Chapter 511

"That is correct, Agent of the Saint," said Daniel in a subdued voice.

Diana’s gasp followed. "No way."

She slowly lowered the hand that had been covering her mouth and nose and added, "Was she unwell somewhere? She is not one to step down from her position otherwise. Then again, considering her age, I suppose it isn't so strange."

Daniel gave no reply. The emotions that had briefly flickered in his eyes while looking at Ian now faintly stirred again as he turned to Diana.

Of course, this lasted for only a fleeting moment.

"That, too, does not seem like a topic for now. I brought this up solely so that you would be aware beforehand," Daniel whispered calmly.

Diana, who had been staring at him with a slight frown, finally nodded. "Right. Thank you for telling me. Otherwise, it would’ve been a real shock."

"So, in the end, we were on our way to meet her," Ian added.

Daniel glanced at him before turning his head forward again and answering, "Yes. That is correct, Agent of the Saint."

It seemed something had happened during the transition of power. But Ian said no more and looked away. He wasn't particularly curious. Whatever it was, he would inevitably find out once they met her.

Besides, the hallway they had been walking through was about to end. It had taken them this long partly because the hallway was long, but mostly because Daniel had been walking unusually slowly.

I thought he was just dawdling because we had time to kill...

Looking back, it seemed he'd slowed down to inform them in advance that the head of the house had changed. Daniel’s pace was now quickening.

Swoosh...

A breeze laced with magic swept from beyond the hallway. It was crisp, and the magic it carried felt strangely refreshing. Taking a deep breath, Ian followed Daniel around the corner.

His eyes widened slightly right after. The continuing hallway was only a few steps long. And beyond it, a lush, green forest unfolded.

"Indeed, the word

garden

is not enough," Ian muttered as he stepped outside. It looked like someone had uprooted an entire forest and planted it here. The magic mixed in the fresh air felt even more distinct.

"I told you. If there are a lot of trees, it’s a forest," Diana, standing to his right, added quietly. She seemed to have composed herself from her surprise, her face once again impassive.

Nodding in agreement, Ian looked around once more.

In front of them was the forest of Erenos. To the left and right, the cross-sections of the mansion’s hallways continued. The three-story, Imperial-style stone mansion formed a square, enclosing the forest.

In the hallways lined with closed wooden doors, fairies with blonde or platinum hair occasionally passed by. They all walked quietly and quickly, with their heads slightly bowed. A few were armed, like the guard from before.

"From here on, I must ask you to remain quiet," Daniel whispered as he turned onto a small path between the trees. A faint tension was visible on his face as he looked back at Ian and Diana.

What kind of strict discipline are they under? Then again, she’s probably heavily influenced by Charlotte and me.

Adding the thought internally, Ian followed the path into the forest. Through the green trees, the sky, thick with dark clouds, was clearly visible. Despite the dimness of the day, the forest did not feel that way at all.

This is certainly an artificially created forest.

Looking around, Ian gave a small nod. He had finally realized that not only was the variety of flowers, grasses, and trees excessively diverse, but they were also arranged to look as beautiful as possible.

Everywhere he looked, an unrealistic landscape unfolded, as if it had popped out of a fairy tale. The plants and trees appropriately obscured the view, making it impossible to see far.

It was a forest designed solely to exhibit the beauty intended by the fairies.

How incredibly fairy-like.

While snorting silently, Ian continued along the gently curving path. He could tell he was circling toward the center of the forest just by the increasingly distinct ripples of magic. Besides, a familiar scent was now brushing the tip of his nose.

"A cigarette?" Diana, who muttered as if she had caught the same scent, quickly clamped her mouth shut under Daniel’s gaze. She tilted her head, her brow still furrowed.

Ah, right. Smoking's not allowed in the forest.

Ian, realizing the meaning of her expression, nodded. The smell of burning herbs didn’t quite suit this picturesque scenery.

Diana nudged his arm right after. When Ian looked at her, she turned her gaze to the upper left and tilted her chin. Turning in the same direction, a faint glint of interest appeared in Ian’s eyes.

Swoosh...

Beyond the plants and trees obscuring his view, a tree branch rose in a slanted curve. Its color was much darker than the surrounding trees. What was more noticeable were the broad, green leaves growing all over the branch. A faint light, like that of fireflies, flickered upon them.

A branch of the Tree of Life.

It had to be the source of the magic that was growing more distinct. As they walked closer, the lower part of the branch gradually came into view, and Ian’s eyes naturally followed it down.

Below the branch, the form of a wide, interwoven structure made from living tree trunks appeared. It was the backrest of a tall chair crafted from living wood.

That’s even more impressive than the grafted branch.

The magic from the Tree of Life was clearly emanating from the chair as well.

Ian’s eyes, which had been tracing down the back of the chair, finally stopped. It was because a male and female fairy, standing side-by-side, blocked his view.

Like Daniel, they were dressed in Imperial-style formal attire. Another similarity was that they were watching the approaching Daniel with expressionless faces.

"The honored guests have arrived," Daniel, who had gone ahead, whispered to them, his lips barely moving. The fairies nodded slightly and stepped aside with lowered eyes.

Daniel turned to Ian and gestured politely toward the clearing beyond.

A quest completion window popped up before Ian’s nodding eyes.

Ah, right. There was this, too.

Glancing briefly at Diana, Ian closed the window as he walked alongside her. A clearing covered in neatly trimmed grass, like a lawn, was revealed. So too was the wooden chair in the distance, shaped as if two trees had intertwined to form it.

The branch of the Tree of Life, draped over the back like a canopy, faintly illuminated the surroundings. Of course, Ian paid no mind to the leaves imbued with magic.

His gaze, crossing the garden, was fixed on the throne-like wooden chair. Or more precisely, on the fairy sitting upon it.

Thesa.

Her silver hair flowed like living silk. Her face, with eyes closed as if in meditation, was exactly as Ian remembered Thesaya’s to be. The veins that pulsed around her eyes were the same as well.

Woosh...

Ian's lip curled slightly. Around her neck hung a familiar glass vial attached to a golden chain. The liquid inside shimmered faintly with a golden hue. It was the Elixir of Life.

What, trying to advertise her connection to the Platinum Dragon?

Then again, Platinum Dragon had guaranteed that the sealed bottle wouldn’t break easily. There likely weren’t many people bold enough to steal it from the neck of an elder fairy.

Aside from the fact that it looked excessively heavy, it was fulfilling its role as an accessory well enough.

Swoosh...

As the ripples of magic gently swept over her, Diana stopped a few meters away from Thesaya. Unable to take her eyes off the new elder and the head of the house, she swallowed dryly.

Ian stopped beside her, his gaze quietly fixed on Thesaya. She was as small and slender as ever, dressed in a form-fitting gown of Imperial style. The fabric was a deep, blood-tinged black, glossy, unadorned. Yet that simplicity only made the contrast with her pale skin even more striking.

It was more reminiscent of her vampire fairy days than her time as an elder fairy.

Seems she’s taken up smoking too.

In her right hand, which rested on the armrest, was a long cigarette holder that looked as if it were made of reeds. The cigarette fixed at its end was still burning.

Around her wrist was a familiar bracelet inlaid with a small magic stone—the protective bracelet Ian had given her as a parting gift.

His smile widened a little as his eyes drifted down to her crossed legs.

She still seems to hate shoes.

Her bare feet were in plain view. Every time she slowly tapped her toes, a thin gold band wrapped around her ankle swayed gently. That a leather strap was fastened to her inner left thigh, hidden by her skirt, was a detail he hadn't particularly wanted to know.

After taking in the certificate in her left hand, Ian finally turned his gaze to the area around the chair.

Two fairies stood on either side of the chair, clad in leather armor more decorative than functional. They stood side-by-side with expressionless faces, their gazes lowered. They were so still that they looked like statues.

Ian’s gaze shifted slightly to the right just then. He had felt a faint presence. From beyond another path that led off to the side, a fairy was slowly approaching. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before his gaze returned to the chair.

Woosh...

The ripples of magic that had been softly spreading were rapidly subsiding. The halo of light shimmering on the leaves also faded quickly.

"

Hmm...

"

A low breath escaped from between Thesaya’s slightly parted lips. As the pulsing veins around her eyes subsided completely, she slowly opened her eyes.

Ian’s form filled her swamp-colored eyes, which shimmered with the remnants of magic. Her eyes widened. Her lips twitched for the briefest instant.

Staring at Ian with a blank, almost angry expression, Thesaya finally moved her lips.

"It has been a long time, sir." Her voice was as cold and emotionless as her expression.

However, Ian was neither surprised nor did he frown.

"It has been a long time, Lady. No... Head of the House." He simply bowed his head slightly and responded politely.

After a moment of staring as if to pierce through his face, moving only her eyes to the side, Thesaya asked, "And you are?"

Diana, startled, blinked and bent her knees slightly as she replied, "I am Diana, daughter of Aela, Head of the House."

"Aela’s daughter?" Thesaya repeated.

Diana’s eyes twitched at almost the same time. Magic was creeping out of Thesaya. The pulsing veins around her eyes were reappearing.

Swoosh—

The leaves of the Tree of Life glowed, and the entire forest undulated as if it were a wave. However, the surrounding fairies merely bowed their heads, showing no other reaction. Though she frowned in confusion, Diana did not raise her bowed head.

Only Ian stood blankly, watching Thesaya.

Woosh...

It was only a few seconds before the magic spreading from her subsided. As the undulating forest grew still, a heavy silence fell upon the garden.

The one who broke the silence was Thesaya, who put the cigarette holder to her lips. "Raise your head."

Diana finally looked up at her.

Thesaya’s gaze returned to Ian at almost the same moment. "What is your relationship with her?"

Instead of answering right away, Ian looked at Diana. Though her face was expressionless, the light sheen of sweat on her forehead revealed her anxiety.

Facing Thesaya again, Ian answered, "We are comrades."

Thesaya’s eyes twitched for a moment. Turning to Diana with eyes that had grown even colder, she said, "Step back and go through the return procedure. Wait until I call you."

"Yes." As Diana answered, Daniel crossed the garden and came to her side. His face was stiff, and he made no sound as he walked.

Bowing her knees once more, Diana turned. She glanced at Ian with a strange look, its exact meaning unclear.

"That order wasn’t for you, sir," said Thesaya.

She was now looking to her left. Ian followed her gaze and turned his head to the right. The fairy who had been approaching from that direction was now standing at the edge of the garden.

That fairy had neck-length blond hair and, unlike the other fairies, was dressed in relatively plain clothes. Soon, Thesaya looked back at Ian and stood up, putting the cigarette holder to her lips.

"Follow me. We have things to discuss, just the two of us."