CHAPTER 6: KURO OF ARLES, DUKE OF MAVERNY

***The city of Cendorin, Cherwoods***

Amidst the lush greenery that was the Great Forests of Cherwoods lay the elf city of Cendorin. Situated at the interior of the elf realms, it was one of the cities immediately threatened by the advancing sands. However, another problem was looming on the horizon…

“We don’t want to leave! This is our home!”

“We ask your help to fight the sands! You are evicting us for that canal!”

“If those soldiers go past the city fences, we fight!”

The population of Cendorin stood between the center of their city and some of the elvish workers, out to demolish their settlement. Protecting the workers were the members of the Elf Saint’s Life Guards, as well as some token soldiers from the other elvish cities. The Grand Canal project was slowly but steady progressing, and Cendorin was on its way.

“I ask that your kin go around our city,” the lord of Cendorin city pleaded to the head of the project. “Your grand canal will be useless if our place would be destroyed. What’s the purpose of it then, should we die of starvation?”

The leader of the project reiterated, “Milord, we already have told you that we don’t plan on the complete destruction of Cendorin. We’ll have to cut through your farms, if you wish for the canal not to go through the city center.”

“We can’t afford to let go our farms! Where will we plant our crops? The sands are almost upon us, and only a few stretches of land are available for farming!”

“Where will you want us to go, then?”

“Can’t you turn around our place?”

The project leader refused. “We’ve been digging long enough, and already sacrificed a lot to accommodate your city’s request. Our orders from the Saint’s Tree is to continue digging to this site, because diverting it would be costly. If the population—you—will resist, then we have the discernment to possibly resort to heavy measures. You’re not the only ones who are giving more than what they have to so that this canal would be completed!”

“Aren’t you allowing yourselves be controlled by Her Holiness, and her snake of a human adviser? You’re relying too much on his wisdom! Where is your pride as an elf?”

“Do you think we still have time to think of our prides when those sands devour our land with every delay?” the project leader countered. “That human—though we hated asking for help—knew how to deal with our problem! I’d rather listen to him than allow my foolish pride to decide for me and the lives of my family!”

At that point, the lord of Cendorin pulled out his sword; his people followed suit, drawing their bows and preparing their arrows. “If you dare cross our boundaries,” he warned them, “then we shall be oath-bound to slay you and your kin! Tell that useless Saint inside her tree that if she intends for us to die, so be it!”

The project leader just shook his head and went back to the safety of his fellow workers’ lines. Then, when he was out of danger, it was the Life Guards who took over the ‘negotiations’ with the uncovering of their concealed catapults.

Sir Eldarv, the one overseeing the security operations, called out to the citizens of Cendorin. “One last chance, brothers and sisters! We implore you to avoid needless bloodshed; please surrender your lands!”

“If you say we are your brothers and sisters, then why kill us? Come and get our lands from our hands!”

“!!!” Suddenly, one of the catapults fired, much to Sir Eldarv’s surprise and confusion. It hit the wood fences surrounding Cendorin, killing and injuring a few of its people.

“Who fired that?” the Life Guard captain bellowed. “I didn’t give the order yet!”

However, his shouts fell to deaf ears, as soldiers began their assault, and the citizens of Cendorin fought back against their incursions. The other catapults followed suit, sending its heavy loads crashing through the elvish houses and the center of the settlement. Of course, the Cendorins were never intimidated; with their deadly-accurate arrow fire, they felled many of their enemies…mostly were the elvish workers far beyond the frontline.

“…”

Watching in horror right in the middle of the battle was Sir Eldarv. He couldn’t believe that an innocuous order from the human, Sir Kuro, would eventually lead to these deaths and widespread destruction.

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***The Saint’s Tree***

A servant of the Elf Saint ran across the wide palace façade, and into a smaller tree to the side of the main one. She had a letter in her hands, and an expression of terror and dismay was written on her face.

“!!!”

The maid didn’t even knock as she burst into the private quarters of the human adviser—actually, an elf in disguise, the Lord Gerard of Yusave. “Milord!” she cried out. “A great murder has happened in the city of Cendorin!”

Lord Gerard stood up and took the letter from the hands of the servant. As the full scope of death and destruction was made known to him, he fell to his chair, speechless. He did order the project leader and Sir Eldarv to do everything in their power to complete the Grand Canal project, including intimidating the resisting population. Time was of the essence, and if they delayed more, Cherwoods would turn into desert soon.

“Milord,” the servant was in tears. “This is a sacrilege to the words of Her Holiness! She didn’t want any blood of her kin be spilled!”

“I’ll ask Sir Eldarv about this,” he reassured her. “For now, we have to focus on completing the project even without Her Holiness’ guidance!”

The maid then bowed and exited. Left alone in his private chambers, the Lord Gerard of Yusave—or the Seductress inside his body, couldn’t help but smirk.

Yes…a few more of similar incidents like the one in Cendorin, and the Seductress’ powers will return once again…

The disguised elf then turned into one of the nearby mirrors, looking at the image of the man whom he was impersonating…

“Kuro of Arles, huh?” the Seductress muttered. “Gaius is stupid to rely on that man’s determination to carry on his will. Soon, he will learn of how weak the resolve of his fellow mortals. Those god-powers will be mine, and soon…”

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**Kuro**

“Good day, Your Holiness!” was my greeting to the Lady Hinwe the moment I saw her up and awake in their carriage. Long sleep had just ended, and we’re about to move to the next village we plan to visit.

“Ah, good day to you as well, Kuro!”

“So, how are the drawings?”

“Ptuu!!!”

One spit of wine back to my face was all it took for me to know that Her Lazy Holiness didn’t do anything at all. See, I commissioned her to do drawings for me, with the goal of using those in my realm. The purpose was to install signs and information bulletins with her artwork on it, obviously to subtly promote her, and rebuild her lost self-esteem. However…

“I asked Mea to buy me manga yesterday in Cherwind.”

“You asked your maid to cross borders and travel to Malvette just for a single manga?” I stared at her; I just couldn’t believe the Elf Saint’s ridiculous reason to send her servant for several miles away and into another realm just for her whims.

“W-Well…” she tried to hide her embarrassment. “…Mea’s the one to volunteer, so I took the opportunity. And also, uhm…well, she arrived late, that’s why I can’t create anything.”

“I see…so the manga is for?”

“I…” I noticed her pause; she didn’t know how to answer my question. Moreover, the Lady Hinwe was blushing terribly. “I…I-I asked her, uhm…because, erm…y’know…ideas.” Her voice went soft on the last word.

What? Is reading manga that embarrassing now? Cherseans don’t even know manga until recently, after the Beastmen kids in the exhibit display their samples!

“It’s hentai.”

I pretended not to hear it. “A-Ahem…so, err…” I was now the one who was put off my guard. “You, uh…are you looking for inspiration? Is that it?”

She nodded and nearly bellowed, “Yes! You’re an artist yourself! You know what I mean! The body! I need how certain poses should look like!”

I gave it a thought for a second. The Lady Hinwe said she needed some reference for the images I commissioned her to draw, but I did specifically tell her what those images should look like. Is she doing her own manga behind my back?

“Your Holi—”

“Kuro, there are things you better off not knowing,” the Elf Saint glared at me. “A lady’s got her secrets.”

“Indeed…” I decided not to pursue the matter for now. But if she did make her own manga behind my back, it would be good news! At least, there’s something ‘concrete’ we could encourage her to do. Anyway, I went back to the topic, “By the way, Your Holiness, asking you to make a character to be our fief’s official mascot ‘shouldn’t take a week’, so you say, right?”

“Yep.”

“And, uh, it’s already three weeks since that agreement.”

“It is?”

I grabbed a calendar and showed the date to her.

The Elf Saint then went on the defensive, “Hey, just to remind you, you’re the one who asked me to do it.”

“You agreed to accept, and with payment too,” I pointed out. “And also, you’re the one who told me it will take a week.”

“Kuh…” Her Lazy Holiness threw a glare to me; she’s cornered.

“Also, I already paid you in advance,” I added. “Don’t you think it’s time for you to deliver?”

“H-Hey! I’m trying, you know?” the Lady Hinwe replied. “It’s just that…well, I’m not cut out for this.”

“Milady…” I heaved a sigh. “I’m not mad at you, okay? I only want to say that you have talent, and you can’t have it if you’re not the ‘perfect fit’ for the job. Of course, we’re mortals and we have our own flaws, so it’s natural to have something to struggle about.”

“Eh, the Lord Gaius bestowed it to me,” she countered. “He put his hand over my head, then poof! I’m good at drawing that fast!”

I couldn’t help but think about the people who gave their all in perfecting their craft their whole lives, only for Gaius to invalidate them. Gaius…you’re unfair.

“I don’t even know why he did that!” Her Lazy Holiness added.

“We don’t know the heart of the Lord Gaius,” I replied. I would like to talk to him later after this; he kept on fucking up people with his irrational whims. “But maybe the Lord Gaius saw potential that you’d use what he has given you for the improvement of your realm.”

The Elf Saint fell silent, maybe because she was contemplating on my words. I gave her a tap on the shoulder, telling her,

“I’ll just change my clothes you drenched.”

“Sorry,” she flashed a mischievous smile to me.

----------

The next stop in our travels (as we toured and surveyed the land I inherited) was a village called New Elebor. Looking through the census records of the area revealed to me that it was a settlement populated largely by elves, descendants of the migrants from Cherwoods long ago. So, just for precaution, I had the Lady Hinwe left at the last village we visited (a human one), along with some of our paladin escorts and the Lady Meanor.

“…”

Honestly, Elebor was a name that had a special place in my heart. A close friend of mine, the mercenary leader of the Band of the Oak (now a peacekeeping force under the command of the Holy Palatial Gardens), Gryffith, was from that place…or that was what I remember from what Seirna said. He died fighting her zombies during the ‘Great Rising of the Undead’, and Elebor, as what I had read at the Tree Palace library, earned the grim distinction of being the first elf city to succumb to the advancing sands.

Perhaps the name ‘New Elebor’ was a reminder for its inhabitants and their children about their old home, realms apart from where they are now…

In any case, we reached the village around lunch time. The elves welcomed us the moment they saw our carriage on the dirt path that led to their place. Kids ran beside us, prompting us to take a walk up to the entrance of the settlement. Adults met with us halfway, with basketfuls of their produce given to our group. There were some who even went far by showering us with flower petals, while their village chief—a beautiful elf lady with golden hair and long flowing blue dress—waited at the entrance.

“She’s beautiful…” I heard Salis whisper.

“Your Grace, the Lord Kuro of Arles,” the village leader and the other elders bowed before me the moment we reached their spot. “I am Manahad, leader of New Elebor. As you can see, your faithful subjects can’t wait to see their new lord.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome!” I flashed my business-like smile, as always. However, I leaned forward to whisper, “Milady, can I ask you not to refer to yourselves as my ‘subjects’?”

The elf lady couldn’t hide her surprise at my request, “Hm? What are you saying, milord?”

“I would prefer that you refer to yourselves as my ‘citizens’. The word ‘subject’ is too much; you and your people are not under my mercy, which that word implies.”

Lady Manahad was confused, “I don’t understand, Your Grace! “We live in your lands, yet you don’t intend to rule over us?”

“I intend to lead, not to rule,” I clarified to her. “As long as you stay in this land, I’ll treat you as my equals.”

The village leader just gave me a long stare. Well, I guess I could explain to her the democratic principles for later. For now, we should get to the reason of our visit.

----------

After eating our lunch, the tour around New Elebor began. The village elders showed us their homes, their farms on the outskirts, and how they live off the land.

“Trees here in the human realms don’t speak,” the Lady Manahad explained. “As such, this place was chosen solely by the previous elders of New Elebor. They are the first-generation settlers of this land, our fathers and mothers.”

“What do you mean about the trees that talk, milady?” Her words piqued my interest, for I’ve seen movies and played games where trees speak and move like humans…especially that fantasy movie about nine people from different races traveling to some volcano to destroy a ring. If anything, I’d like to see a real talking tree!

“It’s not ‘talking’ in a human sense,” she chuckled, perhaps amused by my reactions. “We elves can communicate with the hearts of the trees back in Cherwoods. We know its desires, and its conditions. Hence, back in our old land, we can’t just build a city based on our whims and benefits; we ask for the trees’ permission to allow us to settle with them, and they bless the land.”

“Oh…” Well, though it’s not what I thought it was, that part was still interesting.

“Likewise…” there was a poignant look on Lady Manahad’s face. “We can’t just move out when we’re in danger. The trees that gave us shelter and food, they’re like a family to us. It’s painful to leave them to die alone…”

“I…I’m sorry for your loss…”

“Oh no!” the elf tried to smile, in a futile attempt to dissipate the sad atmosphere. “Milord, it’s way long ago in the past. We cannot do anything about it now!”

“It’s fine,” I reassured her. “I also lost friends; all of them are dear to me. But, in any case, let’s all live for their memory.”

“Yes, I agree with you, milord.”

“And for that, I’d like to know the problems here in your village.”

“Hm? The what, milord?”

“Problems…? Even the most minor?”

“My apologies, Your Grace,” the Lady Manahad chuckled once again. “We appreciate your concerns about us. And really, I don’t know what we did right, but we’re blessed by a succession of three righteous rulers recently; you, the previous viscount and his mother. You all loved your subjects—I mean, your citizens—like we are your family.”

“Ah, thank you!” Hearing those words made me feel like there were butterflies in my stomach. But honestly, I’d like to prove myself first, before I believe their words. I mean, I’m sure they have a favorable bias towards me because everyone in Chersea knows I’m a hero.

“Your Grace, please come with me,” the Lady Manahad took my hand and pulled me towards where she wanted me to go with her. “I think you’d like what you’ll see next.” Then, she winked at me, much to Salis and Eris’ shock.

----------

At the middle of the village was a large wooden house, similar to those longhouses seen from the Scandinavian history of my own world. Here in New Elebor, it was the biggest in the settlement. The Lady Manahad, along with some of the village elders, brought me there and asked me to wait by its grand doors.

“I’ll send someone to fetch you once it’s ready, milord,” she told me before disappearing inside.

So, I waited. The population of the village, though it was quite large, followed me everywhere, as if watching my every move. While I felt no hostility, their smiles and murmurs while their village leader and I talked made me a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps with all their attention focused on me, my introverted self was acting up again…

Yeah, I may look like a bloke, but I’m an introvert.

“…”

The children, while they were being allowed by the adults to loaf around, were being prevented by them to come near me. The adults themselves were keeping distance, though I could tell no sinister intent from them. Whenever I tried to maintain eye contact with anyone of them, they would quickly avert their eyes, as if they offended me for some reason. If there’s any word I could describe what they were ‘giving off’ towards me…

It’s ‘reverence’.

“…”

I hope I’m just overthinking things.

When I happened to look towards where Eris, Salis and the paladins were (as they were conducting their own surveys), I found they were being treated normally. The elves were chatting and laughing at them. Some kids, mesmerized by Salis’ beautiful wing feathers, would play with tag with her…some were pulling her wings to force her to run after them.

It’s only me who are accorded different treatment…

“Milord,” it was a village elder, who finally came by the door. “Please, you may enter now.”

So, with a bit of suspicion, I set foot inside the elvish ‘longhouse’. It was only when I was inside, and the elvish elders had shut the doors, that I realized…

“This is a temple!” I blurted out.

“Yes,” said the Lady Manahad, who stood at a dais at the other end of the hall. Behind her, wooden statues of eerily familiar figures were in place, and the one at the middle—the biggest among those—was something I couldn’t mistake for someone else.

“That’s me!” I cried out.

“Indeed, milord!” the village elders smiled with pride. “And you stand among the greatest of our gods, the Human Saint and the old hero, Lady Cassandra David. We bow with reverence and holy fear before you, our lord the God-King of the Beastmen, Kuro of Arles!”

----------

This is bad. Real bad.

“…”

‘Hahaha! You can’t run away from it, Kuro! You’re going to be a god soon!’

Shut up, Gaius! If you didn’t introduce the Lady Hinwe to anime and manga, then this will not happen!

‘Well, the elf girl needs a break! She’s been beaten emotionally, you know?’

Well, Gaius had a point. It’s not that I couldn’t understand the Lady Hinwe; it’s her ‘outlet’ of her frustrations. I guess, it’s better than having suicidal thoughts…

‘See? I win this time.’

I don’t intend to be a god. I never will!

‘Pfft! Hahahaha!’

Still, I should be thankful to Gaius. With him helping the Lady Hinwe cope with the stress of receiving harsh, and often unreasonable, criticisms, the Elf Saint got to live longer, and that led to her saving me from my dead and cold prison in Cherflammen. It seemed that I’d have to rethink of my strategy to get Her Lazy Holiness back on track, and become the Elf Saint she was before.

My plan was slow. If this continued, I would have my own church in no time.

“…”

And I didn’t want to usurp godly authorities from the saints. They were saints because they were trusted by the heavens. I was an educator, not some whacko of a pastor who thinks he’s some god who owned the universe.

‘That guy’s crazy, and a rapist. You, you’re the one who gets abused,’ Gaius pointed out. ‘Learn the difference.’

Well, thanks that you’re thinking of me that way. But yes, I needed to rethink of my strategy on how to get the Lady Hinwe worshipped by her own people once again.

“Kuro?” it was Eris. “Are you alright?”

“H-Huh?”

“You’re silent for a while now,” Salis told me. On her hands were reams of paper; I guess she was in the middle of discussing the results of her survey earlier, while we’re on our carriage on the way back to where the Elf Saint was staying. “You don’t feel sick?”

I shook my head. “There’s just something bothering me from the village of New Elebor.”

“And that is?”

“Remember that longhouse in the middle of the village?”

“Yep?”

“They made it into a temple dedicated for me.”

“Nice! At least you got your own place of worship,” Eris clapped her hands.

“I think you got it wrong,” I reiterated. “Dedicated for a religion where I’m the god.”

The girls exchanged dumbfounded looks before Salis asked, “The elves?”

“They even made an idol in my image.”

“Oh dear…”

“If this continues, our plan of having the Lady Hinwe back as the Elf Saint of her people would fail.”

I nodded, and admitted, “I’m out of ideas on how to deal with this. I can’t just ban it, for the elves—whom we’re trying to convince to our cause—might get angry. I also can’t let it go on, for—as we all know—I will end up worshipped instead of her. Besides, I have no plans to usurp what the heavens decreed. And I’m no living god, either.”

There was silence inside the carriage. Eris, Salis and I were all thinking of steps on how to deal with this problem with my ‘religion’. The stillness continued for a few moments until…

“Hmm…” the owl-girl then suggested, “…how about you play god then?”

“We’re trying to avoid that,” Eris pointed out. “If Kuro keeps on impressing the elves, soon they’ll spread his worship and all our plans would be for naught.”

“Well, it’s precisely what we’re aiming for,” Salis replied. “Kuro needs to impress them, so that the elves would continue to worship and believe him.”

“And?”

“And, when they believe him unconditionally, then he can tell the elves, ‘worship the Lady Hinwe, you fools!’, and poof! Problem solved!”

“That’s ridiculous,” the duchess countered. “In the first place, it’s their loss of faith in Her Holiness that led them to search for another ‘god’ to worship. And with the heroics of the Lord Kuro…it’s no wonder why they see him as someone way beyond what is natural.”

“Actually, Eris,” I finally had an epiphany. “I think Salis’ suggestion can work. See, while they worship me, we can work to ‘redirect’ that ‘worship’ and ‘belief’ towards the Lady Hinwe. All we have to do is to repeat what you guys did in promoting my story before; let’s disseminate similar stories about the Elf Saint.”

“That’s the problem, Kuro,” Eris pointed out. “Your stories are true and many experienced it and its results, which makes your heroics easy for the people to believe. However, if we just ‘create’ stories for the sake of it, we’ll have difficulty in convincing them!”

“Right, that’s why, we need to get the Lady Hinwe back to her usual self,” Salis added.

“Got a plan in mind, Kuro?”

I paused for a few moments to collect my thoughts, then revealed, “I have one in mind…though I’m not sure if it will be completely successful. In any case, I guess it’s worth the shot, compared to doing nothing at all.”