Chapter 76 — For One's Benefactor, It's Only Natural.
Chapter 76 — For One's Benefactor, It's Only Natural.
Translation: GodTL
Elysium, a certain conference room in the Central Hall.
The three elders leading Elysium, Adil who had been taken hostage by an assailant during the retrieval of Bellium's Tears, and Araven attending as a witness sat with grave expressions.
The first to speak after the meeting began was Reunon, one of Elysium's three elders and a dwarf.
"Before we properly begin the meeting, we should first hear in detail how the situation unfolded. Adil. You start."
"After retrieving Bellium's Tears, I contacted Elder Araven to inform them of the recovery. While waiting for the escort team to arrive, I was abducted by an unidentified assailant. I don't clearly remember the circumstances surrounding the abduction."
Adil added that the individual had likely used a curse.
At first, he frowned as if recalling the memory was painful, but soon Adil calmly recounted everything he had witnessed and experienced without omission.
After listening to Adil's account and sinking deep into thought, Reunon asked:
"What of the necromancer's corpse?"
"We've recovered the body. It's temporarily stored in an unused underground warehouse."
Araven answered on Adil's behalf.
"Well, that's settled then. Regarding Bellium's Tears—is Adil's account completely accurate?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, clear as day."
"Araven. Was there any indication the individual intentionally absorbed Bellium's Tears?"
This time, another elder—the elf Heset—posed a question.
"None whatsoever. Mr. Min-jun was also visibly shaken by the event."
After brief hesitation, Araven added one more point:
"And considering Mr. Min-jun is human yet capable of wielding a Dragon's power, it's not impossible that Bellium's Tears chose of its own will to be absorbed by him."
Though the extraction failed, Bellium's Tears contained highly concentrated, pure Dragon energy believed to belong to Bellium.
Thus, one might suspect Min-jun used his power to absorb it—but the reverse scenario wasn't impossible either.
"Then what makes you think Bellium's Tears willingly allowed itself to be absorbed by him?"
"This is purely hypothetical, but I suspect it may have been an extreme rejection of the necromancer's distinctive energy."
"Circumstantial evidence, hypotheses... Nothing concrete at all."
Heset covered his face with both hands in frustration.
If there had been even remotely similar precedents, they could have served as reference.
But this was an unprecedented situation—neither historians who'd devoted their lives to studying Bellium and Elysium's history nor seasoned mages had ever encountered such a thing.
In principle, the necromancer as the instigator should be held accountable, but he was already dead.
Summoning Min-jun—who'd absorbed Bellium's Tears—for rigorous interrogation was awkward given the circumstances.
According to Adil and Araven, Min-jun himself had no leads either.
And though the details were unclear, it didn't seem intentional in the first place, didn't they say?
"The situation... is complicated."
Asking Min-jun to return Bellium's Tears was difficult—not only did he likely have no means to do so, but he'd also demonstrated unconditional devotion to Elysium's citizens twice just yesterday and today. Making such a request didn't come easily.
Yet simply letting him keep it was equally problematic.
Bellium's Tears were now precious relics—with only two remaining aside from the one Min-jun had absorbed.
Clutching their heads, emitting pained groans, they put their minds together to find an answer.
Though occasional suggestions were made during this process, none were convincing enough for all.
As the meeting dragged on and silence lingered,
Adil cautiously raised his hand.
"I don't know how everyone here feels, but I believe we should simply accept this reality."
"Accept the reality?"
Reunon asked.
"I've heard Elysium already owes Mr. Min-jun a great debt. Since Bellium's Tears has already been absorbed by him, there's no way to retrieve it—and considering the circumstances, Mr. Min-jun is more than qualified to possess it."
Yesterday, Elysium had managed to minimize casualties during the large-scale monster invasion thanks to Min-jun's unparalleled efforts.
However.
While everyone agreed that Min-jun's performance had been extraordinary, objectively speaking, handing over Bellium's Tears as a reward for his contributions was excessive.
That was why Adil brought up another point.
"Most crucially, if it hadn't been for Min-jun, Bellium's Tears would have already fallen into the hands of that Necromancer."
Had it not been for Min-jun's intervention, the topic of today's meeting might well have been "How do we recover the stolen Bellium's Tears?"
In that case, their headaches would have been far worse than they were now, and frustration would have boiled over throughout the entire discussion.
Considering Min-jun's contributions and the overall circumstances, transferring Bellium's Tears to him wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"Now that I think about it, we were overlooking something important."
In this situation, stubbornly insisting on reclaiming Bellium's Tears might be akin to killing the goose that lays golden eggs.
"There's no other way. Let's proceed as Adil suggested."
"We should consider it a reward for Elysium's guardian, who came from distant lands."
The three elders also aligned their opinions with Adil's proposal.
"And let's not forget—we nearly faced the worst-case scenario where Bellium's remains could have been taken out of Elysium."
Araven added this remark.
After all, what that Necromancer had demanded in exchange for Adil and Bellium's Tears was none other than Bellium's remains.
Though Bellium's Tears was an important relic, Bellium's remains were incomparably more significant in Elysium's history.
"That makes it all the clearer."
"Separate from transferring Bellium's Tears, we should also consider expressing our gratitude in another way."
"Then, we'll proceed with that decision."
Time passed, and before they knew it, evening had fallen.
Had the meeting still not ended? Adil still hadn't returned.
His last words had been, "It might take a little longer," so I supposed I'd have to wait patiently with an open mind.
Since it was dinnertime and I was starting to get hungry, I headed back to the inn for a meal.
The inn conveniently operated a small dining area, which made things easier.
On top of that, according to Estelle, the citizens would cover my lodging and meal expenses for about a month, so I didn't have to worry about food or shelter for the time being.
Though, rather than thinking about staying for over a month, I should be focusing on returning to Earth as soon as possible.
I'd think about that after hearing what Adil had to say—for now, I'd just eat first.
As I took my seat in the dining area, the innkeeper served the food, and before I knew it, a bunch of kids came scurrying over from somewhere.
"Hero! Hero! We heard you beat up the bad guys again today!"
"Can't you tell us the story too?"
"Yeah! Please tell us how you defeated them!"
Word must have spread, because children of various races gathered around me in small groups, pestering me to tell them about what had happened today.
"Kids! Can't you see Min-jun is eating? He must be really hungry—don't bother him."
"Eeeeh!"
"Just a little! Can't you tell us just a little bit? Please?"
A staff member in their late teens who was serving noticed the commotion and tried to shoo the children away.
Even across dimensions, it seemed the way people lived wasn't all that different.
"I'm sorry. They're my younger sibling and their friends. I told them not to disturb you while you were eating, but they just wouldn't listen."
"It's fine. Hey kids, I'll tell you the story after I finish eating. Can you wait just a little longer?"
"Yeeees!"
"Promise! You promised us!"
Reluctantly, under the staff member's guidance, the children headed to a table in the corner.
Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy my meal in peace.
Just as I was finishing up—
"Min-jun!"
The sound of the door opening was followed by Adil's voice calling my name.
"Did the meeting finish?"
"Yes! It just ended, and I came straight here."
"So, how did it go?"
"Rather than discussing it here, it'd be better to talk in private—in your room."
Since it was an important matter, it made more sense than talking in a public dining area.
"Right now?"
"Yes. Wouldn't you prefer to settle this immediately, Min-jun?"
"But... Aren't you hungry, Adil?"
Having been taken hostage and enduring hours of meetings, Adil must be exhausted and undoubtedly starving by now.
So I deliberately tried to give him a little breathing room, out of consideration for him.
"No. I don't have much of an appetite either. I think once I get home, I'll skip dinner and just go straight to bed."
"Then, let's do that."
As we stood up from our seats, the children who had been eavesdropping on our conversation came scurrying over.
"Min-jun! You promised to tell us a story after you finished eating!"
"That's so mean..."
"Sorry. Once I finish talking with Adil, I'll come back down and tell you then. Really, I'm sorry."
After apologizing to the kids, I headed to the room where I was staying with Adil.
The moment we entered, Adil sat down on an empty chair and immediately began speaking.
"To cut to the chase, the official decision was made to recognize you, Min-jun, as the rightful owner of Bellium's Tears."
"Really?"
After all the complicated things we'd been through, it seemed things had finally been resolved well.
Adil then explained in detail what had been discussed during the meeting and the reasoning behind their decision.
He even mentioned that, separate from this, there would be some form of reward.
"However, Elder Jangreu made a small request of you."
"A small request...?"
"He asked if you could hand over a few items from the world you came from—nothing too valuable would be fine."
Since I was from another world, it made sense they'd be curious about its culture, technology, and such.
"Did he specify any particular items?"
"No."
Since the mere act of receiving something from another world held significance, I figured handing over a few miscellaneous things would suffice.
"I can do that much."
"Good."
Adil nodded slightly.
"Now, Min-jun, how are you feeling? Could you tell me about any changes you've noticed after absorbing Bellium's Tears?"
"Definitely, the Dragon's energy feels stronger than before. I can sense a noticeable growth. If this had been an expensive elixir instead of a precious relic, I probably would've spent my entire fortune to buy it."
That part was a little disappointing.
If there were elixirs or artifacts with similar effects, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.
"I see. Then, this time, why don't you tell me what you wanted to ask me? I heard you needed my help with something, but I haven't been able to hear what it was yet."
"I wanted to know about the Statue of Bellium in the central plaza—the one you oversee."
"The statue? It wouldn't be hard to tell you about it, but that's a bit sudden. May I ask why?"
I explained the reason to Adil.
That the statue and I were connected in some way, and that it might be the key to returning to my original world.
Along with that, I also told him about the strange experiences I'd had over the past couple of days.
After hearing me out, Adil nodded slowly.
"Very well. I could tell you right now, but rather than wasting time on meaningless gossip, it'd be better to give you only the information you need. You should rest for today, and I'll wake up early tomorrow to organize the materials before coming to see you again."
Just looking at Adil's expression, it was clear he was completely drained.
At this point, we probably wouldn't be able to hold a long conversation anyway, so getting some rest seemed like the priority.
"Let's do that. Thank you. Get some proper rest."
"No, I should be thanking you. You're the one who saved my life. Thank you again."
Adil bowed his head slightly before leaving the room.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot to mention this."
"What is it?"
Adil smiled warmly, then spoke in a hushed tone, as if it were something others shouldn't overhear.
"Beneath the statue, there's a secret space built by Lord Bellium himself. Tomorrow, let's go there together."
"A... secret space?"
This was a completely unexpected proposal.
Perhaps I could gain even more than I had anticipated.
"Technically, outsiders aren't allowed entry, but you've helped Elysium, haven't you? I've already gotten permission from the three elders, and... well, there's another reason. I'll explain that part in more detail tomorrow."
Just when I thought some of my questions might be answered, Adil left the room, leaving me with even greater curiosity.