---

We decided to end our rest and gathered near the center where everyone was.

In the center were the elves, including Friel, wearing calm expressions, contrasting with several elves rolling on the ground, filled with an inexplicable hatred.

Rolling on the ground? If those pointy-eared folks were to see such a disgraceful display, they would want to hide their faces. Even covered in dirt, they weren’t shivering from their cleanliness obsession; rather, they were convulsing more violently.

‘Those pointy-eared ones wouldn’t be able to wake up even if Shione slapped them.’

It seemed like they had fallen deeply into the devil’s trap, to the point where even Shione’s slap inside Diolia’s mouth wouldn’t be enough to bring them back to their senses.

“Ugh…”

Diolia looked down at the disgraceful scene the elves were constantly displaying and let out a low groan.

Then, after glancing around nervously, she cleared her throat and started to ask quietly.

“…Did I also display such disgraceful behavior?”

As if in a drunken stupor, she mentioned that when she was out of her mind, she couldn’t remember much of what she did.

Diolia seemed quite curious about how far she had humiliated herself in that empty patch of memory.

“Rest easy. You were not trapped in the art as deeply, Lady Diolia.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, you merely engaged in a brief duel with Princess Shione who was blocking your attempt to bite me.”

“Hmm…”

Diolia uncharacteristically tousled her hair and began glancing at me again.

Watching her press her temples as she recalled the weight of her staggering error, I couldn’t help but think she might bring up something strange about wanting to split her belly open and atone for her sins.

─Mya.

“Hey, wanna come over here for a second?”

─Myaa!

Wooosh!

─…!

I quickly snatched Orna and stuffed her into Diolia’s arms, giving her words of encouragement. Diolia perked up and hugged Orna tightly.

The Cotton Puff wriggling around can be calmed down later, or I can put her with Tania to play, and then she won’t mind.

I refocused on the current situation.

‘This is a mess.’

The subdued elves all showed behaviors befitting the madness they were under.

With bloodshot eyes, filled with hatred, it was as if they intended to harm whatever stood in their way. Even after being completely subdued, they still struggled to the point of exhaustion.

As the dark night came, the pride they displayed as elite forest guardians during the day had long since vanished.

‘The mental strength of the elves is sometimes even superior to that of dwarves.’

Dwarves possess such incredible mental fortitude that they can hammer away at their anvils for hours without error in front of a raging furnace. And though they have highly resilient skin and bodies, they still cannot escape the pressure of the surrounding heat. They can endure and even thrive against such pressures with remarkable mental strength.

Elves, too, have a unique calmness and mental resolve born of the long years, not greatly inferior to dwarves. Yet, the fact that they had fallen into such madness seemed strangely out of place. It wasn’t simply a trick of the devil’s minions; even if it were the devil itself, causing them to go mad so quickly without any disruption would be difficult. After all, they were highly skilled guardians of the forest.

‘…I’ve been feeling uneasy about this since this afternoon.’

The dead elves littered by the pitiful demons. Even those elves who had gone mad enough to this extent.

As I contemplated this, Airine, who had been quietly observing and deep in thought, asked Diolia, our knight who had regained her senses.

“Knight, do you remember anything before you were enthralled by the sorcery?”

“Hmm…”

“Even an inaccurate fragment of memory would be fine. I want to see if there’s a memory that overlaps with the other awakened compatriots.”

“Well then—”

She began to stroke Orna as she was thinking.

As her expression grew increasingly troubled, her right hand, which was stroking Orna, moved faster in reflex.

─…Mya.

As Orna accepted Diolia’s gentle touch with a sulky expression, Diolia finally tossed an answer toward Airine.

“…I believe I made eye contact with something strange while standing guard in the forest.”

“Something strange?”

“Yes, it had red eyes, crying blood…and though it looked human, it was not.”

“Not human?”

“…I apologize. I felt something very hollow and unpleasant. However, after making eye contact with those red eyes, my memory becomes hazy.”

Airine nodded quietly in response to Diolia’s words.

“Then from now onward to the others—”

It was at that moment.

“There’s no need for that.”

Friel from the Arielte Family slowly walked toward us, cutting off Airine’s statement gracefully.

For some reason, she who usually had much to say fell silent and began to focus on Friel.

“I have already asked them all. They all experienced similar encounters as your knights did.”

Having maybe helped subdue the rampaging elves, slightly out of sorts, Friel crossed her arms and began to sharpen her teal eyes.

“They all said that after seeing those red eyes crying blood, their memories become unclear. Some said they saw a gigantic beast, and others said they felt like they saw the corpse of a dead comrade moving…It seems the appearance of the perpetrator varies from person to person.”

The crux was that red-eyed monster crying blood.

That monster we should never meet eyes with.

And curiously, I felt like I knew that monster’s identity.

“Airine, while you go over there, we’ve had more casualties here.”

“…?”

“They were all people who ventured into the forest to strengthen our perimeter.”

“…”

“They must not enter the forest where light does not touch. Look at the three elves over there.”

Each of them had deep marks on their protective gear, as if bitten by a human. One of them looked like it might have engaged in a brief standoff, with the shoulder of its scapula literally torn apart.

“Those three used to be the most skilled in Arielte, and look at them now. Even if we call upon the spirits’ power to brighten the area, if they move as a small group, they could be ambushed easily. A fortunate detail is…”

Friel’s index finger pointed to the center of this place. Floating high above, a small light created by numerous spirits. That tiny sun illuminated the surrounding area, allowing us to bask in the warm glow of its light instead of the dim moonlight, even in the deep night.

“By illuminating the surroundings so thoroughly and being grouped together like this, it seems the owner of those red eyes won’t easily reveal itself. So tonight, we should guard the surroundings in the light and… move again once the sun rises. What do you think?”

The first to agree with Friel’s suggestion was not Airine, but Shione.

“…The concentration of mana throughout the forest has increased.”

“Young lady, you mean it has thickened?”

“Yes, the residual atmosphere that seemed to sink during the day has become sticky and dense in the places where the light does not reach. Following Friel’s suggestion, it would be best to spend the night here.”

“Indeed—”

With Shione and Friel’s declarations, the other elves listening to our discussion all nodded in agreement, and we hastily began preparing to endure the night.

“Take turns watching the perimeter within the light’s range, particularly checking whether enemies are approaching or not.”

“If you spot anything resembling the red eyes up ahead, immediately turn your head and avoid making eye contact, then come back inside to take a moment to relax.”

“Although demons have yet to approach the vicinity of the light, if we eventually do make eye contact with those red eyes, as long as one retains their senses, they should relinquish all weapons and trust their comrades with their safety.”

From simple policies to more detailed instructions, quietly listening to Friel’s words, Airine began to spread her planned guidelines among us, and we embarked on keeping watch.

What was crucial was not just the monster with those menacing red eyes that seemed to be drawing closer, but also the source of light beginning to shine brighter over there. The beasts and monsters that might be drawn in by that light, and perhaps even the fanatic fanatics from the cult who might attempt a surprise attack.

I equipped myself properly again to keep watch over the forest.

The forest was quiet. But that tranquility felt suspiciously eerie.

‘…It feels like we’ve entangled ourselves with annoying creatures.’

It seemed that we were the only living beings ensnared here.

The clearly audible chirping of insects that had once filled the air, the howls of beasts echoing now and then in the forest, and the voices of owls were all gone.

Excluding the sound of those guarding this place, I could hear nothing at all.

Just as I was about to visually reconfirm what lay beyond, at that moment, I pulled Shione, who had been dozing off next to me, into my embrace.

“Ugh… Ray…?”

“Close your eyes.”

It seems she let out a sound of pain as her chest collided with mine, but who cares?

Given the situation.

“Orna. Make the surrounding people close their eyes with the wind immediately.”

─Mya…?

“It’s an order.”

There was no time for leisurely explanations.

I commanded the spirit who had the contract granted to me, raising my voice.

As I pulled Shione back behind me and drew my bowstring tight, the creature turned its head slightly toward me.

Red eyes and blood tears. Why does misfortune always come knocking as disaster? That monster was one I recognized.

“Tania, come out.”

Fwoosh─!

I shot my arrow and hurried to summon their countering spirit.

 

---