Ch.235235. Ominous Winds of War (2)

“For just 30 minutes. We will assimilate the environment of the Great Forest not with the mortal realm, but with the world of spirits—the spirit realm.”

Edelin’s statement, delivered in an imposing voice, was nothing short of explosive.

“Huh…!”

“T-that’s!”

As proof, the reactions of all the elves gathered here were uniformly dramatic.

Fleta. Irene, who had become the daughter of a great criminal. And all the other elders. The sight of them gaping in shock was quite something.

I too, though not as much as them, was quietly raising the corners of my mouth, cheering at Edelin’s words.

The only ones who didn’t understand the implications of assimilating with the spirit realm were the people from the Marquisate of Feiosha, Sione Sianella, and the county’s knight, Diolia, who were looking around with puzzled expressions.

Among them, only Sione asked me for an explanation.

“…Ray, what does it mean to assimilate this place with the spirit realm?”

The mortal realm becoming the spirit realm.

“To put it simply, it means that all gaps and constraints that exist between spirit users and spirits will completely disappear.”

This corresponds to spirit users gaining powers more dangerous and powerful than any mage.

“In the spirit realm, spirits face no restrictions. No maintenance costs required for summoning to the mortal realm, no mana needed from their contractors to realize their magic in the mortal realm. None of it.”

“Ah—”

The one who let out a small exclamation at my words wasn’t Sione but Diolia, who had been quietly listening beside her.

Being a distinguished knight, and having witnessed firsthand the fearsome nature of mages, especially the characteristics of spirit users here, she seemed to have immediately grasped what my words meant.

Though present at this meeting as a key figure, she wasn’t of high importance, so she had been standing like a ghost at the back, holding her breath.

The assimilation with the spirit realm could truly be seen as a divine blessing.

The reasons were as follows:

“From the beginning, spirit magic cast by spirits is incomparably faster and more powerful than magic cast by other mages.”

“Even though it costs less mana when spirits cast spells compared to when the contractor casts them directly, given the rapid-fire capability, mana still decreases. Eventually, it becomes difficult to provide enough mana to realize magic appropriate to the spirit’s rank at that speed.”

“This is precisely the limitation that arises when operating spirits more aggressively than ever.”

The stark limitation of spirit users.

“But in the spirit realm, it’s a different story.”

This allows spirit users to transcend the limitations imposed by the world.

“Spirits regain their full abilities that were gradually lost and scattered upon manifesting in the mortal realm, as well as their inexhaustible, infinite mana, and no one can stop them.”

Spirits are natural disasters.

Tania said the spirit realm is chaotic. The spirit realm is divided into regions according to attributes. At the boundaries between regions of different attributes, to prevent unworthy beings from easily invading their homes, even spirits of merely high rank who guard these boundaries cause natural disasters unimaginable to humans.

“Especially my spirits will be able to rampage without any restrictions.”

Tania and Elvis, who have gained more practical experience than any other spirits by crossing countless battle lines with me.

The moment the reins that had been holding back these spirits, who had already reached the highest ranks among the top tier, were released.

I was confident. Confident that I alone could reverse the tide of war in an instant.

As I quietly conveyed this information, the elves, who had all been surprised and talking among themselves, were interrupted by Edelin, who was still proudly raising the corners of her mouth, as she stamped her foot on the ground a few times to get their attention.

“Surely you don’t think this is all the cards we have.”

What else could she have prepared to be so confident?

It was inevitable that everyone gathered would once again focus on her words.

“Thousands of years ago, we already fought a war against demons.”

This was a fact everyone knew.

I had heard that back then, the elves sought to eradicate demons before any other race. Whether it was out of a sense of justice to save the world, or out of resentment for having their World Tree completely burned down, that fact remained unchanged.

Edelin brought up the story of the elves who had gone berserk in those days.

“I apologize to our current generation of families… but it’s an obvious fact that not a single elf gathered here can match, no, could never match the military might of the elders of that era. Here, at best, only Fleta Arielt might barely reach their level.”

At Edelin’s words, the elders’ expressions soured.

But they couldn’t argue.

They knew well that her words were true.

“Even the elves who survived the fierce battle when the world was burning had trouble with demons. Even if they were here… we couldn’t expect much. Given the long-lasting peace, this is an inevitable fate. So I and the warriors of that time made a contingency plan.”

Rather than arguing, they held hope.

“The warriors wanted to protect the World Tree even in death. Even if their bodies completely rotted and turned to dust. So, following their will, I took measures to ensure that they could awaken when demons definitely arrived in the Great Forest and Magia began to surge.”

Edelin slowly folded her arms.

“I believe everyone knows about the numerous tombstones abandoned in the southern forest.”

Tombstones abandoned in the southern forest? This is the first I’m hearing of this…

The other elves seemed to know something among themselves, as they could be seen perking up their ears.

“Although their bodies returned to the earth, they left their spirits in the mortal realm to directly help future generations against threats. There lies the contingency plan left by the ancients for this very moment.”

“Hmm…”

“So the tales passed down from ancient times weren’t just simple fairy tales…”

The point is that we have one more advantage we can take.

“The problem is that the location is outside the barrier I’ve created.”

The location is right in the middle of the outside of the barrier, where winds thick with Magia blow.

It was in a place that might already have been occupied by the enemy.

“Moreover, this isn’t the only contingency plan left by us elves alone.”

“You mean…”

Fleta, who had been listening quietly, couldn’t help but speak up. Edelin’s gaze shifted without a hint of wavering to us.

More precisely, her gaze met the blue eyes of my master, Sione Sianella.

At the same time, as if reading something in Edelin’s eyes, which curved up like a crescent moon, Sione nervously gripped her hand that had been tapping her thigh.

“There, my friend, who was also the founder of the County of Sianella, left a contingency plan for her descendants as well. And it can only be retrieved by someone who carries her blood.”

“Also… I believe I mentioned before. Ray, your soul resembles that of a being who fought alongside me in the past. If my thoughts are not mistaken—”

“You too might be able to obtain a contingency plan.”

Clap—!

Edelin suddenly clapped her hands.

“Here’s the problem. To fully acquire the contingency plans left by the two, we need to go outside the barrier. And for us to win, the two heroes must maintain their best condition.”

“However… outside the barrier is filled with pitch-black darkness, so whether things will go as we wish is questionable. Even if we have sufficient measures against Magia, we need people to protect us from enemies who might attack while I’m retrieving the contingency plans.”

“So I ask everyone here.”

The atmosphere suddenly sank.

More than the weight of Edelin’s words, her mood wasn’t good, and the pressure felt from her presence intensified.

The moment they realized their queen was in a bad mood, all the elves once again bowed their heads and only looked at their feet, not daring to look directly at the queen.

“Are there any elves here who are willing to escort us while we retrieve the contingency plans from where the tombstones sleep, ready to sacrifice their lives no matter what happens?”

However, among these elves, there was one who uniquely raised her head.

The red-haired elf who had not only become the daughter of a criminal but had also seen her family’s prestige plummet to the abyss.

Now, busy following Edelin around for a suspended sentence, she spoke in a stiff voice at this meeting.

“I, Irene Ianet, and the 30 elves who followed me and are now suspected by the family, will risk our lives to protect the Grand Elder and the two heroes.”

Whether it was for her family or for herself, she was asking for a chance to buy indulgence.