Chapter 132
Chapter 132
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Iseulbi
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Grrrrr!"
The elf holding Rain watched Chris, who had started to sidestep with a low growl, an amused expression on her face.
The chuckling elf soon gestured for Chris to come closer.
"You're Chris, right? Come here and take a look at this."
"......."
*How does this wretched elf know my name?*
Chris, who had been growling at the strange woman who’d snatched Rain away, cautiously approached her, still maintaining a wary stance.
"Heh."
A silly laugh escaped Chris's lips. The sight of Rain's sleeping face had made her expression soften.
Soon, the two women sat down together, gazing adoringly at the sleeping Rain's face.
"Isn't she just adorable?"
"Haaah... Right? Right? She's a total angel, isn't she? ...Huh!"
Chris, who had been agreeing with the elf, snapped back to her senses and shot the elf another wary glance.
The white-haired elf gave a slight bow and introduced herself.
"I'm sorry for the late introduction. My name is Igraine."
"Igraine?"
"Yes. I am an elf who once held the title of the World Tree's Oracle."
A word Rain had drunkenly uttered at a recent Red and White guild meeting flashed through Chris's mind.
The World Tree's Oracle, Igraine.
The person Rain had mentioned had appeared here.
*Is this a coincidence?*
A character from the game's world. An AI. An NPC.
If she dismissed it as just a game, she felt she would never be able to understand Rain.
Whether she knew of Chris's complicated feelings or not, the elf named Igraine simply smiled while stroking Rain.
"I understand. From the perspective of higher beings, this world might be nothing more than a momentary amusement."
Igraine looked at Rain's face, her expression turning slightly sad.
"I wish Rain thought of it that way, too."
At this point, Chris had no choice but to admit it.
Understanding could come later; she had to start by accepting it.
Igraine.
Not as a game NPC, but as someone connected to Rain's past.
Having steeled her resolve, Chris asked the question that was foremost on her mind.
"...What is your relationship with Rain?"
"Hmm... Companions?"
"Companions?"
"Yes. A thousand years ago, we gathered under the mission to defeat the Demon King. The Hero's companions."
"The Hero's companions."
The Demon King. A mission.
Rain's past.
Rain's past, which couldn't be found in reality, had revealed itself here.
Chris and Igraine talked for a long time.
The elf, Igraine. The World Tree's Oracle.
She met Rain, traveled with her and their companions, fought the demons, and finally defeated the Demon King.
And in the process.
"......."
The story she had heard from Team Leader Han Yeo-reum.
The Hero's past.
Today, it felt all the more real to Chris.
*Should I just think that the advancement of AI technology is incredible?*
*But why is this game's world connected to Rain?*
Chris quickly shook her head.
*I decided not to think about that for now, right?*
*For now, I need to learn more about this continent and Rain.*
"...But you said a thousand years have passed since the Hero's Party fought the Demon King? And in that process, your companions... Ack, does that mean you're a... ghost...!"
Chris was horrified. Igraine chuckled.
"You're just as amusing as I'd heard, Chris. I don't know as much as you might think, you know? Most of what I know is because of my position as the spirit of the World Tree."
Igraine's expression turned regretful.
"This world lost its god back then. Only a shell remained, detached from the absolute flow of time, and it began to drift on its own. It's the fate of a lower dimension that relies on its goddess's divinity for so much, including its very existence. I heard that by the standards of a higher dimension, only about two years have passed."
"Two years..."
"Is Rain's body alright over there?"
"...Her legs."
"......."
Igraine's face was clouded with deep sorrow. A green halo of light scattered from the corners of the spirit's eyes. Igraine hugged Rain tightly to her chest, calling her name ceaselessly.
"Rain, Rain."
Two years ago.
The point when traces of Iseulbi began to truly appear on Earth.
Rain's past.
Another world that actually exists.
The world that serves as the game's setting.
If she accepted this, many questions would be answered, and all the pieces would connect.
But.
Chris squeezed her eyes shut.
"This can't be."
A story she wanted to dismiss simply because it defied her common sense.
A story she wished was a lie.
A young girl, not entirely of sound mind, had accepted the Hero's mission and fought on, getting hurt and wounded.
And in the end, she lost everything.
She lost her companions.
She lost her legs.
Her mind broke.
She turned away from the world she lived in and fled to her own.
It was a miracle she hadn't completely fallen apart before they met.
The conversation between Chris and Igraine trailed off.
For a while, they silently watched the sleeping Rain.
Chris gently stroked Rain's hair. Rain whimpered and snuggled deeper into Igraine's embrace. Chris's face contorted. Igraine looked both troubled and pleased.
They slowly began to share their memories of Rain.
"...Rain was a truly strange child. Even at an age where she could barely hold a sword, she was always lost in deep thought."
"......."
"Sometimes she was seriously mature, and other times she acted like a quiet child. She was always looking at something far away. And when I held her, she would look confused, yet have the expression of a kitten."
"A kitten...! Hehe, I think I know what you mean."
"Right? She was just like a baby cat. ...What was sad, though, was that she seemed to have grown up without being loved. She didn't seem to know how to accept the kindness shown to her."
"......."
She understood that, too.
Considering how much effort Chris had put into breaking down Rain's guard.
Igraine suddenly wore a puzzled expression.
"There's one thing she did that I still don't understand. I think it was when I was washing her. She would let out a cute whimper, cover her eyes, and refuse to look at my body."
"You washed Rain...!?"
Chris's wariness radar went off again. She chewed on her sleeve with a look of indignation.
"I-I've washed Rain too, you know!?"
*Don't you think you've won!*
Igraine tilted her head at Chris's reaction.
"Ah!"
Then she let out a small exclamation.
A mischievous glint appeared in Igraine's eyes.
"Is that so...! Well, when Rain talks about you... hmm, hmm. Her body is still small, but to think she's already at an age where she'd know about such things...!"
Chris shot a sharp glare at Igraine, who had started nodding knowingly.
*What's with that expression?*
Igraine gave a soft smile and continued.
"Rain is truly beautiful, isn't she?"
"Uh, umm. Yes, she is."
"Even by the standards of elves, who are called the race of beauty, she is a rare beauty. Hoho, don't you think she's charmed quite a few people?"
*What's this? Suddenly complimenting her looks?*
*Of course, Rain is pretty, but still.*
"The reason I became more talkative with our companions was to protect Rain from the clutches of Melissa and Elena. Even though I told them she was still young. Huhu, they were truly persistent, you know?"
"Melissa? Elena?"
Chris's wariness radar blared a warning signal.
*And who the hell are they?*
"Don't worry. I'm, um... I'm not sure if I should say this, but I'm something like Rain's mother?"
"Mother!"
*Thud!*
Chris slammed her head on the floor of the World Tree.
As they shared memories of Rain, a warm time for the three women passed by slowly.
The look of regret on Igraine's face began to deepen.
"I am a person of the past. I shouldn't influence the Rain of today. I'm just grateful that I was able to see her again like this."
"What?"
Chris stared blankly at Igraine, who had started saying things she couldn't understand.
"Rain is living well over there, isn't she? Huhu, just from the fact that Rain has started to smile more, I can tell how much you cherish her, Chris."
"Yes. I-I'm trying to make Rain happy!"
"I am someone who must leave. For Rain to live happily in another world, I am someone who shouldn't be by her side."
Chris became frantic.
In Igraine's arms, Rain was sleeping with a blissful expression Chris had never seen before.
*Even if it's not all day like this, wouldn't visiting once in a while be good for Rain?*
"Why, why do you have to leave?"
Igraine didn't answer and looked directly at Chris.
"Chris. In that world where she is living a new life, what is Rain's name?"
"...Iseulbi."
"Iseulbi."
After rolling the name around in her mouth, Igraine stroked Rain's hair.
"Nngh."
Just then, Rain's eyes carefully fluttered open.
Her lovely, obsidian eyes, filled with confusion, darted between the two women's faces.
And then, she broke into a bright smile.
"Wow, it's my big sisters."
But despite Rain's radiant smile, the sorrow in Igraine's eyes did not fade.
"Rain. I'm sorry."
"...Why? Igraine, why are you apologizing?"
A flicker of anxiety began to stir in Rain's eyes.
Igraine stroked the girl's head and forced the words out.
"I... have to leave."