Chapter 18
The book’s explanation went like this.
Etherian.
An ancient elven kingdom that existed before the Holy Kingdom, where the World Tree’s true body once stood.
In those days, its large population and the elves’ warlike nature had turned it into an empire.
As for its culture… one unusual detail was that only male elves could become king.
Male elves were rare, but apparently that wasn’t a major problem when the population was overflowing.
“So it was a story that had only been passed down orally in the past, and wasn’t included in official history…?”
And the World Tree’s true body?
Does that mean the World Tree we have now isn’t the original?
[They met their end at the hands of a colossal dragon, and the few elves who survived found a sapling of the World Tree and established the Holy Kingdom.]
Something about this… I just couldn’t understand.
If they had such a major history and such an event, why didn’t modern elves know about it—or even try to find out?
There were too many details that fit strangely well for it to be dismissed as mere folklore.
On top of that, the elves inside the Gate had called themselves Etherians.
…I guess I’ll have to go back in there to find out the rest.
That elf had gone to a lot of trouble to find this book for me, too.
There probably isn’t anything more detailed…
Rustle—
As I thought that and absentmindedly turned one more page…
[Etherian Treasures]
Huh?
Treasure?!
Looks like I found the most important page.
Let’s see… What did the great Etherian Empire leave behind?
[Etherian had three renowned treasures.]
The Moonlight Blade, a sword that held the light of the moon.
The World Tree Crown, which could wield some of the Mother’s authority.
And lastly, Luna Carta, a map that used moonlight to find the way.
“Luna Carta?”
Of these, the Moonlight Blade was still a treasure to the elves of today.
As for the crown… it must be the one sitting on BountifulHarvest’s head.
I guess the only treasure I could find and take with me is Luna Carta.
I have no intention of going to war with a race just to take a famous treasure from them.
Of course, that might change if I really wanted it…
For now, though, I have no interest in it.
[Luna Carta]
A map that uses moonlight to find the way, huh.
I wonder what kind of ability it has.
Rustle—
“Hm?”
[Etherian’s ■■]
The next page I turned to had somehow been made impossible to read.
It was clearly written there, but I couldn’t perceive it.
Was it magic?
No… If it were magic, I should have been able to break through it.
This seemed… closer to an authority.
Could this be the curse of forgetfulness?
If I read it and immediately forgot it… then it made sense that magic resistance wouldn’t break through it.
But… why would it affect me when I’m not an elf?
[In Etherian’s ■■, they ■■ the ■■. Therefore, it must be sealed forever and ■■. If the ■■ were to sprout—]
“…What is this?”
Sentences I couldn’t make sense of.
It didn’t seem like there was any point in continuing to look at it.
…Maybe it’s time to get up.
Tap—
“Umm… Lady Goldie…?”
“Wake up. Let’s go.”
When I closed the book and stood up, Terra, who’d been dozing beside me, looked up at me sleepily.
…How long had she been asleep?
***
“Huff… huff…”
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes!… I’m fine, Unnie!…”
The next day.
We entered the Gate and, as we had the day before, decided to clear it first.
However…
“Your angle is off. Against an enemy that size, aim for its chest rather than its neck.”
“Haaah… I-I understand!…”
Because Ha-eun was determined to keep training whenever she got the chance, she took on the monsters that appeared.
How should I put it…
It was nice seeing her work so hard.
But I wondered if she was pushing herself too much.
Just this morning, she’d been suffering from muscle aches, so I’d even used a World Tree’s Leaf on her.
Slash!—
[The Gate has been cleared.]
[Reward - 5 low-grade mana stones]
[You take another step closer to the truth of the World Tree.]
“Huff…”
- Daaamn
- I’ve always wondered, why is that lady’s skirt so short?
- That’s what makes it good
- Can’t argue with thatㅎㅎ
“Good work. Take a little rest.”
“Y-Yes…”
Let’s see…
Now that we’ve cleared the Gate, should we go look for those elves again?
Hmm, but where are they?
“…Dragon.”
“Hm?”
“Look over there.”
I followed Beren’s hand as he pointed somewhere.
“A forest fire…?”
A huge plume of smoke, one we hadn’t been able to see until now, was rising in the distance.
And then we heard it.
—————!!
A tremendous roar, too.
“Oh, no…”
Tap—
“Eek?!”
“Stay right there.”
I covered Ha-eun’s ears.
It might not be a problem for the other two, but it could be dangerous for Ha-eun.
“It’s Dragon Fear.”
“Fear…?”
“It means it used its roar as an attack. At that level of power, the people nearby must’ve passed out.”
- D-D-D-Damn
- Didn’t the boss let out a roar last time, too?
- Yeah
- The cave almost collapsed that time, too
- I live right downstairs from Lady Goldie. I hear that every day.
- LMAO what, do you scream like that every day?
“Back then, I just let it out without putting any mana into it. Anyway, if it’s using Dragon Fear, this looks pretty dangerous.”
As I said that, I looked at Ha-eun.
The one over there was surely the same Red Dragon we’d seen yesterday.
I wasn’t worried about myself, and I thought Beren and Terra would be fine, but…
Ha-eun was different.
She was an Awakened, but only B-rank.
She wasn’t strong enough to stand against a dragon like that.
Her situation was far too different from Terra’s.
If I got carried away and started exchanging blows with it, could I really guarantee Ha-eun’s safety?
It would be better to send her back at this point…
“Ha-eun, you should probably head back—”
“No, let’s go together.”
“…What?”
I frowned slightly and looked at Beren, whose voice had suddenly cut me off.
No surprise he was a swordsman. He even cut people off mid-sentence.
“A sword only grows stronger when it shines in actual combat.”
“I know what you mean, but this is too dangerous for Ha-eun.”
“Didn’t you ask me to teach her? An opportunity has presented itself.”
As he spoke, he looked down at Ha-eun, who was sitting and resting.
“What will you do?”
“I-I… Unnie…? What should I…?”
But Beren seemed displeased by that, and for the first time, he frowned.
“If you’re a swordswoman, decide for yourself where your sword should point, and move.”
“…”
“Growth doesn’t happen by chance. And an opportunity placed before you can disappear in an instant.”
As he said that, I crossed my arms and looked back and forth between the two of them.
For now, Ha-eun was someone I intended to raise into a treasure in the making.
Of course, Ha-eun had to grow stronger for that treasure to be made…
But what good would it do if she died before then?
A little more slowly.
There had to be a safe way, too.
For the sake of the treasure—and as a person…
I didn’t want to lose Ha-eun because I’d gotten greedy.
‘…This is why I wanted to make a contract.’
As I looked at Ha-eun, Beren looked toward the rising smoke and spoke instead.
“It’s wrong to hinder her growth because of your own desires. Dragon, it’s dangerous to judge everyone by your own standards.”
Was that what had finally set her off?
Ha-eun, who’d been watching the two of us nervously, slowly stood and spoke with trembling lips.
“In that case… I think I want to go, after all. It might be irresponsible of me to say this, but I want to become stronger, too. At least as strong as my older brother…”
…If she put it like that, it’d be awkward for me to just say no.
And… that older brother she kept bringing up.
I really ought to ask her about him properly once this is over.
Every time she mentioned him, her voice trembled.
There seemed to be something going on.
“Damn it… Listen. If anything happens to Ha-eun, I’ll burn this whole Holy Kingdom to the ground. Got it?”
“Interesting. Are you saying you want to become like that dragon? I am the Holy Kingdom’s sword. I won’t let that happen.”
- Gasp
- Damn, if the boss really went on a rampage, who could stop her?
- Couldn’t they summon the Hunters with power on the level of national forces?
- They’d be lucky if even one showed up, lol
- If the boss seems stronger than them even after they’re summoned, hit like
- Starting with me, lol
- [BountifulHarvest] .
“And one more thing. It’s good to have a standard for strength, but don’t get fixated on it. Dream of growing beyond it.”
After saying that, Beren drew his sword and got ready to run toward the rising smoke.
“I’ll go ahead.”
Bang!—
He vanished from sight in an instant.
“…Unnie?”
“Sigh…”
“I’m sorry for being stubborn… But—”
“Yeah. Like I said before, you must have had something you wanted when you started following me, too.”
If that’s the case, you’ve done a good job of making it happen.
You even got to learn a little swordsmanship from the Sword Saint.
…I don’t usually like having these serious, heavy conversations for so long.
Beep—
- Huh?
- Mom where are you mom where are you mom where are you mom where are you mom where are you mom where are you
- [NotSuspiciousAtAll] Open up!!
- [High-ProteinFood] It’s dark…
“So. You have a goal in mind, right?”
“Yes…”
“To become stronger than your older brother?”
“…”
Ha-eun’s expression turned quite serious at that.
“Well, I won’t ask any more right now. We have other things to worry about.”
[Withdrawal 3,000,000 won - Details: [Physical Enhancement - Gold] skill usage fee]
The fact that we were heading toward a dragon gave this a similar feel to when we went to the Abandoned Mine Gate.
Of course, the Physical Enhancement I’d used on Ha-eun cost a lot more than it had back then.
“Uh…?”
“For now, let’s focus on exploring this place.”
***
We hurried after Beren, running toward the rising smoke.
As the castle walls came into view and I spotted the dragon circling the sky, I took out the Fragment of Hermes.
“This is bad.”
Could it be the effect of that Dragon Fear from earlier?
A large number of elves were sprawled across the ground.
For most of them, it was already too late.
- Someone over there is moving!
- Boss, hurry and save them!!
- To the right, to the right!
“Ugh…”
I found an elf who was still conscious and went over to use a World Tree’s Leaf on them.
Helping the elves should make things go more smoothly.
“Are you all right?”
“Ugh… Who are you…?”
“This is Etherian, right? Tell me what’s going on.”
“Well… Hic?! H-Horns? A dragon?!”
Ah, maybe I should’ve hidden them with magic…
“Calm down. I’m… a dragonkin. I’m here to help you.”
“H-How can I believe—”
“Look at this. I used it to heal you. Do you know what it is?”
“The Mother’s leaf…?”
The elf who’d stared at me with wide eyes hesitated for a moment, then opened their mouth as if forcing the words out.
“A d-dragon!… A red one suddenly flew here…”
“Were there any warning signs?”
“Ugh… I heard that the Mother’s saplings all over the land had been dug up. We’d been preparing our defenses, but…”
Flap!—
It wouldn’t have mattered.
How could the elves have stopped something like that?
At that size…
Was it a Colossal Dragon?
Just looking at its size, it seemed even bigger than my true form.
KWA-BOOM!—
Just then, the dragon that had been circling the World Tree suddenly swooped down inside the castle walls.
Then, as if it were about to roar again, it began filling its lungs with mana.
Damn, this is dangerous…
“Terra! Cover that person’s ears!”
“Yes!”
I shouted urgently and covered Ha-eun’s ears.
—————!!
- Aah! My ears!!
- Shit, I can’t hear out of one side of my headset!
- [I’mGonnaDie] It feels like my ears are bleeding;
- Please put up a warning for ear damage…
- How is the boss just listening to that…?
“Damn… That thing has some nerve. Roaring right in my face is crossing the line.”
“…”
“Why are you staring?”
“N-No, nothing, Lady Goldie…”
Well, now that I’m seeing it up close, I can tell for sure.
It’s definitely no ordinary Red Dragon.
And with an aura this powerful, it must have had an epithet of its own.
Rustle—
“Hm?”
Just then, its long, slit pupils suddenly fixed on me.
Then—
[Are you one of my kind?]
It spoke to me in Dragon Tongue.