Chapter 246 - 246 Holy Communion (1)

246 Holy Communion (1)

William had never heard of the Wild Hunt back in his day. In the past, the military forces in Ravenwood Forest were made up of tribal warriors from various tribes.

For example, the tribe with last names like Wolfspeak, Eagle Feather, and Viper. They treated the ‘wilderness spirits’ in the forest as their tribe’s patron deities and worshipped them. They turned the souls of wild beasts into tattoos and engraved them on their bodies, using their bloodline to arouse those savage powers.

But the power proved difficult to control due to its violent and powerful nature. Typically, those tribal warriors would only be engraved with a kind of Great Spirit tattoo, unlike these Wild Hunts in front of him, who were covered in tattoos like a human body.

Just the tattoo of a ‘wilderness spirit’ made one’s mind risk losing themselves to the bestial nature. With so many different kinds of tattoos all over their bodies, William felt that it was a miracle that they could still speak logically.

As for his sickly thin figure… it resembled something from the past—a product of the Forest Elf’s strange cultural traditions.

It was a very strange custom indeed.

William’s refusal made the turbid eyes of Wild Hunt twitch. It was clear that this man had not expected the human before him to reject his request.

“So you mean to refuse to cooperate with our investigations?” the man growled in a deep voice, a threatening tone to his words.

William simply nodded.

His eyes narrowed further as he questioned, “Then, how do you plan on refusing us?”

“Refusing in the same way you want me to submit,” William replied.

In truth, William had refused for no other reason than to test the consequences of his actions. Would these men, with the title of ‘Wild Hunt,’ resort to violence against an innocent person in the streets?

He had to consider if Emerald Jade Province, with its questionable law enforcement, was an ally worth negotiating with, or if he should align himself with a local faction, as he had done in Blackwater Province.

William’s gaze swept the area, taking in the sight of five to six Wild Hunts closing in on him. The python tattoo on the one standing directly in front of him began to writhe as it struggled to take shape.

Alright, these guys are serious about using violence.

He sighed and raised his right hand slightly.

He didn’t even need to use any fancy magical mediums to deal with these small fries. A few simple instantaneous or single-syllable spells would be enough to take them down.

Fine runes appeared on William’s wrist as he prepared his spells. With his exceptional magic control techniques, the Wild Hunts didn’t even notice the few spells he had prepared.

Just as a small-scale encounter was about to erupt, an emerald-green light suddenly lit up on the crown of a huge tree in the distance. All the Wild Hunts present stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to look in the direction of the green light.

“The tree spirit is seeking reinforcements,” the Wild Hunt in front of William said.

In a sudden, synchronized movement, the Wild Hunts turned around like marionettes being lifted as they moved towards the distant subtree.

William couldn’t even utter a question before they were gone, disappearing into the beam of light with their wings or ape-like abilities that suddenly appeared.

He stared for a moment, turned to the guard, who had warned him to stay quiet.

“Does this happen often?” William asked.

The guard looked into the distance, equally surprised and said, “Which one? The light or the Wild Hunt?”

Then, he continued without waiting for William’s reply, “The Wild Hunts only answer to the Duke’s commands, so it’s rare to see them. And that green light… it’s only seen during the Canopy Temple ceremony. But that’s not scheduled for today. Could the tree spirit of the subtree be making an appearance?”

Through further questioning, William finally understood the true nature of the mysterious Wild Hunts.

The Wild Hunt troops were a formidable force, created by the emperor himself to maintain control over the sprawling Emerald Jade Province. They were formed in the aftermath of Ravenwood’s integration into the powerful Riel Empire.

The Astral Council, the keepers of all occult knowledge on the continent, held the key to unlocking the secret spell system of the Forest Elf race—the Great Spirit Tattoo. In order to appease the powerful Holy Tree Duke, the Astral Council fused the spirits of many wild tribes to create a hound that would obey only him—the Wild Hunt.

In other words, the Wild Hunt was the physical manifestation of the Holy Tree Duke’s will.