Reinhard went outside the elder’s house, wielding both of his staves and fully expecting to continue fighting, but he was surprised to see that… the fighting has stopped.

There stood a couple of dryads, Fraenis included, as well as the sylphs that helped them. It appears that they were taking the defeated knights who were still alive and tying them all together in one place.

He didn’t want to leave the elder’s body behind inside the room and would have preferred to lay him into the soil as soon as possible. Unfortunately, he wasn’t strong enough to lift the elder himself, so he had hoped to find someone else who can.

“So, how is he?”

Fraenis asked as soon she saw Reinhard coming out of the house. Her voice still carries timidness.

“He’s… dead. Sorry, I didn’t make it in time.”

Reinhard replied as he looks down in defeat. The atmosphere turned even gloomier than it already was earlier.

“Someone who can carry him, please do so. He’s in his bedroom.”

After a short pause, a relatively muscled dryad went inside the house. He emerged outside just moments later, carrying in his arms the elder. Even in his death he was still smiling.

They took him towards an Earthwood Tree behind his house and laid him beneath it. Afterwards, the similar roots and vines came out of the ground and slowly dragged his body down to the soil below.

“zhe’ Vek-gha”

The dryad that carried him said.

-“zhe’ Vek-gha”

-“zhe’ Vek-gha”

And then everyone followed, Reinhard included. They did not mark the place with a grave or anything, as the dryads that were consumed by the soil weren’t really “buried” there. They’re brought back to nature, quite literally. Hence, “the dead isn’t down there, they’re all round them, in nature”. Reinhard finds this fascinating. It prevents those left behind from looking back to the past by visiting their “graves”, and it gives them encouragement, knowing that their loved ones are just around them, in the trees and in the grass.

The sylphs that were there didn’t say anything. They just watched as the elder returns to the land.

Afterwards, they all began to slowly leave the area and return back to the bound knights. The sylph that had saved Reinhard flew towards him, landing and sitting on his right shoulder.

“Well, he’s had a long run…”

The sylph said with familiarity, seemingly unfazed.

“You personally know him?”

Reinhard asked the sylph who was now tinkering with a light that it produced using magic.

“Of course! I’ve known him since he was a child.”

The sylph replied with a nostalgic smile on its face.

“By the way, did you know what his name was?”

Reinhard was taken aback. That’s right… he never knew what the elder’s name was. He couldn’t believe himself that he never even bothered to ask about it.

Suddenly, the sylph laughed.

“Ahahahahaha! You should look at your face!”

It said joyfully.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t have one.”

“Ah?”

“He was born before the elves, when the dryads were still the custodians, so he doesn’t have a name, just like how we don’t. Names are for mortals.”

“…”

“So? What are you planning to do now? Go on an adventure?”

The sylph added.

“No, I was given the responsibility by the elder to lead the village.”

“Hm, I see.”

“You don’t seem surprised…”

“Huh? Why would I be?”

“Well, I’m not a dryad. I’m a human… just like those knights that attacked. And I’m supposed to lead a village of dryads.”

“Ah… Then do you think that all the dryads were responsible for the actions of the few that severed themselves from nature?”

“What? Of course not!”

“Then it’s the same case with you.”

“…”

“Well in the end it’s your choice.”

The sylph says as it flew away.

“It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you don’t bring about something that may forsake the safety of nature, it’s fine, no?”

“…and by the way, I really liked what you used our wood for. You’re a crafty one, aren’t you?”

It said one last time, before flying away with the two other sylphs towards the barrier. Due to there being no Sylpheim Tree inside the Garden, the sylphs would have to physically travel on the forest so they could return to their homes.

Reinhard returned to the place where the remaining dryads were gathering, in front of the elder’s house. He looked around each and individual knights that were bound together and saw that the level 30 knight commander was there.

“Where’s your lord?”

He menacingly asked the knight commander as he approached him.

*Ping!*

[SYSTEM]

[Interrogation 1] leveled up to [Interrogation 2]

“…”

But the knight only looked up at him, not uttering a single word.

Irritated that he had just been ignored, he materialized his earth staff and pointed it towards the knight commander.

“I trust you know what happens if I use this on you?”

He said in a cold tone.

*Ping!*

[SYSTEM]

Acquired: [Intimidation 1] Passive Skill

The knight commander sighed.

“Go on, kill me.”

He said.

“I have failed as a knight. I took an oath to forever protect and help the weak, and yet here I am… watching as a village of innocent dryads gets slaughtered whose only sin was that they’re trying to hide the possessor from selfish humans. Tell me… you are the possessor, aren’t you?”

“…”

Reinhard didn’t say a single word nor even reacted to what he said. He has no obligation to confirm or deny his allegations.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to tell me. Take my life if you want, but please I beg of you, spare my knights. They had no choice but to follow. I take full responsibility of their actions.”

-“Sir!”

-“No, you’re not at fault, commander!”

-“We’d gladly die by your side!”

“Shut up!”

He shouted.

“You’re all still young. You have bright futures ahead of you. The Kingdom will probably pronounce you all dead anyway once that bastard Tali returns, so you could start a new life somewhere far away!”

“I see. So your lord has escaped huh?”

Reinhard said while listening to the display in front of him.

“That’s not good. He’s surely going to tell his king where the Garden is. It doesn’t help that we can’t close the barrier either… Tsk!”

“Are there any prisons here or anywhere we can keep them locked up?”

He asked to the dryads who were listening with him.

“There isn’t. We have no need for those after all. We can just tie them to a tree, can’t we?”

One of the dryads replied.

“Hmm…”

“Do we tie them to a tree, chief?”

Another one asks.

It took Reinhard a couple of seconds to come up with the decision.

“It can’t be helped. Yes, we’ll tie them to a tr—“

“Wait, chief?”

He suddenly asked as realization dawned on him that someone had just called him chief.

“Y-yeah, didn’t the elder appoint you as the new chief?”

“He did but… how did you know? I was actually thinking how I was going to tell you all…”

“Let’s just say that your conversation with the sylph isn’t really that quiet.”

Fraenis retorts.

“So… you’re all okay with it…?”

Every dryad present there agreed.

-“The elder has the wisdom of a thousand years. I’m sure he saw something in you.”

-“Yeah. And you fought and killed your own kind to protect us. I’m pretty sure that’s good enough reason for us to trust you.”

-“I don’t think no one can deny the extent of what you’ve done to help us.”

-“Indeed.”

-“And besides, you are that person, you know.”

“What person?”

Reinhard wondered what the dryad woman was implying when she said “that person”, so he was about to ask it to her when something clicked in his mind that made him realize.

“Oh, I see. The possessor… right.”

He exhaled heavily.

“…”

“Well… I hope I do my job right.”

[SYSTEM]

Acquired: [Village Chief of the Garden] Title.

♦ ♦ ♦

There were, in total, 18 knights that had surrendered and were tied around the biggest tree within the Garden. The knight commander is one of them. They were all tied by a rope created from the twisted bark of an Earthwood Tree. It was provided by Lem as he claimed that this is much stronger than traditional ropes.

Reinhard has also requested that some form of cover from the rain and sun be created for the bound knights while they decide what to really do to them.

“I suggest we just kill them.”

Said by a male dryad as Reinhard asks them about their opinions.

“We give them back to nature, and our problems will also be solved.”

He added.

“I understand your point, Phyllos, but they already surrendered! To kill someone who has already yielded is… barbaric.”

Replied by Metha, the village’s herbalist.

“But they killed our families! Our neighbors! You’re going to let them live just because they surrendered?”

Phyllos retorted.

“Some of them didn’t.”

Suddenly, Lem spoke out amidst the two’s arguments.

“I saw that many of those knights didn’t even lay a single finger on anyone upon entering our village.”

He continued as he glances towards the bound knights.

“And besides, even if some of them did, they had no choice but to do so, otherwise they’ll face the gallows back in their kingdom for insubordination.”

“So they’re absolved of their crimes just because they were following someone’s orders?”

Phyllos replied.

At this point, the discussion has becoming a heated argument, and Reinhard who’s managed to keep his opinions for himself up till now, is finding it hard to manage them.

“Erm… Everyone, I have a proposition.”

He said. However, the exchange of words between Phyllos and the others were just too heated up that either they didn’t hear Reinhard or they weren’t paying attention.

“Uuuhhh…”

He continued to try and butt in but couldn’t find the opportunity to do so.

“SILENCE!”

All of a sudden, Fraenis shouted on top of her lungs, catching the attention of everyone, even by the knights.

“Reinhard was about to speak.”

She nonchalantly says.

“…”

“Thanks, but… you didn’t have to do that.”

Reinhard said.

“Well, everyone, both sides are correct. We have accepted their surrender, so we should at least honor our actions, but then again we can’t let those who have wronged us get away with it, so I was thinking we should only punish those who actually participated in the battle.”

“I mean… isn’t that obvious enough?”

No one said anything.

“I agree.”

Fraenis said after the long, awkward silence.

“Well? What do you guys think?”

“If that’s your decision, then so be it.”

Lem says.

“Very well.”

Phyllos added.

“Eh? You just accepted it like that? I mean, I get that it’s the most obvious course of action but, at least say something!”

“Hmm. I see, then we’ll go with that.”

Reinhard walked towards the bound knights, following him were the four dryads present at the discussion.

He first cleared his throat before speaking.

“So… Tell me truthfully… Who among here participated in the battle and has killed or hurt a dryad? I suggest you tell the truth as dryads can discern whether you’re lying or not.”

Five knights admitted that they did. Reinhard looked at Fraenis, whereby she nodded as a confirmation that they were telling the truth. Then, he asked the four dryads to individually ask the knights who didn’t admit to see if they really didn’t participate. It was the truth. Only the five that admitted has either killed or harmed in the village.

He then had them lined up in a row, asking them individually about why they did those things, whether they sacked the houses and whatnot. They dared not lie while in the presence of four dryads.

It appears that all five of them really only did those because they were ordered to, and none of them sacked or looted anything.

“I see. Very well.”

He had the five returned back to being tied to the tree. Then he took the knight commander to a room in the elder’s house, which is now his.

Only three people were there, Reinhard, the knight commander Sir Velram, and Fraenis.

“I’ll cut straight to the point… If I ask you and your knights to work for and guard the village, what are the chances that you would backstab and betray us?”