Chapter 92

Chapter 92 – Renia Gate (2)

[We must stop the High Elves, but we must not be discovered. The High Elf will recognize you in an instant.]

“Damn it… Easier said than done.”

The voice in his head was on high alert regarding Irilia. Taizhu, already stressed, couldn’t ignore these words.

So, he tried to avoid Irilia as much as possible. Instead, he exerted all his effort to retrieve the lost witnesses. He had several reliable subordinates, who were like soldiers, on standby to be armed and dispatched at any moment to cut off anyone who dared to expose them to the world.

“Thoroughly monitor the people around that woman, Renia. It has to be those surrounding her.”

Taizhu naturally believed that this attempt to rescue Renia was from the royalists within the Beastman Federation who supported her, so he kept a close watch on them.

It was only logical to think that way. Renia had hardly interacted with any other forces while roaming outside until now; he had never anticipated that someone would take the risk from outside to help her.

‘It’s fine. Rather, this is a chance to uproot all the weeds that have been lying low.’

Taizhu, having given all the orders, paced back and forth in his residence, waiting for news. He had too much to do to get caught up here.

“This way. Fortunately, it seems there’s less monitoring.”

Meanwhile, those who were seizing the opportunity were already moving in secret. Ethan’s confidants and the Church of Light began to transfer the secured witnesses, trying to attract as little suspicion as possible.

“Once you meet the Fox King, you’ll be able to receive protection, so don’t worry.”

Excluding Rina, who had no combat power, Patrick, who was in charge of escorting and overseeing the plan with Lila, reassured the witnesses disguised as priests from the Church of Light.

The one who seemed the most anxious was Neoru, who had recovered the fastest. Although he had been rescued after being tortured, he could only tremble in fear, unsure when he might be captured again.

He knew that everything in the nation was already under the control of the enemies, which made him even more apprehensive. He had come to realize through his own body just how disadvantaged an individual was when fighting against entrenched powers.

“I-I’m not sure if the king can genuinely protect us. The king could end up in danger as well. The enemies are that ruthless and merciless.”

“I understand your worries, but there will be no problem. The moment the Fox King secures you and makes that fact public, the High Elf will head straight for him.”

“Oh, then…”

Only when Patrick mentioned that Irilia would be interested and watch over them did Neoru’s face relax.

Because, in terms of personal power and politically, Irilia was much stronger than the Fox King Taizhu at the moment.

‘The Fox King’s face is in tatters.’

In a situation where even the subjects and populace cannot trust the king, Patrick made a bitter smile. He had not served an absolute monarch before, coming from the free city of Su’an, but at least none of the kings he had encountered so far had been this weak.

In fact, even the Grand Priest of the Church, who had Leber as a regent, was not this lacking. But that was precisely why the strong desire to reclaim the power Taizhu held worked in their favor.

“We have arrived at the destination. There are signs of life up ahead.”

Soon, they, who had moved stealthily, arrived at the secluded hill designated as the meeting place. A few people were already there waiting for them.

“Welcome, warriors of our ally. And you, who have suffered unjustly.”

Taizhu, dressed as a hidden observer, was the first to greet them. As instructed by Irilia, he had come with only a select few close aides.

Aside from them, there were no guards. Taizhu had also embarked on a tremendous adventure risking his own life.

“I have already completed all the preparations. You should go to a safe location and wait for the High Elf to return. As soon as she arrives, I will announce your existence to the world and formally protest to the federation government.”

“Your Majesty…”

“I will protect you without fail.”

Taizhu directly took the hands of the witnesses. Including Neoru, the witnesses were shocked to realize that the king they had only seen from a distance was now a completely different being.

The weak king, oppressed by his retainers, was no longer present. With a reliable backer and plan, his eyes now shone sharply.

They thought to themselves that it was enough to trust and place themselves in his hands.

“We will also be staying near the royal castle. If any issues arise at the safe location, please inform us immediately. We will rush back.”

“I will ensure that.”

Taizhu promised sufficient rewards and cooperation to Irilia’s people, including Patrick. The plan was steadily progressing.

‘It’s time to set everything right.’

Taizhu clenched his teeth as he received the witnesses. They only needed to endure a little longer.

*

“It’s right in front of us, but wouldn’t it be better to go when daylight breaks?”

“Let’s do that.”

On a late night with a bright moon, I nodded at Leorne’s words as we sat in the carriage.

There was a feeding ground nearby. However, since it was late and the feeding ground was quiet, I decided not to go there right away.

‘They must have met by now.’

Tonight, Taizhu and Patrick were supposed to meet. Although Leorne and his aides were keeping me detained, I could not be sure if the meeting was going according to plan or if something had gone wrong in between.

I was also concerned about Taizhu, who had not shown his face until the end. He needed to remain perfectly silent and not cause any trouble until I returned.

“Why is it so quiet? Those guys would throw a fit as soon as I got close.”

“They still show no distinct reaction.”

As I murmured in confusion, Arisa, who had arrived after Leorne, reported that the feeding ground was still silent.

I couldn’t comprehend that. Every feeding I had experienced seemed to resist purification with desperate fervor, akin to having a living will of its own, thrashing about wildly.

It couldn’t possibly just sit still waiting for its fate.

The last time, when the hero and saintess helped purify the feeding ground, there were some individuals cursed who claimed to be priests for the end and a new humanity to live in the world after it.

Since I encountered them, I had come to think the ongoing process of the end was not merely a program that progressed according to a set code.

“So it means the end has its own will. Instead of an algorithm that merely acts according to set patterns, this is probably easier for you to understand, right?”

“Does that mean there’s an End God leading the end?”

Arisa’s eyes widened when I shared this thought.

End God, I could not deny that phrase. Whether it was a god or something else, if there existed a will solely for that purpose, there had to be a name for it.

“The will of the end can lead the end according to its intentions. Its goal is to wipe out the traces of this era’s existence and usher in a new time. After all, the current age is ultimately descended from the Mythical Era that has yet to be erased.”

For ten thousand years, I had seen a lot of strangely twisted and entangled traces of the past. And for reasons I didn’t fully understand, that damned tower left behind a will of the end that wanted to erase those traces.

“The will of the end has been reacting sensitively to my actions. Every time I go somewhere, it tries to interfere. The attack on the Elf village was part of that.”

“That is…”

“Something is distracting it somewhere right now. Even when I’m about to slice off another of its fingers. There must be a reason for that, right?”

Arisa recalled the incident where the village was attacked by dark elves that came through the feeding and sighed.

I considered this reasoning to be quite rational. Just as I couldn’t intervene in what was happening far away while I was here, the will of the end surely had its limits as well.

“Then, where on earth is the End God focused right now?”

“I don’t know that either. I don’t think it’s just doing random things, though.”

Of course, my reasoning stopped there. It was impossible to pinpoint exactly where a creature that was only thinking of consuming and swallowing the monsters in this land was focusing its attention at the moment.

‘That’s a bit unsettling.’

If only it were jumping around right in front of me, my body might be weary, but my mind would be at ease. Because it wouldn’t be easy to notice if a creature with the deceitful ability of a curse was secretly plotting somewhere, meddling with the hearts of the locals.