With the Master Faun's knowledge, Kenji now knew exactly what he had to do.

"When you're ready to escape, come visit us here again. We can lead you from this realm to freedom, just make sure not to be discovered. If the guardians become aware of an intruder, this entire realm will go on high alert and your chances of returning to our Goddess will become slim at best," the maid said, her beautiful smile a real one.

"I thank you, but that might be a while yet. Before I save the orphans I need to visit a certain place, and hopefully find a way to help you elves escape as well as stop the Far King from conquering the neighbouring lands."

The elves appeared puzzled.

"Conquer? Why would the Far King want that?" the maid said, tilting her head to one side.

"For land, resources and prestige. I don't know, why else?" Kenji said, thinking it obvious.

"The Far King is an absolute power in this realm, and he has everything both he and his court needs. Whenever they want somthing, like Sun Elf servants, they just think up a scheme and take it. I would consider this upcoming war not of conquest but genocide, where from the Far King's perspective he is rooting out all the weeds in his back lawn. Even the enchanted monsters are no loss dead to him. Without being beautiful or some extreme rarity, they have no place in his collection and he'd prefer them as dead as the humans."

A chill ran down Kenji's spine at the sheer callous nature of such thinking. It did truly look hopeless, how do you fight something that is both so powerful and doesn't care about casualties?

"All the same, I'll go seek answers. I'll probably come back before I go for the orphans, I don't want to go near the Far King if I can."

Kenji suspected the Far King was a Fae who might be powerful enough to see through Kenji's disguise. So for now he headed towards the Hidden Rooms, were the most potent secrets available to the Master Faun's mind were kept.

Past grand arrays of steel armoured satyrs, enchanted monsters carefully positioned in several hidden lookout points, and seemingly endless sets of enchanted traps Kenji went before he finally arrived. Golden leaves crested a door of fine heartwood shaped into a large triangle.

To either side were powerful treants, appearing the adult version of the Forest child that had pulled Kenji into this whole mess in the first place. They stared at him with angry eyes, and produced six leaf blades gripped by six arms each.

"Halt, what business does a servant have here?" the one to the left said with a voice deep as the earth and with such a thick aura the regular Kenji would have been left trembling.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Yet while not especially powerful, this Master Faun had the passive ability to hold its decorum with ease. Kenji raised his nose high, and addressed the pair formally.

"Guardians, I have been sent to consult one of the demons. This is a most pressing matter that must be undertaken with discretion," while in human society that would have incited suspicion, the guardians nodded. In this realm it was common knowledge that the Fae competed fiercely with one another for the support of the Far King.

And any that could afford to have a Master Faun in their service would certainly have the right to enter this dungeon. Far from a personal treasure horde, the secrets within were somthing available to many of the Upper class Fae Nobles that wished to make use of their...services. Assuming they were willing to repay the favour at the Far King's discretion.

"You may enter," they said as one and parted before him. Kenji did not so much as tilt his head in thanks as he strolled past, this body fully aware that even the slightest recognition of a favour given could lead to his enslavement by the master of these guardians.

Seeing as that was likely the Far King himself, Kenji very much wanted to avoid such a possibility.

Descending Kenji arrived in the hall of mirrors. Blinded Faun's trotted along the long hall, cleaning each door in turn with slightly milky white orbs until the brass knobs shined and the crystal doors sparkled. Beyond each was a direct connection to a patron god, spirit, demon or other powerful being.

Here Kenji could make contracts and deals with several powerful entities, and yet none intrigued him more than the one seven doors down to the left labelled only 'The Fourth.'

Perhaps it was Arthur's influence at play, but the instant he had discovered the presence of this door in the Master Faun's mind, Kenji had burned with anticipation. The amount of knowledge he could learn, the implications of this being's mere existence - it all pointed to a conspiracy greater than he could have guessed.

Seeing as the Fauns here were blind anyway, Kenji turned into the boy knight. Immediately his enthusiasm tripled. After a quick check through his memories, Kenji confirmed that Arthur had never in all his years become aware of even the possibility that a Fourth god existed.

With a trembling hand Kenji turned the brass doorknob, and entered the room. To find a direct connection to the Fallen God.