Realization
“No matter what, just in case……”
Whether due to some backstory or another, Elder Eurina had insisted to the very end that Tiny might be wrong.
But.
Crack!Swoosh!
“Such a……”
“It's certain.”
The moment the wolf infused with demonic energy died, the burst of malice it released and the corpse that rotted away in an instant served as irrefutable proof backing Tiny's words.
From that point on, Eurina kept her mouth shut, her eyes downcast in gloom, and the interrogation swiftly turned into a council meeting.
But after a flurry of bird-like Elvish and Common tongue, the conclusion they reached was somewhat disappointing.
“It's monster wave season right now, so realistically, we can't recall all the dispatched Elven Knights immediately. It'd be like burning down the house to catch a flea.”
“I understand.”
It wasn't wrong, so there was no room to argue.
The irregular monster waves happening to strike at this exact time was suspicious, but it was a stretch to think demon worshippers could control monsters from the demon realm.
If that were truly possible, Elvenheim would already be in flames……
'Wait, isn't that a possibility too?'
He didn't know exactly what had happened to Elvenheim in his previous life.
But he did know that the World Tree had burned and that Justitia, one of the elves' Seven Great Relics, had vanished.
'The World Tree is hidden in a barrier known only to the elves' highest echelons.'
For such a thing to occur, even if someone inside orchestrated it, they'd need some external distraction to draw attention.
'With Estina around, no one could dare cause a stir inside. Right, even if they couldn't control it perfectly, just timing it with a wave would…… No, could they already be plotting something at this point?'
Chilling thoughts cascaded one after another, prompting him to scan the surrounding elders once more.
'None? Definitely?'
- Whine.
Wolrang confirmed again that no one present was tainted by demonic energy.
But he couldn't let his guard down.
'There were guys like that Husel. Just in case.'
Someone might betray their nation and race without accepting demonic energy.
With that in mind, Tiny committed each elder's face to memory, especially Elder Eurina, who had shown him hostility to the end, and her nearby clique.
At that moment, the Grand Elder's calm voice shattered his reverie.
“Hunter of malice, Light Knight. What do you believe is the goal of these demon worshippers?”
The tone carried absolute certainty that demon worshippers lurked within the elves.
Either way, it seemed he'd created the best possible situation for now.
'Even if there's a betrayer without demonic energy, I can't find them right away.'
So.
“I believe the targets are the relic Justitia and the World Tree.”
There was no choice but to heighten the elves' vigilance and strengthen security.
The elders' faces twisted in unison at his words.
“The audacity……”
“Our mother World Tree……”
“Those mad bastards.”
Murmurs rippled through the room.
'As expected……'
Though the World Tree was vital, not a single one of the fourteen elders mentioned the relic Justitia.
With the mythic fragment more powerful than any relic—the root of their race—they seemed utterly disinterested in Justitia's abilities or value.
Probably the same mindset as the imperial family blindly trusting their palace barrier.
Of course, the World Tree lacked the power to restrict or repel intruders like the palace barrier.
'Well, if the elves had any sense, they'd keep the relic and World Tree close. Or can elves even move the relic?'
He hadn't sensed the relic's barrier even inside the central building—nay, tree—of Elvenheim.
'Blended with the World Tree's presence? Or……'
His thoughts grew more tangled.
The relic's barrier repelled monsters, while the World Tree purified malice and birthed life—their powers complemented each other perfectly.
'If they're in the same space, it'd be far easier to defend if something happened. But I can't just ask……'
The source of life descended from the gods' garden in myth, the World Tree was the mother of this vast Great Forest.
The elves believed even their founding ancestors, the High Elves, were born from it, so beyond its powers, they obsessed over its protection with paranoid zeal.
No way they'd reveal its location even if he asked.
And that certainty fueled his conviction of an internal betrayer.
“The wave won't end for at least a month. Do you intend to remain in Elvenheim until then?”
“……That's what I hoped for.”
“Very well. We'll make ample amends for our rudeness. Eurina.”
“Yes, Grand Elder.”
“You will personally attend to our guest.”
“Yes!?”
Eurina's face contorted, but the Grand Elder's expression didn't flicker.
“To show faith to an important guest. Do not refuse.”
Her tone was calm yet irrefutable, and Eurina nodded weakly.
Tiny watched her with a peculiar glint in his eye.
* * *
“……Do you know what kind of child Ilaine is, sir…… er, guest?”
“Should I?”
Eurina halted and turned at his curt retort, ire flashing in her eyes.
“……You lack manners, you know.”
She'd offered the words to smooth over the council incident, only for his rejoinder to irk her.
But Tiny nonchalantly scratched at her nerves again.
“I hear that a lot.”
“Hmph……”
Her sharp gaze intensified.
Yet soon, a bitter expression settled on her face. She glanced skyward before continuing.
“She ran away as a child and was kidnapped by humans. Do you grasp what that means?”
Tiny, who'd been probing her deliberately even if it meant picking a fight, couldn't respond easily.
He could guess well enough.
“No way……”
“……You do know. Yes. Even without open slavery, elf slaves still have demand in the human world.”
Ancient human nations had once practiced slavery.
Among traded slaves, other races were more popular than fellow humans.
Excluding orcs and beastkin who preferred suicide over enslavement, humans endlessly coveted the beauty of elves—descendants of sky fairies—and the crafting prowess of dwarves—earth fairy heirs.
Records even noted that, for a time, elves and dwarves hated humans more than each other.
It escalated beyond individuals into national enterprises, enraging elves and dwarves into a massive invasion.
Beastkin and orcs ignored human pleas for aid, and countless human nations fell.
'And the Empire was born.'
'Shout van Aslan,' a rare ancient bloodline heir also enslaved, rose under the banner of abolishing slavery, founding the Empire with elven and dwarven aid.
Of course, their relations soured later—a tale endless in the telling.
Even in the resulting Aslan Empire, commoners were half-slaves in reality, but overt enslavement of other races had all but vanished.
Yet.
“We found her again twenty years later. We tore apart the slaver, the seller, and all accomplices—but the child was already ruined beyond repair. It took another fifty years for her to mingle with outsider elves again.”
“Those insane bastards still……”
Tiny forgot his provocation in that instant, rage overtaking him.
He didn't even notice Eurina's gaze softening slightly.
“Yes, trash like that still exists. So I nursed her back, helped her rehabilitate. I'd been through something similar. Though mine was three hundred years ago.”
Three hundred years…… Her eyes still burned with fury as she spoke of that distant past.
Whether for her own history or the black mage elf Ilaine, it clearly explained the hostility she'd shown Tiny from the start.
But.
“A tragic past doesn't forgive her crimes.”
“I said she's not the type……”
“She was a 5th Circle black mage, that elf.”
Eurina flinched this time.
“How many sacrifices did she offer? If not thousands of commoners, at least ten mana users or 5th Circle mages. Any missing among her comrades?”
Eurina's brow twitched as if recalling something, yet she shook her head.
“……Don't jump to conclusions.”
“Or maybe half commoners, half gifted. Does her past excuse such sins?”
“She barely shed that tragic past after endless trials!”
“Did she shed it or bury it? Do you know for sure? If buried, it'd be a gaping hole for demons to exploit.”
“An elf's mind isn't that frail!”
“……You seem to have truly overcome it, Elder. But not everyone has.”
Tiny decided to drop the probing here.
If this old elf wasn't a master actress surpassing anyone he'd seen, her fury and pride were genuine.
'At least not the type to consort with demon worshippers.'
But she wasn't done.
“For a child who overcame such harrowing trials to fall for a demon's temptation…… I still can't accept it. I want to believe in her innocence.”
Her face twisted in anguish.
This elder elf might have been projecting her past self onto the black mage.
“Faith and reality differ.”
“……When the Elven Knights return, if no demon worshippers among them, then my faith is right.”
Persistent old bat.
“You know my deeds. Does that mean you still won't trust me?”
Eurina shook her head gravely.
“I no longer doubt your abilities. But if a third incident occurs where you are, wouldn't it be natural to suspect you? How could it happen there every time in this vast world?”
Pure wishful sophistry.
Her pained expression suggested even she didn't fully believe it.
“Ha……”
Tiny could only sigh.
“If I'm wrong, my head……”
I'll stake my neck. As he moved to declare it boldly, Eurina's recent words echoed in his mind.
- If a third…… then you……
He didn't agree, but it sparked an unforeseen possibility.
'Thinking of that black mage elf, this disaster fits demon worshippers. But after I disrupted twice, would they strike where I am again? They don't seem to have endless manpower.'
Even as a demon worshipper, after two failures, wouldn't he target elsewhere rather than the culprit's location?
They'd expect him after slaying the black mage elf, right?
The realization hit Tiny like lightning; his eyes widened.
'Damn!'
Clinging blindly to past-life memories had blinded him to this flaw, chilling his core.
'Tell the old man. Gather intel elsewhere too. And if…… No, it could be reverse psychology. If I leave, they might strike Elvenheim.'
Thoughts chained endlessly, his head nearly bursting.
Then.
“Why? Not finishing your sentence?”
As Eurina narrowed her eyes and prodded.
“N-Neck…… I mean, I must apologize loudly. Of course. I'm a forthright man who owns his mistakes coolly. Ha, ha, ha……”
He could only sputter a lame excuse on reflex.