To be honest, the current situation was completely unexpected.
So many elven dignitaries gathered in one place, and in one of the busiest central districts of Pangrave no less.
How could anyone have known that He who swallows the twilight would suddenly appear?
"Who would have thought the day would come when Lemon and Apple were actually right."
Though surprised, I didn't hesitate to make a decision. It wasn't that difficult a problem.
Tuberose had joined hands with He who swallows the twilight and done something to Eve. And now she was showing her true colors.
So what should I do now? The answer is simple.
"Lidia! Please! Leave this to Shadow!"
"Okay."
Prioritizing my safety above all else, Lidia immediately charged forward, blocking the path ahead.
The flame-like aura emanating from her body was far more ferocious than when I faced the Minotaur.
But the enemies seemed to have their own plans as they moved as if they'd been waiting for this moment.
"Kyaaak!"
"Madam President! Why...!"
They grabbed nearby elves as hostages. Not wealthy guests who normally wore defensive magical items, but unfortunate employees who had the bad luck of working for the wrong boss.
Regardless of gender, how could ordinary civilians with almost no combat ability face cultists who came determined to cause chaos?
In an instant, three or four were captured and held up like shields.
"Tch."
Just like when I first met her, Lidia is too weak against hostages. And this fact is too widely known.
If He who swallows the twilight were to use hostages as shields and cause more casualties, she would have pushed forward mercilessly, but...
In a standoff like this, she can't easily make a move.
This is both Lidia's noble strength and her weakness.
...But isn't this why we have companions? To solve problems like this.
"Beni!"
"I know!"
Beni, wearing a dress with a deeply cut back and revealing body lines... a bit more risqué than usual.
Her shadow stretched unnaturally toward He who swallows the twilight, defying the direction of the light.
What emerged next was a mass of flesh that would haunt your nightmares. Shadow.
-Kuheong!
With an intimidating cry, Shadow surged from the darkness. The movement was as fluid as a dolphin leaping from water, but the result was devastating.
Crunch!
"Aaaagh!"
The arm of one of the hostage-takers was torn off by sharp teeth. Tentacles extending from the amorphous flesh became dozens of arms, attacking the other cultists.
Reflexively, they threw away their hostages to avoid the tentacles. That brief opening was enough for Lidia.
"Hup!"
With a short battle cry, she unleashed a sword strike. Not her usual greatsword, but a thin rapier that shot forward at an imperceptible speed.
Like pulling a gun's trigger, each time her flame-like aura burst forth, a part of He who swallows the twilight's body also exploded.
Most lost shoulders or parts of their upper bodies due to the hostage situation, but some had their heads blown apart by the rapier that pierced through small openings.
Hostages fled in panic, while the dignitaries belatedly drew out their self-defense measures.
Being at a banquet, they couldn't carry proper weapons, but various ornaments worn on their bodies glittered as they emitted their respective energies.
Some were simply imbued with a craftsman's spirit giving them special powers, while others were artifacts with magic engraved from the beginning, and some even borrowed power from spirits dwelling within.
Equipment that could produce power equivalent to a second-floor adventurer even without combat ability. However, things didn't resolve so easily.
"Fellow kin. Would you please remain still for now?"
Tuberose's eyes, who had been watching all this while hiding behind He who swallows the twilight, began to glow a yellowish-green.
A somewhat eerie color, different from the clear lime green emitted by the Eyes of Truth possessed by Basileus or Eve.
At the same time, the faint sense of discomfort I felt began to amplify.
To me, it's just a suspicious energy, but what is it to the elves?
Lemon and Apple, who had somehow hidden behind my seat at the head table, cried out with choking sounds.
"Yona, nem! This is dangerous...!"
"Body. Not. Moving well."
The two jerked like broken tin soldiers. Now that I looked, others were in similar straits.
Lidia's movements had clearly slowed, and Beni was continuously chanting something, but her expression was severely distorted. As for Shadow, its flesh was repeatedly collapsing and regenerating.
At least our side could still move somewhat, but the other elves were stiff as boards.
Whatever it is, those eyes seem to work differently from the Eyes of Truth.
It seems I'm the only one completely unaffected.
Looking closer, the unicorn dagger I reflexively drew was emitting a soft light, even though it wasn't in virgin-detection mode.
The purifying power contained in the unicorn horn must be counteracting Tuberose's manipulation.
I discreetly hid the unicorn dagger between the folds of my clothes to prevent the light from escaping.
Meanwhile, Beni, who had somehow completed her chant, pointed her finger at the apparent leader of He who swallows the twilight.
"...Die, you insane bitches! Rotting flesh!"
A red light burst from Beni's index finger. An ominous and dangerous energy that felt threatening even knowing it came from an ally.
But the cult leader just stared at the rapidly approaching laser with a nonchalant expression.
"A failure like you has quite the spirit."
With those words, a barrier of bright red flames enveloped his body. I could tell immediately upon seeing it. That wasn't just ordinary fire, but a part of the sun itself.
The cultist burned away the laser which, though made of magical power, clearly took the form of light.
It should be impossible. But I suppose that's why it's called a miracle.
However, Beni's magic wasn't finished. Why else would she prepare such a long chant in such a dire situation?
Beni had acknowledged and accepted Shadow. The connection between them had strengthened accordingly.
If they are parts of each other, casting magic from Shadow rather than Beni shouldn't be impossible.
-Kyaaak!
Shadow's body, which had been fighting other members of He who swallows the twilight where Lidia's sword couldn't reach, suddenly swelled up, and red beams shot out from mouths that sprouted all over its body.
A mentee-level cultist who took a direct hit died with only bones remaining after his body rotted away while still alive.
And five or six of these beams curved at unnatural angles, targeting the leader from all directions. But...
"...Not bad for a failure."
The flames enveloping his entire body intensified, taking the form of extended wings.
A shape resembling a bird made of fire. I recognized it immediately as one of the settings I had carefully crafted.
"The Phoenix Wings?!"
The offensive and defensive Authority representing the Sun God. Among the powers of dead gods with no room for growth at their core, it's one of the most powerful.
I did create a setting where it fell into enemy hands, but... who would have thought I'd encounter it here?
While I lamented inwardly, the wings made of flame blocked and burned the beams coming from Shadow from all directions.
Simultaneously, a burning sword fell from the air and pierced Shadow's body.
-Kieeek!
Flames consumed Shadow's entire body. Though the firepower was impressive, it wasn't enough to overcome Shadow's regenerative ability.
...The problem was that with those flames attached, Shadow's regeneration was half-sealed.
Knowing this well, another mentor-level cultist rushed toward Shadow.
"Haha! We've been short on test subjects lately, but now I can get one that doesn't break!"
With a hearty laugh, he extended his fist. Surprisingly, it was made of steel.
Judging by the divine power I sensed, it wasn't a prosthetic. That leaves the Iron Arm of the Giant God, one of the common Authorities of the Earth God.
An Authority that temporarily transforms one's arm into steel and grants tremendous strength.
Wham!
Shadow was instantly pulverized by the blow. Normally, it would have regenerated instantly, as if in reverse... but now that process was too slow. Slow enough to allow follow-up attacks.
Wham!
The iron arm struck down on the remaining parts of Shadow again. Eventually, Shadow gave up on complete regeneration and transferred its consciousness to one of the larger fragments.
-Krung....
Its body was much smaller than before. Seeing that it would be completely neutralized at this rate, Lidia, who had been steadily reducing the number of mentee-level cultists, sighed and stepped between them to protect Shadow.
"Nothing ever ends easily."
"I don't know what kind of woman you are, but I'll blow you away too!!"
The excited cultist charged in crudely like a female gorilla.
The iron arm flew with air pressure surrounding it. Lidia countered by surrounding her greatsword, which she had drawn out at some point, with her aura.
Boom!
A collision sound close to an explosion.
Shadow crawled to where Lidia had been until just now, collecting its scattered, burning flesh.
Various magical items automatically activated to protect the paralyzed dignitaries. And the mentee-level cultists were using all sorts of methods to break through them.
Shadow was fighting by using the fire attached to its body to burn the enemies.
It was then that Tuberose, who had been leisurely sipping wine after dropping a bomb on the banquet hall, spoke.
"Don't worry too much. I may not know about the uninvited guests, but how could I harm my own kind? So please don't resist and allow yourselves to be captured quietly. Your safety will be guaranteed by Mentor Tania here."
The leader-class mentor who had been blocking Beni's magic with burning wings, apparently named Tania, nodded.
"All we need is to recover the Authority of the World Tree. And it would be even better if we could eliminate those who continue to interfere with the goddess's plans while we're at it."
A demand for surrender.
It might sound sweet at first glance. But there's no one here who doesn't know this is a trap.
Would anyone trust He who swallows the twilight when there's no one else to trust?
Perhaps she wanted to remain a good mother to her daughter despite being a traitor. Rosemary wasn't affected by Tuberose's paralyzing effect.
She had simply been frozen in shock until now.
"Mother... why...?"
Tuberose smiled gently at her daughter's bewildered voice.
"My daughter. My heir who will inherit everything from me. You may not understand now. But when the time comes, you too will surely understand your mother. You might even make the same choice. We are mother and daughter, after all."
"N-no! That will never happen! This... this is wrong!"
Rosemary gritted her teeth and rose to her feet. All the magical items she had prepared to face the Minotaur glowed at once, and various spells floated in the air.
"...I have no choice. Go to sleep for now."
As Tuberose's eyes emitted a yellowish-green light again, Rosemary stiffened like the others.
Passing by her immobilized daughter, Tuberose headed toward the head table, toward me.
Her target was probably me. More precisely, me who, like Eve, contains the Authority of the World Tree.
Now I somewhat understand why Eve turned evil.
She must have gone to Tuberose for help when things weren't going well with the protagonist romantically...
Only to be betrayed.
I think even I might turn evil if I were backstabbed by someone I had trusted and wanted to protect.
...If that's the case, Eve must still be alive.
After all, you need to be alive to turn evil, right?
While I organized my thoughts, fingering the handle of the dagger hidden in the folds of my clothes...
Lemon and Apple, who belatedly realized Tuberose's target was me, squirmed behind the throne and said:
"Yona nem... escape..."
"We'll handle... this...!"
"......"
No, how can they say they'll handle this and tell me to escape when they can barely speak properly and can't even get up?
I smiled wryly, thinking that while Lemon and Apple might be a bit stupid, their nature wasn't bad. But only inwardly.
Outwardly, I had to pretend to be paralyzed like everyone else.
While I remained stiff, Tuberose finally arrived right in front of the head table and smiled sinisterly.
"Let me give you some advice in advance. Don't be stubborn and answer my questions. Your death is inevitable anyway, so wouldn't it be better to die without pain?"
"What is this crazy bitch saying?! Can't she see me?!"
Beni thrust her body in front of me while blocking Tania's heat wave with magic made of flesh and bone.
Though Beni was still focusing all her attention on Tania and firing magic... the two were evenly matched.
No, while their power was similar, Beni was at a disadvantage in terms of compatibility, making her slightly inferior.
Anyway, Tuberose, knowing well that Beni's words were fierce but she had no capacity to actually protect me, mocked her and began climbing the head table.
"Why don't you try stopping me if you can?"
"You...!"
Just as Beni finally prepared for unfamiliar hand-to-hand combat and raised one leg...
"Yeah. Stop me if you can."
With a smirk, I unleashed what I had prepared in advance.
Roots extending from the massive tree that had merged with the chair I was sitting on grabbed Tuberose's ankles, while branches growing from above fixed her arms.
"How?!"
I swung the hidden unicorn dagger at Tuberose, who had instantly become defenseless.
I aimed for her throat to end her life in one blow, but...
Clang!
With the sound of breaking glass, the dagger stopped a few centimeters from her neck.
"Tsk."
Of course. The president of Cradle Merchant Guild, who has money to burn, wouldn't be without any defenses.
A shield created by a magical item that automatically activated upon detecting danger to its wearer. I managed to strip away two layers somehow, but only cracked the last layer without penetrating it.
"Ha, haha. Good attempt, but it seems luck wasn't on your side."
Is it because, despite being imbued with Basileus's power, it's essentially just an ordinary ornamental tree?
As Tuberose applied force, the roots and branches that couldn't withstand it began to tear away bit by bit.
Facing her triumphant smile, I smiled back brightly.
"Ah. It would be a shame to end it here, wouldn't it?"
Instead of forcibly retrieving the unicorn dagger stuck between the shields, I let it go completely and took out a wrist crossbow from my spatial ring.
"I still have one shot left."
After skillfully attaching it to my wrist and going through the simplified loading process from my previous breakthroughs, I pulled the string.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
Three arrows were fired in rapid succession with a low resonance.
The first arrow dug into the crack made by the dagger, the second widened it to break the last shield.
And the third arrow...
Thunk!
"Kuhek!"
Lodged directly into Tuberose's throat.