episode_0070

Their Story

“Hohohoho~ I can’t believe I’ve told you, a stranger, about this place. It’s truly… truly been a long time since I’ve met a stranger! To think I’d reveal the very core of Karizan in my excitement… I really am silly, aren’t I?” “…Ah, yes…”

Akada burst into laughter at the thought of having introduced the core location of Karizan to a stranger she had just met, in her excitement. But why? The Village Elder-nim seemed to be laughing as if everything was fine, but… why did it feel like that laugh was filled with embarrassment?

“Ahem… Well, what’s done is done, no use crying over spilled milk. I’ve researched many things here to care for Karizan. That’s why this place can be called the most important location in Karizan. Earlier, while I was teaching the Saintess-nim how to brew Karizan tea, I saw Zeke-nim taking notes. You were recording information about Karizan, right?” “Ah, yes. Just now, I heard various things from Saphia, and…”

I recalled learning Karizan’s culture from Saphia, and then I also remembered Aria’s sudden rampage, so I looked at Aria with a serious expression. As I stared at her, Aria tilted her head, wondering why I was so serious. Haaa… I really hope something like that doesn’t happen again…

“Something came up, so I didn’t have time to finish recording… But why do you ask?” “You can write about how long I’ve lived, and you can also write that the entire Karizan is covered by a shrinking magic circle. However, please refrain from recording the method of entering this place.”

“Ah, of course. I rarely write down the most important things. Especially if it’s something crucial enough to be responsible for an entire village, I definitely won’t write it down and will only remember it in my head, so don’t worry.” “Hmm… Thank you for doing that, Zeke-nim. Is there any gift I could give you…?”

“Oh my… Do you really think I’d just stand by and watch that?”

Suddenly, Aria grabbed Akada’s arm as she was rummaging through potions in the cabinet. Akada began to look troubled, and Aria slowly started pulling Akada’s arm out of the cabinet. Well… I had expected something like this…

“Hohohoho… As expected, the Saintess-nim is quite stubborn… Then, will the Saintess-nim choose directly?” “No. Whatever Zeke-nim consumes, whether it’s a potion or anything else, must be made by me. I have no interest in potions made by you.”

“…A potion? What I was going to give you was this…”

As Akada’s hand emerged from the cabinet, Aria and I saw that her hand was holding tea leaves. Aria was dumbfounded, and I quickly removed Aria’s hand from Akada’s arm.

“Hey, Aria!!! The Village Elder-nim was holding tea leaves!!” “Ah, th-that… Black Herb… right?”

“…I saw that the Saintess-nim had already sincerely objected when I tried to bring out tea earlier, so why would I recklessly offer you a potion I made…?” “…Wait. Then… you thought the Village Elder-nim was picking up a potion? I was far away, so I thought she was taking out a potion, but you must have seen it when you grabbed her arm, right?”

“…I-I’m sorry!! I was rude…”

As I made a troubled expression, Aria finally understood the situation and quickly apologized to Akada. Akada, who was massaging her sore right arm with her left hand after Aria had gripped it tightly, let out a hollow laugh and said,

“Ho… hohoho… Well… that… that can happen… I’m suddenly feeling a bit scared myself… Having lived for nearly an eternity, this is the first time I’ve met such a terrifying human…” “Well… Aria *is* a source of fear for others… Ah, we should tell our story too. We’ve talked a lot about the Village Elder-nim and Karizan so far.”

“And I need to learn how to brew Karizan tea from the Village Elder-nim. I came here about halfway through learning, so I still don’t know what’s what.” “Ah, I completely forgot, being so eager to show you this place. I’ll teach you. Oh, Saintess-nim. Do you happen to know how to concoct potions?”

“Potions? Hmm… I haven’t learned yet…” “W-wait!!! Let’s not learn that!! I’m perfectly happy with just the tea you brew… And besides, if I get sick, you heal me with your power!”

When Akada asked Aria if she knew how to concoct potions, something flashed through my mind, and I hastily shouted to Aria not to learn how to concoct potions. Akada then made a disappointed expression and nodded, saying,

“Hmm~ I see~ Then I’ll just teach the Saintess-nim how to brew tea~ Alright! Let’s all go upstairs!” “Zeke-nim, why did you suddenly get so flustered?”

“Ah… It’s nothing. Let’s hurry upstairs too. You want to make me tea quickly, right?” “Hmm… That’s certainly true. Let’s go~”

I secretly exhaled a breath of relief, then took Aria’s hand and followed Akada upstairs. Upon arriving back at Akada’s dwelling, we returned to the reception room, and Aria began to learn how to brew Karizan tea from Akada again. And I sat in a chair, thinking…

‘Gasp… gasp… Th-that was a close call…!! No matter how kind the Village Elder-nim is… before that, she’s a witch, so she must know how to concoct strange medicines… Like strange elixirs or strange perfumes… If Aria were to learn how to make those… From that moment on, hell would have unfolded before my eyes every day… Phew… It’s a relief Aria didn’t notice…’

I secretly sighed in relief, and began to sort out my suddenly muddled thoughts. Then, Akada, who was teaching Aria how to brew tea, suddenly spoke to me.

“Hohoho… Zeke-nim, you’re very sharp-witted, aren’t you? That was truly splendid quick thinking~” “Huh? Zeke-nim? What is the Village Elder-nim talking about?”

“…You don’t need to know…”

Aria tilted her head, wondering what Akada and I were talking about. Haa… Aria must never know, so I can never tell her… Anyway, Village Elder-nim… did she say that knowing full well? She seemed disappointed earlier… I felt something unsettling, but I decided to put it down to my imagination. About 20 minutes passed, and Aria placed a teacup containing some tea in front of me. Hmm… This aroma…

“This aroma… I’ve never smelled it before… What kind of tea is this?” “This tea is made from Camellonia tea leaves. The Village Elder-nim said that among the teas in Karizan, this one has the most outstanding effect in calming one’s mood.”

“Hmm~ The Saintess-nim has excellent learning ability, so she picked it up quickly~ The water is just right~ It seems she brews it better than I do~”

As Akada, who had somehow sat down, savored the aroma of the tea Aria had brought, I asked Aria,

“Aria, didn’t you dislike serving tea to others?” “Well… still, she taught me how to brew tea. So I specially brought tea to the Village Elder-nim as well. Look at this! It’s a gift from the Village Elder-nim!”

Aria showed me ten pouches, each filled with something to the size of her face, then opened the mouth of one pouch and showed me its contents. All ten pouches commonly contained tea leaves.

“These are tea leaves? I heard there are ten kinds of tea in Karizan…” “Yes. That’s why the Village Elder-nim gave us all the tea leaves, so full like this.”

“That much will easily last a year~ I pray it will be helpful on Zeke-nim and the Saintess-nim’s journey.” “Ah, thank you. Then… let’s begin our story. Aria, sit next to me and let’s tell it together.”

“Yes, Zeke-nim.”

As Aria sat next to me, I told Akada everything that had happened so far, together with Aria. Akada was greatly surprised by the news of Aria’s homeland being destroyed, and even more surprised by the news that I had been kidnapped.

“Oh my~ Kidnapped? But… the Saintess-nim took care of that whole organization herself…” “Yes… she left no trace… Ah, and speaking of which. In the Magrion region…”

I recounted the story of the sisters Melodian and Riera from the Magrion region. Akada’s complexion began to darken, and as she suddenly made a bitter expression, I tilted my head and asked,

“Why are you like that…?” “Even if they are descendants of a fairy group that originated from Karizan… to think there are fairies with such a tragic past in this world… I feel bitter, as if my efforts were insufficient…”

“Village Elder-nim, you’ve put in so much effort for this place. Still, I believe you are the only one who cares for all fairies to such an extent.” “Thank you, Zeke-nim… Phew… Would you continue telling me? It’s truly wonderful to hear so many stories from a stranger I’ve met after such a long time.”

“Yes… well… Next is about the beastfolk and… in the Criton region…”

I informed her about the rage of the beastfolk in Kartun and the news that strangers had built a village called Arjel in Ogphorstria. Akada became greatly interested. And then I told Akada the most important thing I had learned in Ogphorstria. Akada then let out a chuckle and said,

“Ah, I see! Hohohoho! So, outside, they still believe that all demons were evil, and that angels teamed up with other races to defeat them!” “Yes… Huh? Yes?! W-wait!! Village Elder-nim, surely you don’t mean…”

Contrary to my expectation that Akada would be greatly shocked by the information that demons were actually all good, Akada burst into laughter, saying that outside, people still thought demons were evil. Aria and I were dumbfounded. I then guessed that Akada already knew the truth and questioned her, and Akada replied to my bewildered self.

“Of course I know that demons are an incredibly kind race!! Our fairies were the only ones who didn’t catch the angels’ eyes, so they didn’t participate in the war… Or so I’ve actually heard from someone else, so I know this information! Ohohohohoho!!” “…From whom did you hear that?! I only learned this story by hearing it from Cecilia, who was a victim, and by experiencing Cecilia’s memories?!”

“I’ll tell you that later. And! And what happened next?!” “Uh… well, that is…”

I, still flustered, showed her my exploration journal and Trahan, and recounted everything that happened in Probelithu. Akada then became greatly excited, leaping up from her seat and shouting,

“This can’t be!!! Oh my goodness!!!! I’ve been hosting truly precious people!! If you are the ones who did such deeds, then it wouldn’t have mattered if I told you the core of Karizan!!” “Yes…? W-why are you suddenly like this…?”

“I had surmised that the World Tree intended to release Alraune before entering dormancy to absorb life and revive itself… but I couldn’t announce it! All races in the Criton region, except for the elves, had to cherish their lives under the Alraune’s surveillance! If anyone pulled any tricks, the Alraune would try to devour that life form… But you’re saying that all Alraune died simultaneously with the World Tree’s resurrection previously?!” “…Hmm… Zeke-nim, it seems… the Village Elder-nim is happy that the Alraune who monitored them are now gone. They must have been under surveillance for about 1,500 years.”

“…W-wait… So… saving the world earlier wasn’t the end of it…?” “Apparently not?”

I was aghast after hearing Aria’s explanation. To summarize… by defeating the World Tree, we not only saved world peace but also saved the fairies and spirits in the Criton region who couldn’t take any action because of the Alraune. Moreover, the elves’ prejudices against all humans, which they still held, could be resolved through Alten, Veronica, and the Grand Elder-nim…

“In short… we went on that one World Tree expedition and ended up interfering in the affairs of many races…? Is that what it means?” “Yes~ Just like the fairies, the spirits in the Criton region couldn’t pull any tricks because of the Alraune~ We used to check frequently to see if the fairies who had left Karizan and spread to other regions were doing well, but because of the Alraune born after the World Tree died, we couldn’t even tell the outside world what was happening! Furthermore, thanks to Zeke-nim, I’m delighted to know that the fairies who spread to other regions are still alive!”

“…But isn’t that even older than the Village Elder-nim? The fairies branched out to other regions 3,000 years ago…” “Still, worrying about whether their descendants are doing well seems to be the heart of every village elder~ Well… actually, Karizan was also founded by me after the World Tree died!!”

“…Huh?”

What was this now? As I dug deeper into the history of the fairies, more and more things started to get tangled, and I began to feel confused by it all. Akada then started explaining with a laugh.

“Fufu… I suppose I spoke confusingly. Karizan is my village, built in the homeland where all fairies were born. Originally, the fairies’ homeland was a land without any name. Then, when other fairy groups, besides the Melodian fairies, branched out to other regions, I founded this village here with the desire to create a unique culture, to prevent further departures. Well… it wasn’t easy… And thanks to the encouragement of a certain human, I’ve been able to live until now.” “…? A human?”

“A human?”

Aria and I were bewildered by Akada’s sudden statement that she had met a human. It was clear that it would have been difficult to meet humans because of the elves in the Criton region, yet she met a human…? As we looked utterly perplexed, Akada smiled sweetly, rested her arms on the table, supported her face with both hands, and asked me,

“Zeke-nim, you already know, don’t you? That 1,500 years ago, there were elves in the Criton region, and humans and elves were fighting each other. And that it was a human who defeated the World Tree 1,500 years ago.” “…Yes… I heard about it from the Grand Elder-nim. 1,500 years ago… Wait…”

Recalling the story from Spes the Grand Elder about the World Tree and the red-haired human fighting, I realized something important and was dumbfounded. As I suddenly looked bewildered, Aria took my hand and asked,

“Zeke-nim? Is something wrong?” “Village Elder-nim… You said you’ve lived for over 1,500 years, right…?”

“Oh my. As expected, you’re sharp-witted. Hohoho… Yes… The man who encouraged me when I was afflicted by the curse of life, and who defeated the World Tree, is the same person. That red-haired human’s name is Revo. It might be hard to believe… but he was an otherworldly being. A very kind otherworldly being, he was. Or… if I borrow their language, should I call him a ‘Promoter’? Hohoho…..”

As a completely unexpected name came from Akada, Aria’s and my expressions instantly stiffened. No… Come to think of it, I could have guessed from the start. If Akada survived in the Criton region 1,500 years ago, it meant she would have met Revo, the otherworldly being who was Estur’s superior and who defeated the World Tree…