cut the month-long journey down to half a month.

Ilia, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, looked at Ethan.

The past two weeks.

The journey had been nothing but silence. The duke in front of him had been meditating with his eyes closed in the carriage all day, saying he wanted to train on the way.

“It’s time to eat.”

“Yes.”

“Is that so?”

“Sleep well.”

These were all the words the duke had spoken over the past two weeks.

Naturally, Ilia also fell silent.

That was why she couldn’t help but welcome the duke’s words that broke the silence. Ilia pricked up her ears and looked at Ethan.

“Hmm. Are you bored?”

“You look bored.”

“I am not bored at all. Silence is golden.”

“Is that so?”

Seeing him about to sit cross-legged again without a moment’s hesitation, Ilia hurriedly spoke up.

“Ahem! It won’t be long before we meet the elves.”

Ethan smiled at her bright eyes.

Maybe it’s because she’s only lived in the dungeon.

When she was a child, it was easy to read her actions.

I’ve sorted out my thoughts.

I think it’s okay to ask her what I’ve been wondering about.

“How did you become friends with the elves?”

“A long time ago, I saved an elf child. I brought the child back to my tribe, and that’s how we became friends.”

“Hm.”

Saving a single elf child was not enough to obtain a branch of the World Tree.

It was a treasure possessed by the great tribes.

“I should start by striking up a conversation.”

Through Ilia, he could open the door to communication with the closed-off elves.

For now, he would have to be satisfied with that.

Just then,

Ilia revealed her chest and showed a triumphant expression.

“Hm. There’s no need to worry about a mere branch. If I visit them and say a word, the elves will be eager to give me the branch.”

“…Are you that close to them?”

Seeing the archmage so confident, there must be something going on.

Ilia’s ears pricked up at the curious question.

“Ahem! Listen carefully. The child I saved was a descendant of the High Elves.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t know that.

Ethan’s eyes lit up.

High Elves.

They were leaders found in large elf tribes.

They were precious beings that existed only one in a tribe of thousands.

High elves had the power to nurture the World Tree.

If he saved such a being.

“It will be much easier to obtain a branch of the World Tree than I thought.”

If we mention the debt from the past, they might give us a thick branch or two.

The World Tree was just a tree, after all, and it wouldn’t die just because we took a branch.

“That’s good.”

“It’s more than good. I’ve done something amazing.”

Normally, when humans visited the forest, the elves would aim their bows at them first.

They were creatures that wielded spirits and possessed their own power.

It was not easy to get a branch from such creatures.

“If you can get the branch easily, as you say, I will give you a reward when I return.”

“A reward?”

“Yes.”

“What will you give me?”

“I will grant you one wish.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes.”

“All right! I will trust you.”

Ilya said with sparkling eyes.

One day later.

The two entered the mountain range.

*

“Didn’t I tell you to trust me?”

“Huh? This can’t be…”

A week had passed since they entered the mountain range.

And now, the two were surrounded by dozens of elves.

They were a group of elves with sharp arrowheads aimed at them. Their eyes were all shining fiercely.

Ilia shouted urgently.

“You bastards! How many times have I told you that I saved the High Elf Irina! Can’t you see the handkerchief she gave me herself? We have a deep friendship!”

“I told you not to move! We’re trying to verify the truth, so wait!”

Ethan quietly watched the scene. Ever since they entered the mountains three days ago, the elves had begun to lurk around.

In just a week, they had led hundreds of their kind and completely surrounded them.

“What is this?”

No matter how closed off the elves were, they weren’t a race that would send hundreds of people just to capture two humans.

Their caution was excessive for just two people.

It was as if…

“They seem to have been properly dealt with by humans.”

If that wasn’t the case, there would be no reason for them to be so cautious.

Ethan stepped forward.

“Don’t move…”

“I am Ethan, head of the Ardan family.”

When he took out his identity card, the elves’ eyes lit up.

“…Ardan?”

The hostility that had been rising from them began to subside in an instant.

Fifteen years ago, the dragon tribe had invaded their tribe.

The power of the dragon tribe was so great that even the protection of the World Tree could not stop them.

If they had stayed in the Great Mountains for just one more month, the entire tribe would have been destroyed. However, what they feared did not happen.

This was because one of the royal families defeated the dragon tribe, and the entire dragon tribe retreated from the Western Continent.

It was impossible not to know the name of that family.

“It was definitely… Ardan.”

Ardan.

A family with a crest made of golden flames.

The head of such a family was someone who had done them an immeasurable favor.

“…Put down your bows.”

At the commander’s words, the elves began to lower their bows one by one.

It was at that moment.

Several elves began to run from afar. They moved cautiously, as if escorting someone.

“Not bad.”

There were nearly ten of them.

Their skill level was quite high. They were close to six-star knights in human terms.

And the last one.

He had a prayer comparable to that of a 7-star knight.

It seemed as if he had almost reached the end of his prayer.

“Lady Irina has arrived!”

The elves quickly cleared a path.

A single elf with snow-white skin appeared between the elves, who had parted like the sea.

“Irina!”

“My goodness! It really is you, Ilia!”

The two embraced each other tightly, as if they were long-lost family members.

Soon after, Irina looked at Ethan with a stern expression.

“…Who are you?”

“Irina. This is my colleague. He is also the head of the Ardan family…”

“…The Ardan family?”

The high elf pricked up her ears and her eyes lit up.

“The family that fought a war against the dragon tribe… Is that right?”

Ethan nodded.

“I am honored to meet you.”

The high elf knelt down with her eyes shining. As the representative of her tribe, she was paying the highest respect.

“Benefactor?”

“If the duke’s family hadn’t driven the dragon tribe out of the kingdom, our tribe would have been destroyed.”

“Hm.”

It seemed that the dragon tribe of the past had come after not only humans but also elves. That must be why the high elf said that.

“If that is the case, then the Duke’s family must be considered our benefactors. Is there a reason you have come here?” “I would like to obtain a branch from the World Tree. Is that possible?”

“A branch…”

Irena’s face darkened in an instant.

“Is there a problem?”

“…I would like to give it to you right away, but… it will be difficult at this time. We are under threat. The World Tree is a sacred object that protects us from such threats…”

Threats.

Even though he seemed to like the name Ardan, he said it would be difficult to give him the branch.

‘The enemy must be quite formidable.’

If even one branch of the World Tree were to be taken, they would immediately face direct danger.

“Who is threatening you?”

“…Humans.”

“If you give me the branch, I’ll take care of them. Is that acceptable?”

If they couldn’t bring the branch because of some worthless scum, the solution was simple. Just wipe them all out.