Chapter 222 – The Three Caves
It had only been one day, but during that ti, everyone set aside their worries and enjoyed the party.
Now, only burnt ash remained from the fire that had raged through the night.
The lunchbox party—
Though my intentions had been sowhat questionable (?), the gathering I organized seed to have held great significance for the witches of the forest.
“I’m looking forward to the next lunchbox party. Hohoho.”
“The food was decent.”
“Next ti, we’ll go for a 300-stack!”
Elder deia, Natasha, and Lily were already looking forward to the next one.
The next ti…
For a brief mont, an image flashed in my mind—the charred Millennium Tree, reduced to ashes, and the countless corpses of witches piled beneath it.
Their survival had deviated from the original storyline.
If a ‘next ti’ truly ca, then—
“This ti, I’ll bring my own lunchbox as well.”
By then, many things would have changed.
Both myself and Ordor Forest.
I stood up with my companions, dusting myself off.
As the lively chatter gradually faded, I glanced around.
All the witches had stopped what they were doing and were now standing in place, looking at .
Elder deia nudged forward into the open space with his staff, and the witches surrounded , each holding out their orbs as they offered their blessings.
It was clear they knew we were leaving soon.
It was hard to imagine that these were the sa witches who had once been hostile toward when we first t.
[Friend of the Witches]
I returned their blessing with gratitude.
To the north of Ordor Forest, the situation in Hell Gri was becoming increasingly ominous.
How many of these witches would survive?
I could only hope they all made it through.
Back at our lodging, we quickly prepared to depart.
However, before leaving, I had one last conversation with the Elder regarding Natasha’s involvent.
“Take Natasha with you.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“This is Ordor Forest. Do you think Demtor would dare to invade so easily?”
Originally, I had planned to head to Tobaron with Natasha.
But Demtor’s recent movents were unsettling.
“The Stars are gathering in one place for too long…”
All of Demtor’s Stars had gathered at the Ivory Tower at the summons of Grand Duke Clarke—and they had been staying there much longer than expected.
If this was a prelude to an invasion of Ordor Forest, I couldn’t afford to remove its strongest combatant from the battlefield.
If the witches fell, we would all be finished.
Though the Elder spoke with confidence, no amount of preparation could provide complete reassurance.
Besides, Demtor wasn’t the only enemy. There was also a butcher among them.
Kal Blazer.
Had I not intervened, he would have steadily risen as the protagonist, ultimately becoming the ruler of Tobaron and playing a pivotal role in the fall of the witches.
I had been relentlessly eliminating his allies and ruining his opportunities, yet he adapted to his altered fate with terrifying efficiency, continuously paving new paths for himself.
In the novel, he was the undisputed intellectual powerhouse.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he ca up with a new way to attack the forest.
“If a crisis arises, I’ll send her back imdiately.”
“Do as you wish.”
“Hah! And what makes you think I’ll just leave if you tell to?”
Natasha scoffed, folding her arms, but in truth, no one wanted her by their side more than I did.
Fortunately, the places I was heading weren’t far from the forest, so we decided she would accompany for now.
“Are you leaving imdiately?”
“Well, I seem to be quite popular. A lot of people are waiting for outside the forest.”
“If it’s urgent, I can send you right away.”
The Elder raised his staff.
I flinched and quickly took a step back.
I had no intention of taking the sa underground travel route that Samuel had suffered through.
Having experienced it firsthand multiple tis, I knew all too well how miserable it felt.
But soone who was blissfully unaware of that horror perked up with excitent.
Karl, who was busily stuffing the leftover lunchboxes into a bundle.
“Wait, Elder—do you an you can send us instantly?”
“You’ll be out of the Ghostly Forest in half a day.”
“Half a day…! Please, send first!”
A month and fifteen days—
That was how long Karl had been trapped in the Ghostly Forest, dealing with spirits.
To him, this forest was a place so cursed that he wouldn’t even relieve himself in its direction.
Now, the thought of escaping in just half a day was too tempting to resist.
“Arthur, you’re heading to Elletor Fortress first, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then I’ll go ahead and scout the situation.”
“Wait a minute. It’s not as simple as just—”
“Shh! It’s the Ghostly Forest. No matter what you say, I’m going.”
Karl clamped a hand over my mouth, then turned to the Elder.
“I’m ready, Elder!”
Perhaps he shouldn’t have called deia ‘Elder’ (or rather, 'Old Lady').
The Elder remained silent, simply lifting his staff while eyeing the bundle in Karl’s arms.
“…What’s that?”
“Food. It’s free, so I figured I should take it.”
“You won’t be able to eat it.”
“…Huh? Why not?”
“You’ll find out soon. I’ll even send you faster than usual.”
The mont deia tapped Karl’s head with the staff—
Schlooop!
Karl sank into the ground in an instant.
“Ggeaaaahhh—! S-Son of a—!”
His scream faded into the distance.
I turned to look at Lochter.
Lochter simply gripped his swords and shook his head.
A clear refusal.
As we left the lodging, I walked alongside the Elder.
Behind us, Lochter, Lily, and Natasha followed.
Just before leaving the forest, I gazed up at the Millennium Tree.
Its overwhelming presence encompassed the entire village.
The first ti I saw it, I had been speechless at its grandeur.
Now, as I prepared to leave, I felt a strange familiarity with it.
Almost like I was leaving behind a younger sister.
I wanted to protect the Millennium Tree.
And to do that, I had to win this war.
“This ti, I’ll finish it.”
Kal Blazer.
If left alive, he would haunt for the rest of my life.
I wasn’t one to casually swear to kill soone, but this ti, there were no exceptions.
He had to die.
As I silently vowed to myself, the Elder watched with an unreadable expression.
Then, after a mont, he spoke.
“I ask out of curiosity—what is it that truly drives you?”
“…To protect the forest, of course.”
“That is what the witches desire. But what about your goal?”
My goal…
From the very beginning, I had only ever had one goal.
Whether it was protecting Tobaron, securing the forest, or gathering powerful allies—
Everything was for one reason.
“To survive.”
I let out a small laugh and turned my back on the forest.
***
A room adorned with a brown carpet embroidered with the Etor family crest.
Once, it had been the lord’s chamber of Viscount Tomzael of Etor, but its master had since changed.
Sitting at an elegant table, a man with jet-black hair kept his eyes closed in silence.
A mont later, when he opened them, his pupils darkened before gradually returning to normal.
“Hmm…”
Kal pressed his fingers against his brow and let out a low groan.
The subjugation domination ability—which allowed him to share senses and issue commands through his Crimson Knights—was an incredibly useful power.
However, the ntal strain was imnse.
Just monts ago, through the eyes and ears of a Crimson Knight, he had been observing Harkman’s forces, Demtor’s reinforcents.
“This is reaching its limit.”
Kal clicked his tongue and picked up a pen.
As he marked the current situation on the map, his thoughts drifted to Harkman’s troops.
The Iron Knight was currently stationed in a village a day’s distance from Beneta, waiting alongside a disguised rchant caravan for Kal’s signal.
Once Kal gave the order, the ‘operation’ assigned to Harkman would comnce.
But so far, he had only given the signal to wait—the actual orders had yet to be issued.
“…They’ll hold out for maybe three more days.”
Harkman had been easily won over with indulgent pleasures, but as ti passed, he was starting to slip out of control.
A dog never changes its ways.
He had begun kidnapping local won to satiate his desires.
Whether the won died or were violated didn’t concern Kal—but if news of this reached Beneta, it would be a problem.
For now, he had used the Crimson Knights to suppress the spread of information, but at most, he could buy another week.
After studying the map for a while, Kal threw open the curtains at dawn, revealing himself to the outside world.
As he stepped out for his usual morning stroll, Wiley, who had been stationed nearby, silently followed him as his escort.
The mont Kal exited his room, everyone he passed bowed before him.
Not only the nobles of Etor, but also the knights and soldiers.
At this point, all of Etor was treating him as their new lord.
And it had only been one month since his arrival.
“How’s the military training?”
“They’re conducting drills outside.”
“No more lords joining us?”
“All the nearby lords seem to have brought their armies to join us.”
Even before arriving in Etor, Kal had sent letters filled with both threats and promises to the surrounding lords.
With Blyer’s forces combined with Etor’s, the resulting army was colossal.
The rulers of the weaker neighboring territories had no confidence in standing against such a force.
Thus, they had no choice but to bring their own armies and join Kal.
Every morning, Kal followed the sa routine.
He would take a leisurely stroll through the open gardens of the fortress.
At noon, he would inspect the military training happening outside the walls.
In the evening, he would feast with the local lords and socialize.
Like clockwork, he had repeated this exact schedule for over a month.
And as always, when night fell, he returned to his room, sorting through letters while updating his map.
Then—
Clink—!
Wiley suddenly turned, drawing his sword into a defensive stance.
Intruders.
They had entered the room silently and unnoticed.
“They’re allies, Wiley. Stand down.”
"..."
Without even looking, Kal already knew who they were.
As Wiley sheathed his sword and stepped aside, two figures erged from the shadows, illuminated by the flickering candlelight.
Kal’s gaze settled on one of them.
He clicked his tongue.
“Rengua. You’re late.”
“…I apologize.”
Rengua and a Crimson Knight had appeared.
Their bodies were covered in dirt and mud, as if they had spent the past month rolling through the wilderness.
And in truth, that was exactly what they had been doing.
Under Kal’s orders, Rengua had been away for over a month, setting up a special ritual array.
Yet, Kal didn’t even bother asking about the mission.
Instead, he poured a glass of expensive wine and handed it to Rengua.
He had already learned everything through the Crimson Knights.
What Kal truly wanted to know wasn’t Rengua’s progress, but the status of Lyon in Blyer.
“Is it ti?”
“He’s regained consciousness.”
Finally—the news he had been waiting for.
Lyon, who had received the Frost Lord’s heart, had awakened.
“…And battle?”
“He’s ready.”
Kal clenched the silver coin in his palm.
The long wait had finally paid off.
With this, his preparations were complete.
“I have dug three caves.”
One for if my plan succeeds.
One for if my plan fails.
And—
“One in case my failure destroys .”
Kal unfurled a massive map before the two n.
Scattered across the map were nurous markings—
The locations of spies,
Their communication networks,
And the connections they relied upon.
For the past month, Kal had beco the bait himself, drawing out and tracking enemy spies.
Now—
For two days, he would blind the enemy’s eyes and ears.
And then—
“Rengua. Wiley.”
“Yes, sir!”
Kal grinned viciously, baring his teeth.
“The hunt begins.”
It was the grin of a butcher finally revealing himself.
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