Chapter 79: [79] Traitor

“My lord…” Drakili began, his face distraught. “There are only two occasions at which a chief can be sentenced to death.”

Eliron nodded. Being born as the brother to the former elven lord, he was not ignorant when it came to their rules.

There were only two situations in which an elven chief could be given capital punishment.

The first was in the case of murder, and the second… was treachery.

“I believe we have a spy amongst us,” Eliron said calmly. His eyes alternating between everyone present, gauging their reactions.

Artie did not seem surprised even in the slightest, it seemed she had come to this conclusion a long time ago as well.

But Eliron could tell that Ash was bothered by the thought of it.

He was the type of person who valued loyalty above everything, and although the elves had their differences, Ash wanted to believe that they would never turn on each other.

But he was wrong.

“My lord, may I know what made you suspect Drakili?” He asked, his expression turning firm.

Although Ash would have preferred if it was not the case, he knew perfectly well what measure they had to take if Eliron turned out to be right.

’Why do I suspect Drakili…?’ Eliron mused.

Apart from the fact that he was slimier than a snake and had all the tell-tale signs of a novel villain, there were actually a few reasons why Eliron suspected that there was even a spy to begin with.

Ever since coming to this world, there was something that had been bothering him.

’Why did the bandits attack that day?’

To the rest of the elves, raids had become so frequent, that they now saw it as a part of their daily lives.

But to Eliron who had just gained back his memories from earth, that part of him drove him to investigate the matter.

What he discovered was that these raids were carefully planned, and meticulously carried out at delicate times.

The mercenaries knew the location of not just their regular food stores, but the back up stores as well, and torched them to the ground.

Something they should have never known without an insider.

And that was not all…

The former elven lord had been working on reforms to boost the living conditions of the elves.

He was creating an expedition unit to venture out of the forest, and find allies that could possibly help their sorry state.

How coincidental was it, that the day before they were meant to set out, the bandits attacked?

Because of the damage to their stores, it was no longer possible to carry out the expedition.

These reasons made Eliron certain that there was indeed a spy, but at the time, he had no idea who it was.

All he knew was that the person had to be high ranking enough to know their secrets.

Thankfully, Eliron had a cheat that superseded mere insight… his knowledge about the story.

The reason Eliron was without a notion of doubt sure that Drakili was indeed the spy, was because of a hint from the novel.

In the early parts of Titan’s Tribulations, the MC visited a High elf stronghold, where he met a slave girl.

The girl was half high elf, half wood elf, someone who had been cast away by the high elves, and shackled against her will.

This girl served as the slave to the leader of that stronghold, and due to the conflict with the wooed elves, she would always hear titbits about her home.

On one night, she told the mc this;

In a crimson letter, he would sell out his own people, in search of a light that didn’t exist.

This girl would later die by the hands of the mc, a slave from birth, only set free in death…

Eliron sighed when he remembered the sad story, but returned back to his line of thought.

’Maybe I’ll be able to save her from her fate.’ He thought before shaking his head.

Now, the day Eliron set Durin out to lure Zenith here, he had given him another task, investigating Drakili.

The investigation came up short, but there was one odd thing Durin reported.

He said that in Drakili’s hut, there was a bowl filled with blood, and a quill stained with it.

Since the Elves lacked red ink, Drakili was writing letters in blood—he was the spy.

When Eliron explained his suspicions to them, leaving out what he knew from the novel, the mood in the room became heavier.

Ash’s eyes widened, his fists tightening till his knuckles became white. “Those bastards!” He spat.

Eliron raised a brow. Although he had good points, it was in no way enough to ascertain guilt.

Yet, Ash seemed to now be certain that Drakili was indeed a spy.

When Ash noticed his questioning gaze, he breathed out to calm himself before speaking.

“This happened a long time ago, long before any of you were born.” He sighed tiredly before continuing.

“About a century ago, we were invited to see the high elves for the first time in a while. At the time, Drakili was a capable warrior, so he and a few others escorted the Elf lord to the meeting.”

His gaze darkened, a vein ticking on his temple as he remembered the events of that day.

“Only Drakili returned… the rest of our envoy was wiped out, including the elven lord then.”

“Drakili was once a loyal man, it was after that meeting that his personality changed. If Drakili truly is a spy, then he became one at that meeting.”

“Those bastards must have done something to him!”

Eliron took a moment to think about everything Ash had said.

’This is the first time I am hearing of this…’

There were many reasons people could suddenly have a drastic change in personality, but one of the most common was brushes with death.

When you stare into the void, your life flashing before your eyes, then you tend to see the world a little differently.

You become detached, sometimes cold, other times emotionless.

Only a few people with near death experiences ever walked out the same way.

The question though, was what new perspective did Drakili gain that would justify turning against his people?

Although his story was tragic, there were still somethings Eliron could not turn a blind eye to.

There were probably a dozen members in the envoy, so why was Drakili the only one spared? Why was he picked out to become the spy?

As unfair as it sounds… It was because he always had it in him.

“The devil doesn’t try everyone, he is a bit*ch addicted to desire.” Artie suddenly said, mirroring Eliron’s thoughts.

She turned to Ash who seemed conflicted about the entire thing and smiled.

“Drakili should have died with honour that day, instead of crawling back to us as a hollow log.”

She was harsh, but there was truth to what she said.

It was the first time Ash was seeing this side of Artie, so he was a little surprised, but then, he steeled himself.

Thwack!

Ash slapped himself with both hands, leaving a red mark on both sides of his face, then he turned to Eliron, a look of fierce determination making his features.

“What is the plan my lord? I will judiciously follow your orders to the letter.”

Eliron smiled.

Last time, the expedition was the major event that was happening, this time it was going to be the conclave.

If the pattern were to repeat itself, Eliron could expect interference at the meeting… their golden opportunity to bring Drakili down.

“This is the plan…”

Before Eliron could even begin, a screen flashed in front of his face.

Ding!

— — – 「Act Two」 – — —

[Title: The Confluence]

~> Objective: Prevent the destruction of Artaris and expose the spy lying amongst you.

「Rewards」

◆ Elven Evolution

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