episode_0054

Leja Village was a place one would reach by following the main road from the border checkpoint, unlike where we had come from.

Most of the villagers were families of officials working at the border checkpoint, and rather than being a proper village, it was more like a tent village.

Perhaps the residents’ homes were separate inside, and when the service period of the border guards ended, they would return to their original places.

Still, being the very first village along the major road of the border, there were a few inns for travelers.

Of course, they were nothing more than shabby cabins.

We asked around and headed to a place called Potato Inn that Ma Bu Jeron had mentioned.

Potato Inn was a relatively decent house.

There were only two rooms, and even those were roughly divided by wooden planks, but it was decent enough for this place.

“Potato Inn, what a peculiar name,” Kona remarked to the innkeeper.

“This used to be a warehouse for storing potatoes. They used to grow a lot of potatoes here in the old days,” the innkeeper explained.

“Do you not grow them now?”

“At first, there was no issue, but at some point, wild boars caught wind of the smell and started coming here. So, we had to stop farming. Instead, we buy flour from the larger town.”

“That must cost quite a bit.”

I pulled out a gold coin from the pouch I received from Brigal’s knight and inquired.

“Well, that’s why we have this side business, isn’t it?”

“I see. By the way, has a man named Jeron, a Ma Bu, been here?”

“Oh, yes. He did. He said people looking for him would come soon. He’ll be in the last room at the end of the corridor. You can sleep in the adjacent room.”

We followed the directions and went to the room where Ma Bu Jeron was supposed to be.

After knocking on the door, he emerged shortly after.

He said he would depart early the next morning.

After briefly discussing the route to the carriage or the border, we returned to our original room.

“Oh, there are plenty of beds.”

Even though it was a small room, there were as many as four beds.

The craftsmanship was somewhat crude, and the size was small, with beds placed close to the walls, but having enough space for everyone to lie down was good.

I took off my armor and sat on the bed.

“Rest well, everyone. We’ll be traveling by carriage for a few days starting tomorrow.”

“Ugh…”

Kona let out a groan.

Traveling by carriage is not exactly comfortable, to say the least.

Of course, luxury carriages used by nobles and some merchants are enchanted to absorb shocks, providing a considerably comfortable ride. However, the one we travel in is just an ordinary baggage carriage.

The seat for the driver shakes a lot, not to mention the cargo compartment.

“Sigh…”

Spect, who couldn’t sleep properly, took off his armor, lay down on the bed, yawned once, and quickly fell asleep.

“Why do you sleep without your armor? Doesn’t it look difficult to take off and put back on? Can’t you just sleep in it?” Kona asked.

“It’s uncomfortable. When resting, it’s best to rest comfortably to relieve fatigue.”

I lightly stretched on the bed, loosening my body.

“Um, sir.”

“What is it?”

“How did you live?”

“How did I live…?”

It’s a very random question.

But Kona, now barely thirty, is a dark elf hybrid who spent quite a long time living in isolation in the forest away from people.

Seeing a different kind of longevity other than his mother and Oneloi wouldn’t be surprising for him.

There is a life as a longevity.

Kona wasn’t properly taught about such a life by his parents.

Perhaps Kona had many questions about that kind of life.

And being still a child, curiosity might sometimes get the better of him.

“I’ve only heard about Evony. It’s said to be a human who lives as long as an elf. Oh, and very dark-skinned… My dad had brown hair though.”

In cases like Kona’s, families composed of races with vastly different lifespans inevitably face such issues.

When one family member dies too soon.

Perhaps Kona is pondering what it would have been like if her father had been a human like me, who lives a long life.

“Well, black is black. Other than hair and eyes, the stories we’ve lived are very dark.”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s see… Originally, we weren’t called Evoni. You guys, I mean the people of this world, just named us based on our hair and eyes.”

“What were you originally then?”

“Korean.”

“Korean… I’ve never heard of that before.”

“It’s from a very distant place… Very far away… Anyway, we were originally humans living there. But 500 years ago… Have you heard of the Demon War?”

“No.”

“Remember at least that much. The Demon War was a huge battle that took place 500 years ago. Do you know what demons are?”

“Yes. Beings imbued with magic and transformed animals, right?”

“Exactly. So, 500 years ago, those demons…”

I recounted an old story to Kona.

Abruptly pulled into this world, bestowed with abilities by a goddess, dubbed a hero, and forcibly dragged into war with demons—a rather unpleasant tale.

Of course, in society, the Evoni race is merely perceived as heroes who made significant contributions in the past.

They are somewhat respected, but ultimately treated as figures of ancient history.

They are probably more concerned about what happened with the Batoli incident.

That’s a serious flaw in their faith in the goddess.

“Due to the Demon War and the Batoli incident, there are only six Evoni left in the world now, including me. I am on my way to meet one of those six.”

“Why don’t you all live together?”

“…Because that’s how it was decided.”

“It’s strange. If it were me, we would all have lived together.”

“It would have been nice if that were the case…”

If that were so, Steria and Sangcheol wouldn’t have experienced such events…

But at that time, it was an unavoidable choice.

“You do that. Whether it’s Onelloi or another Dark Elf tribe, go find them and live together. That would be much better for you.”

“Oh, my mother said that’s not allowed.”

“Why?”

“Because of this.”

Kona raised her shirt slightly, pointing to an area near her spine.

There was something resembling a light green tattoo on her pale brown skin, similar to Kona’s hair color.

Wait, that’s… It looks like an ancient magical rune…

Why would that be…?

“What… What is that?”

“I don’t know. But my mother said I should never show this to other Dark Elves or Elves. It’s okay because I’m Evoni, right?”

“Um… Can I take a closer look at that?”

“Yes.”

I got off the bed and examined the tattoo on Kona’s chest more closely.

I’m not a wizard, but I’ve studied a bit.

Above all, this magical rune is quite similar to what was used during the Demon War…

Magic has advanced significantly in the 500 years since the Demon War.

The most significant change is in how these runes are crafted; before the Demon War, they naturally formed rather than being drawn by mages.

Magic would shape itself and take appropriate forms.

This process took too long, requiring considerable time and effort to interpret the runes, which is why it’s completely obsolete now.

So why would something like that be on the body of a person, especially a Dark Elf hybrid child…?

“This is…”

Hmm… Particularly this shape, reminiscent of three eyes coming together…

It feels like I’ve seen it somewhere…

“…!!!”

The symbol that flashed through my mind.

I instinctively stepped back.

“…Sir?”

“Oh, really? Ah… It just reminded me of something…”

“What is it?”

“Oh, that… It’s not certain, but they resembled those…”

“They look quite peculiar, don’t they? I remember fighting a monster with three eyes in the past. It just popped into my head for no reason…”

I chuckled vaguely.

“Anyway, let’s talk about the rest later. Let’s quickly sleep and go tomorrow.”

I returned to my bed and lay down again.

“Good night.”

“Yes…”

“…”

Lying in bed, I recalled memories from the past.

The Demon War erupted as magical energy in the ecosystem surged, resulting in numerous naturally occurring magic circles.

Not only humans but also intelligent demons actively used magic circles.

And that… a magic circle with three eyes converging towards a central point…

“Ugh…”

No, that’s impossible…

The cause of the Demon War was the surge of magical energy in the ecosystem.

That’s how it’s recorded in history.

It’s not entirely inaccurate.

But why the magical energy surged was never revealed.

The Demon War wasn’t a catastrophe.

It was a thoroughly intentional ‘war.’

“…”

At the heart of everything was the Demon Queen.

But in reality, it was the high-ranking demons beneath her who led and engulfed the world.

Three eyes.

It’s like a signpost that inevitably appears where those higher beings reside.

“No…”

Yes.

It can’t be.

They all died.

They definitely perished.

They were exterminated at the cost of numerous lives of our Evony.

But…

But then what is that…?

A coincidence?

It must be a coincidence… right?

But then why did Kona’s mother tell her to hide it?

Among humans, hardly anyone would recognize that pattern.

But what about long-lived species like elves?

There wouldn’t be a single person among them who doesn’t know that pattern.

If Kona’s mother fled to the forest to protect her daughter, she might be a sinner who could plunge the whole world into chaos.

“…”

I slightly rolled my eyes and looked back at Kona.

“…”

…Should I kill her?

If Kona is like a seed of a high-ranking demon…

I have to kill her here.

I reached out towards the sword placed by the bedside.

The chilling touch of the handle.

“…”

Ironically, that coldness brought back some composure.

Even if Kona is related to a high-ranking demon, it’s not an immediate issue.

Nothing has happened in the 30 years she has lived so far.

Of course, we don’t know what will happen in the future.

Leaving it unattended could lead to trouble, but intervening rashly could trigger a major disaster.

We need to approach this cautiously.

Originally, Kona was supposed to be entrusted to a relative named Onello, but I changed my mind.

If Onello, a Dark Elf, also shelters Kona following her mother’s lead, I will have to take her away forcibly.

Take her to the Labyrinth City and ask Misty and Rinde.

“…Demons.”

It was said that demons constantly emerged from the Dokart Mine in Brigal.

Why now?

The Demon War ended 400 years ago.

A century of fighting should have been enough.

That night, I had a nightmare after a long time.