“I have a plan.”
This was the remark made by Pope Eyong while I was meeting the elven villagers.
At that time, I was happily reuniting with the elves after a long time apart.
The elves, seeing me again after such a long absence, showed dramatic reactions.
Ishya, who was quietly tenderhearted, burst into tears, while Rugat and Dolf Eyong even hugged me, as if they had found a long-lost family member.
Especially my closest companion, Abiyang, was no exception.
In the clear eyes of the girl I met again, tears were welling up. After wiping her tears for a while, Abiyang greeted me in a shaky voice.
She said she had missed me.
I comforted the elf girl, gently patting her without saying a word.
I deliberately didn’t ask about her well-being.
After all, her sister had been absorbed by an unknown monster. And that monster was endlessly growing in size, covering the Earth.
As if it would devour the entire world.
I could roughly guess what Abiyang was feeling.
Moreover, there was hardly a proper outlet for that bitter resentment.
It was an enemy I couldn’t even fathom how to confront.
No, was there even a means to kill that monster?
The opponent was a mass of flesh overflowing along the horizon. The expression ‘natural disaster’ was more fitting than ‘life.’
I even questioned whether the concept of ‘death’ could be applied. There couldn’t possibly be a means to eradicate such a vast area of flesh.
No matter how I calculated, the likelihood of Abiyang’s revenge being realized was slim.
It was during this hopeless lamentation that Pope Eyong spoke.
At that short declaration, all eyes turned to him.
As always, he wore a scrunched face.
To look at him, he seemed like nothing more than a boy.
Yet inside, he had long since rotted away, decay not just for himself but having consumed him entirely.
He was a man who had lost his wife and daughter to a human raid long ago. It was understandable if he felt resentful for the years he had to endure alone.
Since that day, Pope Eyong said he hadn’t forgotten his family for a single day.
And that might be why he would never grow old.
Pope Eyong’s time had come to a halt since then.
“Aged boy.”
With those naturally arising words, I looked at Pope Eyong. My gaze was mixed with anticipation and doubt.
Pope Eyong was a seasoned hunter. Moreover, he was a resident who had lived in the coniferous forest for many years.
It wouldn’t be strange if he knew a plan I couldn’t even think of.
But only one question remained.
How on earth?
It was a situation that even an army of thousands couldn’t overturn. I found it hard to believe there was a brilliant tactic capable of reversing it.
Yet, despite it all, Pope Eyong looked confident.
“It’s thanks to you. Because of you, we were able to survive… and the safety of the village elves is guaranteed too. The blonde woman agreed to take care of it.”
“Are you suggesting you’d like to repay that debt?”
“Bread for bread, a dagger for a dagger.”
I had heard that too many times.
Initially, it was advice given by an elf I had captured as a prisoner. After falling into the elven village, it became a part of my life, and ultimately it became the last piece for victory.
It was a strange feeling.
To think that such a short phrase could weave together so many connections.
While I was lost in that brief contemplation, Pope Eyong continued to speak.
“The villagers no longer need hunters. It means the time for my retirement, which I never wished for, has come… Therefore, helping you is my final mission.”
“No, is there really a plan? How…?”
“You don’t need to know.”
His firm answer caused my brows to frown slightly.
There was no other option. If we assumed we were preparing for a final battle against the evil god’s followers, I was the one responsible. After all, hadn’t the Lady Virgin Saint mentioned it just the other day?
This included the Yuridina Clan; forces gathered in the Northern Region had their own set of allies waiting.
The sword master and the saint.
It was after the agreement to maintain the battlefield until the two arrived.
Then suddenly, he would go out to confront that monster on his own?
Naturally, the burden associated with it would fall on me as well.
Moreover, confronting the evil god’s followers alone was impossible.
I would need to mobilize an army at the very least, and at my command, thousands or tens of thousands of lives could be lost.
Thus, it was essential, not optional, to review the detailed plan beforehand.
But to say that I didn’t need to know the specifics.
I had to voice my frustration.
“Master, I know that you don’t like me as a human. However, what we need to do is not play soldier but go to war. It’s necessary to share the plan in advance…”
“I’ve decided to trust you.”
At his unexpected confession, my mouth fell shut.
This was something I could never have imagined from the old Pope Eyong. As evidence of this, the others aside from me looked equally taken aback.
Only Pope Eyong maintained a calm demeanor.
He spoke to me once more.
“It’s been that way since I recognized you as the village’s hunter. In the village, being a ‘hunter’ is a very honorable role… to protect the village and procure food.”
Every word he said was heavy.
I first held my tongue and looked intently at Pope Eyong.
Today he appeared particularly calm.
It might be because he was finally freed from his long-held duty.
“There isn’t a single mission that doesn’t directly concern the lives of the villagers. In fact, I wasn’t certain back then… but now I know. That you will become a splendid hunter.”
“Master…”
“Like it is for anyone, trust is especially important for hunters. It’s the same for me.”
He wasn’t beating around the bush.
The meaning was so clear that I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.
He wanted me to trust him.
Under normal circumstances, that would be nonsensical. No matter what I was, there was a limit to how much I could deceive myself.
You want me to risk my life trusting an old elf?
How many would agree to that?
However, as soon as I met Pope Eyong’s gaze, I ultimately gave up on my objections.
His eyes were filled with strong conviction.
Nonetheless, if he wasn’t elaborating on the details to me, it would be wise to interpret that as having some underlying story.
The only thing that escaped my lips was a fragment of a question.
“Is there a reason you can’t tell me?”
“Yes.”
Then I had nothing more to say.
As much as Pope Eyong trusted me, all I could do was attempt to trust him in return.
After all, the persuasion fell to me.
I offered my straightforward acceptance.
“Alright. I will trust you.”
I had debts to repay to Leorick.
The lives of the elves, including Abiyang, and all those who had fallen victim to his schemes.
I resolved to bring that bill to fruition.
Pope stood in the field.
A storm was approaching from a distance. The blizzard blurred my vision, yet the seasoned hunter instinctively understood it.
The decisive battle was at hand.
Now it was his turn to act.
Joining him were Ishya and Abiyang. Pope had purposefully called only those two.
Ishya didn’t seem to question this fact.
Originally, she was the talent Pope had chosen and nurtured as the next hunter. Although it was said that I-an would take up the role of the next generation’s hunter, he was a hero of humanity.
He could not remain in the Northern Region forever just to protect a few elves.
Thus, the only one left to carry on the legacy of the hunter was Ishya.
It was only natural for the successor to witness the retirement of the mentor.
However, if there was any doubt, it lay in Abiyang’s presence.
Abiyang had no idea why Pope had called her.
She simply stared into the distance with an anxious and uneasy expression.
This was a life-risking battlefield. It was understandable to worry about I-an’s safety.
So Pope decided to keep it as brief as possible.
“Ishya, take care of the village.”
“Yes, Master. I’ll do my best.”
At Ishya’s relaxed reply, Pope smiled brightly.
He had no idea how many years it would take for this young elf to become a proper hunter.
But that was alright.
Time was always on the side of elves.
The next person he turned to was Abiyang.
“And Abiyang, young elf… I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Why?”
The reply was immediate.
The elf girl, staring at the horizon for a long time, looked at Pope with a confused expression.
Abiyang had no particular ties to the village.
Though she had stayed for a few weeks by chance, that was all. And she certainly didn’t possess skills as exceptional as I-an.
Yet, Pope did not retract his assertion.
“I dislike humans.”
This was a fact known to every elf in the village.
Abiyang almost opened her mouth to ask what it had to do with her, but quickly refrained.
Pope’s tone was different from usual.
A voice laden with sighs followed.
“It was like that even before I lost my family. Countless neighbors had been killed at their hands. I couldn’t help but hate them… No, in truth, I couldn’t bear not to hate them.”
As he spoke, the old man took a step forward.
Night and death.
He had always feared the flames that burned brightly. On the day his family was murdered, Pope vowed he would curse humanity for a lifetime.
However, deep down, he knew.
What he truly cursed was not humanity.
It was his own helpless self, who had to weep before the corpses of his family.
“I lived my life that way. Hatred and resentment filled my heart… Meanwhile, I desperately tried to seek forgiveness from the family I couldn’t protect. I wished to think that death was salvation, and that continuing this harsh life was penance.”
“…Master.”
As Pope Eyong’s words spilled forth, Ishya’s expression transformed continuously.
After over a hundred years spent together, Ishya instinctively knew.
What decision Pope had come to.
Though Abiyang still wore a puzzled face.
“Abiyang, little one… but you don’t have to live like that. Don’t you love humans?”
Caught off guard by such a blunt question, Abiyang’s face flushed a deep red.
It was so flushed that steam might have erupted from her head.
Just before she could awkwardly wave her hands to deny it,
Pope took another step forward, not waiting for her answer.
“Treasure that feeling… I will carry the old grievances with me.”
Immediately after, the sound of wind struck his ears.
Pope’s body propelled off the ground. His limbs, crushing time, ached as they raced forward.
A scream echoed from behind.
That must have been Ishya’s voice.
She was an overly compassionate woman. Although she would become a pillar to lead the elves of the village, how could she act like that, being so gentle-hearted?
No, perhaps it didn’t matter.
Wasn’t it about time for a world where we no longer had to hate or resent anyone?
The war was over.
The coniferous forest had fallen entirely under the control of the monster, and most of the elves had been devoured. Pope was not free of that guilt either.
After all, he was one of the followers who served Leorick.
The ‘blessing’ that remained on his body proved that.
With every gasping breath, his vision began to narrow.
It was the lack of oxygen.
Gradually, his body no longer obeyed him, yet Pope felt an unusual lightness.
His body felt lighter and lighter.
The pain subsided, and a languorous sensation spread throughout him. At some point, he fell into a kind of delirium.
Was he standing on the ground?
Or was he flying in the sky?
In his blurred vision, the scene from that night replayed.
He had lost his wife and children.
He had lived a wretched life, converting that miserable heart into fuel for his existence. Every night was a torment, and at times he would make erroneous judgments out of self-loathing.
Even so, Pope did not regret that day’s decision.
On the day he received the ‘blessing’ from Leorick, he told Pope.
“Brother, this is proof that we have truly become one. This ‘blessing’ will fulfill your wish on the day your penance is over.”
Hearing those words, Pope swallowed a bitter laugh.
The wish he held was all too obvious.
A sudden surge of clarity struck him like white lightning.
Before long, Pope was rolling on the ground. His body, covered in frost, was rapidly losing heat.
But that was okay.
He had finally arrived.
In front of him, a grotesquely bubbling mass of flesh awaited.
Pope crawled toward it and placed his hand on that mass.
Recalling an old wish.
“My wish, yes.”
It was.
“I-an… Perkus…”
Muttering the still unfamiliar name, Pope reached into his own pocket.
At that moment, the dagger he always carried came to hand.
Tentacles surged threateningly from the mass of flesh.
As if it wanted to swallow Pope whole.
Seeing that sight, Pope couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Was that what I once served as a god?
It was truly an ugly faith.
So today, Pope decided to plant another faith atop the grave buried with fanaticism.
“I believe.”
At that moment, strength flowed into the arm holding the dagger, and a dull pain pierced through his spine.
But even that was just for a moment.
Pope felt a refreshing sensation fill his bones. His soul, freed from the prison of flesh, scattered into the sky.
And now he could see.
His beloved wife and children.
The bright faces he hadn’t seen since that day when his village was burned and he shed tears of blood.
Ah, yes.
He was desperately wishing.
To return to that day when he could see his beloved family.
The world was drenched in monochrome as time began to reverse.
With the screams of the mass of flesh that covered the Earth.
The incomprehensible bulk of the monster was rapidly diminishing.
“What… what is this… Aaaah!”
Hearing Leorick’s cry, I curled up.
The flesh surrounding us was disappearing in an instant. The same went for the flesh elven villagers encircling me.
Leorick was no exception to this trend.
As he wailed for what felt like an eternity, Leorick’s body crumbled and was swept away.
Far in the distance, deep within the coniferous forest.
I pulled out the potion from my pocket as if I had been waiting.
It was a reagent developed by Emma during the time I was kidnapped.
“It’s time to end this.”
The end of this tiresome battle was coming into view.
