Chapter 103

“First… I understand what you’re trying to say. I’ll have to talk to my father about that part.”

Asha, who had been muttering about the “Golden King” in confusion for a while, finally regained her composure, took a cautious step back, and adopted a more serious demeanor.

It wasn’t particularly disappointing. It was a natural reaction.

To achieve a definitive result, a large-scale attempt would be necessary, so it’s not something I could decide on my own recklessly.

Still, I was satisfied with the outcome. Thanks to my persuasive efforts, I received confirmation that Damien’s greatsword would be replaced free of charge.

They just asked me to bring back the broken pieces later.

The rest would be up to Asha’s clan to decide.

I only provided the idea; the decision and responsibility lie with them.

—

After sending Damien and Milia away, I was relaxing in my room when I heard a soft knock on the door.

Who could it be?

Who would visit my room at this hour?

Leaning my cigarette against the ashtray, I stepped away from the window and headed toward the door.

From the sound, it seemed like a woman… but it couldn’t be Freide.

If it were Freide, she would’ve banged on the door loudly.

Ah, maybe it’s Lacey.

Sure enough, when I opened the door, a dazzling white figure greeted me.

“Lacey Staldorf?”

“Yes. The purification ritual for the item I promised you is complete, so I came to deliver it. Do you have a moment?”

Lacey subtly held out the case she was carrying.

“Sure, come in.”

I had sent Nigel to the training room, so I was alone in the room.

Since I didn’t need an escort right now, I wanted her to have some freedom too.

I convinced her that to fulfill her duties as an escort, she needed to become stronger than she is now, and she agreed.

After guiding Lacey to the table, I handed her some snacks and a glass of water that I had prepared earlier.

“Sorry, but I can’t offer you tea. You caught me alone.”

“This is more than enough. Thank you.”

Lacey calmly picked up a cookie and took a bite, chewing elegantly with her small mouth.

“So, you said the purification ritual for the Ice Blade is complete?”

“Yes. Let me show you.”

Lacey placed the case on the table and opened it. The gauntlet, reunited after a long time, still emitted a chilling cold.

“It doesn’t look much different?”

“Of course not. All I did was suppress the curse of madness. At least now, wearing it won’t drive you into madness for a while. The cold is still there, so it’ll take a toll on your body, but you can manage that by using it in moderation.”

So, the equipment that was once unusable has finally become somewhat usable.

It’s still risky for prolonged use, but it’s a satisfying result nonetheless.

“That’s enough. Any other precautions?”

“Hmm…”

Lacey bowed her head for a moment, then looked back at me with an unreadable expression.

“You killed someone this time.”

…The Baron Bernstein incident.

“Uh… yeah, I did. But it wasn’t on purpose—”

It was a mistake made while drunk…

“…No, it’s my fault.”

I stopped trying to make excuses.

I remembered someone who shot civilians while drunk, making the same excuses.

I had dealt with him myself.

And now, I was making the same excuses as that guy. It was sickening.

I had to admit my mistakes.

“I’m not blaming you. I just want to say one thing.”

Lacey straightened her posture, leaned closer, and looked me in the eye.

“Beware of Life Force. The ominous power accumulated by killing countless people. It will make you stronger than anyone, but it will never bring you a bright future. In the end, it will destroy even its master.

…The fate of those who pursued Life Force has always been the same.”

Her advice carried the weight of a prophecy.

Her calm, measured words stuck in my mind, leaving me slightly bewildered.

“Uh…”

Good advice, but isn’t it a bit rich coming from you…?

A woman who would lead the charge in exterminating other races.

“Isn’t killing all the beastmen also Life Force?”

“Of course not. It seems you don’t have a systematic understanding of the concept of Life Force.”

Lacey firmly shook her head.

Well, I never studied it in detail…

“Let me explain. While the origin and principles of Life Force are still under debate, its analysis is actively progressing.”

Lacey took a sip of water and continued her explanation.

“The Church categorizes Life Force into four types: Good Deeds, Heroic Deeds, Evil Deeds, and Life Force.”

Good Deeds.

The Life Force accumulated through pure goodwill and helping others.

“Primarily accumulated by priests. Unlike warriors, it doesn’t manifest externally but is dedicated to the gods. The miracles priests perform are the result.”

Heroic Deeds.

The most common form of Life Force. The blessings accumulated through one’s own achievements.

Defeating powerful enemies, saving people by eliminating threats, and surpassing one’s limits through training—all fall under Heroic Deeds.

“Judgment, subjugation, protection, transcendence. These are the essence of Life Force.”

Lacey smiled slightly.

Evil Deeds.

The Life Force that clings to those who harbor malice and harm others.

Assault, deceit, robbery, rape. All kinds of evil acts except murder.

“The Life Force of the vile and despicable. The only difference from Life Force is that it doesn’t involve killing. But they still pay the price.”

And then… Life Force.

The ominous Life Force accumulated solely by killing innocent people.

The most violent and powerful of all Life Forces… but it eventually consumes its master.

“Evil will always fall, and everything will eventually move in the right direction. That’s the teaching of Elpinel. Please keep that in mind.”

After finishing her long explanation, Lacey, perhaps feeling a bit thirsty, brought the water glass back to her lips.

Her marble-like white neck moved slightly as she drank.

“There’s something I don’t understand. If defeating enemies is Heroic Deeds, and killing innocents is Life Force, then what kind of Life Force is accumulated when innocent beastmen are killed?”

“It must be a great achievement. After all, there’s no such thing as an innocent beastman. The power of ‘Eop’ was gained from the very beginning for humans to resist other races. All non-human races can never escape the original sin of their ancestors. No matter how much time passes.”

Whether it was a statement born from her beliefs or the doctrine of the Elpinel Church Order.

Or whether the power of ‘Eop’ truly has such a structure.

There’s no way to know without seeing it for myself.

“Well then, until we meet again, stay safe.”

With that, Lacey stood up from her seat.

I placed the Ice Blade on the desk and returned to the ashtray by the window.

…The cigarette I had left leaning there had long since burned down to the filter.

Three days later, Freide arrived with a request form.

======[Ferne]======

A dimly lit room filled with the smell of alcohol.

Ferne, reading a letter illuminated by the light of a Salamandra, furrowed her brow and gulped down the strong liquor in her left hand.

The burning heat seared her throat and stomach.

After quickly emptying the bottle and tossing it aside, Ferne mustered the last of her patience to finish reading the letter.

A letter secretly sent from her birthplace, Alvheim.

The ancient fairy language was densely written on the magically infused paper.

——–

Ferneisia Merchelious Epilaxus.

I’ve heard that the human Empire is currently in an unstable state due to succession issues.

Investigate the situation in detail and report back. If the conflict can be escalated, intervene.

If the task is successfully completed, your return to the embrace of the World Tree will be conditionally permitted.

——–

“Reports, interventions… senile old fools. Do they still see me as their subordinate?”

Crumpling the letter, Ferne tossed the now-useless scraps to the Salamandra and grabbed a new bottle of liquor.

The Salamandra, having consumed the magically infused paper, grew slightly larger. The light it emitted also became brighter.

Ferne frowned at the sudden brightness, gripped the bottle upside down, and smashed it down on the Salamandra.

With a single shriek, the fiery creature shattered into pieces.

The room was once again plunged into darkness.

“Return to the embrace of the World Tree? What a joke.”

Ferne clenched her teeth.

Even in her drunken state, the disgust was hard to bear.

It was those old fools who had forcibly exiled her, who had devoted herself to the fairies.

Eight hundred years of decay, their brains rotting away, those ugly wretches.

Her coming here was supposedly for the sake of friendship with the Empire—or so they claimed—but in reality, it was the result of a filthy power struggle.

A conflict between the aging elders and the rapidly rising new generation who had gained influence through their achievements.

In the end, the elders’ power had won out.

Most of the key figures of the new generation had either disappeared or become servants—essentially slaves—to the elders.

Ferne herself was too troublesome to handle, so they simply exiled her from Alvheim and threw her into the Empire.

—-

For the first five years, Ferne held onto a small hope.

The belief that other fairies would rebel and protest against the elders’ cruel tyranny.

How many battles had they fought for Alvheim?

Torn apart in the crossfire of the demi-humans.

Back then, the fairies had praised them as true guardians. Surely, they wouldn’t abandon them now?

Holding onto this belief in her kin, Ferne waited for five years.

The next five years required a great deal of patience.

Right. The elders were riding high, so it would take time and preparation to protest.

I can wait that long.

With such thoughts, she tried to comfort herself, suppressing the anxiety, restlessness, and disappointment that crept in daily.

It was around this time that she began to drink.

And then, another five years.

Now, only disgust remained.

All her comrades were dead.

After fifteen years of slavery, they had either lost their sense of self, becoming puppets, or taken their own lives in a final act of resistance.

The fairies had done nothing to help her or her comrades.

No, they had probably forgotten. It wasn’t their problem.

The world had found peace, and the need for warriors had greatly diminished.

It was a rational decision.

So Ferne decided to think rationally too.

It was impossible for her alone to confront Alvheim and the fairy elders.

So she waited for the day when an opportunity would come.

The Empire would one day go to war with the fairies again.

Whether the Empire, which rejected non-human races, started it, or Alvheim, blinded by its past glory.

She waited quietly for that day.

Calmly, so as not to arouse any suspicion.

Every day, she drank herself to sleep, reliving memories of running through battlefields with old friends in her dreams.

“The embrace of the World Tree…”

Ferne let out a bitter laugh. Truly, the kind of idea only senile old fools could come up with.

Did they really think something like that still held meaning for her?

The World Tree is the god of the fairies.

A god that exists not in some higher dimension but with roots firmly planted in the material world.

Though its power to intervene in the world has weakened compared to the past, it still remains the great mother who protects the fairies.

“A god who abandoned us.”

Her twisted smile was filled with malice.

She knew.

The World Tree is a god.

But at its core, it’s just a giant tree.

That’s right.

Trees.

Burn in fire.

As she gulped down more liquor, the fairy dreaming of deicide laughed endlessly.