Novel Full Chapter 219: The Declaration of War
Ryan stopped at the edge of the dirt path that connected the portal’s entrance with the rest of the village.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Mirian and the imposing dragoness following closely behind him.
"Ivis, stay back here with Mirian for the moment. I will call for you later when the time is right to introduce you." Ryan ordered with a flat voice, adjusting the collar of his clothes.
He knew perfectly well the uncontrolled chaos it would cause to see a natural enemy walking freely toward the inhabitants of the village.
Ivis crossed her arms and let out a snort of disdain through her nose, but she nodded her head, fully complying with the direct order of her temporary master.
Mirian puffed out the cheeks of her pale face, tightly gripping her bow with both hands.
Clearly annoyed at being left behind in the shadows of the village right alongside the dragon woman, she leaned back against one of the walls of a house next to her.
Ryan turned his back to both of them and advanced with firm steps down the main path of the village.
Irina walked just a single step behind him, pressing her own hands against her chest with an evident nervousness on her face.
The elf girl’s long ears trembled upon hearing the immense clamor of voices originating from the training grounds.
Gathered there were the three hundred and forty-eight residents of the village in a single dense block of people.
An enormous mix of elves and the few rescued demi-humans filled the entire place with their nervous bodies. The general murmur was a heavy buzzing that completely filled the air, demonstrating the immense unease of the people.
He presented himself right in front of them. In the front row, standing out over the rest of the crowd, was Alicia in her impeccable assistant uniform.
On her left side was Kenia, the mature leader of the elves.
And on the right side was Irina’s elderly grandfather, alongside the other four members of the village’s council of elders, including an elderly woman.
In the exact instant that Ryan’s boot stepped onto the ground before them, the enormous sea of people reacted immediately. Everyone present bent their knees against the dirt without hesitating for a single second, completely dirtying their clothes.
They bowed their heads toward the ground with a profound respect and pure submission before the man who had now become the king of the village.
"Your Majesty." The greeting echoed in unison from the three hundred and eighty people.
The shout created a deafening echo that shook the leaves of the nearby trees and frightened away the birds of the forest.
"Rise." Ryan ordered with a deep voice.
The sound of fabrics rubbing together and clumsy footsteps filled the grounds while the immense crowd recovered its upright posture.
Kenia stood up first, dusting the dirt off her skirt, and took a short step forward with a furrowed brow.
"What is happening? It is the very first time you have asked to gather absolutely everyone like this." The mature woman asked, showing a genuine confusion in her eyes.
Irina’s grandfather, leaning his tired weight upon an old carved wooden cane, coughed lightly. And then he asked another question, reflecting the deep fear his people felt in that moment of uncertainty.
"Is something bad happening, young Ryan?" The old elf asked, heavily fearing that the knights of the church had finally discovered them.
Then, one of the elderly women who were in the front row of the three hundred and eighty elves raised her voice.
"Alicia did not want to say anything regarding this matter." The old woman complained, looking at the wolf girl with a certain suspicion and reproach.
"And you have us all highly altered with all of this." The woman added, rubbing her wrinkled hands together.
There was surprise and a clear fear in the crossing gazes of the inhabitants, sweating cold beneath the light of the sun.
Rumors began to spread like wildfire in a matter of seconds, preventing them from concentrating on the words of their leaders.
Then Alicia took a deep breath, filling her lungs entirely with air, and her furry ears flattened right against her head.
"Silence!!" The wolf assistant shouted with sheer ferocity.
Her voice, loaded with pure authority and domination, completely silenced the three hundred and eighty residents in a single blow.
"His Majesty will tell you everything now." She sentenced, taking a step back to yield the entire stage to her king.
"I thank you, Alicia." Ryan said, fully acknowledging the blind loyalty and the good handling of the situation.
Then he walked forward, raised his gloved hand, and placed a hand directly over Kenia’s shoulder.
That simple physical contact completely forced the woman to keep her composure, and the boy advanced one more step.
He stood entirely face-to-face with his people, locking his green pupils right onto the immense tide of elves and demi-humans.
"The exact motive for this meeting is that due to the constant problems we have had with the church, and the demons."
Ryan’s voice echoed deep and clear, ensuring perfectly well that the demi-humans in the very back could also hear him.
"It is finally time to fight head-on against them."
Ryan swept his sharp gaze over the pale faces of the crowd, noticing exactly how they swallowed hard with great difficulty.
"Pay close attention and do not interrupt me." He ordered, cleanly shutting down any possibility of an immediate complaint or reply.
’It will be best to relay my plans from a standpoint where it is much more comprehensive and personal for the elves.’
Ryan thought, knowing perfectly well that manipulating the immense hatred and the deep pain of the exiles was his best weapon. Playing with the heavy resentment they felt toward the human church would guarantee that they would fight to the death for him if he asked them to.
"The church, in reality, has the elven nation completely controlled. Your own people, your kin, are nothing more than simple hostages beneath the boot of those supposed holy knights blinded by the deity’s plan." He explained with crude sincerity.
The eyes of many elves opened entirely wide upon hearing the harsh reality of their lost home falling directly from their leader’s lips.
Ryan pointed toward the horizon with a firm gesture of his right arm.
"If we do not act right this instant, in the future, the faction of the church that persecutes us so heavily will gather even more strength. And we must completely prevent that before they decide to come hunt down those who are hidden here in this village. Because of that, I plan to first put an end to one of our most immediate problems. I mean, Demon King Rigal."
Ryan announced, elevating his chin with pure arrogance. The words sank extremely deep into the crowd, generating a silence of pure terror across the training grounds.
"Of course, after killing him, I will take his place as the new Demon King." Ryan added, and immediately the faces of the elves, the demi-humans, and the elders completely changed their expression, exactly as if they had just seen a horrifying ghost right in front of them.