The heavy door of the room closed behind Elisira with a muffled sound.
The clink of metal against metal echoed in the quiet space, and then everything fell back into silence.
Her room was still the same as always: white walls with golden decorations, tall silk curtains through which moonlight passed, scented candles, soft royal carpets, and a large window showing the entire holy capital.
But now, everything looked different. This was no longer a princess’s room; it looked like a cage. A golden cage whose walls were built so beautifully that the prisoner might realize the chains too late.
Elisira stood there for a few moments, neither moving nor speaking. Her mind was still in that forest, still thinking about her behavior and her words with her father.
This wasn’t the first time she had been confined to her room, but it was the first time the matter was so serious and her father had given the order with such severity.
She knew her words had been foolish, that she had acted out of line, and that she hadn’t been paying attention to what she was saying.
"It’s all Father’s fault! If he hadn’t made me angry, how could I have said those things?" She sighed and quietly walked to the window.
She pushed aside the curtain and looked at the city.
The holy capital was still awake; thousands of lights could be seen in the streets. Knights patrolled the main roads, and even from this distance, the city’s turmoil could be felt.
New announcements had been posted on the walls, warning flags had been raised on the towers, and the people, quietly and anxiously, whispered about one name: the forest monster, the being who had killed an Eternal Warrior.
"They don’t understand at all..." Elisira quietly closed her eyes.
No, none of them understood. Not her father, not the rest of the world. They were making an enemy out of nothing.
What she had seen in that forest was beyond fear. Daniel wasn’t just powerful; he was like a being who had fallen outside the logic of this world.
Why do they even try to become enemies with such a being who has no enmity with anyone? Why don’t they just leave him alone?
And worse, the cursed tree they wanted to destroy might be the world’s hope for salvation. Every time that sentence repeated in her mind, something inside her grew heavier.
Because if that statement was true, then the empire might be destroying the only way to save the world.
But Serius’s words also echoed in her mind. If that tree wasn’t evil, then why did it feed on life force? That is exactly an evil act.
"Ugh, I don’t understand anymore." She felt a terrible headache and gave up thinking.
Now that she was trapped here, she could at least sleep a little to calm down.
But at that very moment...
Tap.
A quiet sound came from behind the door. Elisira immediately turned.
Tap tap.
This time clearer, and then the room’s doors slowly opened. For a moment, Elisira’s eyes trembled.
Only two people were allowed to enter her room without prior notice.
Her father.
And her older sister, the true heir to the empire, the girl who had been chosen by the Divine Prophet years ago and become her senior disciple.
But, her sister should not be in the palace right now.
So when the doors fully opened, Elisira almost immediately understood that her guess had been correct.
That woman was not there.
Rather, the old librarian entered the room. He wore a simple gray robe and quietly dragged his old wooden staff on the floor.
The same quiet, forgotten old man that most people didn’t even know the name of. But that made Elisira’s frown deepen.
"...How did you get permission to enter?"
"That’s an interesting question, Princess." The old man gave a faint smile.
And then, without permission, he quietly stepped inside the room.
"Especially when you know that right now no one in the palace is allowed near you."
Elisira’s eyes narrowed. Something in the old man’s behavior was different. He was too calm, as if he wasn’t afraid of the current situation at all.
And that itself was worrying. But before she could ask another question... the old man asked:
"How about you tell me everything you know about that tree’s protector?"
At the same time, deep in the basement of the Holy Palace.
Far below the royal halls and white temples, a hidden room existed that only opened during real crises.
Massive stone walls, floating magical maps, sealed ancient artifacts, and dozens of mysterious tools glowing with a faint blue light.
The air in the room was heavy with the anxiety flowing among those present.
The Holy Emperor stood behind the main table, Serius was next to the continent map.
The Grand Minister was examining information scrolls, and the Grand Knight stood silently, arms crossed, staring at the forest reports.
"The eastern borders have been closed." The Grand Minister’s voice broke the room’s silence.
"Regional armies have been summoned, and all information regarding the forest has been classified at a secret level."
They were preparing for a war situation and wanted to control the narrative to prevent chaos and panic on the continent.
"But it doesn’t matter anymore." He paused for a moment, and his frown deepened.
The Emperor raised his gaze.
"The news of Walterk’s death has already spread within the empire." The Grand Minister continued.
The room’s atmosphere grew heavier.
"And within a few days at most... the entire continent will know about it."
The Grand Knight quietly clenched his fist, because everyone knew what this meant. Walterk was not just a powerful warrior; he was an Eternal Warrior.
A being people thought was invincible, a being who served as a hope for this continent to win against the beasts of corruption.
And now the entire continent would learn that something exists that destroys even an Eternal Warrior like an insect.
"And unfortunately, there is no way to stop the news from spreading." The Grand Minister sighed heavily.
They had first wanted to let the news spread. That way, perhaps they could get more help from the continent’s other powers, but they realized that might not be a good idea.
The continent had recently become stable and peaceful, and they had managed to gain some calm after decades of fighting the beasts of corruption at the borders.
People no longer lived in fear, or at least that was the case until today. Unfortunately, with the spread of Walterk’s death, terror will again take over everywhere.
It wasn’t that they wanted to hide the news of his death forever, but rather to slightly distort and rewrite it.
A brief silence followed.
"Was it really right to imprison the Princess?" Then the Grand Knight asked quietly, changing the subject.
"My daughter is not the problem." The Holy Emperor did not hesitate even for a moment.
His gaze slowly fixed on the forest map.
"The problem is that being... has started to influence people."
The Grand Minister’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Serius gave a very faint smile.
The Emperor continued:
"His power is dangerous enough, but if he can also change people’s minds, and someone with faith like my daughter..." His voice grew heavier.
"Then the foundations of the empire will crumble." He had not underestimated this threat at all.
If his daughter could utter such blasphemous words, then that monster might have abilities to influence others.
And that was why he had forbidden the Grand Minister and the Grand Knight from approaching that monster.
"Elisira isn’t just scared." Serius quietly moved away from the window.
All eyes turned to him.
"She has started to accept the possibility that that monster’s words might be true." And then he said a sentence that made even the room’s air grow colder.
"And that is more dangerous than his power itself."
Because if people doubted the sacred narrative, if even the empire’s princess had become hesitant...
Then what would remain of sacred authority?
It’s true that it’s only Elisira for now, but such a narrative could grow like a cancer cell, and if not stopped from the beginning, the result would be devastating.
The Holy Emperor was silent for a few moments.
"Tomorrow I will personally meet with the Divine Prophet." Then he said quietly.
Even the Grand Minister raised his head.
Because everyone knew that a meeting with the Divine Prophet was not something even the Emperor could easily request. That being had almost separated from the world, more like a living concept than a human. And that showed just how critical the situation had become.
"I also spoke with my master." But then Serius said quietly.
The room immediately fell silent. Even the Grand Knight unconsciously raised his gaze, because Serius’s master was a Half Step-Divine.
A being before whom even Eternal Warriors looked like children.
"What did your master say?" The Holy Emperor asked quietly. If a Half Step-Divine intervened, this disaster could end sooner.
Serius was silent for a few moments.
"He said this matter is of no importance and that we should figure it out ourselves." Then he said with a bitter smile.
The Emperor sighed quietly. So this matter had not yet reached a level that would force the Half Step-Divines to intervene.
And that might be the worst of all, because it meant they had to face a monster themselves that they couldn’t even understand.
"Your Imperial Majesty... I have a proposal." Suddenly the Grand Minister stepped forward.
The Emperor looked at him.
"Why don’t we ask the Elves and Dragons for help?"
The room fell into silence again, because everyone knew what this meant: non-human powers, races that had stayed away from continental politics for centuries.
"They have no reason to help unless the Divine Prophet directly requests it." The Holy Emperor said quietly.
"And even then, there is no guarantee." Serius added to be sure.
"But they and the Sky Knights Guard are the only real options." The Grand Minister frowned.
"Unless we find a way to send one of the continent’s top three warriors." And then he added quietly.
The Emperor fell silent, because he knew his words were right. The Sky Knights Guard, a legendary army that operated directly under the Divine Prophet.
And if she agreed, it would be possible to send them.
But the Elves and Dragons?
The Emperor slowly closed his eyes. He knew exactly what those beings wanted.
"The Life Crystal..." His voice was almost a whisper.
Those bastards always wanted the same thing. A price that was heavy even for the Holy Empire.
"I will think about it." Then he said quietly.
"Why don’t we send all of them?" But at that moment, Serius gave a faint smile and said.
Everyone turned to him.
And while his gaze was fixed on the destroyed forest map, he continued quietly:
"The Sky Knights Guard."
"The Elves."
"The Dragons."
"And one of the top three warriors."
"That way... our chance of success will be very high, perhaps even certain." His smile deepened.