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“There’s a sly and selfish side to her.”

Having been through this a few times already, Eunice Kalia’s expression was far from pleasant.

She skillfully erased her emotions, layering a dry, expressionless facade over her face, and slowly moved her feet into the barracks.

‘Ianette’s name keeps coming up since last time.’

When Friel told me to act on behalf of her family, the topic of the Ianette family had come up then too.

They’ve been told that unlike their favorable demeanor, they are quite a negative clan when it comes to humans. They weren’t too thrilled about our visit to the Great Forest.

‘Besides, considering what Eunice just said…’

Arielte and Chelness, whether out of face-saving or some other reason, while I couldn’t know their true feelings, presented themselves as relatively cordial or kind, contrasting heavily with the Ianette clan members, who seemed to embody the typical elven demeanor I was familiar with.

‘If I get caught up in their story, it’s going to be tough.’

Then again, they were all over a hundred years old.

They were all stubborn elves, and if they took control of the conversation, it might get a bit annoying.

‘It’s certainly better to be cautious.’

After mulling over Eunice Kalia’s advice, I finally stepped into the barracks myself.

Inside the large tent, quite a number of people were huddled together.

Moreover, I spotted a woman I knew within the tent.

‘…Fletta is here too.’

I hadn’t heard that the head of the family would come here directly.

A woman resembling Friel Arielte, but a bit more decadent, with murky green eyes, was watching us.

Friel and Shione headed over to Fletta, seeming to just need to stand near her.

‘Eunice also said that everyone from both families had arrived and was waiting for Arielte.’

Thinking about which side was Chelness and which was Ianette as I moved alongside Shione ahead.

A massive round table spread out with a map showcasing the geography of the Great Forest, I stopped my steps at the side where Fletta stood.

During this, a woman quietly watching us from the far northern part of the inside of the barracks opened her mouth.

“…Are those the individuals whom the World Tree has chosen as its prophets? I heard you met with the Grand Elder yesterday.”

The one who naturally replied to her was none other than Fletta, who nodded in agreement with her words.

“That’s right. These two are the noble lady and Spirit Mage from the furthest tip of the kingdom, Count Ianette’s Shianella.”

“Hmm.”

“And I’ve never seen the elders of the Ianette clan before.”

When Fletta called Chelness’s name, her gaze shifted to the elf in the northern part. It seemed the first person to speak was indeed the elder from the Chelness family.

The Chelness elder slowly took in the sight of Shione and me, nodding her head slightly.

Then… the elf standing at the forefront among those seated on the west side of the roundtable, the representative figure, was the head of the Ianette clan… the elder of the Great Forest.

“Hooh. Those two are─”

The elf with striking crimson hair cascading down to her waist.

“Are they the ones the Grand Elder has been searching for?”

She was crossing her arms with a narrowed eye.

The moment I locked eyes with the Ianette elder, who initially glanced at Shione and then at me, I clearly realized.

That elf, while sizing up our level, was harboring dismissive sentiments inside. Elves were definitely monsters at hiding their feelings and deceiving others.

No matter how sharp I was, the fleeting glance that gave me certainty about that could only mean she wasn’t too deeply considering her disdain for us.

‘Shione… seems to have sensed it too.’

My master likely picked up on the subtle aura radiating from that orange-haired elf. I could see her typically innocent expression momentarily distort.

‘But since we’ve discussed a bit about Ianette before, it should be fine.’

Regarding what Friel Arielte had mentioned about the clan that might not be particularly welcoming to us.

I had talked about this when I first summoned Cotton Puff and brought her before me, and again just before entering the Great Forest.

I would soon get my expression back to normal and engage with the elves over there without issue.

Tap, tap.

And as expected, I secretly took Shione’s hand and tightly grasped her pinky, making her glance at me for a moment before she regained her composure.

During this brief meeting, the Chelness elder spoke up.

“…While it’s good to have an interest in the heroes of prophecy, let’s first finish discussing the pressing matter concerning the Half-Demon that has been delayed. How about we tackle that first?”

“Agreed.”

“Hmm, heroes… Well, in any case, discussing demons takes priority now.”

With Fletta’s clear agreement and Ianette’s somewhat lengthy one.

Thus began Chelness’s explanation.

I’m not sure how everyone gathering, including the elders, became a more significant matter than I expected, but…

The fundamental reason for today’s military meeting was none other than the demons. Both the current situation and the potentially looming threat posed by the Half-Demon’s eradication.

The head of Chelness approached the map.

“With the help of the knights from the Chelness and Kalia Marquis Families, we have been able to track down several Half-Demons. After previously completing a major hunt and elimination, the western region of the Great Forest has been entrusted to Ianette, so you needn’t worry.”

Her hand pointed prominently at two locations on the map.

One centered around a city with the other to the north and south.

“The north and south hadn’t been sorted out yet, so the knights from Chelness and the Marquis Family were busy eradicating the cultists traveling between them. However, the issue is… while we succeeded in taking out some minions, the major problem, the Half-Demons, are constantly slipping away and ultimately have hidden themselves in the eastern labyrinth.”

She moved her hand to the eastern part of the map.

“Along with the wicked demons, naturally.”

I looked down at the map.

The representation of the Great Forest, especially the eastern part, was quite simplistic.

The Great Forest was depicted as so dense that it was hard to find a single empty space, with numerous labels indicating trees filling the area.

The environment appeared to be a literal sea of trees, far denser than the weedy areas we had entered in the western and southern parts.

It seemed the Half-Demons had likely hidden themselves deep within this labyrinthine forest.

“The Grand Elder had been saying to our elders from previously, if we can’t stop the horned ones, a much greater disaster will descend upon us.”

Thanks to that, we were in quite a troublesome predicament.

Even though the forest was like a playground for elves, with such an expansive area and a maze-like structure, the search would undoubtedly take considerable time.

“We must strike down their heads.”

Moreover, even tracking them would not guarantee a successful extermination.

In that sense, the Great Forest was facing a notably troubling situation.

That’s why we needed, or rather, Shione’s capabilities were essential.

If we could harness Shione’s divine powers;

Not only human senses, but also the sixth sense. By feeling out magical energy in that moment and tracking until the end, we could—

We would not have to exhaust ourselves scouring every corner for their traces. This would significantly reduce the likelihood of the remnants of the cultists fleeing during our search.

While I was listening closely to Chelness’s words, Fletta Arielte casually interjected.

“Along with the forest guardians of the Arielte family… the noble lady and the Spirit Mage will also participate in the hunt for the Half-Demons.”

“Oh.”

A brief expression of admiration came from Chelness.

Fletta, adjusting the glasses she wore, continued her statement.

“Everyone here must know what kind of abilities run through the blood of the noble lady of Count Shianella. She’ll give us significant help in tracking and exterminating demons in our pretty complicated forest.”

Fletta’s eloquent speech began.

The main points of her discussion centered around the results the Spirit Mages could yield, alongside those of Shione and the forest guardians. Moreover, this was tied to the operational methods of the knights from the Kalia Marquis Family and the forest guardians of the Chelness.

As ideas on how to approach the north and east poured out from her.

‘Huh?’

I felt a glance prickling against my skin.

Turning my head towards the sharp gaze, I felt the orange-haired…

In other words, I could sense the head of the Ianette family staring intensely at me.

“However… I have a question. I believe that the noble lady of Count Ianette will perform a significant role based on her bloodline abilities… but the male counterpart, I’m not so sure about.”

Still crossing her arms,

With a nonchalant expression, she laid out her opinion.

“Sorry, but having him on the extermination squad would only slow down the team’s progress, wouldn’t it?”

 

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