A Gift of Starlight
Through a few tests, I learned a few things.
First.
Bel was just as strong as she had been when she was alive.
Her skills were enough to overwhelm not only Nairin but even Imir.
In short, Bel was a Dark Elf killing machine.
Second.
Bel could never attack me.
In fact, I was the first one to step up as her sparring partner.
However, Bel refused to move against me, repeatedly dropping her sword.
When I tried to force the spar, she attempted to slit her own throat, so I had to call it off.
Thanks to that, I at least confirmed that Bel was "safe" for me.
Third.
Bel only obeyed my commands.
Wondering if she operated on mana like a sort of golem, I had Nairin try to order her around, but it failed.
Instead, the mana backflowed, causing Nairin to faint.
It was the same for Imir.
This meant that Bel could not be controlled by mana or other skills.
In fact, I didn't feel any consumption of mana or other energy when I commanded Bel.
She was moving through some mysterious force.
That was probably because of the "Night Goddess", right?
Anyway.
After conducting various tests, it seemed a sort of "Three Laws of Robotics" applied to Bel.
First Rule: She must not harm Lee Taepyeong, nor through inaction allow him to come to harm.
Second Rule: She must obey the orders given to her by Lee Taepyeong, except where such orders would conflict with the First Rule.
Third Rule: She must protect her own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Rule.
It's a bit creepy...
What on earth did the Night Goddess think of Belakir?
Seeing how she was treated as an "item", did she literally view her as nothing more than a tool?
Just because she was a god?
"..."
I silently stared at Belakir—no, "Bel."
A killing machine with no soul or ego left.
Perhaps...
...She found freedom in death.
It was probably better to die than to live as the goddess's puppet.
At least, that was what I thought.
"Bel."
Bel raised her head to look at me.
The stitched scars, reminiscent of Frankenstein's monster, were clearly visible.
"I will entrust you with my protection."
"..."
"Always remain hidden in the shadows until I call you."
Swoosh!
The moment the words left my mouth, Bel vanished.
Not even a trace of her presence could be felt.
As if she had truly become the darkness itself.
"Whew..."
Seriously, all kinds of crazy things are happening.
Winning the martial arts tournament was one thing.
But then I went and killed a fragment of the Night Goddess.
I definitely came here to get the Blessing of the World Tree.
Yet I ended up achieving a bizarre achievement like [Killed What Should Not Be Killed], and somehow gained a high-spec bodyguard in the process.
Well, in the end, it's all a massive win.
But I'm so tired...
I came here to relax, for goodness' sake.
Flop!
As I threw myself onto the bed,
Whoosh...!
The curtains by the window fluttered,
"...It seems the tournament has ended."
Beyond them, Alteon's bluish spiritual body materialized.
Flash!
Then, red eyes flashed in the darkness.
"Stop, Bel."
"..."
Bel froze mid-lunge, just as she was about to pounce on Alteon.
"A Dark Elf?"
"That's the 'cursed existence' you mentioned."
"..."
Alteon stared at Bel with unreadable eyes.
A gaze filled with both curiosity and sorrow.
"...She resembles Serael."
Serael... was that Alteon's younger sister?
Alteon reached his hand toward Bel's forehead.
Slide.
Unlike Nairin and Imir, who had both been blown back,
"No soul remains within her."
Alteon was perfectly fine.
"Instead, I feel the residual trace of the 'Night Goddess'."
"That 'Night Goddess' or whatever suddenly showed up and tried to kill me."
"...Personally?"
"Yeah."
"And?"
What do you mean, "and"?
Obviously,
"I killed her."
Alteon's eyebrows twitched.
"You killed the Night Goddess?"
"Yeah. She died."
"..."
"Was I not supposed to kill her?"
Alteon rarely showed anything resembling an expression, but this time, he looked genuinely dumbfounded.
"...If that is true, then no more 'cursed existences' can be born."
"Really?"
"You have severed that dreadful cycle."
Alteon looked at me and smiled so faintly it was almost imperceptible.
"Thank you."
No need to thank me. I just killed someone who deserved to die.
"Are you returning to your world now?"
"Since the tournament is over, I should."
"I see."
Alteon stared at Bel with a thoughtful expression for a moment before speaking.
"Before you return."
"...?"
"Go visit the gravestone of Grand Princess Serael in the Lily of the Valley Forest."
The Grand Princess's grave?
Why would that be here?
Serael founded the Dark Elf Kingdom, so there shouldn't be a gravestone for her here.
Whether he noticed my confusion or not, Alteon continued.
"Dig beneath the headstone."
Dig beneath a headstone? Isn't that a crime?
"There, starlight will be waiting for you."
"..."
"As a reward for breaking the cycle of the curse that began with my sister..."
"..."
"It is my compensation."
With those final words, Alteon vanished.
He left after saying only what he wanted to say, as usual.
"..."
Anyway, starlight is waiting for me?
For some reason, I have a good feeling about this.
Before sunrise, in the dark dawn.
"...If it is the Lily of the Valley Forest, it is a place no one visits anymore."
Nairin looked at me with a face that asked how on earth I knew about it.
"The only thing there is the grave of the deposed princess..."
Deposed princess?
Alteon had definitely called her the "Grand Princess."
As relations with the Dark Elf Kingdom deteriorated, was she demoted from Grand Princess to deposed princess...?
Alteon would be bitter if he knew.
"I get it, so just lead the way."
I headed to the Lily of the Valley Forest with Nairin.
Ah, of course, Bel came along too.
Although she was completely invisible and her presence undetectable,
I could tell that a concealed Bel was following me.
"Taepyeong-nim, it is here."
"...There isn't a single lily of the valley, is there?"
Indeed.
Befitting a name that was now meaningless, the place we arrived at was a forest overgrown with weeds, without a single flower in sight.
"Yes, because no one tends to it."
"..."
Is that so.
I looked around at the tall, dense grass.
At this rate, finding the Grand Princess's gravestone would be a challenge.
"First, look for the headstone."
"Understood."
"Bel, you look too."
Swoosh!
The sound of something moving swiftly in the darkness echoed.
And a moment later.
"Taepyeong-nim, Bel has found the headstone."
When I walked over to where Nairin called me,
I saw a dilapidated gravestone.
The headstone was tilted, half-fallen, and surrounded by thick weeds.
It seems that after Alteon's death, absolutely no one cared for this place.
I stared down at the gravestone for a moment, then said,
"Nairin, give Bel a shovel."
"Yes."
"Bel, dig."
Even before I finished speaking, Bel began to dig.
Her shoveling skills were a work of art.
Once she had dug down to nearly her own height,
"Taepyeong-nim, over there..."
Something shiny caught my eye.
It was a plain-looking wooden box, seemingly handmade.
However, a light so intense it was blinding leaked through the cracks.
"There, starlight will be waiting for you..."
He had definitely said that.
"Bel."
Bel handed the box to me.
I brushed off the dirt clinging to the surface and slowly opened the box.
Then...
Flash!
A single ring floated in the center of the box.
The transparent gemstone embedded in the middle emitted an immense light.
Is this the starlight Alteon spoke of...?
I carefully slipped the ring onto my finger.
◈ Effect: Upon death, immediately resurrect in a perfect state.
◈ Void Kills: 1,000 / 1,000
◈ Status: The starlight is fully charged. Additional Void kills will not accumulate more starlight.
Jackpot.
Immediate resurrection in a perfect state upon death?
And it wasn't even a single-use item like the Resurrection Herb.
It seemed that killing Void monsters would recharge the resurrection.
If it's the Void, then surely...
The natural enemy of the elves, born from the abyss.
Only Serael had contracted with the Night Goddess to "kill" the Void.
...It must have been the final gift Serael left for Alteon.
Yet, there were no signs of it ever being used.
Even though the Void kill count was completely full.
He probably couldn't bring himself to use his sister's final gift.
"...I'll put it to good use, Grandfather," I muttered, looking down at the shining ring.
And then,
"Bel, tidy up the grave. Set the headstone upright again."
Swoosh.
"Nairin, clear the surrounding area and plant lilies of the valley."
"B-but, Taepyeong-nim..."
"Don't worry, I'll tell Father."
"...U-understood."
Nairin bowed her head, then immediately summoned spirits to begin clearing the forest.
Bel restored the grave to its original state in an instant.
She even straightened the headstone engraved with Serael's name.
"It is finished, Taepyeong-nim."
"Good work."
I tossed a potion to Nairin and looked around the forest.
The once-bleak forest was now filled with lilies of the valley, truly fitting its name.
Well, Alteon should be satisfied with this much.
"You are returning?"
The Emperor's booming voice echoed through the audience chamber.
"I was planning to hold a month-long celebration in your honor starting today!"
"..."
No.
Who asked you to do that...?
I looked up at the Emperor with a hollow chuckle.
"Thank you, but I think it's time for me to go back."
"A week."
"No."
"Then just three days."
"No."
"Surely you cannot say no to a single day."
"No."
Perhaps I had been too firm.
The Emperor stared at me with a look of genuine shock.
"Can you not spare even a single day for this father of yours?"
"I've already been here for a week. That means more than a month has passed on Earth."
As the saying goes, time flies when you're enjoying yourself. If I dawdled here, a year would pass in the blink of an eye.
"I'll be back soon."
"...You had better be."
The Emperor snapped his fingers with a displeased look.
With that, the void split open.
A familiar landscape appeared beyond the rift.
"Well, I'll be off then."
I stepped toward the familiar view.
Finally, home!