The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Kwaang!

Kurrurung.

Swaaaack!

Whenever Raul moved, various elemental traps were triggered, shaking the surroundings.

‘I thought I’d come back here someday, but I didn’t expect it to be now.’

Taking strides of over ten meters at a time, Raul moved forward. The elemental traps around him were blocked by his psychokinetic barrier, causing no harm.

A few days ago, after occupying the imperial city, The dwarves had unconditionally agreed to the three conditions set forth by Raul.

Rare materials like demonic horns were handed over to the dwarf artisans, and they agreed to a non-aggression pact and periodic trade with the territories affiliated with the First Knight Order.

The problem was the last condition, Regnator.

Chief Taro carefully examined Regnator and said, “For some reason unknown, it seems to have sealed itself to protect from an enormous shock. Though some stages of the seal have been undone, two still remain.”

“Is there any way to unseal it?”

“Hmmm. It would be difficult to break the final seal, but I think I can undo one of them. However, I need something…”

To break Regnator’s seal, something was required. To find it, Raul had once again visited the Eastern Forbidden Elemental Jungle.

‘Since I’m here, I might as well…’

I should also take care of the long-standing task. The problem was the Elemental Jungle controlled by elves and the empire. It was impossible to get what he wanted without getting entangled with them.

And dealing with elves was a completely different level of difficulty compared to coaxing dwarves. At least the dwarves were open to dialogue with humans, but the elves viewed humans as if they were repulsive creatures.

‘I have to approach it differently.’

In his past life, humans who had direct conversations with elves were really few and far between. Only those with extraordinary affinity, like a spiritist, or a saintess blessed by the gods could face the elves…

‘Well, I do have someone in mind for both cases.’

A few years ago, when Raul first visited the free city of Mira, he rescued Nakia’s younger sister, Niki. She possessed insane talent with an SS-grade potential, and she was currently flourishing as an intermediate summoner.

Considering her ability to bond with spirit beasts and spirits, she could communicate with elves.

‘But not now.’

Raul still saw her as a child (17 years old), so bringing her to a battlefield or dangerous place was out of the question. It was something to consider if genuine interaction with the elves began later.

Another candidate. If it were a saintess blessed by the gods, there was the priestess Kiera, who was with the hero’s party. Since she owed Raul a debt, she wouldn’t refuse his request for help.

‘It’s said she’s currently on a special mission assigned by the church.’

There was no certainty as to when he could contact her and bring her along. Despite not having either of the two with him, there was a reason Raul boldly ventured into the Elemental Jungle.

“Is it alright to be showing yourself so openly like this?”

Normally concealed, Rabel was sitting on Raul’s shoulder, looking around.

“What are you worried about? By now, anyone who needs to know already knows you and I are together. And no matter how aggressive the elves are, would they dare attack you?”

“That’s true. We’ve been close for so long. Honestly, if I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have believed elves could be so aggressive.”

The Eastern Forbidden Elemental Jungle. In ancient times, its cohabitants were the elves and fairies. The elves loved the forest and nature.

The fairies were born from the forest and nature. It was only natural that the two would become friendly neighbors. And their mingling was not just because they complemented each other well.

The two primary elements of the Elemental Jungle were the World Tree, which was essentially the forest itself. And the spirits, which could be considered as the personification of elements.

The elves, as forest guardians, nurtured the World Tree, and the fairies loved the fruits from the Spirit Tree derived from the World Tree’s roots.

The spirits, which materialized through the Spirit Tree, formed contracts or increased affinity with the elves through the mediation of the fairies.

In reality, the race with the highest affinity for spirits was not the elves but the fairies.

Grrrr.

Flame-covered fire wolves opened their jaws and approached Raul.

But.

“Shoo, go away.”

Upon Rabel’s single utterance, they tucked their tails, turned around with a pitiable expression, and left. After that, various spirit-possessed elemental monsters blocked Raul’s path, but Rabel’s gestures resolved everything.

Even the once-menacing Elemental Jungle was nothing more than a stroll path for Raul. If he had borrowed Rabel’s power during his visit last year, the quest would have been much easier.

‘Back then, I came in the guise of Bae Dohyun.’

Moreover, other players were watching. There was no need to reveal her presence. But now things were entirely different. He had to showcase her presence. And the effect was undeniable.

‘Confused, aren’t you? Now, what will you do?’

Raul smiled, recalling the presences he sensed around him.

*

“What should we do?”

Tuduk.

An elf drew his bowstring taut and asked. A female elf warrior with long green braids grabbed his arm and shook her head.

“We can’t attack. No matter the reason she’s with that vile human, we can’t aim our bows at the Fairy Queen.”

“But Ames-nim. If we leave it as is, that human might approach the World Tree.”

Despite this, the elf war leader Ames ultimately halted the attack.

“Handling one human is no big deal. He’s probably just a servant of the Fairy Queen. This might actually work out well. The elders have been eagerly searching for the Fairy Queen.”

“Huu, if you say so.”

The young male elf eventually lowered his bow. The thought of a filthy human stepping into their forbidden zone filled him with disgust…

‘But we do need the help of the fairies. The elders will take care of this.’

Thus, Raul and Rabel were able to approach the center of the Elemental Jungle, where the roots of the World Tree lay, without any obstacles.

Of course, they did not end up seeing the World Tree itself. Right in front of the barrier protecting the World Tree, There was already a formidable high elf, several elven elders, and hundreds of elven warriors forming a barricade.

Creeeak.

No words were exchanged. The elves merely pressed Raul by drawing their bows, summoning numerous spirits and spells. Raul, not wishing to provoke the elves’ emotions, stopped at a reasonable distance.

「I’ll leave it to you.」

「Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.」

Raul already knew what issues the elves had and what they needed. He had informed Rabel of this, so Raul did not need to speak directly with the elves.

“It has indeed been many long years. Fairy Queen Rivalina Eriot Merdianne.”

“Who are you? How do you know my name?”

Rabel, who had left Raul’s shoulder and now sat atop the skill codex, asked with a puzzled expression. No matter how long an elf’s lifespan, they couldn’t live for a thousand years.

Rabel, who had survived for thousands of years, thought no one would still remember her original name.

“How could we not know? You were the queen of the fairies, the last allies during the Continental War. It is even more astonishing to see you exactly as described by our ancestors. I am Melish, a high elf leading the elves.”

The middle-aged female elf bowed her head slightly.

“Is that so? I’m grateful you remember your ancient neighbors. However.”

Rabel looked around and asked in a slightly cold voice,

“Why are you aiming your weapons at me?”

Paat.

When Rabel unleashed her energy, a refreshing, natural aura flowed outwards.

Whoosh. Fizz.

The spirits, touched by this aura, immediately hid their hostility and withdrew, and most of the magic borrowed from the power of nature lost their form and dissolved into the air.

‘Th-this.’

‘How can she have such power in a semi-spiritual form?’

The ordinary elves, who had only heard of her identity through stories, couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions. But the high elves and elders showed no such reaction, as if they had anticipated this.

“Actually, we have questions for you. Why are you with that traitorous human? And why have the fairies hidden from even us?”

What could have happened in the past for the elves to be so hostile towards humans?

It seemed Rabel knew the answer.

“You are foolish, elves. Do you truly think that past incident was solely the humans’ fault? Have you not considered that your own mistakes played a significant role?”

“What do you mean! That incident was entirely the humans’ fault. The disappearance of mana from this world! The World Tree being at the brink of death! The various races, including us, fleeing to another world! All was because of the humans’ vile actions.”

Raul’s ears perked up at the sudden debate. He knew that due to the past great war, the various races had left Connect, but the reasons were unknown.

‘Seems like there’s an untold history.’

At that moment, label spoke again.

“I once thought so too. That it was the ‘massive magic circle’ activated by the humans borrowing the power of the gods that drove us out. But was that truly wrong?”

In the past, when mana was abundant, Demons, coveting the prosperous Connect, opened gateways and appeared. Then came the celestial beings. Dragons, who had been dormant, stretched their wings, marking the beginning of the great war.

In the clashes of these absolute powerhouses, the native races of Connect were mere pawns and victims. Elves, dwarves, orcs, humans, fairies, sirens, mermaids, and more.

Each race was ensnared in the war, facing the brink of extinction with no way out. The humans, the most numerous even then, tried to defend Connect through interspecies alliances, but the response was cold.

No one sympathized with humans, already branded as selfish. The dwarves tried to avoid the war by hiding in their underground cities. The elves relied on the blessing of the World Tree, hoping the predators’ war would end someday.

The orcs and humans, swayed by the demons and celestials, had to shed the most blood in wars between themselves and even within their kin. And it was the humans who brought an end to the great war.

The power of the gods responded to the call of their most devout followers—the humans. Through this, the massive magic circle activated and expelled most of Connect’s mana beyond the gates.

With the mana gone, the World Tree withered. The dwarves’ machines ceased to function. The orcs could no longer maintain their strong physique.

Mana-affiliated beings like fairies, sirens, and mermaids found it difficult even to maintain rationality. But the worst hit were none other than the major players of the Great War.

The demons and celestials retreated back to their homelands beyond the gates, and the dragons either died or fell into a deep slumber. Only humans could maintain a normal life despite the mana depletion.

It’s not wrong to say that it was because of humans that other races moved to worlds beyond the gates. However, if it weren’t for the humans, connect would have become the playground of demons and celestials, and all races would have faced extinction or become their toys.

“We should not have underestimated the humans back then. Instead of hiding in fear of powerful entities, we should have fought more actively. Had we done so, things might have turned out differently.”

Having survived in human libraries for long years, Rabel had come to understand humans. And she had witnessed Connect’s history.

‘The humans’ decision wasn’t wrong back then. And we merely paid the price for betraying Connect.’

Otherwise, there was no reason for Connect’s guardian god to lend such tremendous power to the humans. But the elves only held humans responsible.

“You have changed a lot, my Queen. To forget the past and defend those deceitful humans. How heartbroken our ancestors would be if they could see this….”

“You weren’t even there back then, child, so it’s not your place to speak rashly. I won’t force my thoughts on you. But please, think deeply about what went wrong and what is the right path for your kin.”

“Well, that is something I wish to say to you.”

Seeing the unyielding high elf Melish, label sighed softly. Perhaps it was their arrogance that caused them to be pushed aside by humans, despite being a race with the most superior bodies, lifespan, and talents.

In any case, this wasn’t the time to argue about past rights and wrongs.

“I do not wish to debate that matter further. I came here to ask a favor.”

“A favor? I’m curious. What might it be that you, my Queen, would personally request?”

Given the tone, it seemed negotiations would not proceed easily.

(To be continued)