Inside Nature's Dwelling.
Martha saw Yurisan, Felipe, and the other mages returning under Airestine's lead, and spoke in a cold, sharp tone: "I don't know what more I have to say. If you suspect me of wrongdoing, by all means report it to Her Majesty the Empress and the Grand Elder — let them decide whether to arrest and interrogate me. But until then, please stay far away from me. The stench of your souls makes me sick!"
Felipe and Yurisan seemed not to hear Martha's overwrought words, calmly turning their gazes to Airestine.
Airestine took two deep breaths, mustering her courage. Her expression was strained as she said: "Lady Martha, the mages believe there is reason to suspect you, and therefore wish to search your cottage and the tree pouch you carry."
"What? They suspect me, so they want to search?" Martha cut Airestine off, her shrill voice laced with disbelief — this was the complete opposite of what she had expressed before. Within her astonishment, a volcano of fury was brewing.
The elves who had been receiving her instruction were equally unable to contain their shock. At the same time, their accumulated aversion and resentment resonated with her, as though a similar anger was rising within them.
Airestine hurried to add: "Mother has already agreed to their request."
"What?" Martha took a step back, and the surrounding elves froze as well. Her Majesty the Empress had agreed to the humans' outrageous demand?
Having spoken those words, Airestine finally set down the burden in her heart, and her speech became fluid: "Lady Martha, I hope you can understand — the Elven Tree is the very foundation of our survival. Every elf wants to find the cause of its corruption as quickly as possible and restore it to normal. In this process, there will inevitably be wrong judgments and misdirections — that is unavoidable. If any elf is wronged because of this, I offer my apology in advance, but the investigation will not be halted. If we cannot search here, if we cannot question that one, the matter will be very difficult to advance."
She took full responsibility for the matter onto the shoulders of the elven royal family — onto her own shoulders — without mentioning the mages or the humans a single word. Though her tone was gentle, it rang with firm authority, the bearing of one in a position of power on full display.
Her experiences during this period had given her the most rigorous training of her life.
All the elves studying dance nearby nodded slightly. No matter what, the Elven Tree came first. Though they felt resentment and grievance, obstructing this investigation would be tantamount to gambling with their own survival. They only needed to ensure that those damnable humans didn't wrong any elf.
Their gazes toward Heidi, Anick, Averice, and the other mages grew even more hostile and resentful, as though placing all blame squarely on them.
The dark, bluish-green hue of Martha's skin made it difficult to read the changes in her expression. Nearly a minute passed. Just when everyone assumed she had tacitly accepted the search, she suddenly spoke: "I will not accept such slander! Her Majesty the Empress must have been deceived by these filthy human mages!"
"This is an attack on my character and my soul — I will never yield!"
Her resolute opposition surprised the other elves. If she truly believed herself innocent, she could simply wait for the search to turn up nothing and then file her protest with the Empress, the Grand Elder, and the Princess. Acting so defiantly now actually made one suspect she truly had something to hide. This was hardly the time for emotional outbursts.
"Lady Martha, if you're worried that the mages might fabricate evidence to frame you, we can supervise the entire process. I'm confident that the Divine Arts bestowed upon us by nature are by no means inferior to Arcane Magic," a female elf spoke up in an attempt to mediate, believing Martha's refusal stemmed from such concerns.
Another male elf added his reassurance: "Even if they fabricate evidence, we can easily and simply prove that your character is spotless. Since this concerns the corruption of the Elven Tree, it will be perfectly clear whether the black marks have been noticeably eliminated or not."
Heidi glanced at Anick, then nodded to Yurisan, confirming their shared assessment — Martha did indeed have something to hide, but wasn't she being far too obvious about it?
Facing the persuasion of the surrounding elves, Martha seemed to relent somewhat. She spoke in her cold tone: "Fine. Go in and search. If you find nothing, I won't accept your apology — I only hope you'll have the decency to leave the forest in shame."
Felipe, both hands in his pockets, his tall, thin frame not swaying in the slightest, walked toward the tree house at a leisurely pace. Step by step, the air before him seemed to transform into stairs, carrying him directly up into the tree. The elves followed closely behind, afraid he might fabricate evidence unfavorable to Martha.
Yurisan, Heidi, and Anick had no intention of provoking the elves, and along with Airestine and Martha, flew in by conventional means.
The tree house was not large, but it was tidy and clean, filled everywhere with the fragrance of wood and flowers. Apart from books, sheet music, and picture albums, Martha's room contained only a simple hammock made of leaves and a few ornaments crafted from withered petals, oddly shaped stones, and fallen leaves.
Under Yurisan's direction, Anick and the other mages cast searching spells through every corner of the two tree houses. Among them, the Crystal Dragon Averice was the most enthusiastic, darting between the elves like a puppy, his bright eyes scrutinizing everything around him as though trying to memorize every gleaming stone and trinket. He would periodically extend a claw to pick something up for "inspection," lingering over it and unwilling to set it down.
At that moment, Felipe found a notebook among the books and began leafing through it.
"These are notes on music and dance — can you even read them?" Martha said, her mood sour, her words laced with barbs.
Upon hearing the elven word for music, Felipe's right hand trembled slightly. Then, in a flat tone: "Rest assured, my artistic sensibilities are not as meager as you imagine."
"Oh, really? Do you use thigh bones from corpses as flutes, or rib bones to make seven-stringed harps?" Martha retorted without a trace of courtesy. In her interactions with various elves the previous day, Felipe had made no effort to conceal his identity as a necromancer.
Felipe raised his head, his sickly face betraying not a flicker of expression: "Lady Martha, I only wish to ask one thing — why, when recording the 'Dance of Vengeance,' did you pair every single movement with a passage proclaiming hatred of nature and the abhorrence of humans, as though they were mandatory steps and ritual incantations?"
At Felipe's words, Yurisan, Heidi, and the others' eyes lit up — they had sensed something. But they quickly furrowed their brows, feeling it was almost too easy, too convenient.
Martha's expression soured as she explained: "This was to explain the key points of each movement. And what does this have to do with any ritual?"
"If these are merely key points, with your caliber as a dancer, you would only need to note the corresponding emotions — there's no need to make it look like a speech and an oath," Felipe said, betraying not a hint of satisfaction.
An elf beside them was about to mount a defense on Martha's behalf when Felipe suddenly produced a book: "This is a special ritual for summoning demons. You can take a look — see if it bears any resemblance."
Airestine looked over and saw several conspicuous words on the cover: *Wicken's Special Summoning Ritual.*
"Hmph. You certainly came prepared," Martha said, turning her head toward the window and dismissing the book with contempt.
The other elves passed the book among themselves in puzzlement.