“Why?” she exclaimed, shocked.
Upon seeing the First Elder enter the conference room, Sylvia blurted out in surprise.
Wasn’t he supposed to be cooped up in the mansion, responsible for the Witch Weaponization Project?
“Why are you here…”
When Sylvia asked with a confused expression, the First Elder lowered his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, and replied.
“I apologize, Sylvia. I know I should be in seclusion, but I couldn’t stay still with all the alarming news.”
Immediately after apologizing, the First Elder looked at Sylvia with complex eyes and muttered.
“By the way, Sylvia, that was a reckless move on your part.”
“Ugh…”
Her body flinched at his reprimanding words.
To be honest, she did have plenty of pricking regret.
Sylvia didn’t think helping Scarlet was wrong.
However, that was solely from Sylvia’s personal perspective.
If one were to ask whether it was the right thing to do as Astra’s heir, Sylvia knew it was not.
Astra had undoubtedly suffered a loss because of her actions.
Knowing this, Sylvia couldn’t raise her head in front of the First Elder.
The First Elder, sensing her reluctance, softly murmured.
“I thought you would manage well as the heir of Astra even without me, but perhaps it was too soon…”
“Elder, that…”
“Please, I hope you realize this. Sylvia, you are Astra. We all look only to you…”
Sylvia could not respond to the sorrowful words of the First Elder.
She would endure anything for Scarlet.
Knowing he considered both her and Astra to be such precious existences.
As Sylvia became silent, the First Elder bowed his head again toward those in the conference room and made a request.
“Though I have yet to pay for my sins, I ask that you permit me to join this meeting. I cannot stand by while the future of Sylvia and Astra hangs in the balance…”
Upon his words, Diakonos glanced around the room as if to gauge the opinions of those present.
Given the circumstances, it was not hard to understand why he acted as such.
Nods of understanding were shared among the attendees.
Diakonos nodded back and said to the First Elder.
“I will allow it this time. This matter is indeed of great importance to Astra.”
“Thank you. I will not forget this kindness.”
As the First Elder bowed in gratitude, Diakonos waved his hand dismissively.
“Thank you is enough. More importantly, you came here for something specific to say, didn’t you?”
“Yes, there are a few things I need to say. If it’s alright, may I proceed?”
“Go ahead.”
As if granting permission, Diakonos nodded, leading the First Elder to bow his head in thanks and then open his mouth.
“Have any of you seen? The citizens protesting in the streets caused quite a commotion today.”
“No, I haven’t seen it, but I just heard the news.”
Diakonos replied stiffly, as if in a dilemma. The First Elder continued.
“Since you’ve heard the news, I’ll make it simple. If you go outside, you’ll hear people are buzzing about how the Witch who manipulates flames has put Yoon Si-woo in a coma. A Witch who manipulates flames, you say? Upon hearing that, one particular Witch came to mind.”
“You’re talking about the Witch of Wrath, aren’t you?”
When Diakonos mentioned the Witch who manipulates flames, it was only natural to associate it with the Witch of Wrath, and the First Elder nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. The Witch of Wrath. The one who burned down our elves’ forest and the World Tree is quite infamous. Because of that, there are whispers among the people that the Witch of Wrath has been resurrected.”
“…I can’t say I haven’t thought of that possibility, but could it really be her? She could just have similar abilities by coincidence.”
“However, it’s unsettling enough to think it’s merely a coincidence. Everyone knows she attempted something similar before.”
With a bitter smile, the First Elder spoke, and Diakonos muttered in a stern voice.
“…Witch, Weaponization Project.”
The First Elder nodded, acknowledging the correctness of Diakonos’ words.
Diakonos’ brow furrowed as if he couldn’t comprehend the reaction.
While everyone surely harbored such thoughts, they had been avoiding mentioning it due to uncertainty.
Considering the topic of the Witch Weaponization Project, it was crucial to tread carefully, especially for Astra, so why would he bring up something potentially harmful?
Diakonos pondered for a moment before speaking to the First Elder.
“…Even if there’s a perceived correlation, it’s still an insignificant assumption, isn’t it? That the Witch, Scarlet Evande, is the resurrected Witch of Wrath.”
“I thought so too. I had my doubts about her identity earlier, but she passed the interrogation, and since Luke disposed of the Witch’s remains in the sewer, I dismissed the possibility of her being an outcome of the Witch Weaponization Project.”
What’s more, if that girl had any connection to the experiment, she had successfully escaped detection during the investigation meant to eliminate evidence of poisoning.
Recalling the past, the First Elder took a breath and continued.
“However, she has indeed been revealed as a Witch, hasn’t she? That makes it impossible not to reconsider. The testimony that vindicated her was from Yoon Si-woo, but now we know that testimony lacks credibility.”
“Indeed, I’ve been puzzled as to what’s going on.”
“Well, it must be one of the two possibilities. Either that Witch had the ability to completely deceive Yoon Si-woo, or Yoon Si-woo intentionally gave false testimony to protect her.”
A moment of silence ensued.
If it were the latter and Yoon Si-woo had lied to shield her, it would imply Luke Aegis, who testified during the Weaponization Project, also lied to protect the Witch.
As it could easily lead to conflict, the group cautiously glanced at Mark, who simply looked at Eve beside him and maintained a hardened silence.
At any rate, the First Elder’s words hinted at the possibility of Yoon Si-woo and Luke being involved in treason, yet no one dared speak up.
One lay in a coma, while the other was already deceased.
It was impossible to hold either of them accountable.
In the midst of that silence, the First Elder spoke up.
“In any case, since we have to harbor suspicions about her identity, it was necessary to reconsider. And through that reconsideration, I discovered something.”
The doubts he bore when he heard about the Witch’s identity back at the mansion yesterday.
If Scarlet Evande was a product of the Weaponization Project,
He thought there might have been malfunction in the Magical Tool he used for the investigation, and as he examined the Magical Tool again, he uncovered something.
“…A decisive piece of evidence that she is the Witch of Wrath.”
He pulled out the crucial evidence from his cloak.
“…What is that?” someone questioned suspiciously upon seeing what the First Elder held.
At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary pebble.
However, the First Elder set the pebble on the ground and spoke instead of answering.
“Wait a moment; just watch.”
All eyes turned to the pebble he had placed.
After a short while, someone exclaimed in surprise.
The seemingly ordinary stone suddenly sparkled and rolled in a peculiar manner toward a specific direction.
Observing this phenomenon, Diakonos turned to the First Elder and said.
“This doesn’t appear to be an ordinary pebble.”
“Yes, while it looks like a pebble, it’s actually a Magical Tool. A rather historical artifact passed down since Astra’s ancestors.”
The First Elder gazed at the shimmering Magical Tool and the lack of stability it displayed in his palm. Until now, he’d only thought it emitted light when a piece of the Witch’s heart was nearby, but it had started showing this phenomenon only since yesterday.
It started showing these signs after the Witch appeared.
Given that understanding, it became clear without deep contemplation why this Magical Tool was reacting.
The First Elder remarked,
“It’s pointing that way… towards the North. The direction the Witch went.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“This Magical Tool responds to the Witch of Wrath. Thus, it is conclusive evidence that the Witch who appeared yesterday is indeed the resurrected Witch of Wrath.”
Scarlet Evande was irrefutable evidence born from the Witch Weaponization Project.
As he gazed at the stone with mixed expressions, Diakonos asked the First Elder.
“…Why are you telling us this? It wouldn’t benefit Astra.”
Understanding the First Elder’s character, he voiced his concerns.
He was known for always acting in ways that benefited Astra.
Catching on to Diakonos’ thoughts, the First Elder laughed lightly and replied.
“…That’s correct. By all accounts, it’s a loss. Astra will surely be blamed for the Witch’s resurrection. However, the reason I mentioned it is that I believe Astra should bear the responsibility.”
The First Elder responded before Diakonos had a chance to react.
“Isn’t it quite a troublesome situation? Because we’ll be blamed for failing to capture the Witch.”
Diakonos sighed in acknowledgment of this reality.
He knew the truth of his words.
If the citizens learned that the valiant Yoon Si-woo was harmed by the Witch and they failed to apprehend her, they would undoubtedly lash out in fury.
They’d be branded as incompetent heroes and an ineffective council who couldn’t even capture the Witch that harmed Yoon Si-woo.
As serious as that was, it was alright up until that point.
The next steps would be the real problem.
The citizens would surely demand revenge for Yoon Si-woo.
Though impossible, they would need to at least put together a Hunting Party to show the populace that they were taking action to placate their anger.
However, the facilities that should safeguard them, starting from the Magic Purification Facility in the Boundary Area, were in a state of disarray, and the heroes had also suffered significant losses.
Given the current conditions in the city, attempting to create a Hunting Party in such a situation was absurd.
But if they didn’t, it was obvious that words of negligence would arise.
They needed time to show reality to the citizens and calm them, but he couldn’t guarantee that nothing would occur in the meantime.
Angry citizens were, at times, irrational.
Knowing that well, Diakonos wore an expression of concern when the First Elder spoke up.
“I have a method to soothe the citizens.”
“…What method?”
Diakonos asked, intrigued by the proposition.
The First Elder responded with a cheerful tone.
“Leave it to Astra. We will organize the Hunting Party. I will participate myself. Oh, but Sylvia should sit this one out.”
“What do you mean…! Elder! Even the top heroes struggle to survive out there!”
Sylvia, who had been silent thus far, suddenly exclaimed in alarm.
She wasn’t surprised by the word “hunting.”
The act of going out to hunt in the first place was tantamount to declaring a death wish.
Sylvia knew that Astra had some sort of a private military organization.
She was aware that they weren’t completely incompetent.
However, what kind of place awaited them outside?
A place where even top heroes could barely last due to dense Miasma.
No matter how much Astra tried to form a Hunting Party, there was no way they could measure up to the elite heroes fighting demonic beasts on the frontlines.
They weren’t capable of wielding the power of celestial spirits like her, and heading out in such a state would only get them mired in Miasma and killed.
Sensing her concerns, the First Elder said.
“Don’t worry about the Miasma. I have a stash of Mithril equipment I’ve been saving up for when we eventually reclaim our hometown.”
With Mithril, possessing resistance to Miasma, they would endure outside to a certain extent.
Even though it was a rarity, the time had come to utilize the Mithril they had gathered to reclaim their hometown.
The First Elder said to Sylvia calmly.
“Since the Witch has headed North, this might be a good opportunity to set foot in our old homeland.”
“Ugh, what good does Mithril do? You must know how dangerous that place is! Just the demonic beasts out there…!”
Sylvia replied exasperatedly.
The external dangers could not be overstated.
It wasn’t just the Miasma that posed a problem.
The demonic beasts outside were strong.
They simply wouldn’t be able to withstand them with the strength of Astra’s Hunting Party.
What kind of foolishness would it be to attempt hunting a Witch in addition to that?
She should know better than anyone why that was an absurd idea.
As she looked at the First Elder, full of reproach, he simply smiled back at her.
And upon seeing that smile, Sylvia’s expression twisted in despair.
He never intended to come back alive from this.
“Why…” she uttered, engulfed in shock.
In response to her question, the First Elder replied.
“You mentioned before that if something were wrong with the girl, Scarlet Evande, Astra would take responsibility. Furthermore, you let the Witch escape; I’m just fulfilling that responsibility.”
“That, that would be something I should…”
“Sylvia.”
To the heart-wrenching call from Sylvia, the First Elder gently shook his head and then smiled brightly.
“Ultimately, the mistakes made by children must be shouldered by the elders.”
With that statement, the First Elder turned away from Sylvia as she cried out in desperation and addressed Diakonos.
“It’s not a bad idea, is it? If you agree, I’d appreciate it.”
Diakonos hesitated in response to his words.
The proposal was akin to voluntarily heading off to die.
Normally, he should refuse.
“…Are you truly okay with this?” Diakonos asked.
Having known the sincerity behind the First Elder’s words, he couldn’t turn down the proposal.
He himself wasn’t all that different from the First Elder.
Considering the city’s condition, the First Elder’s plan wasn’t fundamentally flawed.
The Witch of Wrath was a sworn enemy of Astra, so it had a justified rationale for heroes to take a step back.
And even if they did head out for a hunt and met a fatal end, it would give them the time necessary to calm the citizens while drawing the ire squarely onto the Witch.
“Yes, of course. If I can help Astra in any way, that is what I wish for most.”
Above all, the party itself desired this.
And this wasn’t merely a suggestion; it was a transaction.
Diakonos knew what the First Elder wanted in exchange for their sacrifice.
“Going forward, you wish for Astra to not be held accountable for anything concerning the Witch, correct?”
“Could you agree to that?”
“…I will do it.”
“Thank you.”
With sincerity, the First Elder bowed his head to Diakonos.
A transaction where both parties had something to gain.
However, not everyone found their wishes fulfilled.
“Elder…! No, please don’t do this! Don’t do it, please…! Grandfather, I beg you…!”
Sylvia cried out helplessly, forgetting even her lesson to not refer to him as ‘grandfather.’
It was the worst possible situation.
Even if the Hunting Party wouldn’t fail against Scarlet, should they go out and perish, all the blame would fall on Scarlet.
She would become the Witch who harmed people, unable to step foot on this land ever again.
He was making her into humanity’s foe, all for the sake of someone who wasn’t even herself, Sylvia.
That was exactly why she didn’t want such a thing.
Begging him not to do it.
As she clung to him pleadingly, the First Elder simply called the servants waiting nearby.
“Just take her back to the mansion for a bit to calm her down. What are you all doing? Help Lady Sylvia back to the mansion.”
“Grandfather…! Grandfather…! Ugh…!”
Through the fading consciousness brought on by the sleep magic, the First Elder’s voice rang out.
“…Take care of yourself, Sylvia.”
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