Let's Show It (1)
After Ghislain entered the forest, the remaining group stayed on alert. They had to move the moment Ghislain contacted them.
In the meantime, Lionel continued to hurl threats at them every day.
"You scum! Do you think you'll get away with this unscathed?!"
"........"
"I will personally hold you all accountable!"
"........"
"Not only will I bring the inquisition upon you, but I'll also dig up every past sin you've ever committed!"
"...."
"Do you mock the power of the Empire?! At the command of the Empire, you won't be able to set foot anywhere on this continent!"
"......."
Everyone listened with either indifference or bored expressions.
At first, some of the mercenaries were frightened. After all, Lionel was a knight of the Empire.
But even threats lose their edge if repeated enough. Now, they just ignored him with a "Here we go again" attitude.
Lionel couldn't comprehend the attitude of these mercenaries.
"You wretches, aren't you afraid of the Empire's might?! Do you really believe that madman will succeed?!"
As Lionel shouted, veins bulging from his neck, Kyle picked his ear with a frown.
"Jeez, you're so damn loud. Is it 'cause you're a knight? Got one hell of a voice."
"You bastard! If this goes wrong, you're all dead! No, even if it goes well, I won't let you live!"
"Seriously, how are you not sick of threatening us all day long? Hey, Sir Knight. From your point of view, none of this makes sense, right? You've probably never met people who just won't listen, huh?"
"......"
Lionel bit his lip hard. Honestly, he couldn't understand why these mercenaries showed no fear.
No matter how famous or powerful a mercenary band was, they couldn't compare to the power of the Empire. And someone like him should be able to intimidate such a group.
As if expecting this, Kyle leaned in close to Lionel's face and grinned.
"Looking at you, you're like one of those local bullies who spits everywhere just 'cause he's strong. Of course people are scared of those guys. But you know what's scarier than that kind of guy?"
"...What is it?"
"A guy who walks around drooling."
"......"
"You never know what someone like that is going to do."
"......."
"To us, Ghislain is that kind of guy. We're scared because we can't predict what he'll do. You guys? We can see right through you."
"......."
The other mercenaries all nodded. The most terrifying thing about Ghislain was his unpredictability.
Deneb gave an awkward laugh and spoke.
"Kyle, your metaphor is kinda weird."
"Why? It's not exactly wrong, right?"
Deneb had no comeback. It sounded wrong, but also… not really.
Trying to soothe Lionel, she spoke gently.
"Ghislain's actions might seem extreme, but there's always a reason. I'm sure this time too, it'll turn out for the best."
"You're just a lowly priestess, what do you know to speak so arrogantly?"
"I, I just..."
"You think you'll be spared? I was going to overlook it because you're clergy, but you don't know your place. For tarnishing the honor of the Church, you will be punished. I'll personally conduct your inquisition. As of now, you are excommunicated."
Among those present, Deneb was the only one Lionel could pressure with authority.
Her face turned pale at his threat.
An excommunicated priest undergoing inquisition faced far harsher punishment than others.
This stemmed from the Church's belief that betrayal by one who once served Goddess deserved the gravest penance.
But what hurt more was the sudden excommunication itself. As a devout priestess, being cast out was the most painful punishment imaginable.
"W-Wait! I…"
"Silence! I will begin the formal excommunication process as soon as I return! And—"
Lionel's petty threats were cut short. Yulian had silently drawn his sword.
In a cold voice, he said,
"Before you do that, I'll cut off your head."
The mercenaries swallowed hard in tension.
Yulian, normally a kind man, never forgave anyone who hurt Deneb.
Even the roughest mercenaries didn't dare treat her lightly because of that.
Faced with Yulian's threat, Lionel curled his lips into a sneer.
"Fine. That mercenary will fail anyway. Might as well settle things here and now."
Lionel drew his sword. As the mercenaries prepared to back Yulian, he stopped them.
"I'll handle him alone."
Lionel's face twisted at the remark.
"Arrogant bastard. You dare challenge me, a mere mercenary?"
The two took a step forward, glaring at each other. But before they could get closer, Deneb stepped between them.
She looked at Yulian with pleading eyes.
"Don't do this."
"Move."
"Don't do it. Please. We can't fight among ourselves. Once time passes, this misunderstanding will clear."
At her plea, Yulian clenched his teeth. He said nothing, only staring daggers at Lionel.
Lionel glanced around, tightening his grip on his sword.
'That Yulian is no pushover. Neither is that Kyle.'
So he had planned to strike Yulian by surprise and deal with the others afterward.
In that tense moment, when a single spark could set everything off—
Dark, perched on Kyle's shoulder, suddenly shouted.
"Emergency! Emergency! You pathetic fools! This is no time to be fighting. You can fight later! I'll judge you myself!"
Everyone's eyes turned to Dark. He continued urgently.
"Check your weapons and move! Head for the center of the forest! There won't be any elves stopping us! A few of you, go to the city and tell the mayor to mobilize the troops!"
Yulian mercenaries immediately grabbed their gear. Without asking questions, they ran.
They knew Dark would explain everything on the way.
Lionel, however, still couldn't adapt to the mercenary group. He chased after them, flustered.
"What is it! What happened?!"
He was panicked, thinking Ghislain had been discovered and a battle had broken out.
Dark spread his wings and took to the sky, shouting,
"War! The Salvation Church has brought orcs and dark mages to invade! We fight with the elves! It's a chance to make Yulian mercenaries even more famous!"
"Puhaha!"
Kyle laughed as he ran. Of course it was Ghislain. Wherever he went, outrageous events happened—whether by fate or accident.
The other mercenaries laughed too. With a deputy commander who stirred up chaos, there was never a dull day in this mercenary band.
Only one person,
'War? Salvation Church? Orcs? Why? What is all this?'
Only Lionel wore a blank expression, unable to come to his senses.
***
The trees had ceased whispering, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
The sky was dyed in ash, and the dewdrops on the leaves hung heavy, as if foreshadowing the silence of the battlefield.
At the center of the forest stood a tree larger and fuller than any other.
Beneath that tree gathered several elves in elegant garments.
"All those who can fight are assembled," said one of the elders.
To that, the Grand Chieftain Iraniel gave a quiet nod.
She said nothing for a long while, simply closing her eyes and listening to the forest's voice.
The ten elders wore grim expressions. Even in their long lives, the forest had never been in such danger.
In the heavy silence, Iraniel slowly opened her eyes and turned her head.
Her gaze landed on a young elf standing nervously nearby.
"Erenes, did your human friend say he would buy us time?"
"...Yes."
"That human was an intruder. You must have heard of the intruder. So how did you become friends with him?"
"W-We met by chance while I was out on a walk, and ended up fighting…"
Erenes explained the situation with a trembling voice.
After hearing the full explanation, Iraniel asked,
"A Prophet, you say. Did you believe that? Did it not occur to you that it might be a lie to steal the Blessing Stone?"
"I, I…"
Of course, Erenes didn't believe it. But she couldn't say that here.
She had claimed to have acted with the intruder because of that excuse.
So, she shut her eyes tightly and said,
"I-I really believed it! He was incredibly skilled! That's why I believed him! It's not wrong to trust someone, is it?!"
For a moment, a trace of pity passed through Iraniel's eyes.
She had already seen through the lie in Erenes's words.
That an elf would lie even in front of the Grand Chieftain—it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
'I can no longer control this child's nature.'
Iraniel had always known that Erenes longed for the outside world, always wanting to go beyond the forest. But she had opposed Erenes's desire to leave.
Because she had seen that Erenes possessed the same desires and instincts as humans.
But now, it seemed she could no longer stop her. The more she tried to suppress Erenes's nature, the more it backfired.
With a faint sigh, Iraniel said,
"Very well, I understand. But forget what that human said. The Prophet story is a lie. He must have come to steal the Blessing Stone under the Pope's orders."
"Yes…"
"However, one thing he said was true."
"Pardon?"
Iraniel slightly lifted her head and looked toward the northern sky.
"Thanks to that boy, we were able to prepare for battle. If we had been caught by surprise, the damage would have been severe."
Erenes's expression brightened at those words.
"R-Really? I told you, he was amazing! Then, what happened to Astion?"
"I do not know. Perhaps he fled, or…"
Iraniel trailed off. Because it was just as likely that he had been captured and killed.
Realizing what had been left unsaid, Erenes quickly asked,
"Can't we search for him? If he's alive, Astion could be a great help to us!"
Iraniel shook her head.
"We cannot afford to spend our efforts searching for him."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From afar, the sound of the forest collapsing echoed. It was the invaders clearing paths for their army.
The orc horde and dark mages had surely already entered the forest. The destruction was speeding up.
"The forest is dying…"
Iraniel's face hardened. She reached out as if to caress the trees around her, trying to feel the energy of the forest.
But all that returned was a sharp resistance. A foreign, twisted energy bundled with pain.
It meant the dark mages were openly corrupting the forest.
In a quiet voice, Iraniel said,
"We cannot retreat. This forest is our home, our heart."
Here lay the World Tree. Losing it would mean the end of the elves as a race.
They could not, under any circumstance, let the enemy reach this place.
"We go. We cannot allow them to come this far."
Her soft voice echoed through the entire forest.
At that moment, elves began to emerge one by one from the deep woods.
These were no ordinary soldiers. They were readers of the forest paths, speakers with nature, those who killed in silence.
Each had lived for centuries, hunters who wielded the power of spirits.
Dududududududu...
A thunderous roar shook the earth throughout the forest.
Massive tree roots burst through the ground, and Ents rose with their heavy bodies.
Ooooooh...
The ancient guardians of the forest, slumbering for centuries, now raised their heads.
In their eyes were the weight of old duty and deep anger toward the invaders.
All the elves leapt from tree to tree. Their movements were like wind, their steps like the breath of the forest.
Fwoooosh...
Countless spirits flew with them, tearing through the sky. Fire, wind, waves, and lightning danced around them.
The enemy had come suddenly. There was no time to craft a proper strategy.
But the wrath of the forest was more terrifying than any tactic or plan. It was time to show those who defied nature's will what fate awaited them.
Without a word, the elves advanced toward the enemy. And at last, the sight of the approaching horde entered their view.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground itself was trembling.
As if the forest had stopped breathing, the thunder of hooves rolled closer from beneath the earth.
KRAAAAAH!
A howl of madness erupted beyond the woods.
The ten elven elders at the front gazed quietly beyond the trees.
The first to appear were five priests.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The energy they radiated made the trees groan and fall.
Even ancient trees that had stood for centuries collapsed before them.
Behind that tragic sight of nature being torn apart surged a crimson tide.
KRAAAAAAAH!
The orc army had arrived.
All the orcs were mounted on monstrous, horned boar-beasts called Bruthers.
They stormed through the forest, tearing vines, toppling trees, and scattering animals.
Following them appeared eight dark mages, spilling curses from their fingertips, planting darkness within the forest.
The cries of spirits rode the wind, and the forest began to rot and die.
And finally,
The two armies stood close enough to feel each other's breath.
No words were needed. No persuasion. No warnings.
Iraniel closed her eyes amidst the vast, swelling scene.
"O World Tree, grant us your blessing."
KWA-BOOM!
Like lightning, the first clash erupted.
The elven elders and the priests of the Salvation Church—
They were the first to collide, head-on.
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