NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 635
Chapter 635: Suspicion Was Not Completely Lifted (1)
Ereness sat by the window, staring outside every day.
There was no change in the expression on her face. However, anyone who knew her well could tell that the atmosphere was different from usual.
She was enveloped in a deep emptiness and loneliness, for her only friend who remembered the War a Thousand Years Ago had died.
“Arterion… You’ve left now too.”
She did not regret informing Ghislaine about Arterion.
She had fought for humanity. If she were to annihilate humans alongside Arterion, then all the battles and sacrifices made a thousand years ago would lose their meaning.
That’s why she didn’t stand with Arterion; she wished for the world to remain as it is now.
“Because that would mean… we made the right choice.”
But just because she had no regrets, it didn’t mean the feeling of loss from losing an old friend had vanished. She sat there in a lethargic state every day.
She just didn’t express it passionately, but her heart was already exhausted to the core.
Thud.
The sound of the door opening was heard, but Ereness didn’t turn her head.
There was only one human who could intrude into her residence so freely in this kingdom.
She continued to stare out the window and spoke.
“…You’re back now.”
“Yeah, thanks to you, I managed to catch him without any damage.”
“…I see.”
If Ereness hadn’t tipped them off beforehand, there would have been immense casualties, just like in her previous life. Thanks to her information, they were able to catch him at just the right time.
She chose her beliefs over her long-time friend.
Scrape.
Ghislaine dragged a chair and sat next to Ereness. Only then did Ereness turn her head.
“Did you come to celebrate or something?”
Ghislaine shook her head at her indifferent gaze.
“No, I know you’re not in the mood to celebrate since Arterion was a friend. Let me start with a thank you.”
“You don’t have to worry about it. After living for so long, one inevitably has to send off those they’ve grown fond of. That’s… my life.”
“……”
Though elves are said to have longer lifespans than humans, Ereness had lived an even longer time. She must have had to part with everyone her heart had bonded with.
The pain that had accumulated over such a long time must have been beyond what anyone else could fathom.
After a moment of silence, Ghislaine slowly opened her mouth.
“Why did the dragon end up like that? He was completely insane. Even when asked to join us in finding the adversary, he refused and tried to kill all the humans.”
“…I don’t know.”
“Do you really not know?”
“Yeah. I can only guess it’s due to the rage from losing his kin.”
“I can’t understand. Is the curse of the adversary that powerful? To annihilate a whole race and subjugate you and the dragon?”
“The power of a curse varies depending on who wields it. If someone holds a great grudge against the world and can manipulate the powers of a deity, then it wouldn’t be abnormal for it to have such effects.”
“Then couldn’t he just ask to destroy the human world instead?”
“…That’s why the adversary is trying to resurrect. To destroy this world.”
Ghislaine let out a deep sigh. Even if the curse of the adversary was strong, it seemed it wasn’t enough to destroy the world.
So he resurrects to deal with those who have escaped the curse directly.
That was the only way she could understand it. It was knowledge that was beyond her understanding.
“What on earth happened a thousand years ago? If there’s something I don’t know, I’d like to find out more.”
“I’ve said it before. A war broke out, and we won. The hero and the saint sealed the demon realm, and the world regained peace. There’s nothing more to it.”
“No matter how I think about it, there seems to be more to it?”
Ereness said with her emotionless gaze.
“The Salvation Society has resurrected and is searching for their king. To destroy the world and create their own paradise. What more explanation do you need?”
“……”
“Because we won, the Salvation Society has spent all those years lying low. And Duke of Penris, you cut off their lifeline again.”
“…”
“Is there anything else to doubt? If the adversary resurrects, just eliminate him. Then the world of humans will regain peace.”
“Hmm…”
“The truth is only this. What more could you possibly need?”
Ereness’ words had no faults.
To put it simply, there is an enemy that seeks to upend the world, and if that enemy is eradicated, it would be the end. What had happened regarding that enemy in the past didn’t really matter.
What had brought Ghislaine here was her personal curiosity. There was something she had seen in the saint’s dream.
It wasn’t urgent. She intended to slowly learn more through her dreams.
However, something had burrowed into Arterion’s body and into Yulien. If that was the reason the dragon had gone mad, it couldn’t be ignored.
With great resolve, Ghislaine decided to bring up the dream. It seemed that revealing some secrets was necessary for the conversation to proceed honestly.
“I saw someone in a dream after obtaining this necklace. I think it was the saint from a thousand years ago.”
At her words, Ereness displayed a hint of curiosity.
That necklace was well-known to Ereness as well. She had been present when Ghislaine had snatched it.
At that time, she had pretended not to know, making an excuse about mistaking it for something belonging to an old colleague.
Observing Ereness’ reaction, Ghislaine summarized the contents she had seen in her dreams.
“I saw the hero and the adversary in my dream. But the person resembling Yulien wasn’t the adversary. It was the hero.”
“I also saw the scene where the dragon fought against the lesser gods of the other world. I even saw you battling in numerous fights.”
“…Through my dreams, I learned about the heroes of that era and the techniques they used.”
Even though she had summarized it well, Ghislaine’s story became quite lengthy. She had seen a lot during that time.
Ereness widened her eyes in disbelief as she listened to the story. However, the moment her gaze met Ghislaine’s, she quickly changed her expression and let out a laugh.
“The saint appeared in your dreams?”
“Yeah.”
“You also saw the saint’s companions? I also saw them?”
“Yeah.”
“Haha, Duke of Penris. You, at your level, believe such dreams?”
Ereness found it amusing and firmly stated.
“Such companions do not exist.”
“What?”
“Make sense. The only one who remembers the figures of the heroes from a thousand years ago is me. Why would the saint who died a thousand years ago appear in your dreams?”
“……”
“A knight similar to the founding king of Ruthania? An assassin manipulating a dagger like it’s nothing? A mage that resembles the founder of the mage tower where Jerome was? And the founding member of the House of Perdium? Hahaha!”
“……”
“Duke of Penris, your imagination is truly remarkable. But aren’t all those figures similar to the people around you?”
“……”
“Gillian, Belinda, Jerome, and you. The hero is Yulien. What did the saint look like? Was it Parniel? Or was it Piote?”
Ghislaine crossed her arms and furrowed her brow. She had no retort against such statements. It felt like she shouldn’t have brought up the dream in the first place.
She should have waited for clearer information before pressing the issue. Right now, it was impossible to win against Ereness’s logic.
“Ugh…”
Ghislaine, who seemed puzzled and narrowed her brows, glanced at Ereness.
‘It wouldn’t be effective by force either.’
It felt like she had grown stronger during the time they hadn’t seen each other.
This didn’t mean she would lose in a fight. It meant that just opening her mouth would be an arduous task.
Even though threats wouldn’t work, if the two were to fight, the capital would be completely destroyed.
Ereness sighed and spoke.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Don’t think too hard. Just root out the remnants of the Salvation Society, and when the adversary appears, kill him. You too desire peace in this world, don’t you?”
“Hmm.”
It wasn’t wrong. Since returning to the past, Ghislaine had been moving busily to protect her family, friends, and territory.
Now, she had to protect the entire Ruthania Kingdom. If she could protect just the kingdom, everything else was secondary.
However, she needed to understand the nature of the energy that had burrowed into Yulien’s body. Ignoring it might lead to a significant threat in the future.
‘How should I put this?’
Just as Ghislaine was contemplating, footsteps approached.
Clip, clip, clip.
The two turned their heads. Soon, Yulien appeared.
Yulien seemed to have overheard part of their conversation while approaching. He asked bluntly.
“Something has transferred from the dragon’s body to me.”
Ghislaine showed a slight look of surprise. She hadn’t asked on purpose while he tried to hide it, but Yulien revealed it himself.
Yulien looked at Ghislaine and said.
“So you knew after all.”
“Well… sort of? I felt some strange energy for a brief moment back then.”
“Yeah. That’s a relief. Till now, I’ve been trying to resolve it alone, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was.”
“You couldn’t figure it out?”
“I can’t feel it or use it. Somehow, it has assimilated with me as if it’s one with my body.”
“Hmm…”
Ghislaine was bewildered. A person of Yulien’s caliber couldn’t even feel it.
If that was the case, wasn’t there absolutely no way to identify its nature?
Ereness, still gazing at Yulien with her emotionless eyes, spoke.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Yeah, I don’t know everything about the world’s principles. But…”
After thinking for a moment, Ereness continued.
“During the final battle, the adversary plunged his sword into Arterion’s Dragon Heart.”
“……”
“But he couldn’t kill Arterion. The adversary was expending all his strength from a long battle and was dying.”
“Was that the end?”
“Yeah. The adversary died after that last attack. Arterion was also gravely injured and couldn’t return to his land.”
“So he headed toward…”
Ereness nodded.
“The Shadow Mountain Range. Weakened, he healed his wounds and fell asleep there. During the time he lost consciousness, he was bound in the distortion of time and space due to the curse.”
“……”
Ereness looked into Yulien’s eyes and spoke. Her gaze seemed unsettling.
“What you absorbed might be the remnants of the adversary’s cursed energy. Perhaps the remnants of that energy found a new vessel.”
“Are you sure?”
“I can only speculate.”
Yulien’s gaze became deeper. He asked again.
“Then do you have this power too?”
“I don’t.”
“Why don’t you have it when you encountered the same curse?”
“Because the World Tree protected me. Being wrapped by the World Tree, I could avoid being tainted by the power of the deity.”
“……”
“That’s why as the adversary resurrected and the seal weakened, both I and Arterion could move again.”
Ghislaine narrowed her eyes and asked.
“Why… didn’t you mention this before?”
Ereness frowned.
“Ha, do I have to explain all of this? It’s hardly important! Should I also tell you what I ate to survive during the war a thousand years ago?”
“Hmm…”
Ghislaine looked at Yulien. If Ereness was right, didn’t that mean that the energy that had bound Arterion had now entered Yulien?
“You… there’s no discomfort in movement?”
“…Not particularly.”
“Then is it alright?”
“……”
Not knowing the nature of the energy, there was no way to deal with it.
As more information increased, Yulien thought it might help him make guesses, so he added one more thing.
“Right after all the energy was absorbed, I briefly saw someone resembling the saint in my mind.”
“The saint?”
“I’m not sure. I only assume it was the saint because she wore a necklace similar to the one you’re wearing.”
“Is there… nothing else?”
“Only that she said it wasn’t about saving the world.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. That was all she said before disappearing.”
Ghislaine frowned. That saint was showing up everywhere, babbling incomprehensible things.
As Ghislaine and Yulien were talking to each other, they failed to notice Ereness’s expression.
‘…!’
Her face went pale in an instant, like a child caught stealing.