chapter 31
“Elf, let me express my regret first. You have created a problem with your hasty judgment.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Go back to the guild and report that you have completed the quest. I will leave soon.”
Anyway, it was purely my fault that Lena became like this.
Since I was staying in a place where the purification ability was lacking, the contamination of the magic got worse.
Hurry up, let’s go to another place.
What kind of beasts and demons are being created in random order, it will be really bad if you stay longer.
“What are you talking about now…”
However, Lena is unable to follow the flow of the story with an expression that she does not understand the English language despite my apology.
Seriously, the look and tone of expression that I can’t understand why I’m apologizing.
…Oh right.
After all, I didn’t explain it.
“…Sir Faust.”
Irene standing next to me looks at me with a puzzled expression. He is shooting at me with an expression as if he had brought such an important thing without saying anything until now.
No… Why?
No time for me to tell Lena that just woke up.
“…It’s me.”
“yes?”
“I am the cause of the strange change in the forest.”
“…yes?”
However, even after telling the truth, Lena’s expression did not change. Even though you must have listened to me when you saw the elf-specific long ears perked up.
He just sits blankly with an expression on his face as if he had heard that it couldn’t be.
**********
What did I hear now?
Is it because of this person that the forest turned into a dungeon?
It’s such a silly story.
Of course, high-ranking demon species, undead species, and overwhelmingly powerful people such as dragons can do such things.
However, such beings intimidate those around them just by standing still.
But this man Faustra is literally just an ordinary… Huh?
‘Human… right?’
No… Are you really human?
I had just woken up from a nightmare, so I couldn’t check properly because I wasn’t sober, but now I’m a little bit awake.
A person called Faust apparently looks human… but I can’t confirm that he is a human.
First of all, that look.
If you look at each of the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, you can be sure that they are truly human, but when you put those body parts together to make a face, it is so unnatural that you feel strangely uncomfortable. It’s like a doppelganger who gets caught clinging to someone.
Next, the spirit of scratching the skin strangely… Somewhere, uh!?
Parrut-
“👌👌”
As I was carefully examining the spirit of Faust, I suddenly got goosebumps all over my body.
Suddenly, the back of my neck trembled, and the tremor ran down my spine and ran down my body in an instant.
It felt like an ice-cold snake, a snake that could take my life at any moment, was crawling down my back quickly. It felt like my heart would stop if I let go of my mind even a little.
Room, what just happened…?
What is this all of a sudden… Huh?
“…”
The whole body is soaked in sweat, so it’s very wet, but the lower part of the body is even wetter enough to overturn the dampness.
Not only that.
After being wet, it’s strangely warm… Ah, uh…
what…
What… What…
No… all of a sudden why… this… why… shh…!
[Furoo!!]
“Hey…”
At that moment, the memories of the past suddenly run through my head in an instant.
It went by so quickly that I couldn’t properly recall it.
I only remembered a part of the scene, but I only remembered the scene in which my vision was dyed bright red… but that’s already enough.
‘This spirit… this feeling…’
I’ve definitely felt it.
15 years ago.
At the scene of the coup in Leon.
On the spot when Matthias’ body exploded and died.
Faust is… the devil.
‘Uh, come on… run away… run away…’
Why the hell is the devil here?
You never know what will happen if you stay like this.
As the Seraphia Church suffered in Montpellio, the mind could be completely destroyed.
Come on run away You have to run away at any cost.
But… my legs don’t move.
“Why is that? Sister?”
At that moment, my grandmother, who is too old to guess, sees me and approaches me worriedly.
It was shocking to see my grandmother calling me my sister, but the fear of the devil made the shocking sight nothing in an instant.
I have to run away with my grandmother, who didn’t realize the truth quickly, but my body doesn’t listen properly because fear is taking over my whole body.
“Hal, Grandma… Uh, come on… Run away… Run away…”
“…are you still in your nightmare? You’re talking nonsense.”
no.
After all, Grandma didn’t even realize it was the devil.
You shouldn’t be around that demon.
It’s a vicious demon that explodes while playing with the ego of a living creature, but if he stays here any longer—
“After all, seeing the duvet soaked in sweat like this is a nightmare– Huh?”
“Sleep, wait a minute… Ah…”
At that moment, Grandma left me in embarrassment and suddenly removed my blanket.
He was too quick and he was selling his mind elsewhere, so he couldn’t stop the quilt from lifting.
No… no… this… show me, give me…
ah…
“uh…”
“Ah, uh…”
The mouths of the two elves that had only uttered many words until now were now only spewing meaningless onomatopoeia.
“In Leon… that elf.”
And Faust recalls the memories he had forgotten while looking at the gruesome and familiar sight.
Of course, after a while, like the two elves, he became speechless.
**********
‘Wow… I said I was familiar with it, so it was that elf…’
All memories in Korea are vivid as if they were just yesterday, but memories in this world are just ordinary memories. Over time, it weathers and sometimes forgets things that are not important.
I don’t know why this happened… Perhaps the memory of the body and the memory of the soul have completely different mechanisms.
Anyway, that’s why I couldn’t remember that elf was that elf back then. If I hadn’t seen the triggering scene, I probably wouldn’t have realized it even in the distant future.
Hey, it’s said that life is a series of coincidences, but it’s strange to meet again like this.
“Black… black black…”
…still crying.
It’s been an hour since then, but Lena still doesn’t seem to be able to get out of the shock.
Seriously, I did that in front of everyone else, so I can’t do that.
But why?
Unlike in Leon, I haven’t done anything right now, have I? Why are you so frightened?
I don’t know if that muscle is very weak… It’s not really important.
‘Elpra… Hmm.’
Shall we move to the elven forest next time?
It’s a place I used to live in once, but it’s been 13 years since then, so by now all the magic I’ve released have been neutralized, right? Then again, there will be no problem…
Yes, meeting the elves like this is a relationship, so I will move to Daesurim this time.
“Ugly elf, your belongings are over there. I’ll be leaving soon, so as I said before, report to the guild that you have completed the quest.”
It seems that the work is almost finished, so I have to go back and prepare for the move.
There are a lot of materials for building a new house in the subspace warehouse, and I only need to burn the house and furniture that contains my magic energy.
“Ugh… yes, yes…? What is it that you’re leaving—”
Keying-
“No, wait–“
Lena, who finally understood the situation, tried to catch Faust, but it was already too late.
Lena had to go to a village near the polluted forest to receive a commission, but Faust did not know it at all, and it resulted in Lena leaving behind in Spezia, a distant land.
Lena, who has to travel a distance of three months by land from Irene’s shop to the village, freezes with her hands outstretched in the air where Faust was.
**********
“Ahhh…”
Lena, abandoned by Faust, sits down on the side of the road, sighing heavily and lamenting.
‘Why is this only happening to me…’
It’s like the world hates me…
It would take three months from here in Spezia to Antala, where the polluted forest was, and by then, I would have already canceled the quest from the other side.
[The quest cannot be completed because the client’s confirmation has not been received.]
[I… Then how about debt…]
[It would be better to consult with the bank, not the guild. Next minute!]
I even tried to solve the problem I was facing through the guild, but even this was impossible.
If the payment is delayed for three months, the house taken as collateral is… uh… ugh…
“When are you going to Antala?”
Of course, it is possible to reduce the time from three months to one or two months by renting a speed horse or a small drake, or by riding an express wagon.
If the debt is arrears for only one or two months, the house will not be overturned, so hope has not completely disappeared yet.
However, the problem is that there is no money to rent a horse or ride an express wagon.
Since the quest hasn’t been completed yet, you can’t save money by accepting additional quests. loan? Since you have already taken out a loan with your house as collateral, you cannot borrow any more.
Of course, you can use illegal debentures, but… ahhh…!!! Do I really have to do that?
Shall we just throw it all away and go back to the great forest? Why did I go out and go through this hardship?
“there…”
“…Yes? Who… are you?”
Then, suddenly, a woman with white hair and blue eyes I have never seen speaks to me. I am a little reluctant because I look very emaciated somewhere.
what else is this girl
“Ah… that’s no different. I didn’t mean to overhear you, but they said you were going to Antala. We’re going to Antala in a hurry too, so I’d like to ask how you would like to accompany us… Hehe…”
“…why?”
“If you ask me why… uh… well, elves are rare. I want to know a bit more about elves.”
Elves are rare and you’re taking me to learn about elves?
No, why the hell can’t humans use four legs when they see only elves? It’s like seeing a rare animal every time I see it… uh.
To be honest, I want to go to Antala quickly, but I refuse to go as it is treated as a rare animal— uh, huh…?
🥺🥺🥺🥺
‘This smell…’
…this woman smells like the dirt of that forest.
I don’t have a very good nose, but I can still smell a strong smell like this.
Parrut-
‘I…’
The back of the neck trembles.
It’s not exactly the same as Faust’s spirit, but it feels somewhat similar.
…Perhaps?
“That… I’m sorry, if you don’t like it, stop-“
“Do you know Faust?”
“-…”
The woman who had been talking lively until just now shuts her mouth in an instant.
It’s not that I don’t like to say it, it’s that I didn’t know that the name would come out of my mouth, so I’m embarrassed.
…at least you know more about that demon than me.
“What’s your name? My name is Lena.”
“…Iris.”
I can’t help it, I have to go with you.
I’ll have to ask some questions too.