Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Cliff Flower
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Paradise Eden.
A place said to be where, long ago, God created humanity.
The reason the Izarkhel family came to manage this place was because the hero Alonso Izarkhel received baptism from God here.
The demon kings armies that threatened the world were repelled by Alonso, backed by divine power.
Afterward, Alonso had his family manage this sacred Eden for generations or so the original setting goes.
Yeah. Its just a setting.
Eden didnt play a big role in the story, so it was unfamiliar to me too.
Id vaguely pictured it as some ambiguous space between the living world and the afterlife.
But now that it was unfolding before my eyes, I couldnt help but look around.
The game actually recreated it like this.
I followed behind Bella, inwardly marveling nonstop.
The space grew more fascinating the more I saw.
The spot where I stood should have been too densely wooded for sunlight to reach.
Yet the forest interior was as bright as midday.
This place has a higher mana concentration than the outside world.
Mana.
The blessing God bestowed upon humanity at the beginning of time.
Bella asked without turning around.
Do you know, Count? Long ago, its said humans here could live without illness and enjoy eternal life thanks to the infinite mana that welled up from this place.
That was probably the happiest time in human history.
A life in paradise where no suffering existed.
But like all such tales, the happiness that seemed eternal didnt last long.
Bella spoke with a hint of bitterness.
Well, that good era ended once humans fell for the devils temptation and learned magic.
Our ancestors, having learned the forbidden art of magic, incurred Gods wrath and were expelled from paradise.
Of course, thats just an old legend.
Now, in an age where anyone whos human can use magic.
Especially in the Meikahel Empire, where magical research was most active.
From royalty to commoners, using magic was commonplace, so problems caused by magic were plentiful too.
Thats why some mages claimed magic was a sin, citing the legend of expulsion from paradise as evidence.
Well it could be a fabricated legend meant to warn against abusing magic
Anyway, its a famous legend everyone in the empire knows.
God is truly merciful. Even after abandoning us once, He saved us when crisis came. Heh heh heh
Before I knew it, Bella was walking beside me, chuckling softly.
That does seem to be the case.
Oh dear, come to think of it, you wouldnt know, Count. Heh heh. Youve had no mana since birth. Heh heh heh.
Bella.
Yes?
Are you okay?
A flush colored Bellas cheeks.
As if she were drunk.
Yeees? Count, what did you just say? Am I drunk?
I didnt ask if you were drunk. I asked if youre okay.
As you can see, Im cooompletely fiiiine!
I see
Mana sickness had gotten to her.
Definitely due to the dense mana concentration.
One reason Eden was so strictly controlled.
Mana exists in all things.
From trivial pebbles to humans and massive magical beasts.
Thats natural in this world.
But this place has the highest mana density even among this world.
High-concentration mana excels at healing internal injuries, external woundsany injury.
But excess is as bad as deficiency; too much turns to poison.
Like altitude sickness, causing nausea and dizziness, and in severe cases, death.
That was the double-edged nature of paradise.
Im mana-less, so it doesnt affect me.
Fortunately, Bella had exceptional mana reserves, so she was just tipsy.
As expected of a prestigious family.
So why havent you apologized to me, Count? Am I ugly?
Scratch that.
Shes the only one drunk.
Its not funny.
Then! Whyd you say 500 kael back then? Why!
500 kael? Ah
What was this about? Then it hit me.
Right after arriving in this world, when I first met her.
Bella puffed her cheeks and protested to me.
To you, am I worth that little! I was totally disappointed!
If I disappointed you, Im sorry.
Saying sorry fixes everything? You saw me as some cheap woman?
If youd been like this then, maybe I would have.
You dense bear!
Bella started slapping my arm with her palm.
They were so slow itd be embarrassing to dodge, so I just took it.
Her strength couldnt dent this bodys thick fat layer anyway.
I hate you!
I know.
Being rich lets you do anything!?
Rich solves everything.
And you cant even use magic, you pig!
Im not sorry. Im not a magic-using pig.
I even hate how easily you admit it!
Ah, yeah I see.
Bellas wildly flailing hands slowed, then grabbed my collar.
With a slightly trembling voice, she asked.
So how much?
What are you talking about?
My value!
Huh
Didnt see that coming.
Youve been holding onto that this whole time?
Just answer. How much to buy me for?
I was at a loss.
She wouldnt let go until I answered.
I had no choice but to think it over.
I couldnt afford to mess up and make her hate me.
After agonizing, I spoke.
I cant buy you.
Whats that supposed to mean? Count, youre rich! You can buy anything!
Yeah. Im rich. I can buy whatever I want. But the reason I gave you up was because you were a being even my wealth couldnt buy.
Shes drunk anyway; she wont remember.
Id just placate her for now.
Fortunately, Bella seemed intrigued by my words.
Tell me more.
I cant use magic. No athletic talent, no outstanding gifts. If I had to say, being born rich is my only talent and ability.
Somehow that pisses me off
Ignoring her, I turned the question back.
Then let me ask you. If Id offered not 500 kael, but 500 million kael, would you have opened your heart to me?
Of course not. Money is ultimately my best and final resort. And you were the one person my abilities didnt work on.
Incompetent As expected of youKyaa?!
Bella, staggering from the drink, tripped over her own feet.
I quickly grabbed her arm.
Dont worry.
It was a slender arm.
Bella Izarkhel, who fought players to the very end in the games finale.
I thought.
Even the cliff flower was, in the end, a flower.
It never breaks in wind or rain.
But it snaps so easily at a touch.
A flower bearing precarious beauty.
Meikahels saintess, braver and nobler than any, was a woman fragile enough to shatter. And she was this worlds lone ray of hope.
Even if Im incompetent, I can at least support someone like you.
Bella straightened her posture.
The mana seems to have stabilized a bit. Means were almost at the center. I dont need help anymore.
Indeed. The drunkenness had worn off some.
I let go obediently.
But her face, glimpsed briefly, still bore a flush, so some of the effect lingered.
We walked in silence for a while.
I thought shed walk beside me, but Bella was already ahead.
She wasnt staggering anymore, but I worried shed fall again.
How much time passed?
Bella, walking ahead, stopped.
Were here.
The view opened up.
To think such a space existed in the forests heart.
Beyond the vast meadow stretched the horizon.
And in its midst stood a single small tree, planted alone.
Probably a space created by this places owners mana.
The reason Id come here was something So-ra had told me before.
Eden? In one word Gods playground.
Gods?
Yeah. The beings who bestowed the blessing of magic on humans. Like calling them parents.
Their playground, then?
Ahahaha. That fits. Parents want to stay near their kids, right? Its the setting where its the only space gods can exist on the surface.
Ah But if theyre parents, what are you? Grandma?
Oppa, youre crazy? Calling your sister grandma. Im the God of Gods, the Absolute God. I created them all, so to them, Im the pope and the light.
What, some cult leader?
Someone approached from afar.
I instinctively knew that one was Edens owner.
Tristan, make your respects quickly.
Bella quietly pressed my shoulder.
Kneeling on one knee, I greeted paradises owner.
One step.
Two steps.
Their face sharpened with proximity.
Ah, damn it
The moment I recognized the face, curses burst forth inside me.
The face Id seen consistently for decades wore a cheeky expression.
Welcome. Oppa.
Paradises owner was my little sister.