Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Chapter 5. Tree and Iron
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#Setting 9. "The Mysterious Guardian in the Elf Forest"
Perlnern stared at the glass vials neatly arranged in the room.
These were glass bottles reinforced with magic and inscribed with special spells, designed to withstand even the fiercest impacts without a single scratch. Inside them, fragments carved from his own heart emitted a faint glow, radiating their presence.
Using these heart fragments, he had crafted six swords and one ring—a total of seven artifacts. Even now, it seemed utterly insane. No one could have imagined that a lord occupying a position in the demon world unmatched by any other would extract his own heart out of curiosity and boredom upon realizing his lifespan was nearing its end, then shatter it into pieces.
The memory of pulling out his heart resurfaced.
He had felt not fear of death, but an intense pleasure upon seeing his own heart throbbing and leaping in his hand. The heart proved his existence in this world, that he was alive. He had laughed like a madman.
The lord's body did not die even after having its heart removed and shattered. It merely grew weaker.
Perlnern wanted to leave an indelible mark on this world—beyond the demon world, encompassing the middle realm and the heavenly realm—so that all worlds would remember him.
In the demon world now, no one dared ignore him, but it was different in the heavenly realm, his sworn enemies.
The weak beings of the middle realm undoubtedly viewed him as frailer than other lords.
He wanted to shatter that notion. He wanted to instill fear in them.
At first, when he extracted his heart and made the fragments, it was merely to leave a trace behind. But now, with little life left, his goal had evolved: he wanted to be remembered by all. To achieve that, he needed to create eternal, unchanging artifacts that everyone would covet.
'What should I make?'
Having produced seven treasures, he pondered deeply but had no intention of forcing something new. Though his lifespan was short, he still had several hundred years left. Death was approaching, but it was still distant.
As he spent his days leisurely in repose, one day he hunted down demons who, still not coming to their senses, coveted his throne and climbed up to challenge him. The overconfident demons knelt before his mere gesture.
'Tiresome.'
That was his thought. Dealing with these small fry one by one was truly bothersome.
'It would be nice to have a sentinel.'
A reliable sentinel utterly devoted to him, one that would never betray him.
Just like how other lords kept demons known as the Seven Deadly Sins under their command.
He needed a trustworthy sentinel to guard his own sky island. That was the catalyst for creating his eighth fragment, [Lüsen Ardahan].
He gathered the rockiest mountain known as the toughest in the demon world, along with all sorts of precious metals, and prepared the blood and bones of high-ranking magical beasts. Mobilizing all his knowledge, he designed it and reviewed the spells to incorporate.
It had to repair itself if damaged.
It needed the ability to make autonomous judgments in various special situations.
After countless errors and experiments, he finally completed the main body [Lüsen Ardahan] and twenty-four sub-bodies <Akan>. These golems, equipped with self-regeneration, autonomous judgment capabilities, and exceptional combat instincts, surpassed Perlnern's expectations in power. Moreover, his heart fragment seemed to imbue them with some strange force, as Lüsen Ardahan appeared to possess a degree of ego.
However, lacking proper vocal organs, it couldn't speak at all, and the mana in a single fragment wasn't enough to effectively control the sub-bodies. So, he temporarily supplied mana to the <Akan> using other fragments and later created a giant spear for [Lüsen Ardahan] to use against massive magical beasts.
In any case, Lüsen Ardahan and the Akan splendidly guarded the sky island.
Until the very end, when Perlnern dropped the twenty-four fragments into the middle realm.
The eighth fragment, [Lüsen Ardahan], fell into the elf forest where the World Tree stood.
At that time, the elf forest was home to a noble fairy who had lived for hundreds of years—a high elf known as the Sword Star <Via>. Via encountered Lüsen Ardahan that had fallen from the sky. Despite plummeting from the high heavens and carving a massive crater into one side of the forest, the golem maintained its intact form and stood silently in place.
The elves were wary of [Lüsen Ardahan]. They quickly realized this was the fragment spoken of by the demon lord that had appeared from the sky. But they couldn't do anything about it. When they tried to bury the golem underground, it climbed out on its own. They couldn't seal it either. In the end, the elves decided to leave the motionless golem where it was.
What happened afterward—how the elves treated or managed Lüsen Ardahan—is unknown. But one undeniable fact is that Sword Star <Via> became its master.
There was a kingdom at the time that could rival an empire.
It was <Silan>, called the Slave Kingdom, which had conquered neighboring countries' lands, enslaved their nobles and citizens, sold them abroad, and amassed immense wealth.
To capture even more of the valuable elves, the Slave Kingdom <Silan> dispatched a large-scale force. The army split into two prongs entering the forest, one of which included a mercenary known as the Bow Star, used as bait to lure out Sword Star Via.
The Silan Kingdom, dreaming of vast riches from selling elf slaves, anticipated news of victory soon. But they had no idea about [Lüsen Ardahan] in the elf forest. Up to that point, the power of the fragments wasn't widely known.
And then, [Lüsen Ardahan], which had steadfastly guarded its spot, moved for the first time the moment humans entered the forest and the elves began scurrying about. No one knew what Lüsen Ardahan did, but the World Tree's mana seeped in, a subspace opened, and twenty-four <Akan> emerged.
Eight <Akan> followed after Sword Star <Via> headed out, while the remaining sixteen moved with [Lüsen Ardahan].
The Bow Star, locked in combat with the Sword Star, suddenly saw it charge out from deep in the forest and plunge into the ranks of Silan Kingdom soldiers waiting in the rear. Realizing something was wrong, the Bow Star couldn't retreat now.
While the Bow Star and Sword Star fought, vying for each other's lives, Silan's main force that had entered first began capturing elves one after another. The elves' magic and archery were threatening, but the numerical disparity was too great, and there were too many skilled knights. The response was so flawless that the elves couldn't mount a proper counter. Above all, the fact that captured kin were scattered among them weakened their resistance.
Lacking properly trained soldiers like humans—only village militias to guard their homes—they had no way to overcome the immediate crisis. But then, the sixteen <Akan> appeared.
When the <Akan>, in the form of knights clad in sturdy armor, revealed themselves, Silan's elite troops flinched momentarily but quickly responded. Knights up to the level of Spirit Sword wielders and magic swordsmen attacked, and the result was devastating. Empowered by the World Tree's mana, the <Akan> displayed astonishing strength, massacring the knights and magic swordsmen.
When the massive Lüsen Ardahan, nearly 10 meters tall, appeared, the Silan soldiers' will to fight shattered. Lüsen Ardahan and the Akan killed only humans, sparing the elves. Possessing tireless bodies, the golems pursued without rest. The humans scattered deep in the forest began to be hunted by the elves in turn.
Even the Bow Star, who had clashed with Sword Star Via, met his end, and only ragged remnants returned to the Silan Kingdom in pitiful shape. Afterward, Silan walked the path of decline, soon crumbling seriously amid rebellions across its lands and ambitions from kingdoms eyeing its empire status.
This event shook an entire kingdom to ruin, yet human desire for elf slaves didn't wane. On the contrary, the value of elf slaves skyrocketed astronomically, drawing even more slave traders seeking quick fortunes. But most who entered the forest never returned.
Occasionally, a slave trader who somehow captured an elf and returned alive was questioned by a noble who bought from them.
Did they have the confidence to enter the forest again and catch more elves?
To the question of whether it would be easier the second time, the slave trader shook his head and said this:
"There are steel guardians there that protect the elves and coexist with them."
And he declared he would never enter the elf forest again. Yet, perhaps because of that success story, greedy souls still ventured into the forest for elves in no small numbers.
+ + +
#The border region between Urun and Silan.
"Farewell."
Roxin said. His face was full of exhaustion. Juda gave a wry smile at the sight and extended a hand for a handshake.
"Thanks for your help."
"It's work I'm paid for—what thanks?"
Roxin paused mid-sentence, then slowly nodded.
"You're right. This really deserves extra pay. Thanks are in order. Yeah, of course."
Juda frowned instead at those words. Wasn't that just asking for more money?
"Ah, you money-grubbing ghost. You got plenty already. Plus, I took you to the casino again and won big for you."
"That's that, and this is this."
Shrugging with an impudent, amused expression that made Juda want to punch him. But though he spoke that way, he didn't demand more. After staring silently at each other for a moment, he waved his hand dismissively.
"If you got nothing to say, get going. Don't even think about some creepy hug."
"I wouldn't dream of it—not even as much as a spider's shit. Oh, and don't sell my info. Since Urun's flipped anyway, let me leave in peace."
"Fine. I won't sell it. But if you come back to Urun later, bring that elf booze. The fruit wine. Oh, one more thing. You gotta hit Avalon again."
"...I promised Jeanne I'd quit the casino."
Roxin wore a puzzled, incredulous look.
"With who?"
"With Lady Jeanne."
"Hmm—promises are made to be broken anytime. You'll probably change your mind by then. When you return to Urun, we'll talk again. With the booze, of course."
"...Sure. Probably won't go, though."
Juda took a deep breath.
"Then I'll be off."
"Yeah, go."
Wrapping up the farewell neatly, Roxin looked up at the elves standing behind. They gazed silently at him. Meeting their eyes, Roxin hummed thoughtfully, then raised his hand and waved a few times.
Surprisingly, the elves waved back at Roxin, and one female elf approached, handing him a flower bracelet. Crudely made in haste, but upon closer look, it was laced with faint mana, sturdily woven. The elf who gave it thanked him and pressed her lips to his forehead before shyly scurrying back. Watching the dazed Roxin, Juda chuckled, then departed down the road with Arhil and the elves.