Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Revelations and a Request
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- Hehe, you’ve made some adorable companions.
Elatra spoke, sitting with a serene composure.
Inside the temple, in a living space once used by priests, they sat gathered and talking.
"Here you are…! Lady Elatra!"
- Thank you, Sarieta.
"It’s… it's an honor!"
Elatra sipped the warm tea Sarieta had brewed.
It was a set of tea leaves and sweets they had bought as a souvenir in Tubaln, which she had prepared herself.
‘How can she drink that?’
Do-jae wondered how Elatra, a being of light, could possibly drink tea, but he held his tongue, feeling the question was too trivial to ask.
Elatra simply gazed at Do-jae's face with a smile, offering no verbal answer.
- Well then, where should we begin? Shall we start with the one you're most curious about—the other me?
Do-jae swallowed hard.
Elatra knew the very thing he was most curious about.
This put Do-jae, who had harbored ill feelings toward Elatra until now, in a rather awkward position.
- Hehehe. Don't worry. I have no intention of blaming you. Because she is a persona I created.
"A created persona?"
- Yes. She is a perfect demigod, infused with half of my being, containing all that I cannot do, all that I am unable to do.
Elatra spoke with a deliberate expression.
Her low voice was calm, yet carried an air of authority.
- Hehe, but she is also a proper, *complete* god, you see.
"Pfft! I'm sorry…."
"Khehet, khehehehet!"
Suddenly, Sarieta and Oson burst out laughing.
Even Tahul was smiling faintly.
‘What part of that was funny?’
Do-jae was baffled by their laughter.
He couldn't tell if it was high-level flattery or if they were genuinely amused.
If they could be amused by such a simple play on words, he was confident he could make them laugh time and time again!
"Hmm… so is that half-boiled or hard-boiled?"
Do-jae threw out what he thought was a killer joke.
But Sarieta and Oson's reactions were icy.
"What was that, Do-jae? That came out of nowhere."
"Master, are you hungry!"
It was the same kind of humor, yet their reactions were worlds apart.
Do-jae felt a strange sense of grievance.
- The Elatra within you is a being created solely for Gellahan. She has no love, no joy. She is filled only with vengeance toward Gellahan. As you thought, the word 'witch' suits her better than 'goddess'.
Elatra set down her teacup and, with graceful composure, continued.
- I could never fight Gellahan. Because my eyes see everything. And you know that well, don't you?
Do-jae and Elatra's eyes met.
Though she seemed to be looking into his eyes, he could tell she was peering deeper, into his very soul.
"Eye of the Golem…."
- Yes, your eyes borrowed my power to see through everything. But it is only half a power, so it is not perfect. I made it so that she could not see Gellahan directly. Otherwise, she too would have read Gellahan's thoughts and feelings, and then she could never have become an incarnation of destruction.
"What were Gellahan's thoughts? What were they that you couldn't fight him?"
Do-jae was curious what Gellahan had betrayed.
Based on everything he'd learned, it seemed all these problems stemmed from Gellahan.
The reason all the humans here disappeared, the reason monsters and the other races from here crossed over to Earth.
In the end, it was all because of Gellahan's betrayal.
- Gellahan is a special being. So much so that even I cannot read his deepest depths…. He was always contemplating. What is peace? What is conflict? Whether the role of an Ascetic was right, whether its value was justified. Gellahan, more than anyone, was in constant anguish. When I was with him, thousands of thoughts would flood in at once, to the point of confusion. And so, he decided to walk a different path.
"A different path…."
- He chose to walk the complete opposite path. It was the first time Gellahan, who had only ever listened to the other Ascetics, showed his own will. He led the monsters and started a war with the other races. No, at first, he was just trying to protect the monsters. It was the remaining Ascetics who initiated the fight. And so began a long war that lasted a hundred years.
Elatra closed her eyes for a moment.
She seemed to be reminiscing about the past.
And then, with a lonely smile, she continued speaking.
- And these were the reasons I could not fight Gellahan. Because his thoughts were so noble. Because they were pure, without a hint of falsehood or embellishment. Unlike the other Ascetics, I could find no reason to punish him. That is why I needed a being that was me, yet not me. There needed to be the me who was with him, and the me who was an Ascetic.
Do-jae mulled over Elatra's words.
Just what kind of person was this Gellahan?
How sacred must his thoughts have been for Elatra to find no reason to oppose him?
"Then what is the reason all the humans here disappeared?"
- About that, even I cannot give you a definite answer. After the war began, I never left this temple. Whether there was a reason for annihilating all the humans, or if it was just to make an example of them. Looking back now, it seems more likely there was a reason. Considering he opened a dimensional gate and influenced the place where you live.
"I heard a little from Altein, but in the end, what am I supposed to do?"
- You still need more power. In your world, there are still humans stronger than you. Among them are those who, like us, are looking beyond talent to a higher state, and there are also those who have accepted Gellahan's power. We don't know how they will view us, who are complete outsiders. While we still have Gellahan bound by the threads of causality, you must become stronger. Strong enough to be acknowledged by the other Ascetics and to protect yourself.
"Get stronger… is that all?"
- Yes, that is all.
Elatra and Do-jae fell silent, the conversation ending.
It was Sarieta and Oson who broke the suffocating silence.
"I feel like we just heard something incredible."
"You're right, Sari!"
"Do-jae! The bottom line is we need to get stronger, right? We'll help you! Oson, Grandpa Tahul. Let's help our Do-jae!"
Sarieta pumped her fist.
Following suit, Oson also jumped up and started clearing away the teacups.
Meanwhile, Tahul slowly approached Elatra, knelt, and asked.
"O great one. There is something I wish to ask. Was my master, Falion, of help to you?"
At that, Elatra lightly placed her hand on Tahul's shoulder and replied.
- Yes, Falion was brave and considerate. A trustworthy Gray Elf. He was a mage respected by other races, transcending his own. I am truly glad to be able to meet his student like this.
Tears streamed down Tahul's face.
It wasn't an outburst of intense emotion, but the large teardrops that fell as he bowed his head low were enough to wet the floor.
Pat, pat.
"Why are you being so unlike yourself, old man?"
Do-jae patted Tahul's back and helped him up.
"Well then, we'll be on our way. We have to deliver the leaf to Arcturia. What will you do, Lady Elatra?"
Do-jae wondered if Elatra would be joining them from now on.
Whether she would speak to him through a voice or quests like the witch Elatra or Altein, or if she would follow them around like this.
He also thought it would be an interesting situation if this Elatra and the witch Elatra were to meet.
- Regrettably, I have bound myself to this place. I wish to watch over you by your side, but I suppose I will have to leave that to my other self.
"I understand. Thanks to you, many of my questions have been answered."
- You, who have been acknowledged by my other self, I will be cheering for you and waiting in this world. Hehe. Please make good use of the mask and Altein's golem….
Just as when she appeared, Elatra turned into a cluster of light and vanished.
***
After leaving the temple, Do-jae's party moved quickly towards the Nightingale Woods without any particular incidents.
Oson and Tahul also stayed in the carriage, saying they wanted to stay with them until the end.
All the while, Do-jae read books day and night, his comprehension accelerating.
As a result, Sarieta and Oson were bored out of their minds, but Do-jae was so absorbed in his books that they couldn't get a word in edgewise.
It wasn't just constant travel, though; they stopped by the kingdom of the Beastkin to buy a hammer and anvil that Oson needed, and they also took breaks for meals or to fight groups of monsters.
In the meantime, Oson also crafted a splendid scabbard and a beautiful set of a necklace and earrings using a Luna Stone.
After that, their food ran out, so they stopped by Tubaln once more, and there they were able to meet Salreuta, who had not yet left.
"Do-jae! It's good to see you again."
"Salreuta, Katania. Why are you guys still here? Pfft. And what's with that outfit?"
Do-jae burst out laughing upon seeing Salreuta.
Because Salreuta, who had been wearing tattered clothes no better than rags, was now wearing voluminous, shimmering silk clothes.
"Ah, this?"
"Salreuta just came from receiving his knighthood!"
Katania, who was beside him, answered.
She, too, was beaming.
"Hah… I told them I'd refuse the title…."
"What were you supposed to do? They said they wouldn't give you the money and the bow if you didn't accept."
"If they hadn't given me time for the village reconstruction, I would have refused both the money and the bow."
Do-jae nodded with a slightly more composed face.
The lingering bit of guilt he felt couldn't be erased.
Then he suddenly noticed that the sword he was wearing was not his original greatsword but a normal-sized one and asked.
"What happened to your original sword?"
"I left that one behind. They bestow a separate sword during the knighting ceremony. I guess they treat the tournament champion differently."
"Oho. So you'll be using that sword now?"
"Probably. My original one was just big and crude. But this is a pretty good sword."
"Will you be okay? You're not used to it."
"It'll take a little time to adjust, right? But a sword is a sword. What's important is who's wielding it."
Do-jae watched Salreuta caressing the hilt of his sword.
And soon, he spoke with a determined expression.
"This is perfect timing. If you have some time, would you mind sparring with me?"
At the golem carriage's speed, it would only take two, maybe three days at most to get to Nightingale Woods from here.
He planned to ask Salreuta for swordsmanship instruction during that time.
"I have plenty of time, but a spar? Are you sure? I wasn't showing my true skills back then."
"Of course. I want you to teach me about the sword."
"Teach you… Alright. I'll show you why the swordsmanship of the Gray Elves is superior to that of humans."