Chapter 538

Chapter 538

"What… what do you mean?" Rowena’s brow furrowed even more.

By now, Thesaya was also staring at Ian. Her expression was calm, but she couldn’t hide the way her eyes were shaking uncontrollably. It wasn’t just because she hadn’t expected the statement. Ian had just thrown a massive stone into the tranquil pond of southern fairy society.

After a brief silence, Rowena said, "Are you saying that there are corrupted beings operating within the Great Church and that there are fairies who agree with them?"

"You cannot simply call them corrupt," said Ian.

Shaking his head with a blank expression, he added, "The Round Table is causing strife and fear across the continent, stirring chaos and spreading madness. In order to rebuild the world to their liking, they first intend to destroy it completely. And that, in the end, is no different from saying they will bring down the Empire. They are traitors. The Round Table, and the fairies who follow them as well."

Rowena offered no reply. She simply stared at Ian with wide eyes.

Meeting her eyes, where shock and disbelief tangled together, Ian finally shrugged. "I believe this is sufficient information as payment for setting foot in the Deep Forest."

"…Evidence." Rowena, finally letting out the breath she had been holding, took a deep breath as if to steady herself and added, "Do you have any proof to support your claim?"

"Well, even if I did, I doubt I’d be showing it to you, Elder Chief."

"I put my name on the line instead, did I not?" Ian cut her off.

Rowena paused, and he continued calmly, "I’ve been fighting them for a long time. That alone makes me living proof of their existence."

Rowena’s lips parted as if she were at a loss for words. Ian’s name, in truth, carried enough authority to serve as evidence on its own. He was a superhuman who had achieved countless legendary feats and the Agent of the great Platinum Dragon.

"The Agent of the Saint is not the only witness, Elder Chief," Thesaya said softly then.

As Rowena turned to her, she added, "I was caught in their schemes and suffered terribly. If it weren’t for the Agent of the Saint, I would have lost my life. I swear on my name that everything the Agent of the Saint has said is true."

"My word..." Rowena, who had been staring at Thesaya, finally closed her eyes with a sigh. The shock seemed to be so great that she even staggered for a moment.

"Then, I will consider my debt paid," Ian added calmly a few seconds later. His attitude suggested he couldn’t care less about Rowena’s reaction. He gave Thesaya a nod of his chin and turned.

"Wait just a moment, Agent of the Saint!" Rowena said urgently.

Ian stopped and looked back at her, his brow furrowing slightly. "Surely you’re not going to say this information is insufficient."

"Of course not. It’s just…" She let out a sigh as if to catch her breath and met Ian’s eyes. "It’s just that, as this is a grave matter, I would like to ask for a little more advice."

"What kind of advice, exactly?"

"Do you, by any chance, already know which families are involved?"

"Well, I don’t think giving you the answer can be called advice." Ian’s eyes curved slightly.

She stared at Ian with a pale face for a moment.

"I see. I understand now. You do not trust me, Agent of the Saint. You suspect that I might be in league with those traitors." Rowena’s eyes suddenly narrowed. Her voice was as cold as her gaze.

"Don’t be too offended. There are only two fairies in this world that I trust. Besides, you are a talent the Round Table would want. You are good at hiding your true intentions, are you not?"

"Then why would you give me such information?" Rowena asked as if he had hit a nerve, then frowned. "... You wanted me to deliver it to the traitors. That you, Agent of the Saint, already know everything."

"Seems you don’t need my advice after all," Ian said, a slight smirk on his lips.

Fairies, by nature, were proud, selfish, and deeply fearful. Even if they served the Round Table, they were unlikely to risk their lives. Just as easily, they might turn and challenge their masters. Either way, it would be enough to stir unrest within the Round Table. And it hardly mattered whether Rowena was one of their lackeys or not.

"Indeed, you are extraordinary, Agent of the Saint. Thanks to you, I, too, have become certain that what you say is true," Rowena said then, nodding.

Of course, she still fixed a cold gaze on Ian. "However, I am not a traitor. I had never even heard their name until you mentioned it, Agent of the Saint. And I have lived for quite a long time."

"If that is the case, then you can prove it with your actions. This is a matter of life and death for the entire fairy society, and at the same time, a chance to overturn the existing power structure. Surely you know this, Elder Chief," Ian said with a smile.

"Of course. In fact, that’s one of the very reasons I sought your counsel, Agent of the Saint," said Rowena. She no longer seemed to feel the need to hide her true intentions behind a mask of principles.

"However, if you cannot trust me, then I will have to find another way. Of course, it’s possible a traitor has slipped in among the southern elders as well…" Her gaze shifted to Thesaya, standing beside Ian. "But I know an elder I can trust."

So she’s immediately changing targets because she can’t get through to me.

As Ian let out an inward scoff, Rowena added with a smile on her lips, "I will hold a council meeting when the chaos subsides. And at that meeting, I would like to appoint you as the rightful representative of the southern Deep Forest. What do you think?"

Thesaya answered without a moment’s hesitation, "I am grateful for the offer, but I must decline, Elder Chief."

"What did you say?" Rowena’s smile froze, as though she had been certain Thesaya would accept.

"Because I, too, do not trust you, Elder Chief. Besides, I owe my life to the Agent of the Saint. It is also thanks to him that I was able to become an elder. I have no intention of leaving his side until I have repaid that debt. I believe that this does not go against the rules, either."

Thesaya’s words were enough to twist Rowena’s expression again. Seeing her bite her lower lip, it seemed she had no rebuttal.

"Instead, I will offer a small bit of help as a member of the Council of Elders. Look into the flow of funds of the families. If there are traces of funds flowing in from other fairy houses on the mainland, or from the Great Church, there is a high probability that they are pawns of the Round Table," Thesaya added suggestively a few seconds later.

"That is excellent advice. I will take it into consideration," Rowena replied softly after a brief silence.

She then let out a long sigh and murmured, "Hearing your advice makes me think all the more that I must appoint you as the representative of the Deep Forest."

"Elder Chief."

"I am not asking you to become my subordinate and remain in the forest. However, when the glory of punishing the traitors is achieved, the name of the southern Deep Forest will be recorded alongside it," Rowena quickly added, meeting the frowning Thesaya’s gaze.

It seemed she wanted, at all costs, to prove her innocence. Perhaps she was trying to secure a kind of insurance on the other side. Betrayal was practically a specialty of the fairies, after all.

"You’re making it... very hard to refuse," Thesaya finally said with a reluctant nod. The twitch at the corner of her mouth made it clear she knew full well she had nothing to lose either way.

"Will that be enough to satisfy you?" Ian, who had been watching, interjected suggestively.

Though she smacked her lips with a somewhat reluctant expression, Rowena nodded. "Yes, Agent of the Saint. It was not the information I was expecting, but I have learned something far more important."

"In that case, perhaps you wouldn’t mind granting me a small favor."

At Ian’s addition, Rowena paused and looked at him. "How coincidental. I was just about to offer you a small piece of advice in return. So, what is the favor you wish to ask?"

That doesn’t look like the face of someone planning to return the favor.

Even as he thought it, Ian said, "Lend me some horses."

"Pardon?" Rowena asked a beat later, her expression one of disbelief.

Ian glanced at the two white horses standing by the roadside behind her and added, "I believe it is only polite to leave the forest as quickly as possible. Once we arrive in Tahena, I will have the fairies of Erenos safely return the horses to you."

She stared at him for a moment as if in disbelief.

"Take them," said Rowena, with a laugh that was impossible to tell if it was one of amusement or bitterness.. Soon after, she snapped her fingers lightly, and the white horses trudged toward Ian and Thesaya.

Receiving Thesaya’s surprised gaze, Ian nodded nonchalantly. "I will take them gratefully."

He then naturally grabbed the reins of a white horse, stepped into the stirrup, and swung himself up, adding, "What was the advice you were going to give?"

Rowena, one corner of her lip curling up once more, readily opened her mouth. "It seems an ominous rumor is circulating in the capital."

"An ominous rumor?"

Her eyes glinting, Rowena suddenly lowered her voice. "That the great Platinum Dragon destroyed the Black Wall on its own, without the permission of the royal family and the Order."

Even knowing it was true, Ian’s expression did not change in the slightest.

"It seems you have a contact in the capital," he murmured coolly, merely adjusting the stirrup straps to fit his leg.

The one whose face had hardened instead was Thesaya, seated on the other white horse.

"Neither the royal family nor the Order has made any official statement yet. However, if the rumors are true, you must be careful, Agent of the Saint. The traitors lurking in the shadows will not let such a good opportunity slip by," Rowena said, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

"I can’t tell if you’re worried about me or hoping that will happen, but thank you for the advice. I will keep it in mind," Ian murmured with a chuckle, then grabbed the reins.

It was clear his reaction wasn’t the one Rowena had wanted. After smacking her lips once, she shook her head as if fed up and said, "Then you can leave now. You have paid a fair price, so no one will disturb you."

"Gladly." Ian, baring his teeth in a smile, snapped the reins.

The two white horses shot off down the path.

Rowena remained frozen in place, watching the two riders disappear into the distance. They never looked back, not even once, until they were gone from sight, even to an elder fairy’s eyes.