The work was progressing like a dream.

Given my not-so-great drawing skills, I worried whether anyone could decipher this bizarre blueprint.

But the dwarves? They got my mess of a layout perfectly!

And with the new addition of Kishua, smoothly handling the concealment of large-scale projects and supply chains, we were absolutely on fire with productivity.

But…

My expression wasn’t exactly bright.

Sure, bringing in Kishua was a fantastic development.

“It’s an honor to meet you!”
“No one could steal the Mana Train technology this easily…”
“Indeed, you are…”

He was so loyal that it felt like he might as well have been using a friendliness cheat code.

Honestly, it was a bit much, with him constantly addressing me with respect and applauding every little thing I did. If I said that didn’t feel burdensome, I’d be lying.

That said, having a competent person support and respect me wasn’t a bad thing at all.

Yet, the reason I couldn’t fully rejoice was that his very existence was proof that the original narrative had warped uncontrollably.

“After all, he definitely died in every route.”

In the “Empire Revolutionary Route” where Kishua cooperated to start a revolution, he dies using himself as bait to protect the protagonist.

In other routes, he ends up dying while trying to start a revolution all on his own.

Given all this, my hesitance to look for Kishua even though I knew about his capabilities makes sense.

“I knew something was off with the original protagonist, but…”

Even without contacting the protagonist, Kishua failed and died while trying to initiate a revolution solo.

That was surely how it went.

Yet here was Kishua, alive and well. I couldn’t even guess how the original story had gotten tangled.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

I pulled out an artifact from my pocket again.

A pendulum for dowsing.

On its end dangled an indicator stone.

It was an item I inherited from Rob, and its usage was incredibly simple. Just say the name of the person you’re looking for, and the stone points to their location.

“Yuli, the Saintess, I want to find her.”

I muttered again.

She was the person I had aimed to recruit from the very beginning.

The daughter of the previous protagonist, and the Saintess’s name.

But… the indicator stone didn’t budge an inch.

I’d been trying since yesterday, and it was still the same.

Maybe it was a one-time use item. Could it have gone bad after being used once? But the mystique was definitely still there.

Yet the fact that it wouldn’t activate meant one of two things.

Either she was hidden by something more powerful than the artifact, or she simply didn’t exist in this world.

And no matter which it was, the fact remained that things were about to get messy.

“The more I know, the more questions I have.”

Kishua’s survival, Yuli’s status, the erased hero.

The more I gathered information, the less I could make sense of the events from ten years ago.

“…Maybe it’s time to make a decision.”

I couldn’t just ignore the things I didn’t know.

While it was crucial to build strength in preparation for annihilation, isn’t it a bit silly to gather power without even knowing what to fight?

I needed to uncover what happened ten years ago.

Why did the Holy Sword fall? What happened to the predecessor? That necessity was becoming clear.

And I’d figured out a way… I’d been aware of it for some time. I just hadn’t wanted to try because it was too risky.

“But one can’t keep avoiding danger forever.”

If it was about preparing, I was more than ready now.

I was distinctly different from the me of a few months back.

I needed to engrave the curse runes, and although I couldn’t mobilize Lucy this time to protect the non-combatants, with Siel and Lien by my side, we could confidently handle any major threats.

I recalled something I heard back at the Black Market.

– “A cursed sword found in the Demon Realm. What tragic tale does a sword emitting such sinister energy have?”

The other half of the Holy Sword.

Memories regarding the protagonist’s demise inscribed on the land. The reasons behind the sword’s corruption.

To find those, I had to take risks. Right now, my only task was clear.

I steeled myself and stood up.

The destination for the next journey had been set.

*

“…So, why did you call me?”

In the middle of the Great Forest, the First Prince asked with a dissatisfied expression.

No matter how much the old elf in front of him was the chief of the elves, he had no reason to extend courtesy.

Elves were nothing more than an inferior race shackled by the World Tree, unable to move an inch.

So why should he show respect to the representative of such inferior creatures? Normally, he wouldn’t even be able to converse with that chief.

Yet still, the First Prince showed patience only because of the Black Fangs.

– “There are constant mentions of pointy ears in the witness testimonies, and that bothers me.”

His younger sister, who was as lowly as could be, brought that up in a meeting.

Initially, it was common sense that elves couldn’t live away from the World Tree. He laughed at her ignorance. But surprisingly enough, she was right.

After just one attempt, the chief spoke.

“If it’s a monster that can survive away from the World Tree, I can find it and will gladly cooperate.”

Since that creature shared some elven blood, with some time, they could pinpoint its location.

But even if they were to achieve results, it wouldn’t be today.

Even if the ritual progressed better than expected and they found the location of that half-elf named Siel, they’d only need to convey that information.

There was no point in wasting his precious time sending word to come to the Great Forest.

“Since you took my time, you’ll need to show me a reason to have called me here.”

“Of course!”

Feeling the murderous intent radiate from the white-haired chief, he replied in a shaking voice and continued with a pale face.

“It’s true the ritual is still ongoing, but… I can find that creature without going through the ritual.”

“You can find its location without the ritual?”

“Yes, yes! Not only can I find its location, but I can also lure it here.”

The chief of the elves spoke.

“Today, Siel will visit the Great Forest. Just wait a little, and we can catch it.”

That palpable air of danger.

The situation felt like he could lose his head at any second. But the chief’s eyes were filled with confidence.

It would be strange if he didn’t feel that way.

Siel always visited the Great Forest on her mother’s death anniversary.

“That girl still thinks her mother’s grave is here.”

Although she didn’t choose it, the dirty whore who mixed with the demon kind and tainted their race’s honor was cursed.

The chief had expelled both.

Elves couldn’t survive away from the World Tree. It was a de facto death sentence.

And years went by until… the monster returned alive, carrying its mother’s corpse.

Even if it was an existence that shouldn’t have been there, it reasoned that its mother wasn’t. If she couldn’t rest in the embrace of the World Tree because of it, that wasn’t right.

Struggling to return, it insisted on burying its parents near the World Tree, following tradition.

“Well, in reality, that whore’s corpse isn’t even here.”

If the honor of their race was tainted, it should have just died quietly.

Having given birth to that monster, the disgrace of their kind had no reason to be treated well.

And having no eyes was disgustingly grotesque, the chief ordered that cadaver to be disposed of in the most fitting place.

That corpse must have long ago become a meal for some monster in the Demon Realm. But…

“That monster doesn’t know this fact.”

Perhaps it didn’t even grasp the meaning of being exiled.

That cursed girl secretly sneaked into the World Tree area to report all kinds of things to the dead mother.

The monster’s attempts to fabricate false emotions were sickening and disgusting, but this time, the chief smirked.

“That’s for sure.”

“Of course! I can assure you, that monster will come to the Great Forest today.”

“Then, can I stake your head on this?”

His voice was chilling.

The notoriously foul-tempered First Prince wasn’t about to let the chief of elves off easy; he asked him that question.

But the chief nodded without hesitation.

It was an opportunity to achieve something and rise in status since something that occurred every time wouldn’t change today either.

With such thoughts firmly in mind.

*

“Siel, do you have any plans?”

“I do.”

“Oh? Really? Is it something important? I was planning to take a trip for three nights and four days with you…but do I need to postpone that plan?”

“…Now that I think about it, I don’t think I have anything on. Let’s set off right away.”