Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Beyond the Gate
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I always feel this way, but the line between humans and other races is thinner than you'd think.
We're all so similar, really. I used to imagine elves as detached from worldly affairs, almost ethereal beings close to inanimate objects, but whether it's Rowena or elves in general, they didn't feel all that different from humans.
That said, fear is something anyone would feel, regardless of race.
But maybe because she's an elf? Rowena seemed especially terrified. She was trembling so badly she could barely keep her wits about her.
"If we piece together everything we know so far, the Citadel Republic is already on the brink of collapse. No one... not even the Three Main Gods could save it now."
The Demon King hadn't even shown himself personally. He'd simply sent a single bird, and that had been enough to orchestrate it all.
Thinking about it, it's utterly terrifying. Everyone knew Grimudo could topple a nation with ease, but no one feared him because they believed he wouldn't stir unless provoked.
That belief is gone now.
What has happened once can happen again. If he could bring down the Citadel Republic without breaking a sweat, what would stop him from doing the same to any other country?
"If he truly moves against us, the next target would probably be..."
"The Empire?"
"No... Elvenhome."
I'd assumed that if this was a deliberate attack, the Empire would naturally be next, but Rowena shook her head. Her voice trembled as she continued.
"Grimudo has always had his eyes on Elvenhome. As if we elves were meant to die, he's tried time and again... time and again to burn Elvenhome to the ground. Even though there's nothing for him to gain from it."
It wasn't even a fight. It wasn't something you could call combat.
A chill ran through me as the elven woman before me shuddered violently.
"Everything we knew... archery, spirit arts, all of it... was meaningless. It felt like shooting arrows into the ocean. No matter what we did, we couldn't slow his advance even a little. The only reason we survived was the World Tree's barrier—he couldn't breach that. That's it."
"Grimudo has attacked Elvenhome before?"
"Yes. That's why we know. There's no hope of repelling him."
It was like dredging up a memory she desperately wanted to forget. Like vividly recalling a nightmare even after waking. But this nightmare, more terrifying than any other, was named reality.
To be more precise, the past. The woman's face drained of color as she relived it.
"That's why we're always anxious. Such a mighty being keeps eyeing us, and all we elves do is hide in our shells like turtles, repeating like a mantra that we're safe."
The World Tree was a tree left by the Ancient Gods. Rowena said that under its blessing, elves were absolutely safe within its bounds.
But the Ancient Gods who granted that blessing no longer answered elven prayers. The god who bestowed the World Tree had fulfilled its role as a deity and returned to being a pure law of nature.
"So Elvenhome's interior is essentially a safe zone created by the Ancient Gods' blessing."
If so, it's a dead law. No different from the sun's curse that once burned vampires.
Unlike people, rules can die, and when they do, ways to circumvent them emerge.
Just like how I, even borrowing the Lord's power, found a loophole in the sun's curse to save the vampires.
If the curse itself were alive, or if the Ancient God who cast it retained its full ego, it could simply curse the vampires' newly reconstituted bodies. A living law can't be defied, but a dead one can be bypassed somehow.
Of course, that's easier said than done.
But this is Grimudo. The primordial Demon King. No one knows the extent of what he can do, so we can't guarantee Elvenhome's safety.
"So you believe that safe zone might not be safe anymore."
"Do you know what the Citadel Republic's apprentice gave to Grimudo? A fruit from the World Tree. Who knows if he's studying it to find a way through the World Tree's protection."
Haah. The woman drooped her ears and let out a deep sigh.
"Of course, we can't blame only that Andolph Maclaren or whatever his name is. It was his fellow elves who picked the fruit and sold it to humans. They probably didn't realize it might end up in Grimudo's hands, but even if they did, the high elves wouldn't have cared."
"That's how they are. They've lived so long their sense of crisis has dulled—they don't even know fear. They believe the World Tree will handle everything. Can you believe it? Being complacent against Grimudo... you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else on the continent."
Ah, no, that's not true. I know people who were complacent toward him just like that.
Yurinel. Pannel. Lucia. And me. We only realized the rumors understated him after meeting him face-to-face, but by then it was too late. The continent had underestimated the Demon King far too much.
But on second thought, what would change even if we evaluated him properly?
Ignorance simply turns into knowledge of the inevitable. In that case, it might have been better to know nothing and treat him as a figure from legend.
"Priest. As Elvenhome's plenipotentiary ambassador, I formally request that you come to Elvenhome. The World Tree... it might not protect us from the next attack."
"I'm sorry, but I have a place I must go first."
"...I see. After this brief talk, no one would refuse a plea for help."
Rowena shot me a glare. Such a human reaction.
The village elders told me as a child that elves were a fairy-like race, but at least I can tell they've never actually seen one.
"Even someone like you, Priest, fears death after all?"
"...?"
"I understand. Grimudo is scary. Who would stand against that Demon King for someone they've only exchanged a few words with? It's natural to refuse. I won't hold it against you. I just... I thought someone who serves as a priest of the Ancient Gods would be different."
"I don't fear death. Or that Demon King."
I simply smiled.
She seemed to be misunderstanding something.
"The place I must go is beyond the teleport gate, to the Citadel Republic."
The lowest place. Where the suffering cry out. Where those begging for aid reside.
That's where I must go. The Lord has awakened me once more for this.
His Majesty treated me with honor, the prince came to recruit me—He must have seen the sprouts of pride budding in my heart and solemnly commanded me to look around me.
Yes, I still have one use left of The Night the Milky Way Bleeds. Technically two, but using both would mean I couldn't remain on this earth, so effectively just one.
If I can save an unknown number of people at the cost of hastening my ascension.
I could accept that deal with a joyful smile. I was almost certain of it.
"The Citadel Republic? What can you even do there, Priest? No matter how miraculous your divine powers, in the face of an erupting volcano... they would be, meaningless."
"Didn't you say it yourself? If we can just defeat the Beast King, the eruption won't happen. Or if it does, it would be much later."
A miracle is a miracle because there is a place to use it.
An unused miracle, one that doesn't shine, is no different from never existing. The Lord grants me only the miracles I need.
"Ambassador. Let's make a deal."
Surely, The Night the Milky Way Bleeds came to me because there is a place it must be used.
That's why the Lord granted it. So my task is clear.
"A deal? Suddenly, what..."
"Help me cross beyond the gate. In return, I promise to head to Elvenhome once this is over."
I must advance toward the most dangerous place beyond.
It's natural for ordinary people to flee danger, and you can't blame them for it. But one who would be the Lord's priest cannot do the same.
I couldn't.
Nor did I want to.
"For now, I need to go to that gate."
The first step isn't charging in blindly—it's hearing from those coming through, assessing the situation.
Only then will my path become clear.
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