Ch.78The Green Lady (2)

I remained silent.

In truth, I was someone accustomed to silence.

Having spent most of my life sitting in a room studying, I had mastered the art of enjoying quietness even before understanding the mysteries of magic.

But since entering this damned forest, I had changed.

No, to be precise, the nature of the silence I felt had changed.

Whenever Ms. Sylvia sensed something unpleasant, she would press her lips tightly together and emit that quiet killing intent.

The silence felt then wasn’t merely the absence of sound, but rather like a quiet warning signal radiating a heavy presence.

It was a heavy and clamorous silence.

And now.

I experienced yet another level of silence.

This was neither a natural and comfortable quietness, nor a heavy silence that pressed down on the surroundings.

The complete absence of all sound.

A perfect state of soundlessness where I couldn’t hear the sounds of the environment, the activity of my own body, or even the breathing of the person before me.

It was a sensation more terrifying than Ms. Sylvia’s killing intent.

The hair all over my body stood on end, and sharp goosebumps rose across my skin.

The Demon King is alive.

Was it because of that shocking fact conveyed by the green woman, or because of this lethally empty absence of sound?

I hugged my arms and curled up.

“The Demon King… still?”

“Yes.”

When the woman’s firm answer came back, I could only grab my trembling legs and collapse to the ground.

The Demon King.

I couldn’t measure the magnitude of despair that title brought.

Of course, the world remained bleak even after the Demon King disappeared, but to think that the Demon King wasn’t actually dead…

No, perhaps the world’s chaos persisted because the Demon King hadn’t died.

Either way, it didn’t matter.

The burning human nations flashed before my eyes.

I could see people burning in those flames.

Mom, Dad.

Laila.

And Ms. Sylvia and Sister Maria…

Ah, Ms. Sylvia.

For what purpose did you endure such pain for so long…

Sister.

Why did you…

“Pull yourself together.”

The green woman spoke with a resolute voice and helped me to my feet.

“Indeed, a twisted fate is a terrible sight. The Demon King survived, the hero’s spirit is worn down, and all her companions are dead.”

“Ah, aah.”

“But surviving doesn’t mean being intact.”

She slowly placed her hand on my cheek.

The fresh citrus scent emanating from her yellow hand tickled my nose, seeming to calm my confused mind a little.

I slowly gathered strength in my trembling throat and raised my head.

Her green eyes were giving me a gentle gaze.

“Those eyes. Through those ominous pupils, I can see. That detestable body trying to recover from the wounds inflicted by the hero, while weakened.”

“…”

“We are certainly weakened, but so is the opponent. That’s why I called you, Ash.”

“Called me? I came to this forest purely because…”

“Yes, it was a coincidence. It was misfortune, it was sadness. But… it was also hope.”

“…What on earth are you talking about!”

“…”

Frustrated by her continually cryptic words, I shouted out loud.

It was an action closer to a desperate struggle to overcome the fear and confusion filling my heart, like a frightened puppy barking.

The woman, seeming to understand me, stroked my head and slowly opened her lips.

“From the place where the carriage overturned, to the hero’s cabin.”

“…What?”

“Even with that sparkling strong spirit of yours that made you get up and walk with broken legs, you couldn’t have walked that far distance. It was impossible.”

“…What does that suddenly have to do with—”

“But you eventually reached the hero. How was that possible?”

That was a question I had been wondering about throughout my entire time in the forest.

How had I walked a distance of more than two hours with that wrecked body where bones protruded through skin, and one ankle was completely turned around to face backward?

At the time, I felt like I would faint at any moment, so I couldn’t remember the situation in detail either.

I only remembered blindly following the light.

My footsteps that day could only be explained as a miracle.

It was something so absurd that even someone as strong as Ms. Sylvia declared it impossible and clicked her tongue.

I looked at her with trembling eyes.

She slowly nodded her head up and down.

“Yes, the spirits helped you.”

She looked up with sad eyes.

“They tilled the earth to make every place your feet touched soft, deflected the heavy raindrops as much as possible, and even blew wind to gently push your body. The spirits helped you in every way they could. Of course… all of that was only possible because of your will to keep walking until the end.”

My mind became confused again.

Honestly, I didn’t remember feeling like I had received much help.

It would be natural that I couldn’t have noticed such assistance back then, when I hadn’t even imagined the existence of spirits, let alone sensed them.

But for someone like me, who had never been anything close to a warrior in my life, to accomplish such an incredible march—it seemed much more plausible that I had received such invisible help rather than the vague explanation that my mental strength was strong.

After all, my mental strength wasn’t that strong to begin with.

“That’s not true. An ordinary person would have found it difficult to take even a single step.”

“…It was to save Laila.”

“No one would say that a person walking with broken legs to protect someone precious has a weak mind.”

The woman said this while stroking my head.

But I felt some contradiction in her explanation.

“I thought spirits couldn’t influence reality without a spirit mage.”

“…That’s right.”

“Then how did the spirits help me?”

When I asked, I could see a faint moisture gathering in her already sad-looking eyes.

She looked at the empty space where we were standing and spoke.

“Indeed, spirits cannot exert power without a mage.”

“…”

“Not only do they become weaker, but it’s also forbidden.”

“…Forbidden?”

“Yes, if spirits ran wild as they pleased, the world would become chaotic. It’s a rule established from the moment this world was created, to prevent that.”

Rule.

That word sounded ominously foreboding.

Somehow, that word from her lips seemed to sound like a synonym for fate.

Just as a twisted fate had brought about tremendous tragedy, it resonated with the certainty that breaking it would result in a terribly dire consequence.

She swallowed the heavy emotions filling her throat and slowly continued.

“I told you this is the spirit realm, Ash.”

“…Yes.”

“In this space, the world of spirits, aren’t you curious why no spirits other than me and your guardian spirit are visible?”

“…Because of me?”

I, the rightful master of spirits with the ability to communicate with them.

Yet, I had never properly communicated with spirits.

Nevertheless, many spirits willingly broke the rules to help me reach Ms. Sylvia, even though they had never even spoken with me.

Some used up all their power, while others vanished for breaking the rules.

They dissipated and disappeared, blending into a breeze of wind, a handful of soil, or clear sunlight.

I covered my mouth.

I felt nauseous.

Somehow, I had felt good.

That warm sunlight that woke me up with birdsong every morning.

That pleasant breeze that gently ruffled my hair.

The cool yet pleasantly malleable soft soil.

I now realized that all those beautiful sceneries I had enjoyed throughout my life in the forest were the bodies and souls of spirits who had sacrificed themselves for me.

I lowered my eyes.

I couldn’t bear to look at her.

With what feelings had the green woman, the queen of spirits in this forest and parent to those spirits, watched as the young spirits perished?

I know.

I had no choice but to know, to understand.

Because I too had no choice but to watch my family die before my eyes.

I know well that powerlessness and pain.

“…Why, for someone like me.”

“…”

“No matter if I can communicate with spirits, no matter if I am loved by spirits, for someone they’ve never even seen… why…”

“Don’t misunderstand, Ash.”

“…”

She spoke with a firm voice.

But she couldn’t hide the moisture that had gathered beyond that voice.

She barely soothed her sobbing throat and continued.

“It wasn’t for you.”

“…”

“It was to correct this fate.”

“…What can I do? At this point… at this point, what can I possibly do? What use is a spirit mage without spirits! Why, for someone like me, you should have waited for someone else!”

“There is no one else, Ash. Only you.”

“So what am I supposed to…!”

“Because you’re the only one who can hear the story of this world that I’ve been telling, and the request that will follow.”

Ah, so that was it.

She, no, this fate didn’t want me to have the power to fight the Demon King.

From the beginning, all I could do in this twisted fate was to listen to her words.

The green woman nodded and said:

“Guide the hero to reach the Demon King once more. So that this time, she can kill the Demon King.”

“…Ha.”

Only after hearing those words did I understand everything.

Hahaha, how ridiculous.

What arrogant thoughts had I been having?

No matter how rare a talent I was born with, how could a spirit mage who hadn’t even received proper training be of any help in the Demon King subjugation that so many heroes had challenged and failed?

In this twisted fate, my role was not to subjugate the Demon King.

Whether in the correct fate or the twisted one, it was still the hero’s role to defeat the Demon King.

My role was merely to bring the hero, whose heart was wounded and will broken, back before the Demon King once more.

It was for this goal that the spirits brought me to Ms. Sylvia.

“…From the beginning.”

“Ash…”

“It was all… for this.”

“…”

“You predicted everything.”

“…”

“For the hero to fall in love with me.”

“…”

“You made me fall in love with Ms. Sylvia.”

“…Don’t misunderstand, Ash. Human emotions aren’t that simple.”

“Don’t lie. If you needed the power of a spirit mage, letting spirits die doesn’t make sense.”

“I didn’t arrange for her to love you, Ash. I was certain she would love you.”

“…Ah.”

I slowly collapsed to the floor like a puddle.

It was confusing with so many stories flowing in at once.

Various emotions surged and subsided repeatedly, making it difficult even for me to fully grasp my own heart.

“Aah…”

Damn fate.

This twisted fate, where I had lost my original role, assigned me a new one.

A plaything for the hero.

A clown and lover to urge her to walk into danger once more.

For that scenario, my family was massacred, my little sister was resurrected as an undead without a proper funeral, and spirits who had lived and breathed in this world’s beautiful nature for ages died en masse.

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, I smiled foolishly.

Should I be grateful that even in this twisted fate, I was allowed to meet Ms. Sylvia?

Or should I resent this damned fate that sacrifices everyone who comes within reach, everyone visible to the eye?

My parents, Laila, the men who entered the forest, and all those spirits who helped me.

Everyone who approached me ends up sacrificed.

It’s almost a pattern now.

Perhaps Ms. Sylvia too will die along with the Demon King this time?

“…It’s too cruel.”

If I were to resent someone, who should it be?

The green woman? She too is a victim who could only helplessly watch many of her children die for this fate.

The spirits? How could I resent those children who essentially burned their own lives to save me?

The Goddess? She too lost her own divinity for humanity, they said.

This arrow of resentment with nowhere to go spun round and round in my heart.

It felt like the trajectory of resentment, lost in direction and wandering, was tearing my heart to shreds.

“I know it sounds terrible, I’m sorry. I can deeply understand your sadness. I’m truly sorry.”

“…Ugh.”

“But this was all there was. This was the only way to protect humanity.”

“…Why, why.”

“You’ve seen the demonic energy filling the forest? It’s evidence that the Demon King is gradually recovering. One year, or maybe two. I’m not certain, Ash, but there isn’t much time left.”

“…Why me of all people? What did I do wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong, Ash…”

“…”

“But I beg you. Please save us, humanity, this world.”