The Mad Dog of the Duke's Estate
Chapter 189. Aileen (1)

Chapter 189. Aileen (1)

The tiger clan reinforcements didn't take long to reach the village of Nenya. The good news was that they weren't the only ones who had arrived.

"Caron, greet our guest. This is Laputa, the chieftain of the feline clan," Taiga said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," the feline chieftain said. "I am Laputa."

"I am Caron Leston," Caron introduced himself.

It wasn't just the feline clan, who historically had strained relations with the tiger clan. Warriors from various tribes had gathered here.

There were more reinforcements than Caron had expected. Their numbers easily exceeded one thousand.

"We brought only the finest warriors from each tribe, so we should be able to hold our ground," Tauga, the tiger clan's chieftain, said while clapping Caron lightly on the back. "Just in case, we also brought plenty of provisions.

"It has been nearly a century since the beastfolk have come together like this. This is all thanks to you, Caron," Tauga added.

Caron chuckled and asked, "Didn't you have to pull some strings to make this happen, Chieftain?"

At that, Laputa, the feline chieftain, said in a sharp tone, "There's no way those tiger clan brutes could have convinced us. We are merely repaying our debt. Caron Leston, you once saved a child of our tribe."

"That's how it is," Tauga mused.

"You two don't seem to get along very well," Caron observed.

"For now, at least," Laputa admitted. "We have been rivals for a long time."

Among the beastfolk, the feline clan and the tiger clan formed the most dominant factions.

"Technically, aren't they both cats? I don't get why they dislike each other so much," Guillotine said.

You always hate the ones most similar to you, Caron answered internally.

"...Is that so?" Guillotine replied.

The sudden arrival of the beastfolk left the villagers bewildered. However, as the warriors distributed the supplies they'd brought, the tension eased somewhat.

Nenya had been isolated by the dark elves, leaving its people short on food and essentials. Now, the beastfolk were alleviating that hardship, and the elves had no choice but to welcome their help. After all, it was the beastfolk who had come to their aid.

"We have had some dealings with elves before, so many of our kin speak their language," Tauga remarked.

"That's a relief," Caron said. "Until a moment ago, the elves were terrified."

"Why?" Tauga asked.

"I overheard something... Apparently, since I'm human, they thought I might sell the entire village into slavery or something," Caron said, shaking his head. "I mean, they've seen my face. How could they still think that? Doesn't that sound ridiculous?"

"...Definitely," Tauga mused. "Elves do have a good eye for things. Their judgment is usually spot on."

"...Pardon?" Caron asked.

"You thieving bastard. My daughter—" Tauga began, but was cut off.

"That was Leo, not me!" Caron interrupted.

...Anyway.

Thanks to the beastfolk's proactive relief efforts, the villagers' expressions began to soften.

Tauga smirked slightly before turning his gaze to the old elf collapsed at Caron's feet. He asked, "Was it Rakaon?"

It seemed Tauga was familiar with the elder.

"Do you know each other?" Caron asked.

"I've met him twice," Tauga said. "So, he turned out to be a traitor?"

"Yes," Caron replied.

"Tsk tsk," Tauga responded.

Thud!

Tauga mercilessly drove his foot into Rakaon's stomach. The old elf groaned as he tumbled across the ground.

Just as Tauga was about to continue his ruthless assault, Caron raised a hand to stop him and said, "He's still useful. It'd be inconvenient if you killed him now."

"Do you know how the tiger clan deals with traitors?" Tauga growled.

"Hm, I'm not sure," Caron replied.

"We flay them alive and hang their bodies at the village entrance," Tauga said grimly. "Betraying our own wasn't enough for this bastard, so he sold his people to the enemy? I should tear him limb from li—"

"...Dad," Adina interjected. "Anyone listening to you would think we're savages."

Even Tauga, who feared nothing, hesitated at his daughter's words. He quickly swallowed his rage.

"Grrr..." Tauga let out a low growl, like a beast suppressing its instincts.

Laputa, who had been watching with disdain, clicked his tongue and muttered, "Savage tiger clan brutes."

"Hah. A coward like you sure has a lot to say," Tauga shot back.

The way they bickered suited them. It was like animals engaged in a territorial battle.

"Let's get down to business," Caron said casually, glancing between the two.

At his words, both chieftains stopped arguing and turned their gazes toward him at the same time.

"As of now, the dark elves are preparing for the siege of Aileen," Caron continued.

Among the crucial pieces of information extracted from Motsbi's mind was intelligence regarding this upcoming battle.

"The dark elves number five thousand in total. They've gathered all their forces with the intent to bring Aileen down," Caron explained.

By human standards, this was an insufficient force for a siege. But that was only by human standards.

Each dark elf was a magic wielder. More importantly, they had originated from the corrupted elves of the Eastern Great Forest, granting them superlative magical abilities.

"They've conscripted anyone they could corrupt, so the overall quality of their troops isn't particularly high," Caron added.

Even those who were no different from ordinary civilians had been forced into their ranks. Naturally, they weren't elite soldiers.

But elves, as a race, were naturally superior to humans in combat. And more concerning than anything else was the monstrous evil behind them.

"The force behind them has been revealed to be the Demon King of Sloth," Caron declared.

A Demon King was directly exerting influence over the dark elves. The moment a Demon King's involvement was confirmed, no one could predict how the war would unfold. After all, the Demon Kings were beings that existed far beyond the realm of common sense.

"... I've never heard of a Demon King appearing in my lifetime," Laputa muttered, shaking his head.

"I understand how difficult this is to believe," Caron said.

"No. I do not doubt your words, Caron Leston," Laputa said firmly. "You are an honorable warrior. You have no reason to lie in this situation."

"For a cat, you're making a rare bit of sense," Tauga remarked. "Caron, I think the same as Laputa. So tell us your plan. The beastfolk will follow your lead."

It was a full commitment of support.

Caron gave the two chieftains a respectful nod in gratitude before saying, "I plan to head for Aileen."

Laputa frowned and said, "...I heard it's already surrounded. Do you intend to break through the dark elves?"

"Of course not. I'm not that reckless," Caron replied.

"Then how?" Laputa asked.

"Well, someone left a shortcut for me," Caron answered, then smirked and gestured toward Rakaon with his chin.

The greedy old elf was a creature so consumed by his own avarice that he had even sold out his own kin. And true to his nature, he had prepared an escape route for when the dark elves inevitably discarded him.

"About an hour's walk south of the village, there's a magic circle," Caron began.

It was a teleportation circle leading directly to Aileen. However, it wasn't large. At best, it could transport five people. And it was a single-use spell. Rakaon had set it up that way to prevent the dark elves from following him if he ever needed to flee.

"My plan is to use that magic circle to enter Aileen and make contact with the elves' High Elder," Caron continued.

Just as the Southern Great Forest had its regent, the Eastern Great Forest had its High Elder, the leader of the elves who governed the Eastern Great Forest. Caron intended to meet with him.

"I've already established contact with Aileen. Of course, I wasn't able to use a secure line, so the dark elves must have overheard. The moment we leave the village, they'll come after us," Caron said.

"So you want us to clear a path to the magic circle," Tauga said.

"Exactly," Caron answered.

"That won't be difficult. We'll handle it," Tauga said. "Alright, Caron. Once you meet with the High Elder, what's next? Do we beastfolk strike the dark elves from behind?"

At the question, Caron let out a quiet sigh. Then, in a low voice, he answered, "No. From this point on, only the two of you can know the plan."

The Demon King of Sloth had made a direct move. By this point, it was already too late to lead the beastfolk into the siege of Aileen.

Caron had held a long and serious discussion with the regent about the Demon King's true intentions. And in the end, they had reached a single conclusion.

"The elves of the Eastern Great Forest will lose this war. That means we must... destroy the World Tree's sapling," Caron declared.

The sapling was the Demon King's most likely target. It had to be uprooted before he could corrupt it.

Tauga stared at Caron in silence for a long time, perhaps because of how shocking his words were.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Caron asked.

Tauga shook his head as if it were nothing.

"Just thinking this might be the last time I see your face," Tauga said. "Hmph. Aside from your personality, you were a fine student. There are many ways to throw your life away, but this is a new one. Ah, and one more thing."

"Go ahead," Caron said.

"Don't take my daughter with you. If you're going to die, you and your cousin can go ahead and do that. Understood?" Tauga said.

To the elves of the Eastern Great Forest, the World Tree's sapling was no different from the World Tree itself.

Charging into a blazing fire covered in oil would give Caron a better chance of survival. Had anyone else suggested such a thing, they would have been dismissed as mad.

But this one is different, Tauga thought.

He knew that Caron was undoubtedly serious. There was nothing strange about a madman speaking madness.

"We need to move quickly before the dark elves arrive," Caron said. "Let's go, chieftains. Adina, you're coming, right?"

"Of course," Adina answered.

"Adina! Do not follow that lunatic!" Tauga warned.

With everything in Nenya Village settled, there was only one thing left to do was to head for Aileen.

And so, Caron and his party set off for their next destination without hesitation.

***

Aileen was the elven city located at the farthest eastern edge of the Eastern Great Forest. Built alongside a beautiful lake, it was an exceptionally breathtaking city. Towering structures stood proudly, raised through advanced magic. Magical lights glowed across the city, reflecting off the lake's surface and creating a mystical landscape.

But despite the city's beauty, the faces of its citizens were all shadowed with unease. That was because the dark elves' army had drawn close, not far from the city's borders.

In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Renda, a mage of the Aileen Council, stood before a magic circle.

"Who in the world would..." Renda muttered.

This magic circle was a teleportation circle. One hour earlier, Renda had received an order from the High Elder.

"Guests will be arriving. Go and activate the emergency teleportation circle in advance. And if a connection request comes from Nenya Village, accept it immediately."

Nenya Village was a remote settlement at the far western edge of the Eastern Great Forest, a place now presumed to be under dark elf control.

Renda wondered what kind of guests could possibly be coming from there. The order made little sense, but he carried it out without question.

I have to focus, Renda thought.

Dark elves could interfere at any moment. One mistake, and the teleportation circle could become an open gateway for them.

So Renda sharpened his senses, pouring all his concentration into the spell.

After some time passed...

Whoosh!

The magic circle flickered as a signal came through.

Renda swiftly analyzed it, concluding, These coordinates are from the southern part of Nenya Village.

It seemed the guests the High Elder had mentioned had finally arrived. Nodding slightly, Renda activated the connection.

Flash!

A sphere of light formed above the magic circle.

Moments later...

Whoosh!

The sphere shifted into the shape of a door, which meant that the teleportation had been successfully established.

"Everyone, be ready," Renda ordered.

As he stepped back and gathered his mana, the guards around him raised their bows, aiming at the portal. In case dark elves came through instead, they had to be prepared.

The tension in the underground chamber thickened.

"Someone's coming—" Renda began, but was interrupted as a shadow flickered across the portal.

Boom!

Someone tumbled down miserably through the door that appeared above the magic circle, crashing to the ground. The figure had blood-soaked blond hair and armor riddled with arrows.

But what truly caught Renda's attention was their round ears.

"...A human?" Renda murmured.

Such round ears belonged distinctly to humans.

Renda wondered if this human was the guest the High Elder had spoken of. But he had no time to dwell on the thought.

"Ugh, is this one too old? Can't even block arrows properly," a voice grumbled.

"Argh!"

"I almost got my neck pierced, you piece of trash!" another voice snapped.

Another human stepped through the portal. An old elf was slung over his back, his pointed ears unmistakable. Unlike the human, who seemed unscathed, the elder's back was riddled with dark elf arrows.

It was a scene too incriminating to ignore.

Renda, filled with fury at the sight of his wounded kin, roared, "You wretch! You used one of our kind as a shield?!"

Renda couldn't imagine what kind of monstrous human would do such a thing as using a living elf as cover against enemy fire. But what enraged him even more was the man's sheer audacity.

"Oh, this?" the human replied casually as he dumped the old elf on the ground. He continued, "The dark elves were lined up right outside the teleportation circle. Thought I'd use a shield. Want to borrow him? He's pretty effective."

Then with a smirk, the man tightened his grip on the hilt of a deep blue sword and said, "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Caron Leston. I've come to meet the High Elder. Would you mind showing me the way?"

He swung his sword lightly, still smiling.

That moment was when the walking disaster of the Ducal Family of Leston, Caron Leston, arrived in Aileen.