IRE 52

chapter 52

“Elder!”

As I called Atrakal, I leapt out the window.

Feeling a presence following me, I ran toward the location where I had just sensed it.

When I arrived quickly at the spot, I discovered a burrow.

It was a tunnel dug into the roots of a massive tree, with the entrance cleverly disguised by grass.

The camouflage was so impressive that, under normal circumstances, one might have mistaken it for just a patch of ordinary ground and passed by. But my tracking skills easily detected it.

“So they were hiding in a place like this.”

Ridiculous.

After declaring themselves a member of Chitaen and asking for help, they were hiding in such a place on their own.

Was this an attempt to prove their own suspicious nature, or were they hiding in advance because they knew I was coming?

Either way, these guys were laughable.

The fact that they even prepared such a hiding spot meant they never intended to show themselves before us from the start.

“Disgusting creatures.”

They manipulate others with those filthy seeds, yet they themselves just hide, scheming to escape.

I formed flames in my hand, stretching them like a long rope, and launched them like a whip.

The fiery rope pierced through the grass and into the burrow, twisting and turning as if searching the interior. Eventually, the flames coiled like a fishing line, sweeping through the tunnel.

Finally, the rope emerged, wrapping four elves in its fiery grasp.

“Cough!”

“Gah! What… is this?!”

Though in the form of a rope, it was still fire.

The flames burned through their clothes and skin, and they screamed in horror at the sensation of their flesh being seared.

Yet I felt not an ounce of pity for them—they were none other than the traitors who had fled Chitaen.

I held them bound in the fire rope, floating them in the air.

The flames, encircling them, approached me at my will.

“Eldmir… Arhitea…!”

One of the traitors, seeing me, shouted with hatred.

Even in agony, they had the audacity to feel hatred.

How much more fire would it take to burn all of that emotion away?

Just like I experimented on Irian, I could do the same with them…

“Tch.”

At that moment, sensing the commotion, elves of El Lien began arriving in force.

Come to think of it, this was El Lien.

This was not a place where I could comfortably torture them.

Seeing that the Sentinels of El Lien were approaching, the traitors shouted toward them:

“Argh… you, the Sentinels of El Lien…! This is the traitor of the forest I told you about! Ugh…! If we all combine our strength, we can defeat this evil… ugh!”

I wasn’t pleased with their stubborn insistence in the midst of pain, so I slapped the traitor hard.

His head twisted violently from the blow, his eyes rolling as if his brain shook, and he fell silent.

Seeing him slump, I checked the faces of the other traitors.

The sound of burning flesh grew more distinct.

“Welcome, you trash.”

I spoke calmly.

“We know each other, don’t we?”

My hatred for them flowed effortlessly from my mouth.

As expected, the Sentinels of El Lien quickly assessed the situation and helped capture the Chitaen traitors.

Having already heard all the explanations from Atrakal and me, they were prepared.

After detaining the traitors, I, along with Icras, personally interrogated them for information.

“Did they survive?”

Atrakal asked as he saw me return from the interrogation.

Although the question felt strange, I answered calmly.

“All except one are dead. They struggled until the very end, barely speaking.”

We obtained the information we needed, but it wasn’t much more than what Ildre already knew.

Atrakal clicked his tongue.

“Good. Well done.”

“Icras looked like he wanted to inflict more pain,” I said, perching on a chair beside Atrakal.

“We got all the info we needed, and kept one alive as evidence. The rest will be handled by the elves of El Lien.”

We confirmed the scale of the forces in the forest, their spread, the powers behind them, and their ties to the dark elves.

Although we already knew most of it, hearing it directly from the traitors would make the situation’s gravity clearer to El Lien’s elves.

I considered that significant.

“Ah, one more thing we learned: the evil powers behind them… we don’t know exactly who they are, nor how much influence they’ve extended across the continent, but it’s clear that our elves were especially targeted.”

According to the traitors, compared to other races, demons—or at least what we call demons in the game—they meticulously focused their efforts on elves.

Why? Because the dark elves were the first to ally with demons, and they did so to bring about the destruction of the elves.

So, the first race to be targeted by the demons was the elves, and naturally, the ones who received the most attention over time were the elves.

That explained why, in the game, elves always seemed to be the first to fall.

“So who exactly are these evil powers?”

I knew they were demons, but I couldn’t say their name directly.

I couldn’t confidently explain it without invoking my knowledge from the game, so I fudged the answer:

“They didn’t know either.”

The demons carefully concealed their identities, so even Chitaen’s followers only knew they were mysterious figures—not that they were demons.

A thoroughly meticulous bunch.

“So they didn’t even know who they were following?”

“They thought they were cooperating,” Atrakal said, his expression hard to read.

I understood. He was probably cursing the traitors in his mind, just as I had.

“No one among the forest’s betrayers seems competent. Using village elders for 200 years, and yet so pathetic….”

Clearly, someone else had planted the seeds in the elders; Chitaen’s followers were just convenient tools.

While they may have been inept as elves, they were useful as instruments.

“That reminds me, how did you notice the elders’ condition?”

Atrakal asked suddenly, making me frown.

It brought back unpleasant memories.

“…The seven Sentinels sent to the dragon’s head. They were in a similar state.”

To be precise, they were in a worse condition than the elders.

The elders were simply compelled to act while having seeds planted in them—they weren’t mentally controlled.

But the seven Sentinels’ actions and minds were fully manipulated.

‘Normally, demons wouldn’t casually use seeds for brainwashing…’

Usually, they inject magic to corrupt and enslave others. Using seeds so freely is rare.

‘Even in the game, seeds were never used so recklessly… damn it. He’s already used them on ten people. That might be all the seeds for the middle world.’

I thought this internally but didn’t show it to Atrakal.

“Having seen it before, I just checked. Thanks to El Lien’s elders, they responded well… even if it meant risking their lives.”

I had noticed the elders’ condition because of prior experience; otherwise, I might have assumed they were merely muttering traitors.

“Huh, so you managed to think that far.”

Atrakal looked impressed.

It wasn’t entirely my ability; past knowledge played a role. But he seemed to have misunderstood that as purely my skill, which was fine.

“You were here, then.”

At that moment, Istain’s voice came.

Seeing us, he approached with a pleased expression.

“Thank you for stabilizing the chaos in El Lien.”

“Cut it out. How often do you guys make such a mess?”

“That… really leaves me with no rebuttal,” Istain said with a wry smile.

Of course, Atrakal could have said that; anyone else might have drawn a sharp retort.

“I expected some chaos, but I didn’t think it would be this bad.”

“We need to fix it.”

I replied.

“It won’t be easy, but we can’t ignore it either.”

“Yes… though for now, the elders’ absence will make things hectic.”

Indeed, from the funeral to electing new elders, El Lien would be busy.

Though I wished to mourn the fallen, we had no time. I could only remember them in spirit.

“Seems Icras was quite shocked…”

“He’s strong. Even if not fully over it, he’s recovering. Soon he’ll be completely over the shock.”

True, he was strong. Losing people he risked his life for must have been a heavy blow.

“Thanks to you, their honor remains… that should give some comfort.”

I shook my head.

Though the elders were forced to obey traitors, their purity remained intact. The spirit of the forest was unharmed.

That was too much to credit me for.

“What I did was nothing. They endured 200 years with the demon seeds, as tools for the traitors. Not for survival, not awaiting rescue, not submission… just to be acknowledged. To warn us of traitors in the forest, of the coming crisis, and of other hidden manipulators.”

“They endured 200 years for that single purpose. They are truly remarkable.”

From the elves’ stories, we could guess what the traitors had forced upon the elders.

They seemed to desire conflicts with other races, arranging small skirmishes to stir resentment and set the stage for future racial wars.

However, the elders, aware of this, outwardly obeyed but secretly acted to minimize damage, calling for help from Atrakal and rescuing Icras to serve as an El Sentinel.

With Icras present, El Lien had endured.

They had also manipulated Sentinels in various ways to thwart the traitors’ plans, to the best of their ability.

“…Let’s stop here. We’ll continue honoring them at the funeral.”

I wanted to change the topic, and Istain nodded.

“By the way, what about the feline race?”

He meant the Keris sisters.

“They are resting in our village. As I mentioned before, elves are closed off and have little interaction with other races.”

Istain first looked blank, then horrified.

“R-really… are you seriously trying to achieve that?”

“Do you think I was just pretending when I faced my siblings with a bow?”

“El Ruel… incredible.”

Istain shook his head in disbelief.

“Truly remarkable. Your thoughts on forest isolation were right… there’s nothing more to say.”

“Thanks to you, El Lien owes you a great debt.”

He placed his index and middle fingers on his chest.

“May the forest glorify El Ruel’s future.”

“…Thank you.”

I glanced at Atrakal, expecting perhaps a comment from the highest elder of Le Ruel, but he remained expressionless.

“Elder, please say something.”

To catch traitors, El Lien’s help would be vital, so I was deliberately spending time there.

Istain likely thought the same, which is why he came despite being busy.

Atrakal knew this but seemed indifferent.

“Now you also know there are traitors in the forest.”

“Yes. Our problem was that we never expected it.”

“Do you think that’s the only problem?”

Atrakal’s cold voice made Istain flinch, sweat forming on his forehead.

“You realize there are traitors and the isolation of our race is a problem, yet you hesitate to ally with the feline race?”

“Yes…”

“Why hesitate emotionally when you know it is right, just like I did recently?”

At that moment, I finally understood Atrakal’s sharp reaction: he was demanding that El Lien reconsider allying with the beastmen, just as we, Le Ruel, had.