On a road that led to the Forbidden Forest, a wagon moved slowly.
After a long and slow ride, the wagon arrived at a tavern standing in the middle of the forest. The environment around the tavern felt abandoned—fallen trees and branches, bones of unknown creatures, and broken structures from the tavern all added a gloomy taste to the picture.
The wagon slowly halted in front of the tavern, and the coachman got down.
Whoosh!
A cold wind blew through the forest as he stepped onto the ground, and from the sky, tiny pieces of snow began to fall.
Making his way into the tavern, the man opened the door to a hall full of lifeless bodies lying everywhere. Despite their deaths happening a long time ago, none of the bodies had decayed.
After making his way to the bar, the man tapped on the bell.
Tin!
Its sound resonated through the place.
"Lahrak, how's the task?"
In an instant, a muscular man appeared on the other side of the bar. Leaning onto the table, he looked at the coachman.
"See for yourself." The coachman gazed at the wagon outside.
Close to the carriage stood another man. He had no facial expression—only three holes where his face should have been.
He lifted the blanket covering the wagon and saw a group of kids and young girls inside, all in a deep sleep. Closing the blanket again, the indistinguishable man looked at the man inside the tavern and nodded his head.
"That should be enough then."
. . . . . . . . . .
In the middle of the forest, cries of children and screams of young girls could be heard. Figures wearing dark, long shrouds held these children and girls in their grasp.
They stood surrounding a giant circle, which was still being drawn with the blood drained from those young girls and infants.
Soon, the hunchbacked old man finished drawing the circle and waved his hand. The black-shrouded figures all dragged the sacrifices they held into the circle and began to slaughter them in the most painful ways. Some had their eyes pulled out, their tongues sliced, and their brains removed while they could feel every slice of the knives into their heads.
The screams turned horrific, and the infants' cries rang like bells.
Some infants were crushed to death by kicks, while others had their limbs torn off one by one.
As the sacrifices died, their blood flowed into the circle, and the flesh of the dead gathered together, creating a large pile of meat.
"Get out."
With the old man's words, all the shrouded figures rushed out of the circle. The old man then thrust the wand in his hand into the ground, staring at the pile of flesh.
"Cries of pain, wailing of sorrow and despair... I think you are already here... aren't you?"
As the old man whispered, suddenly, above the huge circle, the silhouette of a giant woman appeared. Like a mother, her hands reached toward the infants and young girls who had been wrongly sacrificed.
Seeing this woman's figure, the shrouded figures became panicked.
"Wrath of the goddess—shit, we are doomed!"
But the old man lifted the staff in his hand, calming everyone down.
"No need to worry. He is already here, isn't that right, Cannibal Malzerath?"
Swish!
Something struck the figure of the woman, and she dispersed like the wind with a cry. Through the disappearing woman stepped out a figure born from the pile of flesh of the sacrifices.
He had two long horns on his head and thick red scales covering his body. A jelly-like sac nestled in his stomach, with several teeth spread across it.
As the figure emerged, his gaze landed on the old man and the shrouded figures behind him.
"The land of the living… Finally, I'm back to the realm where flesh feels... satisfying."
. . . . . . . .
The sunny sky was covered by a thick layer of dark clouds, and the earth fell into a time of cold as snow began to fall.
Mordred looked at the snowflakes through the carriage window.
The book he read as a hobby was placed aside, and silently, he gazed at the passing scenery of the world.
It's been hours, and I haven't seen any signs of humans. Most of the area is covered in thick forests, and only occasionally do I see villages or houses with human presence. It seems that humans are not as populous in this world as they are on Earth.
There is science and mathematics, but… only a few individuals use them in their work. And technology-wise, this age cannot even compare to Earth. Maybe because of the existence of supernatural power, the development of other aspects of life has been very slow.
A society like this… will be the perfect background to easily take control of. Humans who are ignorant are like sheep; whoever takes the lead, they will follow behind.
"Well… there is an opportunity to test this theory soon."
Neigh!
With the cry of the horses, the carriage came to a halt.
"Of course, times are changing."
The carriage halted beside the road, close to a pole with a lamp at the top. At the moment, the lamp was not lit. Other than the lamp, there was also a bell on the pole, and its clear appearance was a sign that it had been placed here very recently.
Stretching out his hand, Mordred rang the bell once, and the lamp lit up, brightening the surroundings.
"Street lamps—a new concept in this world but perfectly executed."
That is what someone would say after seeing this, I think… if it's someone intelligent.
As Mordred observed the street lamp, he tilted his head to the side, looking at the pole where a large 'M' character was carved into it. Seeing the mark, Mordred smiled slightly.
"Young Master."
At that moment, Vanessa and Negun got off the carriage and walked toward Mordred.
"Go on. Make sure to do as I said."
Mordred instructed as he handed over a case to Vanessa, and the two servants disappeared into the forest nearby afterward.
"And you, make sure to bring the person I asked for."
After his words, the shadow assassins emerged from his shadow and dispersed into the forest.
"However…"
Leaning back on his seat, Mordred gazed at the snowflakes falling from the sky.
"...For a villain to prosper, a hero must die."
. . . . . . . .
In the snow, Celine's steps became visible as he made his way through the village road. Wearing clothes to keep himself warm, Celine held an empty basket in his hand.
While walking, he suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky and the dark clouds.
"The sky should be bright right now, but it's still dark. This feels gloomy and…"
"...Ominous, isn't it?" pixie appeared, finishing his sentence.
"Is this something we should be concerned about?"
"Maybe, or maybe not. Let's get into the forest first. At least we have a higher level of protection there."
As she instructed, Celine made his way into the forest, but at its edge, he met Deran, who was walking out.
"Brother..." Celine spoke, but Deran walked past him with a smirk on his face.
Not minding much of his brother's behavior, Celine proceeded into the forest. However, the pixie, still observing Deran, had a cautious look on her face.
"Recently, he feels different."
"You mean my brother? Maybe he changed after what happened."
"Your brother isn't the type to change after getting beaten once. No, this is another kind of change. It's like he's obeying someone else's command and keeping his distance from us."
"So, who do you think he's obeying?" Although not convinced by what she said, Celine asked out of curiosity. But the pixie stayed silent.
"You're keeping too many secrets from me, and I don't like that."
"One day, you'll know it all."
While talking, the two entered deeper into the forest.
After a while, Celine stood in front of a broken tree—the same tree he had destroyed when striking that dark shadow he saw the other day.
"Why am I back here?"
"To pay back for what you received."
"What did I receive?" Celine asked, confused by the pixie's words.
"Celine, this is something I shouldn't teach you this soon, but it seems time won't wait for you to grow up. So today, you'll learn one of the most useful aspects of the Benevolent Aura. I call it the Benevolent Promise."
Flying down, the pixie landed on the broken tree trunk.
"Close your eyes and use the Benevolent Aura to feel the surroundings."
Just as she said, Celine first channeled the Benevolent Aura through the pixie and used it to envelop himself and his surroundings. As he did, he began to feel the other auras around him.
The living vitality-filled colors given off by the tree. The lifeless, empty feeling radiating from the rocks—he felt everything.
when he focused on the broken tree, he still saw the vibrant aura of life. Yet, within it, he also sensed an empty spot.
"Channel your Benevolent Aura into that empty place. You see, Celine, as a wielder of the Benevolent Aura, you cannot harm the innocent. That includes every living thing. Instead, what you do is promise.
At that moment, when you used your Benevolent Aura to strike that shadow, you broke the tree. But what actually happened was a transaction between promises—the tree allowed you to break it, but in return, you must heal it using the Benevolent Aura as payment."
Understanding the gist of what the pixie was saying, Celine channeled his aura into the empty spot of the tree. As he did, the tree slowly began to regrow.
Vines rapidly extended, grabbing onto the broken parts and pulling them back together. The main trunk fused seamlessly, as if nothing had ever happened. After the process, not even a scratch remained on the tree.
"Aside from trees, you can use the Benevolent Promise with anything—whether it's the earth, the wind, or the river. They will help you, under the promise that you will return the Benevolent Aura to them."
"Is Benevolent Aura really that valuable?" Celine questioned.
"Of course! One could only use it through the approval of the great, mighty, and super cute Benevolent Pixie, who is none other than..."
The pixie looked at Celine.
"Uh... you, of course."
Once again, Celine had to listen to the pixie brag about herself—and even had to admit it.
"Wait, so with the Guardian Lion Connoisseur, did we do a transaction?"
"Nope, that was just him showing respect to you as the one who wields the Benevolent Aura and will eventually become..."
The pixie suddenly paused, realizing she was about to say something she shouldn't have.
"You've gone silent again," Celine noted. He had already gotten used to it and didn't even bother prying anymore.
Instead, he focused on testing his new ability.
Using the Benevolent Aura, he struck a nearby tree. The moment the aura touched the tree, an instant transaction occurred—the tree would be destroyed, but with the promise of receiving Benevolent Aura to restore itself.
Boom!
Instantly, the tree broke down. A few minutes later, it regrew in the exact same way, as Celine supplied Benevolent Aura as payment.
"Don't use it so casually. Only use it when necessary," the pixie instructed.
"Come now, there's something else we need to do."
Following behind the pixie, Celine wandered through the forest for a long time.