Chapter 599
Chapter 599: I Shall Tell an Old Story. (4)
Ghislaine swallowed hard.
So, the Forest of Monsters was the legendary Demon Realm.
Ereness slowly continued her explanation.
“The Forest of Monsters is the place where the Demon Lord’s corpse lay. Hence, it is a land strongly influenced by that energy. So, the atmosphere would be quite different from other places.”
The People of Penris all nodded. Even they found the Forest of Monsters to be a truly mysterious place.
The energy was so abundant that it was almost incomprehensible. Not just the monsters, but every living creature was gigantic.
It wasn’t just that. Various resources, difficult to find outside, overflowed there.
Yet to think that all of it was influenced by the Demon Lord’s energy.
Vanessa made a confused expression.
“D-did you say that such powerful energy pervades but no one felt it?”
“Didn’t I just say? We cannot feel that energy. Only the members of the Salvation Society can. What exists in the Forest of Monsters has been exposed to the energy for a long time and thus has been significantly affected.”
“Then… was it the same in the past?”
Ereness shook her head.
“Rather, it is more purified now. In the past, it was a Land of Death filled with black energy. Like the breath of Equidema.”
“The members of the Salvation Society could live in such a place?”
“Yes. Only those who have accepted the Demon Lord’s energy for a very long time could dwell in the Demon Realm. Of course, ordinary folks couldn’t enter, but for people like you, living there wouldn’t be a problem.”
People involuntarily shook their heads. They absolutely did not want to live in such a place.
Lumina asked in a trembling voice. She had had a strange experience during the second expedition to the Forest of Monsters.
“The f-forest tried to communicate with me, saying we could become one. What does that mean?”
Good at empathy, Lumina was the only one who heard that voice back then.
She reported it to Ghislaine and informed those around her, but no one could understand it.
Ereness glanced at Lumina for a moment before speaking.
“You have a talent.”
“Pardon?”
“It means you are someone who can accept the Demon Lord’s energy. Just like the Priests of the Salvation Society. Occasionally, those with superior empathic abilities have been tainted that way.”
“……”
“Be cautious. That is the lingering presence of the Demon Lord spread across the world. If you become tainted by that presence, eventually only the same objectives as the Salvation Society will remain in your mind.”
Lumina nodded with a frightened expression. Did that mean the whisper could continue to influence her?
She felt like she needed to skip the third expedition to the Forest of Monsters.
After hearing Ereness’s story, Ghislaine felt relieved.
Now she understood why the monsters in that forest were so bizarre and why the Duke Faction was so obsessed with the Forest of Monsters.
“The reason Duke Delphine targeted the Forest of Monsters is because the Demon Lord’s corpse lies there.”
“Yes, that place is indeed a holy site for the Salvation Society. For them, the resurrection of the adversaries is important, but that land is important too. They can recreate the Demon Realm.”
“Then why didn’t they boldly go after it from the start?”
She knew they got scared after being fooled by their mother once.
But surely they could have taken the Forest of Monsters through other means.
There was no need to incite a civil war.
Ereness replied dismissively, “Because they probably weren’t sure it was the right place.”
“What? Why not?”
“The High Priests of the Salvation Society all died in the war a thousand years ago. The survivors were merely their followers and ordinary believers.”
“Hmm, but still, it’s the land they lived on; they can’t forget it, right?”
At those words, Ereness chuckled. Humans’ short lifespans made it hard for them to grasp how long a thousand years truly is.
“After a thousand years of hiding their identities, it’s only natural they would lose much. It must have been difficult to maintain faith without power.”
“……I see.”
“It’s more remarkable that Gathros could revive the church using just the remaining traces. Perhaps he also gained strength because the adversary has resurrected.”
Ghislaine nodded. If the resurrection of the adversary strengthened the Demon Lord’s presence in the world, it made sense for the Salvation Society to regain strength during this time.
Ereness scanned the map attached to the wall and continued speaking.
“Anyway, there are several mysterious places like the Forest of Monsters on this continent. I heard the Salvation Society has been investigating various candidates.”
She had been on the chase of the remnants of the Salvation Society for a long time. Hence, she also learned that they still hadn’t figured out the location of the Demon Realm.
But now they likely had a clue. They might have poked at most of the restrictions scattered across the continent.
Except for one place.
Because of the Duke of Penris, they failed to even approach the vicinity of the Forest of Monsters.
So, it was only natural for them to suspect the Forest of Monsters as the old Demon Realm.
Ereness wore a look of relief.
“As for the Demon Lord’s presence, it is a tale passed down since the myth era, so I can’t explain it clearly. I can only say it’s one of the mysteries that exist in this world.”
She took a brief pause to look at Ghislaine.
“I know there might be parts of my story that are hard to believe or have logical gaps. But this much knowledge should be enough. Again, what’s important now is to stop the dragon.”
Ghislaine nodded.
“Yes, just with what you’ve told me, many of my questions have been answered. I will gradually learn more detailed information.”
‘Through my dreams, of course.’
Ereness didn’t seem inclined to share deeper stories. Unless something special occurred, she would have to find the rest on her own.
After all, it wasn’t an immediately important matter.
If the adversary truly exists, it will eventually reveal itself someday. For now, preparing to capture the dragon takes priority.
“For now, we need to meet the commanders of the Allied Forces. Let’s call a meeting. Fortunately, it looks like we can prepare quickly.”
Since the important commanders of the Allied Forces were gathered there, the situation had not yet been settled.
If they had received the news while scattered, it would have been quite a headache. Ereness had really provided the information just in time.
Knowing the dragon would appear, Ghislaine had already made some preparations, but if the situation unfolded earlier than he expected, the Kingdom of Turian would have suffered significant damage.
Elena, who had listened to everything, clicked her tongue and said,
“This is all your fault, brother. It’s because of you that the dragon has appeared.”
“What? Why? How is it my fault that a dragon is showing up?! Didn’t you just hear everything until now?”
“It’s because you bragged about catching a dragon once upon a time that it has come to this!”
“When did I say that?”
“Oh my, look at you feigning innocence now. You told me all sorts of stories when you fell when dealing with that orc, claiming you also caught a dragon!”
Ghislaine began to ruminate on her memories. Now that she thought about it…….
— Next time, I’ll tell you about catching a dragon.
— Did you catch it in a dream? Do you even know what a dragon is?
When she first met Elena after her regression, she had been so overjoyed that she had spilled her tales of valor.
That must have led to such stories surfacing.
“……”
“Why? Remembered it? Look, look! That saying came true!”
“……”
People began to murmur. To think, someone who has never seen a dragon has already claimed to have caught one.
They looked at Ghislaine with suspicious eyes. Whenever something went wrong, he was usually at the center of it.
Claude didn’t miss this opportunity. He immediately took Elena’s side.
“So why on earth are you saying such things?! Dragons are appearing for real now! This is all because of the Lord!”
Ereness also commented in amazement.
“I don’t believe in superstitions, but this is quite a coincidence. It seems just to have bragged and now it’s actually happening. Perhaps that’s why our ancestors taught us to be careful with words.”
“……”
Ghislaine felt wronged. It wasn’t his fault that the sequence of events changed because of his regression; he had indeed caught a real dragon. That dragon was Arterion, who would appear this time.
Now he couldn’t make excuses, so he had no choice but to actually catch it to make the boasting a reality.
“We need to move quickly…”
To gather all the commanders of the Allied Forces, they would have to go to the conference room in Sardina Royal Castle.
Just as everyone was about to change their seats, Alfoy, thinking the conversation had ended, stealthily approached Ereness.
“Did you really live for over a thousand years…?”
“Yes.”
Alfoy’s face began to flush with excitement. He didn’t believe in tales of the Demon Lord or the adversary.
As a great wizard, he shouldn’t be shaken by such myths.
However, living for a thousand years was an extremely enticing piece of information.
“C-can I call you sister?”
“……”
“Sister! Please let me live for a thousand years too! Please!”
Alfoy was desperate. If he could live for a thousand years, he could enjoy life even after the period of slavery ended.
Seeing him like this, Ereness sighed.
What on earth has this guy been listening to until now?
He had been cursed and lived unable to move in the World Tree’s forest. But it seemed like the idea of living for a thousand years had stuck in his ears.
Claude pushed Alfoy away in anger.
“What are you doing?! Don’t you know there’s an order in everything? I’m at 632 now! Even if I live for a thousand years, I’d still spend most of it in slavery! So I should be first! Ereness, please tell me first!”
“Shut up! I asked first! I’m already over 300 years! It’s all your fault!”
“Why is it my fault?! You’re the one being foolish! Who forced you to gamble?!”
“You tempted me, you jerk!”
The two began to quarrel. Ereness bit her lip.
She had made up her mind to seriously share her past stories!
She liked Penris. She thought of their shared experiences fighting as something special. That’s why she stopped fighting with Yulien and shared information about the dragon.
But just as much, it was the People of Penris who made her blood boil.
“Seriously…”
Ereness’s face turned red, and people began to catch on. If things got messy, Ghislaine or Yulien would surely get hit.
Vanessa covered Alfoy’s mouth and pulled him back. Wendy immediately restrained Claude’s arm.
“Mmm mmm! Let me go!”
“Ahhh! My arm! Let go! Mmm mmm!”
After the brief commotion ended, everyone finally moved.
However, Parniel still wore a chilling expression. She mulled over Ereness’s words, comparing them with what she knew.
She too was hiding a secret from the people.
‘The one mentioned in the church’s secret succession… is that you? Or the entity called the adversary?’
The secret scriptures that only a few could see. The Saint, Parniel, knew their content.
Ereness had revealed nothing regarding the myths. Only sparse records of the war long ago remained.
‘Surely there…’
There were tales about the “darkness that enveloped the world” as mentioned by Jerome.
And it stated that those blessed with the light vanquished that darkness.
One among them could be the Saint. But surely she wouldn’t intentionally conceal such a glorious deed.
Thus, the church interpreted the “blessed with the light” merely as heroes favored by goddesses. The secret scriptures were not spelled out as detailed as Ereness had said.
‘Wait… then why…?’
Parniel suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.
The church was clearly aware of the darkness long ago. That’s why they had been secretly tracking and fighting the Salvation Society.
‘But why have they concealed the war from a thousand years ago?’
If Ereness’s words were true, it meant the church itself deleted that glorious record.
The scriptures only stated that if that darkness were to rise again, the world would perish.
While secretly teaching to eliminate the lingering darkness.
The priests of the church hadn’t thought deeply about the reasons. They merely followed the tradition passed down for such a long time.
Parniel was engulfed in confusion. No matter how she thought about it, there was no reason to conceal the truth.
‘When I first saw the secret scriptures… I understood it to be merely hidden details to avoid causing chaos in the world.’
But upon reflection, leaving the truth in the scriptures would have been more appropriate so that people would recognize the enemy and fight back.
As she watched the retreating figure of Ereness, Parniel gripped her mace tightly.
‘What on earth happened in that war you spoke of…?’
She suspected that Ereness hadn’t revealed everything she knew.
‘Who exactly are you…?’
Parniel began to understand why the secret scriptures were shrouded in mystery.
Someone had tried to leave records quietly. The stories of the old war so that they wouldn’t be known.
Only after such a long time was it discovered that no one could interpret the true meaning.
Among the secret scriptures, it was written:
「The one crowned with leaves, once favored.
From his eyes that shone eternally, the starlight vanishes,
With every nimble step, darkness now dwells.
The one who heard the song of the forest, now a seed of doom.
Like droplets of dew clinging to pointed ears, blessings have vanished.
His name, a secret that even the ancient trees fear to whisper.
The one who severed oaths with a shining blade,
The one who spoke falsehoods with a silvery tongue.
The once beloved child is now a sorrowful shadow.
Sowing poison in the sacred woods,
The one who made a crown of darkness from the goddess’s tears.
The end of the world approaches, following in his steps.」
