In one of the rooms that are entwined with the Great Spiritual Tree and are covered with fruit.

　In the room, there were only a few desks and chairs haphazardly placed, crafted from dead wood with magic and mastery that would be worth a fortune if brought into human society.
　The sun had already set, but the room was illuminated by a fantastic light. The lights were made of woven vine baskets filled with glowing insects like fireflies, wrapped in grass bark and made into lanterns.

　Lieramires, who was sitting alone in his chair in the room, looked up when he felt a presence.
　Cruz Salina, dressed in priestly garb but without any ornaments, was pushing open the animal leather curtain at the entrance of the room and was about to enter.

The chief priest seems to have had a successful service today. ......
"Stop it, Liera!　I can't believe you're making me feel like this when I'm alone with you!

　I'm not going to let you get away with that when you're alone with me!" Lieramires stood up and greeted her reverently, but Cruz Salina looked really uncomfortable.
　Lieramires stuck out his tongue a little and pulled out a chair to offer it to Cruz Salina.

　Prior Priestess Saaresaya. Krsalina, the current High Priestess. And one of the tribe's warriors, Rieramires.
　The three were about the same age and had been educated as priestesses at the same time as children.
　While Saaresaya and Cruzsalina developed their talents, Lieramires did not have the talent to become a priestess after all, and became a warrior by honing his magic for battle. As a result, there was a big gap in their status within the tribe, but the three of them were still friends in a semi-rotten relationship.

　In this tribe, the chief priest is usually a man of 200 to 300 years old, an age when there is no sign of aging in the body, let alone in the life span.
　If we are talking about simple magical power, the amount of training one has undergone is important, and the older one gets, the more refined one becomes, but there are also many magical rituals that require physical strength. For this reason, they do not just appoint elders, but people of their age who are physically fit.

　From a pot that looked like a piece of white wood that had been polished to a jewel, Lia Ramirez poured herbal tea into two of the seven cups available and bumped the pot around against three of the remaining cups.
　The water in these pots was brewed with water elemental magic. The elves who live in the forest generally don't like fire, so they don't use it in their daily lives except for cooking by the water, but they make up for it with magic.

...... Thanks for your hard work. It's hard to get free time.
"It's nothing like being a sub-priest.
　I thought I was right there with you watching Sahle, but he's so much more than I imagined.
　I was reminded of the greatness of Sahle ...... and all the chief priests of the past.

　After drinking a cup of tea with a gentle aroma of steam, Krsna sighed heavily.

"I wonder what Saale would have done in ...... such a situation.

　With a single word, Lieramires knew what Cruz Salina was thinking.

"The Alliance, perhaps?
Yes.
　I have the utmost respect and confidence in the Council of Elders. But I think you're wrong about this and I hope you'll reconsider.

　Lieramires had heard about the oracle.
　The fight against the "Rose Princess of Hell" took precedence over the fight against the Imperial Blue Army. The Council of Elders hiding the oracle. And although nothing has been officially said, it is rumored that the Council of Elders has decided to ally with the "Rose Princess of Hell": ......

　It is not uncommon for the Council of Elders to take ambiguous decrees and interpret them in a roundabout way, and we are in the middle of a war.
　Still, it was a bold move, and one that Lieramires took with mild surprise.

Riela. May I ask your opinion?

　Rielramirez replied with a few choice words in response to the clinging gaze.
　As a warrior on the front lines of battle, you want allies as much as you can get them. In addition, Rielramirez was saved by the forces of the "Rose Princess of Hell" and witnessed her incredible military prowess.

...... "The Rose of Hell". If it weren't for his or her intervention, I would have died a disappointing death.
It's .......
But I didn't know there were great people out there who were willing to be mirrored.
　I don't think I can ignore that.
Yeah. ...... Yes.
　And yet the Council of Elders has decided to ally with the Rose Princess of Hell.
　And ...... everyone welcomes it.

　Krsalina seemed convinced that the tribe's path would lead to destruction. But her pleas went unheeded.
　But the chief priest would not allow her to rant and rave in loneliness and frustration.

"Do the elders think I'm unreliable?
　"Do the elders think I'm unreliable, that I can't unite the hearts of the people? ......

　As a chief priest, it is your job to receive the oracles of the fathers and pass them on to the rest of the tribe.
　But what's the point of being a chief if you can't get people to listen to your words?
　Such anguish seeps into the voice of Cruz Salina.

"Hey, Cruz. It's a good thing you're serious, but you shouldn't be too hard on yourself.
　It's a good thing you're serious, but don't be too hard on yourself. ...... You're not a Saale.

　It's a good thing you're serious, but don't get carried away.
　Rielramirez thought that Cruzsalina's ability to think straight and seriously about everything was one of her strengths, but it was also a painful one.

　However, Rielamires thought that Krsna's troubles were unavoidable.
　It had been fifty years since Saaresaiah had become a priestess. She was too perfect a priestess.
　She was always calm, yet solemn, and her every word was both gentle and heavy. A person of character would be someone like her.

　Saaresaya was adored and revered by everyone.
　She was the kind of chief priestess who made everyone think that if she led them, they would be united no matter what path the tribe took.

　Her presence was a great support for everyone in this difficult time.
　But she's dead. She was killed.
　And in the Fathers who ordained her, she returned and became one with the forest.

　Death is a return to the great flow of life. It is not a tragedy to be avoided.


　But still, she couldn't help but think that Saaresaiah shouldn't have ended up like this, and that she was needed now.

　Krsna stared at the surface of the water in the cup.

　* * *

　As a result of the negotiations between Saaresaiah and Rene, two conditions were set for the price of the soul.
　The first was to kill the blue soldier who had killed Saaresaya, who Chen Shi said was named Stone Pillow. This seems to be obvious.
　Secondly, kill 20,000 blue soldiers. The second is the killing of 20,000 Blue Army soldiers, to make those who killed the elves pay with their blood, and to take revenge on the parents, children, wives, husbands, and friends who are left behind, by engraving their undoable sorrow on them.

　It seems that Saaresahya actually wanted to make 'the defeat of the Imperial Blue Army' a condition, but it was rejected because it was difficult to define specific requirements, and changes in the war situation could make it difficult to achieve or cause a strategic retreat.
　If 20,000 people were killed, it would likely be a blow to the Blue Army that would make it impossible to continue the operation, and the forest would be protected for the time being. Even if they did not, killing that many people would be sufficient retribution for their blood, and this was the final decision.

　A room in the castle of earth, the frontline base.
　In a compact audience room with a portable human bone throne, the ghost of Saaresaya and Rene were there.

　The pale, vague figure of the elven priestess was still in her priestess attire even as a ghost. The Elven priestesses wore simple headdresses, but the trinkets they had worn in life had disappeared.
　Their faces were gentle and serene. She had a long, thin, elven figure, but with flesh where it should be.
　She was sitting in the air, eye level with Rene.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.　I'm not sure.
　You knew about it long ago, didn't you?
Yes.

　Rene said in a slightly confrontational tone, and Saaresaiah responded softly.

　I'm not sure what you're talking about.
　That doesn't mean she can't do anything about it, but she can at least talk about what she knows .......
　But Saaleesaya remained silent, as if she had fallen asleep. She had definitely seen Rene trying to find out about the reflection.

　And now she began to talk eloquently.
　She started to talk about the phenomenon of the 'mirrored body', where the ancestors who have returned to the forest take on temporary forms and manifest themselves, and about the oracle to defeat Rene.

"May I ask why you have kept silent?
I don't know if I'm qualified to call myself that now, but ......
　I was once a chief priest and ruler of men.
　Even if I were to deny the flow of life and offer my soul as a sacrifice to you, there is something I cannot give up.

　Saaleesaa is unshakeable.
　She quietly and gently stated her position.

'It is the oracle of our fathers that you must be defeated.
　I have decided that it would not be wise to give you information in case they choose to fight you.
　And it's not part of the contract for me to help you, is it?
"Yes, I'm afraid it is.

　Saaresaiah smiles.
　I'm sorry, but you're right." Saaresaiah smiled. Despite her innocent look, Saaresaiah was quite the bait.

But it's too late for that now.
　I'm very pleased that my tribe has joined forces with yours.
　I am very happy that my tribe has joined forces with you, because my selfishness and everyone else's decisions have led in the same direction.
...... Don't call me selfish.

　Rene could read the guilt in Saaresaiah's eyes.
　She was still unable to affirm her resentment at this time.
　It was frustrating for René.

You had every reason to hold a grudge. That's all. That's all there is to it.
'I doubt that. ...... I'm sure.

　Saaresaya put her hand to her chest, as if trying to feel a heartbeat that no longer existed.

As a priestess, I have always been disciplined. No resentment, no jealousy, no anger. ...... I have been a good guide. ......
　But ...... now, holding grudges is as painful as being burned by flames, but somehow ...... I feel so much freer.

　No longer the chief priest, Saaresaiah smiled sadly.