EP.139 The past, the more distant past (2)
Cardi, an ancient elf.
I don’t know how old he is, but this old elf has always been dry. He was calm and rarely showed his emotions. The only topics Cardi showed emotion on were things related to her past.
‘When the story of the apostate was brought up.’
At that time, I saw the first emotional change in Cardi. Cardi, who was listening to my story, frowned and had a wistful expression. That was the only emotional expression I saw from Cardi.
-I definitely should have warned you.
So, this was my first time.
-Looks like I didn’t say what I said, Skeval.
It was the first time in the ten years I had known Cardi that I had seen him spitting words out loud and glaring at someone as if he were going to kill me.
-Do you want to die?
I saw Cardi. Cardi’s face twisted grimly. The yellow eyes, which originally resembled those of an animal, became a little more ferocious.
-under.
There is someone who receives that gaze.
The Skebal, which was moving with a clicking sound, laughed. The sneer echoed through the snowy mountains.
-For a subject that could not protect anything… the mouth is still alive, gray. Are you qualified to say that?
-······.
-You failed to keep your oath. We promised everyone victory, but we lost. I couldn’t protect any of it. It seems you still don’t understand my situation.
Skebal’s bones.
It may not have been that long since he became a lich, but the pure white bone joint was still pointing at Cardi.
-You are nothing but a loser, Cardi.
Skebal stretched out his hand.
-Hand over what you are holding. That’s not something you should have. It must be returned to its original owner…
-You’re being very rude.
Skebal’s voice broke off.
Cardi narrowed her eyes and stretched her arms forward. He put his thumb and middle finger together.
‘···What are you trying to do?’
I blinked.
As for me, I had no idea what Cardi was trying to do. As far as I know, Cardi was an alchemist, and he wasn’t skilled enough to take on Skebal.
– Gray, what now…?
But, why?
Skeval’s pupils shook as he looked at Cardi. The black eye light fluctuated here and there. As if he knew what was going to happen.
-Stop!
Skebal hurriedly screamed.
There was a hint of nervousness in his voice.
-Everything is over! I still can’t let go of my regrets…!
-Even if everything is over.
Skebal hastily concocted a spell. The barrier, completed in an instant, surrounds Skebal. Unlike Skebal, who seemed urgent, Cardi was relaxed.
-My journey is not over.
Okay, Cardi snapped her fingers.
-So, the contract is also intact.
The surroundings became brighter. The sunset on the snowy mountain disappeared in an instant. It was not the darkness of night that drove away the sunset. What removed the sunset was a greater light.
I slowly raised my head.
I raised my head and looked at the sky.
The sun was hanging. The sun rose in the middle of the sky, in the middle of the sky. It wasn’t a metaphor. The sun really rose in the sky. It was a little later in the story that I realized its identity.
‘···It’s an order.’
It was an order.
It was a sun made of mana.
I pursed my lips and the sound of words came out.
“···crazy.”
Spells and spells were intertwined. Mana and mana clashed. Circuit collided with circuit. What was created from things that were entangled, rubbed, and collided was a flame that resembled the sun.
A huge flame that is impossible to contain even at a glance.
It is a spell that is better said to have been crushed together rather than put together. The flames created by the spell fluctuated. Flames that seemed to burst at any moment moved along Cardi’s fingertips.
Swish.
Cardi drew a finger in the air.
From top to bottom.
As if dropping something.
-Get out of my sight.
Grumble!
The flames fall. The sun goes down.
It looked like the sun was setting. The difference was that the setting point was not over the horizon, but right in front of us.
Woe!
A flash of light struck the snowy mountain.
The snow that covered the area evaporated in an instant. It was the heat that erased the ice that had accumulated over a long period of time without a trace. In the face of that heat, the barrier built by a mere wizard was of no use.
Cheeeeeeeee!
Everything in sight was reduced to ashes.
I looked at that figure blankly.
‘···Welcome.’
I knew it was an illusion.
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Since it happened in the distant past, I also knew that the heat wouldn’t hit me. Nevertheless, I inadvertently raised my arm and covered my face.
-Cough.
When the flash cleared, Cardi was coughing dryly. He pattered, and blood dripped onto the floor. Cardi lifted his head, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
Crack, crack.
A place where residual fire remains.
Cardi took a few steps towards it. There was a half-melted skebal there.
-I heard that there wasn’t much left…
Those words didn’t last until the end.
Kwasik!
The sole of Cardi’s shoe crushes Skebal’s life vessel. And then Cardi staggered his steps. No matter how you look at it, it was not a normal condition.
“···hmm.”
I glanced at Cardi’s back.
The sight was very unfamiliar. The atmosphere itself was different from the Cardi I knew.
‘In the first place… was Cardi a wizard?’
Cardi knows a lot.
He is an excellent alchemist. However, he was not a wizard. At least that’s the case as far as I know. One of the basics of a wizard was the amount of mana he was born with.
‘And the amount of mana that Cardi has…’
It was a very small amount.
Mana is enough to run out after just using a few basic spells.
‘You use that little mana?’
It didn’t make sense.
It made no sense.
‘I have to make up my mind to write something like this.’
I looked at Cardi’s vision with suspicious eyes. Of course, glaring did not provide an answer.
‘···I’ll have to chase after him first.’
Instead of trying to walk like that, I looked back for a moment. What my eyes were focused on was Skebal’s crushed corpse. It’s a dog clap that has melted and become mushy.
‘How familiar is this?’
It was a strangely familiar scene.
“Sigh,” a laugh leaked out.
‘···You can really see this kid wherever he goes.’
It was the only familiar thing among the unfamiliar things.
2.
There is a small village near the Kurakt Mountains. It is a village located on the outskirts of the north. There was an old church in the village, but it was not one that the residents frequented.
People living in the North do not believe in God.
To be more precise, I couldn’t afford to believe in God. For them, every day is war. Things have improved now, but before the Grace family came to power, the North was not a place worth living in.
Battle with barbarians.
Demonic beasts constantly cross the border.
Add to that the harsh environment, and it is impossible for those living in the north to have time to offer prayers. Rather than pray to a god I don’t even know exists, I climb a mountain and hunt one more wild animal.
That is the perception of religion in the North.
“It’s the land of the unchurched. “It’s not a land I really like.”
There is a church member who set foot in such a northern land.
It was Berdict, an old man revered as a cardinal of the Delohim Order. He said, taking his steps.
“The more difficult it is, the more you have to believe in God, but there is no time to pray when it comes to living under His grace. “I’m full.”
The paladins walk behind them.
Children are tied to the ends of the rope pulled by the Holy Knights. The eyes of the children dressed in pure white clothes are unfocused. They walked barefoot in the snow.
“This is the place.”
With a thud, the cardinal stopped walking.
The place where he stopped was a wide open snow field. In the snowy field, sacred objects brought from the Holy Kingdom are placed.
‘There are only things that cannot be valued.’
These are items that may or may not appear at the baptism of a saint. As I face the sacred power contained in each of them, I feel a sense of omnipotence.
‘But compared to that, these are trash.’
The Cardinal recalls what Draka showed him.
A small bone joint. The divine power contained in the bones, as if he were seeing the stars themselves… was beyond his imagination.
That’s the way it is in the end.
A saint from a glorious ancient era, a glorious era.
The first saint whose name is not even known, engraved on the first page of the church’s history book. The stories related to her were so absurd that many people thought she was a fictitious being.
But no.
The first saint existed, and the sight of Draka was proof of that.
‘Reviving a worthy being.’
A smile spread across the Cardinal’s lips.
You can witness the moment of miracle.
The Church of Delohim will prosper once again. More brilliantly and beautifully than ever.
“…Um, Cardinal.”
It was a paladin who broke the cardinal’s immersion.
The cardinal glanced at him with sharp eyes.
“What’s going on?”
“Do you mind if I ask one thing?”
“Say it.”
The paladin hesitated and then opened his mouth.
“Why is the Sword Demon trying to resurrect the first saint?”
“···What does that mean?”
“Well, doesn’t the Sword Demon only pursue the existence of apostates? “I know he is a member of the cult, but…”
The cardinal gestured as if he understood.
“Why does a ghost who must be crazy about revenge get involved in such a religious matter as reviving the first saint? “Isn’t that what you want to ask?”
“That’s… yes. you’re right.”
“The reason is simple.”
The Cardinal said while looking at the Kurakt Mountains.
“Telohim’s Little Teachings, One of Five.”
Recite it.
The cardinal said that, and the paladin responded.
“Don’t be caught up in the past, live in the present.”
“Three of seven.”
“Bury the dead in your heart. Long for the dead, but do not desire the presence of the dead.”
The cardinal looked back at the paladin.
“The Sword Demon couldn’t protect those two.”
Stuck in the past.
I desired the presence of the dead.
“He wants to bring his dead daughter back to life. For that miracle, the first saint would be needed. “The only one who can use the miracle of revival is the first saint.”
Even now it is like that.
Even with this many holy relics and sacrifices prepared, the miracle of revival is far away. Even if I brought in a freshly dead body, I didn’t think it would be possible to revive it.
‘So it must be a miracle.’
The cardinal glanced at the altar.
The altar created with holy relics was truly suitable for practicing shamanism. He stroked his chin as he looked at the cross stuck in reverse.
“hmm.”
He nodded slightly.
“It’s not enough.”
It wasn’t enough.
The cardinal spoke calmly.
“There are not enough offerings.”
“yes? However, this church believes that this will be exactly right…”
“It’s not enough to fit. It is a place where miracles are performed. “There should be no shortage.”
“However, it is difficult to procure it right away. Cardinal. Even if I can’t do it, it’s about 10 days…”
“Why is it difficult?”
He looked away.
Standing at the beginning of the Kurakt Mountain Range, his gaze was directed to the village at the bottom of the mountain range. The cardinal pointed to the village.
“Isn’t it overflowing over there?”
The paladin was silent.
The cardinal’s eyes were sunken. The paladin swallowed dry saliva at the restrained madness contained in his calm eyes.
“…Can I prepare it right now?”
“Yes, I would like it.”
The paladin asked a question.
“How much will it cost?”
The cardinal answered.
“the more the better.”
A word from the author (author review)
It got longer as I wrote it, so I’m posting it in two parts.
Going up further soon 😀
