After Zero’s statement, Nova, who was the most straightforward, couldn’t help but speak up directly: “I’m not too familiar with Miyuki, but Lena would never do such a thing. When she was in the Dragon Kingdom, she helped me and Master Ashen. I’ve had a few interactions with her before, and she still gives me the same feeling as before; she hasn’t changed. I trust my intuition.”
As for Suthia, although she also furrowed her brow, compared to the impulsive Nova, Suthia seemed to be thinking deeper.
“Sister Miyuki isn’t that kind of person, but if you say so, there must be some evidence, right Zero?”
Zero nodded and then showed a projection to the people present without immediately explaining.
As the projection unfolded, Renji could see that this footage came from an “observation body” deployed by Zero to find him.
This observation body was located in the Forest Alliance, which was rare and scarce in a country that prohibited all electronic machinery.
At first, everything seemed normal, showing only the lives of natural beings like elves in the Forest Alliance. However, when the observation body sensed a strange power, it quickly moved toward the source of the power, the enormous ancient tree at the core of the Forest Alliance that reached the sky.
The World Tree.
As the observation body gradually delved deeper into the lower layers of the World Tree, a place that should have been absolutely desolate and empty, two figures appeared.
One of them was a pink-haired succubus, and the other was a…elf Woman with golden hair, pointed ears, and turquoise eyes. 𝑖𝘦.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Even though it was only their backs, Renji, who was very familiar with their character picture, could immediately recognize them with certainty: they were Lena and Miyuki.
Up to this point, everything still seemed normal.
It was just a secret meeting between Lena and Miyuki, but with the appearance of the next scene, both Nova and Suthia shuddered simultaneously, their eyes suddenly contracting, and their features revealed emotions of great surprise and dismay.
Because they saw that… under the secret technique of Miyuki, a body slowly appeared from the trunk of the World Tree.
This body had no distinct features.
Because his entire body was shrouded in a grayish-brown cloak with a hint of decay, and his face was completely obscured by shadows, nothing could be seen clearly.
However, for those who had experienced the “Old Era” the cloak and shadowy face were already the most significant features.
“Lord Ashen!?” Suthia was the first to exclaim in shock.
Beside her, the dragon woman also furrowed her brows.
They both recognized him. There was no mistake. The person appearing in the current scene was ” Ashen,” their Emperor Ashen.
Next, the elf woman seemed to be casting a spell on the cloaked figure, with Lena assisting from the side. It was at this moment that Miyuki, after using magic, discovered the observation body hidden there. Before the observation body could connect to Zero, a powerful special ability from the succubus directly destroyed the observation body.
The scene ended there, and both Suthia and Nova were no longer in their initial states, becoming bewildered and confused, full of questions.
“Zero, what’s going on? Why was Master Ashen in the bottom of the World Tree!?”
Nova asked anxiously, wanting an answer, while the nun looked worriedly at Renji.
“My Lord …”
Neither the nun nor the dragon woman doubted Renji’s identity, as he had genuinely brought them back into their contracts. This feeling could not be wrong.
So, they currently believed that Lena and Miyuki had done something to Renji before.
Considering that Renji’s power had indeed returned to its original state at the beginning, even now, there was still a significant gap compared to the peak of the great Ashen.
Regarding this point, neither Suthia nor Nova dared to ask Renji for the reason. Since Renji didn’t bring it up himself, they wouldn’t pry, as they weren’t after Ashen’s power. They were worried that Renji might be uncomfortable discussing it.
But now it seemed…
“My Lord, could it be that your power decline is because…”
Suthia clenched her fists, and her gentle ocean eyes began to disappear, with the light in her eyes gradually darkening, and her aura becoming increasingly dangerous.
Beside her, Nova also understood the nun’s meaning, and it seemed as if uncontrollable anger rose from her purple dragon eyes.
If it were truly because of Lena and Miyuki’s betrayal, plotting against Ashen and causing him to lose all his power, they would undoubtedly not consider any past ties and would eliminate Lena and Miyuki as enemies.
Fortunately, at this moment, Zero’s voice rang out.
“According to my analysis, Master Ashen probably doesn’t have this memory, because the body in front of Lena and Miyuki at that time should only be a…shell.”
“Shell?” the Nova and Suthia asked simultaneously.
“Yes, to put it in normal words, it’s a body without a soul.”
After Zero’s explanation, the three women simultaneously turned their inquiring gazes toward Renji.
As for Renji, if he were to speak of his own memories, it would be as if he had pressed the [confirm] button to enter the second phase. So, he nodded.
“Zero is right; I don’t remember any of this.”
Upon receiving Renji’s confirmation, Suthia and Nova sighed in relief simultaneously.
After all, if they had to choose between his body and soul, they would definitely choose the safety of Ashen’s soul.
However, this was followed by even greater anger.
“So, what are they trying to do?”
“What kind of ritual do they want to perform with Master Ashen’s body?”
“No, how did they…how did they manage to separate Master Ashen’s body and soul? Or is it…”
As Suthia analyzed in a low voice, she suddenly stopped speaking at the end.
Because if she continued, it would be…
[Or could it be that Master Ashen chose to separate his body and soul on his own?]
She didn’t dare to ask.
And she didn’t want to ask.
Because this involved a certain truth that “they” had longed to know but also feared to know.
That was…
[Why did Emperor Ashen disappear after successfully defeating the Tainted Miasma? Why did he have to disappear?]
For Suthia and Nova, the truth no longer seemed important after his return. However, upon receiving this information from Zero, they realized that things appeared to be not as simple as they had imagined.
As for Renji…
Being aware of all the “truths,” Renji could confidently say that Lena had not “betrayed” him.
On the contrary.
Combining the events from the Holy Kingdom to the current Mechanical Alliance, Lena, who never showed her face but was always “present,” gave Renji a certain suspicion.
Thinking about this, Renji sighed inwardly, or rather, with a sense of sentimentality.
He recalled that when he was one of the overlord factions in the Ashen Base, at the end of the Illusion Dream, he received a request from the Succubus tribe to offer their Queen’s daughter as a “tribute” in hopes of gaining his protection.
And the next day in the game, there was a new event: [an anonymous letter with black roses and pink petals]
Renji couldn’t remember the exact contents of the letter, but the general meaning should have been something like this:
[I would never join forces with a monstrous person wearing a cloak]
[By the time you read this letter, I will have already left the tribe]
[Human leader? Assuming you’re human, this princess kindly advises you not to try and catch me. Even if you chase me to the ends of the earth and the edge of the world, it will be nothing but a waste of effort – the future greatest special ability user, Lena]𝑖.𝑐ℴ𝑚
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