[Side Story – Encounter [4]]
[15]
“Is this really… right…?”
Johanna and Jimy exchanged similar thoughts, their faces contorted in discomfort as they stared at Ulte.
As the two remained silent, staring intently, Ulte belatedly realized the situation and awkwardly shook off the cookie crumbs from his hands.
Ulte’s embarrassed demeanor prompted Resina, who had been sitting on his lap, to jump down onto the floor.
When Johanna and Jimy glanced again at Resina, their eyes reflected a look akin to witnessing something unclean, as they turned their gaze toward Ulte.
Ulte nervously cleared his throat.
“Hmm… there seems to be some misunderstanding…”
“There’s no misunderstanding worth worrying about.”
“That, but let me explain…”
“Hehe, it’s fine.”
“No, please hear me out…”
“Hehe, it’s fine, I said.”
Jimy, not wanting to prolong Ulte’s excuses, waved his hand dismissively while tapping the wall.
Johanna watched the scene with an unsettled expression, still blinking, when a disgruntled voice broke through from beside her.
“Kumyu.”
“?!”
“?!”
“?!”
All three people turned their attention to Resina simultaneously.
The trio were well aware that “Kumyu” was an all-purpose swear word among elves, roughly equivalent to “sh*t.” With all three now looking at her, Resina furrowed her brows and snapped back at Jimy.
“Excuse me.”
“…?”
“Do I not have the right to love?”
“…Pardon?”
“Are you saying I don’t have the right to love?!”
“…”
It seemed absurd to respond negatively to an elf much older than himself regarding her right to love.
Feeling stumped, Jimy wiped sweat from his brow and silently sought help from Johanna and Ulte through eye contact.
While Jimy continued to gauge the situation, Resina relentlessly pressed him.
“Do you know how old I am? I’ve lived many times longer than you!”
“…”
“How many wasted years of my life have passed while I’ve been cursed?! Now that I finally want to try loving someone, why are you interfering? Do I not have the right to love?!”
Truthfully, Resina did have descendants. However, high elves could leave offspring without physical intimacy, and this was the norm for her case.
In short, Resina had virtually no experience with romance.
After centuries, she was just beginning to explore dating when unnecessary interference arose, which naturally irritated her.
“Why do you meddle when you won’t even offer help?!”
“…”
Jimy froze like a stone, only blinking his eyes.
In reality, both Jimy and Johanna were extremely flustered. To humans, Resina was one of the legendary heroes from 600 years ago.
Naturally, humans perceived Resina as noble, pure, and dignified—an image closely associated with elves.
Indeed, Resina possessed an aura distinct from ordinary humans, fitting her status as a high elf. However, ever since 600 years ago, she had wielded the divine artifact of the World Tree with great arrogance, making her anything but the idealized noble and dignified elf imagined by humans.
To exaggerate, Resina was more akin to “the crazy woman of that district,” far from the elevated figure depicted in fairy tales.
Moreover, after escaping her centuries-long curse, Resina was finally attempting to enjoy life. Naturally, unexpected interference caused her frustration.
“Kumyu, what’s the problem here? Kumyu!”
“…”
Jimy and Johanna found themselves at a loss for words. Resina’s argument held water, and ironically, the romantic narrative between Resina and Ulte wasn’t entirely unworthy of sympathy.
A man who spent his entire life wandering to save a woman, and a woman who regained her life moments before death—this was their love story.
Of course, the only issue lay in the woman’s appearance.
“…”
Johanna looked down at Resina, whose height was significantly lower than hers. It was a moment filled with awkwardness that neither lent itself to criticism nor easy dismissal.
Unwilling to provoke Resina, Jimy quickly apologized.
“Yes… I apologize…”
Following Jimy’s example, Johanna also bowed her head slightly.
Though seemingly dissatisfied, Resina accepted their apologies.
Meanwhile, Mineher stood by the opposite door of the dining hall, watching her ancestor’s hysterics with interest. Having heard plenty of stories about her ancestor during her time among the elves, Mineher appeared unfazed.
Having received their apology, Resina leapt up and perched herself on Ulte’s shoulder.
With another nervous cough, Ulte shuffled awkwardly out of the dining hall.
Only then did Jimy turn back to Johanna, exhaling deeply before addressing the main topic.
“Since Lord Gardi is here too, you can rest easy.”
With Ulte, a key force, staying in the Imperial Capital, Johanna could afford to take a proper rest.
Nodding in agreement, Johanna briefly inquired about Bella’s condition.
“…Is Bella doing well?”
“…She’s fine. Thanks to you.”
Not likely.
Johanna knew Jimy’s response was close to a lie but chose not to press further.
Relaxing slightly, Johanna massaged her tired eyes and closed them momentarily.
Time flows in struggle. Every moment of life is a battle for everyone. The impact left by Ray was equally profound.
Everyone knows this fact, yet Ray alone remains unaware, sleeping peacefully.
*
The interpretation of the Master Code was already complete.
Now Luna could reach the innermost depths of the Obelisk at any time.
Accompanied by Hayden, Luna entered the Obelisk, leaving Hayden to wait as she ventured alone towards its core.
Without any significant incidents or variables, Luna opened the final door within the Obelisk, located at the heart of the royal Magic Tower.
There awaited Luna the last remnant of Resina’s thoughts.
Luna moved her lips toward the apparition of Resina.
“A compromise might have been possible. Why did you choose such an extreme path?”
Resina was one of the main instigators of all these events, though she didn’t fully predict or orchestrate everything.
Her choices were catastrophic and uncertain.
From her previous arrangements, it was clear Resina despised the Empire, but this reason alone couldn’t justify her decisions; there were too many inconsistencies.
Luna’s question was met with a calm reply from Resina.
“The curse collapsing that child’s body and soul is tied to an eternal contract with El-Lam.”
“…”
“And surely you now understand that the only way to halt the child’s destruction is… to annihilate El-Lam.”
The subjects of the contract causing the collapse of the body and soul were Ray and El-Lam.
Though forcibly inscribed by El-Lam, the contract was activated with Ray’s consent.
Given the immense power of the contract, once activated, it could not be reversed by its subjects.
The sole method to nullify this active contract was to deliver a destructive blow to one of its subjects: El-Lam.
Once the contract-induced collapse ceased, numerous methods could be devised to revive Ray.
Regardless of the means, options were available.
Certainly, reviving Ray, who was practically a corpse, wouldn’t be easy, but it wasn’t impossible.
That’s why Resina made such an extreme choice.
“You needed a motive to kill El-Lam. I wanted to engrave in your heart an obsession to tear El-Lam apart.”
“…”
“You’re capable of it.”
Resina told Luna that she believed she could achieve it.
Luna pointed out to Resina that what she truly desired wasn’t Harshia’s Nonagram.
Acknowledging this, Resina slowly curved her lips.
“Yes, you’re right.”
Luna’s accusation was precise.
Resina’s longing to destroy whatever lay beyond the stars using any means necessary wasn’t Harshia’s Nonagram.
Resina was fully aware of this.
“Yes… From the start… His Nonagram meant nothing.”
Resina, who left behind this lingering thought, smiled emptily while yearning for the most precious being she had lost.
“All I wanted from the start was revenge.”
Lost in an endless yearning, the entity turned to Luna with an empty smile.
“You didn’t come here to erase me, did you?”
“…No.”
The entity facing Luna wasn’t Resina.
It was merely Resina’s ghost, a conglomerate of her lingering thoughts.
This ghost had lost the person who was everything to her—Harshia.
For this ghost, extinction was a blessing, and existence brought pain.
Luna didn’t wish to bestow the blessing of extinction upon this ghost so easily. She didn’t want to grant it salvation so readily.
Moreover, the remnants of Resina’s ghost were valuable.
The unique weapons crafted from her lifetime dedication—the Soul Weapons—were miracles that even Luna would find difficult to replicate perfectly.
Now that Luna controlled the Obelisk system, she could utilize Resina’s ghost under restricted risk in areas where it was needed.
Luna wasn’t impulsive enough to destroy such a highly useful entity merely for catharsis.
Resina understood and was satisfied with Luna’s rational decision.
“Yes, you… You’re not like Harshia. You’re different from that foolish idiot.”
“It wasn’t hard to lead Harshia to his death. He loved every living being on this land. Imposing sacrifice on that fool was incredibly easy.”
But Luna was different from Harshia.
Luna wasn’t a philanthropist who loved every living being on this land.
Luna’s desires and affections were concentrated on a single individual, and she certainly didn’t love all the beings living on this land.
Unlike Harshia, Luna was always prepared to endure great sacrifices.
Therefore…
“To those beyond the stars, you’re a far more threatening presence than Harshia.”
Forcing sacrifice on Luna, as they did with Harshia, was impossible.
While Harshia isolated himself and willingly sacrificed himself for the continent, Luna was never such a person.
Thus, Luna was far more dangerous than Harshia.
“Beware. Unless it’s the World Tree, El-Lam can abandon this continent at any time. Their affection for this land is probably no greater than that for a cherished toy.”
The entities beyond the stars wouldn’t tolerate threats to their safety just to protect a cherished toy.
Resina highlighted this point with a twisted smirk.
“They must be ready to abandon it already. So… hide yourself well.”
