Chapter 25: He Is the Grand Sage of the Naturalist School

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[Hearing the mercenaries' testimonies, Vivian immediately associated them with the ritual of collecting soul fragments.]
[The image of the scarlet blood pool in the mountain stronghold, filled with severed limbs, surfaced in Vivian's mind.]
[Along with it came the memory of the joyful, vibrant smiles of the children in the village.]
["Farrell, was it?" Vivian muttered to herself.]
[Vivian had heard the name Farrell; he was one of the wealthiest figures in the nearby towns, so it was no wonder he could afford to hire so many mercenaries to capture Hedy.]
[Vivian immediately decided that once things here were settled, she would pay a visit to the town where Farrell resided.]
[She kept this thought to herself, simply binding the mercenaries and tossing them aside.]
[You stand on Vivian's shoulder, your gaze fixed upon the mercenaries.]
[A faint, pink glow emerges upon their bodies.]
[Guilty, but not deserving of death.]
[As the punishment for their sins descends, the mercenaries begin to writhe in agony.]

Ron stroked his chin as he looked at the text.
Should I have them killed?
Vivian was not the type to take lives casually; she had actually considered letting these mercenaries go just moments ago.
But Ron had many factors to consider.
After all, he was writing this for his readers to see.
Whether he let them go or not would inevitably incite dissatisfaction among a portion of the audience.
If he let them go and it led to even greater trouble for the mercenaries later, it would make Vivian appear too much of a "saint."
If he didn't let them go and had them executed without question, it would make Vivian seem "cold-blooded and ruthless."
Actually, as an author... Ron was quite hopeful that these mercenaries would escape, only to return and cause trouble for Vivian later.
After all, someone would eventually need to spread the legend of her name.
After confirming through [Punishment of the Sovereign] that the mercenaries’ crimes did not warrant death, Ron decided to let them go.

[Under the duress of the sovereign's punishment, the mercenaries grew increasingly terrified of Vivian.]
[In their minds, this woman was a terrifying devil who took pleasure in torturing others!]
[We already told her everything! Why must she still torture us!]
[Just then, Vivian approached them, holding a blade.]
[They assumed Vivian was about to finish them off.]
[Thus, the instincts of veteran mercenaries took over.]
[The mercenaries broke free from their ropes and bolted toward the depths of the dense forest without looking back.]
["Huh? Why are they acting like that?" Vivian, who had been holding the knife to cut their bindings, stood there dumbfounded.]

Well... the result wasn't bad...
At least he didn't have to write that Vivian had let them go.

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[Vivian set aside her doubts and began to ask you for the specific location of the soul fragment.]
Yes, that was the priority now.
Fortunately, soul fragments were naturally drawn to one another.
Ron quickly sensed the general direction of the fragment.
[You lead Vivian to a pebble-strewn beach.]
[Cold stream water flows from here into Lake Ramo.]
[Standing on the shore, the calm, mirror-like surface of Lake Ramo unfolds before Vivian's eyes under the moonlight.]
[There is no wind, and the lake is without a single ripple.]
[Vivian doesn't care much for stillness.]
["It's right here," you say to Vivian, "the soul fragment is in there."]
[Vivian looks at the countless pebbles before her: "So many? How long is this going to take!"]
[As she speaks, she picks up a flat pebble from the ground and tosses it out toward Lake Ramo.]
[The stone is a natural at skipping, dancing across the surface a dozen times before reluctantly sinking to the lake bed.]
[Vivian takes a deep breath, having completed her mental preparation: "Alright! Let's start looking!"]

"..." Ron’s mouth twitched as he watched this scene.
[You look up at Vivian, your tone strained as you say: "The one you just threw in was it."]
["..." Vivian’s movement of searching through the stones froze instantly.]
["Why didn't you say so earlier?" Vivian calmly deflected the blame.]
["Your movements were too fluid, I didn't want to interrupt," you say, licking your paw, "besides, I was curious to see how far you could skip it."]
[Vivian giggles: "Hehe, was I impressive?"]

Damn it, is that what matters right now? You threw the soul fragment in! You threw it in!

[After you and Vivian stare at each other in silence for a long time, she finally realizes the gravity of the situation.]
["Can you dive?" Vivian asks very seriously.]
["I'm just a cat."]
[Vivian crosses her arms, seriously contemplating whether she could fish the soul fragment out.]
["Why would you even think of that..."]
["The uncles always said that when you go fishing, you catch big treasure chests!" Vivian nods, earnestly recounting her experiences from the village, "That's why every time they came back from fishing, they brought all sorts of weird things—fishing hooks, clothes, shoes, corpses, and so on."]
["...Did they ever bring back any fish?"]
["Huh? Can you actually get fish from fishing?"]
["For heaven's sake, look at why it's called fishing! That's clearly just an excuse for those anglers who come back empty-handed!"]
[Vivian finally gives up on this unrealistic idea.]
[She decides to seek Hedy's help.]

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["Hedy! Are you free right now?!" Vivian runs up to Hedy, speaking with a hint of ingratiating eagerness.]
[Hedy looks silently at the timber currently being crushed under Vivian's feet: "I am building a new camp."]
["A new camp? Where?"]
["Under your feet..." Hedy’s gaze is somewhat vacant.]
[Two camps... she had lost two camps in one night.]
["Ah! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"]
[Vivian's apology earns Hedy's forgiveness.]
[She follows Vivian to the lakeside, listening as Vivian describes the shape of the pebble.]
["The kind that's super perfect for skipping," Vivian describes vividly.]
["You should just tell me its specific use," Hedy says, "I have recorded the scents of various materials and magical beasts with my nose. As long as you explain its purpose, I can smell it out, which will make it easier to find."]
[Vivian looks at you.]
[She is indecisive and is seeking your opinion.]

Should she tell Hedy about the quest to find the Demon King's soul fragments?
Ron was also a bit unsure.
He threw the question back to Vivian; after all, this was her story.

[Vivian decides to trust Hedy.]
[Vivian tells Hedy about her quest to collect the Demon King's soul fragments.]
["The Demon King's soul fragments?" Hedy nods, her expression resolute, "I will help."]
["Even if it's just for..."]
["The Great Sage, Ron."]
[Ron Brand.]
[The Great Sage of the Druidic Naturalist School.]
[He pointed the way forward for the druids.]
[We observe.]
[We imitate.]
[We become.]
[We transcend!]
[Under Ron's guidance, druids can even transform into divine beasts.]

Watching Hedy's thoughts, Ron covers his face.
Heaven is my witness! My intentions back then were truly pure!