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Elena’s face, looking out at the forest from the Castle Balcony, seemed unusually cold compared to before.

The magical energy subconsciously emanating from her spread frost over the railing she was gripping. The gradually dropping temperature further hinted at her psychological state.

The warmth, reminiscent of a spring breeze, that once adorned Elena’s face had long since frozen over like permafrost after witnessing the scene through the eyes of a bird. Only Alphonse and Louis, who had been by her side, were left wondering about Elena’s sudden change, but they had no idea why.

Despite appearances, Elena was looking down at the forest through the eyes of the bird connected to her. The difference in perception was inevitable. But she had no luxury to explain her circumstances to the two.

Before her eyes were none other than Noel and Orcus, fighting against the heretical Cardinal.

‘If this keeps up…’

Elena watched the two, who were holding their own against the Cardinal, with a mixed gaze of expectation and concern. At a glance, it seemed like a favorable situation for them, but deeper insight revealed otherwise.

Ever since Elena discovered the “Altar” set up in the forest, she felt a closer connection to those linked with her, enabling her to make a rough guess about the events that would unfold here.

Likewise, the ambush targeting Noel and Orcus felt within the range of her expectations. This was already anticipated since their actions had deviated from the previous timeline due to her regression when she encountered the two Cardinals who had sought her in Merohim. Though the holy war had just ended, normally they would be conserving their strength. Yet, at precisely the moment the church was faltering, the god they had long awaited descended upon the earth.

Thus, it was only natural that the believers would act more boldly, given the size of their faith in the god who was present with them, irrespective of whether that god intended to aid them.

The annual Southern Hunting Tournament.

By the nature of the tournament, the prince and princess, being unable to stray far from the group.

Before them fell a delectable target in front of a horde of zealots armed with faith more abundant than any era prior. They were well aware that this was a time to tread carefully. Under normal circumstances, they would have overlooked such an opportunity given that the wounds from the holy war were still fresh.

Everyone knew that the participation of the prince and princess in the hunting tournament was a propaganda move to announce the victory of the holy war. The fact that the once-reclusive royals were now touring the empire’s various territories signified that stability had been restored.

If they lacked such discernment, how would they have fought against the strongest empire on the continent for all these years? They had survived by knowing when to attack and when to withdraw.

However, although they understood this was a dangerous gamble, they found themselves unable to stop.

Fanaticism.

Those belonging to <True Night> were zealots bewitched by the strong power of foreign beliefs. They believed there was no one better than themselves, having been baptized with the god’s power in this world. With the god personally descending upon the land, their faith surged exponentially.

If they had maintained their reason, they could not be called zealots. Their beliefs were so blind that they lost their rationality, and that is why they were dubbed zealots, where the aftermath of the holy war was no longer a concern for them.

Thus, they marshaled everything they could do in the South and pooled their plans.

They seized key forces of the church without hesitation and even dragged into their plans the Runfroud Mountain Range’s demon control systems, which should have taken years to prepare to ensure the South’s collapse.

These zealots pushed forward with their reckless plans, convinced that the god was at their side, allowing Elena to easily devise countermeasures against it.

Previously, by cleverly utilizing the sacred relics seized from the creatures in Merohim, alongside Damian’s protection, she created chaos within the control systems laid out in the forest.

She aimed to attach her gaze to Orcus and Noel to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control, and anticipated an invasion of the Legion to divert the eyes of the Southern army, wishing to minimize casualties by remaining in the castle.

Everything flowed just as she had expected.

The situation unfolded as if scripted, tantalizing her with the illusion of omnipotence where she could manipulate everything with her hands, but she was aware that this sensation was merely an illusion.

In the end, the troubles she dreaded came to pass.

The precariously balanced trio finally collapsed, and Noel was pulled away from the sanctum to have a private meeting with Walter.

‘I must stop this.’

Watching Noel taking hits from Walter through the bird’s eyes, Elena kept repeating just that one thought.

Yet, contrary to those thoughts, Elena’s body remained on the castle balcony. The constraint of having to resolve the situation without using her powers as the wizard Elena Edelweiss kept her immobilized.

Having such power as a burden, perhaps she would have been better off if it hadn’t been awakened at all. What good was it to be several times stronger than before? She knew that using her current strength to rewrite the history of the continent would require sacrificing everything she possessed.

Even if she could not wield her powers freely, the responsibility for them remained. The reality that she had sufficient strength to change the situation dramatically yet could not wield it freely weighed heavily on her.

It appeared they took significant damage from the ongoing skirmishes, but they were still Cardinals after all.

If she were to use her true powers, the outcome might differ, but moving recklessly with just the magical life forms created by the dragon would lead to disaster. It was far more efficient to act at the most dangerous moment, at the turning point where she could alter the outcome.

‘Damian.’

She recognized that Damian, who rushed to rescue Noel and Orcus, had already come close.

Thus, Elena grit her teeth and waited patiently for Damian to find the two. But perhaps the situation was worse than expected. She had no choice but to move the bird earlier than she had thought.

Noel, who had been fleeing while constantly evading, had collapsed from exhaustion, and Walter’s sword was now poised at her throat.

Recalling distressing memories from the past, Elena wasted no time in channeling her magic into the bird’s body and hurled it towards him. She had no other choice; if she didn’t act now, Noel might die.

Damian was still far from discovering Noel, and moving with her power appeared to be the only way to rescue her. Thus, with her mind prepared, she prepared to unleash the divinity she had held back for so long as she did in Merohim.

Yet, was it perhaps a miracle that occurred in that moment?

Contrary to her expectations, nothing changed within Elena’s body. It wasn’t as if the divinity she had summoned disappeared, but it seemed that no foreign heretical energy like that of the other Cardinals was emanating around her.

The only notable change was that Damian, who hadn’t been there before, suddenly appeared before Noel and Walter. Elena couldn’t understand what kind of causality had led to this abrupt change unfolding before her eyes.

What she could confirm with Damian’s appearance was that in the next moment, Walter’s hand and head had been severed, and he had concluded the situation.

After blinking numerous times to reassess the completed scenario, she finally exhaled in relief.

“Hah…”

As the tension eased, the power, previously influenced by her emotions, began to stabilize. The once chilly breath that had frozen the surrounding air was replaced by a warm exhalation, causing Alphonse, who had been gazing at her dully, to timidly approach her.

“U-Um, sister… Are you not feeling well?”

To innocent Alphonse, it appeared as though Elena’s complexion had darkened suddenly, and magic was leaking from her. Until now, Alphonse had been quietly observing her, perhaps worried that if he spoke, it could worsen her condition.

Seeing that she had stabilized to a certain degree, he felt it was finally appropriate to approach and speak.

Feeling her heart warm at Alphonse’s worried gaze, Elena surveyed her surroundings and realized it was quite a mess.

If Damian were present, he might have held her hand to calm her down, but without him, the emotional outburst left traces akin to an ice spell sweeping through.

First, she should respond to Alphonse. For her to mumble that it was nothing would be a gross understatement; the traces she left were far too evident. Yet, stating the facts directly was not an option, so Elena paused and considered how to respond.

“I’m fine now. Were you worried?”

“Yes… Your face suddenly darkened, and I was startled when cold air started pouring out from you. It was a bit scary… Is it a very dangerous illness?”

“It’s not an illness; perhaps it’s my constitution… Sometimes the magical energy within me spills out due to my emotions. Normally, I can control it, but I must be quite tired after spending a long time outside.”

Elena extended her hand to Alphonse. She released warmth from her hand to show him that she was now stabilized. Alphonse’s face brightened as the warmth flowed into him.

Her words were not entirely false.

It was strange to call it a constitution, but it was true that her magic poured out due to her emotions. Given her recent schedule, it was reasonable that she would feel fatigue, making Alphonse readily understand.

“My Lord Louis, I am so sorry. Were you also frightened?”

“No, my lady. It’s not a matter for you to apologize.”

The response returned was typical of Louis’ stoic expression, but upon close examination of his eyes, a slight wavering could be detected. After all, it was not unexpected for anyone to be startled by a sudden influx of cold air from a person. Most importantly, Louis focused more on the changes around them caused by Elena’s magic than on her apology.

‘Just responding to emotions here causes such a change… Just the amount of magic from earlier is definitely not normal.’

While it was well-known that Elena was a genius celebrated by the Duke House of Edelweiss, witnessing it firsthand created an evident distinction compared to mere hearsay.

Even merely the amount of magic she held within her body seemed far superior to that of the top-ranking mage he had previously known from the Department of Magic. Unlike Damian’s melodramatic concerns, the thought crossed Louis’s mind that should anyone throw themselves at her, they would surely find themselves frozen in place.

With the situation around them beginning to stabilize, Elena redirected her gaze outside once more.

Though she had told Alphonse that she was alright, it wasn’t entirely true. The chill within her heart still lingered. Elena, influenced easily by her emotions, paradoxically held the ability to control them given that she had risen to the position of the greatest mage in history.

More accurately, she didn’t become entirely consumed by her emotions, retaining enough reason to manage them.

Even though she had anticipated the situation where Noel and Orcus would come under attack, as it is difficult for a person to change easily, despite her repeated preparations, she found herself unable to contain the anger regarding what had just occurred.

Whether this sentiment is directed toward the heretics attacking Noel or toward herself for not intervening sooner, only she would know.

Elena had no intention of harboring this anger for long. If she were to suppress it, she had done so excessively in the past, knowing all too well the unsatisfactory end such a path led to.

She needed to express this anger somehow, and by coincidence, something caught her eye.

At the end of Elena’s gaze, she could see trees swaying violently. Not long after, many people emerged from the forest, causing a commotion beneath the balcony. As the presence around her quickly grew, Louis too seemed to have caught on to what was unfolding in the forest.

Standing in silence next to them all this while, Louis brought one hand to his sword.

Not informing Alphonse of the truth, perhaps he intended to usher him into the castle and retreat, naturally guiding Alphonse back while sending a look toward Elena, attempting to grab her hand. Seeing Louis approaching her with the intent to grasp her hand, Elena smiled softly and spoke.

“My Lord Louis, please take care of Alphonse.”

“My lady!!”

Louis hurriedly reached for Elena’s hand, but her hand merely brushed through the light left in the air.

By the time she quickly turned her attention to the light, Elena’s body had already moved to where the battlefield camp would soon take shape. She walked towards the forest, resisting those rushing toward the castle.

Some fleeing figures in the forest shouted for her to run upon seeing Elena, but she ignored their cries and continued onward.

Upon reaching the forest’s edge, Elena paused briefly and surveyed her surroundings.

She sensed the presences rushing toward her from all directions. It felt closer to a pack of enraged beasts than an army. The raw, untamed malice poured over Elena, yet her face showed no change.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t considered how much of a measure I should take…?”

Elena glanced over her shoulder back at the castle, murmured something, and then adjusted her face as if she had decided. She thought that if she regulated herself, her anger wouldn’t dissipate, so she resolved not to overthink it.

As it approached, the ground beneath her feet began to tremble, signaling that the distance was closing. Standing nonchalantly, Elena lightly stomped the earth.

And so, the ground turned upside down.

 

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