Chapter 256
“Damned corpse wizard, how dare you crawl into this place?”
Edelin’s sharp voice echoed in this silent location.
Within the hood of the black robe, for some reason, only pitch darkness was visible, making it impossible to see the devil’s face. Yet, I could sense the irritation emanating from the demon standing here, closer to the concept of death than anything else.
“Ah, you’re one of those annoying little brats who kept following me around.”
The creature’s voice was so cracked that it was nearly unintelligible. However, oddly enough, the meaning it wished to convey spread out like waves.
Hearing that voice, the elves began to tremble like aspen trees or even clacked their teeth unconsciously. They started displaying various reactions.
Loss was gradually creeping in.
This creature was fundamentally different from the demons that spewed poison every single day.
“Tsk.”
After Edelin clicked her tongue and let her intimidation settle in, the anxiety among the elves calmed down.
She glanced at her subordinate’s states and shot words at them in an irritated tone.
“What kind of confidence do you have to stand so proudly after being defeated and chased off by a bunch of kids?”
“…That’s an erroneous statement.”
“Erroneous?”
“The ones I fled from were threatening brats, not nuisances like you.”
“Ha.”
“The silver-haired human, the purple-haired human. And a dragon, along with that amusing soul human too. Other than those four, there wasn’t much to worry about.”
The silver-haired human, the founder of the Shianella Count’s family.
The purple-haired human, the founding king of the Aisiliah Kingdom.
A dragon who protected and represented the Aisiliah Kingdom.
And finally, another existence shrouded in many veils.
“No matter how much stronger and more experienced you’ve become over the long years, you know well, right?”
“…….”
“Even so, kid, you couldn’t surpass those many things in this fight, and you won’t be able to in the future.”
“Shut up.”
“Kiddo. Did you really think you could judge me the same way as them?”
Edelin suppressed her briefly flaring anger coolly.
She couldn’t allow her emotions to be easily swayed by a demon’s words.
Calmly maintaining her composure, her vigilance only heightened against the being who had finally opened its mouth.
This demon had never shown itself directly on the battlefield before. It merely sent corpses it had toyed with as gifts. Just like in the past, one would see nothing of it truly engaging on the battlefield.
This behavior suggested that it wasn’t planning to make any significant movements during this war.
‘Do not forget the reason I am here.’
The reason a High Elf like her had come before an enemy she could no longer handle.
This demon was the only one among many demons with whom she could communicate. If it found a suitable amount of offerings, it would retreat once.
In the worst-case scenario, if it intended to invade the Great Forest again, to protect the World Tree and the elven race, she might have come here to barter, offering her few remaining days of life as sacrificial prize.
‘Calm your anger. Don’t provoke it.’
Edelin repeated this mantra several times.
Having thought this, she managed to regain her composure and escape from the demon’s cunning words.
“Settle your energy. I have no intention of breaking you today. My only concern now is the Empire. Just the corpses laid low at the Empire’s feet.”
“…So, you intend to attack the Empire after all?”
“Isn’t it an confirmed war, kiddo? The only reason I visited your territory today was because I was slightly interested in the demon you killed.”
At those words, the demon let out a chilling laugh.
“It’s been a while since I almost got a name. I had high hopes, yet it seems you are just going down like my comrades who died long before.”
“…….”
“The silver-haired kid and the peculiar soul man. Is there any destiny more fateful than this? Could it get any more interesting?”
Then it happened.
“Kiddo─”
The wind blew.
It wasn’t an ordinary breeze.
“Kuhuk…!”
“Uwaaa….”
The last elite guardians, touched by the wind, clutched their throats and collapsed.
They became corpses of decay and were rolling on the ground. At the demon’s gesture, they quietly rose again and walked behind it.
Even seeing the elves who had changed from allies to enemies, Edelin couldn’t utter a word.
‘Far stronger than before.’
Even if she cried out for revenge, she was not only aging but had also exhausted all strength from her excessive reserve recently, making it evident that she was no longer even a match for it.
Gathering her mana only in the sword, she merely displayed a will to sever if it came any closer.
Thus Edelin and the demon passed a moment that felt like eternity.
“It’s nice to see you after such a long time. I’ll take just this much today and retreat. What do you think? Isn’t it a sweet deal to return with the girl and the man alive?”
“…….”
“Kiddo, descendant of those humble elf folk. Let me warn you.”
Before Edelin even had a chance to respond, the demon had appeared behind her.
What trick it used, even the High Elf could not guess. Edelin felt cold sweat trickling down.
This was no demon from thousands of years ago. Back then, it was not this formidable.
“Do not meddle in the Empire’s affairs. But if you step into the Empire despite my warning—”
The demon’s words were chilling. Heavy, as if carrying the weight of a mountain.
“The now resurrected army of corpses from the Empire will come to shatter everything you cherish.”
Countless soldiers of the Empire had already perished, and the demon did nothing to let them rest.
With a mere snap of its fingers. It could ruin them all. It had become an army capable of commanding warriors from long ago and countless knights of the present—an unstoppable force.
“Kiddo, see you again.”
With that, the demon vanished suddenly into thin air.
As if it had never been there to begin with. Taking the elves who had come with her along.
“…I’ve died too. Damned demon, made me scared in advance.”
Once the demon disappeared, Edelin felt all strength leave her and dropped her sword.
Thump…
The sound of metal ringing echoed hollowly.
Gulp…
As cold sweat poured down, Edelin felt her vision blurring and gripped her right arm with her left hand.
“Damn it.”
Her trembling right arm belonged to a war hero from thousands of years ago. It proved that she was feeling crushed under the demon’s intimidation.
Once her trembling calmed down, she picked up the fallen sword and returned it to its sheath before turning her back.
“Even winning doesn’t feel like a victory.”
Though she had triumphed in battle, victory never came easy.
It would take an incredibly long time before the Great Forest could rise and flourish again.
The more Edelin thought about that future, the more she couldn’t suppress a bitter sigh.
“The Empire will soon fall─”
Once again, it was evident that a great war would sweep across the entire continent, just like before.
The world was undoubtedly heading down the path of destruction.
*
“Siabel, we should soon be entering the influence of the Kalia Marquis Family.”
“Already? It seems like we barely got on the carriage a few days ago; it’s really fast. Bronte, you aren’t lying, are you?”
“How could I possibly lie to you, Siabel? With the Kalia Marquis Family and the royal mages together, the carriage has had no time to rest.”
“True, the fine horse has been working diligently through the night.”
As she said this, Siabel chuckled softly, gazing out the window, her eyes landing on the sword set aside in the carriage.
It was the sword that her younger sister Shione had received as a reward for protecting the princess. Truly a beautifully crafted sword by the royal family, from its engravings to its finish.
Yet, Shione had said that when the sword was in her hands, it would shine brightest, and not in anyone else’s.
How delightful it was to have such a sister who thought of her.
Back then, when she was avoiding a kiss, she should have forcefully given it.
“…Bronte.”
“Yes, Lady Siabel.”
“Any news regarding the Great Forest?”
“Sadly, I haven’t heard anything at all until now. It’s just rumors surrounding the Great Forest.”
“That makes sense─”
“However, the mercenaries I overheard last time in the town we stayed in mention that a dark energy is seeping from the Great Forest, claiming that all the once lush trees are deteriorating.”
“……”
Siabel quietly picked up the sword Shione had given her and began to stroke it.
“Bronte, can we increase the speed of the carriage?”
“…The mountain terrain is treacherous; going any faster could be risky. But why the sudden urgency about speed—”
“Why are you questioning something that’s obvious?”
Siabel looked out into the scenery beyond the window while casually letting her voice fall.
“We’re going to kill every last one of those demons.”
Crack.
She tightened her grip on the sword even more.
“We must rescue our dear little sister.”
