The unease Gallolei has been feeling the entire time has been verified. Leaning and grabbing onto Ayte, she could hear the forest weeping.
No, it was not a figure of speech. Gallolei could sense the sorrow and anger of the forest.
Perhaps it was because she was chosen as the Priestess of the World Tree.
The brown bear Ayte brought Gallolei to the plaza beside the World Tree. Thousands of Blackwood Elves were gathered on the plaza. From the bows and arrows in their hands, it was clear that they’re prepared for war.
“Elder Safran! Fire... the trees surrounding the forest have been engulfed! I saw a monster covered in flames! Demon... it must be the demons!”
A seriously injured young elf was being supported by his companion as he walked toward the leading elders. His mind seemed to wonder, going out of control even. He must’ve witnessed something terrifying before being seriously injured.
“Demons... why would demons attack the forest?”
“What would they want from burning down the forest?”
What the injured elf said caused the surrounding elves to all voice their concerns and questions impatiently.
Without a doubt, a disaster had arrived today. This disaster was much more dangerous than when they fought against humans for over a dozen years.
“Do not be deceived by anger. The territory of the demons is located by the Nation of Frost, a region over a thousand miles away... If it is truly the demons, then tell me... where were you attacked?”
Elder Safran, standing in the middle of the elders, extended his hand. Green light radiated from his palm. The light healed the young elf’s injuries.
While Elder Safran was taking care of the injured elf, the other elders were starting to deploy their plan to take on the incoming enemies.
Demons...
As a human, Gallolei should’ve believed in that injured young elf. But, as she had participated in the filming of ‘Léon: The Demon’ and interacted with the Chaos Demon Joshua, she discovered that demons were not as brutal and vicious as they’re rumored to be.
On the contrary, Joshua was extremely humorous and talented. It was not only because he produced ‘Léon: The Demon.’ The fact that he had created the Magic Network was enough to leave his name in the annals of human civilization.
Gallolei got down from the brown bear Ayte’s back. She was planning to inform Elder Safran what she encountered earlier when the brown bear Ayte roared angrily again.
The brown bear’s roar caught the attention of all the elves present. Then, Ayte pounced at one of the elves.
When the elves were thinking that Ayte had lost control, that ‘elf’ Ayte pounced at quickly pulled out a dagger to defend against the incoming brown bear.
But, Ayte was a bear over three meters tall. Its body could destroy any steel shield. The ‘elf’ ended up being overturned by Ayte’s strength and was forced to roll several times on the ground. After that, his appearance suddenly changed from an elf to a figure covered in a black robe.
“Moroka! Damn it... what have you done to Moroka?!”
It seemed like there was an elf that knew the ‘elf’ Ayte attacked. Unfortunately, his friend was already gone. A despicable individual was pretending to be his friend.
When Gallolei saw this, she immediately thought of a novel that she had read on the Mage Forum’s Motionless Library sub-forum, a novel called ‘Diary of an Inquisitor.’ A scene in that novel vividly appeared in her head.
‘The most despicable ability inquisitors possess is how they’re able to transform themselves into the appearance of any human or other creatures. Even the inspection magics cast by the most outstanding mages would not be able to distinguish their disguises. I’ve once used this ability to disguise myself as the wife of my assassination target. As my target smiled at me, I pierced my sword into his heart... That was not a memory that I was fond of.’
Inquisitors... Heresy Tribunal! The Holy Church!
“Elder Safran! The ones attacking the forest is the Heresy Tribunal from the Nation of the Holy Church! They... possessed the ability to change their appearance to others!”
Gallolei shouted at Elder Safran.
Her voice shifted the crowd’s focus from Ayte. But, right at this moment, Gallolei heard a faint sound of something piercing through the air.
The sense of danger surged in her heart. An arrow was shot toward her.
Gallolei was unable to avoid the arrow and closed her eyes. But, the pain she expected to come did not come. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Ayte before her.
“Ayte... are you... alright?”
Gallolei saw an arrow had pierced through Ayte’s upper paw. Ayte let out a soft roar to inform her that it was alright...
The inquisitor that has been knocked away by Ayte crawled up from the ground. He took out a staff from his black robe.
The eye of an unknown creature was embedded onto the staff’s head. Merely from seeing that eye, one would feel a sense of disgust.
Right when that inquisitor was planning to unleash some sort of magic, a large amount of vines and roots emerged from the ground and confined him, rendering him motionless.
“Inquisitor of the Holy Church, why are you infringing upon this ancient land?”
Faint green runes were radiating from Elder Safran’s hand. He was the one who used magic to confine that inquisitor. The thorny roots cut through the inquisitor’s hood and revealed his face.
When the elves saw the inquisitor’s true appearance, they all revealed expressions of disgust.
That inquisitor had lost the proper appearance of a human. Scales were present on his skin. His mouth has been sewn together by something. Because of that, he was incapable of speech.
Before Elder Safran could even interrogate the inquisitor, magic tentacles emerged from the ground... Those tentacles rushed toward the elves gathered on the plaza.
The majority of the elves chose to evade the tentacles. But, a small portion of them suddenly drew their weapons at their own fellow citizens.
Not even Elder Safran expected this. But, he realized that things were not that simple the moment he saw those tentacles.
Jade green rune inscriptions started to glimmer from his hand. The other elf elders also smashed their staffs onto the ground. The entire forest started to tremble.
Gallolei turned around and saw that a tree behind her had sprouted a face and arms. It uprooted itself from the ground and began to wave its wooden arm toward the elves attacking their own.
After a short moment of panic, the Blackwood Elves gathered on the plaza began to resist against the invaders.
But, what brought despair upon Gallolei... was the black mist that was encroaching from afar and... the increasing amount of black robed inquisitors in the forest.
The last straw that broke the camel’s back came from within the World Tree. It was the Brass Dragon’s roar. It was not a roar of anger. Instead, it was a hysterical roar.
At this moment, Gallolei came to a sudden realization. These inquisitors of the Heresy Tribunal did not mount a sudden attack. Instead, they’ve prepared for this raid. Their preparation might’ve been tens of years long or even a hundred years.
Over this long period of time, they’ve used some sort of method to corrupt the Protector of the World Tree and infiltrated into the Blackwood Elves with a bunch of their inquisitors in disguise.
Not even the World Tree was able to discover their disguises...
The gray mist covered the entire forest. At this moment, Gallolei started to regret not becoming one of the readers urging for ‘Diary of an Inquisitor’ to be updated faster.
If she had, she might be able to learn the reason why the inquisitors decided to invade the elven forest. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Even if she blamed the author of ‘Diary of an Inquisitor’ for releasing chapters too slowly, it wouldn’t solve anything now.