As I continued walking, a familiar mansion came into view.

At the same time, a rather shabby-looking defense force started to show up.

It was like a dwarf who had just run out while swinging a hammer, standing guard with the white-haired girl and the other kids.

Lucy and Lien.

And… what is that thick book and ladle-wielding Ruby doing here?

‘So, everyone rushed out upon seeing the sudden influx of soldiers…’

Considering how Balzac had once split an artifact in half.

I figured I had to go outside, but it looks like they just grabbed anything handy since no one had proper weapons.

First things first, I definitely can’t let Ruby on the battlefield. With that thought, I kept moving forward.

Not long after, the tense atmosphere eased naturally.

Either Lucy or Lien must’ve enhanced their vision with magic to see my face.

Well… regardless of the easing tension, seeing everyone’s bewildered expressions told me they still had questions.

“Ian? What on earth is going on…?”

Ruby said, drenched in cold sweat.

Usually, I’d soften my words or dance around the issue considering her mental state. But right now, there was no time for that, and I had no idea how else to phrase it.

I simply stated the facts as they were.

“As I mentioned before, I thought it would be necessary for the battle, so I brought everyone here and turned them into slaves.”

Frankly, I’d already mentioned burning the World Tree and enslaving elves, so I thought they might accept it fairly quickly. Turns out, that was wishful thinking.

Ruby stuttered, as if her brain had short-circuited, and asked me again, “A whole race… No, more importantly, how? Elves never come out of the Great Forest, let alone be captured!”

“Well, as long as they remain near the World Tree, it doesn’t matter.”

“The World Tree?”

Ruby’s face went pale, as if the notion of me burning the World Tree just hit her.

“I absorbed its power after dealing with the World Tree. That’s how I can control the elves now.”

With my words, not just Ruby but the dwarves around her suddenly turned odd.

Thinking about it, it isn’t surprising, really.

The beginning of the world.

A tree that has existed since the dawn of creation, also known as the source of life.

If they heard I set it on fire and devoured its powers, any resident of this world would react like that.

Not to mention, the hundreds of elves behind me became living proof of my words.

Ruby’s usual gaze filled with awe and fear, seeing something clearly not human, was now reflected in the dwarves’ eyes as well…

But I quickly brushed that aside in my mind.

Now was not the time to be concerned about that.

“How’s the repair of the Holy Sword going?”

Amidst the quaking dwarves, I glanced at the opportunistic dwarf, grinning as if he was satisfied with his successes.

And just then, Rob quickly presented the Holy Sword as if he’d been waiting.

His confident expression didn’t appear to be unfounded; the state of the Holy Sword was in perfect condition.

‘This is…’

About 90%, no even better, nearly 100%.

It was so excellently repaired that I could hardly differentiate it from how I remembered it.

I couldn’t help but admire their skills.

Did having a hundred dwarves make this possible?

I didn’t pressure them with commands like, “You better get this done,” or “Make it happen,” but frankly, I figured I’d never be able to fix this overnight.

Yet, they pulled it off.

With a satisfied look, I picked up the Holy Sword.

And… I saw it.

A bit, just a little, but the Holy Sword appeared murkier than before.

“…Huh? Why is it suddenly like this? It was fine just a moment ago.”

Rob’s earlier confidence turned into confusion.

He spoke with a baffled expression, but I reassured him, “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

I said this while taking the Holy Sword.

Sure, if nothing unnatural had happened, it would be a lie, but this much didn’t matter.

If breaking my vow caused the Holy Sword to lose its light and power, that would be a crisis.

But the slight tint in its color isn’t a big deal. It’s not like I’m battling demons here.

Besides… if my mindset could affect the Holy Sword’s condition, maybe I could make use of that.

It felt somewhat ominous, which is why I hadn’t tested it until now.

But right now, it wasn’t the time to be picky about methods.

With the dignity of a monarch, I wasn’t at risk of being tainted mentally.

In any case…

‘With this, I’ve prepared my weapon.’

I obtained the Holy Sword.

The preparations on the army’s side had already been completed long ago.

Of course, I wouldn’t want to put my kids in danger. The only ones coming along were the combat-ready Lien and Lucy.

Still, we had no shortfall in our power.

That’s why I brought the elves.

The restriction of being unable to stray far from the World Tree.

Ignoring curses, the crazy Empire would gladly burn the World Tree if the elves became a bother.

Without such limitations, the elves were no easy target.

They’d probably overwhelm even the Empire’s elite troops. This was more than sufficient power.

One thing troubling me, however…

I had no proper way to pinpoint Siel’s location.

In the end, it would have to come down to luck.

In a situation where every second counts, we can’t waste time performing a ritual to track her down.

We can only methodically track from the last location we occupied.

I just hope she hasn’t moved too far from where we last were.

I took a deep breath, calming my nerves and steadying my mind. I felt the mana flowing through me along with the energy of the World Tree.

With this, I’ve done all I could to prepare. Whether it’s enough or not, I’ll find out soon enough.

Right now, what I needed to do was simple.

As I received the glances of hundreds,

I drew the Holy Sword and declared, “Let’s go.”

It was time for the decisive battle.

*

In the heart of the Demon Realm.

The First Prince grimaced as he had been facing monsters for days.

Receiving a blessing that was ineffective didn’t help either.

While Cardinal Dominic didn’t mean for it to be this way, the divine power within the blessing prompted a fiercer assault from the monsters…

But there was a more significant reason behind his grimace.

He could feel it moments ago.

An unfamiliar energy, distinctly different from that of demons and monsters, was approaching from this direction.

To prove this wasn’t just his imagination, he soon heard the screams of the monsters.

A man was cutting them down in one sweep, approaching them.

Even before seeing his face, the First Prince could tell who it was.

An ominous aura radiated from him.

Of all the humans he had opposed, one remained alive in this world.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a man with white hair entered his line of sight.

The energy he exuded was clearly different from before.

The change in the Holy Sword he held and the new companions he brought along.

He radiated a clear determination to reclaim what was lost.

Yet, even witnessing that, he couldn’t be swayed.

“How foolish. If you had run away, you could have lived at least a few more days.”

He felt nothing but pity.

It was truly remarkable he had grown this much in just four days.

Yet, it only showcased his foolishness.

With that kind of talent, he should have secluded himself to train, regardless of what happened to his companions.

Such promising potential.

If he continued to grow, he would become a significant threat to the Empire.

But regardless…

He walked straight into the jaws of danger.

Getting entangled with companions or emotions had clouded his judgment. So, of course, he could only be seen as pathetic.

“Do you truly think you can win?”

Seeing the conviction in his eyes, the First Prince asked.

He saw the elves standing behind him.

To bolster their power, it seemed he had grilled the elves into submission.

To think he believed they could take him down with just that. The level of naïveté reached new heights.

An elf’s inherent abilities are indeed impressive, but…

That only applies when they are within the Great Forest.

Once separated from the World Tree, their strength not only halves but melts away, and prolonged absence leads to death.

There’s a reason the Empire didn’t misuse elves.

‘But this is the Demon Realm.’

Unless the World Tree walks, its power wouldn’t extend this far.

Such a fundamental truth, yet he sent elven troops as his countermeasure. Ridiculous to the extreme.

Even Renya wouldn’t employ such a silly tactic.

“How foolish. Utterly foolish. But… well, it’s fine for me.”

I’d just been feeling uneasy about things not going my way.

The enemy indulged in such blatant foolishness, eager to deliver me achievements on a silver platter.

How could I not be pleased?

In these four days, what they prepared was a useless army of elves. A group that would merely stumble due to their considerably diminished strength.

In contrast, what he had gained was a formidable ally who would arrive soon enough to help him.

The cardinal and archbishops, blinded by hatred for the heretics.

The gap in power was starkly apparent.

The outcome of the fight was decided before it even began. All that was left was to enjoy it.

With a smile, the First Prince declared, “This time, I will end your indulgence by my own hand!”