Chapter 17

The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Side Story 2 Chapter 17: The Elf King

The search for ancient tomes in the library wasn’t going very well.

The Elves had a vast collection, but most of the books were about Elves.

As a race, Elves are generally only interested in themselves. Partly due to their insular nature, but it’s also because their perception of time is different from that of the other races.

For Elves who naturally live for centuries, there’s little incentive to actively learn about the other races’ technologies or information. This trait might be why Elves rarely produce exceptional individuals—since they already have a high average ability, but it’s rare for anyone to stand out significantly.

“Good grief…”

Every book I opened was about Elves.

Was there no book about anything else? As I pondered this, an Elf entered the library.

“Have you found the book that you were looking for?”

The Elf who entered was an elderly one, as he was leaning on a staff and was unusually short for his kind. It was rare to see an aged Elf, as most Elves stop physically aging once they reach a certain point in their life. They remain youthful even at death with only minor changes over time.

This Elf however was visibly aged, indicating that he had lived for far longer than most Elves.

“Unfortunately, no. It’s just a collection that is typical of the Elves.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t criticize our lack of interest in other races so much,” the old Elf said with a laugh while walking further into the library with his staff.

“We don’t concern ourselves with the other races much because we only need to glance their way occasionally. Our lifespans differ greatly from those of you humans. We only look beyond our borders once every hundred or two hundred years.”

“That may be true, but it still seems far too little,” I replied.

“Ah, the mage from another continent is perceptive, I see,” the old Elf said while narrowing his eyes.

I didn’t react much to his remark. It wasn’t surprising that he knew I came from another continent. My magic was fundamentally different from that of this land and my sudden appearance with immense power made it easy to deduce that I wasn’t from around here.

“You don’t seem very surprised.”

“I never tried to hide it.”

“You are a rather dull mage, aren’t you?”

The old elf continued deeper into the library while looking clearly unimpressed. He finally stopped at the very back of the library where there was nothing but a blank wall.

He lightly tapped at the wall with his staff, causing the wood to slide open and revealing a single book.

“Are you surprised by this?”

“That will depend on the contents.”

“Our disinterest in other races goes beyond just our nature; it’s also because we’ve had something far more pressing to focus on.”

“‘The Long One,’ I presume.”

“We elves once paid a great price to seal it away. The fear of that being was so overwhelming that we had left no records of it, preferring to forget it entirely. Still, one book was kept that provides details about the barrier that holds it. Without that knowledge, the seal would have been broken long ago.”

“I see. So, will you let me read it?”

“There’s a condition.”

“Let’s hear it.”

I hadn’t expected to see the book for free as it clearly held a special significance for the Elves, which was why it had been hidden away.

This old Elf was aware of it, making him special and thus open to negotiation.

“We’re about to begin preparations for a ritual. For the next two days, we will need you to refrain from doing anything. Everything will be completed by that time.”

“Can’t I read the book before answering?”

“No. I’m sure that if you read it, you’d object to the ritual.”

“I see…”

It seemed that they wouldn’t allow that. Since I didn’t know what the ritual entailed, it made it hard for me to respond.

But they were asking me to decide before learning more.

“And if the ritual fails?”

“If it fails… then you may do as you please.”

“In that case, I accept. I won’t interfere with the ritual for the next two days.”

I decided to agree. There was still time and if the ritual succeeded, I wouldn’t have any complaints, no matter what kind of ritual it was.

This was an issue for the Elves to handle.

“I’ll trust your word.”

The old Elf nodded deeply and finally handed me the book. It contained detailed accounts of the events from 1,500 years ago, including the barrier that sealed away the Long One.

“…”

“Not even this surprises you…”

“I had a feeling. There’s no way a barrier that’s lasted 1,500 years would be normal.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“I’ll keep my promise. I won’t do anything for two days. But… are you sure this is alright?”

“There’s no other way. There are no other options left for us.”

The old Elf bit his lip while looking clearly unhappy.

His displeasure was evident, but I couldn’t agree with his judgment.

“The sealing barrier was a collaboration between the ancient magical civilization and the Elves of that time. But its activation required sacrifices—and the most powerful Elves of that era were used for it. Their blood strengthened the seal which successfully trapped the Long One. However, it was always destined to degrade and thus a method was devised: you had to keep adding new blood to the barrier periodically. But it’s also not a perfect method because since the sacrifices are not the same individual, the seal is never fully restored and will eventually fail. You Elves are merely delaying the inevitable.”

“Your words sting.”

“I won’t interfere and I wish your ritual success… But how long will it keep succeeding?”

With that, I turned away while still holding on to the book.

I hadn’t read it all yet, but even small pieces of information would be crucial to me from now on.

“I’ll be borrowing this. Is that alright, ‘King of the Elves’?”

“Do as you like. By my authority, you have my permission to stay here for two days.”

“I appreciate it.”

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