I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 171

CHAPTER 171

“However, Master.”

Lionel slipped in a word as we returned to the elven village.

“Can we go any slower?”

Although Lionel and I were using teleportation magic to travel, we were moving slowly and intermittently.

We even took leisurely walks at times.

“Is this pace alright?”

“I suppose so.”

“What could go wrong?”

I hummed a tune as we leisurely walked along the forest path.

The scenery here is beautiful.

There are streams too, you know.

“We have plenty of time anyway.”

No, I needed to kill time.

“Shall I give you a simple problem, Lionel?”

I turned around and asked.

“So, which side is stronger, our forces or the forces of evil?”

“The forces of evil.”

That was the correct answer.

Despite my preparations, which I thought were considerable, I had only prepared for a few years.

There was bound to be a difference between me, who had prepared since falling from the divine realm, and the evil gods who had been honing their skills for much longer.

“Moreover, the only ones I initially considered were the Titans.”

“That seems to be the case.”

I expected the next question to come, but instead, Lionel nodded.

“You seemed fixated on the Titans without even considering the divine side, Master.”

“Hmm?”

“Were you planning for the forces of the divine realm to be handled by the evil gods from the start?”

“Hmm? Of course.”

I widened my eyes in surprise, then chuckled softly.

“How could beings like us from the mortal realm stand against the gods?”

Surely, when ascending to the divine realm, they would be swarmed by lower-ranked gods.

Even if lower-ranked gods could barely be subdued, there was no hope against the more renowned ones.

Handing out Gaia’s sickle-like it’s some kind of commodity was out of the question.

“The evil god must have armed his army with weapons imbued with his power.”

That way, he could manage even the intermediate gods.

But it was beyond me.

No matter how many years I’ve lived, fundamentally, I’m just a commoner who used to harvest herbs in the fields.

“Hmm.”

But there seemed to be an unresolved question as Lionel tilted his head slightly.

“Then, Master…”

“Yes, go ahead, ask.”

It feels like a classroom session.

“Did you not try to use the evil gods when you discovered Gaia’s sickle?”

“Oh, that.”

Before I could say anything else, the ground shook. 

Trees swayed, birds flew into the sky, and even the peaceful animals drinking water scattered in all directions.

“Hoofbeats.”

And not just one or two, but the sound of at least a group of knights moving.

Turning my head in the direction of the noise, I saw figures riding through the forest in the distance.

Clad in armor and helmets, carrying bows on their backs, swords at their waists.

They were elves.

‘Ethaniel did well.’

I smiled and took Lionel’s hand.

“Shall we hurry now?”

As soon as he nodded, our bodies floated, and the landscape disappeared and reappeared rapidly.

“Hey!!”

It was one of the entrances to the elven village where I had memorized the coordinates.

“Why are you coming now?!”

The enthusiastic welcome was, unsurprisingly, from Ethaniel. 

Dressed differently from the elves we saw earlier, Ethaniel was already stained with fatigue here and there.

“It’s been a long time since the Titans came!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Ethaniel raised his voice.

“It’s been chaos since yesterday evening!”

Indeed.

Listening carefully, I could hear the distant pounding sound. 

It seemed like quite a large gathering.

“Since last evening. You’ve managed well, I suppose?”

Some elves and high elves who seemed to be leaders caught my eye.

“Of course!”

Ethaniel threw his helmet fiercely and stood tall.

“Do you know how chaotic it is out there with the Titans? If it weren’t for me, the whole thing would have collapsed by now!”

“Good job, my friend.”

I replied casually and reached out my hand.

“I’ll just take a simple outfit. I found the dress too uncomfortable after the ceremony.”

As Ethaniel followed me into the tent, he offered some clothes he had brought from somewhere.

It was a pair of pants and a shirt.

“Here. Is this okay? Or do you need a bigger size? You prefer to be comfortable, right? Oh? Are you still wearing that? You should have said! I would have brought something better. Tie the strap at the back? Oh, it suits you quite well. Well, you’re an elf at heart after all. No! So, why are there more Titans than expected?”

“Yeah, there must be plenty.”

I nodded in response to Ethaniel’s enthusiastic welcome as I changed into the clothes.

Was he always this talkative?

Or am I just getting old?

As we walked out of the tent after changing clothes, I noticed a lot more people than I expected.

“Wow, Ethaniel. How did you manage to gather so many leaders? You must have been short on time.”

“Well, uh, yeah. The Titans attacked while we were in the middle of an intense debate. I guess I got a bit lucky. Otherwise, we would’ve had to argue for another month.”

“Still, it’s because you laid the groundwork well. Otherwise, everyone would’ve been rushing to just protect the village, right?”

I said, giving him a thumbs up, and Ethaniel sniffed with pride.

“Is that so? I guess I… hey!! That’s not it!”

Ah, caught trying to dodge the conversation.

Before Ethaniel could say anything more, I quickly left the tent and headed towards where the leaders were gathered.

After a brief introduction, one elf, introducing himself as the leader of a village, began explaining the current situation with a grim expression.

“More Titans have gathered than we anticipated. Despite our preparations, we lack weapons specifically designed for the Titans.”

Regular weapons don’t work well against Titans.

But since the Titans attacked the elves long ago, the elves had created weapons based on the information they acquired back then, which were effective against the Titans.

“Fortunately, our defenses are well-prepared, but I’m not sure how many attacks we can withstand.”

The Titans were ancient beings that existed long before the current gods appeared, ancient creatures. 

Thanks to this, it was difficult to pierce their skin with modern weapons, and they would weaken after a few blows, often breaking apart weakly.

So, rather than trying to kill them, we’d be busy defending against them. 

I knew this, which is why I had only discussed defense from the beginning.

“It’s alright. They’ll weaken soon anyway.”

“…?”

“Where have the Titans been until now?”

It was a story that humans had forgotten due to its age, but it was known among long-lived races.

“Why ask the obvious?”

An elf replied with a puzzled expression.

“Well, in the darkness…”

The elves’ faces brightened.

“That’s right, in the darkness.”

Trapped in darkness for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.

But suddenly moving in the light…

It was like a fish walking on land.

“At least a thousand years to get used to the light.”

‘So, about 20 years ago, they suddenly appeared and attacked, then disappeared again. Because they weren’t used to the light.’

I said, looking at the papers detailing the current situation.

“So this is it.”

‘It’s not a full-scale confrontation yet.’

It was more like poking and prodding, but even that was impactful.

On the other hand, our side, both in terms of troops and positioning, seemed more defensive, so the impact wasn’t as significant.

Having quickly grasped the situation, I looked up at the elves.

“They won’t endure the light for long. Just try to prevent them from fleeing into Cranis Forest.”

Cranis Forest doesn’t get much sunlight, you see.

“And if we miss some, don’t worry too much. If the divine realm becomes unstable and fluctuates, they’ll be affected too.”

The elves nodded, but one elf still seemed unsatisfied.

“Even so, we’re lacking in power.”

“Well, that will be resolved soon…”

“Argh! What’s this?!”

Before I could finish, a scream was heard, followed by the sound of something heavy landing.

Stepping out of the tent, I saw…

“A dragon! Oh, it’s a horde of orcs!”

“The dragon brought a horde of orcs!”

Dozens of orcs were carrying wooden cages, and at the center was a red dragon.

The orcs descended from the wooden cages one by one, and the body of the red dragon gradually shrank.

“Ugh! It’s hard, it’s hard!”

Pendrade screamed.

“Ah, my shoulders hurt…”

I passed by the grimacing Pendrade and approached the orc horde, which was aligning themselves after setting down the wooden cages.

“Hey! I’m collapsed like this!”

Ignoring.

“Oh, it’s you, Chik! Long time no see. Wanderer!”

It was Oakle.

During the mage tower’s incident, I helped Oakle move the entire tribe to Mentre.

“I’ve come to repay the favor, Chik! With gratitude!!”

Oakle and the orcs had come to repay their debt of gratitude.

Smirking at the bewildered elves, I greeted them.

“Welcome, warriors.”