episode_0103

“Have you not heard from your siblings?”

“Well, you cut your brother’s throat before even hearing it······!”

“This is also my responsibility. Fine. I will tell you the truth of that day.”

Covered in bandages all over his body, Rex fell in front of Transylvania with a resentful voice.

Transylvania began to speak with a somewhat sorrowful expression.

For Transylvania, all past events were just fleeting memories.

All races were merely blood bags to her.

When Transylvania mentioned Dakia’s name, her eyes sparkled with superiority.

As if reminiscing about the past.

It was a sight that did not befit the terrifying bloodsucker known as a murderer.

“Dakia’s sword was beautiful. How brilliant it was to see him constantly taking steps forward without fear even with death looming in front of him in the face of mortal danger. I even thought that I wanted to experience the peace of death that comes from realizing justice at that moment. But all of that was ruined by your siblings.”

“······!”

“It was rumored that the murderer frequented a certain place. It seemed that instead of your siblings leading the extermination squad to find me, they started attacking the places I frequented. Many villages turned into ruins, and Dakia was killed in that massacre. Even though he was on the verge of realizing justice, the old man’s body couldn’t withstand the fierce Elven warriors. I managed to wipe out the extermination squad, but your brother managed to escape and return to Elvengard. Shamelessly, I must say. So I chased him and killed him. That’s the whole story. I have no regrets about my actions. I killed those who deserved to die, and even if I go back, I will kill again. If you still want revenge, there is nothing more I can do.”

“······.”

With a helpless expression, Rex shook his head.

He denied it.

He already knew that it wasn’t a lie.

He understood it in his head, but his heart couldn’t accept it yet.

“You wicked bloodsucker! Do you think I’ll fall for your lies! What are you trying to achieve by exposing your lies so easily! Lady, please. Tell me. He’s lying, isn’t he? Isn’t he?”

“······.”

In response to Rex’s outburst, Mia answered with silence.

The truth of that day’s events was kept confidential.

She couldn’t answer recklessly.

“Is everything he said true?”

“······.”

She couldn’t answer, but as a priestess, she could secretly nod or shake her head to indicate right or wrong.

“Ah······!”

Mia slowly nodded her head.

There was nothing wrong in what Transylvania said.

Upon this realization, Rex’s voice trembled.

He slowly collapsed to the ground.

“My brother, my brother······ did he commit such a heinous act······? Was his death the result of justified revenge? Then what am I fighting for······?”

The edge of his anger lost its direction.

Rex, who had trained and honed his strength to uphold justice on the side of the weak, now knew that the one he was defending was an infinitely cruel villain.

He lost the direction of his anger.

Simply seeking revenge for the sake of being siblings, the crime committed by his brother was too great.

Rex was too conscientious to be consumed by anger.

“I prevented the personal revenge from spreading into a large-scale battle, didn’t I? I’m not a traitor to my people, am I?”

The target to be avenged was not only Transylvania but also the former priestess he considered an enemy. The witch of Pettenburg.

Betraying my people and joining hands with a murderer, I firmly believed without a doubt.

But once I knew the truth, everything looked completely different.

Facing the murderer with the elf’s throat in his hand.

He was the hero who saved the young Rex, who fearlessly confronted the murderer with excessive force.

Realizing this fact, Rex shuddered.

“Ahhh!!!”

He was foolish.

Seeing how foolish his past self was, he couldn’t bear it.

Almost killing an innocent person due to a minor misunderstanding.

Regretting everything, Rex knelt down and burst into tears for a long time.

Finally, Rex lifted his head and looked at the faces of the people.

There was a duty to fulfill.

“I swear. I admit my mistakes and acknowledge that the witch is innocent. I swear in front of the World Tree that I will not harm the witch and will end the grudge.”

“Confirmed.”

Rex nodded, sobbing as he made the oath.

As promised, in front of the World Tree, he made an unbreakable oath until the day the forest guardian dies.

Even without a promise, it was a vow that must be kept.

“Sob, sob…”

The sobbing didn’t stop.

He had lived for 50 years trapped in meaningless anger.

His lifespan had already burned for 800 years.

Now, he only had about 100 years left.

What had he done in this fleeting time?

Rex felt like he wanted to die right away.

“Lady… Please allow me to die, to commit suicide. I have disgraced the honor of Elvengard. I have tarnished the name of a high warrior. Please dismiss me and order me to die.”

“Raise your head.”

“Yes…”

Rex slowly raised his head.

In excruciating pain, he faced the priestess of the World Tree.

She looked down at Rex with a compassionate gaze and spoke.

“I will command it. High warrior Rex. Recover from your injuries as soon as possible and take on the role of a training camp instructor.”

“What…?”

“Although I am not proficient in swordsmanship, I understand that High Warrior Rex has stepped into the realm of the transcendent in a moment of crisis. Currently, Elvengard lacks anyone who has realized the Oui of Meridius. If you, who have returned after seeing the Oui, can realize the Oui faster than anyone else, you can teach other warriors to seek the enhancement of their power. So focus on recovering your body for now.”

“What do you mean by that? I have less than 100 years left to live.”

“A short-lived species accomplishes more in a shorter lifespan. And perhaps an important decision will be made within the next 5 years. You are needed. This light sin cannot be forgiven by someone so close to the Oui.”

The spider monster that appeared at the roots of the World Tree.

And the giant complete barrier that appeared in Basel.

And the consecutive ominous prophecies…

All of this pointed to one thing.

The world was on the brink of chaos.

Eugene was clearly struggling to prevent that future.

To be of help to him.

At least Elvengard should not cause as much trouble as being trampled by the enemy’s army.

To do that, the army of Elvengard, which had been lazy until now, needed to be enhanced.

Not only in quantity but also in quality.

“I will accept the command, Lady. I have been short-sighted. I will do my best to serve Elvengard for the rest of my life.”

Rex made the oath with his head bowed.

Seeing Rex like that, Mia secretly smiled at Eugene.

Eugene let out a bitter smile.

“It’s not exactly within 5 years, but within 2 years… It’s quite close.”

Many things were weighing on her mind.

The impending invasion by the enemy.

The fact that she was scrambling to prevent the invasion.

And the approaching decisive battle to stop it.

Mia knew all of this and was moving accordingly.

On a small scale, to help Eugene.

On a larger scale, for the victory of humanity.

This was an unprecedented enemy.

At a time when the existence of the otherworld had just been revealed not long ago.

At a time when the final boss had not even begun to take shape.

Mia was foreseeing the upcoming decisive battle in the future and was trying to support Eugene in advance.

As the representative of Elvengard.

It was no different from declaring that she would do everything to support Elvengard’s forces.

“Could we have a moment to talk alone, Priestess?”

“Come this way, Cheon Michael Jackson.”

Leaving their companions behind for a moment.

Mia and Eugene climbed the stairs towards a small room.

A space where no one could enter and no one could eavesdrop or peek.

It was the Eye of the World Tree.

The only race allowed to enter, Eugene cautiously stepped into the warm aura of the World Tree.

“I was surprised. I knew you were skilled with a sword, but to see it with my own eyes was quite a sight. I had a rare experience.”

“It was close. I just awakened a moment ago.”

“Oh, that’s why… I was trembling as I watched. I was worried that you might lose and get seriously injured…”

Seating Eugene.

Mia gently touched the residual wounds on his body, applying herbs and potions alternately, making worried sounds.

Just a while ago, she was the one presiding over the duel.

She subtly hinted that she was silently rooting for one side.

“Is it a widely held belief throughout Elvengard that Yullia is an evil woman who made a pact with a murderer?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“…”

At Mia’s answer, Eugene felt his breath catch in his throat.

He had always known that Yullia was not welcomed in Elvengard.

She had greatly expanded the authority of the Priestess of the World Tree, who had been like a puppet.

An exceptional Priestess who had raised her voice for reform in the back alleys of Elvengard.

Naturally, she had become a thorn in the side of the Elder Council, who monopolized power at the time.

He knew that there had been many false rumors and sabotage to drive Yullia out.

But he had never heard the specific story of her being driven out as an evil woman who made a pact with a murderer and killed elves.

This story had never been told to him, even as he grew closer to Yullia and shared deep love with her.

‘How pitiful.’

The irony was that, after the Elder Council had largely resigned and been replaced by relatively young High Elves.

The reforms Yullia had advocated for had been implemented.

The reforms had normalized the faith of the elves, which had been close to madness.

If it weren’t for the reforms, during the Elvengard Great Fire, the elves would not have been able to evacuate, and they would have chosen to perish with the World Tree, clinging to old doctrines.

“Do you sympathize with that woman?”

“It seems that way.”

Eugene could not deny Mia’s words.

Yullia, who had lived for much longer than a short-lived species like humans.

Even after going through 12 cycles of reincarnation, he thought he knew everything about Yullia, but just by going back 50 years, he was discovering completely new aspects of her.

The reason she had become a recluse.

And the reason she could not face people.

Things that he had simply accepted as part of her character, he was now deeply contemplating for the first time.

“Then… Are you considering reconciliation?”

“Reconciliation? No. That’s not going to happen.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

There will be no reconciliation.

Eugene could assert that.

There is only one way for Yulia to reconcile.

Both of them still carry the emotions from the previous chapter.

To reconcile, they must ultimately align those emotions once again.

But for Eugene, that meant the end.

The moment he faced Yulia and allowed affection.

It would immediately lead to the main heroine capture rate reaching 100%, and Eugene would be trapped in this game.

If he resigned himself and stopped everything, that wouldn’t be so bad either.

However, Eugene couldn’t give up.

After more than 12 years of transforming his mind and body, he didn’t want to deny his life.

In any way possible, he had to return home.

He couldn’t stop.

“Is it right to keep running away like this?”

Suddenly, that question arose.

Wasn’t this ultimately running away from his relationship with Yulia?

Although the system error wasn’t Eugene’s fault.

The responsibility for creating this abnormal relationship clearly lay with Eugene.

Some form of closure was necessary.

Running away without meeting until the end and then leaving abruptly was an irresponsible act of abandoning responsibility.

“I have to take responsibility.”

He had to make up for the countless irresponsibilities he had committed, relying only on his regression ability.

That was the duty of a human being.

It was the nature of an ordinary person who couldn’t regress.

He had lived forgetting that for a long time, only realizing it belatedly after losing his regression ability.

“You look relieved.”

“I’ve sorted out my thoughts a bit. The frustration has eased a bit. Thank you.”

“What did I do…? You should leave now. Yulia, who will soon hear about the duel, will come looking for you.”

“You seem to know well.”

“It takes one to know one.”

With a refreshed expression, Eugene stepped forward under the gaze of the World Tree.

Mia stuck by his side, gazing endlessly at his face.

If before, he seemed like a ruthless and indifferent person cutting off past connections and leaving on a distant path like a hermit.

Now, he seemed like a boy exerting all his effort to reconnect those severed ties.

Although now he could be seen as more humane and reasonable.

Paradoxically, from the current Eugene, Mia felt a sense of alienation, as if looking at a completely different world from that of a normal person.

The sense of alienation felt from someone fundamentally different.

If tainted with negative traits, that sense of alienation would soon turn into fear.

But within Mia, that sense of alienation was gradually transformed into a form of admiration stemming from reverence.