Ch.226226. Final Discourse (2)

“I will gladly accept Lady Edeline’s kindness.”

“That’s good. Then this way.”

Edeline smiled brightly and turned with light footsteps.

She slowly opened the tightly closed temple door. With the creaking sound of the old wooden door, the interior finally came into view. The inside of the temple had an appearance no different from a small cathedral.

“There, I’ve prepared it like this. It should be sufficient for sitting and talking for a while.”

“Excuse us.”

Sione and I walked toward the small table and chairs prepared on the small platform in the center of the cathedral.

Meanwhile, I quickly rolled my eyes to check what the inside of this place looked like.

‘Nothing particularly special.’

A central platform. Wooden chairs arranged in a surrounding formation. Though the chairs showed no signs of wear despite their age, Edeline must have been maintaining them regularly, as there was no settled dust to be found.

‘The only thing that concerns me is that.’

Naturally, my gaze was drawn to the particularly antique-looking stone statue at the very center of the otherwise ordinary cathedral. A stone structure in the shape of a small tree and beneath it, a small well-like structure stood desolately in its place.

Whether it was designed that way from the beginning, or whether the roof of this building had partially collapsed over time creating holes, warm sunlight streamed down in beams into the cathedral.

In that space, the largest beam of light poured down, creating a warm atmosphere around that structure, and I could detect an energy that was impossible to ignore as a spirit mage.

‘…It’s an intoxicating spirit energy.’

The point was that a concentration of spirit power so potent it could make one’s head spin dizzily was emanating from that structure—more precisely, from the well beneath the statue—which would affect even mediocre spirit mages.

Raising my chin to elevate my gaze and standing slightly on tiptoes to roughly check inside the well, I could see clear water collected there.

‘The energy contained in that water is at that level. At that level, it’s already—’

For spirit mages, that water would be worth more than anything else, deserving to be called holy water.

Honestly, if there were no eyes watching, I’d rush over and gulp it down myself.

As I tried to pretend not to look but still couldn’t take my eyes off the well, the High Elf, who had already noticed this, looked at me from her seat.

“You’ve noticed, I see?”

“……”

“Well, a spirit mage couldn’t help but notice. Originally, since we had plenty to spare, I would lightly serve it as tea to guests who entered this temple… but now I have a use for it. I’m sorry, but I’ll serve you tea with that holy water next time.”

I nodded with an embarrassed smile and sat down next to Sione.

Even if it was tempting, since it wasn’t originally connected to me—wasn’t entirely mine—I, with a soul more honest and frugal than those pointy-eared folks, quickly put aside my desire for possession.

After we all took our seats, an atmosphere conducive to conversation formed. Accordingly, the first to speak was none other than Edeline, the ruler of this place.

“I’ve heard the general story from the elders. Three half-human half-demons hiding in the eastern forest. You successfully eliminated two of them, and I’ve heard about the merits you’ve accumulated.”

“The Lady of Sianella was a beacon of light for everyone until dawn broke through the murky night… and I heard that you, the hero, even harvested the corrupted soul of a half-demon alone.”

“It would be proper to begin our conversation by expressing my deep gratitude for the heroes’ hard work.”

Edeline’s ash-gray eyes embraced us as she slightly bowed her head.

“Praise to the heroes who did not retreat for the sake of the Great Forest despite the fierce battle.”

Formalities.

This is the problem with high-ranking individuals.

They spend so much time on endless formalities and expressions of gratitude. High Elves were no different. Having already gone through such formal greetings in conversations with Friel and Pleta, I waited for Sione to appropriately coordinate opinions with her.

What I needed to address wasn’t about gratitude for our achievements or negotiations for rewards.

‘If the Great Forest is damaged, it will inevitably harm the kingdom as well.’

In any case, since we’ve set foot in this forest, it would be better to strive for a more favorable outcome.

And just as I thought that, the words I had been wanting to hear finally flowed from Edeline’s lips.

“And… in addition, now that we’ve failed to eliminate one of the half-human half-demons, I’d like to hear the esteemed opinions of the heroes on what path our Great Forest should take. Could you share your thoughts?”

“On that matter, it would be better if Ray answered on our behalf. Would that be acceptable?”

“Of course. Isn’t Ray a hero who eliminated demons alongside Lady Sione? Please freely express your thoughts.”

Edeline might have already finished her preparations.

The oracle she saw was of the Great Forest burning to ruin. Even if our intervention twisted fate, she probably didn’t deeply expect that such a massive flow of destiny could be blocked and corrected from the beginning.

But rather than thinking, planning, and proceeding alone, if she had someone else’s opinion to support her own, she could proceed with unwavering belief.

I spoke about the countermeasures the Great Forest should take in the current situation.

“It’s too late to form more troops to eliminate the cultists.”

Desperately organizing troops to prevent a ritual they couldn’t properly stop. We must avoid losing our main forces in the eastern region, which has likely already become a demon realm.

From the day crows blackened the blue sky, the eastern forest was destined to become a complete demon realm. We can no longer hope for victory by preemptively attacking the demons in that forest as rational humans.

“The cultists are vicious, and they will conduct rituals to summon great evil again, centered around the surviving half-demon and demons.”

“Then couldn’t we just stop that ritual again?”

I shook my head.

“Also, the ritual will be completed soon, so it wouldn’t be feasible to send troops.”

“You would have been observing the eastern forest battlefield with limited range and limited vision like other forest guardians… Yet you are certain, unlike the other elders.”

“……”

“But whether it’s your heart leading the way, your claim lacks evidence to the point of being almost nonexistent. Yet those eyes contain a deep belief that doesn’t belong to someone telling lies.”

Edeline’s ash-gray eyes…

There was a lack of proper evidence.

She probably considers my words somewhat forced.

To add more credibility to my words, I was about to summon Elvis at this point—

“Could that certainty perhaps come from the spirit you summoned again without my help?”

…but I was planning to summon him.

She might have already noticed that Elvis and I were connected again, as she mentioned Elvis’s existence before I could.

I quietly affirmed her words.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“A spirit with a rank befitting the highest grade… The spirit I helped you connect with last time was fire, so this time it must be wind. A seasoned spirit that has reached the highest level could bring information with a broader view than anyone else.”

“……”

“But even that information needs verification. I will momentarily manifest my spirit, so would it be alright to let it mingle with your spirit for a while?”

To let spirits mingle.

She probably means to discern whether the information our Elvis gathered is true or false through her own trusted spirit.

I nodded without hesitation.

“Of course.”

“That’s good. Then the intention you wish to assert to me… I can roughly see the outline.”

As she said that,

My voice and Edeline’s overlapped.

“Complete defensive posture for the Great Forest.”

“…The Great Forest must abandon offensive actions and focus solely on defense now.”

At this, Edeline showed a small smile.

I continued speaking, disregarding this.

“The demons were unusual.”

Besides the poison-handling demon she said she saw in her oracle, there might be something even more dangerous. That one, regardless of how the elders explained it, is more dangerous than you imagine.

“We suffered greater losses than expected in this operation.”

While their demons remain intact, the damage to our elite forest guardians is truly devastating. We cannot push more forest guardians into the forest and make our already insufficient forces even more inadequate.

“And this is the biggest reason why I am currently arguing that the Great Forest should abandon the conquest of the eastern forest and focus on internal matters.”

The most important thing.

“Currently, there is a traitor suspected of colluding with demons hiding within our Great Forest.”

About Ianette.

“And not from another family, but from one of the three houses of the Great Forest. From Ianette.”

As soon as this came up,

The smile disappeared from Edeline’s face, who had been listening to my claims with a faint smile.

At that moment, Sione jumped into the conversation as if she had been waiting.

“It is a self-evident fact that more dangerous than external enemies are internal enemies who cause discord.”

Sione, who searched her bosom and pulled out a wooden tag imbued with a mysterious energy.

She immediately placed the wooden tag on the table.

“As the representative of the House of Arielt and with the authority delegated by Pleta Arielt in her individual capacity as an elder, and as those who participated directly in the subjugation force, fought through the battlefield chasing demons, and beheaded half-demons, we petition the Great Elder of the Great Forest.”

Tension begins to permeate what was once a relaxed atmosphere.

“We strongly urge a grand trial regarding the atrocities committed by Ianette during the operation and the secret stories entangled with them.”