Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: The Night Goblin's Lair
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The torches drew even closer, and Elis drew her spear.
In response to Elis's reaction, the night goblin who had spread its wings froze for a moment. Being on the snow, both the torch-bearer and the one in black clothes were clearly visible to each other. The night goblin hurriedly extinguished the torch by grinding it against the ground, removed its hat, and called out again. Listening closely, the voice sounded more like a boy's than a woman's.
"I am the night goblin 'Chashop Hay.' If you are indeed the bearer of madness, I will guide you by the queen's order. The path into our lair requires a little more walking."
"Isn't it by breaking through the ice and entering here?"
Elis stowed her spear and lowered her guard as she asked. They were demons, but she didn't want to point her spear at someone who had introduced themselves.
Come to think of it, this was the first proper conversation she'd had since reviving, aside from with Iveldra. Chashop Hay grinned and replied.
"This is the ceiling of our lair. Naturally, no one would think of breaking through such thick ice, but you're truly unusual. Night goblins can fly, so to enter the lair, we head to the cliffside. To the end of the valley. You jump from there and fly in from the outside."
"The ceiling... How large is it? The night goblin lair, I'mean?"
"I heard that long ago, this entire mountain range was our lair. Of course, it's not on the vast scale of legends anymore. I don't know exactly when it was a few hundred years ago that the undead started pouring over from the frozen lands in greater numbers, but since then, we've been confined to this valley area."
Elis pieced the situation together. According to Chashop Hay, this vast mountain range had originally been the night goblins' lair, but undead appeared during the mythic era, and afterward, they hid in this icy valley. Well, for someone like her with a lifespan fleeting compared to myths, it wasn't something to concern herself with...
"No. I've become a being older than the myths now..."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, nothing."
A past she could once dismiss so easily was no longer that. Wasn't she now a kin of sin born even before the myths? So now, she had to see all truths.
Only then could she understand the will of the god who had revived her, and what only she could do.
"Then, please guide me. I'm Elis Hope."
Seeing Elis's hostility soften greatly, Chashop Hay gave an awkward smile and approached her. He spread his black wings wide and extended both hands to her. He was indeed a boy.
"Then, may I carry you for a bit?"
For a moment, she hesitated-not because his overly polite demeanor was burdensome, but wondering if her kin of sin might harm him. But with no other option, Elis took the night goblin's hand. He smiled again and began to flap his wings slowly.
"We're heading to the nest. You can relax, kin of sin-or rather, Lady Elis. Unless it's a Joins undead suddenly leaping up, there's no great threat in the air. Ah, it's not sorcery or magic, though... There, now we can fly together."
He released Elis's damp hand and flew into the air. Elis confirmed that a pattern radiating cold had been drawn on her palm. If it wasn't sorcery or magic, then what was this?
"It's a circuit condensing cold air. Night goblin technology, so you can'trust it. Once you emit it toward the ground, I'll lead the way."
Following the kind guide's words, Elis retied her spear to her scarf-like clothing and pointed her palm downward. Just as Chashop Hay had said, though she didn't know the mechanism, the circuit on her palm spun wildly, spewing cold wind that lifted her into the air.
"Ah."
Elis wobbled slightly in midair but soon adapted, applying strength to her hand to rise higher. It'seemed she could control the output of cold air this way.
"You handle the circuit so well! I'made it myself, so consider it a gift. If the condensed cold runs out, come find me. I research circuits in my workshop."
Following the young night goblin boy who chattered away as they flew slowly, Elis pierced through the fierce wind and snow. Fortunately, the end of the valley wasn't far. Chashop Hay dove first from the cliff's edge, and Elis followed, releasing the cold from her hand.
Chashop Hay spread his wings wide again after descending to a certain point, and Elis could see the cliff anew from there. It wasn't a cliff-it was a massive structure.
"Welcome to the night goblin lair."
It had looked like a huge chasm of ice and rock intertwined, but within the transparent, bluish ice gleamed a massive city. Mechanisms emitting cold air seemed interwoven throughout the city, starting from holes in the cliff like entrances. Chashop Hay flew straight there, and Elis landed after him at the hole-what could be called the entrance to the night goblin lair.
"Circuits installed like this door allow the outer cold air to enter automatically. The guards at the landing pad are busy repairing a flightship with circuits attached, so don't worry about them. Come on in. I'll guide you to the lab as the queen instructed."
Chashop Hay entered, and Elis hurriedly followed through the massive door into the interior. It was even wider than it had appeared from outside. Since reviving in the Hatem Mountains, she'd only seen the dead or things in limbo, so encountering a communicative guide and a civilized city with advanced unknown technology made her feel even stranger herself.
"The tower in the center is the shrine to Nesheph, surrounded by the market. Most sell circuit research goods, of course, but since the new Demon King arrived, Red Blood Savages supply food through passages to the lands below the mountains. If you'd like to shop, I can fetch some food first."
"Ah, no. I'm fine."
She hadn't read all the Demon King's thoughts from his memories, but she'd felt his will to build civilization in this western continent of Gehenna. But this couldn't be solely his doing. They'd likely achieved this level before the Demon King came.
But if so, why?
Why did the demons invade the eastern continent? Elis quietly watched the light from snow piercing the ice cast shadows on the central tower.
"The queen told me to assist you... Ah, of course, Lady Iveldra mentioned the all-out war with the undead too. So why are we heading to the lab now?"
To Elis's question, Chashop Hay replied as if he had no idea what she meant.
"Uh... Because the queen is the master of the lab."
Chashop Hay shook his folded wings once and set off again. Elis followed, observing the night goblin lair-or rather, the night goblins. They all wore scholar-like clothes, had pale skin and red wings.
They had slim waists, broad shoulders, and feet with heels like shoes-their build differed slightly from humans, but among demons, they seemed the most human-like. If night goblins had originated and flourished in the eastern continent like humans, they might not have been so different.
They didn't even have horns. Just humans with wings-they could have lived together.
"What research does the night goblin queen conduct?"
As Elis asked while climbing iron stairs offering a view of the circular city past the central tower, Chashop Hay startled and continued awkwardly.
"Th-the queen's research is beyond my humble understanding. But by the great Demon King's order, she's working to completely separate the Hatem Mountains and frozen lands using massive circuits. If successful, we might fly freely over the mountains again... But with so many undead, it'll be tough."
"Then, could you explain what a circuit is?"
"Think of it as science derived from celestial clan technology. Um... I can't tell you everything, but our kind were originally hybrids of celestials and demons. After Orga died and celestials became humans, they drove us out, leaving us to rely on demons. So now, after so long since the myths, it's our unique technology, neither demonic nor celestial. You'll understand more at the lab."
It was all incomprehensible, but Elis had to ask more.
"Humans cast out the night goblins? What does that mean?"
"Ah, you who bear madness might not know, but the continent was originally one. If we could compare strata, we'd know the exact time..."
"No, I know that. But is the reason night goblins-or demons-invade the eastern continent simply because they were driven out?"
Chashop Hay looked baffled again, as if not grasping the question's intent.
"No. Of course, because we hate humans."
He smiled amiably again and stopped before a massive temple at the city's deepest point, where the entrance and spire connected, blocked by ice walls with all mechanisms passing through.
"I'm sorry I don't know much and explained poorly. But we're here. This is the queen's residence and circuit lab. I hope it answers your questions inside."
With that, Chashop Hay bowed, and Elis opened the massive door of the ice-walled temple.
"Good grief, what kept you so late?"
There stood the night goblin queen she'd seen atop the mountain, dressed like a scholar, before an endless cavern.
"Ah, you can't see without light, can you?"
With that, the night goblin queen activated the circuits here.
There were giants.