Chapter 80: Assault (8)

 

From the balcony of the castle, Elena’s face, as she gazed out over the forest, seemed inexplicably colder than before.

 

The power that emanated from her, almost subconsciously, was causing frost to form on the railing she held. The dropping temperature provided real-time evidence of her current emotional state.

 

The warmth that once radiated from Elena’s face, reminiscent of a spring breeze, had been frozen solid for a long time since she witnessed something through the eyes of a bird. Alphonse and Louis, who had always been by her side, were the only ones who found this sudden change in Elena puzzling, but they had no clue about its cause.

 

Externally, Elena seemed to be gazing out normally, but through her connection to the bird’s eyes, she was actually observing the forest from above. Their perspectives were naturally different. However, she didn’t have the luxury to explain this to the two.

 

Before her eyes, Noel and Orcus were engaged in combat against a high priest of a pagan religion.

 

‘If things continue this way...’

 

Watching the two stand their ground against the high priest, Elena’s gaze was a mix of hope and concern. At a glance, the situation seemed favorable for Noel and Orcus, but she could discern that this was not truly the case.

 

Ever since Elena discovered the ‘altars’ set up in the forest and felt a strengthening connection with them, she had a rough idea of what might transpire here.

 

The ambush occurring right now on Noel and Orcus was no exception; it fell within her expectations.

 

She had realized that their actions had changed since her return, especially after facing the two high priests who sought her out from Merohim. Given that the holy war had recently concluded, it would have been natural for them to conserve their strength. But at this very moment, the balance of power was tilting and the god they had long awaited descended to earth.

 

Given the magnitude of their faith, it was natural for their actions to become more daring.

 

With their god beside them, even if that god had no intention of aiding them, they believed they were in his company.

 

The annual hunting competition of the South.

 

The prince and princess, inevitably separated from their group due to the nature of the competition.

 

Before them, more zealous than ever, were fanatics armed with an unwavering belief. A prime prey had fallen into their midst. They knew they had to seize this opportunity. Under normal circumstances, seeing their wounds from the holy war not yet healed, they might have overlooked them.

 

Everyone knew that the prince and princess participating in the hunting competition was a declaration of their victory in the holy war. The royal family, which had been secluded in the imperial capital for so long, traveling through the territories of the empire was a sign that the political situation had stabilized.

 

If they lacked even this degree of discernment, how could they have battled the world’s mightiest empire for such a lengthy span? Their endurance was due to their knowing when to strike and when to retreat.

 

But now, they couldn’t stop themselves, even though they knew they were meddling with forces they should not.

 

‘Blind faith.’

 

Those affiliated with the <True Night> were zealots, enchanted by the mighty power of the foreign god.

 

They took pride in their abilities and believed that there was no one superior to them in this world, those who had received the god’s blessing. Now that the god had directly descended onto this land, their faith had been amplified manifold.

 

If they retained their rationality, it couldn’t be called blind faith. They were termed zealots because of this overpowering belief, blinding them to the point where they no longer considered the repercussions of the Holy War.

 

As a result, they gathered all the resources they could muster in the South and formulated a plan.

 

Without hesitation, they mobilized the church’s primary forces. They even incorporated the mana control system of the Luneproud Mountains, which under normal circumstances would have taken years of preparation for the downfall of the south, and forcibly executed their plans.

 

Confident that the god was on their side, they rushed their strategies, allowing Elena to devise countermeasures easily.

 

Using the relic previously stolen from them in Merohim, she sabotaged the control system in the forest, with Damian’s protection.

 

She tried to prevent the situation from getting worse by attaching her eyes to Orcus and Noel with a bird. Anticipating an attack on the Legion to divert the Southern army’s attention, she remained in the castle to minimize casualties.

 

Everything unfolded just as she had predicted.

 

The situation, flowing like a well-scripted play she controlled, gave her a feeling of omnipotence. Yet she knew the sensation she felt was an illusion.

 

In the end, what Elena feared came to pass.

 

The precarious balance among the three collapsed. Noel fell from the magic barrier, leaving only her and Walter confronting each other.

 

‘I have to stop it.’

 

Witnessing Noel under Walter’s assault through the bird’s eye, Elena kept repeating this one phrase.

 

Contrary to her thoughts, Elena remained on the castle’s balcony. Bound by the constraint that she had to resolve the situation without using that power, as the mage Elena Edelweiss, she remained immobilized.

 

She wish she had never been aware of this power. What was the use of becoming many times stronger than before her regression? With this power, rewriting the history of the continent right now was possible, but she knew that for that, she had to give up everything she currently had.

 

Though she couldn’t wield her power at will, her sense of responsibility for the power she held remained unchanged. Despite having enough power to completely alter the current situation, the fact that Elena couldn’t freely use it made her feel utterly powerless.

 

The battle so far had inflicted significant damage on Walter. But he was s a damn Cardinal, after all.

 

If she were to utilize her own power, it’d be different. But acting recklessly with a magical being created by the dragon, she could easily disintegrate the bird in an instant. Rather than moving carelessly and providing no assistance only to be dismissed, it was most efficient to act in the most critical moment, the moment that could turn this situation around.

 

‘Damian.’

 

Elena knew that Damian, who had come running to save Noel and Orcus, was already close by.

 

Therefore, Elena barely held back her anger, waiting for Damian to quickly find them. But was the situation worse than she’d thought? She had no choice but to activate the bird sooner than anticipated.

 

Noel, who had been evading the foe, finally collapsed, and Walter’s blade was now dangerously close to her throat.

 

In a situation mirroring unpleasant memories from the past, Elena, without hesitation, filled the bird with power and threw it at the enemy. If she didn’t act now, Noel might die. She had no other choice.

 

There was still distance between Damian and Noel, and moving there using her power seemed like the only way to save Noel. Thus, she mentally prepared and summoned the divine power she had long suppressed, just as she had in Merohim.

 

But then, did a miracle just occur?

 

Contrary to Elena’s expectations, there was no change in her body. The divinity she summoned didn’t disappear, but no alien aura like that of other pagan Cardinals radiated around Elena.

 

What had changed was that Damian, who wasn’t there before, suddenly appeared in front of Noel and Walter. Elena didn’t understand how such an event happened in front of her eyes, or what caused it.

 

What she could confirm from Damian’s appearance was that in the next scene, Walter’s hand and neck had been severed, and he had ended the confrontation.

 

She blinked several times, reassessing the situation, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Haaah...”

 

With the tension released, the magic affected by her emotions began to normalize. The cold breath that had been chilling the surrounding air turned warm, and Alphonse, who had been watching Elena in a daze, approached her cautiously.

 

“Noona... are you not feeling well?”

 

To Alphonse, who was unaware, Elena’s complexion suddenly darkened and her power erupted. Until now, Alphonse had remained silent, watching Elena, worried that speaking might exacerbate her condition.

 

Now that she seemed somewhat stabilized, he approached and spoke.

 

Seeing the concerned look from Alphonse made Elena’s heart ache. Regaining her composure, she looked around and the state of their surroundings was far from good.

 

If Damian had been by her side, perhaps he could have taken her hand and calmed her. But in his absence, her emotional outburst left traces similar to those of an ice spell sweeping through.

 

She needed to reply to Alphonse first. Simply brushing it off as ‘nothing’ wouldn’t do, given the clear signs she had displayed. Yet she couldn’t outright tell the truth either. After a moment of contemplation, Elena finally spoke.

 

“I’m alright now. Were you very worried?”

 

“Yes... Suddenly, your face turned pale, and a chill emanated around you. It startled me. It was even a little scary... Is it a dangerous illness?”

 

“It’s not an illness, more like a side effect... Sometimes my inner magic reacts to my emotions and seeps out. I usually control it, but I guess wandering outside for so long took a toll on me.”

 

Elena extended her hand to Alphonse, warmth emanating from her palm as if to reassure him she was stable. The warmth flowing into him made Alphonse smile with relief.

 

What she had told Alphonse wasn’t entirely false.

 

While it was peculiar to call it a ‘side effect’, it wasn’t a lie that her magic surged depending on her emotions. The recent outburst could be attributed to Elena’s fatigue over the past few days, which Alphonse could reasonably understand.

 

“Sir Louis, I’m sorry. You must have been startled.”

 

“Not at all, Young Lady. There’s no need for you to apologize.”

 

Louis replied with her usual stoic expression, but a close look into her eyes revealed a slight tremble. No matter how composed she usually was, witnessing a sudden chill emerging from a person would undoubtedly be disconcerting. More than her apology, Louis was focused on assessing the changes caused by Elena’s magic around them.

 

‘Just responding to emotions and releasing such magic, and that level of power earlier... She’s no ordinary individual.’

 

Although Louis had heard rumors that Elena was a prodigy from the esteemed magical family of the Edelweiss Dukedom, witnessing her power firsthand was entirely different from hearing tales.

 

Simply by the volume of her inherent magic, she seemed unparalleled, even when compared to the top magicians of the magic academy, whom she had met. Contrary to Damian’s frantic worries, Louis internally chuckled, thinking that if anyone dared to offend her carelessly, they’d likely be turned into an ice statue.

 

Seeing that the immediate surroundings were settling down, Elena directed her gaze outside again.

 

She had assured Alphonse that all was well just moments ago, but in reality, it wasn’t. The coldness within her heart hadn’t subsided. Elena was often swayed by her emotions, but ironically, as one of the most outstanding magicians in history, she could regulate them with reason.

 

To be precise, she could ensure she wasn’t entirely engulfed by her emotions while maintaining a minimal sense of rationality.

 

She had been prepared since the moment she anticipated that Noel and Orcus would be ambushed, but like anyone, Elena struggled with her feelings. Despite her many resolutions, she couldn’t help but be angry about the recent events.

 

Whether this anger was directed towards the heretics who attacked Noel, or at herself for knowing everything yet not intervening sooner, only she would know.

 

Elena didn’t intend to harbor this anger for long. She had already held back too much in the past, knowing all too well that the end result wasn’t pleasant.

 

She needed an outlet for her anger, and just then, something caught her eye.

 

At the end of Elena’s gaze, a patch of trees seemed to sway violently. Not long after, many people emerged from the forest, and the area below the balcony became chaotic. With the increasing commotion, Louis seemed to have grasped what was transpiring in the woods.

 

All this while, Louis, who had been standing quietly beside them, moved her hand towards her sword.

 

Perhaps intending to whisk Alphonse to safety without revealing the truth, she subtly nudged him backward. As Louis attempted to grasp Elena’s hand, she met her gaze and smiled gently.

 

“Sir Louis, please take care of Alphonse.”

 

“Young Lady!”

 

Louis hastened to hold Elena’s hand, but it merely brushed through the afterglow she left behind.

 

By the time she turned her gaze to the forest, following the light, Elena’s figure had already shifted towards the campsite, soon to become a battlefield. Against the flow of people running towards the castle, Elena walked towards the forest.

 

Seeing Elena, some of those fleeing from the forest yelled at her to run away. However, Elena ignored their warnings and continued forward.

 

Upon reaching the edge of the forest, Elena paused briefly, surveying her surroundings.

 

She could sense the presence of multiple entities charging at her from all directions. It felt less like an army and more like a horde of enraged monsters. Although raw and untamed aggression was directed at her, her expression remained unchanged.

 

“Come to think of it, I didn’t consider how much force to use... did I?”

 

Elena glanced back once at the castle behind her, muttered something under her breath, and then adjusted her stance. She decided not to regulate her power; doing so might not appease her anger.

 

The ground beneath her began to tremble, signaling the approaching horde. Standing her ground, Elena nonchalantly lifted and then slammed her foot on the ground.

 

And then, the earth flipped.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

 

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