Chapter 166: Thunder (6)
Chapter 166: Thunder (6)
In the distant past, there was an era when Witches were not regarded as mere magical entities. It was a primitive age, long before the establishment of formal academia, ethics, morality, or order. In a world where individual rights were non-existent, Witches were addressed by titles such as "Chief" or "High Shaman." These ancient Witches could divine the weather simply by gazing at the firmament, summon rain to end a drought through prayer, or command storms and floods to cease.
The ancients revered Witches as the chosen representatives of the gods, beings who brought forth bountiful harvests. Since they were also breathtakingly beautiful, they were deemed worthy of worship.
However, that primitive age was defined by chaos. Constant warfare ravaged a continent overflowing with unclaimed territory. Driven by an insatiable avarice, the humans of that era were capable of the most atrocious schemes among all the Seven Races. They would commit any atrocity if it meant winning a war and seizing more for themselves.
The tribes ruled by Witches and their lands were coveted by all. It was a land flowing with milk and honey, yet it lacked a powerful army or heroic warriors to defend it. To conquer that abundant land was to gain everything.
Yet, the primitive humans knew the Witches commanded the elements, and they feared that harming them might incur the wrath of the heavens. It was the bold cry of a single man that silenced these anxieties. "The gods do not interfere in the Middle World. If a transcendent being meddles in mortal affairs, the balance of the world will crumble. Surely a god would not be enraged over a single woman?"
It was a persuasive argument. Nevertheless, the people remained uneasy.
To erase their fear, the man who first spoke out took action. He crept into the village ruled by the Witches under the cover of night and put their homes to the torch. The Witches, roused from their deep slumber, emerged screaming from the inferno. They barely escaped with their lives, but they lost their radiant beauty. Their porcelain skin was warped by the flames, and their features were hideously ruined. Their eyes had melted away, leaving them unable to even see their own reflections; they could only sob as they touched their singed, blackened hair.
The man rejoiced in the success of his plan. He believed that with such hideous appearances, the Great God would no longer cherish these women. How could a god consider women who did nothing but sob as his brides? He imagined that if he offered more beautiful women in their stead, the god might even share a portion of his divine authority with him.
The man drove stakes into the ground in the center of the village and hung the hideously disfigured Witches upon them. Then he shouted to the masses, "This is their true form! They mocked you with their beautiful guises! We are the saviors who have come to rescue you!"
Surprisingly, the villagers fell for the man's deception. Unlike ordinary humans, these Witches could predict the weather and perform various mysteries just by whispering. Even while the primitive humans revered the Witches, they had secretly harbored fear. Thus, when the man declared he would provide unlimited wine, meat, and beautiful women to anyone who brought forth the other Witches hiding in the village, the Witch Hunt began.
Countless Witches were hung from stakes. The hideously distorted women screamed and begged for mercy. The people mocked the ugly sight of those who had once acted as if they were omnipotent. Soon, those who had once served them joined the invaders in violating the Witches. The Witches could not accept this reality. Suffering wounds to their bodies and souls that could never be healed, they looked toward the sky with blind eyes.
The heavens gave no answer.
Driven to despair by that indifference, one of the Witches bit her tongue and took her own life.
The Witch's soul left the Middle World and reached the Spiritual World. The Father of the Sky, who had loved her and taken her as his bride, was struck dumb upon seeing the pathetic end of his wife. He offered for her to return to his embrace and rest in eternal comfort, but the Witch, upon facing the God, chose to self-annihilate rather than remain anywhere in the Spiritual World.
The annihilated Witch spoke one last thing to the Father of the Sky, but the content of those words remains unknown to this day. Having witnessed the complete erasure of his bride, the Father of the Sky broke the ancient laws and descended upon the Middle World. And there, with his own eyes, he saw the wretched state of his brides, whom he had previously only known through their voices or met within the Spiritual World.
The next day, the man realized his mistake. Though the Father of the Sky, one of the Seven Chief Gods, only took beautiful women as his brides, he did not abandon them simply because their beauty—the source of their title—had been ruined. On the contrary, he was enraged. He was more furious than humans could ever dare to imagine. He was so enraged that he thought nothing of violating the laws, the balance of the Middle World, or the pacts made between the Seven Chief Gods and the Nine Goddesses.
Seeing his sobbing and insulted brides, the Father of the Sky personally demonstrated what happens when one of the Seven Chief Gods "actively" intervenes in the mortal realm.
For ten days, it rained lightning. Not raindrops made of water, but bolts of pure celestial wrath that destroyed everything they touched. Over those ten days, the souls of every being who had laid a hand on a Witch were annihilated. The souls of those who had stood by and watched were annihilated. The three nations that had led the invasion were reduced to ash and vanished from history.
Simultaneously, Witches became beings officially protected by the Father of the Sky, and they were commanded to live with their faces veiled so that no one would dare look upon them. From then on, no being dared to touch a Witch. Not a single soul.
The Father of the Sky, having suffered a terribly painful loss, personally watched over his brides to ensure such a tragedy would never repeat. He taught them magic and gifted them the talent to become wizards. That alone made the Witches powerful, but in the eyes of the Chief God, even that was insufficient. He bestowed several gifts upon them to ensure his precious and fragile brides would never be harmed again.
Should the world ever threaten his brides... they would be able to burn that world to the ground.
* * *
The process by which "Thunder" was lost is unknown. Perhaps one of the Witches took it to protect herself and carelessly misplaced it. It was a common occurrence; the Witches, who lived sheltered lives under the God's care, were more scatterbrained than one might think. They were like immature young ladies, no different from flowers in a greenhouse.
When they lost the precious treasure, the Witches were deeply saddened and bowed their heads to apologize to their husband, but the Father of the Sky did not make a big deal of it. How could he let his beautiful brides shed tears over the loss of a mere object? Thus, the Father of the Sky said: Thunder will return to you in your moment of greatest need. That is fate.
"Ah."
And in this moment, "Thunder" had returned.
Elizabeth, the first Witch, knew the greatness of this object better than anyone. She remembered the horrific massacre of the primitive age, and she remembered the final moments of her sister who had wept in solitude. Recalling those tragic memories, Elizabeth fully accepted the power of "Thunder." She could clearly feel the absolute love and unwavering affection of the heavens.
In the next instant, a world-shaking peal of thunder echoed. The moment Elizabeth opened her eyes, she became a different being entirely. A being whom no one dared to look at directly.
"Arrogant knife-ears. Did you think you could escape the lightning by hiding among leaves and rotting trees? Old elf. Did you dare call my first bride an impure woman? Did you insult the bride I cherish most?"
"Thunder" was a gift the Father of the Sky had carved out from his own essence. The true power of that object, which only Witches could draw forth, was "Descent." When the power of Thunder was invoked, a certain being who should not appear in the Middle World manifested briefly through the Witch's body.
"O fairy, who has failed to grow at all and has merely withered with the passage of time. The time that wrinkled your skin was made by me and my companions. This first land that allows you to live was also made by me and my companions. Even the sky you look up at was made by me."
The husband of all Witches.
One of the Seven Chief Gods.
The Father of the Sky.
"Show your respect. You stand before the most noble of brides."
With a thunderous roar that seemed capable of collapsing the world, the trees of the Great Forest were scorched away. The leaves and branches that had veiled the sky were reduced to ash and returned to the earth. With nothing left to block the sky, a terrifying gaze looked down upon the land from amidst the pitch-black storm clouds.
"..."
"Elder?"
High Elf Nadine, meeting that gaze, immediately ceased all resistance. She held up both palms wide, bowed her head submissively, and stepped back. It was a sign that she had no intention to fight.
"Let us return."
"But—"
"Now."
At Nadine's words, the other elves muttered in protest.
"Are we just going to let those who invaded the Great Forest go? At the very least, let us take the life of that human who wounded the Elder. If not that, then we will shadow them. To leave it like this is too galling—"
"Do not. You absolutely must not."
Nadine muttered while clutching her wound.
"They are not at a level you can handle. The Caravan's sword has already reached its trajectory."
"What does that..."
"The moment I was cut by that human's sword, my connection with the World Tree was severed. If the blade had gone just a little deeper, my long life would have ended. My life, which even the Foremost Sword of the Continent could not end, was nearly extinguished just now."
"..."
"That human... something is wrong with him."
It was the truth.
A flame overflowing with malice toward the world—the moment she was cut by the sword imbued with that flame, Nadine could no longer feel the World Tree. It was unbelievable. To sever a connection with the forest that even a Swordmaster could not break? Due to that severance, Nadine had lost her invulnerability and was even losing her infinite elemental strength. She felt as if she had returned to being a pathetic fairy from the days before she had accumulated all this power.
"Let them go. Do not do anything to provoke them or plant a grudge. To earn the resentment of a Caravan who resembles the First Caravan... there is nothing more terrifying than that. It would be better to start building a good image now. Next time, yes, we must show a friendly side..."
"Is that not a disgrace to the elves?"
"Even if it is a disgrace, it cannot be helped."
Nadine glanced toward the descendant of the Caravan.
The Caravan she saw now had become incomparably stronger than before. In just a little over two months, he had transformed into a completely different being. And as time passed, the descendant of the Caravan would only grow stronger. Just as the First Caravan had in the distant past.
And when that time came...
"What is more precious than one's life?"
Even for a High Elf who had lived for eternity... it would be impossible to dare oppose that being.
"Let us return, children."
* * *
The Chief God inhabiting Elizabeth's body, the Father of the Sky, watched the fleeing elves with a sneer. Seeing those who had stood so tall run away in terror was refreshing.
"Cowardly things."
If he followed his heart, he would rain lightning down upon this entire forest to burn it and wipe out the fairies entirely, but that was too excessive. Threatening them to this extent was enough. If he crossed the established line, restrictions would be placed on him as well. And with the era of war approaching, it was not wise to be restricted already.
It is better to save my strength to protect my brides when a true crisis arrives.
Because the brides were always the most important. Thinking thus, the Father of the Sky slowly turned his head to look at the descendant of the Caravan. The loathsome Caravan, the one who inherited the filthy blood of Steel. The last Caravan remaining in the Middle World...
It would be very good to eliminate him now.
If this boy died, the Caravan would completely vanish from the Middle World. Not a single drop of the Steel bloodline remained besides him. Not only would it avenge the humiliation of the Seven Chief Gods and the Nine Goddesses, but it would also be a satisfying revenge.
However.
If I did that, we would all perish together.
The Father of the Sky could not do it. It was because of the being guarding him, standing behind the still-insignificant descendant of the Caravan. A being who would immediately draw his sword if the pact was broken and the descendant was touched. The moment the descendant he had to protect vanished, that being would once again wage war. A war that would end everything.
He has become stronger. More so than in those days.
The Father of the Sky closed his eyes. The Great Being returned to where he belonged—to the heavens.
There were no regrets. As Nadine had said...
I cannot very well make my brides widows.
Nothing was more precious than life.
* * *
There were many twists and turns, but the request was finally completed. We recovered the Witches' treasure from the Great Forest and were able to escape and return to the estate thanks to Elizabeth's performance.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, we've recovered a precious treasure. The status of Witches will rise higher than before. My sisters will be safer in this age of chaos."
"Then, regarding additional compensation—"
"Oh, of course I should give it," Elizabeth said with a satisfied smile. "As a very special favor, I've decided to let Audrey stay in this territory."
"What?"
"The help of a Witch—what reward could be more valuable than that? I'll help you employ Audrey for only five times the pay of an ordinary wizard. Oh, of course, you must strictly observe her working hours. And if the salary is delayed even once—"
"..."
It was good news that Audrey would continue to stay in the territory. But to hear that the compensation was simply Audrey—who had already been staying here—continuing to stay here felt a bit disappointing. Aren't Witches rich? They could have given some gold coins, or maybe supported us with some of those magical tools they're so proud of...
No matter how I look at it, it seems like she couldn't convince Audrey, who insisted on staying here, so she's just winging it.
It was suspicious. However...
"That's great! I was losing sleep worrying that Lady Audrey might leave. Hehe, I'm so happy."
"Hmph! There's still so much I haven't taught you, I can't leave yet!"
"Yay!"
Seeing Hailyn so happy... it didn't seem so bad.
Fine, why try to squeeze out more?
I know how to swing a sword, but I don't know much about managing a territory. The fact that our territory has developed this much is largely thanks to Hailyn, Sancho, Tom, and Audrey. As the old saying goes, people are the most precious asset. It was a bit disappointing, but I decided to let it slide. What's the point of being greedy?
"Let's do that, then."
"...Why do you sound like you're doing me a favor? It's very uncomfortable."
"If you're uncomfortable, adjust your posture."
"I'm already standing, how am I supposed to adjust my posture?"
Good grief. Can't you just leave without nitpicking every word?
"Big sister, have a safe trip back!"
"You're welcome to visit anytime! The Caravan estate always welcomes guests!"
"Ladies, if you have any items that are difficult to handle, please seek out this Zeppelin Gold at any time. As a descendant of the Fair Scale, Zeppelin Gold always conducts transparent transactions! Of course, I take a small commission, but please look upon that with charm and love, hahaha!"
"If you ladies happen to have any old blades, I would be grateful if you passed them to me. I, Tom, having worked as a caretaker in the historic Arena—"
That aside, our territory had quite a lot of people now.
It's nice.
There's nothing better than a bustling place. I smiled contentedly as I watched everyone chattering away. Most of the things that needed to be done were now resolved. Of course, that didn't mean there was nothing left to do. My Master had said that the day the world would pay the price for forgetting the Caravan was not far off, and as the First Caravan, he had promised to pass down the true sword of the Caravan to me.
Now, I had to prepare for transcendence.
And.
"Lord Arhan."
"Yes."
"I must return now. As the successor of the Gold family, I have many duties to attend to."
"I see. Thank you for everything—"
"Let's go together."
The growth of a Caravan never happens through solitary training.
"War has broken out in the Southern Continent sooner than expected. A situation has arisen where you are needed, My Lord."
Steel is tempered only through trials.
"It is time for you to become a hero."
It seemed there was no time for a comfortable rest.