Determination

"It's not your fault. What... what you did was right. You freed him from his never-ending torment."

Kenneth heard Aqua's words and realized that the water fairy was trying to comfort him. Even though Aqua could only hug his nose with her size, Kenneth still felt comfortable when he felt the fairy's touch.

"He will feel better after this. Trust me, Human."

Gaia also spoke as she finally continued her magic. The earth fairy let Kael's body slowly turn transparent before she glanced at Kenneth again with a small smile.

"He has something to tell you before he leaves, Kenneth."

Gaia guided Kenneth to touch the transparent body so that the prince could connect with Kael before he left. Kenneth touched Kael's hand while continuing to cry. But after he heard a familiar voice in his mind, the prince finally stopped crying like a child.

"Live freely from now on, Your Highness. Follow your heart. Then... thank you for freeing me from that hell."

Kael's body finally disappeared after the man finished his last sentence.

***

"Hey, are you okay?"

Although Kenneth stopped crying after a while, Gaia couldn't help but ask when she saw Kenneth still looking down even after Kael disappeared. Gaia no longer showed hostility towards Kenneth after she learned everything, thanks to Kael's memories.

Besides, Gaia now knew who the main enemy they were supposed to fight was. As for Kenneth being a prince or him being previously tasked to kill Lelitia, Gaia would ignore that after she saw how Kenneth fought so hard for the safety of all of them.

"I... I will protect the Audoran Forest from now on."

Both Gaia and Aqua stared at Kenneth when the prince suddenly said that. Kenneth picked up his sword. He stabbed the sword into the ground, then repeated his words firmly.

"I will protect Audoran Forest, and I promise not to let those people from the Mage's Association get what they want! I will make them pay a heavy price for playing with the lives of living beings! I... I will defeat them all."

Kenneth's words trembled slightly at the end of his sentence because he was still trying to hold back his tears when he made that promise. Kenneth took a deep breath after that. What his teacher said earlier, Kenneth would remember it forever.

Kael asked Kenneth to choose his path. And now, Kenneth was even more convinced that he should not follow the Mage's Association's wishes that asked him to kill Lelitia. Kenneth was sure those people must have evil intentions by asking them to kill Lelitia. Therefore, from now on, Kenneth swore that he would strengthen his heart to protect Audoran Forest from all the dangers that threatened it.

Kenneth would do it, even if doing so meant disappointing the people who had been waiting for him in the palace.

"Are you serious about your promise?"

Everyone's attention was diverted when Lelitia suddenly appeared and walked over to Kenneth, who was kneeling on the ground. Her beautiful green eyes focused on the prince. Lelitia continued to wait for Kenneth's answer until the elf repeated his question when Kenneth still didn't give her the answer she wanted.

"Are you serious about your promise, Human?"

"Lelitia, I don't think this is the right time to ask that. Right now, that human still feels..."

Gaia's words were lost when she saw Kenneth slowly get up. Kenneth looked at Lelitia with a serious expression. The prince nodded, then answered Lelitia's question with a confident voice.

"I mean it. From now on, I will protect the Audoran Forest and not let this place fall into the hands of humans."

Gaia knew that it wasn't just her feelings. Even though it was only for a moment, she could see that Lelitia's gaze looked sad before the elf gave a small nod. Lelitia approached Kenneth, who was covered in wounds, with calm steps. The elf's hand was raised, and Kenneth almost thought that Lelitia would kill him at that moment.

However, a warm feeling that flowed in his body made Kenneth open his eyes again. Lelitia used magic to heal all of his wounds. The elf waited until Kenneth was completely healed before she switched to treating Gaia and finally Aqua.

Compared to the abilities of a normal healer or Aqua, the magic that Lelitia used felt like it was on a completely different level. All of the wounds they received disappeared in an instant. Lelitia let out a sigh of relief, then switched to casting her next spell.

"Wait a minute, Lelitia! What happened to the people who chased you?"

Gaia, who realized that Lelitia was about to take them all back to the deepest area, immediately stopped the elf from completing her magic. "I set a trap so that they would all die when they stepped on it. But even if they don't die from the magic, they will at least be automatically sent back to where they came from."

Dual magic was Lelitia's specialty. That ability allowed her to activate two spells with just one cast. The second magic that Lelitia used would also not be detected by her enemies. Even if her opponents were people from the Magician's Association, they still wouldn't be able to escape the trap that Lelitia had set up.

"Ah, they only hit teleportation magic."

Just as Lelitia spoke, the elf could feel that the remaining people in the Audoran Forest had been forcibly sent back to their original places. They could all finally feel a little at ease. After Kenneth and the fairies had exhausted their power while Lelitia had driven them out, it would take at least some time before they could return to full strength.

"They... they won't be attacking the Audoran Forest for a while, right?"

Lelitia turned to look at Kenneth, then nodded. Originally, Lelitia was going to continue her teleportation magic after confirming that there were no more intruders in the Audoran Forest. However, after seeing Kenneth's expression, Lelitia finally decided to give the prince some leniency.

"After this, I will change the strengthening magic in Audoran Forest so that intruders will no longer be able to enter as they please. It will be difficult to enter or exit this place after I do that. If you still have something to do in the outside world, you can finish it right now."

Kenneth stared in surprise at Lelitia, who could tell that Kenneth was worried about Uri and his mother. Princess Abigail would probably be fine because she still had King Ducan, who would always protect her daughter. However, if the news that Kenneth was siding with the residents of Audoran Forest reached the palace, the prince was not sure the kingdom would let his mother and Uri stay alive in the Ruby Palace.

"Then, can I leave Audoran Forest for a while? I'm worried about my family's safety."

"Unfortunately, I can't let you leave this place."

Kenneth's shoulders dropped again when he heard Lelitia's answer. Of course. After he learned so much about Audoran Forest, Lelitia would never let him leave so easily.

Besides, getting out of Audoran Forest didn't guarantee that he would be able to reach the palace on time. Not to mention that Kenneth might be in even greater danger if he did get out of Audoran Forest. Kenneth mustn't forget one thing from now on. As long as he sided with Audoran Forest, he could be considered an enemy of humanity.

"However, you can write a letter, and I will send it to your family."

Kenneth looked up again as Lelitia continued her words. Sending a letter was faster and safer for Kenneth. The prince smiled slightly, then nodded quickly.

"Alright. I will write a letter to them."

One moment, Kenneth looked so sad and hopeless. Then, the next moment, the man smiled with hope. Lelitia watched Kenneth in confusion. But not long after, the elf finally decided not to think too much about Kenneth's strange behavior and created paper and a pen using her magic. Lelitia handed the paper and pen to Kenneth. The prince accepted both, then quickly wrote down what he wanted to say.

Until Kenneth finished his letter, Lelitia's eyes did not leave Kenneth's figure. Lelitia even ignored Gaia and Aqua and invited millions of questions in the minds of the two elemental fairies.

"I'm done. Then... please."

Lelitia nodded, then took the letter Kenneth had finished writing. The elf put some magic on the letter. Then in the next moment, the letter changed shape into a feather that flew high before disappearing from their sight.

"I used transformation magic so no one would accidentally find the letter. Apart from those who were supposed to receive the letter, the letter will never change shape into the letter you sent."

"The feather will also not stop flying until it reaches its destination. Even if someone catches it, it will continue to move until the letter is delivered safely."

Kenneth had never heard of such great magic before. However, because the speaker was an elf who was known to be an expert in using magic, Kenneth ended up believing Lelitia's words.

"Thank you. I appreciate your help."

This time, Lelitia did not immediately nod like before. Lelitia just stared at Kenneth for a long time until Kenneth felt confused by her actions. Kenneth was just about to ask why Lelitia had not stopped staring at him since earlier. But before he could do so, Lelitia had already averted her gaze.

"We will return now."

After that, the elf cast a teleportation spell that would take them directly to the deepest part of the Audoran Forest in an instant.