Chapter 307: Laxas (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 307: Laxas (3)
The Forest of Greinif had been utterly devastated by the Mother of Greed and Sin.
While the elves were working hard to restore it, their efforts had only reached the interior of Phildegrin so far. The outskirts remained in a state of wretched ruin.
In the middle of that desolate wasteland stood a figure.
"Hmm—"
Clad in the Black Holy Shroud, the individual was looking around with a pleasant smile.
First, they looked toward where Sin had first moved. Then, toward the place where Sin had fought its battle.
Even though they hadn't been present at the time, the man in the Black Holy Shroud turned his head as if retracing the past step by step.
"There isn't much left now."
His smile deepened as he touched the corner of his mouth.
"No, at this rate, it might even be worth raising the stage a bit more."
Having finished his inspection, he muttered to himself and began to walk.
"What do you think?"
He turned his gaze to the side. There stood someone who hadn't been there just a moment ago.
"You think so too, don't you?"
"……."
It was a man with blue eyes.
* * *
Unlike Evan, who chose to stay behind and rest, Alon reached the edge of the East Coast accompanied by Ladan.
The beach was empty. Gazing out at the deserted shore, Alon fell into thought.
‘…Am I remembering this wrong?’
Alon checked the coast again, then looked at the spot where he stood and shook his head.
‘No, this is definitely the place.’
Some time had passed, but Alon clearly remembered where he had met the Observer. Even after several years, the East Coast remained remarkably unchanged, making it unlikely he was mistaken. Yet, the Observer was nowhere to be seen.
‘Was I not supposed to use this necklace to call her?’
Alon looked down at the necklace he had previously received from Yongrin. Last time, he had encountered her simply by walking along the shore while holding it.
‘…What should I do?’
Alon sank into deep deliberation.
‘The most realistic way would be to go to the Colony and ask Yongrin about the Observer, but…’
Alon immediately shook his head.
‘Is there no other way?’
It would take too long to go all the way to the Colony and back.
"Brother, what’s troubling you?"
As Alon remained silent, Ladan, who had been wearing a slightly uncomfortable expression until a moment ago, spoke up.
"I have a few things on my mind, but you don't look to be in a great mood yourself."
"Ah—don't mind me. It’s just that looking at the shape of these rocks makes me want to… straighten them out a bit."
"Ah."
Alon nodded, understanding Ladan’s quirk.
"I thought I’d be able to meet someone if I came here, but it seems I’ve missed them."
"Ah, do you mean that Mermaid?"
"You knew?"
At Alon’s question, Ladan’s expression shifted to one of 'oops,' and he gave an awkward nod.
"Yes, I saw her moving around once before."
"I see."
Though Alon found the reaction curious, he continued the conversation.
"As you guessed, I came to meet the Mermaid… but it seems I won't be seeing her today. I thought she would come if I held the necklace."
As Alon gripped the necklace, Ladan thought for a moment before speaking.
"If you don't mind, Brother, should I try looking for her?"
"Looking for her?"
"Yes. From what I know, Mermaids live in the deep sea. I’ll go down and take a look."
"Won't it be dangerous?"
"I have my artifacts. I probably won't have to take any major risks."
After considering Ladan’s offer, Alon nodded.
"Then, I’m sorry to trouble you, but I’ll leave it to you."
"Understood!"
"But don't overdo it, no matter what."
"Don't worry!"
To the confident Ladan, Alon gave as detailed a description as possible of his memory of traveling to the deep sea with the Observer. Of course, Alon had done nothing but stay inside a bubble she had created, but he hoped even such trivial information might help.
And then.
"Well then, I’m off."
As soon as Alon finished his explanation, Ladan vanished into the water.
A few hours passed. The sun, which had been high in the sky, began to slowly sink toward the horizon.
[Wait—wait, wait!! I was wrong— Gurgle-glub!]
[Kyu.]
[Ack! Save me! Stop it!!!]
Alon watched as Blackie, provoked by Basiliora’s insulting jeer about being a "sleepy parasite," pinned the creature's head down with a cute little paw and personally fed it mouthfuls of seawater from the incoming tide.
"I’m back, Brother!"
Ladan emerged from the quiet, rhythmic waves of the shore.
"Good work."
"It was nothing. A simple search isn't that difficult for me."
Just in case, Alon handed him a towel he had received from Evan earlier. Ladan took it with a small word of thanks and immediately reported his findings.
"First of all, I found an entrance that seems to lead to where the Observer is, just as you said."
"…Really?"
"Yes. I didn't go inside just in case, but would you like to go?"
"I’d like to, but it’s difficult for me to hold out underwater."
"Don't worry about that, Brother. I have an artifact for that as well."
"…Is that so?"
"Yes."
Ladan reached into his shirt and pulled out a small earring.
"You can wear this."
"This is—"
"It’s a relic that allows you to breathe underwater."
"Does it use mana?"
"It does, but there’s a limit to how long it can be used per day. Probably—about an hour."
"…Isn't an hour a bit risky?"
Unlike when Ladan had first entered the water under the high sun, the sun was now hanging over the middle of the island. This meant Ladan had been in the sea for a very long time. Remembering that it had also taken quite a while when he went with the Observer years ago, Alon voiced his concern.
"Don't worry about that. It took longer this time because I was searching, but now that I’ve found the entrance, an hour is more than enough for a round trip."
Ladan added, "Since it’s getting late today, how about we move tomorrow?"
"Let’s do that."
Alon nodded.
* * *
The next day, after spending a night in Sipra.
‘…Still nothing.’
Alon had brought the necklace again just in case, but the Observer still hadn't appeared on the shore.
"Then, let’s go."
"Yes, Brother."
After donning the relic Ladan had given him, Alon moved into the water with him.
As soon as he submerged, a strange sense of buoyancy washed over him. Alon instinctively closed his eyes and held his breath, but soon realized he could breathe naturally and slowly opened his eyes.
‘…Amazing.’
He felt a brief sense of wonder at how clearly he could see the underwater world, which had always been blurry before. Seeing that Alon had adjusted, Ladan immediately pulled a blue gem from his pocket.
The moment Ladan threw the blue gem, which glowed uniquely even in the blue depths of the sea—
Vrooooom!
The ocean currents shifted instantly, beginning to carve out a passage in the center.
"Let’s go, Brother."
"We take this passage?"
"Yes. This path will take us there quickly."
Following Ladan’s words, Alon stepped toward the passage.
"!"
The moment he reached into the tunnel, he was sucked in and began to glide through the designated path at an incredible speed.
"Now, you just have to wait."
Ladan’s voice reached Alon, who was looking around in surprise.
"You’re quite versatile."
"Aw—it’s nothing, Brother. This kind of thing isn't hard at all."
"…I don't think anyone else but you could move through the sea like this."
"Ahem—well, I suppose so. Though it’s all thanks to the power of relics."
For a fleeting moment, Ladan wore a slightly bitter expression. Alon felt a sense of doubt, but—
"Brother, it’s going to get a bit dizzying now."
"Wha— Ugh!"
True to Ladan’s warning, the path suddenly plummeted toward the seabed. Alon had no choice but to clamp his mouth shut.
Before long, after passing through the blue sea and descending as if being sucked into a pitch-black abyss, Alon arrived.
"We’re here."
He had reached the same place he had visited with the Observer before. It became even more certain as he followed Ladan into a massive hole and walked through a long tunnel.
"……."
Despite being in the unfathomably deep sea, a vast star cluster reflecting the sky floated across the ceiling of the cave.
Alon, gazing at the stars above, naturally began to walk further inside. Before long—
"You’ve come."
He found the Observer.
However.
"I’ve been waiting for you."
The Observer was standing there, her body pierced by a massive thorn protruding from the wall.
* * *
"…Are you alright?"
That was the first thing Alon said to the Mermaid.
It was only natural. A thorn so massive it couldn't be ignored was impaled through the Observer’s heart.
His worry was met with a calm response.
"You don't need to be so concerned. I am doing this to maintain this observatory."
"…To maintain the observatory?"
"To keep this space stable, I must periodically offer my blood to the sanctuary."
"…In that manner?"
"Yes. Once it starts, I have to maintain it for over six months. That’s why I couldn't come out, even though I knew you were here."
Understanding the general situation from her explanation, Alon replied.
"…So you knew I had arrived."
"Yes, because you brought that necklace."
After answering simply, the Observer shifted her gaze from Alon to Ladan. A brief, strange glint appeared in her eyes, but it vanished just as quickly.
"So, what brings you here? If you’ve come to check the Bronze Mirror you saw before, I’m afraid it will be difficult to do so in my current state."
"…I’d like to check the Bronze Mirror since I’m here, but that’s not why I came this time."
Alon pulled the Curved Jade he had obtained in the Eastern Country from his robe.
"Do you know anything about this?"
He handed it to the Observer.
"……?"
The Observer took the Curved Jade with a puzzled expression.
"!"
Then, as if realizing something, her eyes widened.
"Where on earth did you get this?"
She looked at Alon with an expression of pure shock.
"…What is it that makes you react like that?"
"This is—"
At the Observer’s following words—
"—an Egg of Sin."
"!"
Both Alon and Ladan couldn't help but widen their eyes in shock.