I'll say it again, I currently have the authority to make immediate decisions regarding these elves. Not only is it specified in the law, but there's also no one here who would say anything about killing thieves.
However, just as you need to use bait to catch a fish, I must use these elves well in order to destroy the Council. Nevertheless, the Council isn't completely foolish and meticulously planning our moves wasn't a choice but a necessity.
First and foremost, the 'pact.' The pact was difficult to use because it requires the consent of the other party, but in a situation where their lives are at stake, it can be useful. Of course, the owner could die or take advantage of the flaws in the pact to escape, but it didn't matter since Cecily will handle it.
The problem lies with the elves. I'll say it again, in order to establish a pact, you need the consent of the other party. Arwen accepted it willingly as a token of her sincerity, but whether these elves will accept it is doubtful. As everyone knows, elves, especially the older ones, have a terribly strong pride. Many tales circulate about them needlessly provoking fights and ending up dead or humiliated, leading to a mental breakdown. Considering such a race, how would they react to a pact that is akin to a slave contract?
"We refuse! Are you telling us to become slaves of demons?"
"Such disgrace... It might be better to die."
Naturally, the moment I mentioned the pact, they loudly refused with defiant voices. They know well what kind of magic the pact involves, and they are adamantly rejecting it.
Above all, the subject of the pact is not me but Cecily. Given that she's a demon, the older elves would start with disgust with no room for pride to allow it.
However, I didn't fail to predict this either. As I watched the defiant elves with irritation, I turned to their father who stood behind them and asked,
"Father, do you have a sharp knife?"
"Are you planning to cut their ears?"
"What else can I do? They don't listen. I have to cut them."
"Wh, what! Not the ears...!"
"We were wrong!"
When I used their strong pride against them and threatened to cut their ears, the elves flattened themselves on the ground. Why are you making such a fuss?
As a result, the elves entered into a pact led by Cecily. Since they couldn't use mana, we proceeded by unbinding them one by one, just in case.
Every time they made a pact, the embarrassed expressions on the elves' faces were quite amusing. Of course, they got upset, so whenever that happened, I pointed to my ear with my fingers.
If necessary, I would threaten to cut their ears, and they would contemplate and relax their expressions. Honestly, I had no intention of actually cutting their ears, but given the situation, they had no choice but to believe it was true.
So, having made the pact, I faced Kalas for the experiment. Kalas had a cold expression, as if he had never experienced such humiliation before.
"Now. Shall we ask a few questions for the experiment? Tell me where Xenon lives."
"That's..."
Perhaps Kalas also knew the effectiveness of the pact, as he couldn't continue his answer and hesitated. Arwen couldn't participate in such an experiment due to lack of ill feelings between us, but Kalas could.
I stared fixedly at Kalas, whose lips were quivering, and quietly spoke as I exhaled deeply through my nose.
"If you don't talk, you know what will happen, right?"
"Mm... Miii..."
In the moment when Kalas was about to respond to my threat, he suddenly widened his eyes and let out a pained scream before clamping their mouth shut. Just mentioning the letter 'M' from Michelle's Domain was enough to have a tremendous effect.
A little while later, Kalas slowly lifted his head, seemingly having recovered from the pain, and took a slow, deliberate breath. How agonizing must it have been? His sweat flowed profusely even in that short span of time, causing his hair to suck to his damp skin.
This couldn't possibly be an act. There doesn't seem to be a need for separate confirmation.
"The pact seems to have been firmly established... What's left is..."
"Should I implant an exploding spell in their ears?"
"Ehm!"
As I stroked my chin and mumbled, Cecily suggested from the side. Then, we heard a sound of someone clearing their throat from the front.
Implanting a bomb in their ear wouldn't be a bad idea in itself, but since the pact has already been made, it wouldn't hold much significance. Eavesdropping or recording spells would be more fitting.
However, eavesdropping spells were too conspicuous. While the pact wouldn't be discovered even if their bodies were searched, eavesdropping spells would be detected in eight or nine cases out of ten.
Moreover, those like Fieren, who had immersed themselves in politics for hundreds of years, prioritize safety and certainty above all else, making it highly likely they would search their bodies.
"No. It's okay. The pact alone should be sufficient. Instead, we need to prevent these people from causing any trouble..."
"That, that will never happen! I can swear to it!"
"Yes, that's right! What more do we need than a pact placed on the line?"
Even though they were pleading so desperately, it didn't feel very reliable. While watching Mael and Lena's earnest request, I glanced at Kalas.
Kalas was still catching his breath, as if the pain still lingered. Beads of sweat were also forming at the edge of his forehead. In truth, the future depended on how well these people could act their part. If we were to raise suspicions from the Council of Elders, it would lead to nothing but trouble.
As I pondered over what to do, I decided to bring up more specific questions to establish a detailed plan. This was about the situation after I had dismissed them.
"When you return, are you planning to report to the elf named Fieren?"
"...Yes."
"Then you'll speak of the results of the tracking."
Instead of replying verbally, Kalas nodded his head. This was where we needed to make good use of the pact. The covenant had the effect of inflicting severe pain when revealing the 'truth' related to Xenon, but I had set it up so that it wouldn't have any effect if they were telling lies.
So, if these people mixed lies into their report, they would pass through without any issues. Even if a bit of truth was mixed within falsehoods, the pact would still be triggered. There was almost no way to escape from its grip once it took effect.
'However, openly admitting that we intentionally used the pact would cause problems.'
People naturally come up with various ideas when they are pushed into a crisis. Therefore, it would be wise to prepare for the unexpected. The question is, can we prevent even that? Or can we make it impossible to even have such thoughts? We must choose one of these two options.
"Hmm..."
"Do you have any concerns?"
Cecily cautiously asked, noticing my preoccupied expression. In response, I let out a sigh and replied with a pained voice.
"In truth, if these elves were to show signs of risking their lives for a solemn sacrifice, the situation would become complicated. I'm curious if there's a way to prevent even that. Should we really plant a bomb in their ears or something?"
"Wouldn't that create a problem? They'd realize they fell into a trap."
"That's quite a headache..."
"... ..."
As our conversation continued, the elves' complexion grew increasingly pale. Observing this, I lifted the corner of my mouth.
'Attaching Siris will surely solve the situation easily.'
In reality, all the above conversations were a prearranged bluff. There's a simple solution at hand, and there's no need to ponder deeply.
Let's send the elves away and attach Siris to follow them from behind. She's also well-versed in magic, so instructing her with eavesdropping and recording should suffice.
The stealth skills of the Dark Elves are difficult to detect even for skilled individuals, and Siris was a seasoned warrior. Even if Fieren was cautious, it would be hard for him to discern her presence.
Moreover, the likelihood of not predicting the situation where a Dark Elf is watching was high. I should discuss this with Arwen, but she will probably agree. The reason for weaving such an elaborate lie was simple – to instill confidence in those Elves.
If we can demonstrate that we've gone through countless deliberations to arrive at a suitable solution, they will believe it wholeheartedly. Honestly, given the circumstances, they have no choice but to believe.
In a situation where lives and ears hanged in the balance, who wouldn't be skeptical? For a while, I pretended to be deep in thought, then snapped my fingers as if I'd had a great idea.
"Ah! That's it. Noona."
"Yes?"
"Can you lend me your ear for a moment?"
I straightened my bent knee and asked Cecily to lend me her ear. It's necessary to include such meticulous details, as displaying the whole process openly might arouse suspicion.
Elves have exceptional hearing, as keen as their long ears, but installing soundproofing magic resolved that issue. As Cecily proceeded to set up the soundproofing spell, I leaned in close to her ear and muttered softly.
"We might have to stay at our mansion for a while. I'll let our parents know in advance about the situation, at least broadly. You understand, right? Oh, and I love you."
When I withdrew my mouth from her ear, Cecily blinked, her expression tinged with puzzlement. Her acting skills, befitting a princess, were truly remarkable.
Although her face blushed a little at the words "I love you," it was too dark for anyone to notice.
"Is that enough?"
"Is it difficult?"
"It's not too difficult."
"Then start right away."
As soon as Cecily heard my words, she walked up to the elves and reached out her hand. The direction her hand pointed to was none other than the symbol of the elves, the ears.
With her long fingers, she lightly tapped Kalas's ear, then quickly pulled back. A slight flow of mana entered, only subtly perceptible, but nothing more.
While Kalas gave Cecily a questioning look as if asking what she had done, she sequentially touched the ears of Mael and Lena. Unlike Kalas, the two men and women trembled all over as their ears were touched.
When Cecily finished the entire process and returned to my side, I examined the faces of the elves. Expressions of doubt, fear, and terror mixed together were evident.
"You must be curious about what Cecily Noona just did. It's actually quite simple. You all know about black mana, right? The mana that demons use, the symbol of devils."
"... ..."
"She injected that mana into your ears. Non-Demons might not know, but black mana is lethal to other creatures. Especially to elves. It might be fine for a few days, but just like dropping a drop of ink onto white paper, your ears will gradually start turning black. It's not a curse, but pure mana, so divine power won't work against it. To solve this, another demon needs to absorb that mana. Since no one else can absorb black mana. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Finally, I asked nonchalantly. The elves' faces turned pale, and they looked as though they had lost their souls. Their ears didn't turn a sickly gray like those of dark elves, nor did they turn a sickly yellow like those afflicted by a plague.
It was a gruesome phenomenon, to the point where cutting seemed preferable, but even that wasn't a real option. In other words, it meant they had to seek help from the demons. For those who lived with the pride of being chosen by the gods, it was a punishment that completely crushed that pride.
However, there was something they didn't know at all here.
'It's all a lie.'
I explained at length, but it was all a lie. While it was true that black mana harmed other races besides demons, it didn't discolor their skin. According to records, it only generated a defense reaction within the body, causing a slight fever, similar to a virus or bacterial infection.
Furthermore, this applied only to the first-generation demons. Over time and through continuous prayer, the black mana of the demons became closer to pure mana. The difference lies in their nature, much like water and oil.
The reason this lie was convincing was that there was very little known about demons. Until Xenon's Biography and the like emerged, demons were treated as devils, making it impossible to know the truth even if one wanted to.
Not to mention the older-generation elves. They already held a negative perception of demons, making them susceptible to such trivial lies.
"So, if you don't want to cut your own ears, it's better to listen well. It's pure mana, so even if you search for it,you won't detect it. Got it?"
"I understand... Fine..."
"Th-then, understood! So, please, at least as much as our ears..."
"Really, will you really heal us? Yes? Please say that you will...!"
Kalas despaired, and Mael and Lena began to plead while crying. Though it pricked at my conscience to see an elf with such a graceful appearance react like that, it was they who had first offered their conscience for sale. I'm just resisting and defending myself.
This world was infinitely lenient towards self-defense, so I could strengthen my resolve as well.
"Don't worry. Depending on what you do, I'll decide whether to take action or leave you be. Now then..."
Only one thing remained.
"I will inform Fieren of the report you will send. I'll do it in your place."
It was time to bait the fish.