While waiting at the mansion, I received a communication from Asili, and I thought it was just a regular report.
As far as I knew, there was nothing in the Delusion Forest that could seriously threaten Elia.
If it were to involve the monsters that owned the territory, there might be a chance for injury, but I knew Elia would ultimately win.
Therefore, when I received the communication from Asili, who had gone to the Delusion Forest, I assumed it was simply a report.
“Yeah, Asili. What’s the matter?”
[······.]
“……Asili?”
[Ka-ga-ga-gak——!!]
However, when the communication was connected, without any greetings or anything else, the sound of blades clashing reached me, and it was then that I realized it wasn’t a report.
From the communication with Asili, I could hear the sound of swords clashing.
Once I understood what that meant, I immediately jumped up from my seat, and Ruina, who was sitting next to me, did the same.
“Kael, this is…….”
“Ah, it seems like Asili has stepped in.”
The fact that Asili had stepped in meant that something had threatened Elia.
I didn’t know what it was, but both Ruina and I started running out of the mansion without saying a word.
And when we began running out of the mansion, the fighting sounds in the communication stopped, and we could hear voices instead.
[Wow, dual daggers. This is a rare weapon, seems like Asili-sama was quite impressed.]
[What? Where did you suddenly come from…………!]
It seemed like they were talking to someone who had posed a threat to Elia.
According to Asili, the one posing a threat seemed to use dual daggers, and as far as I knew, there was only one group on the continent that used such a weapon.
“Assassin!”
“Assassin… could it be… people from the underworld?”
As far as I knew, anyone who used dual daggers was an assassin.
After all, the number of people who used dual daggers was extremely small, and because of how they were perceived, regular mercenaries and soldiers never even touched dual daggers.
And as Ruina said, if they were assassins, there was a high possibility they were from the underworld.
Assassins in the open wouldn’t have any reason to target Elia.
Furthermore, if they were assassins from the underworld……………..
‘Could it be……….. Worst?’
Worst, could it be that they encountered those guys?
It was an unfounded leap, but it wasn’t an impossible thought.
And when the thought of Worst crossed my mind, my steps quickened even more.
In no time at all, Ruina and I, who had started running from the southwest street, reached the northern center street and quickly arrived at the northern gate.
Thud, thud, thud, thud
-!!!
“Huh? Wait a minute……!”
“Sorry! I’ll explain the situation once I return, please just step aside for now!!”
Seeing us running at such a high speed, the guards at the northern gate were flustered and didn’t know what to do, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to calmly explain the situation to the guards.
So, with a brief apology, we passed the guards at the northern gate and continued running toward the northern road leading into the Delusion Forest.
Soon after, we reached the entrance of the Delusion Forest.
I turned to Ruina, who had created a bow from the branches of the World Tree around her waist, and asked.
“Ruina! I’ll go in from the bottom, so please provide support fire from above!”
“Leave it to me, Kael!”
Ruina was a descendant of the elves, a tribe native to the World Tree.
Although the Delusion Forest was much smaller than the Elfheim Great Forest where the World Tree stood, Ruina would be able to navigate this place like it was her own backyard.
So, I asked her to support me in case I missed anything, and then I dashed through the dense forest at lightning speed.
Meanwhile, in contrast to me, Ruina quickly climbed to the top of the trees, using the branches as footholds to start running.
She passed mercenaries here and there and destroyed monsters that unnecessarily blocked our path as we ventured deeper into the Delusion Forest.
Although I didn’t know where Elia and Asili were, fortunately, I didn’t need to worry about getting lost since I didn’t need to know their exact locations.
Kuuuuu…
“There!”
The powerful presence I felt from far away gave away their position.
The overwhelming aura, stronger than Asili’s, indicated where they were and how dangerous their situation was.
Although weaker than Zenre, Asili was undoubtedly a powerhouse whose skill was beyond comparison to anyone of their caliber.
If the presence I felt was stronger than Asili’s, it was likely a life-or-death situation.
So, I pushed my legs as hard as I could, heading in the direction where the overwhelming energy was coming from.
Using my full power, which I had previously been unable to use due to the forest environment and the strain on my legs while running, I burst forward.
Whooosh!!!
With the sound of air breaking, my body shot in the direction of the powerful presence.
And when I blinked once, I saw familiar figures ahead of me.
Most importantly, I saw Elia unharmed and without a scratch, and I shouted her name, raising my sword.
“Elia!!!”
Thankfully, Elia was unharmed.
Then, as I looked away from her, I saw Kali, an executive from Worst, clashing with Asili.
“What?! Why is that person……………!”
“Gasp!”
Kali widened her eyes as she saw me rushing toward her and shouted, but I had no intention of answering her question.
Without a word, I swung my sword, forcing Kali to hastily retrieve her dual blades, which she had been using in a swift exchange, to block my attack.
“Urgh?!”
Clang!!!!
With the added momentum from my charge, the tremendous sound of our clash echoed through the air.
Along with that deafening sound, Kali’s body was sent flying backward as she blocked my attack.
She rolled several times on the ground before crashing into a tree in the forest and coming to a stop.
As she struggled to rise from the ground, I turned to Asili, who stood behind me with a deathly pale expression.
“Quickly explain the situation, Asili.”
“Uh… To put it simply, my lady was hunting the ruler of this territory, but those guys claimed it as their target and stole the prey. Then, they tried to kill my lady to eliminate the witness, so I was doing my best to stop them with my life.”
Asili spoke as if she expected praise for her efforts, but I had no interest in her self-congratulations.
However, as I processed her explanation, I felt my grip on my sword tighten involuntarily.
Crack.
“…They tried to kill Elia?”
“Yes! They aimed straight for her neck, and I blocked it! It was a clear attempt to kill her instantly!”
Asili added unnecessary details, but for once, they weren’t unwelcome.
I was already struggling to contain my rising fury, and her explanation gave it a clear direction.
The one who tried to kill Elia—that person was standing right before my eyes.
At a glance, her body was covered in a crimson hue, likely from using the rampaging demonic factor, but I couldn’t care less.
As a high-ranking officer of Worst, she would be more valuable alive, turned over to the royal palace.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered now was the simple fact that this officer of Worst had tried to kill my daughter.
“Since you tried to kill my daughter, don’t expect an easy death.”
And for committing such an act—
“You will die here today.”
I had no intention of letting Kali leave this place alive.
“Hmm… That’s dangerous.”
In the underground base of Worst, inside a laboratory, Chain lifted his head from a flask he was examining.
Setting aside the heated blood sample in the flask, he removed his glasses and stood up.
At that moment, Naila, the first officer of Worst, approached him.
“Has something happened again?”
“Yeah, this time it seems Kali is about to fall.”
For years, Worst had been carrying out its grand scheme while staying hidden from the kingdom’s eyes.
But this time, they needed the corpses of the rulers of Delusion Forest, located right beside the kingdom, so they had sent Kali.
It seemed, however, that trouble arose the moment she got near the kingdom.
And surprisingly, the cause of this issue was none other than ‘Kael.’
“Haha, at this point, it almost feels like fate. If coincidences keep happening with such malice, it becomes exhausting.”
Why had Kael interfered again this time?
There were soldiers, mercenaries, and even knights.
So why was it always Kael who stood in the way of Worst’s plans?
This incident was indeed a coincidence, but it felt as if someone had deliberately orchestrated it with malicious intent.
Chain let out a sigh-filled chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.
“Kali has encountered Kael. She even used the rampaging demonic factor… Oh dear, and it seems Asili is with him too.”
“What? Wasn’t Kali sent to Delusion Forest? Why are those two there…?”
“Exactly. That’s what I find extremely puzzling. Why are they in that place?”
A mystery beyond comprehension.
But unlike a few years ago, when they lost Benjamin and Sherda, this time, they had identified the situation in advance.
And over the years, Chain had made numerous preparations for the inevitable clash with Kael.
Although many of those preparations remained incomplete, they still had plenty of resources to rely on.
So Chain turned to Naila, who always stood by his side, and spoke.
“We can’t afford to lose another valuable officer this time… Let’s go, Naila.”
“Yes, Leader. I will follow.”
Unlike before, this time, they would not let Worst lose another pillar.
Chain and Naila’s figures vanished.