Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Chapter 5-2. Rest
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One of the elves approached at Judah's question. He was the captain of the unit guarding the eastern cliffs above Roengrim. Lacking mana, he had almost no talent for magic, but his archery and swordsmanship surpassed others. Though not an elven sword owner, he possessed skills sufficient to lead a group.
Yet he had died once to Ort. Without even a proper fight, his head was severed in a single strike. After the thought "I'm dead" came, his memories ended, only to be revived by Bell-Teraza's power.
Revival was a horrific experience.
Consciousness returned while his head was severed, and he wanted to scream in agony, but his body wouldn't obey. When he came back to his senses, he was rising from the ground in a perfectly intact body. There was no need to grasp the situation. How he had been revived was imprinted in his mind, as if someone had injected the memory.
"…?"
He met the eyes of Judah, who was furrowing his brow and about to speak, and bowed his head politely.
"Thank you. Sincerely."
Starting with him, the others watching from behind bowed their heads as well. None were swept up by the mood into bowing. Only some had died and returned, while the other elves hadn't even grasped the situation, yet they didn't hesitate to bow to Judah. Watching this, Judah scratched his forehead.
"There's no need to thank me. I only kept my promise."
"A promise… you say?"
He widened his eyes, as if surprised by the unexpected reply. A promise—from a human, no less.
"But even if it was for the sake of that promise, it doesn't change the fact that we owe you a great debt. We don't know what price you paid…but…"
He hesitated to utter Bell-Teraza's name. It was understandable. The Bell-Teraza, whom they had thought they'd never encounter in their lifetime, had not only helped them but resurrected the dead. It had extended lives that should have ended. Recalling that immense power, it was natural he couldn't casually speak the name.
"…Summoning a lord—there can't be no cost to that."
In truth, there was no cost at all. If he became a lord later, he would have to hand over the Fragment Altemia, but that was a light condition for summoning once. Judah just smiled awkwardly without responding.
"Don't worry. It's a price I can bear. But are you alright? Your face looks exhausted."
From earlier, as he spoke, he kept habitually touching his neck. It looked unscathed on the surface, but the blood dried around the collar and shoulders of his leather armor suggested his head had been cut off. His complexion was poor, perhaps haunted by memories of the moment of death.
"I'm not physically tired, but mentally…something feels drained. Probably because I died and came back."
"Then let's not talk here and return to the castle. The others behind you seem the same."
Bell-Teraza's resurrection apparently had aftereffects; the elves who had experienced death kept touching parts of their bodies. Some rubbed their chests, others their shoulders. Exhaustion wasn't limited to them—the humans and those who fought to the end were the same. No one had a fully hale face. The joy of victory was fleeting; they all looked eager for rest.
"…I see."
He glanced back, gave a wry smile, and nodded. Returning quickly would be best for them.
+ + +
They returned to Roengrim with the elves. When they had left, things were relatively intact, but now the castle walls bristled with ballista bolts like thorns, and massive boulders littered the area. Of course, the withered human corpses piled like trash were the most numerous.
The war had ended in human defeat and elven victory, but no one was reveling in it. Though the war was over, everyone was busy restoring the damage. Above all, with so many wounded elves, they focused on transporting and treating the injured.
Bell-Teraza had only revived the dead elves. It hadn't healed the wounded. That was natural. From Bell-Teraza's perspective, resurrecting the dead was favor enough.
The revived lived again, but those with fatal wounds were dying. Some were crushed by catapult stone fragments, others buried under collapsed walls. Even the revived were dying again if pinned under debris.
Seeing no room for leisure, the elves who returned with Judah didn't just stand by—they moved to help. Exhausted as they were, they couldn't simply rest.
"……."
Judah didn't think himself swept by the mood, but he couldn't just watch either, so he helped them. Thanks to allocating points to strength earlier, clearing debris was easy. He moved rubble that several elves together couldn't budge.
As he helped, perhaps word had spread that the war was over, as many elves from inside the castle rushed out to assist. While aiding them for a long while, he heard murmurs from behind and turned to see the elders approaching—those he had seen just before the war began. Naturally, they weren't unscathed either. Their robes were dust-covered and torn, stained black with blood. Their staffs were broken, beards singed.
"Judah Arsher…"
One elder called his name.
"Could we speak for a moment?"
Judah tossed the brick he held far away and approached. Then the elder, leaning on his broken staff, knelt right there. Not just him—all the elders behind him knelt and bowed their heads, as subjects before a king. Judah was startled by their sudden action.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, we protected this land. And…we returned from death. All of it is because of you."
"Ah…"
Coming back from death explained their behavior. Bell-Teraza had imprinted on the revived elves' souls, as it said. No separate system message appeared. He would have to repeat what he said atop the eastern cliffs.
It's fine, he had only kept his promise.
Before Judah could speak, the elder lifted his head, stared straight at him, and continued first.
"But I have a question for you."
"Yes, go ahead."
"We know you summoned a lord and paid a great price. And it's true you saved us. However, we who returned from death know we must obey your words due to the lord's mighty power. If you ordered us to end our lives here, we would gladly do so."
"……."
"Because you have become the master of our souls. We instinctively know we cannot refuse your words. And we feel deep trust and goodwill toward you. It feels so natural that it frightens us. So I ask."
Dragging it out like this—what question? Under Judah's gaze urging a quick answer, the old elder bowed his head apologetically.
"What do you intend to do with us from now on?"
"Pardon?"
Judah furrowed his brow and asked back. Do with you? Pondering the meaning briefly, he let out an incredulous chuckle.
"Hahaha! I see. I think I know what you're worried about. It's fine. Don't worry. I won't do anything. Even if I've become your master, I have no intention of enslaving or exploiting you. Why? Do you think I'll point at someone and say, 'Be my servant. Bring food. Bring treasure'? I won't do a thing. No need to fret. Live your lives from now on without minding me, just as before. …Ah! Wait, there's one thing."
"What is it?"
"Just as I kept my promise, you must keep yours. I paid a considerable price and steeled myself to summon the lord and save you."
He didn't name Bell-Teraza, but at the word "lord" from Judah's mouth, the elves before him flinched. Not just the revived—all beings in this forest had sensed Bell-Teraza's presence. Especially those who saw it directly marveled they hadn't gone mad. Death itself was terrifying to behold. The elder slowly raised his head, smiled kindly, and said.
"Don't worry. Guardian—no, wasn't it Lüsen… Lüsen Ardahan? The fragment is yours to do with as you wish. Compared to the grace our kind received from you, it's nothing. And it was a promise before that."
The elder's response was satisfactory.
They exchanged some minor talk afterward, but it wasn't time for leisurely chat, so they agreed to meet later and parted. Until sunset, Judah helped clear debris and transport the wounded, pouring all his effort into aiding them. As night fell, he went to find Arhil and met her.
She was in a building where the wounded had been carried.
========== Author's Note ==========
...Hmm.
It's fascinating.
I never thought unsealing would turn into something so frightening.
I probably won't meet your expectations and anticipation. It feels awkward writing that sort of thing since I haven't done it much....