Ch.221221. Retreat and Report (3)

The ominous cawing of crows spread throughout the great forest.

By now, the natives of this place—the elves—would probably be bursting through their doors to figure out what strange phenomenon was occurring.

Since I had already gauged what was happening through my Status Window, I looked up at the sky with an expression full of irritation rather than confusion or bewilderment.

“What a mess.”

A surge of profanity welled up inside me.

It seemed I had been thinking too lightly about the situation.

Well, a disaster capable of destroying the great forest was approaching, so perhaps I had been too relaxed.

But then again, what could I as an individual do?

When I was briefly staying as a guest at the Marquisate, Allen Kallia had already established his solid power base. Even if I suspected he was connected to the cult, I didn’t know how to stir things up.

Moreover, being nothing more than an outsider to them, and in a situation where I had to follow Sione around, it was also difficult for me to actively devise strategies and find allies.

‘The Marquisate of Kallia or this forest.’

Not much difference between them.

It was fine until I cut the throat of that half-demon.

The problem is that those damn Ianettes are busy doing crazy things while trying to save the great forest. Moreover, their schemes progressed while I was unaware, especially when I was unconscious.

One issue is that as long as Ianette and I are connected to the same unit, there’s nothing to gain by stirring them up and turning them into enemies. Also, I had no concrete evidence to prove their wrongdoings, so I had no means to pressure them. If I carelessly provoked them, they might spring out like bees hidden in a hive and do who knows what.

‘I don’t like any of this.’

I had been too passive, pushed around by circumstances. Isn’t it my nature to somehow create a breakthrough and take control of the situation?

From the position of a slave who only needs to follow passively, in this barbaric world where a wrong word could get your tongue cut off and a slap could cost you your fingers—I’m the one who proudly and actively moved to persuade that bear and turn him into a human through persistent persuasion.

My actions and choices have always been made within the scope of the nobles around me and the quests. Even on this forced stage, haven’t I always tried to derive the most active thinking and results as much as I could?

It’s the same now.

‘Though the situation has changed quite a bit since then.’

The County of Sianella, where I only had to care about Sione, Siabel, and Ainel.

The royal capital, where I just had to maintain proper etiquette and draw lines in front of the princess and various nobles.

Unlike those, the power struggles within the Marquisate of Kallia and suspicions of demon connections, the families that coexist despite having common enemies within the great forest—coordinating and resolving these issues would not be easy for me right now.

‘But my life is at stake.’

Yet, considering the situation I’ve created so far, I can’t just run away and get swept along.

Isn’t it getting annoying to keep being passive?

‘I’ll have to struggle.’

The complete eradication of the half-demons has failed.

One is still alive, and it will probably continue its consciousness with the demon. It’s too late to strike it down now.

So what I need to do now is figure out how to set up the board for what comes next.

Within the range of affairs I can interfere with, I need to manage the situation to create a future that is most favorable to me and positive overall.

Well, these elves have been locked up in this small forest for hundreds of years, engaging in armchair discussions. Especially those like Ianette who have been fighting over petty interests, resulting in completely hardened heads. Having seen how they fail to respond wisely to war and battle due to being steeped in peace, I have no choice but to subtly lead them.

‘Let’s organize the information.’

I need to clear my head.

I need to recall everything I know. Complex information is surely intertwined as clues. I need to maximize my insight.

I reviewed everything about the Marquisate and the great forest.

After that, naturally:

‘Now, starting with the most urgent and important things I face.’

In this situation, I need to remember what I must interfere with first to change the current situation.

I looked at the flock of crows covering the sky with a cold gaze and thought:

‘One. Bind Ianette’s hands and feet.’

Uncontrolled, unpredictable elves are no different from time bombs.

When elves who would even harm their comrades have needles in their hands, I worry they might stab someone. There’s nothing I dislike more than them having the influence to stab an ally in the back with a knife at any time.

I needed to keep them in check for sure.

‘Two. What the great forest needs to prepare for next.’

The great forest must now prepare for defending its stronghold and resistance, not for subjugating half-demons.

It’s already too late to hastily reorganize and send troops. Now that we’ve detected signs of that rotting corpse-smelling demon and the poison-spewing demon, there’s barely enough time to convert this place into a fortress solely for war.

Roughly, there are many other things, but what’s certain is that an opportunity to clearly assert and present my intentions to others will soon arrive.

‘Two confirmed opportunities: meeting with Friel Arielt and the oldest elf here, Edelin.’

With Friel, I should focus on matters related to Ianette, and with Edelin, I should focus on giving hints about the direction the great forest should take.

Friel is clearly showing opposition to Ianette. And if Edelin’s insight hasn’t faded with age, after I’ve desperately explained the current situation, he will take my words quite seriously.

After thinking this through, I quietly gathered mana.

Whoosh!

As the wind blew into the room summoning a spirit, Elvis appeared and looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

“Dad!”

As soon as he appeared, he ran into my arms and asked while looking around:

“Where’s that small wind spirit?”

“Ah, Orna? Orna is probably resting in the spirit realm.”

Having stayed in the physical world for a long time, he must have accumulated fatigue. I had sent Orna back to the spirit realm, judging it would be good for him to recover his strength there.

“Hmm—”

At those words, Elvis made an inexplicable sound, then with an expression that seemed very relieved, no, satisfied, he began flying around.

“Well, I’m much more reliable than such a young spirit, hehe. So Dad, there’s no sister this time… why did you call me? Perhaps to play with—”

“Elvis, can I hear all the information you’ve gathered while investigating Ianette’s elves?”

“Umm… okay… I guess playing can wait a bit, well…”

I’m sorry, but our little spirit tends to talk a bit too much when he gets excited.

Right now, there are more urgent matters, so it’s better to cut him off and check the information he’s gathered.

Well, the information about Ianette I heard in the eastern forest was fragmentary. I left the really important information to be heard after the surrounding environment stabilized.

The future path might emerge from our spirit’s espionage activities.

I waited for our spirit’s words with anticipation.

“Then I’ll recall the most important wind memories first.”

The sound of the wind.

Everyone’s voice is carried by the wind. By perfectly controlling the wind that holds those voices and turning them into memories the wind holds. This is one of our Elvis’s specialties, allowing necessary sounds to be preserved without being scattered, worn out, and fading away in the wind.

Following Elvis’s guidance, the voices he collected began to echo in the room.

“Aren’t you the one who defended Chenya?”

“…”

“Why did you call me separately?”

“…Lady Airine.”

“Don’t stall and speak quickly.”

“The current Ianette… no, Lady Chenya seems to be subtly off somehow.”

That was the first memory.

“I will have a conversation with mother. Whether Chenya’s actions were indeed mother’s will and the family’s will. Or if it was an independent choice.”

“If it was the head of the family’s will, what will you do?”

“That is—”

“…”

“…difficult.”

That was the second memory.

“How is the situation?”

“There are some who have turned to Lady Airine’s side. Among them, I’ve confirmed that some have noticed fragments of the secret.”

“This is troublesome, very troublesome. Make sure everyone remembers clearly. If they act troublesome, we’ll have to silence them for sure.”

“Silence them?”

“Yes, those whose heads have fallen cannot move their treacherous tongues.”

The third memory.

And then in the fourth memory, Chenya’s monologue flowed out.

“You said you found a way for the family to remain great forever in the Marquisate of Kallia.”

An unusual voice.

“According to the head of the family, only our Ianette will remain intact and command the world above the swept and trampled great forest.”

Her voice was consumed by madness.

“I only think of seeing that day by the side of the head of the family, not among these ragtag groups.”

Finally, a definite piece of evidence captured.

“Found it.”

A weapon to strike at the damn Ianette’s blind spot had finally come into my hands.

That wasn’t the only memory.

“Allen of the Marquisate of Kallia… Already a male thoroughly steeped in Magia. He didn’t seem very trustworthy, but if he’s made a contract, it’s worth betting on him for this matter.”

In Chenya’s fading monologue, the rogue of the Marquisate of Kallia.

Even the fact that Allen Kallia was connected to demons was captured.

Now the wind memories collected by Elvis will give Eunice Kallia, Abel Kallia, and the Papal Office the justification to condemn and attack the Marquisate of Kallia, and will reveal all their schemes, bringing them to nothing.

The damn Ianette’s people will also be condemned by all the people of the great forest for the worst crime of colluding with demons.

‘The counterattack begins.’

Now that I have a weapon to pierce the hearts of those damn elves, shouldn’t I wield it?

I hugged our precious spirit, eagerly anticipating the day I would meet Friel and especially the leader here, Edelin.

“My spirit, well done!”

“Ah, Dad…?”

When I hugged the spirit with an uncharacteristically bright smile and a very pleased voice, the spirit showed a slightly bewildered look.

“He, hehe. I did well, right? Hmph, sister could never have done this!”

Soon he started boasting like that with a beaming smile.

But then he returned with a somehow dejected look and said:

“By the way, Dad…?”

“Yes?”

“I’m not ‘my spirit’.”

What?

“…It’s Elvis, you gave me that name.”

Ah.

“Dad, this time you’re worse than sister Tania.”

Afterward, I was busy consoling Elvis, who was upset at the mistake I made in my excitement.