Only God

Eden followed the others into the forest.

The nobles' hunting activities never involved personally venturing deep into the forest to find prey. Not only was it exceedingly troublesome, but it would undoubtedly leave them dirty and disheveled, with the sharp branches scratching their expensive clothes and the inconspicuous stones tripping their noble legs. These factors made the nobles rarely hunt in the forest themselves.

They often waited on the open fields or the outskirts of the forest for the prey driven out by the hunting dogs and falcons.

And the higher-ranked nobles, they not only had hunting dogs and falcons, but also hunters and servants. Those experienced hunters often started hunting with the nobles' fathers from a young age and taught the skills to their own offspring. Among those descendants, quite a few gained their masters' favor and were granted titles for their achievements, being appointed as knights and thus rising to the heavens in one step.

Eden noticed that this time, during the hunt, nearly everyone was exerting full effort, scouring the forest for traces of prey and desperately driving them out.

Even several Night Watchmen had joined the chase, secretly trying to harness the power of the Ancient Language.

"What's going on?"

Eden asked curiously.

"Hey, who wouldn't want to win the Princess's favor?" a Night Watchman said, "If the Princess can hunt three elks... some say, whoever chases down that prey could be knighted as a Squire Knight. Even if that's a lie, at the very least, a handsome reward of silver would be theirs."

"Oh."

Eden responded simply.

The reason for their zealotry was probably some rumor they heard beforehand.

Such a rumor might have been deliberately spread by Arsia as a tool to create more chaos.

Only with enough chaos in the hunt, and getting 'accidentally' lost in the forest, would he not arouse Lodzmer's suspicion.

With this in mind, Eden feigned an eager demeanor and began to roam about in the forest.

Time quickly reached noon, with the sun hanging high above the forest. But the footsteps of driving out the game had not ceased. Eden, following a few soldiers, moved about in the forest, unable to count how many animals they had chased out.

Seizing a moment while chasing prey, when the sun was at its blinding peak, Eden successfully got lost in the forest.

Walking in the forest, he had previously familiarized himself with the terrain and even rehearsed for this day several times; thus, this 'getting lost' was almost natural.

After walking an unknown distance, the previously bustling forest became eerily quiet, and the noisy sounds of the hunting party had receded to faint whispers. Eden had completely left behind the main hunting party, wandering alone in the forest.

The air in the woods was still, with the intertwining tree roots; as time elapsed, a thin fog began to drop between the trees. In the menacing shadows, it seemed as if something could burst out at any moment.

Eden's breath quickened as he proceeded, surveying the environment to ensure he hadn't truly lost his way.

As he ventured deeper into the forest, the fog thickened and visibility dropped further. Noon had fully passed, with the harsh sun no longer overhead, making the forest seem all the more shadowy.

Eden grew impatient.

This impatience wasn't feigned; he was truly anxious.

Because... the Devil was yet to appear.

They had prepared for this trap for a long time, and if Lodzmer didn't take the bait, all their efforts would be wasted.

The dense branches seemed poised to dance, at a glance, resembling the arms of ghosts.

Eden walked through the forest, with the fog around him growing ever denser. As seconds and minutes passed, the sun sank westward, nearing dusk, with the sky turning yellow like aged paper.

The forest floor was a tangled mass of roots and devoid of any proper path; it appeared that this place was untouched not only by humans but by animals as well.

"Damn... has the Devil Wizard noticed something?"

Eden muttered to himself.

Just as Eden was considering retracing his steps and abandoning the plan,

A breeze blew.

Suddenly, Eden sensed something.

Despite the surrounding environment showing no apparent change, Eden faintly felt a presence drawing closer from the shadows of the forest.

He lightly touched the bell hanging on his waist with the back of his hand.

The bell, a gift from the Queen, barely moved and didn't make much of a sound.

Eden continued onward, his ears perked up, alert to any danger.

Moments later, the Priest stopped and turned his head, peering into a dim corner.

There stood an enormous tree.

And beneath its roots was a man, looking like a hunter.

Dressed simply and with an ordinary appearance, he had a basket strapped to his back, seeming as though he had ventured into the forest to gather herbs or hunt small game.

"May God bless you... who are you?"

The hunter looked at Eden, asking with a face full of curiosity.

Eden did not answer immediately.

He strolled up nonchalantly and gazed meaningfully at the hunter, returning the question,

"Who do you think I am?"

The hunter appeared perplexed and asked in a low voice,

"How should I know, have you lost your way?"

Eden kept his gaze on him, now entering a state of Spiritual Cultivation.

In his body was entwined a Devil, its roots sinking deep into his soul.

This Devil was begotten by the hunter himself.

Perhaps Lodzmer thought the reason for the previous failure was that the two Devils were not native, but possessed from the outside, thus giving themselves away.