Ghislain swallowed hard.
So the Forest of Demonic Beasts was the legendary Demon Realm.
Erenes continued her explanation slowly.
"The Forest of Demonic Beasts is where the corpse of the Demon God lies. It's a land deeply influenced by that energy. Naturally, it would feel vastly different from any other place."
The people of Fenris all nodded. Even to them, the Forest of Demonic Beasts had always been a mysterious place.
Its energy was overwhelmingly abundant, to the point of incomprehension. Not just the monsters, but every living thing there grew to an enormous size.
And that wasn't all. The forest overflowed with resources rarely seen anywhere else.
But to think that all of it was due to the Demon God's energy...
Vanessa looked perplexed.
"Wait, how could such a powerful energy spread, yet no one noticed it?"
"I've already told you, haven't I? We cannot sense that energy. Only the people of the Salvation Church can. The creatures in the Forest of Demonic Beasts have simply been exposed to the energy for so long that they've been heavily influenced by it."
"Then... was it like this even back in the day?"
Erenes shook her head.
"If anything, it's more purified now. Back then, it was a land of death, filled with black energy. Like the breath of Equidema."
"And yet... the people of the Salvation Church could survive in such a place?"
"Yes. Only they, who had lived for so long while embracing the Demon God's energy, could endure the Demon Realm. Of course, ordinary people couldn't enter, but someone like you all could live there if you had to."
The people instinctively shook their heads. No one wanted to live in such a place.
Lumina spoke in a trembling voice. She had experienced something strange during the second Forest of Demonic Beasts subjugation.
"The forest... it spoke to me, asking to become one with it. What does that mean?"
Lumina, with her exceptional empathy, had been the only one to hear such a voice.
She had reported it to Ghislain and informed the others, but no one could figure out what it meant at the time.
Erenes stared at Lumina for a moment before speaking.
"You have talent."
"Pardon?"
"You are someone who can accept the Demon God's energy. Like the priests of the Salvation Church. Occasionally, people born with extraordinary empathic abilities have been influenced like that."
"..."
"Be careful. That's the lingering will of the Demon God spread across the world. If you're tainted by it, the only thing left in your mind will be the same goals as the Salvation Church."
Lumina nodded with a frightened expression. That meant those whispers could continue to affect her.
It seemed wise to skip the third subjugation of the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
Hearing Erenes's explanation, Ghislain felt a sense of relief.
Now he finally understood why the monsters in the forest were so grotesque and why the Delphine Duchy had been so obsessed with the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
"So the reason the Delphine Duchy targeted the Forest of Demonic Beasts was because the Demon God's corpse was there."
"Exactly. That place is the Salvation Church's holy land. To them, the Adversary's resurrection is important, but so is reclaiming that land. They could recreate the Demon Realm there."
"Then why didn't they aim for it boldly from the start?"
It was clear they had been deterred after being thwarted by his mother.
But surely they could have taken the Forest of Demonic Beasts by other means without inciting a civil war.
Erenes replied nonchalantly.
"Because they couldn't be certain it was the right place."
"What? Why?"
"All the high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church perished in the war a thousand years ago. The only survivors were their followers, ordinary believers."
"Hmm, but surely they couldn't forget the land where they once lived?"
At this, Erenes chuckled. To humans with short lifespans, the span of a thousand years was hard to grasp.
"When you spend a thousand years wandering in secrecy, you're bound to lose much. Even maintaining their faith without power must have been exhausting."
"...I see."
"Rather, it's impressive that Gartros managed to revive the Church with such scant remnants. Perhaps he too gained strength because the Adversary had returned."
Ghislain nodded. If the Adversary's resurrection had amplified the Demon God's energy across the world, it made sense that the Salvation Church regained its power at this time.
Erenes scanned the map on the wall and continued.
"Anyway, there are a few other places on this continent as mysterious as the Forest of Demonic Beasts. The Salvation Church has been investigating several locations as candidates."
She had pursued the remnants of the Salvation Church for a long time, so she knew they hadn't yet pinpointed the Demon Realm's location.
But by now, they were likely suspecting it. They had probably tampered with every restricted area across the continent.
Except for one.
Thanks to Duke Fenris, they hadn't been able to approach the vicinity of the Forest of Demonic Beasts and had failed there.
Thus, it was only natural for them to suspect the Forest of Demonic Beasts as the old Demon Realm.
Erenes looked somewhat relieved.
"The energy of the Demon God has been a mystery passed down since the mythic age, so I can't explain it clearly. I can only say it's one of the wonders of this world."
She paused, then looked at Ghislain.
"I know there are parts of my story that are hard to believe or logically flawed. But knowing this much should suffice. As I said, the priority now is to stop the dragon."
Ghislain nodded.
"Right. Even with just what you've shared, a lot of questions have been answered. I'll learn more gradually."
'Through my dreams.'
Erenes didn't seem inclined to delve deeper into the subject. Unless something extraordinary happened, the rest would have to be uncovered on its own.
It wasn't urgent anyway.
If the so-called Adversary truly existed, they would inevitably reveal themselves someday. For now, preparing to fight the dragon was the priority.
"I need to meet with the allied commanders. Let's call a meeting. Fortunately, it seems we can prepare quickly."
Most of the key commanders of the allied forces were still gathered here, as the post-war cleanup wasn't finished.
If they had already dispersed, it would have been a logistical nightmare to gather them. Erenes had truly delivered this information at a timely moment.
While Ghislain had been preparing for the dragon's emergence, if events had escalated sooner than anticipated, the Turian Kingdom would have suffered significant damage.
Hearing everything, Elena clicked her tongue and said, "This is all because of you, you know. The dragon's showing up because of you, oppa."
"What? Why? Why is the dragon showing up because of me? Didn't you listen to everything just now?"
"Because you once bragged about defeating a dragon, and your words jinxed it."
"When did I say that?"
"Oh, don't act all innocent now. You told me about it when you collapsed after defeating the orcs, didn't you? You even said you'd caught a dragon!"
Ghislain racked his brain. Now that she mentioned it...
— Next time, I'll tell you about how I caught a dragon.
— Did you catch it in your dreams? Do you even know what a dragon is?
When he first reunited with Elena after his regression, he had been so overjoyed that he'd started sharing tales of his exploits.
Somehow, that had led to such a story slipping out.
"..."
"Why? Did you remember? See? I told you, you jinxed it."
"..."
The people around them began murmuring. Ghislain had never actually encountered a dragon, yet he had boasted about defeating one.
Suspicious glances turned toward him. Whenever chaos erupted, Ghislain always seemed to be at its center.
Claude seized the opportunity to join Elena's side.
"See? Why did you have to go around saying things like that? Now a dragon has actually appeared! It's all your fault!"
Erenes added with a curious expression, "I don't believe in superstitions, but this is quite the coincidence. Boasting about something, only for it to happen? Perhaps this is why our ancestors taught us to always choose our words carefully."
"..."
Ghislain felt wronged. Because of his regression, the sequence of events had been reversed. He had actually defeated a dragon—this very dragon, Artherion, that was about to emerge.
He couldn't explain that now, so his only option was to make good on his claim by defeating it again.
"Let's move quickly..."
To gather all the allied commanders, they would need to convene in the audience hall of Sardina's royal castle.
As everyone began moving, Alpoi quietly approached Erenes, sensing the conversation was over.
"Have you really lived for over a thousand years...?"
"Yes."
Alpoi's face began to flush. He didn't believe in talk of Demon Gods or Adversaries.
As a great mage, he couldn't allow himself to be swayed by such myths.
But the idea of living for a thousand years was extremely tempting.
"C-could I call you noona?"
"..."
"Noona! Please, teach me how to live for a thousand years too! I beg you!"
Alpoi was desperate. If he could live for a thousand years, he could enjoy life long after his slavery period ended.
Erenes sighed as she looked at him.
What on earth had this fool been listening to?
She had been cursed and unable to move from the World Tree's forest for over a millennium. But it seemed only the fact that she had lived for a thousand years had registered in his mind.
Claude shoved Alpoi aside, angered.
"What are you doing?! Don't you know even the lowest of the low have ranks? I'm already at 632 years! Even if I lived for a thousand years, more than half would still be spent in slavery! That means I'm first! Erenes Noona! Teach me first!"
"Shut up! I asked first! I've already passed 300 years because of you!"
"How is that my fault? You're the idiot who gambled! Did anyone force you?"
"You tempted me, you bastard!"
The two of them started bickering.
Erenes bit her lip.
She had shared her story with genuine sincerity, going out of her way to discuss the past.
She liked the people of Fenris, cherishing the bond they'd forged through battle. That was why she had paused her conflict with Yulian and even shared information about the dragon.
But these idiots from Fenris were just as infuriating as they were endearing.
"You fools, seriously..."
As Erenes's face flushed with anger, everyone around her became cautious. She was the type to lash out at anyone, be it Ghislain or Yulian, if she got irritated enough.
Vanessa quickly covered Alpoi's mouth and dragged him back. Wendy twisted Claude's arm into submission.
"Mmmpf! Mmmmph!"
"Ahhh! My arm! Let go! Mmmpf!"
Only after this brief commotion did the group manage to get moving again.
But Parneil remained deep in thought, her expression cold.
She replayed Erenes's words several times in her head, comparing them to what she already knew.
She, too, was hiding secrets from the others.
'The one mentioned in the Church's secret transmissions... Is it her? Or is it the one they call the Adversary?'
Parneil knew of the Church's forbidden texts, which only a select few were allowed to read. As a saintess, she was privy to their contents.
The story Erenes told about mythology was nowhere in those texts. There were only sparse records about a war from long ago.
'And within those records…'
There was mention of the "darkness that covered the world," which Jerome had spoken of.
The texts described individuals blessed by the light who defeated that darkness.
One of them could have been a saintess. But why would such a glorious tale be deliberately hidden?
Thus, the Church interpreted "those blessed by the light" as heroes favored by the goddesses. After all, the forbidden texts didn't contain the level of detail Erenes had shared.
'Wait... then why…'
Parneil suddenly felt a strong sense of incongruity.
The Church had clearly known about the darkness for a long time. That was why they had quietly tracked and fought the Salvation Church in secret.
'Then why did they keep the war from a thousand years ago hidden?'
If Erenes's words were true, it meant the Church had intentionally erased records of that glorious history.
The scriptures only mentioned that if the darkness rose again, the world would be destroyed.
At the same time, they instructed the faithful to secretly track and eliminate the remnants of that darkness.
The Church priests never questioned the reasons deeply. They simply followed the traditions handed down through the ages.
Parneil found herself engulfed in confusion. There seemed to be no reason to hide the truth.
'When I first read the forbidden texts... I thought the details had been hidden simply to avoid spreading chaos in the world.'
But upon reflection, leaving the truth in the scriptures, so people could understand their enemy and fight, would have been the better choice.
Clutching her mace tightly, Parneil watched Erenes leave.
'What exactly happened in that war you spoke of...?'
She couldn't shake the suspicion that Erenes hadn't told them everything she knew.
'Who... are you, really...?'
Parneil felt she finally understood why the Church's secret transmissions were written so cryptically.
Someone had tried to leave a record in secret, making sure the story of the ancient war wouldn't be openly known.
But it had been discovered far too late, and its true meaning had become indecipherable.
One part of the secret texts read as follows:
「The one crowned with leaves, once blessed with grace.
The starlight that once sparkled in their eyes is no more,
And darkness now follows their once-nimble steps.
They, who once heard the forest's song, are now the seed of ruin.
Like the dew on their pointed ears, their blessings have vanished.
Their name is a secret the ancient trees fear to whisper.
They severed their oath with a shining blade,
And spoke lies with a silver tongue.
Once a cherished child, now a sorrowful shadow.
They scattered poison in the sacred forest,
And with the goddesses' tears, forged a crown of darkness.
The end of the world follows in their footsteps.」
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