Chapter 56 Other Truths But she hasn't forgiven him yet, so she can't...
Ashlin felt her teeth were itchy.
There was no particular reason. But the bones in Mara's cupboard looked incredibly tempting, practically beckoning her.
“If you want to gnaw on that bone,” Ray looked at her amusedly, “you can just tell me.”
“I want to gnaw on that bone,” Ashlin answered honestly.
With a bone in her mouth, she followed Ray, who was wearing a mask, toward the center of the Coldclaw Forest.
On the way, she tried to eat as she walked, but almost tripped over a protruding tree root and fell face-first into the mud. Luckily, Ray caught her by the back of the neck.
“Thanks,” Ashlin said indistinctly, “as a reward, you can have a bite of the bone.”
"No thanks," Ray said dismissively.
Ashlin wasn't sure what they were looking for, but she already had a vague idea.
"The High Priest's magic will make its own judgment," Mr. Mara said.
The high priest wanted them to reveal their secrets to each other, but whether they passed the trial or not was irrelevant to the high priest's wishes.
They may also find other truths.
After all, the High Priest had never said that Ashlin could not use the Truth-Revealing Magic on her own spider.
Ashlin had had enough of these hypocrites; it was time to teach them a lesson.
She thought of Aidan, and how she had been kept in the dark like a ridiculous clown. If the High Priest wanted to see a joke, she had chosen the wrong dog.
She would never follow the high priest's instructions and complete all the trials step by step.
“Your father said the wreaths and trials were the High Priest’s decisions,” Ashlin said, gnawing on a bone, “but why did she set these things up in the first place? Didn’t the Forest Goddess bestow her magic to protect the Coldpaw Forest?”
“I told you, Araknia is a crazy, eccentric lunatic,” Ray said. “She’s always hoping we’ll become Greta and get rid of our beast heads. I think she’s just too fond of humans and thinks that if everyone had more humanity, Coldclaw Forest would be a better place.”
"You think so too?" Ashlin questioned. "The more Greta there are, the better for Coldclaw Forest?"
Ray was wearing a mask, so Ashlin couldn't see her expression.
She paused.
"Well, I'm probably more comfortable when I'm playing as a leopard."
Ashlin hummed in agreement, gaining more confidence in her plan.
"What are your thoughts?" Ray asked.
“I’m going to expose Araknia,” Ashlin said decisively.
Ray chuckled. "You? You're a dog now. Who's going to listen to you? Araknia's words are gold to orcs."
“That’s right, that’s why I want her to expose herself.”
Ray clearly didn't believe her, but still led her to the High Priest's ancient tree.
It was already evening, and there was no longer a queue in front of the ancient tree, because another orc had started the trial.
Under the influence of magic, several rows of wooden chairs appeared in the open space in front of the ancient tree, and the firelight beside them shone brightly. All the orcs held small snacks such as nuts and watched with great interest.
Ashlin looked up and saw the large sign in front of the audience seats:
The Trial of Strength!
Samuel vs Faith
Samuel had a deer antler drawn next to him, while Faith had a sheep drawn below him.
"Haha!" Ray excitedly flicked her tail. "Samuel is doomed. Ms. Faith is the best fighter in Coldclaw Forest!"
At the center of the arena is a deer named Greta and a goat named Noreira.
Ashley recognized Samuel as the deer-man who had bullied Billy. Faith, on the other hand, was thin, hunched over, and even used a cane. It was hard to say what connection she had with the title "First in Coldclaws."
Araknia sat in the center of the stands. She solemnly raised her legs and said, "Begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Samuel charged toward Faith with his horns raised.
Ashlin's heart was in her throat; magic almost rushed out to help Faith.
Unexpectedly, the frail old sheepwoman gently hooked her cane, and the deer flew to the other side of the field, sending snow flying everywhere.
The orcs of Norira cheered loudly, their stomping feet sounding like the beating of drums and gongs.
The high priest had a serious expression, but his legs were trembling with excitement.
Ashlinn reminded herself that she wasn't there to watch the trial; her trial wasn't over yet! She fixed her gaze on the High Priest and whispered the revelation spell written by Lucas.
She silently murmured to herself, "To reveal this to all the orcs." What was Araknia thinking?
The eight red eyes suddenly turned towards her.
"Your magic is useless to me," the spider hissed in her mind. "What do you want?"
Magic originates from within, this is Sanova's motto, and a major reason why she has traveled so far. Although she and the High Priest both possess forest magic, she is more powerful because her heart beats stronger.
Faith was about to poke Samuel's eye with her cane when suddenly, a chilling laugh echoed across the field, startling all the orcs who looked around in alarm.
A strong sense of joy welled up in Ashlyn's heart, but it wasn't her own.
Faith and Samuel stopped fighting, searching in confusion for the source of the laughter. Arachnia slowly stood up, drawing the attention of all the orcs.
"What is it, sir?" Samuel asked.
“Continue the fight,” Araknia said in a dazed voice. “Pleasure me.”
Faith bleated. "Boo, to please you?"
Ashlin wagged her tail, amplifying the effect of the Truth-Revealing Spell. All the orcs glowed with a faint green light. They cried out in alarm, and a few of the more timid ones struggled to escape, but were unable to move.
When the green light faded, what remained on them was a gigantic, pale spiderweb. All the orcs were nothing more than flies on the spiderweb, except for Ashlin, who remained completely clean.
At the center of the spider web was the high priest.
Ashlin tilted her head back, gracefully leaping over the spiderwebs, and used the rest of her magic on the Dog Language Spell.
"See? This is what your revered High Priest wants." She surveyed all the orcs, speaking with an air of authority. "She doesn't want the wreaths to 'improve' you! She just wants to have some fun. Whether it's the trials or the conflict between Noreira and Greta, she enjoys it all!"
“You’re lying,” a rabbit-person immediately said. “The High Priestess was doing it for our own good. Without her magic, Coldclaw Forest would have been in complete chaos long ago! It was the wreath that restored our humanity and allowed us to maintain civilization!”
“Exactly. Besides, why should we listen to a dog?” another werewolf chimed in.
“Woof, you’re a dog too!” Ashlin’s voice was firm and powerful. “You’re neither human nor animal, so why do you insist on pursuing so-called more humanity? Just because your civilization is different from humans doesn’t mean it’s not civilized.”
She stomped on the spiderweb with her paw, causing a tremor. Instantly, the fur on all the orcs' heads stood on end.
Ashlin knew that words alone would be insufficient. So she focused her mind and shared with all the orcs the joy she had felt as a high priest after the revelation spell had been instilled in her.
A commotion erupted among the orcs, and nuts scattered everywhere. At first, they were just arguing and struggling internally, until several orc-headed men began throwing fruit at the high priest.
Araknia swayed, regaining her senses; the binding force of the Revealing Spell had lessened. She glared fiercely at Ashlin.
"Silence! This dog is spouting nonsense and causing trouble," the high priest proclaimed. "Greta will bring a better future."
"I'll give you your spider legs!" shouted a fox named Noreira, eliciting much laughter.
Ashlin glanced nervously at the dark sky. Time was running out.
Has she not passed the trial yet?
“The High Priest is not worth your risking your lives,” Ashlin continued. “Know your own hearts, orcs! Is what you really want wreaths? You just want to live an equal and happy life, and that doesn’t require magic, trials, or wreaths.”
"Well said!" A bear-like figure in the front row clapped. "Here's a reward for you!"
He tossed her a hot piece of roast meat.
Ashlin instinctively jumped into the air, caught it in her mouth, and swallowed it. Juicy, flavorful, and incredibly delicious.
Then she realized that this undermined her confidence, so she cleared her throat again.
“…Woof! Anyway, Araknia just wants to see you have fun, she’s never really thought about you!” She tried to swallow the rest of the peppered roast meat.
More and more orcs started throwing things at Araknia, some even throwing their own fur balls.
"You big liar!" Several snake-men stuck their tongues out at the high priest.
The high priest's spider web loosened, and the orcs rushed forward, eager to vent their anger.
The earth trembled at that moment.
A few pigeon feathers fell. The pigeon-man shrieked as he flew across the field: "Help! Coo coo coo! The Yeti has invaded Coldclaw Forest!"
The orcs scattered in panic, their fur flying everywhere. The orc guards, trembling, raised their bows and crossbows at the yeti, the tiny arrows falling like raindrops onto it before bouncing weakly back to the ground, doing nothing but enrage.
It was angry. But that's not entirely accurate, because it was a machine devoid of emotion.
Two rows of cedar trees were swept across by its massive hand, each snapped in two. The roofs of some treehouses were ripped off, revealing trembling orcs, planks scattered everywhere. The high priestess swiftly moved her legs and vanished in a flash.
"Coward!" Ashlin screamed at the spider's retreating back. "Your magic can protect them!"
However, the High Priest had already left. Ashlin had no time to worry about why she hadn't passed the trial yet; she immediately took the Dragonbone Bow out of her spatial backpack and gave it to Ray.
However, the enchanted arrows from the Dragonbone Bow could only immobilize the Yeti for a few minutes; they had to find another way.
"Isn't the protective magic in Guardian Creek supposed to stop the Yeti?" Ashlin asked Ray while dodging the blade-like wooden blocks, "How did it break through?"
“No comment!” Ray raised his bow and aimed at the pure white behemoth. The arrow grazed the yeti's long horn as it flew into the sky.
Just then, a small black dot and a dwarf on the Yeti's shoulder caught her attention.
"Woof woof!" she exclaimed, "Lucas?"
The Yeti drew closer. The black cat yelled at Ashlin, "Ashlin, come on up! The magic on the Divine Ring isn't enough, and Nova accidentally made the Yeti even stronger. But I think we can stop it in another way!"
Ashlin mustered her courage and ran towards the tree at the Yeti's feet.
"Climb up. Can you do it?"
Ashlin nervously looked around, considering her second option.
Unfortunately, she didn't have a second option.
She leaped suddenly and landed halfway down the tree trunk, still some distance from a foothold.
"I don't need your instructions!" she said, climbing with great effort, pushing off with her hind legs.
As she leaped, she deliberately veered off course, avoiding getting too close to Lucas.
The cat instinctively reached out its paw to help her up, but she ignored it. The paw hung awkwardly in mid-air, and in the end, it could only reluctantly withdraw it, pretending to scratch its own ear.
"Tsk." Nova seemed to have seen through everything.
Ashlyn found Lucas's series of actions amusing, but she hadn't forgiven him yet, so she couldn't laugh.
"Woof!" she barked at the Yeti, "Come here, big robot!"
The Yeti was obedient. It put down the pigeon-man who had fainted from fright and bent down to her. Ashlyn was on a treetop, just in time to jump next to Lucas and Nova.
Before Lucas was a seed. The seed was extremely smooth and unrealistically round, just like its future perfectly symmetrical form.
"What are you planning?" Ashlin asked deliberately coldly. "Are you going to tell me at the last minute again?"
She hadn't forgiven him at all. The thought that he was still hiding the truth irritated Ashlind terribly.
Before Lucas could answer, Billy, who was below, was chopping at the yeti's ankle with an axe (which was like a tickle to the yeti) while loudly explaining for him:
"Hey! This idea came up together with my friend Lucas! He's a genius!"
Lucas's cat-like face froze for a moment.
"Wow, you two are best buddies now?" Ashlin teased. "You said you didn't have any friends, Lucas. Now, besides me, you have another one. Now tell me about your other good friend!"
Lucas spoke candidly: "I'll tell you now. Hundreds of years ago, it was the Twin Grass that bound the Yeti's heart. Nova removed it, and the Yeti was 'resurrected.' Fortunately, Nova and Billy also found the seeds of the Twin Grass back then."
“Ashlin, you can replant the seed and bind the Yeti. Only small creatures can enter the Yeti’s body, so only we can do this.”
Ashlin was processing the information.
"Then why would it bind the yeti's heart?"
Two large trees flew over their heads, nearly knocking off Lucas's ears.
Lucas seemed about to stomp his foot: "Because it's poisonous. This poison not only slowed the Yeti's mechanical heartbeat, but also infected Billy's lungs."
With a scream, the high priest's tree hollow was uprooted.
The black cat immediately said, "Nova, now!"
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