Chapter 181

The forest was disgustingly hot. At first, it wasn’t like this, but the further I went, the hotter it felt. It was so hot that I ended up taking off my outer clothes and walking around in just a shirt.

And soon enough, I found the cause. Of course, even after seeing it, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“…Why is this bastard here?”

Gawain—no, the Gawains—who should have gone to the afterlife along with Count Holstead’s self-destruction, were lying there, burning in flames.

It might sound like nonsense, but there they were, multiple Gawains, identical in face, body, and even the size of their magical energy, skewered by spears and stuck to trees. Like chicken skewers. No, wait, since this guy breathes fire, they’re more like fire chicken skewers. Someone even had the consideration to make sure the fire didn’t spread to the trees.

“Whoever did this has some impressive skills.”

“Well, the culprit… definitely isn’t my brother.”

At Rachel’s remark, I raised an eyebrow.

“…What do you mean?”

“Looking at these corpses, they were killed with a single strike to a vital point. Plus, judging by their expressions, they died instantly without even realizing they were attacked. Definitely not my brother’s style. Unlike him, who likes to mutilate corpses as much as possible, this is too clean.”

“True… And looking at this spear, it seems to be made of ash wood, not metal…”

That’s when it happened. A sharp wooden arrow shot out from a knot in the tree. Naturally, it was aimed at Rachel’s back, but I quickly reached out and caught it. My skin got a little scraped, but it’s better than someone getting stabbed in the back.

“Are you okay…?!”

“I didn’t sense any magical presence nearby. No doubt, it’s an attack from the Spirit King of Wood.”

This damn elf brat dares to take a swing at me… Just wait, I’ll rip your ears off, stab you with a blade, and make you sing ‘Für Elise’ with your dying breath.

*Snap!*

I broke the wooden arrow in half. No doubt, the Gawains here were taken out by a similar attack… But why is this guy still alive? Wait, forget that, why are there three of him? Did they mass-produce knockoffs in China? Or is this like some mobile game where they release different versions—swimsuit, lily, alter—and just churned out a bunch of these?

But looking at their identical outfits and appearances, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Then, I suddenly remembered the monster Damian mentioned. It eats souls and keeps producing copies of those it devours to use as its minions. Seems like that story was true after all.

“But didn’t you say Brother Melchior and Sister Melissa were also killed…?”

“Yes… Lord Werner’s comrades have all gone missing.”

In such chaotic times, going missing… Well, it’s as obvious as the ending of a “let’s hold hands and sleep” line. But hearing that naturally raises a question. And of course, there’s only one person to ask that question.

“First, let’s find your siblings quickly.”

This forest is dangerous, and who knows what might happen. If they’ve been hurt even a little, I’ll kill that damn Spirit King of Wood.

Originally, I planned to chant “Namu Amida Butsu” with a Buddha-like heart and save them.

But now, all I can think about is beating the crap out of that motherless Spirit King with a flaming bat. If you shorten it, it becomes “Wood Amida Butsu.”

—

Airi wasn’t happy with this situation. She was already annoyed about being separated from Werner, and now her partner was Camellia. As they walked through the forest, they didn’t exchange a single word, but it was obvious they were both uncomfortable with each other.

The only person Airi could somewhat talk to was Glacia, and Camellia’s only recent acquaintance was Lorcha. The awkwardness between them was palpable, and the heavy atmosphere eventually became too much for Camellia, who broke the silence.

“You really take after your mother in how you treat children.”

“Um… could you tell me what my mother was like?”

Even before the regression, Airi didn’t talk much with her mother. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and there was always a sense of distance that kept her from getting close.

“She was a kind person. So kind it was almost unsettling. Could someone really be like that? She was so generous and treated everyone with such gentleness that it made you wonder if it was all an act. She even forgave those who tried to kill her… No matter the situation, she never missed her prayers.”

“Being devout doesn’t get you anything…”

“Even so, one of the Goddess’s Apostles took such a liking to her that they shared a portion of the Scales’ power with her.”

Airi quietly recalled the scriptures she read as a child. In the past, the Goddess allowed her Apostles to share a portion of her power by entrusting them with fragments of her heart.

The most powerful Apostle wielded the power of Dreams, while the weakest held the power of Seals. There were also others with powers like Time, Scales, Transformation, Metamorphosis, Prophecy, Shadow, Body, and Divine Speech.

“Even so, our mother is lying unconscious now. What’s the point of being loved by the Goddess if it ends like this?”

“Well, that might be true. I don’t know much about faith, but… they say the Goddess never abandons those she loves. Even if it means sacrificing others.”

“That kid… I mean, the Goddess?”

“The first Goddess sought salvation for all, the second sought happiness for the majority, and the third pursued a truthful world before being destroyed by her successor. The current Goddess pursues diversity and all the values the previous Goddesses sought. That’s why our Goddess is both benevolent and capable of discarding things without a second thought.”

Airi thought of the kid she made a deal with. It was hard to imagine such seriousness from that Goddess, but honestly, she didn’t seem like the type to discard things so casually.

“But did my mother really pity all her enemies?”

“Yes, she even shed tears after killing the most vicious demons.”

Airi inwardly complained, “What kind of frustrating person does that?”

“Then my mother must have been weak.”

“No, your mother was strong. She always supported us from the rear, so she might have seemed that way. But her magical and divine skills… honestly, they were a little terrifying.”

“What about my father?”

“At least among the people I know, he’s the strongest. Well, maybe tied for first…”

Most of the answers Airi got from Werner were short and to the point, so hearing about her parents from other comrades was intriguing. Airi knew about Zick’s strength, but the fact that there was a monster comparable to him was surprising.

“But what do you think about those children?”

“Honestly, I was shocked when they suddenly showed up claiming to be my daughters. It felt unreal… But hearing they grew up without parents, I felt sorry for them. So I let them stay by my side for a while.”

Airi felt the same. At least she had Werner by her side, but those children, who lost their parents at a young age and grew up under an indifferent older brother, were pitiful. Beyond that, she felt nothing else.

“Well, if what those kids said is true, I’ll do my best to make sure something like that doesn’t happen.”

—

The Black Round Table had already infiltrated deep into the forest. Of course, most of them had been scattered by the Spirit King of Wood.

Lancelot, leading the barely gathered group, questioned a woman in a black robe.

“So, have you found a way to break through the Spirit King’s petty tricks?”

“Yes, if we keep going like this, we’ll reach the Spirit King’s dwelling. No matter how many tricks he uses, it’s just buying time.”

“Hmm…”

“Still reluctant to kill an old friend?”

“…If you keep talking, I’ll cut you down. And for the sake of our goal… I’ll just cut and move forward.”

“You’re truly ruthless. Your daughter is in this forest, isn’t she? Mine is too, by the way.”

Lancelot, annoyed, didn’t respond. But at that moment, the robed woman sensed something.

“What kind of carnage is this…?”

“What’s wrong?”

“The troops and lower officers I brought as backup are being slaughtered. Even if they’re lower officers, they’re still skilled. To be tortured and killed so brutally… Do they have a grudge against us?”

“Since when do we not have people holding grudges against us?”

“True. But this… This is a man completely consumed by battle. This might be a little dangerous.”

The robed woman pondered for a moment before making a decision.

“Eliminating this threat to our plan takes priority over the Spirit King of Wood.”

“You mean…”

“Yes, we’ll take care of him first.”