Chapter 599
Let Me Tell You an Old Story (4)
Ghislain swallowed hard.
The Forest of Beasts was actually the legendary Demonic Abyss?
Ereneth continued her explanation slowly.
"The Forest of Beasts is where the body of the Demon God once lay. That land has been deeply affected by its lingering energy. That’s why it must have felt quite different from other places."
The people of Fenris all nodded. Even to them, the Forest of Beasts had always seemed like a mystical place.
It was overflowing with an incomprehensible amount of energy. Not just monsters every living thing there was massive.
And that wasn’t all. The forest was brimming with rare resources that were nearly impossible to find elsewhere.
And now, they were being told that everything in that place had been influenced by the Demon God’s energy?
Vanessa's expression showed her disbelief.
"Th-That powerful energy was spreading throughout the forest, and yet no one noticed it?"
"I already told you. We cannot sense that energy. Only the people of the Salvation Church can. The beings within the Forest of Beasts have simply been exposed to it for such a long time that they've been heavily influenced."
"Then… was it always like that in the past?"
Ereneth shook her head.
"If anything, it has been purified compared to before. In the past, it was a Land of Death, completely engulfed in black energy much like the breath of Equidema."
"And the people of the Salvation Church were able to survive in such a place?"
"Yes. Only those who have spent countless years accepting the Demon God's energy could endure living in the Demonic Abyss. Of course, when I say ordinary people couldn't enter, I don't mean you. You would be able to go in and survive just fine."
The others instinctively shook their heads. There was no way in hell they wanted to live in a place like that.
Lumina spoke up, her voice trembling. She had experienced something strange during the Second Subjugation of the Forest of Beasts.
"T-The forest… it spoke to me. It asked me to become one with it. What does that mean?"
Lumina was highly attuned to communion with nature. She had been the only one to hear that voice back then.
She had reported it to Ghislain and informed the others, but no one had been able to figure out what it meant, so the matter had been left unresolved.
Ereneth looked at Lumina for a moment before speaking.
"You have a gift."
"Huh?"
"It means you have the ability to accept the Demon God's energy. Just like the priests of the Salvation Church. There have been rare cases where those with exceptional communion abilities have been tainted in the same way."
"……."
"Be careful. That voice is the scattered will of the Demon God, lingering in the world. If you succumb to it, your mind will eventually become just like those Salvation Church fanatics."
Lumina gulped and nodded, fear evident in her expression. That whisper… it could continue to influence her?
She was now certain when the Third Subjugation of the Forest of Beasts came around, she needed to stay far away.
Now, he finally understood.
Why the monsters in that forest were so grotesque, and why the Ducal House of Delfine had been so obsessed with the Forest of Beasts.
"The Duke of Delfine must have been after the Forest of Beasts because the Demon God's corpse was there."
"Exactly. That place is the Salvation Church’s holy land. To them, reviving the Adversary is important, but so is reclaiming that land. They could recreate the Demonic Abyss there."
"Then why didn’t they go after it boldly from the beginning?"
Ghislain knew they had been wary ever since suffering defeat at his mother’s hands.
But the Forest of Beasts should have been something they could claim through other means.
There was no need to start a civil war for it.
Ereneth spoke in an indifferent tone.
"They weren’t certain it was the right place."
"What? Why not?"
"The Salvation Church’s high priests all perished in the war a thousand years ago. The only survivors were their followers and ordinary believers."
"Hmm, but even so, could they really forget the land they once lived in?"
At that, Ereneth let out a faint chuckle. Humans, with their short lifespans, often failed to grasp just how long a thousand years truly was.
"After wandering in hiding for a whole millennium, they were bound to lose many things including their knowledge. It must have been hard enough just keeping their faith alive without any power."
"…I see."
"If anything, it’s remarkable that Gartros managed to rebuild the church from the remnants that remained. Perhaps he, too, only gained strength because the Adversary was resurrected."
Ghislain nodded. If the Adversary’s revival had strengthened the Demon God's energy across the world, it made sense that the Salvation Church had regained power at this time.
Ereneth continued speaking as she glanced at the map on the wall.
"In any case, there are a few places across this continent as mysterious as the Forest of Beasts. I know the Salvation Church has been investigating multiple locations as potential candidates."
She had spent years hunting down the remnants of the Salvation Church. That was how she had learned that they still hadn’t pinpointed the exact location of the Demonic Abyss.
But by now, they must have a good guess. They had been meddling all over the continent, testing every forbidden place they could find.
Except for one.
Because of the Duke of Fenris, they had never even set foot near the Forest of Beasts and had failed.
So it was only natural for them to suspect that the Forest of Beasts was once the Demonic Abyss.
Ereneth looked somewhat relieved as she spoke.
"The Demon God's energy has been spoken of since the days of myth, so I can’t explain it with complete certainty. All I can say is that it's one of the many mysteries spread across this world."
She paused for a moment before turning to look at Ghislain.
"I know there are parts of my story that are hard to believe, and I’m aware of its logical gaps. But for now, this much should be enough. Once again, the most important thing right now is stopping the dragon."
Ghislain nodded.
"Yeah, just from what you’ve told us, a lot of my questions have been answered. I’m sure we’ll learn more in time."
‘Through my dreams, that is.’
Ereneth didn’t seem inclined to share any deeper secrets. Unless something extraordinary happened, he would have to uncover the rest on his own.
Not that it mattered right now.
If this Adversary truly existed, he would eventually reveal himself. For now, the priority was preparing to take down the dragon.
"I need to meet with the coalition's commanders. Let's call for a meeting. Fortunately, we should be able to gather everyone quickly."
Since the post-battle cleanup wasn’t finished yet, most of the key commanders of the United Human Army were still present.
If they had already scattered and received the news separately, things would have been a major headache. In that sense, Ereneth’s timing had been perfect.
Ghislain had already anticipated the dragon’s arrival and made preparations, but if things unfolded sooner than expected, the Kingdom of Turian could suffer heavy losses.
Hearing everything, Elena clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"This is all your fault, you know. The dragon’s only appearing because of you."
"What? Why? How is that my fault? Were you even listening to the conversation?"
"It’s because you ran your mouth about slaying a dragon before. You jinxed it!"
"When did I ever say that?"
"Oh, look at him playing innocent! You… ugh, anyway, back when you collapsed after fighting those orcs, you were telling me all sorts of stories and even bragged about slaying a dragon!"
Ghislain wracked his brain, trying to recall. Now that she mentioned it…
— Next time, I’ll tell you about the time I killed a dragon.
— Did you dream about it? Do you even know what a dragon is?
When he had first reunited with Elena after his regression, he had been so overjoyed that he had shared countless tales of his exploits.
At some point, that story must have slipped out.
"……."
"See? You remember now, don’t you? I told you! You totally jinxed it!"
"……."
Murmurs spread among the gathered people.
A dragon had never even appeared before… yet Ghislain had once claimed to have slain one?
All eyes turned to him, filled with doubt.
Somehow, whenever chaos erupted, Ghislain was always at the center of it.
Claude didn’t let this opportunity slip by. Without hesitation, he sided with Elena.
"This is exactly why you shouldn’t say things like that! And now a real dragon has shown up! This is all your fault, my lord!"
"Can I Call You Big Sister?"
Ereneth spoke with a hint of amusement.
"I don't believe in superstitions, but this is quite the coincidence. You boasted about something, and now it's actually happening. Perhaps that’s why our ancestors always taught us to be mindful of our words."
"……."
Ghislain felt wronged. The timeline may have been scrambled due to his regression, but he had slain a dragon before.
And that dragon was Arterion, the one appearing this time.
There was no use arguing about it now. He would simply have to slay the dragon once more and turn his so-called boast into reality.
"Let's move quickly…."
To gather all the coalition commanders, they needed to head to the meeting chamber in the Royal Castle of Sardina.
Just as everyone was preparing to relocate, Alfoi stealthily approached Ereneth, sensing that the conversation had wrapped up.
"You… you really lived for over a thousand years…?"
"I have."
Alfoi's face began to flush with excitement. He didn’t care about the Demon God or the Adversary.
As a great mage, he refused to let himself be swayed by mere myths.
But living for a thousand years? Now that was knowledge worth coveting.
"C-Can I call you ‘big sister’?"
"……."
"Big sister! Please teach me how to live for a thousand years! I beg you!"
Alfoi was desperate. If he could extend his lifespan that long, he could finally enjoy life once his slave contract ended.
Ereneth sighed as she looked at him.
Did this idiot even listen to a word I said?
She had been cursed and forced to remain trapped in the Forest of the World Tree for centuries. But it seemed the only part Alfoi had paid attention to was the thousand-year lifespan.
Claude, outraged, shoved Alfoi aside.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You don't even understand basic hierarchy?! Mine got increased to 632 years! Even if you live for a thousand years, more than half of it would still be spent as a slave! So I should go first! Ereneth, my lady! Please teach me first!"
"Shut up! I asked first! And I'm already past 300 years! This is all your fault!"
"How is this my fault?! You're just an idiot! No one forced you to gamble away your lifespan!"
"You tempted me, you bastard!"
The two began bickering fiercely.
Ereneth clenched her jaw.
She had gone out of her way to share a deeply personal story something she had never done before.
She liked the Fenris people. She considered the battles they had fought together as something special. That was why she had stopped fighting Julien and revealed information about the dragon.
But Fenris people also had a way of making her blood pressure spike like no one else.
"You little bastards…."
As Ereneth's face turned red, the room fell into silence.
Everyone knew that if she got pissed off, she wouldn’t hesitate to punch anyone whether it was Ghislain or Julien.
Vanessa quickly covered Alfoi’s mouth and dragged him away.
Meanwhile, Wendy swiftly twisted Claude’s arm and pinned him down.
"Who are you, really?"
"Mmph! Nnngh!"
"Ahhh! My arm! Let go! Mmph!"
After a brief scuffle, order was finally restored, and everyone moved to change locations.
However, Parniel remained standing with a cold expression. She had replayed Ereneth’s words multiple times in her mind, comparing them with what she knew.
Because she, too, was keeping secrets from the others.
The one mentioned in the Church’s secret records… is it you? Or is it the one they call the Adversary?
There was an apocryphal scripture a secret record passed down within the Church. Not just anyone could read it, but as the Saintess, Parniel had access to its contents.
The myths Ereneth spoke of were never mentioned.
There were, however, a few fragmented records of an ancient war.
If I remember correctly…
It contained the story of what Jerome had once called the darkness that covered the world.
And how those blessed by the Light had vanquished it.
One of them could have been a Saintess. But why would such a glorious event be deliberately erased?
Because of that, the Church had always interpreted those blessed by the Light as nothing more than heroes favored by the goddesses. The apocrypha had never contained the kind of details that Ereneth had just revealed.
Wait… then why…?
A profound sense of unease crept over Parniel.
The Church had always known about the darkness. That was why they had secretly fought against the Salvation Church for centuries, tracking their remnants from the shadows.
Then why was the war from a thousand years ago hidden?
If what Ereneth said was true, it meant the Church itself had erased those glorious records.
The scriptures only warned that if the darkness rose again, the world would be doomed.
And they commanded that any lingering traces of that darkness be hunted down and eradicated.
Most priests had never questioned it. They simply followed what had been passed down over generations.
But Parniel was now deeply troubled. There was no logical reason to hide the truth.
When I first read the apocrypha… I thought they simply withheld details to prevent chaos in the world.
But now, she realized it would have been far more effective to leave the truth intact, so people could understand their enemy and prepare to fight them.
As Ereneth walked away, Parniel gripped her mace tightly.
"That war you spoke of… what really happened?"
A suspicion gnawed at her. Ereneth had not told them everything she knew.
"Who are you… really?"
For the first time, Parniel began to understand why the apocryphal scriptures were written in such an obscure, cryptic manner.
Someone had deliberately left behind a hidden record of the ancient war ensuring it would never be fully uncovered.
But so much time had passed that by the time it was rediscovered, its true meaning had been lost.
「The one who wears the crown of leaves, once blessed.
From eyes that once shone eternally, the starlight fades.
With every graceful step, now the darkness follows.
The one who once heard the song of the forest now the seed of ruin.
Like dewdrops upon pointed ears, the blessing has vanished.
His name, a secret even the ancient trees dare not whisper.
The one who severed oaths with a blade of light.
The one who spoke lies with a silver tongue.
The child once beloved now a sorrowful shadow.
He who scattered poison upon the sacred grove,
And with the goddess’s tears, forged a crown of darkness.
The end of the world follows in his footsteps.」