Chapter 252

252nd Episode

Gentle and not raising one’s voice… Beyond the scorching flames.

There stands Elpride, just a step and reach away.

Even through the heat that dries up sight and sound, I can vividly feel that Elpride is beyond this scorching barrier.

Even with my eyes closed, I can see what Elpride looks like.

The girl must be lying flat on the ground, hugging her face with both arms, curled up.

Elpride and I spent approximately two years together.

Two years.

730 days.

The time it takes for a newly born baby to start walking and learn simple words.

The time it takes for a clumsy and awkward recruit to put on a discharge cap and leave the barracks.

When I look back at it later, it feels short, but I remember laughing and joking around.

Throughout that long time, Elpride and I, and I with Elpride, were always together.

Whether I liked it or not, I can vividly recall everything about her.

I can vividly picture what she likes, dislikes, how she laughs, and how she gets angry.

I couldn’t help but admit it.

Since this might be the last time I see Elpride, I decided to accept it calmly.

“Elpride.”

If my voice wasn’t reaching her ears well, I at least knew that my voice was hoarse.

It’s a dry, ugly sound coming from my throat, but I hope what I want to convey reaches the woman beyond this wall of fire.

“You weren’t a good master, Elpride.”

No response came back.

I didn’t expect one either.

“Of course, I wasn’t a good servant either. We were like that, you and I. Naturally mismatched, an unsuitable triangular race where we were limping along, at best.”

Hiss.

Unable to withstand the intense heat anymore, I finally collapsed onto my knees.

Though I was holding out against the flames with some strange energy, I could sense that I was reaching my limits. So before I ran out of time, I brought up the main topic.

“Still, to be honest, I didn’t hate you that much, Elpride.”

It was just the fate of slave and master.

As my crumbling body weakened, I wondered how things would have been if I had met Elpride in another way.

Perhaps if we had met in a more ordinary way. If I had met her at the Adventurer’s Guild, even as a fellow, our relationship might have been different.

It might have been different from what it is now, or maybe it wouldn’t have been.

It’s a meaningless assumption now.

I no longer have the strength to speak or think.

All that remains is a handful of strength like sand held in my palm.

So, I stopped speaking and thinking, got up again, and took one more step, squeezing out all that was left in me, then grabbed the fallen Elpride.

“What do you think, Elpride? Do you feel the same?”

The thin and fragile shoulder that fits in my palm—.

As I grabbed it and pulled her up, I extended my finger.

Even though I can’t see, Elpride’s body is vividly drawn in my mind. I thrust my finger with all my strength at her solar plexus, the human weak point between her abdomen and chest.

“!”

A terrible scream that rang clearly even through my dulled ears. At the same time, as the flames’ energy began to dim, I could finally breathe a bit easier.

Whoosh.

I could feel a woman’s body going limp inside me.

Perhaps this was the end.

The end of everything.

Yet, a chill ran down my spine. This sharp sensation I felt could be called instinct or combat sense.

“To halt the rampage of the witch is impossible, yet impressive. Passing through the flames by temporarily enhancing your body is nothing short of the level of indestructibility.”

As my breathing stabilized, I heard a cold male voice near my ear. It was Daltor, the Elf monk who pursued Elpride from Albrheim.

“I thank you for handling Elpride on our behalf. Now, release that corpse.”

“…”

Zap, zzzz.

The other’s fighting spirit pierced through my heat-scorched skin. He was trying to take the corpse of Elpride that was in my arms.

“What are you doing? Spit it out here. Can’t you hear me?”

“I can see fine even though I can’t, but I won’t give Elpride to you. Definitely not.”

“What?”

“I haven’t gotten the real answer yet to the embarrassing question I asked.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. That’s just a corpse. It’s no different from an object. Those Albino Elves are no different from objects anyway.”

“….”

“If you won’t follow our will, all that remains for you is d*ath, savage. In recognition of your effort in extinguishing the flames, we’ll send you off painlessly.”

Zip.

My neck tingled as if struck by static electricity.

So, I reflexively bowed my head. Then, something sharp and fast swept over the hair on my head.

“Did you dodge my hand strike? It won’t happen twice.”

Groan.

At that moment, there was a powerful vibration near my chest. I instinctively threw my arm forward to protect my abdomen.

BAM!

A strong impact followed, and I was tossed, rolling on the ground. With no sight, it was incredibly frustrating.

The fact that I accidentally blocked the attack was a good thing, but as a result, I lost Elpride somewhere. It was a major setback.

Is this really how it ends?

Even after enduring scorching flames?

With that thought, as I struggled to swallow my dry saliva—

“Enough!”

A clear voice rang out in my ears. It was a woman’s voice, bright and cheerful, somewhat playful.

It must be Hershi, the novice priest of Venus.

There was, however, something peculiar about her voice, usually that of a country girl.

Though I know this situation is utterly inappropriate, her voice made me feel… well, I won’t say it.

It held some strange magical power that stirred my emotions.

“I can no longer tolerate foreign devotees running rampant within my territory.”

“Hm, a foreign deity. Are you the master of this shrine? I am Daltor, the first disciple of Mother World Tree. Foreign deity, this is something the Elves of Albrheim must handle. Sorry to bother you, but I’ll finish up quickly.”

“I cannot allow that.”

“What nonsense?”

“That woman with the long ears is one of my believers who entered the shrine today and entrusted herself to me. Therefore, I must protect her. Even if she is only a corpse.”

“You think that creature, Elpride, is your believer? Impossible. I know the position you hold in this foreign land. Venus, you must be the goddess of love, am I right?”

“Hmm.”

“In that case, Elves can never become your believers. We Elves are stripped of our emotions. Even Elpride is not exempt from that fate. Much less something like love. Such a thing would be impossible even if the heavens and the earth were recreated.”

“Unable to feel affection? Why such a cruel act?”

“After the long winter and twilight, we had to give up many things. Your gods of this Gaia Continent hold responsibility for our fate. The endless winter you brought hastened our twilight.”

“Indeed, words cannot reach such an opponent. The goddess’s power—you mean you wish to experience it directly. Creatures that cannot feel love do not exist.”

Goooo-.

A heavy pressure, as if pressing against my shoulders and chest, emanated outward. Goddess Venus, then. So, this shrine’s master is she.

For some reason, it seemed that she intended to help Elpride and me.

Knowing the power of gods, I felt a certain sense of relief. As I exhaled, regaining my vision little by little—

Pawww.

A sound like something kicking off against the legs rang out. After that, the sharp scream of a woman followed.

“Yeeeek! I am the goddess Venus! Do you think you can touch me and get away with it!?”

“I have only one goddess. You cannot be my god. My goddess is only one—Mother.”

“Ah, this… with such tender affection, I cannot wield power…”

As my vision barely recovered, I saw through tears streaming down my face that Daltor was looking down at Hershi.

Venus is really weak, isn’t she? What the hell.

Just as I narrowed my brows with that thought, more shadows appeared behind Daltor.

Mimir, whose face was covered in wounds, and Dermod with his pulverizing fists.

The details of how the Rose of Silver found herself here are unknown, but her being here now was decidedly inauspicious for both me and Elfride.

Is it all over?

As the elf girl Mimir wiped the bl**d off her face, she spoke.

“Did Elpride end up dying? You were so tiresomely stretching out time. So, Daltor, who is this woman?”

“The vessel of a goddess.”

“Fascinating. But, it’s not yet the time, is it?”

“Indeed. I will k*ll the vessel here.”

Swoosh.

Hershi, lying down, had Daltor standing before her, bending his legs and knees. He looked like a child about to stomp hard on an ant.

“H-Hey! Just a moment! Hold on!”

The goddess Venus, possessing Hershi’s body, seemed about to scream but, before those severe monks, it was futile.

Then Daltor’s foot descended sharply, as if to crush Hershi’s spine—

Whoosh, BANG.

A strong impact resonated, and the surrounding air quivered momentarily.

“The vessel… if the vessel dies, I won’t be able to reappear for years under the rules.”

However, Daltor’s lightning-like foot did not crush Hershi’s waist. Just before it touched Hershi’s leg, it was blocked by something as sturdy as a pillar.

“…Kalidur.”

Upon seeing the existence blocking his foot, Daltor narrowed his eyebrows.

Kalidur had appeared without a sound. The plaster wrapping his foot cracked with a sharp sound from the impact, revealing his leg.

“Kalidur, why do you hinder us?”

“There’s an unsettled duel between me and this woman.”

“Your wandering is being observed by Mother, Kalidur. Cease your misconduct and return. You still have duties to fulfill.”

“Mother…”

Kalidur’s shoulders were trembling.

For elves, the World Tree is like the Confucian concept of the Supreme Ultimate. They regard the World Tree as an unshakeable pillar of faith as their mother.

Even Kalidur, on the brink of breaking his vows, seemed to feel something at the mention of the World Tree.

But the words that came out of Kalidur’s mouth were quite unexpected.

“The World Tree… is not my mother.”

“What?”

“My mother’s name was Merce. A woman who always welcomed me with a smile. Her smile, her warmth, I can’t recall them now, but my mother was that woman.”

“She was merely the shell that gave you flesh, Kalidur. Have you lost your mind from staying too long on this continent? Punishment awaits you.”

“When Merce died, I didn’t even shed a tear. I didn’t think it was strange. When my brothers died under the guise of training, I didn’t think it was strange.”

“Kalidur, if you continue this nonsense, I will consider you a heretic and expel you.”

“When Merce died, we were castrated hunting dogs. Mated with the World Tree called Mother and continued the lineage.”

“You’re right. We are castrated hunting dogs. But hunting dogs live the way hunting dogs live. That’s our destiny. If Mother hadn’t existed, we would have all burned and disappeared in the fire back then.”

“But I’m not sure if this way of life can even be considered living anymore. Lately, that’s how I’ve been feeling.”

“Starting to be swayed by emotions, aren’t we Kalidur? Clarify your stance clearly. Who are you? Are you Mother’s masterpiece, Kalidur the shining spearhead of Albrheim? Or are you Kalidur, the son of the weak fairy Merce?”

At Daltor’s question, Kalidur paused his words.

A brief silence followed.

Taking advantage of the moment, Venus in Hershi’s body crawled away from Daltor’s striking range. But no one cared, they were simply holding their breath, watching the clash of the monk elves unfold.

Finally, Kalidur spoke.

“The World Tree-.”

“You son of a…”

“Is just a big tree.”

“I’ll k*ll you, Kalidur!”

Zzzt.

Daltor’s hands started to glow with visible energy. It was like electrical currents spreading in all directions.

Indeed, this explained why he was known as “Lightning.”

Shiiiek.

It slashed past Kalidur’s neck.

Actually, it was an illusion created by my eyes.

Kalidur had moved, leaving an afterimage before plunging his fist into Daltor’s abdomen and simultaneously striking the monk’s head with his left hand.

BAM!

The sound followed.

Faster than sound, his fist sent Daltor crumbling to the floor like a cicada’s abandoned shell.

“D-Daltor!”

Mimir screamed at the sight. But at that moment, Kalidur’s fist was already flying towards the woman’s face.

“Guh!”

Mimir screamed grotesquely, flying a great distance away. Then Dermod, charging with all his might, struck the ground with his foot aiming for the back of Kalidur’s head.

However, Kalidur didn’t even bother giving it a second thought.

“It’s already done.”

Zzzzww!

“Wh-when-!”

A strange clattering sound followed, and Dermod collapsed, eyes rolled back white.

Within mere seconds, Kalidur had defeated the three infamous elf trackers who were supposed to eliminate Elpride. Watching this made me instinctively feel something akin to goosebumps.

Thank the heavens the kid isn’t our enemy.

Truly worthy of being the first dispatched tracker to take care of Elpride.

Swoosh.

Kalidur then raised his head high to the sky.

When I tensed up, he spoke.

“Savage brother, I’ve felled the brothers I’ve stood through thick and thin with. I’ve even denied the Mother Tree of Albrheim.”

It seemed like he was speaking to me.

“Savage brother, I couldn’t bear it. Even knowing that throwing myself into the flames was dangerous, I couldn’t stop.”

I watched the elves writhing on the ground and Hershi trembling as I swallowed another dry lump in my throat, then forced out a response.

“You got it.”

“My chest feels like it’s swarmed with bird feathers. Savage brother, I’ve done something foolish. What is this sensation? This feeling I’m experiencing, what should I call it?”

Kalidur’s voice remained the same as always.

There was absolutely no emotion, just that monotonous tone. However, his face, raised high, was hidden from view.

“What this small woman Hershi has done to me is certain. What should I call this sensation, this feeling?”

Without answering him, I looked down at my burnt body.

Like Kalidur, I’d thrown myself into the flames as if under some spell, without thinking of the consequences, simply moving forward.

Therefore, I didn’t give him an answer to the feeling he was experiencing.

Plop, drip-drip.

Sshaaah.

Finally, it started to rain above us.

The first rain in three months.

I raised my head skyward.

Various emotions streamed down my parched face like droplets of water.

“Have you forgotten about me? It’s a bit embarrassing…”

[Afterword] First of all, I have to admit defeat… against Mi Chu Ri… I’m so sorry…

It seemed interesting when it was still in my head…

But judging from the comments, it looks like Elpride exceeded my expectations, truly becoming a fiery witch…

Making both me and the readers suffer like this…

But there’s nothing we can do with the situation now… The flames have taken their course… I’ll just follow what I originally planned until the end…!!!

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