Ayla carefully stepped forward, passing the warning line, and saw the guards around her faces filled with fear.
Are you all really scared?
Honestly, I’m scared too, but what can I do? If I have to hear it, then I’ll hear it.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and took a step forward.
Kekekekeke.
First came a chilling laughter.
Though it wasn’t a cheerful laugh, it was clearly full of joy.
Ayla understood—after being sealed away for over twelve hundred years, anyone would be that happy to be released.
But after another half-step forward, the laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by a faint and unclear voice—
[Did I miss one? I’m sorry…]
A little disbelief, a little guilt, a confession from someone who hadn’t finished their killing.
Half a step more, and the voice grew louder.
[I will, I will, I will, I will!]
Ayla opened her eyes and turned to run, taking quick steps away from the sealed area, and suddenly all sounds vanished.
“I heard it all—some strange rambling about ‘will I or won’t I,’ and ‘missing someone,’” she said, glancing at Isadora. “Do you know anything?”
“No. Maybe we’ll have more information tomorrow. Thank you for your efforts, Miss Ayla. Since there’s nothing new, you should rest.”
“Alright.”
However, as soon as she returned to the treehouse, Ayla immediately gathered everyone and spoke seriously, pulling them close.
“That little girl named Xisha inside the Sacred Spring Seal is about to wake up.”
“What will she do?”
Celes was the first to ask.
Ayla pulled out the two pages of the story and pointed to the text.
“Look, the fable mentions that Xisha planned to summon the Evil God by sacrificing the entire village. But actually, someone escaped, so the sacrifice was never completed. I suspect that when she wakes up this time, it’s to finish off that last remaining person.”
This information had been revealed by Elder Leitney before his death.
“Oh, and that person was originally her good friend,” the girls mulled over Ayla’s explanation.
“To sacrifice even a friend? That’s utterly despicable,” Vina said, and then suddenly realized something.
“Zero, I’m not talking about you—you’re different. Yours was involuntary.”
“…”
“Is there a way to find out who that person is?”
Celes asked calmly.
“If we can protect them and prevent Xisha from completing the sacrifice, wouldn’t that end the crisis?”
Ayla shrugged her delicate shoulders helplessly.
“Theoretically yes, but the problem is, anyone who knew and might be willing to tell us is already dead.”
Moreover, Elder Leitney’s last words indicated he died to cover up this matter.
“Does Elder Isadora know? She seems to have been in charge of this all along.”
“Maybe she knows.”
Ayla’s four-word answer meant that even if others knew, they likely couldn’t or wouldn’t say it out loud, and she herself didn’t want to probe first.
“In any case, let’s see what the Elves do first.”
There had indeed been movements from the Elven side.
According to their initial estimates, the Sacred Spring Seal would be lifted in half a month, and Xisha would wake to commit terrible acts.
Counting from the day the girls arrived, eleven days had passed.
Even including today, that made only five days left.
In the afternoon, just before dinner, Zero came running back, having spent the whole day scouting for information, truly fulfilling her role as a scout.
“Elder Cuiniya has launched a new round of mobilization, gathering many elite troops—no less than three thousand. Their average strength seems a bit higher than on the day of the counterattack against the Demon Army.”
Fewer in number but higher quality—this was a specific preparation for high-risk targets.
In that light, the recent Battle for the Defense of the Forest had seemed more like a morale-boosting drill.
Hearing this news, Ayla felt a bit more reassured.
With so many fighting together, their chances of victory should improve.
She had wanted to ask Elder Cuiniya about the situation, but the elder claimed she was helpless because she wasn’t from that village and had lived far away as a child, so she knew no more than others.
“The only one who truly knows the details is Elder Leitney. He was part of the Enforcement Squad,” Zero added.
The Enforcement Squad was the Elves’ internal management force with the authority to judge their own people.
They were the ones who dealt with the Xisha incident originally.
Ayla immediately knew there was no hope—Elder Leitney had died right before her eyes, and that had been many days ago.
She turned to find Elder Isadora but didn’t see her anywhere—probably busy somewhere.
As dusk fell, Ayla returned to rest as well.
Zzzz
The next day—the twelfth day.
Two new phrases appeared today: [Within three days] and [If it’s not in the forest, it doesn’t count, that’s better].
“I feel like she’s talking to someone and has gotten permission from them to ‘play the game,’” Ayla analyzed.
“‘Within three days’ is the time she has to complete the sacrifice. ‘Forest’ is the location restriction. What do you think?”
Isadora neither confirmed nor denied but asked thoughtfully, “Who is she talking to?”
Ayla blinked.
“I don’t know. Maybe Yiselis?”
“Oh, do you know if there were any survivors from the village where Xisha lived?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“Nothing, just wondering.”
Ayla couldn’t tell if Isadora truly didn’t know or simply didn’t want to say. In any case, no information was gained.
Leaving the sealed area and returning to the treehouse, she reported the new findings to the Hero Squad.
“So that means after Xisha wakes up, she only has three days to kill that survivor. If we can hold out for more than three days, the sacrifice will fail.”
Celes quickly grasped the key point.
“Then, shouldn’t we find that person, tell them about this, and help them hide and protect themselves?”
“Hm,” Ayla thought of something and shook her head.
“Maybe it’s not necessary.”
“Not necessary?”
Before Celes could ask why, urgent knocking interrupted the girls’ strategy meeting.
At the door stood Elder Cuiniya, who had come personally without sending a subordinate.
The moment she appeared, she asked anxiously, “Has anyone seen Elder Isadora? Miss Ayla, I remember you met her this morning.”
“Yes, we did,” the pink-haired girl replied, blinking.
“Why? Is she missing?”
“Yes. I can’t find her and asked several people, but no one knows. I have urgent business with her.”
Elder Cuiniya was clearly upset.
“We had agreed to arrange the deployment of the seal today.”
Ayla sighed silently—of course.
Elder Isadora, who was about the same age and had always been responsible for the seal’s affairs, was actually the survivor from that village all along.