The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 157
Needless to say, part of the reason Leiard became a “fake elf” was because of the events involving the Grove of the Village Shrine at that time. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated at being called derogatory names.
“I’ve heard that the Porcelain Elves in particular are very obsessed with bloodlines…”
Depending on the clan their parents belonged to, the half-elves were also divided into white, pale, and wheat-skinned groups. However, because their numbers were few and they are discriminated against in the Republic, their cohesion is tight regardless of their skin color.
Practically all the half-elves are gathered under Leiard, which shows the high level of camaraderie among them. To begin with, he was the one who had the most privileged upbringing among the half-elves born in the early days.
Leiard’s mother, a Porcelain Elf called Eleanor, was bought as a concubine by his father, a great nobleman, because of her beauty. And although this was how they met, his father loved his mother dearly and raised Leiard as the next head of the family despite all the opposition.
Unfortunately, even though his father’s love for his wife and child was genuine, his mother Eleanor could not accept his affection and died of illness…
In any case, Leiard was fortunate to become the head of a powerful house in the aristocracy, so he either bought or hired half-elves who were in harsh conditions at the time. As a result, a total of more than 250 half-elves and quarter-Elves are gathered under him.
And because they lived a long life, many of them have taken advantage of their strengths to take important positions in the Republic. Another one of them was Ragiel, the 2nd Division Commander of the Republic Army, who came along thanks to the appointment of Leiard, the special envoy who had full authority over the expedition.
“The deadline is the day after tomorrow, but I wonder what kind of response our messengers would bring us? What do you think, Master Leiard?”
By the way, the younger generation of half-elves who were taken in by Leiard are all under his tutelage, so many of them use the honorific title of “Master” in informal settings.
“Considering the report from Merida, I’d say nine out of ten would refuse.”
“Thought so.”
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them, and the two turned around to see an Obsidian half-elf with wheat-colored skin and silver hair approaching them.
“How is Elwind doing?”
“There hasn’t been anything of note so far, so it seems that our warning not to make any poor decisions seems to be effective.”
Leiard nodded to the response and reminded the younger elf after some thought,
“While there might be a low chance that the barriers will become fully operational soon, the possibility is still there, so please be careful.”
“Yes, leave it to me! Oh, Master, how about a drink after all this is over?”
After welcoming the Scoutmaster Merida who flirtatiously tilted her head, the Republican envoy gazed out from the encampment into the depths of the forest where the city of Elwind was located and let out a light sigh.
(…If we are going to do this, we must do it with the least amount of sacrifice.)
The significance of the World Tree in the Republic is so great that they were prepared to use forceful means as necessary.
In addition to its financial value as one of the sources of the Republic’s national budget, it was also valued as the nation’s symbol. Moreover, the fact that the Republic is the only country in the west that could produce the resources derived from the World Tree is also significant and helps them gain an advantage in diplomatic relations.
So if the tree were to die, it would certainly be a factor in the decline of their motherland.
……………
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In the early hours of the morning, the Prime Minister and his daughter, and the World Tree Priestess Listy were all gathered in the spacious private chambers of Queen Aristia, holding documents prepared by the bureaucrats and discussing them.
“In particular, this reopening of diplomatic relations is a problem…”
“Yes, it might be unusual, but I agree with your father on this one.”
“… Although it was my own fault that caused the political unrest, the problem is deeply rooted in the concepts that originally flowed from the Philland Republic 600 years ago.”
Thanks to the efforts of the coalition of the moderate and conservative reformists, the revolutionary tone that resulted in violence had died down, but the gap caused by the dispute between the Obsidian Elf clans who sought to gain more rights and the Porcelain Elves who were the ruling class was too deep to be settled overnight.
