episode_0047

※Warning: Contains shocking scenes.※

What Changes, What Stays the Same, What is Forgotten, What is Not Forgotten

“…No, that’s…”

“Hope rests solely with you humans. The Alaune must have gathered almost all the energy needed to revive the World Tree by now. So… I beg of you… Even though we have ostracized and killed humans for a long time…”

“!!”

“Gr-Great Elder-nim! No!”

Seeing the Great Elder’s actions, I froze on the spot, and Alten was greatly startled. This was because the Great Elder had knelt before me and began to plead. Alten continuously tried to dissuade the Great Elder, but the Great Elder shrugged off Alten’s arm and continued to beg me… This… It’s the opposite. In ancient times, humans knelt before the Great Elder to repent for their mistakes, but now the Great Elder was kneeling before me. What is this complicated feeling…

“…Even if you refuse this request, I will not curse you. You don’t have to accept this request, which could cost you your life. This error is my sin, the sin of a cowardly wretch…”

“No, Great Elder-nim! Please raise your head… Huh?”

…Why is this? The ones who truly did wrong are somewhere else… Why are these people apologizing for their mistakes? I stood before the Great Elder, then knelt myself and held the Great Elder’s hands. Seeing me kneel, Alten and the Great Elder were greatly flustered.

“You merely dreamed of hope, Great Elder-nim. The truly bad ones are elsewhere; don’t blame everything on yourself. And… I also deeply apologize for the ancient humans enslaving the elves.”

“…That is not your sin, is it? Then why?”

“…Well… Because it’s embarrassing? And… Aria and I might actually die. Well… Aria is strong, so the possibility is low, but… I’m an explorer, though. If I refuse this request and manage to live, it just means the world I’m curious about is destined to be swallowed by the World Tree. And I’d die anyway. Rather than that, I want to resolve this cleanly and continue my explorations. And… I also have a bone to pick with the Alaune.”

“…Thank you, human… No… I wish to hear your name.”

“I am a human named Zeke Luprian. The Black Saintess beside me is Aria Ritt. She’s famous as the Black Saintess outside. And as the Great Elder-nim guessed, she’s very strong. She could probably even kill a god.”

“…Zeke… I will not forget any of your words. My name is Per Spes. In my 1,600 years of life, you are the first human to show me such a warm smile… The very first.”

“I’m glad you feel good… But do you happen to know where Aria is? I need Aria’s help to resolve this matter.”

“Ah, I know… And I already know her strength.”

“What?”

“While searching for you and her, I coincidentally found many dead Alaune sprawled on the floor in a certain passage.”

“…What? Gr-Great Elder-nim. Are you saying that black woman did that…?”

“Uh… Alten… That’s… probably right…”

“What?!”

…I could tell Aria was currently cutting down Alaune while searching for me. Yes… Aria would be the only one to do something like that… Upon realizing Aria’s strength, Alten suddenly got goosebumps and began to breathe heavily.

“J-Just a moment. Then I… N-no, my subordinates and I could have died to that woman earlier…?”

“Your forces can’t defeat Aria… She cut down a hundred people before…”

“O-One hundred?!”

“…She was an incredible human… You can meet her if you go in that direction, Zeke.”

The Great Elder pointed in the direction Aria was. Good… I can finally rendezvous with Aria! But at that moment, the joy of reuniting with Aria was short-lived as a tremendous sound began to echo from the opposite side. The Great Elder suddenly stood up, raising his staff towards the noisy passage.

“Great Elder-nim…?”

“Captain Alten. You must help Zeke. I will buy you time.”

“Gr-Great Elder-nim?! What are you saying…?”

“It seems the Alaune Mother sensed the Saintess’s strong power. She must believe that the Saintess’s soul will surely be able to revive the World Tree.”

“Then is that noise the Alaune sent to capture Aria, surging in? But Aria will turn them into minced meat instead. So please, quickly, let us…”

“Zeke, there’s no time. From the sound, it’s an unmanageable number for us. You might die before she discovers us. You two go!”

“B-But Great Elder-nim!!”

“Captain Alten, though I was coerced into becoming their pawn… My love for the elves has not changed… If I can save you and Zeke with my life… I will gladly offer it. Go quickly! Go!!!”

“Alten!! Let’s go!!!”

“Zeke, but…!!”

“If you don’t want to make the Great Elder-nim’s sacrifice in vain, then run! Hurry!”

At my shout, Alten was greatly shaken. But when the Great Elder smiled faintly at him, Alten gritted his teeth and ran with me towards where Aria was. Looking back, countless Alaune were rushing towards us. And the Great Elder smiled at us, then held his staff and charged towards the Alaune.

“Ugh… Great Elder-nim…!!”

“Let’s find Aria quickly…!! Otherwise, we’ll both be staining that person’s heart…!!”

“Where do you think you’re going, human!! And Elf Captain!!”

Damn it… Alaune are coming from the front too… At least there are fewer of them than the ones coming from behind. Maybe about five were coming towards us. The time the Great Elder bought us with his life… We can’t let it be in vain!!

“These cursed Alaune…!! How dare you deceive us!!!”

“Hehehe… How dare a race that can’t live as long as us say that? Wasn’t that what you humans used to say often?”

“Shut up, you cunning subordinates!!”

“Let’s kill them quickly, sisters…?”

“Get lost, you damn plants!! If you don’t want to see the World Tree burn to death, then get lost!!”

“…!! That was the one from earlier… Arghhh!”

When I again spewed fire from the igniting stone, the Alaune shrieked in fear and began to flee. It’s fortunate there were only a few… If there had been many, this kind of threat wouldn’t have worked… Anyway…

“Arghhh!! Retreat! Retreat!! The human is doing something crazy again!!”

“Now’s our chance, Alten!! Run!!”

“Understood! Keep holding that! I’ll handle the Alaune that still come!”

I ran forward holding the fire-spewing igniting stone, and Alten followed me, dealing with the approaching Alaune with his spear. Seeing us, the Alaune who discovered us also shrieked in fear at the sight of fire and spear, and Alten, furious at the Great Elder’s sacrifice and the Alaune’s deception, stabbed the Alaune to death. Good, with this momentum… Huh?

“Uh… huh?!”

“Ze… Zeke!!!”

D-Damn it…!! I was only looking around, so I didn’t know there was a chasm ahead!! While I was falling into the chasm, Aria and Veronica were pressing forward, killing the suddenly surging Alaune. No matter how much the Alaune swung their vines, it was useless against Aria, and the vines were cut and struck by Aria instead.

“Agh!!”

“Hmm… They’re suddenly swarming, aren’t they? Do they want to get to Zeke-nim quickly…?”

“Hehehehe… Die! Just die! Hahahaha!! Die, you filthy Alaune!! Die! Hihihihi!! Diiieee!!”

Veronica continuously stabbed the already dead Alaune with her spear, seeming to have gone mad, lost in her madness. Veronica, immersed in madness, kept laughing insanely as she stared at the ruined Alaune corpses, and Aria, seeing this, sighed and thought:

‘She’s lost her mind. Haaah… Has she forgotten that if she harms Zeke-nim, I’ll kill her?’

“Aghhh… This… Let go of this!!”

“Yes, I’ll let you go.”

When the Alaune in her hand grasped her tightly and struggled to escape, Aria threw the Alaune she was holding upwards, then swung her staff, striking the upward-flying Alaune and bursting its abdomen. Meanwhile, Veronica killed an Alaune and continued to stab its corpse dozens of times with her spear. The Alaune who saw this shrieked in fear.

“Th-that human, why is she like that?! There’s a cra… crazy human!!!”

“Uh… Unnie! I’m scared… Wh-what do we do…?”

“Hihihihi! Another one died! Another one died! The bad Alaune died again!!”

“Girls… our goal is that black human… Even if we sacrifice our lives, revive the World Tree-nim…?”

“Huh?”

“Get lost.”

The Alaune who had been encouraging the others looked ahead and realized that the insanely laughing Veronica and the chillingly blank-faced Aria were before them, and froze on the spot. And the Alaune there either had their heads or abdomens burst by Aria’s strikes, or were brutally murdered by Veronica.

“Hihihihi! Killed another one! Hurray!”

“Haaah… I can’t just leave that woman alone… No. She’s not an elf in the first place, so maybe it’s okay to kill her… Huh?”

Aria, who had been contemplating whether or not to kill Veronica, felt Zeke approaching her through his presence. When she realized this, her face turned red and she began to wiggle her body back and forth in delight.

“Z-Zeke-nim is coming to me…! Ahhh… As expected, Zeke-nim and I are special lovers…!! Let’s go quickly!”

Aria, knowing that Zeke was approaching her, completely forgot her dilemma about killing Veronica and ran towards Zeke. Veronica, who had been continuously stabbing the Alaune corpses with her spear, also followed Aria when she suddenly ran off. And I…

“Zeke!! Hold on tight!!”

“A-Alten!! Aren’t there Alaune behind you?!”

“So don’t let go, hold on tight! I’ll pull you up!”

I grabbed the spear Alten extended, barely managing not to fall into the chasm. But behind Alten, who was trying to pull me up, Alaune were approaching, and Alten was exhausted from fighting the Alaune until now. This situation is dangerous…

“Alten! Let go of this quickly! You might die too!!”

“Shut up!! I’ve only received favors from you, and you want me to let you die without repaying them?! Not a chance!!”

“Th-this stubbornness… Huh?”

“Ugh… Hm?”

Just as Alten’s strength was about to give out, Alten and I saw a black figure passing above us. What is it this time?… Wait. A black figure? Then… Then could it be!!

“Aria!!!”

“Ah…!! Zeke-niiim!!”

It’s Aria! We finally met! But… seeing Aria’s expression, I felt something strange. Riera had told me that Aria lost her mind when I was kidnapped before… but she’s fine now? Could she have grown? But my joy was brief. Aria, who had been happy to see me, suddenly became greatly flustered when she saw me holding onto Alten’s spear, clinging on to avoid falling.

“Arghhh! Zeke-nim! I’ll pull you up!!”

“Black Saintess!! Don’t worry about us, the Alaune coming from behind are… Huh?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Aria snatched the spear Alten was holding. Then she lightly lifted me and the spear completely upwards, surprising both Alten and me. Ah… Aria was strong, right. But… to this extent… Uh… I’m surprised too.

“…Did I just talk back to a woman like that…?”

“W-well… Y-yes… Aria? Can you put me down now?”

“Yes~”

When Aria lowered me to the ground, she suddenly clung to me. As Aria embraced me tightly, even shedding tears, I let out a hollow laugh and stroked Aria’s head.

“Waaaah! Zeke-nim!! I missed you so much!!”

“Haha… I missed you too. You’re not losing your mind without me anymore. Good job.”

“Hmph… After the Cecilia-ssi incident, I also changed my ways…”

“Alright… More importantly, the Alaune… Huh?”

Thinking of the Alaune, Alten and I hastily looked around. We saw a woman laughing insanely, killing all the Alaune and continuously stabbing their corpses with a spear. Who is that woman? Surely…

“Aria. Is that pink-haired woman… Veronica?”

“Yes… She was originally a human…”

“Ah, I heard about that. Hmph… Well then…”

“Zeke-nim?”

I dusted off the dirt from my pants and stood up. Then I walked towards the mad Veronica. Aria also stood up and followed me, and Alten too stood up.

“Hihihihi!! Hehehehehe!!”

‘…Looks like she lost her mind after learning the whole truth… What would her father think if he saw Veronica like this…?’

“Huumaaan?! It’s a human! Kill it!!”

“…?! Wh-what?!”

Suddenly, Veronica turned her head towards me and attacked me with her spear. I blocked Veronica’s blade with Trahan, and when Veronica suddenly attacked me, Aria shrieked in fear and pointed her staff at Veronica.

“Kyaaaah! Zeke-nim!! How dare you attack Zeke-nim?! I should have killed you after all…”

“Aria!! It’s okay, leave this to me! You trust me, right?!”

“Yes…?! Z-Zeke-nim?!”

“It’s fine, so…”

“Uh… This… Trahan? Why is this here…?”

Just as I was about to stop Aria, Veronica realized that the sword I was holding was Trahan and glared at me. She still seems to have some grasp of her sanity… But…

‘Her strength is too great…!! Not as much as Aria, but in my current exhausted state, I don’t think I can hold Veronica back for long…!!’

“Why is this here? Did you kill my father? Is he alive?”

“Ugh… I… I met him… I met Mister Prosh earlier…!!”

“Where is my father?”

“Your father is…”

“I’ll kill them. I’ll kill my father too. I’ll kill everyone. I’ll kill everyone who lied! Ehehehehehe!!”

Th-this… She’s starting to lose her mind again… If I leave her like this, she’ll definitely fall into madness… What should I do?! I have to keep Mister’s promise!!

“Your father became a ghost and was trapped here! So he left his last words with me and completely departed from this world!!”

“Ehehehehe… What did Dad say? He said I was shameful, right? It’s shameful that the child he raised is human, right? Hihihi… I’m human…”

“He said he loved you!!!”

“…Love…?”

When Veronica heard my words, her laughter completely vanished, and she began to release the strength with which she was pushing me. Then she just stared blankly at me. Whew… Now we can talk… No… Let’s not let our guard down yet.

“Mister’s last words were a will for you. Whew… This Trahan was with me until I could give it to you… Here.”

“…?”

I handed Veronica a book. It was my record book, where Mister Prosh’s will was written. As Veronica received the book and began to examine it, I said to her:

“His will is written at the end. Since he didn’t have hands, I wrote it for him… But if you want to know your father’s feelings, read it.”

“…”

As soon as my words ended, Veronica suddenly turned her back, took ten steps, and sat down there. The sound of a book being opened began to be heard, and Aria and Alten approached my side.

“…I understand why Veronica became like that.”

“Because everything she knew collapsed in an instant. Plus, Veronica wasn’t a true elf like you. Wouldn’t the shock be even greater for her than for you two?”

“Anyway, I’m glad Zeke-nim is alive!”

“…Did you… perhaps sense my presence or something…?”

“Oh my…!! As expected, Zeke-nim… Ahhh… We really are fated to be together…!!”

…No wonder I felt like someone was watching me… It was all Aria sensing my presence, and me instinctively sensing Aria’s ability in return… Just as I was about to sigh upon realizing this, suddenly, the sound of crying began to be heard from somewhere.

“Hm? Veronica?”

“Ugh… Uwaaa…”

Ah… She must have read the will. Veronica began to cry while reading her father’s will written in the book, wiping away her tears with her hands as she continued to read her father’s will.

To my beloved daughter, Veronica.

Veronica, by now my soul must have perished, and Zeke would have delivered this letter to you.

…I’m sorry.

To find out if humans were truly evil beings, I took you, a baby, and raised you in place of your parents, who were consumed by the Alaune.

To raise you, I disguised your appearance as an elf, and I announced throughout Proserpina that the reason for your poor eyesight was a rare disease.

As I raised you, I learned that not all humans were evil beings, but I forgot that the elf society still didn’t know that.

Raised in elf society, you came to harbor thoughts of rejecting humans, and I tried to stop that.

But I couldn’t.

To you, who firmly believed you were an elf, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you your true identity.

It was because I didn’t want to be hated by you, who smiled brightly at me every day.

I was afraid you would lose your smile, so I became a coward and hid the truth from you.

Because of my selfish fear… Even if you hate me for hearing this and having your identity shaken, I don’t care.

Because it is my fault for not telling you the truth… no, for not having told you.

It is my fault, Veronica, for not telling you anything.

Do not forgive me.

Do not forgive me for making you face a terrible reality.

Because I acted selfishly to receive that warm smile from you, to not be hated by you.

Nevertheless, Veronica… I love you.

I love you, who taught me what humans are and what family love is.

Whether I am alive or dead… I will continue to believe in you and love you. You are… my most beloved daughter, so this love will never change.

I will not forget the happy daily life I spent with you either.

Do what you wish, Veronica.

And… I love you forever, my daughter.

“Father… Father loved me… He loved me, a human… Why is Father a sinner… He’s not…”

“…Mister Prosh tried to tell the elves that not all humans were evil, for your sake. But the Alaune and the elders they co-opted imprisoned him here and killed him. But because of his lingering attachment to you, he became a ghost and wandered this place alone for over five years. Look… It’s a personal request of mine… Can you forgive him?”

“…What’s there not to allow… Father… The love Dad gave me was real…”

Veronica clutched the book containing Prosh’s will tightly in both arms, smiling through her tears… I should give Veronica some time alone. I gestured to Aria and Alten, then sat down on the floor and waited for Veronica to calm down.