Chapter 309: Laxas (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 309: Laxas (5)
“…What do you mean by that?”
Alon asked back with a frown, as if he couldn't quite grasp what he had just heard. The Previous Observer spoke once more.
[It is exactly as I said. Are you, by any chance, aware of the curse placed upon the elves?]
“I am.”
The Elven Curse.
It was a curse cast upon the elves by ‘The Blind One,’ a Magus who sided with the Black Things. Because of it, the lifespan of the elves had been slashed to a mere fraction of what it once was.
As Alon spoke of the curse, she continued.
[It is the same. Just as the elves’ lifespans were withered by the curse of The Blind One, the Magi were also cursed—no, the word ‘curse’ is insufficient. What would be a better term—]
The Previous Observer paused to deliberate.
[Yes, this would be the correct way to put it. ‘Erasure.’]
She uttered the word solemnly.
“…Erasure?”
[Yes. The Black Things, including The Blind One, ‘erased’ the Magi. To ensure they could no longer exist in this world, they wiped away not only their physical traces but even the very concepts they had engraved upon reality.]
“…Why?”
[Did you not say you knew of the curse on the elves?]
“What does that have to do with this?”
The Previous Observer wore a look of brief incomprehension at Alon’s question. Then, letting out a soft "Ah," she spoke again.
[I see. You know of the curse, but you do not know the reason why the elves were cursed in the first place.]
“Can you tell me the reason?”
[It is so simple it hardly qualifies as a ‘reason.’ Because they were a threat to the Sins. That is all.]
“A threat…?”
[Yes.]
The Observer nodded a few times and continued.
[The Magi were a threat to the Sins. Though they all lost their lives, the Sins ultimately failed to achieve their goal. That is why The Blind One erased the Magi from this world.]
So that the existence known as a ‘Magus’ could never again stand in the way of the Sins.
So that everything would flow according to the intended Principle.
As the Previous Observer murmured quietly, Alon followed up with another question.
“Then the elves, too—”
[It is the same. It was judged that their long lifespans might allow them to produce an existence capable of thwarting the Sins, so the curse was laid. To ensure they could never defy Inevitability.]
Alon fell silent for a moment.
He truly could not understand.
“…Why on earth?”
[Which part are you referring to?]
“Why is ‘The Blind One’ so hell-bent on destroying the world?”
There were many other things Alon found incomprehensible.
He didn't understand why the Sins, despite being created by that entity, acted favorably toward him.
He didn't understand the magic that The Blind One had supposedly erased from the world.
But this was the greatest mystery of all.
Why did they create the Sins, and why were they trying to bring about the end of the world?
He threw the question out, but the Previous Observer only stared at him.
Without a word, her expression remained calm.
“…?”
In that moment, Alon had a strange realization.
‘She isn’t looking at me.’
At first, Alon thought she was looking directly at him.
But she wasn't.
‘Then where is she—’
Alon looked deep into the Previous Observer’s eyes.
As he suspected, her gaze was slightly off-center.
Eventually, she spoke.
[May I ask you one thing?]
She suddenly posed a question.
“Speak.”
[How much do you know?]
“…How much?”
[Yes. Literally. How much do you know about this world? It can be a long explanation, so please tell me everything you know.]
Alon looked bewildered by the sudden request, but he slowly began to explain.
“This is the extent of what I know.”
When the story ended, the Previous Observer pondered something with a stoic face before finally reaching a conclusion.
[I know what you are curious about, but I cannot tell you.]
“…And why is that?”
[Because your eyes and ears will not be able to perceive the truth.]
* * *
Immediately after Alon and Ladan emerged from the Observer’s sanctuary.
Alon stood staring blankly at the sun hanging in the middle of the sky.
“Brother?”
“What is it?”
“No, it’s just… you’ve been spaced out ever since we left the cave.”
“…Have I?”
“Yes.”
He snapped out of it at Ladan’s words, but he soon fell back into deep thought.
‘What did she mean by that?’
‘Your eyes and ears are shielded from the truth. Therefore, no matter who you ask, you will never reach the truth.’
Recalling the conversation with the Previous Observer, Alon thought to himself.
‘Someone is shielding my eyes and ears… I see.’
The Previous Observer hadn't explained who that ‘someone’ was.
No, strictly speaking, it was more like she couldn't.
Regardless, even though he knew this fact now, it only piqued Alon’s curiosity; it didn't cause him much turmoil.
There were two reasons for this.
First, even knowing that someone was shielding his eyes and ears, Alon’s goal remained unchanged.
In the end, his task was to stop the Sins.
That objective had not wavered in the slightest.
The second reason was her final remark.
‘Collect the items and meet that entity. That entity will surely be able to remove the hand that is shielding you.’
That was what she had said.
If he collected the items and met that being, the hand obscuring the truth would be removed.
In other words, what Alon had to do right now remained the same.
Of course, he was curious about who was shielding his senses and for what purpose, but he decided to be patient.
‘Once I collect the items, I’ll find out everything.’
After organizing his thoughts for a while, Alon looked at Ladan.
Ladan also had a troubled look on his face.
“Is something bothering you?”
“Ah.”
Ladan snapped out of his daze with a light exclamation.
“Um—no. It’s nothing, really. Not a big deal.”
He quickly gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head.
Alon nodded as if he understood.
“Then, let’s head back.”
Leaving the East Coast behind for now, they returned to Ladan’s ship.
* * *
“Is that… is that really true?”
“I’m telling you, it’s true! Why are you so suspicious?”
Beran had been listening to all sorts of boasting from Karam, who had joined the soldiers of the Count Palatio family.
After spending over a month cooped up in the Labyrinth working hard to earn money, Beran had come out and met his colleague, Kob, only to be shocked.
“So those rumors were actually true?”
“Yeah! That’s why everything is in an absolute uproar right now!”
The reason was the rumor Kob had passed along.
“Wait, so that bastard Karam wasn't lying?”
“Exactly. They say if you realize true justice and bring back proof to train within that territory, you can use the power of Kalanon.”
Of course, the source of that rumor was just two people.
But the story had already been thoroughly distorted and warped beyond control.
“…Ho-oh.”
Beran unconsciously let a smile creep onto his lips and immediately stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Where do you think? I’m going to go get a piece of the action too.”
“Huh? No, wait—”
Before Kob could even finish, Beran slipped out with a thick grin and began sprinting toward the Mercenary Guild.
His goal was to pick up a bandit subjugation request.
‘Honestly, I’d love to just form a team and go beat up some bandits on my own, but—’
As far as Beran knew, bandits had become so common lately that you could find them anywhere. He could easily handle them without a formal request.
However, the reason he went out of his way to get a request was for the reward and the location.
If he was going to catch them anyway, he might as well get paid and find their exact location without having to struggle through the woods.
‘I’ll get the power of Kalanon too—!’
With a hopeful smile, Beran burst into the Mercenary Guild.
“?”
But as soon as he checked the request board, his expression turned to one of bewilderment.
The board was so long that ten grown men standing side-by-side wouldn't cover it.
It was also so high that Beran, who was quite tall, could barely reach the top even if he stretched his arm.
…And the most important thing was.
‘There’s… nothing?’
The bandit subjugation requests that had been packed tight just a month ago were gone. Not a single one remained.
Not one.
After scanning the massive board once more, Beran asked the receptionist sitting nearby.
“…Excuse me, miss?”
“Oh, it’s you, Beran?”
The receptionist greeted him with a slightly exhausted face.
“I mean, uh, why is this so clean? Did you take them down for cleaning or something?”
“What are you talking about? Cleaning? Have you ever seen us clean anything?”
“Well, no, but—it’s just so empty.”
“Huh? Do you seriously not know?”
“Know what?”
“About Count Palatio.”
“…Don't tell me, the thing about entering his territory?”
“Exactly. Because of that, there isn't a single bandit request left.”
“…Really?”
“Yep.”
The receptionist nodded, then said "Ah," and pointed to one side.
“Oh, look. Someone’s coming to post a request now. Looks like a bandit subjugation.”
“!”
Beran turned his head to see another staff member pinning a new bandit subjugation request to the board.
Beran was about to move toward it with a bright smile.
But the moment the request was pinned.
SLAM—!!!
“It’s—it’s mine!”
A dwarf flew out of nowhere and snatched the request.
But that was short-lived.
“Gah!”
“It’s mine!”
A human kicked the dwarf in the jaw and snatched the paper away.
“Get lost! Move!”
A wolf beastkin lunged for the paper next, and then—
“What!?”
“A request appeared!?”
“Dammit, get out of the way!!!!”
In an instant, mercenaries who had been inside the guild swarmed together, turning the place into a chaotic brawl.
“Sigh—”
“…What is this?”
Beran stood blankly next to the receptionist, who was sighing in exasperation. Only then did he begin to notice the scenes he had missed before.
“Please, please take me with you!”
“Hah? You think someone of your caliber has the right to handle ‘bandits’??”
An A-rank mercenary was bowing his head to someone over a bandit request that a B-rank could usually handle with ease.
“Hey. I’ve got some incredible intel this time.”
“Don't tell me… hidden bandits?”
“Exactly.”
“Where? Where are they?”
“Near the border zone.”
“Jackpot… That’s only a month’s travel from here! Let’s go, let’s go right now!”
A party was rejoicing like children over a bandit request that required over a month of travel—something they would have shunned if it took more than two or three hours before—even though the bandits might already be wiped out by the time they arrived.
Furthermore—
“Hey, hey! I’ve got good info too!”
“What is it?”
“I found some bandits!”
“Really!?”
“Well, technically, it’s a village that looks like it might become bandits—!”
“You idiot, that’s just a slash-and-burn farmer village!! We’re supposed to be doing justice! Do you want to get struck by God’s lightning!?”
Beran was stunned by the dizzying scenes unfolding before him.
“Hey! Bandits spotted in the northern forest!”
Just then, a loud voice shouted from outside.
“Whoa! Sh*t! Move! I have to go!”
“Me too! Me tooooo!”
“Let me, let me handle them!”
“GET OUT OF THE WAYYYYY!!!!”
At a rumor that might not even be true.
The mercenaries stopped their brawling and charged out all at once.
The guild, which had been bustling just a moment ago, became empty in an instant.
Standing alone in the middle of it, Beran thought.
‘Wh-what is this…?’
The atmosphere of Lartania had changed so drastically in just one month.
“…It’s terrifying.”
He felt a bizarre sense of dread.