Nameless King

"Amazing. How we got here." Ern shook his head as he took a sip of tea.

They were seated in the house around a large round table. Alas' arguments were convincing enough to get them from battle to conversation.

"You saved these people from the monsters, that's for sure, the town was only partially damaged, but why tie them up? What was the point of that? Now you look like invaders, not saviors." Wain asked.

"Well... It was a revelation to me that these people had never seen Elves before. They were as afraid of us as they were of monsters, it's hard to have any conversation in that environment, so I decided to tie them up. They won't be able to escape, which means the interrogation will go a lot faster."

"Okay, that actually makes sense, but what were you going to do next?"

"I haven't decided yet, but the main option was to fortify this town and make these people our allies." Alas said calmly.

"You are unusual Elves, are you not?" Ern asked.

"Yes. You could call us nomads. During the Merger of Worlds, we found ourselves in open country, but it wasn't a problem for us, we never lingered anywhere. Our group is called Green Leaf. We figured this town would be a good base in the current situation. Moreover, it's a pretty good place."

"So you want to work with the humans?"

"Not really. More like just live in the same town, they're weak and can't help us with anything, but we're interested in learning more about them. Basically, it's barter, information for protection." Alas waved a hand.

"Tell me what you are looking for?" Erza asked.

"As I said earlier, it's none of your business." Alas said seriously.

"Come on, we get it anyway." Ern smiled, "You're trying to learn something from these people about the Forgotten Forest of Elves, right?"

Alas' eyes went wide as he stared at Ern. He didn't understand how they knew about the Forgotten Forest. Only a few Elves knew of this place who managed to find ancient records and mentions.

"I understand that you are shocked, but we have a proposition for you. We will help you get to the Forgotten Forest, in return, you will tell us why you are looking for this place, and we will take full ownership of the place with you. You dare not harm people, and you must develop this town." Ern put his hands together.

Wain and Erza looked at him, they hadn't talked it over, so Ern improvised.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Negotiating is my pride." Ern smirked.

"Okay... Anyway... It's done now. There's no going back." Wain sighed.

"How do you know about the Forgotten Forest? It is the Elves' domain, in this case, you are outsiders." Alas asked seriously.

"We have a map. With its help, we can easily reach the Forgotten Forest. Apparently, you also know that the Forgotten Forest is somewhere nearby. So why are you looking for that place?"

"It's obvious. The Forgotten Forest is full of treasures, and what's more, every Elf wants to get there."

"You're going to tell that nonsense to someone else. Any hard-to-reach place has something of value. What's going on? Why did this map suddenly appear, and why did you start looking for the Forgotten Forest after all these years?" Ern muttered as he stared intently at Alas.

"Damn... I guess there's no hiding anything from you. Okay, I'll tell you more than I should, but first, we have to sign a treaty. If we're going to cooperate, I want it to be official." Alas sighed.

"Okay. There will be three of us on our side. Will you be alone?" Ern asked.

"Yes." Alas nodded.

"Then let's get started." Ern's ring glowed.

A scroll with unknown symbols appeared in his hand. He put it on the table and handed Alas a magic feather. After they discussed the terms, Wain, Ern, Erza, and Alas left a drop of their blood on the scroll.

"Okay, now let's get to it. The Elf community is extremely turbulent right now, all because the entrance to the Forgotten Forest has been unsealed, presumably after the Merger of Worlds."

"Yes... We thought of that too, for, before the Merger of Worlds, no one even knew the map existed, but now we have it in our hands." Ern smiled weakly.

"You must understand that you are not the only one with the map. I know that some High Elves have been able to figure out the supposed location of the Ancient Forest, it's going to be pretty crowded in general. You think there will be rare treasures, and in some ways, you're right, but you don't understand much."

Alas continued, "The main value of the Forgotten Forest is the Ancient Spirits, or rather their essences. Recently it was reported that the Forgotten Forest contains the Royal Spirit, as you understand, this is what started all the problems."

"The High Elves actually rule the life of the Elves. There are two Royal Families. For centuries, they kept the balance, no one could take all the power, but now everything has changed. The Royal Spirit is an opportunity for one Royal Family to suppress the other. When that happens, there will be a real collapse."

"Huh, as always, power is involved in everything, though that's normal. I take it you have a candidate you want to help win?" Ern asked.

"Something like that. One of the Royal Families appeals to me more. If possible, I'd like it to win." Alas nodded.

"Then I think it's settled. We'll help you reach your goal and take you to the Forgotten Forest. In return, you'll become our ally and help the people in this city." Ern uttered.

"Sounds good."

The atmosphere became calm for a while, everything was already decided, but suddenly dark threads of energy began to emanate from Wain.

"No, that's not what we're going to do." Wain said imperiously, "Alas, we will not help any of the Royal Families. It is not in our interest. You are a nomad, so you have a better option."

"What do you mean?"

Wain stood up as he stared at Alas, "You get the Royal Spirit."