Realization dawned upon vaan as he could guess what had attracted the Death Eaters' aggression.
After all, Hecate would have known where he went or at least had a general idea of it. Thus, if he suddenly disappeared due to the Garden of Thyia's powerful restrictions, it would prompt her to investigate his whereabouts.
However, his arrival did not draw the attention of the Death Eaters. So, why would it happen to other visitors?
Thanks to his earlier conversation with the Elder Spirit, Vaan gained a lot of valuable information and could speculate likely reasons for the Death Eaters' sudden movements.
For example, the Death Eaters weren't just guardians of Goddess Thyia's inheritance but also the protectors of the Garden of Thyia itself.
After all, the Wood Spirits were vulnerable beings due to their nature.
As such, Vaan doubted Goddess Thyia would leave them to fend for themselves-should the Garden of Thyia ever be exposed to the greed of the outside world.
Surely, Goddess Thyia would have prepared something to protect the Wood Spirits from such a cruel fate.
'The Death Eaters must have been aware of my arrival, especially if there's a Divine Lord among them. However, the reason they haven't done anything to me should be related to Mera,' Vaan figured.
Perhaps Wood Spirit Contractors were qualified to challenge Goddess Thyia's trials and pursue her inheritance?
Various thoughts flashed across Vaan's mind in an instant the moment he realized the destination of the descending cloud of darkness. After glancing at the Elder Spirit, he immediately headed towards the same location.
However, Vaan didn't travel very far before the Elder Spirit quickly stopped him with a gentle cloak of wood-attribute divine power.
"Please wait a moment, Junior!" Senior Willowthorn appealed.
"The Death Eaters have never left Crown's Nest since the time of their emergence. Their current course of action is unprecedented and unpredictable. Approaching them would be unwise and far too dangerous."
"Please reconsider your choice, Junior," Senior Willowthorn requested.
However, Vaan shook his head, saying, "I understand the danger, Senior. Even so, I must head over there and find out what the Death Eaters intend to do. Whether they are planning to leave or eliminate some other intruder, both are disastrous outcomes for my side."
"If you are concerned about my safety, please accompany me, Senior," Vaan suggested.
If it was truly Hecate's arrival that resulted in the Death Eaters' sudden movements, it was crucial to ensure her survival. Her death would put him and Pangea in an extremely unfavorable position.
After all, she was the mediator between him and the Great Devils of Gehenna.
As such, her undesired death would trigger an all-out war between him and the Great Devils, no matter how well he tried to explain the cause of her death had nothing to do with him.
Although his life wouldn't be threatened due to his life-saving means and the protection of the Garden of Thyia-should he use it for refuge, Hecate's death would still affect those around him and inconvenience him.
In essence, Hecate could not die.
"Alright. However, if I think it gets too dangerous, I will take you away from the area," Senior Willowthorn agreed with a condition after seeing Vaan's resolute look.
"Thank you, Senior," Vaan replied gratefully.
A few moments later, Vaan and the Elder Spirit arrived in the vicinity of the hole, which had been completely covered in darkness. Death Eaters roamed within, screeching and screaming in agitation.
"The Divine Lord-level Death Eater didn't come. There are only Divine Soldiers and Divine Knights among the Death Eaters here," Senior Willowthorn informed with relief.
The level of danger was within his control.
Unfortunately, Vaan didn't share the same sentiments. Instead, his expression became grave. "Divine Soldiers and Divine Knights..." Vaan softly uttered.
In other words, there were Rank 6 and Rank 7 Divine Beings swarming within the cloud of darkness.
Although Vaan wasn't sure how many Divine Knight-level Death Eaters were attracted, he didn't believe Hecate could deal with so many Death Eaters at once. He could only hope she sensed the danger early and retreated before the Death Eaters arrived.
The only good news Vaan had found out after arriving at the area was that the Death Eaters didn't seem to be entering the hole and chasing after the intruder.
Even so, the situation beyond the hole was unclear to him.
Just when the Elder Spirit was about to warn Vaan about getting too close to the cloud of darkness containing the Death Eaters, the words were suddenly glued to the tip of his tongue. The moment Vaan approached the cloud of darkness, he witnessed the Death Eaters retreating from the area along with their protective darkness.
However, it wasn't Vaan's presence that forced the Death Eaters to retreat; it was Emerald's.
"This..." Senior Willowthorn was quickly surprised by the discovery.
At the same time, Vaan's eyes flickered with renewed confidence, feeling more certain about his speculations regarding Goddess Thyia's inheritance trial.
Nevertheless, the ability to ward off the Death Eaters wasn't limited to Emerald. The Elder Spirit soon realized that he, too, possessed such an ability when he approached the Death
Thanks to the Elder Spirit's interaction with the Death Eaters, Vaan also noticed the Death Eaters avoided him more strongly than they did with Emerald.
Moreover, the Death Eaters didn't avoid the Elder Spirit because they viewed him as a threatening existence. In fact, they didn't seem particularly conscious of his presence, as if
they couldn't see him.
Rather, it seemed more like the Death Eaters treated Elder Spirit's aura-covered area of influence like how they would treat the ground, wall, and ceiling: a type of obstruction they couldn't pass.
As such, it was the Death Eaters' instinct to move around or away from them. They were practically blind to Wood Spirits.
Although Vaan wasn't sure if this type of blindness was natural or related to Goddess Thyia, he understood one thing-Wood Spirits were essentially the key to Goddess Thyia's
Goddess Thyia's inheritance couldn't be obtained if people slaughtered the Wood Spirits and refined them for their potent wood essence.
Nevertheless, Vaan set aside his thoughts on Goddess Thyia's inheritance for the time being. He needed to clear Death Eaters from the area and check on Hecate's situation.