Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Better the Interpretation Than the Dream (3)
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Before long, spirits had gathered all around us.
The spirits of the elves silently glaring in the direction the monsters had come from.
Their gazes stretched beyond the monsters, toward somewhere farther off.
"What are you looking at?"
"It feels like there's something behind them."
"Heh heh... I suspect you're right."
Old Man Parmon seemed to know something as well.
Was he sensing the same thing as the elves?
The battle was in full swing, yet not a single spirit was looking at the monsters.
"The real enemy isn't the monsters."
It was obvious at a glance.
The fight wasn't just one-sided—it was a outright massacre.
Old Man Parmon shifted his gaze beyond them.
"The true foes are the demons, demonic beasts, and the undead..."
"...."
"The undead won't stay dead even if you kill them. And the demonic beasts? No need to even mention those."
Old Man Parmon went on explaining just how powerful the demons were, but his words weren't registering with me.
That wasn't the vibe I was getting.
None of the spirits seemed to agree with him either.
"Anything else besides that? Something... that might enrage the elves, for instance?"
"Hmm..."
Even in the midst of battle, the elves themselves remained calm.
No one was cowering in fear at the sight of the monsters, nor was anyone venting fury at them.
Some were even chatting with comrades beside them as they loosed arrows.
But the spirits' faces were chillingly cold.
An expression like the one Heoju had worn when shaking the branches from his perch in the World Tree.
Something felt off.
"...If I had to guess, maybe a necromancer. Is something bothering you?"
"Yes. The elf elders are extremely angry."
At my words, one spirit turned to look at me.
Its face was still icy cold.
"Elders?"
- ....
One by one, the spirits' gazes shifted to me.
From them, I felt not anger, but regret.
The exact look people make when they're embarrassed.
"Speak up. I'm here to help the elders vent, aren't I?"
It was just like the cemetery elders.
They harbored deep resentment, as if there was more left undone.
"What's so heartbreaking that you're just standing there watching?"
Spirits who had come from the front lines, where the battle with the monsters raged.
Their faces were especially frigid.
"If it's something angering the elders... is another necromancer messing with the World Tree?"
A nod.
But that wasn't all.
The anger directed at me held another layer.
"..."
The spirits moved their mouths as if to speak, but I couldn't make out the shapes.
For a split second, their mouths blurred.
Spirits suddenly fading like that wasn't common.
"...Could you try saying that once more?"
This time, even their faces blurred.
All the spirits were in a similar state.
This wasn't a problem with my Spiritual Eyes.
I'd seen this before.
Right before ascension, or when something went wrong with what bound a spirit.
"The World Tree...!"
I whipped my head around urgently.
Not toward the World Tree, but toward the elves.
Even in this one-sided battle, the ominous haze over the elves hadn't lifted.
Given the flow of combat, there shouldn't have been haze this thick.
Why hadn't I realized this sooner?
Regardless of distance from the monsters, ominous gates clung to every elf.
"Old Man! We have to head to the World Tree right now!"
As I tried to bolt forward, the old man blocked my way.
"Hold on a moment."
"There's no time for—"
"You planning to run there? It'll take ages."
My body floated lightly into the air.
"Looks like we arrived just in time."
"Elder Closel!"
"To where the World Tree stands."
Wind battered my entire body.
At this speed, we'd reach the World Tree in no time.
Whoosh—
Trees receded behind us as the scenery rushed by.
"...!"
Until just now, I'd thought the discomfort was from wind resistance.
But it wasn't.
It felt like something hot was touching my body, every part of me heating up.
"Ngh..."
A stabbing pain came with it.
Even the approaching World Tree looked strange.
A acrid smell assaulted my nose, like something burning.
And beneath it, someone lay collapsed.
"Romanel...!"
Both Romanel and the World Tree were in dire straits.
The talismans on the golden threads were charred black, and Romanel lay there moaning deliriously.
"Ugh..."
Up close, it was clear.
This smell was from ghosts burned to death.
Judging by the intensity, there were more than one or two.
"I'll handle the healing."
Elder Closel pulled out a potion and poured it into Romanel's mouth.
But it wouldn't help.
This wasn't a physical injury.
"They're not even bothering to hide anymore."
Curses rampaged wildly.
Fortunately, they seemed newly cast—their forms weren't fully shaped yet. But from now on, it was only a matter of time.
I needed to pinpoint where they originated.
Right now, I might be able to track the source.
The moment I touched the Rattle, a sound echoed in my mind.
"...."
The cry of a beast.
At first listen, it almost sounded human.
Despair, terror, agony.
Emotions so vivid they pricked at my heart.
Ting—
This wasn't some hypnotic illusion like Heoju had shown last time.
It was pure, venomous grudge embedded in curses that hadn't even taken full form yet.
These were the triggers that birthed the grudges.
Ting—
"Tsk tsk..."
Not divination.
It felt like they were rebuking the World Tree itself.
The resentment spilling from their mouths clearly blamed the World Tree.
"You won't descend properly, so look at the mess we're in..."
As the possession intensified, the stench of burning grew stronger.
Even my own body, feeling the heat, seemed to reek.
My whole body ached, and my throat felt raw.
"How much screaming did they do for my throat to hurt like this..."
It felt like days of bellowing.
The owner of this pain must have screamed until their voice gave out.
Their mind couldn't be intact either.
Suddenly, irritation surged through me.
It wasn't my emotion.
This unnecessary mess had happened because of them.
It seemed tied to the issue between Romanel and the World Tree.
Ting—
We needed to resolve this while the golden threads and talismans held.
I placed a hand on the World Tree and shook the Rattle.
Ting—
Screams whistled past my ears again.
The scenes flashing in my mind were horrific.
Elves charred black by fire.
Elves dying with limbs severed, blood pouring out.
Countless elves already dead.
Ting—
But these weren't the source spewing the grudge.
The moment an image surfaced of an elf shrieking with unfocused eyes...
My chest throbbed.
"....."
Despair so dizzying it made my mind reel.
How much torment does it take to shatter emotions like this?
Pity aside, I needed a location now, not feelings.
A spot shimmered like heat haze.
A place where the World Tree faintly appeared.
Monsters blotting out the sky were visible too.
The exact direction the spirits had been staring.
"So that's what had them so angry—an elf."
They were cursing the World Tree through that elf.
"...."
Elder Closel laid Romanel on the ground.
"Another curse, I take it. Planning to send it back again?"
I shook my head.
"Not this time."
The elf was still the conduit channeling the curse.
If it were a completed curse like before, maybe—but firing a Retaliatory Curse now would make the elf bear the full backlash alone.
When unleashing flesh-rending arts, there's preparation for the recoil.
Called a curse ward.
Coincidentally, the elf's current state was both Curse Anchor and ward itself.
Serving as the conduit funneling curses toward the World Tree.
Naturally, one end terminated at the elf.
"The necromancer only claims it if they die..."
It was brutally cruel.
"An elf is generating the grudge needed for the curse."
"...I get the gist. We need to save that elf."
As expected of veterans who'd lived through wars—they caught on quick.
"Before the curse completes."
This went beyond saving one elf.
All sorts of misfortunes were gathering nearby, drawn by the strengthening curse.
Who knew how much worse things were for the elves in combat.
The World Tree was their root; in the worst case, they'd collapse like Romanel.
"That's why they targeted the World Tree."
"Found the location?"
"It's concealed somehow. I saw a rough outline, but... the direction is definitely that way."
"The spot you were looking at earlier."
I felt Elder Closel channeling mana, preparing to take off again.
"Flying there won't work."
"Some issue?"
"The sky's crawling with monsters."
Elder Closel's reply was straightforward.
"Then that's where the necromancers are. Let's go."
What nonsense was this old man spouting...?
He seemed to have some method, but their numbers were overwhelming.
Common sense said no knight swinging a sword could fight in the air.
Old Man Parmon might manage somehow, but his power would be weaker aloft than on the ground.
Which meant Elder Closel would face the monsters alone...
At least if the elves could help?
"Do you know the absolute rule of aerial combat?"
Elder Closel grinned as he lifted our bodies higher.
"Wings give the advantage."
"....Pardon?"
"Point the way like before, and we'll fly straight there."