“Hahaha! Well, well! What a sight! Who would have thought that Vierno would end up like this!”
The private room of the Dentis family where the banquet was being held.
The elders of the Three Noble Families who had come as guests burst into laughter, raising their glasses in celebration.
They had drunk to their hearts’ content, their faces flushed with intoxication.
The first to speak was an elder from the Radix family.
A male elf in his mid-forties with long, flowing hair he seemed proud of.
“To think that Vierno, who was always so bothersome, could be so easily ousted. What a joyous occasion.”
His words were answered by the elder of the Flohim family, a middle-aged woman with sharp features.
“Indeed. And to be drinking to that victory here in this house.”
“I never thought we would receive help from the Lifret family, of all people, who were like mortal enemies.”
The elder of the Radix family turned toward the Crown elder.
“It’s thanks to the Crown family keeping an eye on the royal castle and acquiring the information, isn’t it?”
The short-haired, stern-looking Crown elder replied.
“Hoho. You flatter us too much. In truth, the Lifret roots are shallow, and their handling of matters so sloppy that it left us more dumbfounded than anything.”
“But is it truly certain that a survivor of the Plante line exists?”
“The Lifret sent the Shadewardens outside. It seems the damages were considerable. If it’s tied to the World Tree, then it’s almost certain.”
“Hah... If the Lifret family holds such authority, things could become troublesome indeed.”
“Well, what can we do? They won’t be able to act entirely on their own whims. More importantly, let us enjoy tonight. Isn’t this a rare banquet? Dentis, who had always been annoyingly neutral, has now come under the Three Nobles.”
The elders roared with laughter.
They had framed Vierno for treason, and using that as leverage, installed Viela as the new head of the family.
Of course, her actual authority would be a shadow of what Vierno once held.
Viela would move as their puppet.
The Flohim elder laughed softly.
“She’s still just a child. With a little coaxing, she gave in immediately.”
“Hoho. Yet she must have some pride. To think you managed to persuade her.”
“What could she possibly do? I merely said we’d preserve her family, cajoled her a little, and after pretending to hesitate, she accepted.”
“A fledgling is a fledgling after all.”
And thus, the Three Noble Families had gained a new ally.
With the Dentis, who had long maintained neutrality, now aligned with them, the delicate balance of power would tilt in their favor.
“If possible, I’d like to do something about those Burke dogs as well.”
“That will be difficult. They’re stubborn to the core, and their military strength is not to be underestimated.”
“Leave them alone. They’re far from politics anyway. But didn’t an opportunity present itself? A human infiltrating Dentis territory? That alone will suffice to cast doubt on Burke’s competence.”
At that moment, the private room’s door opened, and Viela entered.
Unlike the middle-aged elves around, she still bore the youthful appearance of a girl, making her stand out all the more.
The elders who had been mocking her just moments ago greeted her with broad smiles the instant she appeared.
“Hoho! Look who it is. The new head of the Dentis family herself!”
“What kept you so long? Come, drink with us! A night like this must be enjoyed!”
Even drunk, these elders knew well how to conceal their true hearts.
“Then I shall gladly join you.”
Viela took a seat at the table.
The conversation resumed.
But no longer as blatant as before. Instead, the elders cloaked their words in the guise of advice.
Advice? Hardly.
It was little more than groundwork to begin manipulating Viela, who would soon be their servant.
“Vierno left no clear heir. But Viela, you’re different, aren’t you? Perhaps it’s time to forge stronger bonds between our families.”
“Radix elder, you are drunk. Such talk is premature for Viela. Though of course, the possibility must remain open. We Flohim have ambitious young elves as well.”
“Don’t forget the Crown family either.”
It was an offer of marriage ties to strengthen alliances.
But Viela knew well the vile intent beneath it.
Through marriage, they meant to shackle her even tighter.
Fortunately, for now, it was still only a proposal.
The three elders who voiced it all eyed one another warily.
Dentis’s entry into the Three Nobles was decided. Now the only question was how to divide the spoils.
Viela longed to bolt from the room.
Perhaps Uncle Vierno had left the forest rather than suffer this filth.
“Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll think about it.”
Yet Viela answered without so much as a flicker in her expression.
After all, she would not need to look at those disgusting faces much longer.
Once Vierno and the others escaped the dungeon, she planned to summon Dentis soldiers and sweep these elders away.
‘So please, Uncle. Flee safely. And never return to this wretched forest.’
Viela vowed as she waited for the moment.
The banquet had gone deep into the night when noise broke out outside.
Viela knew—the time had come.
Soon Dentis soldiers would burst into the private room and suppress these elders...
“But, Viela.”
The Crown elder swirled the wine in his glass.
The red liquid rippled softly.
“Isn’t the move you’re trying to make a little too obvious?”
“What...?”
Before Viela could respond, the private room burst open and a squad of soldiers stormed in.
The elven soldiers immediately surrounded Viela.
“T-this is...?”
This wasn’t part of the plan.
Startled, Viela turned her glare on the three elders.
The same elders who had been babbling drunkenly now wore sober, calculating faces.
‘No... They already knew...?’
Her unease became reality.
“As you did not trust us, so we never trusted you,” the Flohim elder sneered.
“What childish antics. Still, watching your little performance was amusing.”
Viela bit her lip.
They had struck first, taking her as a hostage. Dentis soldiers would not dare move now.
It had been her fatal mistake to step into this room so lightly, thinking to reassure them.
“With things unfolding this way, it’ll be all the easier to consume the Dentis.”
The soldiers leveled their spears at Viela.
Their intent was clear: move wrong, and she would be skewered.
“With this pretext, there’s no need to drag Vierno to the execution grounds. We can kill him right here.”
Viela’s head spun.
She had betrayed her uncle to achieve this... only to find herself dancing in their palms from the very start.
Her whole life, she had followed at her uncle’s back.
He was a great head of family, her ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) proud cousin, the elf she admired most.
She had wanted to be like him.
And as she shared in his duties, she realized just how heavy the burdens he carried were.
She had wanted to help.
To lighten his load, to prove herself an adult.
She had wanted his praise.
‘And yet I...’
Her face sank into despair.
The elders only laughed at the sight, their mockery filling the private room.
Until a voice tore through it all.
“So you were all here.”
Footsteps echoed.
The soldiers pointing weapons at Viela spun around.
From the shattered doorway, an elf walked slowly inside.
Seeing him, Viela’s voice quivered with grief.
“Uncle Vierno...”
“Viela.”
Vierno surveyed the scene with a cold gaze, then turned to her.
She couldn’t bear to meet his eyes.
Why hadn’t he fled? Why had he come here?
No—more shameful than that was the fact that he had seen her in such a wretched state.
But Vierno’s eyes toward her were warm.
“You’ve endured much. And I’m sorry. For making you shoulder this burden.”
“Uncle...?”
“But don’t worry. This was mine to finish from the beginning. I’ll see it through.”
His gaze snapped back to the elders.
The warmth was gone—only icy sharpness remained.
“Hmph. Vierno Dentis. Freed from the dungeon only to walk back here? Have you gone mad?”
“You left the humans behind to come alone? Do you have such a death wish?”
The Radix and Flohim elders mocked him.
But the Crown elder could not join their laughter.
For in Vierno’s nearly expressionless face, he saw something terrifying.
As a keeper of the forest’s intelligence, he knew truths others did not.
Among them, that Vierno Dentis—despite his mild exterior—had carved great achievements in past wars.
“I see... You’ve all forgotten, because I’ve rested too long.”
Vierno muttered as he looked at the soldiers and sneering elders.
“In that case, I’ll just have to remind you.”
The air chilled.
The temperature plummeted.
Weapons shook in the hands of the trained soldiers.
Their faces paled, their breaths turned ragged.
“W-what...?”
The elders grew uneasy.
The drop in temperature wasn’t imagination.
The private room itself was freezing.
And the pressure was falling.
The air grew heavy, pressing down, freezing lungs.
The very act of breathing was painful.
Only Vierno moved with ease in that suffocating weight.
“D-don’t move!”
One soldier tried to block him.
A moment later, his body was hurled away like a bomb had struck him.
With a resounding crash, his armor crumpled and shattered.
He died instantly, without resistance.
From a single kick.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
“U-Uncle...?”
The strength Vierno showed could not be believed from his small frame.
Even Viela’s eyes widened.
“Viela.”
“Y-yes.”
“Close your eyes and cover your ears, will you?”
“...Yes.”
She obeyed.
“Thank you. This won’t take long.”
Vierno moved.
As if riding the wind itself.
“S-stop him!”
The soldiers rushed from all sides.
But he was a lion among sheep. His fists struck, his kicks lashed out.
Each blow sent bodies flying with deafening crashes.
Some struck so hard that armor and flesh alike burst apart.
Blood spattered everywhere.
Vierno showed no mercy. His killing intent only surged.
The elders reeled at the sight, so unlike his usual gentle demeanor.
“W-what is this! What is happening?!”
And the Crown elder suddenly realized.
“Spirit Assimilation!”
He had heard of it.
That Vierno Dentis, a spirit master, fused spirits into his body to fight.
That his fighting style was so raw and violent that even fellow elves trembled in fear.
“I’d heard the stories... I thought them exaggerations...”
“You wouldn’t know,” Vierno said coldly.
“How could elders, who hid deep in the forest whenever war erupted, possibly know? Ignorance is only natural.”
“T-that’s...”
“So now, let me show you what happens when you lay hands on my family.”
White spirit energy shimmered around his body like a heat haze.
Not a drop of blood stained him—every spray repelled by the raging aura.
It made him seem even more alien, more terrifying.
He fixed his cold eyes on the elders and declared:
“Allow me to demonstrate.”
“W-wait!”
“In the old way.”