Please show me the way, show me the way ......

　Krsna had been holed up in the cave of the Great Spirit Tree, praying.

　It was a vast, domed, semi-subterranean space at the base of a huge, uncanny tree.
　The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of the intricately intertwined roots of the great spiritual tree, and pale blue light was flying around.
　In front of the altar set up in the center of it, Krsna was praying alone, without even a companion.

　Whenever the senses of the body become vague, as in a dream, a voice echoes in Krsna's mind like an echo.
　I already know that.

　--I already know that.

　Every time Krsna touched the will of her fathers, she felt as if her life was being sucked out of her, but she did not stop praying.
　It's not enough. I don't know what's missing, but it's not enough.
　Not enough to lead this village.

　Deeper.
　Deeper.
　I tried to touch a consciousness beyond humanity and get something from it.

　Somewhere I thought I might die.
　But that didn't stop Krsna from praying.
　This is a job worth risking my life for.
　Saaresaya had risked her life for her village, though in a different way. Why should I, her successor as chief priestess, spare my life?

　If you ignore the oracle and cling to the bait of the moment, your village will fall. At least that's what Krsna herself believed.
　To avert a future of destruction. To fulfill her role as head priestess, to guide everyone.
　For that purpose, she was willing to give anything.

　Feeling the power of the thundering veins of the earth, Krus Salina spread her senses within them.
　She struggled to regulate her unsteady breathing and support her unsteady head, as if she were squeezing out every drop of blood and magic.

　The closer she got to the point between life and death, the more vividly she could sense the great will that resided in the veins of the earth.
　Eventually, Krsna was so touched by the Great Will of the Fathers that he did not know whether he was hearing voices or thinking.
　She melted with the Great Will and became in tune with it.

　Gradually, Krsna understood. The way her fathers had returned to the forest.
　She took for granted the restrictions imposed on those who had assimilated the veins and truly become a part of this world.
　The reflections were infrequent, the pronouncements unfriendly and straightforward, and that was inevitable.
　But now it was an emergency. Even more so if the living do not fight.

　The providence of this world. The balance of right and wrong. Tilt it one way and there's a repulsive force going the other way.
　Now that the evil one loomed over the forest, the earth's veins were like a drawn bow.
　And Krsna would be the key.
　Just as they reached out to each other, the paths connected.

　Aha!" Krsna sighs in his heart.

　--For the sake of the world and the gods, I will avenge the Rose of Hell.
　　　Surely this is why I became a priestess.

　Not for the village, not for the forest, not for the fathers.
　For the people. For the world. For the gods.
　But Krsna, who had half lost his ego, could not question it.
　She was just dreaming, wrapped in the great satisfaction of knowing that she was doing what needed to be done.

　Before long, the vast cave was filled with a dazzling light.

　The blue army of the Empire of Canis is on the move.

　There is a movement in the Blue Army of the Koenis Empire: ......
　The "unspoken alliance" between the Great Forest of Gezenfall and the exiled nation of Ciel-Teirah against the Blue Army had also begun to move.

　At the northern edge of the Great Forest of Goosenfall, work was going on through the night.
　The undead soldiers took the cannons in and out of the magic items for storage, checking to see if they sat well when they were in place, if they could get a good angle of fire, and if they could turn.
　If there are any problems, they will instruct the elven sorcerers sent from the forest side to magically change the shape of the trees and plants to build a position.

　Even though the Imperial Blue troops had cannons, there were not enough of them to cover the entire outer edge of the forest.
　Therefore, you have to move with the movement of the Blue Army and deploy the cannons from the magic items for storage. In order to do this, we have set up positions in advance at key points.

"Princess, are there any strange things coming out?

　Rene, who was watching the work, received a telegram from Everis.
　Since the caller needs to speak, he does not know where he will be heard. That's why they are communicating by telekinesis.

　Rene responds by listening to the signs, magic, and emotional responses around him.
　The elven warrior, though hesitant, shows no particular hostility and continues to monitor the undead's work. The sorcerers who are being forced to build up their positions are similarly cautious.

"So far, so good. There's no sign of the reflection, and there's no strange activity on the part of the ...... elves.
I'm glad to hear that. I guess I was being too cautious when I added Miaranse to the mix.

　In the event that you're not sure what to do, you'll be able to find out.
　Rene had brought her along as a means of peacefully suppressing any strange moves by the elves. She's not a great fighter, but she's strong enough to spread the evil eye of fascination. If Miaranse could take care of the enchantment, Rene would not have to take the vampire form and would have a free hand.
　But fortunately, it seems that preparation will be in vain.

The work is going well. I think we'll be done by morning.
"That's good.
If the Blue Army attacked tomorrow, what do you think they'd do?


"They know we've got the cannons in place. I think they're going to try a little test on top of that.
　But even if the artillery is effective, it's not enough.
But even if the cannons are effective, it won't be enough to settle the matter, will it?　The blue army can just run away from the forest to a place where they can't be reached.

　In the event that you have any kind of questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. If you can get them to function properly, they can be a formidable fortress.
　However, protection alone is not enough to win. In order to fulfill the contract with Saaresaya and to secure our safety for the time being, we need to make a move.

"Is it best to exhaust them with repeated night raids?
"Well, it's hard to use artillery in the middle of the night, and ordinary troops are restricted in their actions. On the other hand, our army is stronger at night, so there's no way we can't take advantage of that.
　In any case, first we have to survive tomorrow's attack.

　Everis then chuckled mischievously.

You can't win too easily, though. It's not worth our while.
It's true. I'm sure you'll be able to take control of your village faster if you fire your cannons in moderation.

　It's important to win the Blue Army first, but it's also important to politically subordinate the elves, since they will be using the Great Forest of Goosenfall as a frontline base for some time to come.
　In order to do so, it would be quicker to take advantage of the threat of the Blue Army.
　The reason why I'm working on building up my position in the forest is to break through the first step, which is to let the undead into the forest, which is a step of great psychological resistance, and to establish a fact.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's worth it.

　As the conversation died down, Everis suddenly said in a matter-of-fact tone, as if talking about the weather.
　René somehow looked up at the dark night sky beyond the trees.

　He wasn't sure what the structure of this Pangaea world was like, but at least the moon was waxing and waning just like the earth.
　Tonight was a clear night, but it was a new moon, so the night was even darker.
　The undead, who use magic to perceive their surroundings, are unaffected, and vampires like Miaranse can see as if it were daytime, but the elves have baskets filled with firefly-like insects that light up the area like lanterns.

"What do you think, Princess?
　The witch is a former human, so she likes to bathe in the moonlight, but do you feel better at the new moon?
"There's no discernible difference. But now that I have a body, I guess. ......
　You might be able to tell the difference when you're in spirit form.
It's true that the undead are more active on new moon nights than usual.

　The phases of the moon have an important meaning in this world.
　It is said that on the far side of the moon, which cannot be seen from the ground, lies the palace of the evil gods, which is why the night when the sun sets and the moon shines is the time of the evil ones.
　Even at night, the Great God gathers light from somewhere and shines it on the moon in order to block the power of the evil gods, but the light changes its strength like the waves that come and go, and on the night of the new moon, it becomes completely useless.
　On the night of the new moon, all the good people close their doors tightly and wait for the dawn, refusing the evil ones. The wicked rampage through the night, and evil rituals are often performed.

　And...

"......?

　Suddenly, the area became brighter.

　Cracks of light were etched into the ground, as if cracks had appeared.
　The light grew stronger and stronger, and a dazzling glow lit up everyone in the room from beneath their feet.

　Rene felt a sensation similar to nausea.
　He felt an uncomfortable pressure at his fingertips, as if wires were being wrapped around him, and his freedom was being taken away as if he were numb.

　--The same ...... bow of light that the Projector had used.
　　　It's not!　It's something similar but much more unpleasant ......!

　He had learned all he could about the forest and the veins, but this was not what René had expected.

　It seemed like magic, but Rene instinctively sensed that this was not magic.
　The means of defense and escape she had prepared for the attack would not work. Magical means would not work.
　Something beyond the realm of magic is ......

"Princess!

　With a scream from Miaranse, Rene was swallowed into the light.