Chapter 131: The Grand Deception (5)

[131] 20. The Grand Deception (5)

Five hours before Shafiq finally caught Rem and started tearing at his hair.

Shafiq was using a hidden arrowhead to cut through the tree roots that bound his body. Of course, the effect of this action was minimal.

The tree roots were too thick and sturdy to be cut by a mere arrowhead. His efforts only deepened the wrinkles on his brow.

But still, he did not give up.

“Are you that desperate to escape?”

A question tinged with weariness.

Shafiq’s eyes turn to the elf before him.

It was an elf whose body below the neck was made of wood, not flesh. An elf whose face was uncannily similar.

“Who are you?”

“I’m your father.”

‘Then I’m your mother.’ was what he was going to retort. But at the last minute, Shafiq held his tongue. Because he could read the pain etched across his face.

“I know it’s hard to believe. After all, I left before you were born, and I didn’t come back even when you were kidnapped. We might as well be strangers.”

It was true.

Even while listening to those words, Shafiq didn’t feel any particular affection. Only a belated realization of ‘Oh, our faces do look alike’ came to mind.

“But even so, I can’t neglect my duties as a father.”

“What do you mean?”

When Shafiq voiced his confusion, his father’s expression hardened. His voice, clearly trying to sound gentler, flows out.

“Stay here.”

Somehow, Shafiq knew he’d say that. Instead of being surprised, Shafiq asked back bluntly.

“Why?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve heard the World Tree’s prophecy too.”

At last, this was the moment Shafiq’s brows furrowed.

As if driving a nail into that frown, his father continued.

“If you follow that man, you will burn to death.”

The World Tree’s prophecy is, actually, closer to insight than a real prophecy. If you had to explain it, it’s like a parent’s unique intuition.

The World Tree watches over all worlds and all elves. In other words, it can read the motivations and desires of all elves.

And if you gather all that and organize it, the future is no longer an uncertain concept. Whether elf or human, people rarely change, after all.

Their actions are so predictable they’re almost clichéd, and the interactions they create aren’t that diverse either.

That’s why the World Tree’s prophecies rarely turned out to be wrong.

[If you follow the man made of bronze, you will burn to death.]

Suddenly remembering this, Shafiq grimaced. He added words as if throwing a tantrum.

“The World Tree’s prophecies aren’t always right.”

“But they usually are. Haven’t you seen it with your own eyes already?”

Shafiq, having no words to counter, averted his gaze. He heard his father’s deep sigh.

“I know it must seem strange for me to suddenly act like a father now. But I’d like you to know at least this.”

Pain tinges his father’s voice.

“That for the past 200 years, I also wandered the world searching for you.”

How miserable a tone mixed with bitterness and guilt can be. Shafiq couldn’t bring himself to raise his head and kept his eyes downcast.

“Have you met Rem?”

It was a question he barely managed to ask after a long silence. His father nodded.

“I have. He doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“He’s a friend who gave me back my life.”

His father closed his mouth.

“When I was waiting only for death, when I thought I couldn’t return and was only ruminating on longing, he’s the friend who pushed my back.”

As his voice continued, it gained more strength. Before he knew it, a smile hung on Shafiq’s face.

“And that friend is now facing danger alone. Crushed under the weight of guilt, he staggers on, pushing himself to his limits.”

“…”

“Father, do you really want your son to be the kind of bastard who abandons such a friend just because he’s afraid of dying?”

His father could not answer. It was due to a distant memory resurfacing.

[Eat shit, all of you! I’m not the kind of elf who belongs in this cramped little space!]

Sharik, the first elf to leave the World Tree.

What were the odds that his son would be obedient.

“Release me now, Father. There’s somewhere I have to go.”

Was the price for defying his parents destined to return at some point.

Though his heart wouldn’t agree, a part of his mind did.

His father pulls out his sword.

Knowing it was futile, he still makes one last attempt to dissuade his son.

“Are you really confident you won’t regret it even if you die?”

Death renders all values meaningless. How many dozens of people had he seen become cowardly in the face of death. Could Shafiq be an exception to that.

However, to his complicated question, Shafiq simply smiled.

“Father, no matter what that World Tree’s prophecy says, I’m not going to die.”

“What? What are you…”

“Because I’m fucking awesome.”

Shafiq lifted his nose smugly.

“And awesome people rarely die.”

At those words, the confidence, courage, arrogance, and laughter contained within.

And above all, that strong will.

“Kha-ha…!”

His father couldn’t help but burst into laughter. It was a laughter mixed with glistening tears.

In the end, all children leave their parents’ embrace.

“Alright, go and return safely.”

His father smiled, a smile just like Shafiq’s, and then swung his sword down.

***

And now.

Shafiq lowered his bow and let out a deep breath. His refreshed expression showed a sense of satisfaction.

Of course he would.

He had used nothing but arrows to pin me to a tree.

“Hey, Shafiq.”

I frowned, glaring at the arrows that pierced both my clothes and the tree trunk.

There were 32 such arrows.

All of them binding my body, making it difficult to even move. I could barely turn my head from side to side.

“If you’re done with your revenge, how about you let me down now?”

“No, stay like that for another four hours. You need to reflect on your actions this time.”

It was an unacceptable proposal.

It wasn’t the pain or humiliation that prevented me from accepting. It’s my anxiety.

Even now, they’re probably approaching the Demon King’s castle, tricked by Irene.

“Hey, pointy ears, that’s enough. There’s always time to beat him up later.”

Thankfully, and rarely, Clevens took my side. At this, Shafiq clicked his tongue and pointed his bow at me again.

*Thud-!*

“Ughhhk…!”

Before I could even react, my face was slammed into the ground. I let out a groan and barely managed to lift my body.

“Would it kill you to be a little more gentle…?”

“Think about what you did and ask that again.”

“…”

I silently averted my gaze.

That was when it happened.

“Ah, and I have a message from my father.”

I raised one eyebrow in a question.

“He said he’d take care of the cultists who were chasing us. Told us not to worry too much about it.”

It was an unexpected help.

I stumbled over my words as I managed to convey my thanks.

“T-t-tell him thanks…”

“Thank him yourself when you meet him. I probably won’t see him again.”

Won’t see him again?

The strange phrasing brings a sense of discomfort.

“What do you mean by…”

“So, where were you heading?”

However, the discomfort was buried under the sudden question. I answered while scratching my head.

“Well… A place called Alain’s laboratory.”

Shafiq raises his eyebrows. His expression seemed to ask what the hell was I talking about.

I rolled my eyes once and explained briefly.

“Your father said that Alain used to have a laboratory somewhere around here, so…”

“And you think there might be a way to avoid whatever fate’s price or whatever it is there. Right, let’s head out right now.”

And Shafiq began walking with unhesitating, soldier-like stride. I stared blankly at his departing back, my head feeling dazed.

He understood that right away?

Is this really Shafiq?

While I was floundering in deep doubt, that was when.

“Wait a minute, about that matter.”

Both our gazes turned to Clevens. He scratched his shiny head with a troubled look on his face.

“Actually, I’ve already found that laboratory? While you guys were being dramatic? But…”

The word ‘but’ is a source of anxiety. I look at Clevens with growing unease.

Eventually, Clevens sighed and said.

“Just follow me. I’ll show you.”

It’s a self-evident truth by now.

Something so obvious that mentioning it again almost feels redundant.

But God clearly hated me.

The first things that came into view were pieces of stone.

These piece, which were once a part of sturdy walls, now lie scattered on the ground with their rough surfaces exposed.

The timber that once formed pillars were in a similar state. No, they were in an even worse shape than the stones.

Like corpses that had died in an explosion, they were scattered across the green grass, charred black.

And the broken shards of glass, the half-melted rare minerals, the pungent smell of potions, and the oily smell of freshly made magic tools…

Feeling my heart being crushed, I face the scene before me. I look at the shattered remains of the cottage.

“We’re fucked.”

It was a short phrase, but a perfect summary of the current situation.

I sat down on the ground, clutching my head.

It was obvious who did this.

It had to be Irene.

After all, that meticulous woman wouldn’t have left her weakness be. Somehow, she must have found out about this place and burned it down.

If she even burned down her own mansion, what’s burning down one cottage.

I felt my teeth grinding. I barely manage to stand up while clenching my fists.

“Let’s search through what’s left.”

The two’s dubious gazes turn to me. I opened my mouth, avoiding their gazes.

“There must… There has to be something left.”

More to convince myself than them. I stumbled towards the cottage’s remains.

Just as I was about to move a wooden beam,

“Mr. Rem!”

I turned my head and recognized her only after seeing her face.

“Queen Bliss…?”

Even as she approached closer, I doubted my eyes. The Queen of the elves, why was she here?

Unlike her usual self, she asked while roughly catching her breath.

“By any chance… Do you know where Shafiq went…!”

Ah.

That was the moment when all questions were answered.

I naturally looked to where Shafiq had been. But of course, that quick-witted bastard was already gone.

He was probably already hiding somewhere in the forest like a squirrel.

I shook my head, feeling both regret and a strange sense of joy.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know where he is…”

“Ah…”

A sound closer to a sigh.

Bliss bit her lower lip so hard it looked like it might bleed.

“Please, if you find him, come find me.”

“…Of course.”

I answered, feeling a twinge of guilt rose, but I quickly erased it.

If I tried to abandon Shafiq again, this time he really would chop off my head. Sadly, my life was still more precious than keeping a promise.

“And by the way, why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be heading for the place my husband told you about?”

Bliss suddenly asked as her excitement subsided. I gave a bitter smile and pointed to the rubble.

“As you can see, that place has become like this.”

Though it’s redundant now, looking at the exploded cottage again made my heart ache. It was a feeling somewhere between anger and frustration.

Now what should I do from here…

“It became like this?”

Her innocent question broke through my thoughts. I couldn’t help but make a strange expression as I asked back.

“It… It’s destroyed. So we can’t investigate any further…”

“Destroyed?”

Bliss asked back and then strode toward the cottage. Before I could stop her, she placed her hand on the rubble.

“This?”

And then, something magical began to happen.

The collapsed stones formed bricks, then walls. The soot that covered the wooden beams disappeared as if it were a lie. Like pieces of a puzzle coming together, they reformed into pillars.

And in the next moment.

“Huh…”

The cottage, now as good as new, stood before us in all its glory.

[It’s a kind of illusion magic.]

[It makes you think that it’s already destroyed and that there’s nothing of value left, so you don’t bother investigating or looting.]

[Of course, we elves can see right through it.]

[Ah, I should be getting back now! I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your journey.]

I erased Bliss’s departing voice from my mind. Then, taking a deep breath, I flung open the cottage door.

And I lost my words.

“…What the hell is this strange place? And what are these devices?”

“Vice-Captain, the room is completely white. What the hell is all of this?”

Right, it would be an incomprehensible sight to Clevens and Shafiq. After all, this kind of technology was impossible with this world’s current level of development.

Round flasks and electronic scales.

Giant computers and electric drills.

And above all, a giant water tank occupying the center of the room, with a torso-sized magic stone inside.

State-of-the-art equipment that seemed like something straight out of a movie.

As if in a trance, I walked towards the equipment, my hand tracing the familiar shapes. I walked on, following the traces of the civilization I had left behind.

“Ah…”

My footsteps finally stopped in front of the giant water tank. Though I didn’t know its function, it seemed to be already active, emitting a faint light.

Then, a small note caught my eye.

I carefully picked up the note that was wedged between the tanks. Slowly unfolding it, I couldn’t help but groan as I read the contents.

It was due to nostalgia.

[If you’re reading this, it means that you too are from another world.]

Letters composed of straight lines, a style rarely seen in this world. 28 letters, incredibly familiar despite having not seen them for 25 years.

[It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Alain, or Lee Cheong-woo. Like you, I’m someone from another world who’s been transferred here.]

The writing was in Hangul.

Suddenly, I barely suppressed the rising sensation in my throat. I slowly read the note, calming my nostalgia.

[…Two years after being transferred to this world. I found out the Goddess’s true motive. It was to devour this world and regain her freedom.]

[And naturally, if that were to happen, no one in this world would survive.]

[In other words, even for my own survival, I had to find a way to stop her.]

[But before that, there was one big problem.]

[The Goddess had set this world’s destruction as its fate. So, anyone who tried to stop the goddess had to pay the price of fate.]

[That shitty curse that rots your whole body away.]

[To stop the Goddess, I had to find a way to avoid this price of fate.]

“A way to avoid the gaze of fate…”

I muttered the next sentence out loud. I raised my eyes to look at the water tank before me.

[The machine in front of you is a device that temporarily blinds the gaze of fate. Or more precisely, if you operate the machine and carry a piece of the magic stone inside it, you can escape the gaze of fate.]

[It was with this machine that the Seven Heroes and I were able to defeat the Goddess. We defied fate, and narrowly pulled the world back from the brink of destruction.]

[But we couldn’t kill the Goddess. We only managed to seal her away. And one day, the Goddess will reappear and try to devour this world once more.]

[In preparation for this, I leave this entire research facility and this machine that can avoid the gaze of fate.]

[I hope that if the world is ever on the verge of destruction again, this machine will be put to good use…]

“I found it!”

The exclamation and broad smile burst out before I knew it. I turned around, feeling my heart flutter.

“My hypothesis was correct! Irene has been using this machine to avoid the price of fate all along. So if we destroy this machine… Clevens?”

“Clevens?”

Clevens seemed like he hadn’t even been listening to me. Instead, he was staring intently at a pendant he had found somewhere.

“Where did you find that pendant? No, that’s not what matters! Clevens, that pendant isn’t important right now. Finally! We did i…”

“Hey, kid.”

It was a tone I hadn’t heard in a very long time. A blunt voice I hadn’t heard since he joined the mercenary group.

He put the pendant away in his clothes and looked at me with cold eyes.

“Something’s off.”

“What?”

Clevens shoved the pendant to my face. A bearded man kneeling was carved on it.

“Do you recognize this?”

“…Not at all.”

“It’s the symbol used by the previous Pope, that is, the Pope before Ivan. It’s what his lackeys used to carry around. Why the hell is this here?”

Clevens’s eyes sharpen. He rested his chin on his hand and directs his gaze downward. But what he was looking at wasn’t the floor, but rather all our actions up until now.

“And that’s not all. Things keep not adding up. It feels like we’re walking on a puzzle that someone forcibly pieced together.”

“Clevens, what are you…”

“Why was that note left there?”

Clevens’ eyes gleamed.

“It’s clear that Irene stopped by this facility and checked that note. There’s no way she would have known about that machine’s function otherwise. But that meticulous woman, would she really leave behind such an obvious clue, something that could become her weakness?”

“That’s…”

“And that ‘price of fate’ thing, it’s also an incredibly vague concept. Why, why is the price of fate specifically a disease that rots your body? Why?”

Clevens’s steps gradually quicken. Along with them, the wrinkles on his face deepen.

“Clearly, someone is drawing a bigger picture. We’re being led on, I’m telling you. For this to be a completed picture, there are too many missing pieces…”

*Bzzz___!*

Is there anything that can shatter the mood as effectively as a sudden phone call.

Clevens’s train of thought is broken. He turned to me with a dazed and irritated expression.

I stared at my prosthetic hand where the vibration was coming from in bewilderment. Shafiq’s suspicious gaze also followed.

“Vice-Captain, that’s not a bomb, is it?”

“Ah, no, this is an emergency communication device…”

It’s a single-use, long-distance communication magic tool I made, just in case. But the only one who should have this right now is Big Nose, right?

Confused, I pulled out the communication device from my prosthetic hand. I opened the lid and activated it.

[…Sir! Brother…!!]

A rough voice immediately bursts out.

There was no room for doubt.

It was the voice of Big Nose, the brown nose of our mercenary group. (TL Note: Brown nose aka bootlicker)

Despite my confused, I put the magic tool to my mouth.

“Big Nose? Big Nose is that you?!”

[It is me! B-brother, is that really you too?!]

Despite knowing it was embarrassing, I couldn’t help the warmth rising in my throat. Clutching the magic tool, I shouted in a voice that’s somewhere between laughing and crying.

“Don’t you recognize my voice?!”

[B-Brother…!! So the one here was a fake after all!! It was a good thing I contacted you after seeing that message in the sky!!]

A fake? The ominous word instantly cooled my head.

“A fake, what do you mean by that? Aren’t you with the Captain right now?”

According to Clevens, Big Nose should have followed them. Wouldn’t he have gone to kill the Demon King with them?

[I, I secretly slipped away for a moment…!! More importantly, Brother, there’s something urgent I need to tell you!]

“Something urgent…?”

[T-that is…! Huu…]

Big Nose took a deep breath, which was uncharacteristic of him. Even after that, he remained silent for a long while before finally speaking.

[…As of now, all members of the Rose Rem Mercenary Group have arrived in front of the Demon King’s castle. They’re planning to raid the Demon King’s castle tomorrow morning…!]

From somewhere, the sound of the last grain of sand falling from an hourglass could be heard.

***

The Demon King’s castle looked no different from any other ordinary castle. Except for the fact that it seemed quite old. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about it.

At least, not to the untrained eye.

However, anyone with even a slightly developed sense of magic could feel it.

The powerful energy emanating from the castle,

The dark power that seemed ready to choke you at any moment.

Amy, glaring at the Demon King’s Castle from the top of a hill.

She clenched her sword with a twisted face.

Irene, who had approached her side at some point, smiled brightly at Amy.

“Are you ready, Amy?”

“…Yes.”

However, Amy’s hands tremble as she answers. Seeing this, Irene gently stroked Amy’s shoulder.

“If you’re scared, then remember our purpose once more.”

Irene’s voice grows sweet. Her tone was as if she herself was becoming intoxicated as she spoke.

“If, if we defeat the Demon King Genius, and the Goddess is resurrected… If such a miracle were to happen…”

Irene and Amy’s eyes simultaneously grew distant. Finally, Irene’s voice, like a thick liquid, melted away their reason.

“The Goddess will grant our wishes.”

How easily people are captivated by hope.