Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Chapter 5. Tree and Iron
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As they exited the temple, Via was waiting with her arms crossed, her brow furrowed in clear dissatisfaction.
Via stood still and scanned Judah and Arhil up and down as they walked out. Their outfits showed no difference from when they entered, and there were no traces of battle. She had sensed holiness emanating from the barrier surrounding the temple and thus hadn't forced her way in—a good decision, it seemed.
"Did you manage to accomplish what you set out to do?"
"Thanks to you, we did. And..."
Judah pulled out the glass vial containing the World Tree sap that she had given him and held it out. Via looked down at the proffered small bottle. There were no signs of the cap having been opened, suggesting it hadn't been used at all.
"Fortunately, we didn't need to use it. It'll be useful for the elves too, so I'm returning it."
"...Hmm. No. It's fine. World Tree sap has excellent effects for treating wounds or driving away diseases, so keep it and use it later."
She refused to take it back, so he didn't push. Truth be told, he felt reluctant to return it. It was quite the commemorative item in its own right, and a valuable treasure worth holding onto.
"So, are you done with your business at the temple?"
Ah, maybe he should have grabbed some holy water. He debated saying he'd pop back in briefly, but with Arhil now a saintess by his side, there was no real need.
"Yes. We can head back like this."
"Then come to my side. We'll return using the magic stone."
Arhil and Judah wordlessly went to her side and returned to the first castle using the magic stone. Meeting Gabriel at the temple and conversing with her had only taken a short time, so not much had passed.
Via provided them with two rooms in the inner castle, telling them to rest. Arhil, mentally exhausted, bid Judah goodnight early and entered her room.
"Hmm."
The furniture in the room included human-style items like a bed, chair, and table, but their designs were entirely different. They had cultivated their own unique culture. An artistic example, perhaps. He observed it with some interest. As he looked around the room, someone knocked on the door and entered. It was a male elf carrying a bowl of food.
Whether out of courtesy or not, he placed the bowl on the table, saying it was dinner and to eat it well. When Judah asked if they had delivered food to the next room as well, he replied that she had said she would sleep and wouldn't eat. Watching the door close, Judah approached the table with anticipation but soon felt disappointed at the sight of the contents.
He had already suspected as much from the lack of any appetizing aroma. It was filled with nothing but grass and weeds. He took a bite and found it incredibly fresh, but it felt like he had turned into a rabbit.
'Tasteless.'
It was fresh-tasting. Truly. The kind of taste that made him feel his body growing healthier. Chewing the grass with a displeased expression, Judah let out a deep sigh. He considered pulling something edible from <Bag> to eat, but worried it might leave a smell in the room or create a bad impression by leaving their food untouched, he forced himself to chew it down.
As he ate, it became somewhat tolerable, but it still didn't suit Judah's palate at all.
'Come to think of it, Roxin said the fruit wine made by elves was incredibly delicious.'
Was this it?
Judah shook the glass bottle containing what seemed like a beverage provided to cleanse his palate and muttered to himself. He emptied the glass of water and uncorked the bottle. The moment he did, a sweet aroma spread out.
"Oh...! Is this made from grapes?"
The liquid filling the glass was purple. Feeling as if he might get drunk on the sweet scent alone, Judah took a sip.
"Damn, it's amazing."
It was truly delicious. Sweet yet refreshingly clean. It was better than the beverage served by the lord in Serenia Castle, better than any liquor or drink he had at the 'Hall of Glory' in the capital Aslan that only the rich could enter, and far superior to what Earl Genner had given him in Urun. If a simple beverage for guests tasted this good, he couldn't even imagine what their premium items would be like. It seemed perfect with greasy food. Since he couldn't grill meat, he pulled out a sausage from <Bag> and ate it.
"Ah."
It paired so perfectly that an exclamation escaped him naturally. Nodding in satisfaction, Judah emptied the entire bottle in one go alongside the sausage.
'Is it laced with drugs or something?'
Thinking he absolutely needed to get a good amount of fruit wine from the real elves on the way back, Judah smacked his lips. Once the meal was finished, he went to the washbasin he had noted while touring the room earlier, rinsed his mouth, and cleaned his body, which he hadn't washed in a while. A bath would have been ideal, but there was no tub. Still, hot water came out, so he washed without complaint.
Midway through washing, he heard movement outside, followed by a clinking sound, likely someone retrieving the bowl, and then it faded away.
Steaming white vapor from his entire body, Judah emerged from the washbasin, pulled comfortable clothes from <Bag> and changed into them, then threw himself onto the bed. After leaving Urun, he had always slept on the floor, so lying on the soft bed immediately brought sleep rushing in.
'I should turn off the light.'
With that vague thought, he fell asleep. At some hour he couldn't tell was dawn or morning, persistent knocking on the door made Judah open his eyes.
Knock knock knock...!
The person outside was knocking repeatedly with persistence, at intervals of about three seconds. Letting out a small sigh, Judah got up, rubbed his eyes, and walked over to open the door. An elf was standing there with a serious expression, staring down at the floor. He continued moving his hand repeatedly, unaware the door had opened.
"......"
Seeming to snap to attention at the sensation of knocking empty air, he looked up at Judah.
"...Lady Via summons you. It's urgent, so please follow me right now."
He stood ramrod straight as he spoke. Glancing out the window in the hallway, it was still pitch dark. Sighing at being called at such an early hour before the morning sun had risen, Judah replied.
"Then I'll change clothes and come out. I'll be out in five minutes, so wait just a moment."
"Understood. Please come out as quickly as possible."
Judah nodded and closed the door. Perhaps because he had been sleeping deeply, he wanted nothing more than to ignore it and go back to sleep. Yawning, he stripped off his clothes and quickly changed into the leather outfit and coat he had worn until yesterday.
'Magic really is amazing.'
Thinking about it, he had never washed or repaired these clothes up to now. Infused with code and magic, they repelled odors and automatically repaired themselves, so he had never felt the need to do anything special. Moreover, though they had been splattered with monster blood on the way here, the elves had cleaned them perfectly with magic, leaving no issues.
'It's like a school uniform.'
Earl Genner had bought him a suit back in Urun, and he considered changing into it, but since it would get dirty again soon anyway, he gave up. He roughly tousled his sleep-mussed hair and left the room. The elf immediately led Judah down the hallway. As they descended to the first floor, he saw elves moving about frantically despite it being night.
'Why are they so busy at this hour?'
No one paid any attention even as the human Judah passed right by. It was the complete opposite of yesterday. Judah was guided to a certain room. The door was already open.
There sat Via, perched on the desk. She had apparently been dozing, her head bowed with arms crossed. As he took one step into the room, she woke at the sound of his footsteps and looked at Judah with somewhat bleary eyes. Covering her mouth as she let out a small yawn, she spoke as if telling him to come in.
"You're here. Close the door and come in."
The elf who had guided Judah followed her words by closing the door himself and leaving. She pointed to the chair by the long rectangular table in front of the desk, as if telling him to sit, and rubbed her eyes. Her face, as she let out a long breath, embodied exhaustion. She had looked perfectly fine just last night, so he had no idea what had happened in the short time she slept.
No, he had a vague idea.
'They've confirmed Silran's invasion.'
That would explain the elves bustling about earlier on the way here.
"You've confirmed the humans are coming."
"!"
"Right?"
At Judah's words, Via's eyes widened round before she nodded and exhaled as if swallowing her anger.
"Hoo—Originally, I wasn't going to call you."
"?"
"We have our own circumstances here. It's true you rescued the elves captured by humans and provided information about their invasion, but it could also be a ploy to extract our intelligence, couldn't it?"
"......"
"—That's what some elves think. Don't take it too badly."
Judah's expression remained unchanged even under Via's gaze. Hearing it out, it was a perfectly reasonable story. No matter that he had rescued elves from Urun, given the circumstances, it was understandable if they mistook him for a spy. Of course, if they actually branded him one, it would go beyond unfair to total chaos, but since that wasn't the case, he wasn't particularly offended.
"I see. Then why did you call me?"
"At the very least, I trust you a little more than them."
"...Unexpected. I thought you'd be the one suspecting me most, Via."
At Judah's words, Via let out a snort of laughter.
"You're right. I still suspect you. Because you're human. But because of what happened at the temple yesterday, I've decided to try believing you a bit."
"The temple?"
"No need to play dumb. The barrier around the temple yesterday was made of holy power. And a pillar of light even descended from the sky. I'm not asking what happened, but it wasn't nothing, was it?"
"......Hm."
"Besides, no matter what anyone says, the Spirit Sword owner is a valuable asset, and if that asset has a 'Fragment' to boot, wouldn't it be even more helpful in this war?"
Not helpful—useful.
Judah looked at her. Via was looking back at him. Her blue eyes had been hazy with sleep just moments ago, but now they shone with icy clarity.
"Let me be frank. I'm going to use you. Just as I kept my promise to you, now it's your turn to keep yours to me."
"If I keep my promise, can I take Lusen Ardan then?"
"......"
"You gave me the World Tree sap and guided me to the temple as payment for rescuing the elves. If I protect the elves from the humans this time, I'll take the Fragment. As the reward for the promise you spoke of."
"Are you confident? You'll have to kill humans with your own hands."
At Via's question, Judah snorted with laughter.
"What's this? You say you're going to use me, but now you're speaking in a worried tone."
"I wasn't worried. I was just asking about your resolve. Whether you can kill your own kind."
"For a Fragment, what wouldn't I do? Even if not now... I don't know how many more I'll have to kill going forward. However! If I protect you all and then you refuse to hand over the Fragment with some pointless scheme... then my sword will turn toward you."
"...Don't worry. Just as you swore on your Spirit Sword to me, this time I'll swear on my Spirit Sword."
I swear on my Spirit Sword—
It was a simple declaration staking the martial arts honed over a lifetime as a Spirit Sword owner.
Like a knight pledging loyalty to a king, it was a vow staking pride and honor to earn the other party's trust. Breaking it imposed no special penalty, but coming from her, known as the Sword Saint, it was believable. As they gazed steadily into each other's eyes, Judah clapped his hands. The sharp clap echoed suddenly through the room.
"Alright. I understand. So, how do you plan to use me?"
She lifted her hips from where they had been perched on the desk, turned her body, picked up the long sheet of paper spread out on it, and placed it on the table in front of Judah's chair.
'A map?'