Today, I teamed up with my old friend Gobkichi and ventured into the uncharted areas of the forest for some hunting. Then, in the late afternoon, we spotted twelve armed humans.
The humans, clad in dark camouflage coats, were cautiously advancing toward a region rumored to house an elven settlement. Though the humans moved at a decent pace, it seemed slow to us. We guessed they were likely a reconnaissance unit sent by the human army to gather intelligence on the elves for the imminent war.
We could have ignored them, but curiosity got the better of us, so we decided to track them instead.
One might think that two towering ogres, each over two and a half meters tall, would be too conspicuous to follow anyone without being noticed. Fortunately, Gobkichi and I have honed our hiding skills considerably—after all, we began hunting for sustenance when we were only four days old. Since then, we’ve perfected the art of reading our prey’s breath and launching surprise attacks from their blind spots, rather than charging in head-on. At this point, concealing our large ogre selves and staying unnoticed by our targets is a simple task.
Plus, I possess the Hiding ability, which means I can effortlessly support Gobkichi. There was no way this could go wrong. So, we silently followed the humans from behind as they quietly progressed through the forest, eventually reaching a path marked with elf footprints—evidence of frequent elven travel. It appeared to be the humans’ target destination, and they soon formed a U-shaped group around the path.
Each of them grasped a crossbow, one in hand and the other set on the ground for easy reach. Merging seamlessly with their surroundings, they moved almost without breathing, minimizing their movements. They were predators poised to strike, expertly hiding their presence.
Their hiding skills were impressive; their target could probably get very close without having any idea they were being watched. But this was still inferior to how well we, creatures of the wild, could hide.
The humans had positioned themselves so thoroughly that a surprise crossbow attack would almost certainly silence their targets. Since they each had two crossbows, they could fire both in quick succession before even engaging in close combat. Their preparations gave away their plan—it was exactly what I would have done in their place.
Elves typically preferred light, maneuverable leather armor, so it was unlikely they would be able to withstand a bolt from a crossbow capable of piercing metal armor… unless their leather armor was endowed with magic or they had some other magical protection. I doubted they were adequately prepared for an attack this close to their stronghold; the human army hadn’t yet launched a full-scale invasion of the forest.
What are these humans trying to do? To find out, I extended an invisible thread from my fingertips and used it to eavesdrop on their whispered conversation, much like a telephone made by connecting two cans together with a string.
[Eavesdropping activated!]
[Eavesdropping complete!]
According to the conversation I overheard, the humans had come to kidnap the beloved daughter of a certain elven chieftain. The elven settlement consisted of several clans, each led by a chieftain. To make important decisions, these leaders gathered on a council called the Round Table. It seemed that the chieftain in question was the current chairman of this council.
Normally, during times as dangerous as these, it would be unthinkable for such an important figure’s family to be outside the settlement. In this case, however, the chieftain’s beloved daughter had gone out to attend an elven festival called Arbel and was expected to pass through this area on her way back.
During Arbel, elves offered up rare fruit and crafted treasures, such as sacred swords, to a holy site known as the Spring of Spirits. A chosen elven maiden, the Priestess of Sahl, also performed a traditional dance to entertain the gods.
In a world where gods did indeed exist, such festivals hold immense importance. They can occasionally result in direct blessings from them, and they’re vital for ensuring the continued blessings of the forest as a whole. As residents of the forest, it’s an important event for us too.
It seemed the human army had chosen that moment to strike.
Based on what I’d learned, the humans planned to massacre the beloved daughter’s guards and the festival officials. To us, staining the return from a sacred festival with blood was tantamount to blasphemy against the gods, but I couldn’t fathom how the humans felt about it. I set that aside for the time being.
I learned something else from the humans’ conversation: there was clearly a traitor among the elves. While I couldn’t pinpoint the exact individual, this information was still undeniably extremely important.
Well, it’s not uncommon for people to betray their comrades for self-preservation when faced with annihilation. If the stakes are high, there will undoubtedly be more betrayals; though, to be honest, it doesn’t concern me much. Maybe an opportunity will arise for me to profit from this information, but that’s about it.
I had Gobkichi hunt a bit further away to keep from getting bored and instructed him to notify me through his ear cuff if anything changed. For the moment, I decided to continue observing the situation.