Episode 383
Part 2 Episode 49.
A house located under the shadow of the oldest tree in the village, excluding the World Tree.
An interior that is so natural and luxurious that it makes you wonder if it can blend so beautifully with nature.
The branches and leaves that emit light illuminate the interior like lighting.
Thud, thud.
This place, which felt like a fantasy world, was inside the mansion of the elf elders, and Do-hyeon continued walking there.
“… … .”
“… … .”
That too, alone with the elf elder.
There was no word exchanged between the elder who was leading the way and Do-hyeon who was silently following behind him.
Because the tree is so large, its interior also boasts an overwhelming size, even though we’ve been walking for 20 minutes already.
During that time, Dohyun did not take his eyes off the elf elder.
It was visible in Do-Hyeon’s eyes.
[The Eye of Truth is activated.]
A brilliant red light emanates from the ring worn by the elf elder.
It was the light that proved that it was the half-key to the fifth piece of destiny.
‘It’s so easy to find?’
I heard from Gamillion that I would find out when I met the elf elder, but I didn’t expect to find it so quickly.
Although the key to the piece.
It was only half a key, but maybe it was because I hadn’t seen it for so long.
I felt strangely strange and had new emotions.
‘and…….’
That wasn’t the only surprising thing.
[Ellinel’s bracelet is reacting.]
[‘The missing girl’s clue’ has been discovered.]
A message that rings out over and over again.
This could be known even without the Eye of Truth being activated.
There was no need to do that, exactly.
‘… … is reacting to the elder itself.’
Because Elinel’s bracelet was reacting to the elven elder himself, not the fragment of fate.
The same feeling I had when I first reacted to Astra.
This was the moment when it became clear that there was something between Astra, the elf elder, and Elinel.
However, there is one thing I don’t understand… … .
‘I don’t know if it was finding the key to the piece or meeting the elf elder that led me to discover the clue to the missing girl.’
If it’s the former, it means that the missing girl is deeply connected to the main quest.
If it’s the latter… … .
‘Are you saying that the elder knows the girl’s whereabouts?’
Whatever it is, the important thing is the same.
Although he wanted to talk to the elder right away, Do-hyeon held back and held himself back.
Groan, groan.
“What? Why did you take Kaiser with you?”
“Isn’t that because you’re the winner?”
“The winners so far haven’t done that.”
“The elders also recognized Kashin. Do we need a reason to welcome a god?”
“Anyway, whenever these Kashin-kyo bastards open their mouths, their f*cking shit comes out automatically.”
“Isn’t it because the score was the highest ever? It’s the first time you’ve gotten a perfect score.”
“Ugh, the Kaiser class where the elder applies for a private meeting first.”
Every time I pass by, I hear the whispering of users from outside.
As they say, there must be a reason why the elder insists on spending time alone with Do-hyeon.
Above all, when I made eye contact with the elder, I saw clearly.
The confusion and surprise in his eyes.
‘I guess you have something to say. It’s not too late to listen to what they have to say first and then decide.’
How long did it take to walk like that?
As an elf who does not destroy nature, he stopped in front of a tent covering the entrance of a wooden pillar and spoke for the first time.
“This is it. Come in.”
“……yes.”
After a period of patience, the time has finally come to talk.
As we followed the elder inside, a spacious room with a somewhat different atmosphere from the outside welcomed us.
It was an impressive room with an antique feel that came from the material of the wood itself.
Perhaps because there were no special decorations or furniture, the atmosphere was rather rustic compared to the beautiful outside.
The room only had the bare minimum furniture necessary for living and a table for five… … .
“Sit down.”
“yes.”
The table in front of that was a place for two people to sit.
As soon as he sat down on the chair in front of the table as the elder had recommended, he opened his mouth.
“… … Honestly, I’m surprised. I heard that this year’s winner was very different from the previous ones, but I never thought it would be his successor.”
“… … .”
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At that, Do-Hyeon’s pupils dilated slightly.
I never thought you would speak so directly from the beginning.
The surprise didn’t last long.
Do-hyeon soon returned to his usual calm expression.
Gamillion had told him to meet the elder, and when he actually met him, he was surprised to see him, so he had a feeling about it.
Since he had the key for so long, there must have been something that would allow him to identify the successor.
“But it’s much faster than I heard. From what I heard, it should have taken at least three years… … Maybe that’s why there have been so many unexpected things happening lately.”
“What if something unexpected happens?”
“abyss.”
The elder’s voice became low.
“The eye that swallowed the sky. It’s been over a hundred years since it first appeared. A hundred years is not a short time for us elves. It was enough time to forget the pain of that day and stand up.”
“… … .”
“In other words, it also means that the abyss has not appeared for 100 years.”
It was at that time that the elder’s eyes became sharp.
“But that abyss has been suddenly moving recently. It’s enough to make elders like me, whose memories of that day are still vivid, react sensitively.”
Do-Hyeon nodded silently to him.
I think I finally understand now.
Why did the other races break their own self-imposed rules and choose to associate with the apostles?
Why did such a change occur that even Gamillion didn’t know about?
‘The main quest was originally supposed to take 3 years… or 5 years at the latest.’
Since it was brought forward by at least three years, there had to be a change in the story line.
And the place where this change first began was none other than the abyss.
Considering that the first enemy Do-Hyeon encountered while completing the main quest was the Abyss, the other races must have also encountered the Abyss several times recently.
That means… … .
‘… … Am I the problem?’
This also meant that the mastermind behind all this was Do-hyeon, who twisted the story line.
The difficulty of the main quest was so hard that it was almost beggarly, and the unexpected things that happened every now and then.
It was a grave that everyone dug themselves.
Do-hyeon felt a prick in his heart for a moment, but soon that feeling turned into resentment.
‘No, it’s not my fault. So who can defeat the tutorial boss? I’m a victim too.’
I just caught it because it was worth catching, so what’s the crime?
If it was that important, it would have been right to set it up so that it couldn’t be caught in the first place.
Of course, that’s just the perpetrator’s(?) perspective.
‘Wow… … The owner’s personality is legendary.’
Jihad, who was listening from the side, applauded and exclaimed in admiration.
‘Lisa?’
Then Eliza approached and tilted her head.
‘Oh, what does that mean? It’s what the apostles used as an exclamation when they saw someone with a broken conscience. Eliza, try it too.’
‘… … Are you now belittling the great deeds of your lord who saved Arlen? How much blood was shed by countless subordinates that day… … .’
Jihad’s expression, which had been smiling vulgarly, began to harden after Charlie intervened.
‘Oh, no, you shouldn’t say that here. When did I ever say that?’
‘Lisa… … .’
‘… … And you too, Eliza.’
‘Whew. You, I didn’t see it like that. That’s disappointing.’
‘Let’s go… … .’
‘No, that’s not it… … .’
Charlie sighing heavily, and Eliza following him.
Do-hyeon, who was at a loss and struggling at the sight of the two guys, lightly ignored Jihad and finished rationalizing himself.
“One day, the eye that swallowed the sky suddenly appeared. If it weren’t for that, the World Tree would have become weak… … In the end, from that day on… … Hmm?”
The elder’s story, which had been continuing, eventually reached the point where he was talking about the snow that swallowed up the sky.
“… … You’re not surprised at all.”
Did he feel a sense of awkwardness at Do-hyeon’s indifferent attitude?
The elf elder’s eyes became sharp for a moment.
“Only those among the elves who have lived at least 100 years know about it… … Did the Adran family know about this?”
Do-hyeon shook his head as he came out of his thoughts, looking unsure.
“I saw it myself.”
“You saw it, where? Since you are human, you don’t look older than 30 years old at most… … .”
“The graveyard of information.”
“… … !”
The elder’s eyes, which had been harboring doubts at Do-hyeon’s short answer, shook greatly.
A look that goes beyond surprise and even shows confusion.
“… … You visited the Tomb of Information? Isn’t that place unknown to humans?”
“I happened to discover it by chance.”
“The Graveyard of Information is a place that is considered a legend. It is not a place that you would find by chance… … No, that is not important right now. What did you see there?”
He seemed to be showing a rare hint of excitement as his speech became increasingly faster.
Do-Hyeon slowly opened his mouth to the question that was almost like urging.
“There was a war going on. And then it appeared… … .”
Organizing it wasn’t that difficult.
All I had to do was tell Astra exactly what I had told him.
Rather, I was able to summarize it more clearly than before, and when the story was over, the elder’s face became more serious than ever.
“That’s strange. It’s different from what I remember.”
“……yes?”
This time, Do-hyeon couldn’t help but be flustered.
That would be the case, as there was already a difference between what Astra remembered and the actual history.
Then I thought that the elven elders who were still alive would remember it perfectly, but that’s not the case?
‘There is something.’
Do-hyeon, who felt something was strange, thought this was the moment and naturally brought up the topic of Astra.
From meeting Periel while purifying Area A to entering the polluted spirit land at her request.
That’s where I met the intruder and Astra.
And I even heard the story about that day from Astra.
As the story continued, the elder’s face hardened, and his already serious face turned pale before the story ended.
“… … .”
Even after the words were spoken, the elder remained silent for a while.
A serious face, as if organizing his thoughts.
Do-Hyeon waited without rushing him.
“… … Phew.”
It was after an eternity that the elder opened his mouth.
He began to speak with a deep sigh, then looked straight into Do-hyeon’s eyes. Then his gaze gradually moved down his shoulder and rested on the bracelet on his wrist.
He looked at the bracelet with sad eyes for a while and then spoke in a bitter tone.
“… … I couldn’t feel her energy so I thought it was nothing, but it really was her bracelet.”
“… … .”
After watching for a while, he looked away, closed his eyes tightly as if recalling something from the past, and then calmly opened his mouth.
“I wanted to talk to you about many things. From the story of the Abyss to the story of this ring that has been guarded by the elders from generation to generation as an elder’s duty.”
“… … .”
“But I think this takes priority.”
He continued speaking, trying to hold his trembling hand with his other hand.
“This is a story from that day that has now been erased… … a time when Astra and I were still close friends.”
The story that followed was shocking.
