Chapter 191. Aileen (3)
The night cloaked Aileen in a shroud of darkness.
The parliament hall, one of the most critical facilities in the city, was heavily patrolled by guards. But it wasn't merely a place where the High Elder and the council members handled state affairs. It was the symbol of the Eastern Great Forest elves, and also the home of a sapling from the World Tree.
As a vital stronghold, it was protected by dozens of layers of magical barriers, and formidable individuals guarded its premises. With war against the dark elves looming on the horizon, security was tighter than ever.
Infiltrating the parliament hall seemed like an impossible feat.
Sssss!
But for Caron, it was far too easy. That was because he had already left Pluto's mark here earlier in the day.
"No matter how much I think about it, Pluto's ability just doesn't make sense," Leo muttered.
"Then why don't you form a contract too?" Caron suggested with a smile.
"Are you kidding me? That damn thing still hisses at me every time I reach out my hand," Leo grumbled as he emerged from the shadows alongside Caron.
It seemed to be too great of an ability for a lunatic like Caron to possess. Infiltration, robbery, hostage-taking—the list went on. There was no doubt that Pluto's power was the perfect tool for all sorts of insanity.
Adina hadn't joined them for this operation. Caron had intentionally left her behind at the mansion to ensure he had a perfect alibi.
Their goal tonight was simple: Dispose of the World Tree's sapling as quickly as possible, then return to the mansion as if nothing had ever happened.
"As long as I use Pluto's power well, it'll be the perfect crime," Caron remarked.
"...At least you're aware it's a crime. That's a relief," Leo muttered.
"Leo, this is for the greater good. This is the only way to stop that damned Demon King of Sloth," Caron insisted.
By now, the Demon King of Sloth had likely been informed of Caron's arrival in Aileen. They couldn't afford to waste time. Before that crazy Demon King made his move, they had to act first.
"By the way, about what you said earlier," Leo began.
"About what?" Caron asked.
"You mentioned that the World Tree's sapling has already been tainted by dark mana. Is that true? I hate to admit it, but I couldn't sense anything," Leo said.
"The trace of dark mana was extremely faint. It makes sense that you wouldn't have noticed," Caron explained.
"You're not lying just to make me suspect the council members, are you?" Leo asked.
Caron chuckled and replied, "Your intellect has been growing a lot lately, huh? Have you been getting lessons or something?"
"Quit changing the subject," Leo said.
"It's true that I sensed dark mana. The sapling managed to fend it off, but the trace was definitely there," Caron explained. He'd even gotten Guillotine to confirm it.
Caron was sure that someone had attempted to corrupt the World Tree's sapling. Which meant there was a traitor among the council members.
"What about the High Elder? Is there a possibility that he's the one behind it?" Leo asked.
"We can't rule it out. Right now, every possibility is on the table. But for now... Let's deal with the sapling first," Caron said, reminding himself of the reason he had come here.
The Spirit of Life, said to reside somewhere in the Eastern Great Forest, was one of the necessary components to save the World Tree. He'd intended to ask the High Elder about it earlier in the day, but the atmosphere had been far from ideal. So, he had postponed it for later.
I still need to ask... Caron thought.
But waiting until morning didn't seem like a viable option, because once this mission was complete, all of Aileen would be turned upside down.
As Caron carefully made his way through the corridor, lost in thought...
Tap.
Someone tapped Caron's back, and he scowled in irritation. He snapped, "Are you seriously playing around at a time like this? Leo, get it together."
Leo blinked in surprise and replied, "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything."
"You just tapped my—" Caron started, turning around in frustration.
"...Who is this?" Guillotine asked.
A small child appeared in Caron's line of sight. It was a boy, no older than seven, with light green hair and brown eyes. He stood in place, staring at Caron with wide, curious eyes.
Caron was momentarily taken aback, thinking, I didn't even notice his presence at all.
Given the circumstances, Caron had sharpened his senses to their limits, yet this child had somehow slipped past his awareness. He wondered who in the world this child was, but his moment of shock lasted only an instant. He quickly made a decision.
And that decision was...
"Hush," Caron said as he clamped a hand over the boy's mouth.
The scene was uncannily similar to a kidnapper abducting a child. Even Leo let out a quiet sigh of exasperation at the sheer absurdity of it.
"You're kidnapping too? You really are... No, never mind. I'm too exhausted to even comment at this point," Leo said.
"Are you going to take responsibility if he screams?" Caron shot back.
"Well, no... But how did he even get close to us? I didn't sense a thing," Leo asked.
"Neither did I," Caron agreed.
They had no idea who he was. Judging by the boy's appearance, he seemed to be an elf, but any normal child would be crying in this situation. After all, he had just been caught by two masked figures lurking in the darkness. But this elf child was smiling cheerfully, as if he found the entire situation amusing.
"Doesn't he seem familiar to you?" Guillotine murmured at the back of Caron's mind.
Caron had been thinking the same thing. He wasn't sure why, but something about this child felt familiar.
Still holding his hand over the boy's mouth, he whispered, "I'm sorry. I'd love to let you go right away, but we have some work to do. So, you're going to stick with us for a bit. We'll let you go home when we're done, alright?"
"Caron," Leo called out.
"What?" Caron replied.
"You're way too nice to kids," Leo remarked.
"I don't think so. Didn't I beat you up when we were younger?" Caron replied.
"Hey, why bring that up now?" Leo protested.
Regardless, this was an unexpected variable. Killing an innocent child wasn't an option. If necessary, Caron could trap him in the pouch of dimensional space for a while, but he didn't feel the need to go that far.
Ssshhh.
Meow!
Caron summoned Pluto to silence the boy. But something felt... off.
Huh? Caron thought.
Normally, Pluto was wary of anyone it met for the first time. But this time, it nuzzled against the boy's cheek as if they were old friends.
Meow.
The child, in turn, giggled and hugged Pluto tightly.
"Well that's a first," Guillotine muttered in confusion.
First, the boy had been completely undetectable. Now, Pluto was acting as if it had known him in the past. The more Caron looked at him, the stranger he seemed.
Caron wanted to question him, but now wasn't the time, so he pushed his curiosity aside and said, "Leo, take care of him."
"...Now you want me to babysit too?" Leo asked.
"I can't exactly do it myself," Caron answered.
Leo sighed and studied the boy. Still hugging Pluto tightly, the child looked almost unbearably cute.
Leo reached out a hand, and the boy smiled and took it without hesitation. Strangely enough, the moment their hands touched, Leo felt a wave of exhaustion lift.
"Well, at least it seems like he'll listen," Leo said. Gesturing at Caron, he told the boy, "We're not that scary, you know. This guy's the only real villain here. So there's no need for you to be afraid."
The boy simply laughed and nodded, as if he understood everything.
"Let's move quickly," Caron said.
An unexpected variable had entered the equation, but they couldn't afford to waste time. With their newfound hostage in tow, the two wolves hurried toward the conference hall.
***
Ssshhh.
Getting into the conference hall wasn't all that difficult. Unlike the heavily guarded exterior of the assembly building, the inside had far fewer sentries. Thanks to that, Caron and Leo managed to reach their destination without much trouble.
Despite it being the middle of the night, the conference hall was brightly lit. At the center of the round table, the World Tree's sapling still stood, radiating a solemn glow, just as it had during the day.
"Whew," Caron exhaled slowly as he stepped forward, drawing Guillotine.
Whoosh.
The blade, saturated with Azure Mana, began to resonate.
"Caron, think this through one more time. Are you really going to do it?" Leo asked, gripping the child's hand tightly.
No matter how he looked at it, this was madness. If they did this without consulting the elves, there would be no turning back.
"It's not too late to stop," he added.
This wasn't just another reckless stunt. What Caron was about to do couldn't even be compared to his past actions. He was about to cut down the elves' sacred tree. Sure, they could potentially get away with it if they weren't caught, but the risk was far too great.
Yet Caron's expression remained firm as he said, "This is the only way."
He had to finish this before the Demon King of Sloth got his hands on it. That was the only answer he had found.
Whoosh!
Mana surged into Guillotine, its blade glowing a dark, ominous blue. A long arc of aura formed at its tip—a force of destruction capable of slicing through anything.
"Let's get this over with," Caron muttered, focusing his mind.
Perhaps it was a sapling, but it was still a World Tree, a sacred tree. There was no way it would be easy to cut down. That was why he had to end it in a single strike.
Clash!
Waves of mana rippled outward from Caron as he thought, I have to finish this in one blow.
That was the only way to avoid detection and escape safely. The moment the sacred tree was attacked, the guards would notice.
Whoosh!
Pouring the last of his mana into Guillotine, Caron let out a steady breath. Then, without hesitation, he swung the blade at the sapling. The strike flashed like a bolt of lightning.
But just as Guillotine was about to make contact with the sapling...
Crash!
A thick barrier suddenly formed, shielding the sapling from harm. And soon after that...
"...You really are a reckless human."
A voice rang out as a figure emerged in midair. It was Baltho, the High Elder of the Eastern Great Forest.
"Good thing I was shown a glimpse of the future. Otherwise, we would've been caught completely off guard," he said.
In Baltho's hand, there was a staff embedded with a massive mana stone.
Caron frowned as he glared at Baltho, then asked, "High Elder, are you the traitor?"
"Hardly," Baltho replied.
"Then I think you owe me an explanation," Caron said.
At Caron's words, Baltho shook his head in disbelief. He replied firmly, "A madman who sneaks in at midnight to cut down the sacred tree is hardly in a position to demand explanations. You just tried to destroy the very symbol of our kin. If anyone should be asking questions, it's me."
Baltho had said earlier that he'd seen the future. That meant someone had given him a prophecy.
"If it weren't for his words, I would have killed you where you stood," Baltho added.
It was no empty threat.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the conference hall filled with spears of mana. There were dozens of them, all aimed at Caron's throat.
Baltho, the High Elder, was an 8th Circle mage. Nothing else could explain the sheer overwhelming force of his mana.
"Could you give me a proper explanation?" Caron asked.
"Oh? Back to formal speech?" Baltho mused.
"Given the situation, I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Caron said. "You're the one holding my life in your hands."
Even as Caron spoke, he kept Guillotine pointed at the elder.
Thus, a tense situation unfolded.
Baltho let out a long sigh and said, "It is not my place to explain this."
"If not you, then who?" Caron asked.
At that, Baltho lowered his staff, no longer aiming it at Caron. Instead, he looked past the latter and asked, "Your Grace, how long do you intend to simply watch? This old man is growing weary."
At that moment, the young elf who had been holding onto Leo's hand slowly stepped forward, then smiled at Caron.
"Don't be too hard on Baltho," he said. "He's gotten old, so it's not easy for him anymore."
His voice was clear and pure, carrying the unique clarity of a child's speech. The mana emanating from him was boundlessly pure.
At last, Caron understood the strange sense of familiarity he had been feeling. Now that he was standing this close, he realized the boy's true identity.
"The World Tree's sapling," he murmured.
"That's correct," the boy said, his smile widening. "I figured I should come greet our guest since it's been a while. I hope I didn't offend you. This is my first time meeting a human, after all..."
He gave a sheepish grin before lowering his voice and added, "You came to save Mother, didn't you? I've been waiting for you, wondering when you'd arrive. Hmm... How should I explain this... Ah, right!"
The boy met Caron's gaze, then said, "Spirit of Life. That's another name of mine."
It was an encounter Caron had never expected.