Gordon struggled and wailed within Shane’s mental world, but the fate that awaited the ragged old man did not change.
In the mental world,
It didn’t matter how skilled one was in handling souls. No, in fact, because he was a black mage and a blood mage who dealt with souls, he knew the outcome better than anyone.
Originally, the brighter a soul shone, the more it attracted other faint lights to grow stronger together.
Conversely, a dark soul had the property of absorbing other souls.
Gordon had absorbed countless souls with his vile and dirty soul, making them his nourishment.
However, Shane’s soul was fundamentally different.
A soul darker and deeper than the abyss itself had a power that even Gordon could not resist.
How, how can this be!
Gordon looked deep inside and recognized the identity of the darkness that Shane harbored.
It was the essence of corruption he had been researching recently.
The culmination of his studies to drive human emotions to their extreme and corrupt them into negative power was right before his eyes.
N-No, no, no!!
This realization drove Gordon even more mad.
Who on earth was this man, to have turned his research and development into this outcome?
Even at the moment when he was in danger of disappearing, Gordon remained a scholar, an alchemist, and a mage. The fact that he couldn’t uncover the truth brought him a fear greater than death.
Eventually,
Annihilation.
Gordon foresaw a fate more terrible than that of any other experimental subjects he had tormented.
An unstoppable force’s will shattered Gordon’s soul into tiny fragments.
No matter how hard he searched for an escape, there was none.
Kyaaaah──!
In the end, just as he had lived in ragged despair, Gordon faced complete annihilation.
There was no mistake this time, like with the previous dark spirit.
Shane confirmed that even the remnants of Gordon’s soul were perfectly obliterated, closed his eyes, and reflected.
The old man’s death was not merely the end of a villain.
Gordon had been the organization’s most excellent aide until it fully revealed itself to the human world, and his death drove a massive stake into the organization’s once flawless plans.
Shane remembered that and reveled in the satisfaction,
It all started with his game with Osten.
Until then, he had thought there was still time to gather strength to oppose the organization and did not intend to make any major moves.
But the thought of staying connected to Osten, who would later become one of the organization’s biggest stumbling blocks, made him wonder what outcome would satisfy him.
At this time, most major incidents were related to the organization, and since Shane had also spent time with them, most significant events inevitably linked back to the organization.
That’s where the plan began.
In fact, it was more like a fantasy than a plan.
All of it was just a game of probabilities.
He attracted Raviata’s attention with the Dragon Heart.
Raviata was the one who yearned for that item more than anyone else in the world, so Shane thought there was a high probability she would approach him.
Shane also had something he wanted from the Great Mezaiya Forest, so he judged that if she came, he could easily obtain it.
Was that all?
When he thought of the Great Mezaiya Forest, his thoughts extended to Gordon, the worst alchemist in human history at this time.
According to Shane’s memory, Gordon’s research at this time was not yet perfect.
He judged that he could capture Gordon with his current strength.
In any case, all of it was just a matter of probability, but in the end, he managed to break through all those odds and achieve the desired result.
“Whew.”
“Krrr… master.”
Shane opened his eyes, saw the dark spirit standing beside him, and got up.
“…You made a contract with a unique spirit, Shane.”
“Yes.”
James’s gaze seemed to demand an explanation, but there was no need to comply, so Shane just looked at the dark spirit.
“What about his corpse?”
“I left only the shell, master.”
“I see.”
After confirming the whereabouts of the imperial knight Dominic, Shane finally looked at James and spoke.
“Let’s return to the expedition team.”
“…Alright.”
Regardless of James’s curiosity, it was time to confirm the conclusion of the matter.
“I’m the first in elf history to invite humans here.”
At Priscilla’s words, the group looked at her with dazed expressions on their faces.
Except for Shane and Raviata, most people couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her beautiful appearance and sweet voice.
“Hey, can you stop using that irritating voice with people who helped you?”
When Raviata spoke up, Priscilla looked sullen.
“That’s too much.”
“I’ve seen you elves do strange things with your voices more than once.”
“Unfortunately, I’ve been caught, so it can’t be helped.”
As she spoke, Priscilla removed the magic from her voice.
Elves were aware that their appearance was the most superior among all races, and they knew how to use it.
They would imbue their voices with magic to reduce the hostility of their opponents.
Although it wasn’t an absolute effect, it was easy to fall victim if you weren’t aware.
“Ahem, anyway, welcome to the Great Mezaiya Forest, humans.”
Priscilla continued with a natural smile.
“Now, before we start the conversation, I would like to express my gratitude to you all.”
She placed one hand on her chest and bowed her head. She was exuding an air of nobility.
After a moment, she lifted her head again and began explaining the current situation.
“After we were sealed in the Great Mezaiya Forest by the human god Akasha, we were attacked by certain groups you have faced. They evaded the gaze of the World Tree, established their territory, and not only kidnapped our elves who were in a state of sleep but also conducted biological experiments on them.”
Behind her stood elves with dark skin. They had their heads bowed.
“Even though they have changed so much and this made them very different from us, the fact that they are still our family has not changed. You all saved them too.”
Not only that, but they had also purified the corrupted dragon heart which allowed them to uproot the organization completely from this place.
“In that sense, I swear in the name of Priscilla, Queen of the Elves, to acknowledge the humans before me.”
“……!”
“……!!”
The entire group widened their eyes at this.
This was a signal that humanity had cleared the third cradle.
How great will the ripple effect of this be?
This was something no one could dare predict.
There were two basic methods for humanity to conquer a cradle.
The first method involved repeatedly subjugating the leader of the host race within the cage.
The number of times needed was uncertain. In the first cradle, it took four attempts, while in the second cradle, it increased to seven.
Many mages had studied this aspect, but none had yet unraveled the mystery.
The other method was to gain acknowledgment from the leader of the host race.
This method had never been successful before.
It was known only because Akasha had reportedly mentioned it.
However, current humanity has deemed this method impossible.
This was because all different races and monsters, including those in cradles and dungeons, harbored extreme hostility towards humans for a simple reason.
“You made us like this.”
Priscilla’s voice tickled Shane’s ears, but the latter just kept listening with a blank expression and he simply nodded his head silently.
After the expedition team decided to rest here for a while, Shane had some time to talk with Priscilla privately.
“Your god Akasha sealed various races in this place called the cradle.”
The great seal of Akasha signified only one thing.
The stagnation of time.
The places where Akasha’s great seal was implemented experienced the repetition of time.
Those inside it did not age.
Even if they died, they would be resurrected after some time.
All growth ceased.
They could not leave the dungeon.
And so, it was a curse and a seal.
They did not age or die, yet they could not go mad. As time repeated, physical and mental growth stopped.
And since growth stopped, they could not learn.
They could not have children or bring about the revival of their race.
That’s how they had lived in this stagnant time for hundreds of years.
Even now, the many races that were sealed did not recognize how much time had passed since their sealing.
And so, the organization was nothing short of terror for Priscilla.
In this endless seal, the dark elves they abducted and experimented on never regained their original form.
“In that sense, your appearance was like hope for us elves.”
From the moment the expedition began, Priscilla had noticed the humans’ arrival.
The entirety of the Mezaia Great Forest was under her watchful eyes.
Even so, the reason she couldn’t easily drive out the expedition team was because of the organization’s presence.
She didn’t know how many more of her kin they would abduct while she was away.
“So I am even more grateful.”
Priscilla said this with a smile, but this time, Shane shook his head.
“We didn’t work for free. The help I extend in the future won’t be free either. And the threat from humans won’t end with this.”
“Probably not.”
When Priscilla heard from Shane how the world outside the Great Mezaiya Forest had changed, she quietly nodded her head.
Elves were a secluded race.
They extremely hated any intrusion into their territory, and this was the same even in ancient times.
But the environment in ancient times inevitably pushed the elves to be even more exclusive.
There were so many powerful races back then.
It was an era where even a little carelessness could mean the extinction of a race.
But now, things were different.
They would still be exclusive, but…
“Alright. Shall we talk about opening up our home, the Great Mezaiya Forest?”
With just those words from Priscilla, astronomical sums of money were already running through Shane’s mind.
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