Chapter 33: The Lady of the Blooming Throne

“She was kidnapped?!”

Sae ran to Osvel and grabbed his arm, distraught.

“What happened?! Who could have kidnapped her?!”

“The forest…”

“The forest?!”

Osvel’s gaze darkened.

“We were leading the fruit-gathering expedition when gigantic trees with legs and arms rushed at us… We barely escaped with our lives. But when I realized what was happening, I saw a group of forest spirits carrying her away.”

“Forest spirits?” Thaelor asked, freeing himself from the iluk.

“That’s what they looked like… They were young women dressed in leaves and vines. The trees themselves moved aside for them as they escaped, and I don’t mean the trees with legs, but the normal ones. Their trunks bent to let them pass.”

“What kind of creature is that…?”

“If we’re talking about beautiful female creatures closely tied to nature, I’d say they were dryads. I could be wrong, though.”

“Oh! As expected of a god! You possess all the knowledge of the universe!”

“Thaelor, you don’t have to flatter me every chance you get,” Nerez sighed. “Could you please tone that down a little?”

“My apologies…”

“Dryads? Why would weaklings who go up in flames from a couple of embers want to mess with the servants of the god of death?” Cerys asked in turn. “This is a declaration of war from the god of earth!”

“The god of earth?!” Sae exclaimed, covering her mouth. “Why would the god of earth kidnap Ily?!”

“The god of earth serves the goddess of life,” Cerys explained, summoning her Eidolon and preparing for battle. “And she has a vendetta against Nerez after he humiliated her during the Ceremony of Beginnings.”

“Goddess of life, god of earth, Ceremony of Beginnings… That is quite a lot of new concepts for us,” Thaelor observed thoughtfully. “But seeing how magnanimous the god of death is, it would not surprise me if the goddess of life were evil…”

“Let’s not rush to conclusions.”

Nerez let out a heavy sigh, thinking that not even in the depths of the earth could he escape trouble.

“First of all, the underworld is supposed to be my domain (as far as I understand). Even I only just got here, and I barely know where anything is. I seriously doubt the god of earth, who should still be in Empyrean Peaks, laid an ambush for us.”

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“Aaaaw, really? Are you sure?” Cerys asked, disappointed. “But that would’ve made things so much more exciting…”

“Lord Nereziel! Archon!”

Osvel stepped forward again.

“Please, I ask for your permission to organize a rescue party. It was my responsibility that this happened, and above all… I want to rescue Ily!”

A sad expression crossed Sae’s face when she saw Osvel’s passion. But it lasted only an instant. Soon, she too clenched her fists with resolve.

“Grandfather, I’m asking you too! We have to rescue Ily! Osvel, I’ll go with you.”

“Absolutely not, Sae! It’s too dangerous…”

“It’s true that in a serious fight, where you could use your sword at full strength, I might lose. But could you remind me who always ended up teleported into the river during our training sessions?”

“This isn’t the same, Sae…”

“Ahem!”

Thaelor let out a fake cough to draw the attention of the two young people.

“Osvel, Sae… I understand how worried you both are. But we do not know what we are facing. I cannot put the safety of all the visiare at risk just to rescue young Ilyra. I am sorry.”

“Grandfather!”

“Archon!”