Chapter 248
Chapter 248
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Legacy of the First Hero
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"So, this child is..."
It was a very rare occurrence.
Night of the Forest, Lavella.
A faint tension creased the corners of her leisurely eyes, as if she were gazing down at her own vegetable patch.
Her gaze was fixed at the feet of her beloved disciple.
More precisely, on the turquoise girl clinging to her disciple's leg.
"The spirit of the World Tree?"
"That's how it turned out."
"Hmm..."
Lavella's expression was like she'd heard a joke that was hard to respond to.
-Mommy?
At that moment,
the turquoise girl looked up at Lavella with her fresh sprout-like eyes and spoke.
Lavella knelt to meet her eye level and smiled warmly.
The Dark Elf's half-lidded silver eyes curved like crescent moons.
"Darling. Did you hear? This child is calling me Mommy. So, what does that make our relationship?"
Her playful smile didn't last long.
-...
The turquoise girl frowned at her words and shook her head.
"Huh?"
The turquoise girl pressed herself even closer to Rishir's leg, as if to show off.
And then declared,
-Mommy!
as if proclaiming that this person right here was her one and only legitimate, rightful mother.
"Hmmm..."
Lavella's attempt to delicately defuse the situation with humor had failed.
"Mommy, huh..."
She sank back into deep confusion.
Lavella had thought that way until she'd come to Ilatdein in person.
No matter how she looked at it, it had taken far too long.
Considering her disciple's extraordinary abilities, it was clearly a problem that acquiring the seed of nature magic had taken this much time.
"Maybe it wasn't too long after all... but the opposite."
"Lady Lavella...?"
But upon confirming the truth, it was the exact opposite.
"I sent him to get the seed of nature magic, and instead he brings back the seed of the World Tree. How am I supposed to react to this..."
Lavella gathered her thoughts for a moment before speaking.
"Darling. Isn't this progressing a bit too fast?"
"Uh... Sorry...?"
The two could only exchange awkward smiles as they looked at each other.
Needless to say, Rishir was feeling surprised by Lavella.
-Sis. Sis.
"Hm? Did you call me?"
-Can you make that butterfly again from earlier?
"Let's see. Maybe?"
The World Tree spirit, who followed no one but him, was now following her before he knew it.
"How about a butterfly this time... no, something else?"
Previously, when Lavella had gestured with her hand, butterflies with mystical colors had fluttered around the room, scattering the energy of nature.
Lavella gestured once more.
A lush cluster of flowers bloomed from the floor, gently enveloping the turquoise girl.
Soon, the flowers scattered as petals—
and a pure white dress, woven from white flowers, adorned the girl's body.
-Waaah!
Kyarrururuk.
The turquoise girl squealed with delight as she looked down at her body.
"How's that? Like it?"
-Yeah! Pretty! Like Mommy!
The ecstatic turquoise girl bounced around excitedly.
The Dark Elf watched her fondly.
"What does 'like me' even mean?"
Rishir alone wore a serious expression beside them.
-This! This!
The turquoise girl pointed at her dress while looking at the Dark Elf.
"Hm? You want more of that dress?"
-Yeah! Yeah!
"Why? Want other clothes too?"
The turquoise girl shook her head vigorously.
-Sis! Sis!
"Sis? Ah."
Lavella nodded in understanding.
"You're right. I wasn't considerate enough."
"Lady Lavella?"
"Darling. Shall we call the other children too?"
Lavella, as if it was perfect timing, began dressing each of Rishir's spirits in identical pure white dresses.
"!!!"
The spirited sand spirit.
"..."
The dazed purple spirit.
"What is this?! This cumbersome scrap of fabric that burns so easily!!!"
Even the gray-white fireball.
Was it right to say it was 'dressed'?
Rishir let out a windy chuckle as he watched the dress's hem flutter around the gray-white fireball.
"Well, what do you think? Dungaleon. It suits you."
"Grahhh!!! The pinnacle of embarrassment!!! But since you say so, my liege, this Pure White Dungaleon!!! Will gladly bear this white garb!!!"
Even as the gray-white flames blazed fiercely, not a single scorch mark appeared on the pure white dress.
As expected of the Night of the Forest.
Even the gifts for the children were anything but ordinary.
And so, the spirits, now uniformed, began excitedly playing a game of(?) ball.
The spirits, who had started with a multi-headed lump as their ball, soon added another new ball when it wasn't enough.
'What is that? That ball—no, that spirit?'
Rishir squinted and observed the new ball.
"Ah."
His head nodded slowly in realization.
The Losing One.
No, the Loser.
The incarnation of pain that had inflicted one-sided torment on its followers was now rolled into a neat sphere and fixed with sand.
Having suffered greatly at the hands of the other spirits in the meantime, its expression was serene, like an enlightened follower.
Rishir thought to himself.
Now it finally looks the part of a 'self-proclaimed saint.'
'Still, it gathered quite a crowd in the meantime. So all these friends set up house in my inner world?'
Rishir scanned the gathered spirits(?) and let out a chuckle.
Curiosity struck him, and he asked his grandmaster.
"Lady Lavella. Is this okay?"
"What's worrying you?"
"Is it fine to keep so many spirits(?) stored in my inner world? Maybe I should start holding back now? No more adding to the numbers—"
"Hmm."
"In your opinion, Lady Lavella, what's the appropriate number?"
Lavella replied with a benevolent smile that seemed to soothe his anxiety.
"There's no such thing as an appropriate number."
"...Ah! So it depends on me—"
Rishir, seeking enlightenment from his grandmaster's words.
Lavella gently stroked his head.
"To begin with, the inner world isn't some storage space for keeping spirits."
"Ah."
Rishir realized how pointless his worries had been.
'R...ight? If there was a problem like Lady Lavella says, it would've happened when I first took in Berbandes...'
He should've worried from the start, but now that he'd already turned his inner world into a spirit daycare, it was too late.
'...Well, it'll work out somehow.'
In the end, Rishir resigned himself and watched the spirits.
"That said, this complicates things more than planned."
Lavella, who had been fondly watching the spirits play for a while, spoke up.
"Ah, is there a problem?"
"That child. The World Tree spirit. I don't know the circumstances of how Darling earned her choice, but—"
Deep concern clouded her expression.
"Will the elves really accept her relationship with Darling?"
"..."
Rishir's expression grew complicated.
Not because of the issue Lavella mentioned.
"Lady Lavella?"
"Yes?"
"Actually, there are a few more things I haven't told you yet."
"Hehe. Finally telling me? How you met that child."
"..."
"You look troubled. Are you worried about me? Don't be. Thanks to you, Darling—I'm not easily surprised by stories anymore."
"Ah, in that case—"
Grateful for his grandmaster's consideration, Rishir spilled all the remaining stories.
About the World Tree's death and rebirth.
About the Night of Deception he was entangled in during that process.
About the Night of Karma intertwined with the Night of Deception.
About the demon sword they discovered afterward.
And even about his encounters with the elf ancestors.
"..."
"Ah, Lady Lavella!"
Rishir quickly stepped forward to support her staggering form.
Rishir had been about to ask Lavella about her connection to the Night of Karma.
Why the Night of Karma had borrowed the Night of Deception to mention her.
'Not the atmosphere for that.'
That was Rishir's conclusion as he watched her condition.
His grandmaster, having taken in too much information already, was struggling to process it.
The unworthy disciple who had inadvertently achieved the monumental feat of neutralizing the Night of the Forest.
And so.
As he quietly waited by Lavella's side for her to calm down—
'Wait, hold on. Why did I come here again—...!'
Rishir shot to his feet.
He'd forgotten his original purpose amid his grandmaster's sudden appearance.
And then—
'This presence!?'
Lady Lavella!
Hide!
Rishir shouted urgently with his eyes.
A powerful rose scent assaulted his nose.
Star of the Flower Garden, Lunadien.
Her overwhelming presence was steadily approaching from outside the door.
Fortunately,
Lavella had noticed the anomaly faster than Rishir and already taken measures.
Swoosh.
Lavella had vanished before he knew it, leaving a single butterfly in her place.
A butterfly bearing silver hues reminiscent of Lavella's eyes.
-Darling. Mind if I hide for a bit?
'Ah!'
As Rishir opened his robes, the butterfly naturally slipped inside.
Bang!
At the same moment, the door flew open violently, and a cascade of red hair burst into the room.
"..."
Star of the Flower Garden, Lunadien.
She scanned the room with ferocious intensity.
"Lunadien! What is the meaning of—"
Karoer. Ratsil. Shuon and company.
They followed anxiously behind her.
"Lady Lunadien, what is the matter...?"
Rishir, already a master of deception magic, asked her with feigned bewilderment.
Who would suspect him of hiding the Night of the Forest with that face!
"..."
Lunadien let out a deep sigh and tilted her head.
"Strange. That woman's presence was definitely..."
"Sorry, Rishir. She took off before we could stop her—"
Karoer apologized on her behalf from behind.
Rishir waved it off.
"No, no! It's my fault for being late! Sorry! The spirits got excited and—"
Roll-roll-thud.
Something rolling on the floor bumped into Lunadien's foot.
"?"
As Lunadien looked down to check what it was—
"!!!"
Fierce, valiant, and resolute eyebrows glared up at her.
"Blocked it!!!"
"Bloc...ked?"
Even the gravely serious Lunadien couldn't help but lose her momentum before those valiant eyebrows.
Lunadien mulled over the baby sand spirit's words.
"I was supposed to win!!!"
Lunadien followed the path of the blocked ball.
A purple girl with a blank expression stood there.
If not for the interruption, that ball(?) would've passed right between the purple girl's feet?
"..."
Soon, a chuckle escaped Lunadien's lips.
The atmosphere shifted from serious to absurd.
"Sorry, little one. I accidentally ruined your game."
The baby spirit nodded.
Yeah!
You interrupted!
"It's okay! I forgive you!!!"
But forgiveness granted.
Why?
Because she apologized.
Those tilted eyebrows were the symbol of spiritedness, after all.
Lunadien flashed a smile as radiant as a blooming rose.
Like any elf, she was weak to spirits.
"To express my gratitude for your forgiveness, may I ask the name of this spirited young lady—"
As Lunadien gestured like a stage actress, the baby sand spirit began gathering energy from its dantian.
"I am Berbandes...th!"
Rishir realized his mistake.
The Star of the Flower Garden, active in the same era as the Night of the Forest, recognized the name instantly.
Karoer did too—
"Berbandes...?"
Even the wandering pioneer group.
Thanks to that,
Lunadien no longer had time to worry about the Night of the Forest.
Rishir relaxed, grabbed his demon sword, and left the room with them.
"For now, shall we start with this."
Lunadien dove straight into the main topic, as if trying to ignore what had happened in Rishir's room earlier.
She pointed at the demon sword in Rishir's hand and said,
"That demon sword was probably sealed here in Ilatdein by the First Hero."
"The First Hero..."
Rishir cautiously mulled over the name that kept coming up.
"Why would the First Hero seal such a dangerous item in Ilatdein?"
"Likely because he judged the World Tree's pure energy would serve as a prison to suppress the demon sword's revival."
"Ah..."
But the World Tree fell ill—
and cracks formed in the demon sword's seal as a result.
Soon, Rishir nodded and muttered,
"Then the remaining two demon swords..."
Lunadien watched him and smiled.
"My, already thinking about the other two? Find and deal with them before they cause trouble?"
"Pardon? Ah."
Rishir nodded absently.
He'd been pondering how to get his hands on the remaining two demon swords.
"I figured as much, so I've been compiling information on the demon swords myself. We'll continue that talk once it's sorted—"
Lunadien wrapped up hurriedly, as if her body was heating up, and placed the item on the desk.
A perfect cube.
"Finally, time to explain this."
"The First Hero's legacy..."
"Yes. Rishir. How much do you know about the First Hero—no, the Hero's legacy?"
"Honestly... I just learned it even exists."
"Is that so? No problem."
"Pardon?"
"In this situation. There's only one thing you need to know about this complex, mysterious artifact."
Lunadien placed her hand on the cube and continued.
"Rishir. Are you ready to claim the First Hero's legacy?"
"Pardon!? Lady Lunadien, what do you—"
Lunadien looked at Pioneer Shuon and his group.
Shuon picked up where she left off.
"Rishir. Do you recall what Sodhin said about this legacy back then?"
"Ah..."
Recalling that voice, Rishir's eyes widened.
He vaguely understood why they'd come seeking him and the demon sword.
"Don't tell me. You're planning to use this instead of Sodhin?"
Their gazes turned unanimously to the Sealed Hero, Shelloa.
The greatsword spoke.
"Exactly. If not the Holy Sword's master and her companions, who else could inherit the First Hero's legacy?"
All nodded in agreement.
Rishir did too.
Poorly hiding or storing it away would just lead to it falling into hands like Sodhin's eventually.
'Better to use it fully now and eliminate any future worries.'
With the undeniable successor to the Holy Sword's master present, the justification was solid.
"Which is why, Rishir."
The Sealed Hero, Shelloa, addressed him.
"I'd like to borrow your power."
"My power... You mean, fill the gaps of the black mage and shaman?"
That was their conclusion after verifying via 'demon sword arts' that he could fulfill both roles.
"Understood."
They showed relief mixed with bewilderment at his ready agreement.
Accepting one person handling both black magic and shamanism wasn't easy.
Of course.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
The First Hero.
The legacy of history's greatest hero.
Its profound resonance stirred their hearts inescapably.
Perhaps reacting to their resolve.
"...!"
The First Hero's legacy.
The cube began emanating its signature energy with light.
At its call, Lunadien rose and stared at it.
The group rose one by one, steeling themselves.
And finally—
The Sealed Hero, Shelloa.
She placed her hand on the Hero's legacy.
-Will you inherit the legacy?
"I will."
It began to shine even brighter.
Soon.
The Hero's legacy began inviting the qualified 'party' to the prepared location.
"Huh?"
Rishir looked down at his body.
His form was being swallowed by the light from the legacy and vanishing.
Tap-tap.
The Sealed Hero patted his arm reassuringly.
"Go on ahead and wait."
"...!"
Rishir nodded.
As the calls continued, Rishir's figure gradually faded.
The mysterious shaman and wicked black mage vanished completely from his spot.
Who was next?
They exchanged glances filled with tension and excitement.
After Rishir—
"..."
"..."
"...?"
None.
In the now-quiet room as the light faded.
They stared blankly at where Rishir had stood.
▷ : Rishir
▷ : Rishir
▷ : Rishir
...
...
...