To give the conclusion first, Elder Yorite's hopes were utterly shattered. A considerable number of them were executed during the subsequent purge for traitors.
After the screening was complete, we returned to Ellar Kingdom with the remaining members of the Investigation Unit, and Elder Philn's voice reached me.
"Your Highness, you have worked hard."
At that moment, Rokiyan came hurrying over from behind Elder Philn and handed me a bottle of wine.
"Your Highness, you have been through a great deal."
I gulped down the wine before replying.
"Thank you, Rokiyan."
Elder Philn spoke in a worried voice.
"I agreed because it was Your Highness's command. But are you truly going to disband the Investigation Unit? Should we not determine the locations of the Spirits… and protect them?"
At those words, the Flower of Death burst into incredulous laughter.
[Hahaha. You dare claim that the likes of you can protect the Spirits? Hahaha! How absurd.]
Hahahaha-!
"Now that the traitors are gone, can we not find the Spirits again and protect them ourselves? There are still far too many who have yet to undergo the Spirit-Summoning Ritual!"
Hahahahaha-!
When Elder Philn's serious voice was drowned out by the Flower of Death's mocking laughter, I frowned and muttered to the Flower of Death.
[Most of the Spirit-Summoning Rituals have been lost, so have they not been going around protecting the Spirits all this time so that people could perform Spirit-Summoning Rituals?]
[Lost?]
[It means the knowledge that had been passed down can no longer be known.]
He stopped laughing and soon sent me a gloomy Sound Transmission.
[Are you saying that what should have been passed down to this generation was lost while fighting those Dragon bastards… Hmm… Then today, I shall teach you how to conduct the Spirit-Summoning Ritual.]
At that moment, Elder Yorite gently placed a hand on my shoulder, forced a bright expression onto his face, and whispered in my ear.
"Even my heart aches this much. How much more must it hurt Your Highness, who is so tenderhearted?"
All of a sudden?
I stared blankly at Elder Yorite. He nodded and continued.
"This may sound cruel, but we must deal with the traitors to prevent countless sacrifices. You must steel your heart!"
Is the elder mistaking my exchange with the Flower of Death through Sound Transmission for grief?
Elder Yorite probably did not know that this was nothing to someone like me, who had been threatened without end since childhood and had lived in the survival-of-the-fittest Martial World, where I had to kill in order to live.
Elder Philn also soon darkened, nodded vigorously, and spoke.
"Your Highness even shed tears when plucking a flower. If our hearts ache this much, how much more must yours hurt… Elder Yorite!"
"Yes, Elder."
"Elder McGill and Elder Bardi are also bringing back the members operating outside. They will all be returning home after so long, so should we not at least prepare a meal for them?"
"Ah! Understood. I will make the preparations."
I glanced at Elder Philn and asked.
"Where is King Hellorn?"
"He is repairing the Barrier."
"Are not all those who can use Subspace bringing back the members outside?"
"That is correct."
"I see. Are you commanding the members of the Guardian Unit?"
Elder Philn answered with a faint smile.
"That is correct. I will have every member return, so there is no need to worry, Your Highness."
"What about the leaders of each unit?"
"They have just arrived."
"Good. I will go meet them."
"Ah, understood! Then I will tell them to come here, in front of the World Tree platform."
"Very well. It will be a busy day, but do your best."
"It is nothing, Your Highness."
Elder Philn was about to rub his foot against the ground to use Blink when he turned his head and spoke to me.
"You have already endured many difficult things today. You must not take them too much to heart."
I slowly nodded, lifted my head toward the sky, and let out a long breath. As I inhaled and exhaled, the air brimming with spiritual energy from the World Tree entered my body.
I had heard that everything born and grown from the World Tree—its branches, leaves, fruit, roots, and all the rest—possessed extraordinary efficacy. Moreover, its sap held such an immense amount of Energy that even Elves could not absorb it. Is that why the Dragons seek to claim it?
Even members of the same Martial Alliance fought one another to seize miraculous and efficacious medicines. The war between the Dragons and Elves will not end until one side disappears.
As I looked up at the sky, lost in thought, my gaze was drawn to one star among the many stars of different sizes, one that shone ever so slightly brighter than the others.
Wait!
I suddenly remembered the reports I had received in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult concerning the Ice Palace and the Martial Alliance.
The Martial Alliance had repeatedly asked the Ice Palace to join it, but the Ice Palace had refused, citing its location on the remote frontier.
Afterward, the enraged Martial Alliance fabricated a false justification and announced that it would attack the Ice Palace. The Ice Palace then asked the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult for cooperation…. The Heavenly Demon ignored my argument that we should cooperate with them to strengthen the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
In the end, the Ice Palace was annihilated, and I received a report that the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and various elixirs within it had fallen into the hands of the most influential sects in the Martial Alliance.
According to the Dragons who had attacked the Elves' Barrier, there were clearly several factions among the Dragons. Some of those Dragon factions were surely not particularly interested in the Elves. Could I use that to sow discord among them?
Could it be impossible because we're different races? And yet Salindra works under Shavron for her own benefit.
In the current situation, the only ones capable of contending evenly with a Dragon are me, the elders, and King Hellorn. No, the elders and the king expend an enormous amount of Energy maintaining the Barrier, so it is probably only me.
My hypothesis is that Dragons and Elves are no different from Humans. I hesitate because the hypothesis is uncertain. But one thing is certain: I witnessed with my own eyes that factions exist among the Dragons.
According to the records passed down within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Daoist sects such as the Kunlun Sect joined forces and attacked Shaolin to seize the Great Rejuvenation Pill, which only Shaolin Temple possessed.
To fend off the combined assault of the Daoist sects, Shaolin requested aid from Buddhist sects such as the Emei Sect. When the Zhongnan Sect joined the Daoist side, the Mount Hua Sect, which loathed the Zhongnan Sect to the extreme, sided with Shaolin despite being a Daoist sect itself.
The records said that countless people shed blood to seize an elixir smaller than a palm, and that their blood formed a river while their corpses formed a great mountain.
The Sichuan Tang Clan, masters of the land inhabited by thousand-year-old snakes.
The Mount Hua Sect, which possessed a plum tree said to contain spiritual energy, though it could not compare to the World Tree.
Beyond them, if a sect possessed treasures such as Darksteel, a Ten-Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root, carp, or turtles, even fellow members of the Martial Alliance used the slightest pretext to start an enormous war.
Those bastards of the Righteous Faction, who constantly preached righteousness and chivalry, were ultimately no different from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which moved in pursuit of greater power and profit.
The only difference between the Demon Cult and the Righteous Faction was where one was born and raised. In the end, isn't it the law of nature that those with power take while those without power have things taken from them?
"Your Highness?"
A man I had never seen before stood in front of me, staring blankly. I had seen many men here who were prettier than women and possessed exceptional features. I had also thought myself handsome after entering Kellick's body, yet that man's appearance was a heaven beyond the heavens.
Even those Emei Sect disciples who kept men at arm's length would be bewitched by a face like his.
"Ah, I am sorry. Something urgent came to mind."
At that moment, Rokiyan, who was standing beside me, whispered in my ear.
"This is Brother Norqui, the Covert Operations Unit Leader. He is of the same generation as us and is Elder McGill's grandson."
I had heard that Elder McGill was about two hundred years older than my father, King Hellorn. If his grandson is of the same generation as me, does that mean he's around my age?
"The same generation?"
"Unlike Humans or Dragons, three hundred years make one generation for us, do they not? The Spirits bloom and wither in cycles averaging three hundred years… If I remember correctly, there should be an age difference of about one hundred and seventy years between him and Your Highness."
Ah, right. Rokiyan had explained that to me before, but I had forgotten. Rather than forgetting, perhaps I still haven't adjusted to their culture.
I slowly looked Norqui over, cleared my throat twice, and spoke.
"Is the Covert Operations Unit not an organization that investigates Human factions?"
"That is correct!"
"I have received reports from the elders, but I would like to hear directly from you about what you know concerning the Human factions, particularly anything important."
"Understood."
Norqui began explaining what he knew.
The important information in his explanation was that the sea lay to the south and east of the desert surrounding Ellar Kingdom, while the desert itself stretched on without end even if one walked for months or years.
Rokiyan had told me that this desert was created when the Dragons attacked to seize the World Tree and Hairi, the ancestor of the Elves, deflected their attacks with magic.
The Dragons had wiped out all nature and living creatures and turned the land into a desert, while the Mother of Nature had stopped them. I believed it now, but as someone who had once been Human, I initially thought it was all legend.
Even if someone detoured by sea, Ellar Kingdom was surrounded on every side by endless desert. An ordinary Human would die while crossing it and could never learn of this place. In other words, isn't Ellar Kingdom's location a natural fortress like the Hundred Thousand Mountains?
The Vindora Empire, the Kroso Empire, and the Raven Kingdom were the factions closest to the desert surrounding Ellar Kingdom. Recently, however, signs of war had begun to appear between the Vindora Empire and the Kroso Empire.
Isena reigned as a god over the Vindora Empire, the nation to which the traitorous Investigation Unit members had leaked the greatest amount of information, while Tario reigned over the Kroso Empire. If the two empires are going to war, does that mean these Dragons are struggling against one another for power?
Or is it simply a war between Humans?
What matters for now is that if they're preparing for war, a great amount of supplies and wealth will have gathered there.
Once the members operating outside arrive here today, our food consumption will increase exponentially. If we steal those supplies, we can replenish our dwindling food, and the wealth will also help us establish a Branch.
I learned Subspace from Elder Yorite, but I've never been to either the Vindora Empire or the Kroso Empire, so I can't open one there. Later, I'll have to ask one of the elders to take me along if they're going to Vindora or Kroso.
After listening to his explanation to the end, I asked him a question.
"Do you know Salindra?"
"If you mean the Next High Priest, I do."
"Do you also know that she is a traitor who sold out her country and sided with Shavron?"
Still standing rigidly at attention, he answered me.
"I was shocked when I heard."
"I wish to know about Shavron and the Lumiara Holy Empire, which worships him as a god."
"Unlike the other empires, the Lumiara Holy Empire is called a Holy Empire."
"A Holy Empire?"
"The other Dragons do not involve themselves in human affairs, but Shavron is deeply involved with Humans."
"Please explain."
According to Norqui, the other Dragons bestowed their Blessings upon imperial bloodlines or nobles. Shavron's subordinates, however, differed from the other Dragons and bestowed Blessings upon many Humans.
A Human who received a Dragon's Blessing supposedly became as strong as a superhuman. Since they were said to be only slightly weaker than a member of the Guardian Unit, they were probably around the Supreme Peak Realm.
The fundamental question was why the Dragons bestowed Blessings upon Humans at all. Humans must worship them as gods, so the Dragons must surely regard Humans as lowly.
I looked at Norqui and asked.
"Why do the Dragons bestow Blessings upon Humans?"
For the first time, Norqui, who had provided information without hesitation until then, raised his head, blinked, and fell into thought.
He doesn't know either?
I'll have to ask the elders, or ask the Humans once I meet them.
At that moment, Elder McGill approached Norqui, who stood before me, and called out.
"Norqui!"
"Elder!"
They embraced each other warmly and exchanged greetings.
Norqui was Elder McGill's grandson, so naturally they must have been glad to see each other. Elder McGill looked at Norqui and spoke with a radiant smile.
"I am overjoyed to see you after so long, but this old grandfather has much to do right now. Let us exchange greetings later."
"Understood."
This works out perfectly!
I looked at Elder McGill and spoke.
"Elder McGill, are you perhaps going to the Vindora Empire or the Kroso Empire?"
"I plan to go to the Kroso Empire, where Ellond, the Special Operations Unit Leader, is stationed."
"Do you happen to have a mask of some kind that covers the nose and mouth?"
At that moment, Norqui rummaged through an inner pocket of his clothes and pulled something out.
"I have a mask, Your Highness."
I fiddled with the piece of black cloth, also called a mask, and stared blankly at Norqui. Norqui showed me how to wear it with a gesture.
"Thank you, Norqui."
As Elder McGill opened a Subspace, he looked at me and asked.
"May I ask what you are going there to do?"
I entered the Subspace with Elder McGill and replied.
"I am going to receive a gift."