“How could such a thing happen…?”
“Do you think now is the time to say that?”
The member of the organization who had received orders from Gordon was visibly flustered by Dominic’s words.
“Are you really saying that the dark elves are attacking you?”
“That’s right. Dozens of times too. Do you even know how much damage we’ve taken?”
“…I have no excuse. It seems like something has gone wrong on our end.”
“Do you think I’m saying this because I don’t know that? It would be best to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. My men don’t have much patience left.”
This was no idle threat.
Even now, the eyes of Dominic’s knights gleamed with killing intent as they looked at the member of the organization.
Damn it…
He couldn’t understand how things had gotten to this point.
Why had the dark elves slipped out of their control?
Of course, the member of the organization didn’t have any knowledge of alchemy so he ultimately blamed it all on Gordon.
That crazy old man. He was so confident, and now he’s caused this mess?
After cursing Gordon inwardly, the member of the organization spoke up again.
“Was there anything unusual you noticed about these dark elves?”
“There was nothing. They just kept attacking us and running, just like they did with the previous expedition.”
“…For something like that, the damage seems considerable.”
“Are you doubting us now?”
“No.”
“Relay this to your superiors correctly. No matter how this ends, the imperial family has lost some of its trust in the organization.”
“…Yes.”
It was infuriating to be treated this way by a mere lapdog of the imperial family, but the member held back once more.
The connection to the imperial family was tens of thousands of times more important than his own feelings when it came to the organization’s plans.
“Then I will go report immediately. Once again, I apologize.”
“Get lost. If I see your face any longer, I might draw my sword without thinking.”
“……”
With that, the member left and Dominic watched his retreating figure with a murderous gaze.
Do they think this old man is that easy to deal with? No, perhaps the imperial family’s prestige has diminished.
Given how things had escalated to this point, Dominic could no longer trust the organization.
Who knows?
It might have been an attempt to weaken their forces in advance to monopolize the Dragon Heart.
No, Dominic actually believed that to be true.
After all, the prince he served also had a similar idea.
[If they show any weakness, we will ensure the Dragon Heart comes to us.]
[There is nothing to worry about. If they display any weakness, we will simply gain the upper hand in our relationship with them.]
[If not, we can use them to our advantage.]
[Considering they have been tied to the Great Mezaiya Forest for nearly a dozen years, it is entirely possible.]
[Remember, the name of our empire, which is responsible for all humanity, is not to be taken lightly.]
Dominic recalled the words of the prince he served and realized it was time to act according to those words.
Therefore, he did not reveal how the dark elves had changed and attacked them.
If the dark elves’ changes were not intentional as they thought, the bluffing information Dominic passed along would also become a sharp sword against the organization.
“In the end, the winner will be our imperial family.”
Meanwhile, as Dominic made his resolution, the face of the member who just left was extremely grave.
Those bastards, they’re plotting something.
Dominic’s actions in avoiding talking about how the dark elves had changed convinced the member of this.
After all, this member was a human who had survived in this ruthless organization until now.
He was perceptive and skilled at grasping the situation.
If not, he would have long since become one of Gordon’s test subjects like his predecessors.
When he recalled Dominic’s behavior, the member of the organization hurried his steps. He was determined to inform Gordon quickly.
However, perhaps because of that sense of urgency in his heart,
He didn’t notice the darkness swirling under his feet.
“Hmmm…”
Shane sorted through the various memories of the member of the organization filling his mind. He picked out and organized only the necessary ones without much emotion.
In fact, extracting another person’s memories was never as easy as it seemed.
Memories define a person’s life, and mishandling them could lead to losing oneself and plunging into madness.
It wasn’t just about receiving the necessary memories; it was about absorbing the entirety of the person’s life.
Whether he was abandoned by his parents, struck by some terrible accident, or driven by vengeance,
Everyone has their own story, and these stories gather together and put pressure on the one who robbed them of their memories.
However, this pressure had no effect on Shane.
He had to observe his inner self more than anyone else.
Before his regression, how long had he been trapped within his corrupted self?
When he recalled that time, tasks like this felt remarkably easy now.
Just as he could handle more important matters while organizing memories.
[So, you mean you don’t trust me?]
[To be blunt, yes. That’s right.]
Shane was performing such tasks even in front of the queen of the elves. This showed just how he was far from ordinary.
[Honestly, it’s surprising. To think humans could evolve this much in just a few hundred years. It’s amazing.]
After saying that, the queen of the elves lifted her head.
If an ordinary person were present, they would have been paralyzed by her beauty.
With a gentle smile, she seemed to embody nature’s love and blessing. Her beauty could not be described in words.
Her hair was white as gold and her skin was pale as freshly fallen snow in midwinter.
Her eyes held emerald lakes in their depths, and her firmly closed lips were like a red apple ripened after a long wait.
But to Shane, she was just a partner to cooperate with in the future. Nothing more, nothing less.
Shane’s personality had been worn down too much to be swayed by such beauty.
[But aside from that, it remains to be seen how much the greedy humans can really help us.]
[Humans, huh…]
In truth, it wasn’t an incorrect statement.
Humans were the personification of greed.
Greed wasn’t necessarily a negative thing.
Humanity’s desire to become stronger enabled them to grow so much in a shorter time than the lifespan of an elf.
Greed was the foundation of progress, the driving force for the growth of the race.
Yet sometimes, humans were devoured by their own greed.
[So, can I assume you don’t need help?]
[Hmm, well. What should we do? It’s still something to consider.]
With that, the queen of the elves Priscilla sipped water with floating leaves and looked at Shane with her lake-like eyes.
[You don’t seem as relaxed as you appear.]
[Please understand. This is just how we elves are. Unlike humans, we live for a long time.]
[A long lifespan doesn’t necessarily make one as relaxed as elves. And not all elves are like that either.]
[Oh my, I guess I have nothing to say now that I have been directly refuted like this. Well, it’s true that we’re in a difficult situation. Our children have entered a dormant period, making it hard for them to properly resist the enemies. How did they manage to break through the World Tree’s seal?]
Shane lightly explained in response to that question.
[Don’t you know the true nature of the World Tree? The enemy is the same kind of being.]
[Aha… So, that’s why our children had to become those ‘dark elves’.]
The reason why the elves were so helplessly absorbed by the organization in his previous life.
There might be various complex reasons, but the main cause was the elves’ dormant period.
Once every few thousand years, the elves enter a dormant period.
This is similar to the current relationship with the Great Mezaiya Forest, where every few thousand years there is a phenomenon of magical instability.
During such times, the elves induce themselves into a dormant period and wait within the seal of the World Tree for this period to pass.
The problem is that the forest, which should have entered a stable period within just 5 to 10 years, was prolonged for hundreds of years due to the Great Seal of Akasha.
The organization broke the seal of the World Tree and conducted experiments on the elves, who couldn’t wake from their dormant period without the World Tree.
During that time, only the elf queen Priscilla who did not enter the dormant period was facing the organization alone.
However, the organization wasn’t foolish; they didn’t confront Priscilla, the queen of the forest, head-on.
Instead, they meticulously hid their presence and kidnapped elves during their dormant period. Then they turned them into dark elves through Gordon.
[So, it’s quite frustrating. I believed that no one could escape my notice in this forest, but that belief has been shattered.]
Shane nodded his head at her words.
It was unavoidable though.
The organization was one of the few entities capable of opposing the magical power of the World Tree which protected the Great Mezaiya Forest.
[And yet you appeared in such a situation and used my kin more skillfully than they did. How can I trust you so easily?]
Even just looking at the dark elf waiting outside, Priscilla’s opinion was more than valid.
She was the queen responsible for thousands of elves currently in their dormant period.
[Indeed, trust is necessary for any deal.]
[Yes, that’s right.]
[If necessary, I will take an Oath of Origin.]
[Oh, really?]
A faint hint of surprise crossed Priscilla’s face.
Just entering the elves’ cradle here was an Oath of Origin in itself, but making a simple oath not to harbor hostility toward elves was also easy enough.
[But you know that’s not a cure-all, right? You need to explain the content and process of the contract to me.]
[That won’t be difficult.]
In fact, the Oath of Origin was not something to be taken lightly as Shane had just done.
Swearing upon one’s origin meant that breaking the oath could result in the very essence of one’s existence disappearing.
Even in ancient times, it was not a frequently used transaction method.
After all, it meant wagering one’s own being.
If possible, Shane did not want to resort to such measures either, but there was no more effective way to gain the trust of an elf as a human.
Because the one who sealed the ancient races in the dungeon was the human Akasha.
[If you’re going to such an extent, I can trust you. Alright, shall we begin our discussion?]
It was worth the investment for the elves.
And considering how notorious the elves had become in history, this was a risk worth taking for Shane as well.
Moreover, the Dragon Heart residing in the Great Mezaiya Forest could not be obtained without her cooperation.
[Oh, by the way, I would appreciate it if you could bring the person who turned my kin into such a state before me. I want to tear them apart myself.]
Despite Priscilla’s bright smile, her words were brutal. Shane only nodded his head quietly at her words.
A week had passed since the expedition team had been split by the organization’s plot.
However, the divided team was able to reunite more easily than expected, and the reason was simple.
“The dark elves aren’t showing up anymore.”
The frequency of the dark elves who had been harassing the expedition team had significantly decreased.
At Klein’s words, the group nodded and finished their meal with slightly more relaxed expressions.
“Ugh, but it’s still exhausting.”
Just as Dilaila had said, the group looked fatigued.
It had already been more than two months since the expedition began, and the accumulated fatigue was not something that could be relieved by simply resting.
“And it’s a relief that Shane is alright.”
“Yes… that’s right.”
At Dilaila’s words, Klein smiled much more comfortably than before.
A few days ago, Raviata relayed the news that she sensed the life-tracking spell she had cast on Shane just in case.
Previously, the unstable magical phenomena of the Great Mezaiya Forest had prevented proper tracking, but the news that Shane’s magical power had been detected not far away allowed Klein to breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Klein couldn’t completely let his guard down. It wasn’t just because Shane hadn’t rejoined them yet, but also because of the last words Raviata had left.
“Don’t tell the others.”
Those words encompassed various meanings, and Klein was not so naive as to not understand them.
There is a traitor within the expedition team.
Klein couldn’t have imagined that there would be a traitor among their own team, so he couldn’t fully relax.
Most importantly, the last time Klein checked, Shane had been with the imperial knights.
Even now, some of the surviving imperial knights were present with them, and Klein kept his mouth shut as he looked at Anais.
Anais too was associated with the Knights of Judgment which had ties to the imperial family.
…Maybe I’m being too sensitive.
But there was no harm in being cautious.
If Shane hadn’t been involved, Klein wouldn’t have reacted so sensitively.
And so the next evening.
Under a cavity made by giant tree roots, the separated expedition team was able to reunite once again.
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