Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Arborness, the Elf Nation (2)
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A curse had spread across the entirety of Arborness.
The deeper we went inside, the thicker the fog became, to the point where the base of the World Tree was completely obscured from view.
The power of the fragment I'd absorbed after purging the dark spirit from the goblin camp long ago was proving useful now.
My attacks' bleeding effect didn't have much immediate use, but resistance to curses and bleeding was the most valuable asset here.
The problem was that I could barely see ahead...
When I activated Light Saber, the surrounding fog parted slightly around me as if fleeing the light, securing a bit more visibility.
'A fog-type dungeon, huh.'
This was a classic fog-type dungeon—one where visibility was severely limited—something you could find in Holy Warrior Brayden NX and countless other games without much trouble.
As far as I could tell, Light Saber was my only means of securing visibility.
Keeping it active even outside of combat would drain mana like crazy, but there was no other way.
As my surroundings brightened and Ravi and Lenis spotted the fallen elf ahead, they hurried over to me.
"Alvis! What happened?! Enemies?!"
"That's... an elf?"
The two charged toward me through the fog.
The moment they briefly entered the fog, they both let out a small cry at the same time.
"Ugh...!?"
"Wh-what is this?"
They seemed to feel a sharp sting, but once they reached the glow of my Light Saber, they returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
Sticking close to my side, they checked their bodies in confusion.
"What was that sensation just now?"
"Something stinging, like it was hard to breathe..."
"It's a curse. This fog blanketing the whole place is curse fog. This elf... he just begged us to help his people and died."
Ravi and Lenis's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the elf, his body rotting and soaked in blood.
"A-are we okay?"
"A-Alvis. Is there a way to deal with this?"
"You'll be safe near my Light Saber. Seems like this skill repels the curse fog. As long as you stay here, you can see clearly with no issues, but step out and the curse will cause bleeding until you end up like that. Stick close to me. And since combat could break out anytime, Lenis, use your staff's ability on me and Ravi. Ravi, conserve your mana as much as possible. You're the only one here who can properly heal us."
"F-finally recognizing my true value, huh? I hate wasting my precious mana on the likes of you, Alvis, but..."
"Lenis."
At Ravi's words, Lenis flinched slightly and pulled out her staff.
"I'll do it, so stop staring like that."
The wings of the winged staff glowed white for a moment, and magical arrays appeared around me and Ravi's bodies.
With this, we wouldn't drop dead suddenly no matter what happened.
"Thank you, Lenis."
As Ravi hugged Lenis in gratitude, Lenis averted her gaze with an embarrassed look.
"I can't use it on myself, you know? So you two have to protect me now."
"Of course. We're comrades, right? Right, Alvis?"
"Naturally. Let's head in. If we take too long, Elfin might die inside."
We clustered around me, staying vigilant as we moved toward Arborness's World Tree.
Along the way, we saw elves collapsed dead in the grass here and there. Each time, Ravi pinched her nose against the stench of rotting corpses and grimaced in pain, while Lenis struggled to hold back her nausea.
Honestly, there were more than a few moments when I wanted to puke too, but I gritted my teeth, avoided looking at the bodies, and pressed on.
After walking for nearly an hour, we finally reached the edge of the World Tree area, where even more elves lay dead.
Ravi, sensing an eerie familiarity in the scene, quietly called out to me.
"Alvis. Doesn't this scenery look like last time..."
"Yeah. Looks like the same thing that happened at the goblin camp."
"So, something like that dark spirit will show up again?"
"Arborness is on a whole other scale compared to that goblin camp. Whatever comes will be as bad or worse. If more living elves start dying, it'll be irreversible. Let's prioritize finding Elfin and the surviving elves first. Hear any voices?"
Ravi perked up her rabbit ears, focusing her senses. Soon, her ears twitched slightly, and she pointed in one direction.
"Voices coming from the northeast. Can't tell if they're elves or enemies."
"Let's check it out."
Using Light Saber like a torch in the darkness, we advanced. There, several elves lay with rotting bodies, blood streaming from them, their breaths ragged and fading.
"S-save... us... plea..."
"Tch."
Forget the gruesome visuals—these people might all die if we were even a little late.
No thoughts of saving a bunch for big rewards crossed my mind; I just couldn't stand watching people die right in front of me.
I activated Eye that Pierces Truth once more, revealing the traces of curses clinging to the elves' bodies.
I swung Light Saber, and the black curse traces vanished in the light.
Light Saber was originally a combat skill, but just like how it had passed harmlessly through Ravi when she was bound by darkness and moving against her will in my fight with Vector, the light eradicated the curse traces without harming the elves.
The blade of light could now faintly heal those I considered allies.
Its healing was nowhere near even Lenis's clumsy recovery spells, but these elves desperately needed even that trickle right now.
However, contrary to my expectation that it would only be a stopgap emergency measure, their rotting skin healed in an instant upon contact with the light, and their bleeding stopped right away.
"Hah... hah... It doesn't hurt anymore...?"
"I can... breathe!"
"A-a human! Huh? And a bunnykin too..."
The elves, astonished to see unauthorized outsiders in Arborness, huddled together in surprise.
Seeing the elves recover so cleanly, Ravi and Lenis stared at me in shock.
"Those elves were on death's door, and now they're perfectly fine..."
"Alvis, you can use recovery magic too? No way..."
"It's not recovery. I just removed the curse's influence. They're still weak enough to collapse if touched. Lenis, from here on, you'll need to use your healing magic on them."
"Tch... Don't treat me like some charging station!"
Grumbling as she did, Lenis still healed the elves with her recovery magic.
Before the stunned elves could speak, I grabbed them and demanded answers.
"Hey, where are the other elves?"
"Th-that's not for a human to—"
Smack!
I smacked the back of the cheeky elf boy's head and barked.
"You gonna strut around refusing human help until all your kin are dead?! Tell me where the survivors are!"
"I-I heard they evacuated to the library north from here!"
An elf girl who seemed like the boy's older sister pointed north.
"When did this fog start? Any idea who's behind it?"
"About ten days ago... No clue who did it."
"You know roughly where the library is? Lead us."
I had the elf boy and girl guide us to the library built in a hollow within the World Tree.
Even en route, we passed countless elf corpses, all blackened and rotting with pus bursting from their bodies.
Heading to the library, traces of desperate attempts to block the curse fog with magic and potions were evident inside.
It wasn't entirely ineffective—hundreds of elves in the library were still alive, though in poor shape.
Unlike the boy and girl from before, they were suffering but conscious enough to recognize us.
"Wh-who... are... you...?"
"Outsiders...? Cough!"
"Hah... hack... How did you get here... And that light..."
"We're Elfin's companions. We're here to help, so don't be on guard. We'll start by restoring your bodies."
I swung Light Saber once more, instantly vaporizing the curse traces embedded in the library elves' bodies. As their rotting skin healed and bleeding ceased, they touched themselves in awe, as if witnessing a miracle.
"My body's... healed...!"
"How is this possible... Even with all our clan's knowledge, we could only slow the symptoms!"
Saving hundreds of elves was a relief, but now a new problem arose.
I couldn't lug this many elves around while holding Light Saber.
Leaving them here without it meant even Lenis's healing wouldn't keep them alive long...
In the end, I made up my mind and plunged Light Saber into the library floor like a stake.
The embedded blade of light illuminated the area, driving back the curse fog. I instructed Ravi, Lenis, and all the elves.
"As long as you're near this blade of light, the fog won't reclaim this place. Everyone, stay put. Ravi, block any attacks that come. Lenis, heal these elves."
"What about you, Alvis?"
"I can sense where the elves are. And this fog can't harm me. I'm the only one who can navigate it without the light. I'll rescue the elves outside and bring them here."
"But without a weapon...!"
"I have other ways to fight."
Sensing my resolve, Ravi pulled me aside to a secluded spot behind a bookshelf in the library while Lenis was busy healing elves.
She hugged me tightly, kissed me, and with teary eyes and drooping rabbit ears, said,
"You have to come back safe."
"Of course."
I kissed Ravi's lips once more, sent her back into the library, and stepped out the door.