Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki

At first, upon entering this white room, "Me" began to request my assistance for someone, but stopped short. That one must have been Ashno.

「Today, I called you to make a request. If you are only interested in Erucy and your loved ones living in it, and you're willing to forget about everything else, use [Samsara Recursion] to call the destroyer of worlds, Gluttonous Silver Dragon, Falve.」

「With that, you can kill that child. Among those you can call now, Falve is the only one who can defeat that child.」

I swallowed hard.

Among those sealed within me, Falve was undoubtedly the strongest force, no questions asked.

It was an intelligent, 50-meter-long Silver Dragon, capable of consuming mana and utilizing super destructive breath attacks using mana's collapse phenomenon. It didn't rely on controlling mana but devoured it, making a high elf's complete dominion irrelevant.

「Calling Falve? That's too dangerous.」

The breath using mana's collapse phenomenon surpassed any magic in power, causing massive damage, it is classified not as anti-army but as anti-nation magic. I was so strong that fine control was impossible. Moreover, it destroyed the nearby mana, reducing the total mana in the world.

There were other problems as well. Calling such a creature would put a heavy toll on me. Even now, I could only hold it for two seconds. Using a soul of that rank and releasing in an instant a burst of so much magical power, would end in me being bedridden for a month, suffering from magical aftereffects and rendering me unable to use magic properly.

「Falve is a lesser evil compared to the five who are sealed. In the worst case, only a nation or two will fall. I'll cooperate with controlling it. I'll make sure you don’t suffer any aftereffects.」

In other words, even if “Me” cooperated, “Me” couldn't guarantee anything else.

「Falve is the easiest solution. But, if you have any sympathy for that child, I would like you to win against Ashno as Cyril and make her give up on me. Make her understand that Suzina no longer exists. For that, I'll unlock the method of fighting without using magic.」

Apart from complete dominion over attribute magic, high elves didn’t have other useful abilities for combat. Even if they controlled mana, you could counter it by destroying a large number of magic stones and using their stored magical power. In the meantime, it was possible to defeat the Empire's troops by engaging them in non-magic combat.

「You said ‘if possible'? Are you really okay with me using Falve to defeat Ashno?」

「It's sad, but I think that way could save her as well. Only we can put an end to that child.」

“Me” words carried various emotions.

「Can I ask three questions? According to my memory, that child is currently maintaining a barrier that suppresses erna. Are you sure it's okay to kill that child?」

「It's a minor issue. In about ten years, countless monsters will likely emerge. You remember what that child said, right? She said, ‘Dad broke his promise, so Ashno will do whatever she wants.' Since then, she probably hasn't been maintaining it, so it'll likely end the same way.」

「It's not a minor issue at all.」

In a world with mana, erna would appear, and erna would turn into monsters. That was common knowledge in many worlds. Suzina had erected a barrier to prevent that, and Ashno had been maintaining it. If such a thing suddenly appeared in a world without preparation for monsters, it would plunge the world into chaos.

「Second question. Did Ashno think of Suzina as her lover? Did you lay hands on your own daughter?」

「There's no way that happened. At most, it was a kiss.」

That was a relief. If “Me” were a pervert who laid hands on his own daughter, I wouldn't be able to cooperate due to the overwhelming disgust.

「Third question. Do you want Ashno to live?」

“Me” said that he wanted Ashno to be free, even if it meant release through death. I wanted to know “Me’s” true wish.

「Simply being alive is worse than being dead. I want that child to live with a smile. That's my wish as a parent.」

「I understand. Let's make a promise. I'll tell Ashno everything about me and then make a bet. If Erucy wins the next war, Ashno will give up on Suzina. If the Empire wins, I will destroy Cyril’s personality and will hand over my body to “Me”. This bet will be made with the use of Suzina's ‘Pledge' magic to enforce it. Based on what I've heard, Ashno is the type to accept this, and as long as she can't kill me, she can't refuse. After winning, I'll make her give up, and then I'll greet Ashno as Suzina's friend.」

「That's very kind of you.」

「Not really. I'll fight with all my might. But if things get dangerous, I'll call for Falve and have Ashno and the Empire's soldiers killed. That's the most I can do.」

I have a responsibility as Erucy's chief. In the end, I can't prioritize anything over Erucy. This is just my maximum effort with insurance.

「That's enough. Thank you.」

「No need for thanks. If it weren't for your assistance, I would have lost my most beloved person. So, this is my way of repaying “Me”. Besides, Suzina’s feelings leaked from  “Me”. Your feelings for Ashno made me do it.」

Compared to the favors, knowledge, and experience I've received so far, this is trivial.

「It's time. You're waking up. Goodbye.」

「I forgot to mention something. Please release Suzina's memories, if possible, I want some information about Ashno.」

「Unfortunately, I can't do that.」

「Why?」

「There are many things in this world that are better left unknown.」

And so, the conversation with “Me” that I hadn't seen in a long time ended.

I suddenly woke up.

I had fallen asleep with my face buried in the blueprints. My body felt strangely warm.

When I looked behind me, I saw a blanket had been draped over me.

「Lucy, did you put the blanket on me?」

「Yeah, I heard you were going to work here today, so I brought you some refreshments.」

「You should have woken me up.」

「You looked so comfortable sleeping. Were you having a good dream?」

「I wish it had been a good dream.」

As if that could be a good dream. My workload has increased significantly.

「Lucy, have Roleau and his squad returned already?」

I look outside, and the sun is beginning to set. It seems like I've been sleeping for quite a while.

「They're back. Everyone is safe, and the exchange went well.」

「Good. Then, I'm sorry to ask this right away, but could you call Roleau, Kurao, and Kuu to the village chief's meeting room?」

「What are you planning to do?」

「It's a strategy meeting for Erucy’s future. I want to do something a bit bold now that we have a friendly relationship with Erin.」

If my conversation with “Me” is true, there are many things we need to do right away. To do that, I need to give instructions as soon as possible.