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The ominous cry of the crow spread widely through the Great Forest.

Surely now the native inhabitants, the Ear Clan, would burst from their homes to figure out what was happening.

I had a rough idea of what was going on through the Status Window.

Instead of suspicion and confusion, I looked up at the sky with an expression full of irritation and whispered.

“Damn it.”

Frustration surged within me.

I seemed to have taken things a little too lightly.

Well, it was bound to be a disaster that could bring about the downfall of the Great Forest; I suppose I was too relaxed about it.

But then again, what could I personally do?

When I stayed briefly at the Marquis Kalia, I already knew Allen Kalia had solidified his power there. Even though he was suspected of being involved with the Cult, I had no idea how to stir things up.

Also, being just an outsider to them, I was in a situation where I had to follow Shione around. Finding someone to cooperate with while proactively devising strategies was no easy feat.

“Whether it’s the Kalia Marquis or this forest…”

Might not be all that different.

It was fun until we struck the neck of that Half-Demon.

The problem was that damn Ianette was busy trying to save the Great Forest while going around doing insane things. Moreover, their schemes had developed while I was unaware, particularly when I lost consciousness.

One issue was that since Ianette and I were linked to the same unit, I couldn’t simply stir things up again without making them my enemies. I also lacked solid evidence to prove their malfeasance, leaving me with no means to pressure them. If I randomly poked the beehive, they might come buzzing out like angry bees, causing even more trouble.

“Everything from one to ten is bothersome.”

I was being too passive, pushed around by the situation. My nature is to find a breakthrough and take control of situations, after all.

As a slave who only had to follow orders, a single slip of the tongue risked losing my head, and a slap could cost me a finger. In this barbaric world, I had precisely persuaded a bear to become a human through sheer effort.

My actions and choices had always occurred within the boundaries of the noble figures surrounding me and the scope of the quests. Even on this forced stage, I had consistently tried to derive the most active thoughts and outcomes possible.

It was the same now.

“Though the circumstances have changed quite a bit.”

Now, instead of just looking out for Shione, Siabel, and Ainel like I used to in the Count’s House.

Things had been relatively simple. In front of the princess and several nobles, I just had to maintain a decent amount of politeness and keep things respectful.

In contrast, the internal power struggles of the Kalia Marquis and their suspicious ties to demons, while simultaneously having to manage the shared enemies within the Great Forest, made it far from easy for me.

“Still, my life is at stake here.”

Just passively letting myself be swept away wouldn’t do, considering the situation I had stirred up until now.

How long could I keep quietly enduring this?

“I have to put up a fight.”

The complete eradication of the Half-Demon was a failure.

One was still alive, and it would likely maintain consciousness with the demons. It was too late to catch it now.

So, what I needed to do now was to map out how to handle future events.

Within the range of things I could meddle in, I had to manage the situation to create a favorable and ultimately positive future for myself.

After all, these elves had been holed up in this small forest for hundreds of years, engaged in pointless desk deliberations. Especially after all the pointless squabbles like those exhibited by Ianette, their heads seemed completely hardened. Seeing them unable to respond wisely to wars and battles, I had no choice but to gradually lead them.

“Let’s organize the information.”

I needed to clear my head.

I had to bring up everything I knew. Complex information would surely be entangled with clues that could provide insight. I needed to ramp up my perceptiveness.

I recapped everything related to the Marquis and the Great Forest.

Then, naturally, what followed was.

“Then I must face the most urgent and critical matters first.”

I needed to remember that I had to intervene first and shape the current situation.

I looked at the flock of crows covering the sky with a cold gaze.

“One: Tie Ianette’s hands and feet.”

Uncontrollable, unpredictable Ear Clan kids are nothing but time bombs.

I always worried that even if those little rascals wielded a needle, they might poke at their comrades. The last thing I wished for was for someone with enough influence to stab our allies in the back.

They needed to be suitably constrained.

“Two: What the Great Forest must prepare moving forward.”

The Great Forest must focus on preparations for fortifying and resisting rather than just hunting down the Half-Demons.

Hastily re-convening and sending out troops would almost certainly be too late. With that stinking corpse of a demon and that foul aura now recognized, transforming this place into a fortress solely for war would be quite the time crunch.

True, there are a variety of other things, but what’s certain is that an opportunity would arise for me to firmly assert myself to others soon.

“A definite opportunity will arise twice: when I meet Friel Arielte and the oldest elf here, Edelin.”

Concerning Friel, I would primarily focus on matters regarding Ianette. With Edelin, I would primarily touch upon the direction the Great Forest should take.

Friel was clearly at odds with Ianette. If Edelin had not lost her insight appropriate to her age, after I dramatically explained the current situation, she would likely take my words quite seriously.

Once I had these thoughts, I quietly drew mana together.

Whooooooosh!

The wind blew into the room as I summoned a spirit, and soon enough, Elvis appeared, gazing up at me with shining eyes.

“Daddy!”

As soon as he emerged, he dashed into my arms, peeking around before asking.

“Where’s that little wind spirit?”

“Oh, Orna? She’s probably resting in the spirit realm right now.”

Given she had been here for so long, it was likely she was feeling worn out. It was best to let Orna recuperate her energy in the spirit realm.

“Hmmm—”

Upon hearing this, Elvis let out a sound of confusion before looking immensely relieved. No, more like satisfied as he fluttered around.

“Well, I’m much more reliable than that little spirit, hehehe. So, Daddy, you called for me and my sister isn’t around… Why did you summon me? Are we going to play—”

“Elvis, about the information I gathered on Ianette’s elves while I was investigating… Can we go over it all right now?”

“Got it… Playing can wait a bit, I guess….”

Sorry, but our Changsik gets a bit chatty when excited.

There’s a more pressing matter now, so it’s priority to cut his chatter short and check the information he has gathered.

After all, what I heard about Ianette’s situation in the eastern forest was just fragmented information. The really crucial details were reserved to probe after things had stabilized around.

Changsik’s intelligence work might unveil our way forward.

I waited with anticipation for Changsik’s words.

“Then I’ll summon the most crucial memory of the wind first.”

The voice of the wind.

Everyone’s voices ride the wind, and I helped the wind control and maintain those voices, preserving them without fading or becoming tattered. This was one of our Elvis’s special skills.

With Elvis leading the way, the voices he had gathered began to resonate within the room.

“Aren’t you the one who defended Cenya?”

“…….”

“Why was I called here separately?”

“…Lady Airine.”

“Don’t waste time, speak quickly.”

“The current situation regarding Ianette… or rather, Lady Cenya seems a bit awry.”

This was the first memory.

“I’ll have a discussion with Mother. Was Cenya’s behavior truly her mother’s wishes and the family’s intention? Or was it an independent choice?”

“And if that was the Head of the Family’s intention, what will you do then?”

“That would be—”

“…….”

“……Difficult.”

This was the second memory.

“How is the situation?”

“Some of those who turned to Lady Airine are here. Among them are those who seem to have noticed the secret fragments.”

“Things got troublesome, didn’t they? Ensure that everyone remembers clearly. If they cause trouble, I’ll have to shut them up for good.”

“Shut them up?”

“Indeed, those who lose their heads cannot wag their treacherous tongues.”

The third memory.

Then the next, the fourth memory flowed out, that being Cenya’s monologue.

“You mentioned you found a way for the Kalia Marquis to remain gloriously prosperous forever.”

An unordinary voice.

“As per the Head of the Family’s words, once we are the only ones left standing amidst the trampled Great Forest, we will reign supreme over the world.”

Her voice was suffocated by madness.

“I plan to stand by the Head of the Family’s side, not among these misfits.”

Finally, I had a solid piece of evidence.

“I found it.”

The horrid weapon to strike at that damn Ianette was finally in my grasp.

But that wasn’t the only memory.

“Allen of the Kalia Marquis… a male already deeply entangled with magic, he didn’t seem very trustworthy. However, if a contract was made, it was worth taking a gamble on this situation.”

Amidst the fading threads of Cenya’s monologue, the reckless Allen Kalia had been captured as being associated with the demons.

Now, the memories Elvis gathered would enable me to condemn Eunice Kalia and Abel Kalia from the Papacy and attack the Kalia Marquis. They would justify us and expose their schemes, reducing them to naught.

Ianette’s wretched brats would also face denouncement among the entirety of the Great Forest for sharing the same vile sins of collusion with demons.

“It’s time to counterattack.”

Now that I had the weapon to pierce the heart of these infuriating little demons, shouldn’t I swing it?

I embraced our dear Changsik while longing for the day I’d meet Friel and especially the leader here, Edelin.

“Changsik, you did great!”

“Ah, Daddy…?”

He looked taken aback at my unusually bright smile and the ecstatic tone with which I embraced the spirit.

“Hehe, I did well, didn’t I? Hmph, my sister could never have accomplished that!”

He ended up giggling and boasting about his success, but then for some reason, he returned with a sulky expression and said.

“By the way, Daddy…?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m not Changsik.”

What?

“…I’m Elvis, you named me that, remember?”

Ah.

“Daddy, this time it seems you’re even worse than Tania.”

I spent quite some time trying to comfort the sulking Elvis due to my blunder in the result of my joyous celebration.

 

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