Ch.218218. Reunion (2)

A quick retreat was important, but the current troops didn’t have the energy to run all day in their armor.

“Lady Irene, the Forest Keepers have almost reached their limit.”

“……”

Irene, who had been only looking forward as she advanced, finally turned around at her subordinate’s words.

Though they made no complaints, they were clearly exhausted. The battle scars etched into their bodies were draining their strength.

“We need a moment of rest.”

Just as the Forest Keeper said.

To keep everyone together without stragglers, they needed to take a break now.

Irene called back the spirits she had sent out to scout and guard the perimeter, listening to their reports on the surrounding situation. It was relatively safe at the moment, making this the best time for a brief rest.

Stopping her swift movement through the forest, Irene halted in place and spoke.

“We’ll take a short rest from now. Make sure to recover your strength during this time.”

After giving her order and dismissing the elf who had spoken to her, Irene’s gaze slowly moved.

Her eyes fell on none other than her closest aide—her mentor and nanny who was deeply loved by the head of the Ianet family.

Irene addressed her with a voice as cold as the northern wind.

“And you, come see me for a moment.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned sharply and walked away from the troops. All the Forest Keeper could do was quietly follow the family’s eldest daughter.

Once they had put some distance between themselves and the troops, and after using spirit power to conceal their voices and appearances—

Srrng!

Irene drew her sword.

“……”

“…Lady Irene.”

The Forest Keeper merely rolled her eyes down to look at the blade that had appeared right in front of her neck.

Despite the sensation of her hair standing on end from the cold blade, she maintained her composure and calmly raised her hand.

“You seem to be pointing your sword at my neck rather frequently these days.”

Her fingers pushed away Irene’s sword.

Though it was a gentle push, the sword was forced back further than expected.

“Chenya, what kind of scheme are you plotting this time?”

“What scheme, Lady Irene?”

“Did you think I would quietly let this pass if you put on that innocent expression? Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Chenya’s hand was pushing away the flat of the blade.

But the sword regained strength and pushed her hand aside, advancing toward her neck.

“I’m sick of you plotting something with the family’s Forest Keepers behind my back. I’m tired of watching our elves die needlessly and in vain. No, I… can’t take it anymore.”

“Put away your sword. If the family head saw this, she would surely be greatly disappointed.”

“Chenya. Shut up and talk.”

Despite Chenya’s request, the sharp blade did not stop but continued to advance.

When the sharp edge touched her neck—

“What are you planning to do this time?”

“……”

Chenya grabbed Irene’s sword to prevent her killing intent from piercing through her neck.

Crunch…

A stream of fresh blood began to flow from Chenya’s hand.

“My spirits. I thought they were quietly scouting the area, but they were periodically looking at Arielt’s Forest Keepers. Are you planning to exhaust them first and then let them die? Or are you thinking of using them as bait and throwing them away when we’re attacked?”

“……”

“Why are you so obsessed with Arielt and Chelnis? I really don’t understand.”

“It’s all for the glory of our family.”

“Ridiculous. Chenya, you’re not such a blindly devoted elf who’s so consumed by our family’s honor.”

Their gazes crossed.

Chenya’s grip on the sword tightened.

“Someone who can read situations should know better than anyone that this is no time for childish family feuds, yet you’re so desperate to target Forest Keepers from other families. I simply cannot understand it.”

“……”

“So one thought crossed my mind. Could it be that behind the pretext of family honor, you have some sinister personal intention? Is it truly for the sake of our honorable family?”

“……”

“Especially you, you started to change more drastically after visiting Marquis Kallia’s house with mother.”

Despite the blood from Chenya’s hand slowly soaking the ground, Irene showed no intention of withdrawing her sword.

Instead, she pressed even harder, lightly placing the edge against the tender flesh of her neck.

“Chenya.”

There was no Irene who would become a puppet following Chenya’s words.

“Answer me. What intentions are you harboring right now?”

“Everything is for Ianet—”

“…Bullshit. Your eyes are clouded.”

Irene withdrew her sword.

But with a quick follow-up motion, she reversed her grip on the sword and lunged into Chenya’s chest.

She struck deeply with the pommel, as if crushing her solar plexus.

“Kuhp…!”

Chenya stepped back two paces, lowering her posture and regulating her breathing.

Irene grabbed her hair and forcibly lifted her head to make her meet her eyes.

“Chenya, you may be favored by mother… but don’t forget.”

Irene looked down at Chenya, and Chenya looked up at her.

“Since the day of my spirit contract ceremony, you’ve been my servant, not mother’s.”

“……”

“This is an order from your master. Withdraw your spirits.”

“But if I withdraw the spirits now, the surveillance range of the troops will—”

“Better to have none than to use them for plotting useless schemes. We barely have enough focus for retreat, yet here you are scheming.”

“……”

“Chenya, what has turned you into such a foolish woman who can’t even distinguish right from wrong?”

Irene released Chenya’s hair and stepped back a few paces.

Chenya hurriedly composed herself and stood upright again, staring at Irene.

“I quietly follow your words and the family’s will only when I can somehow convince myself. But this time…”

It demanded excessive sacrifice and loss.

Even to someone like herself who had always carried out orders without questioning, it seemed dubious.

In this crisis situation in the great forest, when elves should be more rational than anyone, to show such irrational behavior was bound to cause resistance.

“Since the situation is unfavorable, let’s discuss this again later with the family head.”

Irene left those words and returned to where the elven troops were resting.

Chenya remained alone, staring blankly at the space where Irene had disappeared.

“You should just shut up and follow orders like usual. How unlike you to throw such a tantrum—”

With a snicker and small whispers that carried emotions and mockery, her words scattered meaninglessly in the wind.

Chenya looked up at the sky with an ominously flickering gaze.

“Everything according to the family head’s will.”

The sky she looked up at was just the forest canopy blocking the sunlight.

In the dark shade, only her two eyes gleamed.

* * *

Finally, a time for rest had arrived.

From what I could see, Irene and her closest aide, the core members among Irene’s pointy-ears, seemed to have temporarily left their positions.

I found a suitable spot away from the troops with Sione and Diolia.

‘Originally.’

I had planned to quietly summon Elvis and return alone, but since Sione and Diolia insisted that I, as a patient, shouldn’t wander around alone.

Surrounded by them, I had completed all preparations to summon Elvis here.

I had prepared my Mana to be used properly, and had thoroughly infused the spirit energy in my possession into my Mana so the spirit could be guided. This should be enough.

Since the troops wouldn’t stay here long, I immediately called Tania to finish the task quickly.

“Tania, I’ll leave it to you then.”

“Sigh… I’ll forcibly create a path and door for our Elvis with your Mana. Shinwoo, you focus too.”

“…It won’t be deathly difficult, right?”

“Well, if your Mana is sufficient, it shouldn’t be that hard.”

Saying that, Tania descended as if walking down invisible stairs and, standing on the ground, quietly created a small path of flames.

Standing in the center of the geometric pattern drawn by the flames, Tania, with crimson, sharp eyes, said:

“…Now entrust all your Mana to me.”

There was no hesitation.

Why would Tania waste my Mana?

Without hesitation, I poured out my Mana control along the path connecting us, and Tania began rapidly using my Mana.

The lines of flame forming the magic circle became more distinct. Above them, rippling winds gradually began to gather, creating a wind path. In the center, where the winds converged, compressed air began to condense more and more.

In that moment when the gentle breeze created a beautiful spectacle with the veil of flames flowing along the wind path—

From within the cocoon of wind, through the veil of flames, a small spirit appeared.

“Uwah, ah, ah! H-hot!”

Indeed, a familiar voice.

“Sis, fire, fire, fire, fire! No, sis, this! Hiyaa…!”

With Tania’s playful laughter, Elvis manifested in the current world.