Ch. 18 Not the Former Hero, but the Saintess?
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 18 – Not the Former Hero, but the Saintess?
We arrived at the ruins after crossing the forest a few hours away from Kalind Village. The ruined stone gate and the overgrown ground exuded the atmosphere of a place straight out of an ancient legend.
Ruan, holding the spirit in his arms, quietly surveyed the ruins.
“So, this is where the ancient hero and saintess fought?” Claire asked skeptically, scanning the ruins. “It doesn’t look like much.”
“The outside might not look like much, but the inside could be different.” Sion said, gripping his shield tightly. “Either way, don’t let your guard down. If this is the monsters’ stronghold, we could be attacked at any moment.”
I nodded, sensing the energy around us. It was strange. While traces of monsters were evident, there was something else—a familiar yet foreign holy energy intertwined with it.
‘Is this… holy power?’
“Sister Eli, this place feels really important.” Linda said, shivering. “It feels heavy… and strange.”
Ruan also spoke up, holding the spirit. “The spirit is uneasy too. There’s definitely something here.”
At that moment, a woman’s voice echoed from inside the ruins. Her voice was clear and firm, but there was a hint of loneliness in it.
“Who dares set foot in these ruins?”
Everyone tensed and turned their gaze toward the source of the voice. There stood a woman. She was draped in a white robe, wearing a small tiara that seemed to symbolize her status as a saintess. Most striking were her piercing golden eyes that seemed to see right through us.
“Who are you?” Sion asked, raising his shield in a defensive stance.
The woman lifted her head and looked at Sion calmly. “I am the saintess. My name is Selena.”
Instantly, my heart sank. ‘Selena? The first saintess?’
Claire chuckled skeptically. “What? A self-proclaimed saintess? Isn’t that a bit much? We already have a saintess in our party.”
Linda added, “Yeah, isn’t there supposed to be only one saintess per era?”
Selena smiled and replied, “That’s correct. There’s only one saintess per era. But I’m curious why the saintess you’re traveling with radiates an energy similar to mine.”
I struggled to maintain my composure and took a step forward. “If you’re really the saintess, why are you here alone?”
Selena looked at me and answered, “I’ve been guarding these ruins. To ensure no one dares defile the legacy of the memories he and I shared.”
“That’s a bit funny.” Claire said with a scoff. “The first saintess? There’s no way you’ve lived this long, and Selena is a pretty common name, isn’t it?”
Ignoring Claire, Selena looked at Sion and said, “Whether I’m the saintess or not isn’t important. What’s important is the saintess who has come here.”
“The saintess?” Sion asked, confused.
Selena glanced at Sion and then pointed at me with a gesture. “That girl. She’s hiding a holy energy. I wish to speak with the modern saintess. Hey, you, come closer.”
“Wait a minute!” Sion stepped forward, blocking her path. “We can’t just let anyone take our party member. We don’t even know your intentions.”
Selena frowned at his reaction. “You dare block the path of a saintess? How unbecoming of a priest.”
At her words, Sion’s eyes widened, and he fell silent. I lightly tapped his back. “It’s okay, Sion.”
Then, I slowly removed my hood and faced her. “Yes. I am the saintess.”
Selena’s eyes wavered for a moment. She stared at me silently, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Huh…? Eli…?” she muttered in a trembling voice.
Her golden eyes bore into me. “It’s… it’s me… Selena… Where have you been all this time…?”
The moment her words reached us, everyone seemed to hold their breath. Her gaze was filled with confusion, joy, and a long-awaited longing.
I felt both flustered and shaken by the sense that some great secret was about to be revealed.
“Eli?” I asked in return, and she knelt before me, bowing her head.
“Please… tell me it’s really you. If you’ve finally returned… then you can save me from these ruins…” Her voice was filled with desperation.
As I hesitated over what to say, a single tear fell from her eye. ‘What on earth is going on?’
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Selena stared at me quietly and slowly stood up. Her expression was a mix of confusion and hope. She took a step closer and reached out her hand.
“Eli… no, if you’re the first hero, you must remember. What we were guarding here.”
I tried to hide my confusion and replied, “The first hero? What are you talking about? I’m… not the person you think I am.”
But Selena shook her head and spoke firmly. “No, it’s you. This holy energy… and your gaze, they’re all the same. You’re definitely Eli.”
Claire interjected incredulously, “What? The first hero? Who do you think our Eli is? What nonsense are you spouting?”
Linda added, “Yeah, the first hero lived hundreds of years ago. Isn’t it just a coincidence that our sister Eli shares the same name? How could she be that person?”
But Selena didn’t back down. She slowly walked to the center of the ruins and pointed to a stone slab buried beneath the rubble. “Here. The oath you left is engraved here. The day you swore to fight alongside me…”
I looked down at the stone slab she pointed to. There, something was inscribed in an ancient language. Though I couldn’t read the characters, I strangely felt like I understood their meaning. ‘To fight together, for the peace of this world.’
“This is…” I muttered unconsciously. A strange sense of déjà vu passed through the depths of my mind. ‘I don’t remember this, so why…?’
Seeing my reaction, Selena spoke with conviction. “See? Even if you’ve lost your memories, your oath remains here.”
Sion, standing beside me, asked with a serious expression, “Then, if Eli is the first hero… where has she been all this time?”
Selena shook her head quietly and continued, “I don’t know either. After you disappeared, the holy energy left in these ruins and within me gradually weakened. And eventually, monsters began to inhabit this place.”
I tensed at her words and asked, “What’s the connection between these ruins and the monsters?”
“After you disappeared, this place could no longer remain a sacred site. A space devoid of holy energy is easily drawn to the energy of monsters.” she said, looking around. “And now, the monsters inhabiting this place aren’t ordinary. They’re the seeds of destruction.”
“Seeds of destruction?” Claire narrowed her eyes and asked. “What’s that?”
“An ancient curse.” Selena said in a heavy voice. “A primordial force designed to return this world to destruction from the very beginning. The first hero and I sealed it, but the seed was never completely eradicated.”
Linda raised her hand and asked, “Wait, then why is it appearing now? Didn’t you seal it?”
“That’s…” Selena hesitated for a moment, then looked at me. “It might be because of your return.”
“What?” I asked, shocked. “Why would my return cause something like that?”
“You were the key to maintaining the balance of this world.” Selena answered with a serious expression. “When you disappeared, the balance was disrupted. Now that you’ve returned, the balance is trying to readjust itself.”
Her words were too complex and heavy for me to fully grasp. I shook my head and said, “I’m just someone who was summoned to this world. Things like the first hero or the balance of the world have nothing to do with me.”
But Selena spoke firmly. “No matter what life you’ve lived, you’re standing here now. And that alone means you’ve already been chosen.”
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The moment Selena finished speaking, the ruins began to tremble violently. A sound like a massive force surging from beneath the ground echoed around us. Everyone struggled to keep their balance, and Claire shouted in alarm.
“What’s going on?! An earthquake?!”
Linda clung tightly to her spirit and yelled, “No! Something… something is waking up!”
Selena hurried toward the center of the ruins. She pointed at the dark energy rising from the ground and said, “The seed of destruction is awakening! We’re too late…” (T/N: Too late for what…?)
At that moment, the dark energy surged upward, transforming into a massive sphere. The sphere pulsated like a living creature, floating before our eyes. Inside it, a sinister red light swirled, surrounded by strange, intricate patterns.
“That’s the seed of destruction!” Selena shouted. “It’s the curse itself, trying to lead this world to ruin!”
I swallowed hard as I looked at the black sphere. Its power felt like it was pulling me in. ‘Is this what I’m supposed to do…?’
Sion raised his shield and said, “We have to stop it! We need to destroy it before it fully awakens!”
“No!” Selena shouted. “The seed of destruction can’t be destroyed by mere attacks! It’s a force that disrupts the balance of the world… If you handle it wrong, it’ll bring an even greater catastrophe!”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Claire asked, frustrated. “Just stand here and watch?”
I stared at the black sphere, pondering Selena’s words. Her voice echoed in my mind. ‘You are the key to maintaining the balance of the world.’
And at that moment, the black sphere suddenly burst, sending a massive vortex of energy rushing toward us.
“Look out!” Sion tried to shield us, but the energy was too powerful. Everyone was knocked to the ground, and I nearly fell as well.
But amidst the approaching energy, I felt a strange pull. The black sphere seemed to be calling out to me. Without realizing it, I took a step forward.
“Eli!” Sion shouted in alarm. “What are you doing?!”
“Stop!” Selena also cried out. “Don’t get close to it! It’ll consume you!”
Strangely, though, I felt no fear. It was as if something inside me was being drawn to it. I reached out my hand and stepped closer to the black sphere.
“Eli!!!” Claire and Linda’s voices echoed, but I couldn’t stop. ‘This is what I have to do…’
The moment my hand touched the black sphere, it felt like a tremendous force was being sucked into me. The sphere began to swirl and absorb into my hand, and an intense pain surged through my body as it grew hotter.
“Eli!!!” Sion tried to run toward me, but the dark energy blocked him.
I twisted my body as I swallowed the black sphere. It felt like it was trying to consume me, but at the same time, I felt something awakening within me.
In that moment, the surrounding energy completely vanished. Everything fell silent, and I knelt on the ground, gasping for breath. On my palm, a faint black pattern glowed.
“Eli…” Selena said in a shocked voice. “Did you… did you just swallow the seed of destruction?”
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note:
Thank you for reading!!
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Eureka! I understand now.Each dot in the scene change implies that 300 important plot developments have passed!!
Not that it matters, I still want to kill the me from a week ago for translating this…
The author is surely a good person, but god…
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