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[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 182 - Kirrin’s Black Forest (5)
There was just one problem.
I had no idea where the Nemara Forest was.
Even the Great Forest of the pureblood elves kept its location hidden from outsiders.
But at least with the Great Forest, the sheer size of the trees made it somewhat obvious.
Dark elves, on the other hand, weren’t so easy to track.
From the outside, their forests looked no different from any other woodland—
It was only inside that their distinct black trees became visible.
That’s why their territory was known as the Black Forest.
And since dark elves avoided outside contact at all costs, their forests were always hidden in the most remote, inaccessible places.
Even the few known entry points were filled with deadly traps, ensuring that anyone foolish enough to approach would never return.
Honestly, it was better not to ever get involved with dark elves.
During the Four-Year War, they sided with the Demon King’s army—
And considering their skills, they might as well have been born to be assassins.
Kirrin was only tolerable because she was a half-blood, which meant the dark elf aura around her was weaker.
But even she could kill an untrained human in an instant if she wanted to.
So what did that say about full-blooded dark elves?
At least, the ones I fought during the war had all been like that.
The Nemara clan probably wasn’t much different.
Sure, they betrayed the Demon King and allied with the human coalition near the end of the war—
But that had been a calculated move.
If the Demon King had been winning, the Nemara wouldn’t have switched sides at all.
Their leader—Kirrin’s father—had gambled his clan’s fate on the humans’ victory.
Not out of loyalty, or any sense of justice, but because it benefited him.
That’s why, despite saving the Emperor’s life, the dark elves still couldn’t openly enter human cities.
The high-ranking officials in the Imperial Palace knew the Nemara hadn’t changed out of goodwill—so they had blocked any attempt to integrate them into society.
But none of that mattered right now.
The only thing that mattered was—
Where the hell was the Nemara Black Forest?
"Ahhh! What happened here?!"
A scream rang out.
The academy staff had finally come running after the commotion.
Their eyes darted between the shattered pavement, the wrecked flowerbeds, and the gaping hole in the Headmaster’s office wall.
For the administrators responsible for the academy’s maintenance, this scene must have looked like absolute hell.
"Professor Dian! What happened?!"
"Ran into a monster."
I wasn’t about to tell them I’d just been fighting Kirrin’s siblings.
"M-Monster…? No way…"
"It must’ve wandered in since the academy’s quiet during break. Probably thought it was an abandoned house. Smelled the fried chicken and came running. But don’t worry, I chased it off."
"Oh, thank goodness… If you hadn’t been here, we’d be in serious trouble…"
One of them glanced at the scattered chicken pieces on the ground and nodded as if that explained everything.
"By the way, does anyone know where Headmaster Kirrin was born?"
"...You’re asking that now?"
The staff exchanged confused glances.
"Well… Her last name is Nemara, so I guess she’s from the Nemara Clan?"
"But dark elves live in forests, right? So, Nemara Forest?"
"Where is that, exactly?"
"No idea. Never heard of it."
Looks like they didn’t know.
Time to ask someone else.
# # # # #
"The Nemara Black Forest?"
Ismera shook her head.
"No clue. If it were the Great Forest, maybe. But the Black Forest? No one knows where that is. And after the war, they relocated somewhere else entirely."
"Figures. Is there anyone who would know?"
"Maybe the Head Theory Professor? But—"
Ismera grabbed my hand.
"You still haven’t found Headmaster Kirrin, have you?"
"No. That’s why I’m trying to go to her home. Something’s up."
"...I see. Then go talk to Professor Kaiden."
I went to Kaiden, but his answer wasn’t any more helpful.
"The dark elf forests can’t be found with magic. From the outside, they look just like any other forest. You can’t exactly scan every forest on the continent, either. And there’s no guarantee it’s even within imperial territory."
"What about that thermal detection spell you used before?"
"Not feasible. At the altitude needed to scan multiple forests, I wouldn’t be able to distinguish dark elves from wild animals. And if I lowered the range enough to differentiate them, it would take far too long."
So Kaiden was out.
I gathered the professors next, hoping someone might have heard something during the war.
"If a mere professor at this academy knew the location of a dark elf’s Black Forest, then it wouldn’t be a Black Forest anymore."
No luck.
Guess I’d have to go to Linus.
Not that I expected him to know, either—
"I don’t know."
As expected, Linus shook his head. Celine was the same.
"But why are you looking for the Nemara Black Forest?"
I told him about Kirrin’s disappearance and the sudden attack by her siblings.
Linus stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"That is… unusual. You know as well as I do—dark elves don’t move unless there’s money involved."
"So someone paid them to capture me? They weren’t trying to kill me."
"And who would do that? You think too highly of yourself."
Yeah, fair point.
Right now, I wasn’t exactly important enough for someone to put a hit on me.
I was just the Head Combat Professor of an academy, nothing more.
And anyone who did know who I really was—
Wouldn’t be dumb enough to send a half-baked hit squad after me.
…Unless it was the Emperor?
That old bastard probably still resented me for rejecting every single reward he ever offered.
Cowardly, greedy, and scheming—
I wouldn’t put it past him.
I needed to go to the Imperial Palace anyway.
Might as well ask the Second Princess if she knew where the Nemara Black Forest was.
If anyone had that information, it would be the intelligence division.
The empire wouldn’t leave its only allied dark elf clan unmonitored.
…Now that I thought about it, the Second Princess was one of the few people I could actually talk to without holding back.
There were my old squadmates, Ismera—and then her.
Funny. I never expected us to have much interaction outside of the academy.
Well, no use overthinking it.
Time to head back to the Imperial Palace.
# # # #
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace—
A group of analysts had been debating Dian’s strange words all night.
"Why did he specifically mention two fried chickens? It has to symbolize the two main factions of the empire!"
"Then which factions? The imperial family and the noble council? The old and new regimes? And what about the fact that they were packaged?"
"Maybe he’s saying the empire should unite both sides in harmony."
"Or maybe he’s suggesting she take control of everything."
No progress had been made.
If it had been a complex cipher, they might have cracked it—
But Dian’s words were filled with metaphors and implications, making interpretation impossible.
Had he meant to warn against rash decisions?
Was he urging an overwhelming display of power?
Or had it simply meant, ‘Don’t piss me off with unnecessary trouble.’
"It won’t be easy to figure out."
The knight beside the Second Princess sighed.
She nodded.
"Dian isn’t someone who speaks lightly. He never says anything without purpose."
Just then—
The door opened, and she froze.
"Your Highness."
Dian stood in the doorway.
"Do you know where the Nemara Black Forest is?"
The knight’s face paled.
"H-How did you—?"
This was the imperial intelligence division’s most secure cryptanalysis chamber—
Buried deep within the palace.
Even high-ranking ministers needed clearance to enter.
Yet Dian was standing right there.
At that moment, the Second Princess finally understood…
Why the Emperor had spent the last ten years unable to sleep at night.
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[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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