From the palace throne room, I continued my journey in Lathiar Village.
Unlike the Vermillion region, which is filled with various magical tools made by Azure Crystals, Lathiar Village is relatively dark, aning there are no Azure Crystals to illuminate and provide light.
It’s ironic, because Lathiar Village is actually filled with elves, who are more competent Azure Crystal crafters than any crafter in the Vermillion territory.
I saw the elves staring at from afar with gazes filled with hope and anxiety at the sa ti.
None of them dared to speak, just silently watching with sad eyes.
Even without words, I knew what had afflicted the residents of Lathiar Village.
Lathiar Village was forced to use Azure Crystals to supply magical energy to power the manipulation magic of Sylvaris and hir loyalists.
I knew the manipulation magic that concealed the village’s location from the golem was quite difficult and required a lot of energy to maintain its effect.
Not to ntion the use of that complex manipulation spell beco mandatory due to golem’s threat, leave those elves no choice than sacrificing their Azure Crystals.
However, the use of Azure Crystals drained a significant amount of resources that could have been used for other purposes.
Sylvaris’s strategy was essentially to hide Lathiar Village from the golem’s invasion, then fearmonger every villager so that he could gain legitimacy to rule over Ilyana and Lathiar Village itself.
No wonder Ilyana dared to co outside the village and et , even though she initially had murderous intentions, since she was almost desperate to be pressured by her own war general.
Amidst the silence and stares of the hundreds of elves I passed, I continued walking until I finally arrived at a wooden gate, which, if I may say so, was little more than a wooden post that marked the entrance to Lathiar Village.
What a sad and gloomy village, I thought.
"Sir..."
Suddenly, a child’s voice rang out behind .
A young elf girl, probably around eight years old, walked by, handing a blue and white crowned flower.
The color resembled Azure Crystal.
"...this is for you, Lord Vermillion," the elf girl said, her innocent voice still focused on .
I smiled, then squatted down to be at her height.
"Oh, thank you, kid. What’s your na?"
"My na is—"
"Arde...! Don’t...!"
Suddenly, an elf woman ca and grabbed the elf girl’s arm, covering her mouth.
I saw the adult elf woman’s face pale with fear as she saw .
She pulled her child away, and no more words ca from them.
Clutching the flower the elf girl had given , I looked around, staring at the elves who were still watching from behind the windows and doors of their house.
From the fearful looks in their eyes and trembling faces, it seed they felt there was no hope for survival.
This fear arose from the fear mongering of Sylvaris, which made them fearful of anyone from outside, which I could say was quite difficult for them to continue their lives as usual.
"...you all stay calm. I’ll return with good news," I said quite loudly.
I waited a few seconds, and none of the elves dared to respond.
They simply stared at with equally fearful expressions.
But a handful of them hoped for a change from their dire situation, and I could see it in the sparkling eyes every ti they saw .
"No wonder Princess Xenia and Princess Xavena ventured out of Lathiar Village and into the Cursed Heart Forest to restore Lathiar Village from this complex ss," I muttered softly as I walked out of Lathiar Village.
After hundreds of ters out of Lathiar Village, I saw the trees to my left and right growing taller.
The thick, nurous branches overhead blocked out the midday sun, making it feel like I was walking through the night without stars.
The sounds of insects and animals that had been buzzing around gradually faded, then disappeared entirely as I progressed deeper into the forest.
The darkness around was so intense that I had to activate the black fla in my right palm to light my way.
So far, with only my black fla, I was still able to continue walking through this extrely dark forest.
I even had to tread carefully because of the nurous large tree roots that could trip up.
I continued on my way, until I finally sensed a faint magical barrier covering my path.
Strangely, this barrier wasn’t as thick as a typical magical shield.
Perhaps this barrier was simply a magical tool to detect enemies entering my territory.
Well, since I had co here with the intention of invading, I certainly didn’t need to hold back any longer.
I continued to stride steadily through the barrier.
’ZAPPP...!’
A strong gust of wind blew past as I broke through the magical curtain, but it only lasted for a mont.
Nothing changed, not even my magical flow.
Although it didn’t affect , I knew I had entered enemy territory.
The enemy fully aware I had co and breaching their territory.
Still on alert, as I continued my steady, relentless steps, the tree roots disappeared.
The surface I was walking on now felt flat, unlike the ground I was used to.
The large tree I used to walk on was no longer visible.
I felt like I was in a vast field with a stone floor that had been built by soone.
Although the place was deserted, I could feel a mysterious magical flow filling the air.
The only source of light at that mont was the black fla in my hand, until finally a whitish-green light appeared on the stone floor of the field.
TAP!
TAP!
TAP!
The sound of footsteps slowly approached.
From the rapid, alternating sound of their shoes, it seed two elves had arrived.
My suspicion was correct.
There were two female elves, the one wearing a black hooded cloak with fur trimming the shoulders, giving her an elegant yet mysterious look. Her dark hair fell softly around her delicate face, her eyes serene. This woman wore a layered dress with a dark brown corset that gracefully contoured her figure, paired with gloves and lace details that enhanced the aristocratic feel.
The second woman next to her presented a contrasting yet balanced look, wearing a red hooded cloak trimd with white fur at the hem. Her hair was a reddish brown, matching the color of her dress, and her eyes radiated a softer, more open look than the woman next to her. This woman wore a red dress with a similar corset design, emphasizing classic elegance and feminine strength.
From those beautiful and elegant elves, I knew they were twin elf won.
The only difference between them was their hair and eye color.
Their two pointed ears, a hallmark of elves, were faintly hidden by their respective veils.
They both smiled at wordlessly.
But I could already feel the surge of their gripping magic slowly engulfing and my surroundings.
"Are you Princess Xenia and Princess Xavena?" I asked quietly, but neither woman said anything.
They both just smiled, until the elf woman in the all-black dress suddenly transford into fallen leaves that fluttered in the wind.
Before I could react, the fallen leaves flew towards , obscuring my vision.
"WOOOSSHH...!"
The damn strong wind did obscure my vision for a mont, but I still managed to keep looking ahead.
The figure of the elf woman in the all-red dress was still clearly visible, but not the black-haired elf woman in her all-black dress.
’STAB...!’
"Ugh...!"
Suddenly, a sharp wooden stick shot out from behind , piercing my back and into my stomach.
The sharp stick struck at the sa ti as the long-haired elf woman hugged warmly from behind, whispering manipulative words as the blood slowly flowed from my mouth.
"My na is Xenia...as you might have guessed. Let tell you...consider this a gift before you die at our hands..." said the black-haired elf woman with an evil smile.
I groaned in agony from the pain of that damned slash.
Unfortunately, my magic was restrained, unable to unleash it as the wooden stick miraculously tried to take over my body.
Xenia, aware of my body struggling to fight, imdiately grabbed my right palm and pointed at the elf woman in the red dress in front of .
"...and my na is Xavina. You have entered the Cursed Heart Forest, Vermillion boy...and we have been tasked with welcoming you with death..." said the red-haired elf woman, radiating a red magical aura.
In re seconds, the red light that enveloped her body instantly transford her into a red-furred wolf.
The monster wolf imdiately lunged, and I reflexively raised my right hand to block.
But unfortunately, the red wolf’s claws and fangs were far stronger.
I scread in pain as my right hand and part of my right shoulder were torn apart by the red wolf’s sharp teeth.
"Aggghhh...!"
My pained scream rang out loud over Xenia and Xavena’s sly laughter.
They were both still smiling as I collapsed in a pool of blood.
Let alone standing up, even getting up and looking at them felt impossible.
"Your fate ends here, Vermillion boy. You were wrong to choose to walk into the Cursed Hear Forest..." Xenia said with a sly smile.
"You want to save Lathiar Village...? Unfortunately, that’s the stupidest decision I’ve ever heard, Vermillion boy... Lathiar Village will be destroyed along with all the elves there."
I certainly didn’t agree with them, but I couldn’t even get the words out.
I knew that in my dying state, they thought they had already won against .
But that was their first mistake.
The Black Star on my right palm lit up brightly on its own, causing a black aura to surge through my body.
At that mont, Xenia and Xavena fell silent, shocked by the still-radiating black aura.
"V-vermillion...! Y-you...?!"
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