(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Patoli's face twisted further with rage as Ben continued speaking.
Every single word felt like poison entering his ears.
He didn't believe it.
No.
He refused to believe it.
Because if Ben's words were true—Then the revenge he carried for centuries…
The hatred that kept him alive…
The very purpose of his existence—Would all become nothing more than the result of manipulation.
And that was something Patoli could never accept easily.
"You're trying to turn them against me,"
Patoli spat coldly while glaring at Ben.
Dark mana leaked violently from his body.
"You think I'll let your sweet lies erase the blood of my people?!"
Ben remained calm even under Patoli's killing intent.
"I'm not trying to erase your hatred."
His voice was steady.
"I'm trying to explain where it truly came from."
The chamber fell silent again.
Even the captains were now fully focused on Ben's explanation.
Because the deeper this conversation went—The more horrifying the truth seemed to become.
Ben slowly continued.
"There are countless devils in the Underworld. Some weaker. Some far beyond human understanding."
"They desire the human world."
"Because unlike the Underworld …this world is rich with mana."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"And one particular devil desperately wanted to enter this world with its real body."
Julius narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"...."
Ben's gaze shifted toward the elves.
"But devils cannot normally cross realms completely."
"To enter the human world fully …it needed a vessel. A doorway. A corrupted grimoire."
Several captains visibly reacted at those words.
Especially Julius.
Because he already knew one thing about grimoires.
A four-leaf clover grimoire was considered blessed by luck.
But there was also an old forbidden saying.
"In the fifth leaf…"
Ben slowly spoke the words aloud.
"…resides the devil."
The room instantly became heavier.
Rhya frowned deeply.
-Frown!
Patoli's eyes narrowed.
Ben continued calmly.
"That devil searched for someone suitable. Someone powerful. Someone loved by mana. Someone carrying a four-leaf grimoire."
Then his eyes locked onto Patoli.
"It found Licht."
Silence. Absolute silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Even Patoli's breathing momentarily stopped.
Ben slowly leaned forward.
"The devil manipulated events from the shadows. It approached corrupt human nobles. Exploited their greed."
"Their jealousy. Their fear of elves. It whispered into their hearts."
"It nurtured their malice."
The atmosphere inside the chamber slowly turned colder as Ben continued unraveling the horrifying history piece by piece.
"He orchestrated the massacre."
At those words, Rhya unconsciously clenched his fists.
Fana's expression hardened.
Ben continued with a serious tone.
"The wedding between Licht and Tetia …was never just an attack by greedy humans."
"It was carefully planned. A magic tool was used to steal the elves' mana. To force despair. To corrupt their grimoires. To create five-leaf grimoires."
The captains looked visibly disturbed now.
Because this was no ordinary historical conflict anymore.
This was manipulation on a terrifying scale.
Ben's voice lowered further.
"And when despair consumed Licht …the devil attempted to manifest fully into the human world."
Patoli's body visibly trembled slightly.
"...."
Fragments of memory started surfacing violently inside his mind.
Blood. Screams. Mana disappearing.
Licht's expression.
Tetia collapsing.
The overwhelming despair.
Meanwhile Ben continued speaking relentlessly.
"But that wasn't enough for the devil. It still needed chaos. Hatred. Conflict. So it continued manipulating people."
His eyes slowly moved toward Patoli.
"It possessed humans. A minister among the Clover Kingdom. And later…"
The room became deathly quiet.
"…you."
Patoli's pupils shrank violently.
"No…"
His voice came out low. Unsteady.
Ben did not stop.
"It nurtured your hatred. Fed your despair. Guided your actions. It wanted you broken. Because a despairing elf …could become a Dark Elf."
At those words—The entire chamber froze.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Even Julius' expression visibly changed.
Nozel narrowed his eyes sharply.
Rhya looked toward Patoli in disbelief.
Meanwhile Patoli himself stood completely still.
Because deep down—
Somewhere buried beneath his hatred—
A terrifying realization was beginning to emerge.
There had always been another voice.
Another influence.
Another force pushing him forward whenever his rage weakened.
And for the very first time—He began wondering whether that voice…
Had never truly been his own.
The chamber had become completely silent.
No one interrupted Ben anymore.
Not the captains.
Not Julius.
Not even Patoli.
Because the truth being revealed before them was far too massive to dismiss casually.
The atmosphere itself felt heavy enough to suffocate.
Ben slowly continued while looking directly toward the elves.
"And that still isn't the end of it."
Rhya frowned deeply.
"What do you mean?"
Ben leaned back slightly before continuing his explanation.
"The reason all of you were reborn…"
"…was also part of the devil's plan."
Those words immediately caused the expressions of the elves to change.
Patoli's face especially darkened further.
Ben continued calmly.
"The reincarnation spell."
"Noad Nephesh."
The moment those words left his mouth, the members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun visibly reacted.
Because that was indeed the forbidden spell used for the resurrection of the elves.
Even Julius' eyes sharpened hearing the ancient name.
Ben pointed toward the sealed chamber direction where the magic stones were currently locked away.
"That spell required the magic stones."
"The same stones you've been collecting."
"They were never simply tools for revenge."
"They were keys."
The room fell silent again.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Ben continued explaining in detail.
"When the reincarnation spell was cast…"
"…only specific memories were allowed to remain dominant. Hatred. Despair. Anger toward humans. Pain. All other emotions were suppressed beneath those feelings."
Rhya unconsciously clenched his fists.
Because—Now that Ben mentioned it—Their memories truly did feel incomplete.
Like something important had always been missing.
Fana slowly lowered her eyes.
The warm memories. The peaceful moments. The happiness of their tribe.
Those memories always felt strangely distant compared to the overwhelming hatred.
Patoli immediately shouted back angrily.
"LIES!"
But this time—His voice lacked certainty.
Ben's eyes remained fixed on him.
"The devil needed all of you consumed by revenge. Because hatred made manipulation easier. And more importantly…"
Ben paused briefly.
"…he needed you to complete the final step."
Julius slowly leaned forward.
"What final step?"
The chamber turned toward Ben completely.
Ben's expression became colder.
"The devil's reincarnation."
Silence. Absolute silence.
"The moment the elves fully cast the reincarnation magic using all eleven magic stones …the devil planned to exploit a loophole within the ritual."
Rhya's face stiffened.
Ben continued.
"Instead of merely manifesting partially …it would reincarnate itself into the human world with a complete physical body."
At those words, the room's atmosphere instantly became horrifyingly heavy.
Even the captains visibly reacted.
Because a fully manifested devil—Was an unimaginable disaster.
Ben continued slowly.
"That devil manipulated everything for centuries. The massacre. The hatred. The resurrection. The gathering of magic stones."
"All of it …was preparation."
Patoli's breathing slowly became unstable.
"No…"
His voice sounded hollow now.
Ben looked directly into his eyes.
"You were never leading revenge."
"You were preparing a body for the devil."
Those words shattered the remaining confidence inside the room.
Rhya immediately looked toward Patoli.
Fana stepped backward slightly.
Even Vetto, despite being sealed, stared silently.
Because suddenly—Everything made horrifying sense.
The resurrection. The obsession with the stones. The endless hatred.
The rush toward the final ritual.
None of it had actually benefited the elves. Not truly.
It only benefited—The devil.
Patoli staggered slightly backward.
Fragments of memories violently resurfaced inside his mind.
A strange voice.
Whispers during moments of despair.
A shadow guiding his rage.
Subtle manipulations he never questioned.
His expression slowly twisted.
Not into anger. But horror.
Meanwhile Julius slowly spoke after a long silence.
"…A devil capable of manipulating history itself…"
His voice was unusually serious now.
"…What kind of monster are we dealing with?"
Ben's eyes narrowed slightly as he gave side eyes to Julius.
If only he could scream there is one in your body too.
Then he finally spoke the name.
"Zagred."
The name itself seemed to make the room colder.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
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Guys My New Fic name is: Karuppan: King of Openings.
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