Though he believed Orion's words, he couldn't resist asking, "So, there really is a god trapped in that mountain?" curiosity evident in his tone.
Seth nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, in fact, there are two gods. Although only Fifi and I were capable of handling White Flame, it was Orion who managed to kill him," Seth revealed, observing his father's widened eyes, filled with surprise and shock, as well as Stronghold Leader Zogar, who appeared incredulous.
The Village Chief seemed to struggle to believe what he had just heard, especially the part about Orion killing a god.
As the Village Chief scrutinized Orion once more, thoughts raced through his mind—contemplating what it meant to kill a god, a being on par with Naka. He wondered about the consequences tied to such an act.
Meanwhile, Stronghold Leader Zogar couldn't help but entertain the idea, thinking, 'Though he is currently too weak, with some training, he might have the potential to become the next Rightward Stronghold Leader.'
Even though Orion remained a one-star warrior, yet to ascend to the ranks of a two or three-star warrior, Stronghold Leader Zogar didn't seem concerned about that detail at the moment. After all, Seth's explanation clearly placed the victory of killing a god squarely on Orion's shoulders. Considering Orion had recently completed his graduation ceremony, granting him a position based on merit alone was sufficient to include him among the Village's key figures.
With his recent achievements, promoting him to Rightward Stronghold Leader would be a smooth process, the only potential hurdle being his age.
Nevertheless, Stronghold Leader Zogar recognized the need to pave the way for this possibility, allowing Orion to naturally grow into the position given his promising merits and achievements at such a young age.
Seth continued, "As for the second one, he calls himself the Aegis of the Arctic Deity. However, unlike White Flame, he is located at the bottom of the mountain and appears to be even more powerful." Seth's words deepened the Village Chief's frown.
Unable to contain his curiosity, the Village Chief asked, "If we were to suddenly go to war with him, what are your chances of defeating him?"
"I'm afraid it is impossible for me to come to a conclusion now, father," Seth replied, exhaling deeply as he shook his head.
Though he recognized the strength of the warriors, enough to handle White Flame and contend with the Prismerian Kingdom's strongest warriors, the memory of Aegis of the Arctic Deity rendered them unconscious with a mere wave of magical pressure lingered. So, Seth couldn't predict the outcome of a battle between the Village's warriors and Aegis of the Arctic Deity, as doing so, even for their pride, would be mere...
Arrogance.
Seeing his son's expression and hearing his response, the Village Chief sighed deeply, nodding in acknowledgement.
"This is not a good place to talk. Let's find a suitable spot to plant Saria's tree before we continue our discussion privately," the Village Chief suggested.
He directed his gaze towards Saria, who stood near Orion with a warm smile and gestured for them to follow him. Turning around, he walked forward.
Orion, Saria, Stronghold Leader Zogar, Seth, and the other arrived warriors followed behind him. Meanwhile, the warriors nearby immediately lifted the vase holding Saria's tree and joined behind them.
Minutes later, rumours began circulating among the tree nymphs that Saria had returned to the Village, accompanied by a strange and beautiful new tree.
…...
On the edge of the farm, near Anara's section, a multitude of tree nymphs perched among the branches, filling the area to the brim. Below them, Orion, Anara, Dariya, the Village Chief, the Village Chieftess, the Caretakers, Stronghold Leader Zogar, and Seth stood at the side, observing as the warriors carefully lowered the large crystalline vase onto the grassy soil.
"Alright, slowly, let it down," one of the warriors instructed, guiding the gradual descent of the vase to prevent it from tumbling to the ground.
After placing the large vase on the ground and stepping back, Saria walked forward. Mentally commanding her tree, she caused it to forcefully break out of the vase and take root in the grassy soil, sinking its roots deep into the ground.
As Saria's tree firmly took root in the grassy soil, Anara exhaled deeply silently.
"I'm done," Saria said.
She turned to address all the tree nymphs perched on the tree branches. After taking a deep breath, she said, "I know that my disappearance and its cause have made you all worried and anxious, causing a lot of problems for the village as well."
Saria redirected her gaze to the Village Chief, the Caretakers, and the others. She watched as they sighed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders, and then turned her attention to Anara and the others, who regarded her with warm smiles. She then refocused on the other tree nymphs.
"However, I am back now, and a little different too," Saria continued with a chuckle, stealing glances at her tree, the most beautiful on the farm.
The other tree nymphs, including Anara, looked at her tree curiously, eager to know what had happened for it to look this way.
"So, I hope everybody can cool down and prevent the chaos from getting any worse than it currently is," she added.
The tree nymphs nodded in understanding at Saria's words.
The violent and chaotic behaviour they exhibited was a direct result of Saria's disappearance and the events surrounding it. Even her once-thriving tree had withered, leading them to believe she was dead.
However, now that she was back, alive and well, and looking even better than before, they had no reason to cause any more trouble for the Village.
"Welcome back, Saria! Thank goodness you're safe!"
"Welcome back, Saria! We'll come back later so you can share the story of what happened to your tree and how it transformed into looking like that!"
"Welcome back, Saria! Your disappearance had us worried, especially when your tree withered. Seeing you safe now makes us relieved!"
"Welcome back..."
