Chapter 88 – The Center of Gravity (3)
“I wouldn’t know if I were a munchkin living life as I please. But since that’s not the case, it’s a bit of a headache.”
I set down the report I had been reading intently and let out a sigh. I had set out with bold ambitions, but as expected, shaking up a solidly established structure was no easy task.
“Why is everyone looking at me like that?”
I suddenly glanced around and noticed the expressions on the faces of those nearby weren’t normal. Patrick looked as if to say, “How can you talk like that?” Rina had a perplexed expression, while Lila looked shocked, as if to confirm, “Wasn’t that your doing?”
“Do you really think that? That I do whatever I want?”
“I think you have that kind of ability.”
As I stood up abruptly and shouted, Lila nodded with shining eyes. It was even more bewildering because there was no malice behind her look. What have I done all this time?
“Turning Ethan, who was just a mere subordinate, into the key figure of the organization, uniting the elf tribes that had lived in isolation for thousands of years and introducing them to the outside world, intervening in the sect to end factional struggles and finding the true saintess to put the sect under your control—these are all things you did, Iriliana.”
“That’s…”
However, I couldn’t refute Lila’s following words. There was a noble cause to prevent the imminent destruction, but how that was accomplished was entirely according to my heart, my will.
There had been crises along the way, but I managed to pull through somehow. I was even coming up with grand plans to unite the world. It seemed I had become intoxicated by the influence I had created for myself.
Since others praised me as a great High Elf, it was only natural that the belief took root in my subconscious.
“I’m not that great.”
“You’re being humble, which makes it even more suspicious…”
“It’s not humility; it’s the truth. At least for now. I haven’t revealed my identity.”
Lila, who was acting like my number one fan, also became a subject of caution. I rubbed my aching head and picked up the report I had set down again.
Inside the report was detailed information about the current state of the Beastman Federation and the various kingdoms that belonged to it.
Thanks to the intelligence network created by Ethan’s organization, which had now completely fallen under my control, and the Light Sect, which had been the foremost sect spreading throughout the world for a long time, we had unparalleled sources of information.
“This Taizhu guy is quite the thorn in the side of the Fox Tribe.”
“From what I’ve read, he has grand ambitions and greed. I think I understand why he tried to bury Renia.”
The most important thing was to clear Renia’s name.
In the process of investigating the incident in detail, I realized who our ‘enemy’ was: Taizhu, the foreign minister of the Fox Tribe. He was rolling around in the political arena to gain a foothold in the Federation’s government.
“Shall I first gather the evidence?”
According to the investigation records, after Taizhu’s accusation, some of Renia’s disciples confessed her supposed crimes after intense interrogation.
It was a clichéd and common tactic. How hard could it be to manipulate such simple testimonies? You don’t even need consistent statements from the person the moment you send someone down the abyss. The investigatory methods of this era allow for manipulation at the discretion of the people in charge.
“If they used torture to acquire false testimonies to slander Renia, wouldn’t they have silenced those witnesses themselves?”
“Absolutely not. We need to save those people first.”
Rina, who was sharper than I expected, pinpointed the crucial point.
As she suggested, we had to find the involved parties of the incident first.
“Upon checking, I found out that the disciples, including the key witness Neoru, are all scheduled to be transported to different locations. The official reason is for treatment of injuries and rest.”
“That can’t be right.”
Upon moving additional informants, it turned out the enemies were acting as we had expected. They were already in the process of quietly disposing of the witnesses who had given false testimonies.
“By the way, there are three of them.”
I glanced around at my companions. No matter how lax the enemy might seem, we were still up against the Beastman Federation’s military forces.
While I was fine, others were beginning to feel nervous. It seemed we would require the help of Ethan’s organization since our hands were too few to resolve this on our own.
“I will go to rescue the most critical witness, that Neoru, myself. The rest of you should get help from the organization to secure the other two.”
The secured witnesses would become ticking time bombs at that moment. At the very least, the ringleaders, including that Taizhu, would feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.
If they acted rashly and self-destructed, I would be grateful, but even if they didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. I was planning to rush to the Fox Tribe’s king the moment the witnesses were rescued.
Of course, at that time, I intended to appear not as a mere maid girl in disguise, but as a High Elf stepping into the world once again.
“This incident shouldn’t end just with Renia clearing her name. We’ll also uproot any insidious forces within the Federation government.”
Digging deep into a slight wound and escalating the situation wasn’t that difficult. You just needed a pretext and the right caliber of an attacker.
“R-Right now, the transport carriage carrying them is on the move!”
“Everyone, follow the plan. Let’s meet safely.”
The first step in our scheme was about to come together in just under two days.
The moment we received news that the witnesses imprisoned in the Federation government were being moved to another location, we decided to split into three groups and simultaneously ambush them as planned.
I would go alone to the most crucial spot. Lila went with Ethan’s dispatched members, who used to work under her father, to handle one side. Patrick took charge of the remaining side with the mercenaries he had recruited locally. According to the information we collected, the enemies seemed intent on quietly finishing this business, as only a few were escorting the transport carriage.
“—!”
To be precise, I wasn’t alone. The spirits, which had been bored out of their minds from doing nothing for the past few days, started to stir with excitement.
Under a night sky illuminated only by a crescent moon, I spotted a solitary transport carriage making its way across the road slowly, accompanied by a dozen or so guards.
“Let’s proceed quietly.”
While the spirits could wreak havoc if they ran wild, that was not an option this time.
Now that everyone knew what kind of power a High Elf wielded after I revealed my identity and fought alongside the sect, it would be tantamount to carrying a name label on my forehead if I showed my abilities.
Instead, it had to be handled with utmost secrecy and silence. I believed the moment they used the wooden bridge to cross a stream would be a perfect opportunity for ambush. What a great setting to disguise it as an “accident by nature.”
“Eh?”
“What is that noise?”
Unthinkingly crossing the bridge, they were startled by the roaring sound of rushing water coming from upstream, which coincided perfectly with the turbulence I was summoning with the spirits. The heavy current I had been gathering surged toward the bridge in an instant.
“The river is flooding!”
In an instant, the fierce water swept away those on the bridge. At the same time, the earth spirit I had commanded shook the ground, causing the wooden bridge to collapse.
The soldiers who were suddenly caught in the rush of water flailed helplessly as the carriage was destroyed and began to float downstream along with it.
“Let’s go! We can’t let them drown!”
It was then that I, who had been hiding and holding my breath, jumped into the water. Covering my head with an air bubble created with the wind spirit’s power, I swiftly crossed the water with the help of the water spirit, spotting Neoru among those flailing in the muddy water.
“Get away!”
Kicking a cat beastman struggling as if it were about to drown, I grabbed the squirming Neoru, still in handcuffs, and shot back up to the surface.
Before long, the once-turbulent stream was now calm, leaving behind only scattered remains of the destroyed bridge while the unnecessary ones were washed downstream. With the help of the spirits, I quickly pulled Neoru out of the riverbank.
“Ugh… bleh…”
The water spirit hastily forced Neoru to expel the water from his lungs and stomach, while the wind spirit supplied him with fresh air, making him breathe forcibly.
Gradually, Neoru began to regain his senses as he writhed.
“It’s as chaotic as ever.”
However, it seemed difficult to get any coherent words from him at the moment. He was covered in ghastly wounds, and urgent treatment was needed.
The other witnesses who had gone to get help were likely in the same situation.
“P-Professor… I was…”
Even in his dazed state, he looked at me and searched for Renia. At least from the looks of it, it seemed certain that Renia had been wrongfully accused.
