Chapter 70: Ritual of Proof Part 1

"What is this…"

As soon as we got off the ship, we were surrounded by elf soldiers. The atmosphere was anything but friendly. What's going on? Before I could grasp the situation, Darion shouted in an annoyed voice.

"How dare you block my path, I, Darion Sylvanus?"

Sylvanus. Darion wielded his surname as if it were a weapon. Thanks to that, the elf soldiers, who seemed like they wouldn't even bleed a drop of blood when stabbed, took a hesitant step back.

"…Lord Darion, we are here under the orders of the Council of Elders."

The Council of Elders.

In Lysette, the Queen was the supreme ruler, but she didn't manage the country alone.

The seven Elders were as respected as the Queen herself.

They too wield formidable power.

…It's not just an ordinary inspection, the Council of Elders?

Why? They shouldn't even know I exist.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, one of the elf soldiers explained the reason.

"We are aware that someone here is practicing foul witchcraft."

All the elves who sailed with me, including Darion, looked at me. They knew that I had summoned the Kraken. Sh*t, I never imagined things would turn out this way …

At this point, standing still wouldn't help at all. I had to somehow defend myself.

"…Accused of foul witchcraft? That's unjust. I'm merely a common druid. Lord Darion will vouch for my identity."

I subtly dropped Darion's name into the conversation. Fortunately, Darion nodded as if it were the most natural world.

"That's right. I vouch for Theodore's identity. I don't know where these vicious accusations started, but I believe he is truly innocent."

Phew. I sighed with relief inwardly. Darion's firm statement made the elf soldiers hesitate again.

"…The mandate of the Council of Elders is absolute. The truth will be determined there."

They wouldn't back down. I glanced at Darion, and our eyes met; he nodded his head. He too understood that we could not defy the Council of Elders's decree. Reluctantly, I raised my hands in surrender.

"Understood. Should I follow you then?"

"Yes."

"I will come too."

Darion stepped forward, but I stopped him. If Darion interfered further, rumors might start that 'the druid had bewitched Darion Sylvanus using foul witchcraft.

"It's okay, Lord Darion. I am innocent after all."

I had to be careful with how I spoke to Darion, knowing I could not afford to be informal with him in front of the other soldiers. So I respectfully bowed my head to him.

"But…"

"Please look after my companions in my absence."

"Alright. Don't worry about your servants."

"Thank you."

Thanks to Darion, I was able to have brief conversations with Lloyd, El, and Ayla.

Lloyd whispered to me in a low voice.

"If you want, we can escape right now."

"…If we do that, I won't be able to return to Lysette. I have duties to fulfill here. I appreciate your offer, but… I'll be back soon. Please take good care of El."

"Alright."

"El, don't do anything foolish and just follow Mr. Lloyd's instructions. He's your guardian in my absence."

"…Yes. I'll take good care of Ayla too."

"Thank you. I'll be back soon."

I patted El's head once and gathered my things. Though when I say things, it was just a bag and a bow. Even those were limited, as the elf soldiers had confiscated my bow and arrows.

It was indeed a stroke of luck that I had moved the sealed scroll of Demarcushel to the Dimensional Garden in advance. While the elves could search my space ring, they couldn't touch my Dimensional Garden.

The real problem isn't that, though…

I was shaking with anger just thinking about who might have accused me of using "witchcraft" and how long I might be imprisoned under the guise of an "investigation". I barely managed to suppress my urge to rip out the beautiful hair of the elf soldier leading the way and pretended to be calm, gentle, and more peaceful than anyone else present as I followed behind.

"This place…"

Fortunately, what awaited me was neither a damp dungeon nor a torture chamber. Contrary to my worries, I had arrived at a pristine building. Though it was a solitary cell, it felt more like a prayer room than a prison; it was comfortable for both body and mind, well-lit with a table and chairs, and even warm tea and refreshments were provided.

"Please, make yourself comfortable."

Having taken all my possessions including my bag, the elf soldier left a stiff greeting and turned to leave. I heard the door lock from the outside. Only then did it really hit me. Ah, it looks like an ordinary prayer room, but in reality, it's not much different from a prison. Since now I was wearing a bracelet that restricted my magic, I was indeed being treated like a prisoner.

But there's nothing I can do about it right now, anyway.

My bag, the space ring, and even the "old book" had been confiscated. I wasn't too worried, though. There was nothing in the space ring that would raise suspicion, and no matter how clever the elves might be, they wouldn't be able to decipher the contents of the "old book". If they feel that it is unfair, why don't they learn Korean? Haha, long live Korea! Long live King Sejong!

(TN: King Sejong is known for developing the phonetic system for writing the Korean language that is still in use.)

...Well, anyway, that's how it was. The only thing not taken from me were the clothes I was wearing. Oh, and they didn't take Beepy either, because to everyone else, he just appeared to be a chubby sparrow.

– Beep?

He waddled around on the table. I broke off a piece of a nut cookie, similar to a peanut, and fed it to him.

"Tasty?"

Beepy fluttered his wings happily. Although we couldn't talk with each other, having him there made me feel somewhat better. I watched Beepy eagerly gobble up the peanut pieces and groom his feathers for quite some time.

How much time had passed?

It seemed like several hours had gone by, yet light continued to pour in through a small window. What's going on? Is it so boring here that I'm going mad? Why hasn't the sun set yet?

I approached the source of light to look outside.

"Huh, really now…"

I let out a frustrated sigh.

What I thought was a window wasn't a window at all. It was just a piece of illuminated glass.

"So that's why it felt like time wasn't passing."

Such a cruel trick. Indeed, despite its clean appearance, this place was no different from a solitary confinement cell in a prison.

If your sense of time becomes blurred in this way, your mind will also become blurred. I reached into my pocket and took out a seed. It was a clock flower seed. Clock flowers shed one petal every four hours, so it was ideal for measuring time. I used it well in the deep sea dungeon as well.

Even though I was limited in the use of magic, I could still use skills like [Breath of the Forest] that required little magical power. A sprout shot up from the seed, and a flower bloomed in an instant. I placed a single Clock Flower on the table.

As the petals of the Clock Flower fell, I could measure the passage of time, and with Beepy by my side, I didn't feel alone, nor did I feel bored as I took the opportunity to test my skills.

So my current level is…

Finally, level 40. I had graduated from being an apprentice and had become a skilled druid with the "Skilled" title.

I had also acquired the [Sunlight] skill available at level 40. It was a skill that could create powerful energy or "light" by borrowing the power of nature. It was a different type from the light magic of wizards. This "light" was imbued with the force of nature, or "energy". The light produced by [Sunlight] was akin to sunlight and was capable of promoting plant growth.

Of course, its most impressive feature has yet to be mentioned.

Since it was similar to sunlight, it had a tremendous effect on demonic or undead-type monsters.

With proper training, I could annihilate most undead monsters so thoroughly that not a trace would be left.

Since there's nothing else to do, I might as well practice my skills here.

I crossed my legs, sat down, concentrated my mind, and began to meditate. Beepy also stopped fluttering and quietly settled on top of my head. Somehow, it felt like my mind was becoming clearer.

Back in my original world, I occasionally listened to meditation ASMR videos. They always put me to sleep instantly.

Surrounded by silence, the only sound I could hear was my own breathing.

– Whaaaa…

The magic drawn up from my core began to gather at my fingertips one by one. This warmth… it really was similar to sunlight.

I opened my eyes and slowly merged the light in my hands into one. A fist-sized orb of light formed and started spinning and casting bright light all around the place.

With undead monsters more prevalent on the continent now than ever before, having just this skill would make me welcome anywhere. I resolved to practice the skill whenever I had the chance.

Of course, that's only if I can get out of here.

With consistent practice, I might even be able to achieve eternal daylight.

I continued practicing my skill until two more petals fell from the Clock Flower. Basking in the warm sunlight, I felt so drowsy that I took a short nap.

Thump.

For better or worse, before another petal could fall from the Clock Flower, the door opened. Sprawled on the floor, I raised myself to look at the door. Thanks to the orb of light still spinning and casting bright light into the air, I could clearly see the face of the person who just entered.

That's…!

It was a familiar face.

Because he was a character I had already met quite often in the game.

Elder Elf, Blanche.

He was the head of the Council of Elders, a man who could rightly be called the queen's right-hand man.

An elf of his level came to find me in person?

Why, exactly?

Before I could even form a question, Blanche spoke first.

"Are you the druid of the rumors?"

Rumors? What rumors? Was he talking about the [Saint of Purification] or the [Nemesis of Evil]? Or was it about the deep-sea dungeon raid? I couldn't understand exactly what he meant and asked him in return.

"What rumors are you referring to?"

Instantly, Blanche's expression contorted. This was a bad sign.

"A wicked druid who practices foul witchcraft."

"… Huh?"

"A fraudster who falsely claims to be a descendant of the ancient elves."

"… Huh?"

"Is that you?"

"Huh????"