Eden of the Shrine #3

 

“If you were alive.”

puck-!

“I’ll keep giving Michael the heel from behind.”

Thud— thud—!

“It’s a real headache.”

puck-

Between my words, Eden’s body was crushed to pieces.

Eden, who was hit by the necklace of reflection, was seriously injured and couldn’t move a single finger.

I was beaten so much that my emergency return power was revoked a long time ago.

If I had let him run away, he would have recovered completely and returned soon, but I have no intention of letting that happen.

Even the long lifeline, like the cockroach of Eden, will finally end today.

“⋯How.”

Eden barely moved her blood-stained lips.

The light of life was already fading from his face.

“What? I can’t hear you, kid.”

I stopped my stroking and put my ear to the corner of Eden’s mouth.

I was a little curious about what the guy who had already lost his ability to resist would say.

“How… to escape… the strength… to break me…”

Eden continued speaking in a halting manner, almost incomprehensible.

It was a short list of words, but I think I get the gist of what you’re trying to say.

You want to ask how I escaped from the restraints and how I became so strong that I broke myself.

“Yeah, I did you a favor. If you’re curious, I’ll tell you.”

“Phew- phew⋯.”

Eden took a few ragged breaths without answering.

“How did you do it⋯.”

I looked back on my journey so far.

I, a veteran of Nine Stars, was reincarnated into the game for some unknown reason.

The target of the enchantment was the infamous Lich, and now she was nothing more than a weak girl…

Long, long.

‘Hey, this is annoying.’

I decided to just quit.

What’s the point of talking about it in detail?

He’s going to die soon anyway.

Even if I summarize my journey with rapid-fire raps like Eminem, there’s no guarantee he’ll be alive by the end of the story.

“It’s because I’m good.”

“Ha⋯ ke, keke⋯.”

Eden laughed hollowly.

His eyes, already clouded, had lost focus and were staring blankly at the sky, but there was a deep emptiness in them.

“You have to kill me… Michael… you…”

Eden couldn’t continue speaking.

After exhaling several deep breaths as if spitting out life, Pick’s head tilted to the side.

And then it didn’t move anymore.

“See, kid? Even if I told you, you wouldn’t have listened to everything.”

I tapped Eden’s body with my toes.

That great priest Eden—

So this is how the Eden of the warrior party meets its end.

My feelings were complicated.

He was a terrible guy, but he was still a formidable enemy, so I guess I should at least build him a grave as a show of respect.

⋯I never had any similar thoughts.

Are you crazy? What the hell kind of tomb is this?

How many victims has this guy had? Seriously, the number could easily be in the three digits.

And in the end, humans are just like monsters. If you kill them, you have to farm them.

The precious priest equipment that Eden is wearing is something I can’t use, but it’s incredibly valuable.

If you go to a big city and dispose of it carefully on the black market, you can make a lot of money.

And Eden’s corpse itself is also a precious material to me.

‘Giant Worm, you’re next.’

While dealing with Eden, the corpse of the Giant Worm was used, but Eden’s corpse filled the empty space as if passing the baton.

A secret technique, necromancy, that revives a corpse and makes it use its abilities from its previous life for your benefit.

The sight of the revived Eden faithfully fighting according to my commands was already before my eyes.

I kept Eden’s body carefully, like a sacred vessel, in the space within the Golden Horn Mantle.

***

The eventful night has passed.

It took quite some time for the situation to calm down.

Well, that can’t be helped.

There were numerous casualties, and the mastermind was Eden, a famous hero known to all adventurers.

“I saw it with my own eyes. High Priest Eden, he attacked me. I swear it on my honor!”

Jack, the examiner lying in the casualty ward, spoke with intense emotion.

Jack was one of the few survivors who barely escaped with his life on that brutal night.

In his own words, it was a situation where it wouldn’t have been strange if he had died.

Fortunately, Eden was so focused on chasing me that she didn’t kill me one by one, and Jack was saved thanks to that.

I lost an arm, but I guess it was a small price to pay for surviving.

“그 개새끼, 대체 어디로 사라진거야?”

Test tube Maria was just as excited as Jack.

Maria showed an unexpected side of worry, even shedding tears when Jack was unconscious.

Jack and Maria immediately reported to the Adventurer’s Guild and promised to spread the news throughout the empire to make Eden pay the price she deserved, but…

‘It’s not time yet.’

I remained silent.

The Eden that Jack and Maria are looking for, or rather, Eden’s corpse, is currently secretly kept inside my cloak.

But I had no intention of telling this fact.

“It’s too early to make a big deal out of this. If things escalate now, nothing good will come of it.”

I could easily predict what the consequences would be if the massacre in Eden became known to everyone.

That’s obvious.

The Adventurer’s Guild will be utterly destroyed, and its very name will disappear into history.

‘Because the Adventurer’s Guild’s power can never stand against Michael.’

The empire’s core institutions and power are already in Michael’s hands.

The Emperor is unaware of this and trusts Michael completely, but Michael is now only one step away from the throne.

The moment of decision.

The one who finally reveals his ambition and puts the world at his feet.

When the evil deeds of the warrior party are revealed to the world by Jack and Maria, Michael will eventually take that ‘one last step’ to overcome the crisis.

 

If that happens, it’s over.

Michael will no longer care about anyone’s opinion, and will suppress everyone with his strong power and authority.

‘So, for now, I have to endure it.’

In the world of Nine Stars, there are many ways to hide your identity and borrow someone else’s face.

Without conclusive evidence, Jack and Maria’s accusations will remain unconvincing and will eventually die down over time.

It may be unfair to Jack and Maria, but they have to endure it.

Because you guys don’t have enough strength.

I will take revenge on your behalf, and I will decide when.

“More than that, thank you very much, Estelle. I heard you and your companions risked your lives to confront Eden. Thanks to you, Maria, and the other adventurers survived. I want to express my gratitude once again.”

Jack lay on the bed, his body wrapped in bandages, his head bowed with difficulty.

Jack’s gaze glanced at Maria.

Maria hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head as well.

“Jack’s right. It’s embarrassing. If it weren’t for you, we’d already be on our way to the other world.”

“Why are you so docile? That’s strange. Did your personality change after coming back from a near-death experience?”

“⋯You idiot. Do you really have to be sarcastic in times like this to feel better?”

Maria glared.

But there was no venom in his expression like before.

After overcoming the crisis together, perhaps a bond has developed between us, whether we know it or not.

“Anyway, thank you! Let’s just say I owe you something. If there’s anything I can help you with later, just let me know. I promise I’ll repay this debt.”

Maria threw a small badge at me.

It’s the same badge that Jack and Maria have on their chests.

“I forgot to mention it. You passed. You’re now a member of the guild. Congratulations.”

“Are you okay? I thought the test ended halfway through.”

“It’s up to the examiner’s discretion to decide who passes and who fails. You’ve demonstrated sufficient ability even in unexpected crises, so I judge you worthy. Well, what if someone tries to challenge you? I’m the examiner after all.”

Maria grinned. Jack, still lying down, chuckled, then grimaced, as if the pain still lingered.

Maria always handled everything according to her own will, but in this situation, her capricious nature seemed to have worked to my advantage.

“Oh, right. Then our party members⋯.”

“I knew you’d ask. They passed too. They may not have been as brave as you, but they showed their own courage. I know how to discern right from wrong, too.”

“phew.”

Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.

I was wondering what would happen when Eden appeared, but it seems like everything worked out well somehow.

My colleagues didn’t die, and I passed the guild’s exam as originally planned.

“Estelle, do you have anything to say now?”

Maria looked at me with a triumphant smile.

I feel uneasy. It’s like there’s something hidden on his face.

“What do you want to say?”

“You’re a member of our guild now, too. I joined the guild eight years before you. So, of course, I have something to say.”

“Stop beating around the bush and say what you want to say. What are you talking about?”

“I’m your senior. Call me ‘senior.’ Huh? Quickly!”

I wonder what you were going to say.

When I heard the word senior, Flora’s face came to mind.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

I only have one senior, Flora. I have no intention of raising more than one.

“Damn it, your face may be pretty, but it’s not cute at all. What good does it do if you call me ‘senior’?”

Maria persisted and clung to her.

I wonder if he had been waiting for this for a long time.

“Senior, you’re a slacker, and don’t forget the bet you made. You agreed to pay for all the travel expenses. And also-“

“Oh my! I didn’t even forget.”

Maria, who had been the first to take the lead and then had it returned, started to cry.