Estel stood frozen in place, crushed by the weight of the horrifying truth he had just heard. He looked at Igris with eyes full of shock and disbelief, the words catching in his throat as he tried to process what he had been told in his young mind. Taking a trembling breath, he spoke hesitantly.
"H-h-human... eat human?"
Faced with the boy's innocent horror, Igris merely gave a slow nod without breaking his serious expression.
"Yes."
Estel froze completely for a moment. He was utterly bewildered by this dark piece of knowledge he had learned in his short life, his mind struggling to digest this bitter reality. Following a brief and tense silence, he asked, unable to keep his voice from trembling.
"B-b-but why would people do that?"
Igris shrugged indifferently. Her face was expressionless, the kind of face of someone who has long since accepted the dirty face of the world.
"There are many reasons; pleasure, entertainment, profit, faith, and so on... but you are not yet old enough to comprehend such things."
After finishing his words, he turned around and continued walking down the corridor at a slow pace.
"Don't trouble your head too much with these matters, just be wary of people. If someone approaches you with a smile and tells you to go with them, never do it, nor eat anything they give you. Either stay near the elves or remain in a crowded area. Never put yourself in a position where you'll be alone."
As Estel tried to make sense of the warnings he had received, he jogged after the man and blurted out in confusion.
"What could they possibly want from me?"
Igris stopped dead in his tracks. He glanced over his shoulder at the boy, who looked small and frail, the color completely drained from his face by what he had heard.
"Because the ones killed on the island of sacrifice were children."
At this final answer, Estel's face turned as white as a sheet. Swallowing the hard lump that had formed in his throat, he managed to speak with difficulty.
"But nothing will happen to me in Rivendell, right?"
Igris paused for a moment, weighing how he should answer the boy. Truthfully, the arrival of Elrond's twin sons was the clearest indication that Estel's education in the outside world would begin soon. This meant that within a year or two, the boy would step outside the safe borders of Rivendell and begin rigorous training in the wild. This was the exact underlying reason why Igris had opened up this dark subject to him. No matter how careful and professional the twins were, it was impossible for them to keep an eye on Estel every second. In a moment of separation or a brief lapse in attention, there was always the possibility that Estel could be deceived by someone with malicious intent. Therefore, he wanted to scare the boy a little to warn him in advance, so he wouldn't blindly trust strangers and follow them. Clearing his throat softly, he spoke as if offering a casual piece of advice.
"You never know what will happen, kid. Keep that in mind as friendly advice. Come on, let's go."
When Igris started walking briskly again, Estel, who had been standing there looking pale, gave a slight start and quickened his small steps to catch up. He continued to ask, his tone still somewhat tense.
"But why children?"
Igris answered while continuing his walk in a thoroughly relaxed manner. He wasn't the least bit worried that Estel would suffer lasting trauma from these stories; after all, he hadn't gone into the gruesome details of the event, and he fully trusted the mental fortitude of Aragorn, the future king of Gondor.
"They believed that children would keep them young. They worshiped a so-called demon they named Moloch, thinking that sacrificing children to it would grant them wealth, glory, and youth... It was nothing but a fabricated idol."
Catching on to this unfamiliar term, Estel looked up with curiosity.
"What is an idol?"
Igris explained with an easygoing expression as he walked.
"Statues that people make with their own hands to worship."
Faced with such absurdity, Estel grimaced in bewilderment.
"That is ridiculous."
Igris curled his lips and gave a slight shrug.
"If you only knew how ridiculous people can be sometimes..."
After remaining silent for a moment, Estel asked with a hesitant voice.
"But you killed all of them, right?"
Igris slumped his shoulders and pursed his lips, a thoughtful expression bearing the traces of the past settling on his face.
"I don't know... I exterminated everyone I saw on the island... but organizations like this have branches... I don't know if I destroyed the main branch or a side one... or if they're all gone... I'm not entirely sure."
Growing even more tense at this uncertainty, Estel immediately asked.
"Well, does the White Council know about this?"
Igris nodded.
"They do, I informed them... but I don't know if they took action... after all, their numbers are few and their hands are completely full."
Unsatisfied, Estel pressed the issue.
"But this isn't a trivial matter, right? Even if they can't look into it, other people can! What about Gondor or Rohan? Or mercenaries? The Elves?"
Slowing his pace and thinking for a moment, Igris began to summarize the political realities of Middle-earth for the boy.
"Mercenaries are exactly what the name implies, kid. They don't work without coin and they serve whoever pays the most. As for the Elves, they might have investigated, but they aren't exactly at ease either, grappling with various threats. Rohan is not in a geographical position to get involved in this situation, plus they have their own troubles... As for Gondor... forget about it."
Having the name of that kingdom, which held such a grand place in the boy's world, tossed aside so easily left Estel astounded.
"But why!? Gondor is the strongest kingdom of Men right now."
Hearing the child's firm belief, Igris couldn't help but chuckle mockingly.
"The strongest? Perhaps, but without a leader, they cannot use that strength very well."
Estel furrowed his brows and asked curiously.
"What do you mean?"
Igris continued to explain the inner workings of the kingdom quite casually, as if he were discussing a mundane matter.
"Gondor currently lacks a king. There is a leader standing in as a steward, but this leader is having serious difficulties managing Gondor's nobles or high officials. Furthermore, while Gondor tries to hold the Black Gates, it is slowly rotting from the inside. Over the last few years, many high-ranking commanders and generals have either fallen victim to assassinations, been exiled, or died of a mysterious illness. Because of these events, the Steward has begun to gradually lose control."
While stringing these sentences together, Igris narrowed his eyes for a moment and made an internal guess.
'Probably Sauron's doing...'
Just then, Estel interjected again to ask the question stuck in his head.
"...Then why did the King of Gondor leave?"
At this question, Igris stopped his steps entirely. He remained silent for a moment, taking a long, hard look at little Estel beside him—the true master of the kingdom. Ironic thoughts swirled in his mind.
'...technically your father was the king, but since he died, you are the king... I can't exactly say that, can I...'
Pushing his thoughts aside, he shrugged.
"Who knows, maybe he had his personal reasons."
Estel crossed his arms over his chest, his face falling as he passed his judgment with a rather unhappy tone.
"But isn't it irresponsible to leave a whole kingdom all alone?"
"..."
Igris was left standing there, at a loss for words in the face of this heavy criticism from the boy before him.
'...well, I wonder how you'll react when you find out in the future that you are that irresponsible king...'
Pulling himself together, he let out a deep sigh and steered the conversation.
"I couldn't care less about Gondor, kid... besides, I have already met the person who is supposed to be the current king of Gondor."
With this new piece of information, Estel asked with deep curiosity.
"Then why hasn't he returned to Gondor either?"
Igris chuckled in amusement.
"Because he is not yet ready to take on this responsibility."
Estel stared at Igris's face intently, trying to understand what the man meant.
"What do you mean?"
Continuing to walk down the corridor, Igris plastered a mysterious expression on his face and turned the question back to him.
"Estel, what do you think is the duty of a king?"
Estel slowed his steps, weighing the education he had received in his mind, and answered after a brief moment of thought.
"To rule the kingdom."
Igris gave a slight nod.
"And what is the most important thing when ruling a kingdom?"
Caught off guard by this unexpected question, Estel was momentarily taken aback and paused, not knowing what to say. After a short thought process, he answered with a questioning tone.
"Power?"
Igris looked at the boy as if amused by his effort.
"No."
"Authority?"
"That operates on the same logic as power."
Although Estel tried to think of a few more alternatives, his mind hit a wall, and after a short while, he gave up and dropped his shoulders.
"I don't know..."
Chuckling merrily, Igris cast a sidelong glance at Estel.
"Keep thinking."
Hearing this, Estel turned inward to solve this little puzzle he'd been given, while the duo finally approached the room at the end of the wide corridor, where guards stood watch at the door. Igris offered a casual greeting.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Is this where the twins are resting?"
One of the elven sentries standing rigidly at the door respectfully shook his head.
"No, Mr. Igris, you need to go a bit further down."
Realizing his mistake, Igris nodded politely and thanked them.
"Thanks, boys. Have a good watch."
Meanwhile, with a sleight of hand, he produced three small wooden bowls from his inventory. Inside the bowls lay freshly baked potatoes and steaming honey-glazed carrots. He offered the bowls to the guards.
"I just made these, take them."
Although the elven guards were momentarily taken aback by such a casual offering, not wanting to be disrespectful, they slightly extended the arms bearing their shields and accepted the bowls. Igris, however, had already turned around and started walking.
"Let's go, kid."
Under the curious gazes of the elves, little Estel quickened his pace and hurried after Igris. Taking slight offense at being constantly addressed the same way, he asked.
"Why do you keep calling me kid or brat? My name is Estel!"
Having Aragorn, the future great-hearted King of Gondor, currently as a tiny ten-year-old boy reproaching him like this secretly amused Igris to no end. Without hiding the smile blooming on his lips, he answered quite calmly.
"You wouldn't understand, brat. If you were in my shoes, you'd do the exact same thing! Hahahaha!"
Inwardly, he was gleefully talking to himself.
'Man, did you really think I'd miss the chance to mess with Aragorn, a beloved character in my own world? Anyone in my position would do the same! Hahahahah!'
Starting to hum an old tune in high spirits, Igris proceeded with his little companion, while the elven guards left behind looked at each other, curiously picking up a piece of the snacks Igris had left and popping them into their mouths. At the very first bite, they were dumbfounded by the flavor they tasted.
"Are these still the potatoes we know?"
"They put honey on these carrots! How can this be so delicious!"
The two elves looked at each other in disbelief. The guard eating the potato asked.
"Did you just say they put honey on the carrots?"
Without saying a word, the other elf calmly handed the bowl full of carrots to his comrade-in-arms. The elf hesitantly reached out and took a bite of the carrot, and at that very moment, he froze in place as his tongue met the incredibly rich aroma of the vegetable and sweet honey.
"...It never occurred to me that honey could be added to carrots."
His friend nodded silently, then turned his attention to the slice of fried potato in the corner of the bowl, the Reibekuchen. When he took a small piece of that and chewed, his eyes sparkled with amazement at the intensity of the flavor. Tasting the vegetable dishes of the modern world for the first time that night, the elves had practically unlocked the door to a whole new world.
At the same time, Igris and his little partner had reached their destination. Igris greeted the new sentries standing at the door and, with an unprovoked sense of secrecy, lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Are the twins alone?"
Although the elven guard didn't understand why Igris suddenly spoke in such a hushed tone, he answered with a flat voice so as not to be rude.
"No, Mr. Igris. Lord Elrond, Lady Celebrían, and Princess Arwen are inside with them."
Hearing these names, Igris's eyebrows shot up. Estel, on the other hand, hearing about the crowd inside, curiously attempted to speak.
"Why— Hmm!"
Before the boy could finish his sentence, Igris reached out with lightning speed and clamped his hand firmly over Estel's mouth. While the elven guards at the door were left bewildered, Igris hissed in a panicked but incredibly hushed tone.
"Shhh! Be quiet, brat! I cannot deal with another shower of praise! Let's hide until Lord Elrond and his family leave!"
With a weary expression on his face, he turned to the astonished elven guards.
"Is the room next door empty?"
Shaking off his surprise, the elven sentry nodded.
"Yes, that is Lord Elladan's room. Since he is currently staying with Lord Elrohir, it should be empty."
At this information, Igris raised his eyebrows and chuckled. Wasting no time, he headed straight for the adjacent room. As he reached for the doorknob, struggling to restrain the future King of Gondor in his arms—whose mouth was tightly covered and who was thrashing to get free—he whispered to the guards.
"Alright, boys! The kid and I are going to wait in here until the twins are alone! Let us know!"
Without feeling the slightest need to ask for permission, Igris barged straight into the private room of Lord Elladan, whom he viewed like an older brother, and quickly shut the door behind him.
Bang!
The elven guards standing watch at the door stared in momentary bewilderment at this bizarre situation. Then, as they slowly turned to look at each other, one of them muttered.
"...Do you think this is appropriate? That is Lord Elladan's private space..."
The other elven guard shrugged nonchalantly; frankly, he didn't know what to say either.
"I suppose the Lords won't say anything to Mr. Igris."
At that moment, the door creaked open slightly, and Igris sneakily poked his head out through the gap. When the elves turned to him curiously, he warned them.
"Remember! You didn't see me, you didn't hear me, you know nothing! You can inform your Lord later! But right now, I just want to visit the twins! Understood?"
The elves were at a loss for words for a moment in the face of the man's attempt to hide, but Igris hadn't asked them for anything impossible either. When they gave a slight nod of approval, Igris grinned in satisfaction and retreated back inside. One of the elven guards chuckled dryly and spoke.
"It seems the rumors were true. The Dark Knight is someone who dislikes being praised."
The other elf nodded in agreement.
"Yes... he's a bit of an odd one... it is my first time meeting a human like this..."
"Me too..."
While the elves in the corridor continued their conversation, Igris, who had already settled into the room, remained quiet at first, listening to his surroundings. Then, a smile slowly crept onto his lips, followed by a gleeful chuckle as he rubbed his hands together like he was brewing a devious plan.
"Hehehehehe..."
Faced with this sinister sight echoing in the dark room, Estel, standing in the corner, shuddered slightly. He called out in a timid, trembling voice.
"Mr. Igris, are you okay?"
Looking excitedly at the belongings in the dim room, Igris grinned devilishly.
"Okay? I'm beyond okay! Let's see if I can find something to tease Elladan with! Zehahahaha!"
As Igris eagerly advanced deeper into the room with the mischievous goal of rummaging through belongings to uncover a secret, Estel stood rooted to the spot, watching him in profound silence. That single thought in the boy's mind reared its head once again.
"...Is this man really the cold-blooded Dark Knight they told me about?"