In the heart of the Great Forest of Goosenfall, in the middle of the forest near the Great Spirit Tree.
　There was once a pure spring there.
　The fountain, glistening in the sunlight through the trees, quenched the thirst of the birds and beasts that lived in the forest, and was sometimes used by the elven priestesses to purify themselves.

　Now it is a shadow of its former self.
　The forest is blackened and polluted by evil.
　The spring had turned into a swamp of evil, gushing out cursed mud like pus.

　In the center of the swamp, which was not very large, black vines that grew out of the mud were tightly knit together to form a foundation, and on top of that, walls and a ceiling were built to form a kind of vine fort.

　This place is a political prison, so to speak.
　Among the elves who were the leaders of the tribe, those who were clearly hostile and those who did not obey the "Rose of Hell" were held prisoner.

　In one of the cells, separated by black vines, was Cruz Salina.

"...... ah ...... ah ...... ah ......

　The body affected by the evil spirit ached as if it were screaming with each breath.

　Both of his arms were hung from the ceiling, bound by hideous black thorns, and his weight caused them to bite into the thorns and bleed. The thorns occasionally moved themselves like snakes to change the position of the spikes. The thorns sometimes move themselves like a snake to change their position, as if they are trying to cover the whole area in blood.
　The torn remnants of the priestess's costume were wet and thirsty with dripping blood, and wet again.
　Her feet were also crucified to the floor by thorns, and she was unable to move as she sat.

　All I could see was a narrow pathway of vines beyond the thorny bars.
　The light coming in through the small window behind him (which feels dim and dark even in the daytime) allows him to roughly grasp the time. At first, I was counting the days since I was trapped, but I was gradually losing my sense of date.

　At this point, Cruz Salina was almost completely abandoned.
　She was interrogated in a perfunctory manner, and after that she was completely abandoned.
　She was not even tortured. The demons have already lost interest in Krsna.
　Except as an object of torment to punish them for turning on her.

　Krsna's body, contaminated by the blast, is still in unbearable pain, but somehow she doesn't die.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. I'm not sure what to make of this. ...... I'm being kept alive just to suffer.

　It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything that might help you.
　Suddenly, however, a voice coming from the window behind her brought Cruz Salina's consciousness into sharp focus.

"...... Cruz.
"Riela!

　It sounded like a whisper, but it was her best friend's voice, and she couldn't mistake it.
　It was a whisper, but she couldn't mistake it for her best friend's voice. She shouted loudly, but lowered her voice in fear that someone would hear her.

"Did you ...... come to save me?
No. ...... I'm sorry.
　Cruz, do you know anything about what's going on in your village right now?
Nothing. ...... The demons won't tell me anything. I've never had anyone come here like this before.

　The lack of knowledge of the situation had Cruz Salina on edge and in a whirlwind of anxiety and frustration.
　Or was that even what the demons wanted?

　Riela Milles stammered something.
　There was a slight pause, and then, in a slightly stiff voice, she said, as if she had made up her mind.

Right now, Ciel-Teira is fighting the Empire with her forest elves on the same battlefield as the demon soldiers.

　It was one of the tragedies that Cruz Salina had imagined.

You mean they're making you a warlord. ......!
"No, no. For now, only volunteers.
　And those who have fought get a 'war ticket' for their services.　No, no.
　This can be used for food, and if you give ...... more war credits, you can also get food and other delicacies from outside the forest. Eventually they'll give you money in exchange.
Food?
They control the distribution of the food from the forest.
　But we're slowly reclaiming the forest that the imperial army took, and the tribes have been reduced in number ............. It's not enough.
　There's barely enough food to keep us alive, and those with warrants buy what they need and share it with others.

　Lierramire's story took a strange turn.
　That makes us more like soldiers in a human country than warriors.
　Not only are some of them conscripted, but some of them are paid to fight.

Is everyone all right?　I wonder what kind of life under the control of demons will be like. ......
Most of what we see in the forest are mindless undead.
　They are watching us, but they are like puppets, they won't do anything to us unless we rebel.

　Cruz Salina was confused.
　It was weird to think that these evil demons would just sit there and not do anything.
　It was creepy.

What are you up to, ......?
If I had to guess, I'd say ...... efficient and continuous control.
　By treating them fairly, we can build them into a system that will make them cooperate voluntarily. ......
　That's what I'm fighting ...... for.
No!　Why? !

　Cruz Salina screams, feeling her heart being crushed.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's like being left alone in the dark. It was despair.

"Quiet, Cruz.
"You, ......, will fight alongside a demon, .......
"Cruz ......, I swore to fight in exchange for your life.

　A quiet confession pierced Cruz Salina.


　It was as if my organs were bleeding.

"Stop it, Liera!　You're joining a demon to save me!
　Then please let me die!
"You and I are the only ones left in the Tea Party of Seven!
　If I lose you too, I ...... will be lost!

　I'm not going to be able to do that.
　The air was stuck in her throat, as if it had frozen.

"You're dead and ...... gone!　Ail ...... and Wita .......
I'm not sure what to make of that.　We were the only two who survived. ......

　The seven of us who are close in age and have vowed to be together forever.
　I'm not sure what to make of that.
　She was at the epicenter of the disaster that had wreaked such havoc on the forest. It was a miracle she was even alive.

　I could hear him slumping against the wall through the window.

The only way for us to survive is to cooperate with Ciel-Teyla.
　We no longer have the power to oppose either the empire (Koenis) or the exiled nation (Ciel-Teira).
　The treasures of the tribes were given to them by the gods in the ...... war, and any that were still left were taken and ......
　They were offered to the demon gods. It was said to give them the power to defeat the empire.
Such ......
What's truly frightening is how few people are still rebelling against it when it becomes known. ......
　The Ciel-Teirah exile army has actually defeated the Empire and guaranteed everyone's lives and profits.
　Everything is calculated. ...... We're butterflies in a spider's web.

　The voice trembled slightly, as if in fear.

　It's like a vine that parasitizes an old tree and strangles the trunk, Cruz Salina thought.
　The demons are invading the forest, seeping in silently, not by force of arms, but by something overwhelming and unbeatable.

But I'm not going to let you go through ............ this alone. I'll get you out.
Oh, no, no, no. I ......
The ...... patrolling jack-o-lanterns are coming.
　They'll be here when they're ready to see you again.
Oh, Riela, ......!

　The conversation ended abruptly.
　The conversation ended abruptly. The voice trailed off, leaving only the faint sound of footsteps, and then I heard nothing more.

Why ...... why ............?

　The tears dissolved and blotted the blood that had almost dried on the floor.