Chapter 50 : Chapter 50

Chapter 50: The Foolish and the Great (3)

“Don’t panic, and take a deep breath. Now, can you explain? What has happened until now.”

The guardian soldier, though flustered by Ropin’s touch, readily opened his mouth.

“I don’t remember much. There was just a loud explosion near the World Tree, and we just headed there…….”

“What did you witness there?”

“I saw an impossible sight……. The Guardian of the World Tree was lying there, fallen.”

The muttering guardian soldier murmured with a dazed expression, as if the shock hadn't subsided.

“That can’t be. The Guardian shouldn’t fall as long as the World Tree is safe.”

“What does that mean?”

“In exchange for protecting the World Tree, the Guardian possesses infinite life force. It’s impossible to injure or kill him through ordinary means.”

The sight of one who cannot die, dead.

It was certainly enough to throw everyone into a panic.

“And… from the moment I saw that corpse, something felt strange.”

The guardian soldier said no more.

It seemed he also needed time to sort out his thoughts.

“So they cast a mental magic on the corpse of the Guardian they killed. That’s why all the guardian soldiers who witnessed that sight were controlled.”

At Ropin’s words, everyone began to organize the information they had obtained.

There was an accomplice helping Codis, or perhaps someone who had brainwashed even Codis from the start.

That person had killed the Guardian of the World Tree and then brainwashed the guardian soldiers.

Afterward, they supplied Hellmorph corpses to have Codis control them, but Codis took it a step further by inviting priests of the Rata faith to try and revive this Guardian.

“What the hell does that guy get out of this?”

Bow said.

“If he’s really in league with that monster, he could just hand over living monsters. Why kill them first and then have them controlled?”

“…….”

Everyone quietly held their silence.

No one here could even venture a guess as to the intention.

“It seems there’s no way to find out for now. For now, let’s organize this information and hand it over to the elves.”

Gerard said, untying the rope of the bound guardian soldier.

It was then.

Tat-tat-tat.

At that moment, the sound of small footsteps began to be heard from all directions.

The sound was so faint at first that it was unnoticeable, but it grew clearer as the distance closed.

Their numbers were considerable.

“Who is it?”

“Did the guards find the entrance?”

Gerard muttered with a puzzled expression, but the reality was much worse.

“Be careful!”

Whip!

Just as Jeina grabbed Gerard’s clothes and pulled him back, a single dagger grazed past the spot where he had been.

At the same time, the beings that appeared from all directions were the assassins they had faced so tediously.

“The Waning Moon Cloak!”

Before the party could even come to their senses, they blocked the escape route and then persistently attacked only Artier, Jeina, and Bow, splitting the party in two.

“Now that you’ve come this far, we can’t just let you be.”

Clang!

Artier, pushing back the assassins, glared at the female assassin he had met before.

‘I can feel it.’

He hadn't known last time, but this time he could tell for sure.

A strange, sticky flow of mana could be felt in the assassin’s eyes.

“You are being deceived.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t come here to talk to you.”

“M-Master!”

Crack!

The ice wall that Collie had put up was shattered in an instant.

It seemed quite overwhelming for the mages alone to block the assassins’ attacks.

‘Continuing the battle in this state is not good.’

Everyone had already consumed a certain amount of mana in the previous battles.

But the assassins had blocked the escape route and were continuously swarming in.

‘At this rate…….’

Just as he was breaking into a cold sweat, a clear voice echoed throughout the cavern.

“Stop. I’ve seen enough.”

It was a voice he had never heard before in his life.

But as soon as that voice was heard, all the elves in the room froze as if turned to stone.

‘What?’

Artier could not understand this situation.

Just then, an assassin next to him muttered blankly.

“Lady Tersion?”

Click-clack.

The distinct sound of heels was heard in the silence.

Bow, who had walked to the center of the fight without any hindrance, raised one hand.

“All elves, cease fighting immediately. This is an order.”

“……Bow?”

It was not the androgynous voice he usually heard.

When Artier called him, Bow took off the mask he had been wearing until now.

Click.

The fiery red, straight hair he had hidden under his hood fluttered.

The emerald eyes he had only ever seen beyond the mask were there.

But what was most shocking of all was the shape of the ears hidden between the hood, which were long and pointed.

“An elf……!”

“Bow was an elf?”

Everyone was in shock.

Only Collie muttered in a small voice.

“Did I not tell you? That he did not seem like someone who would live as a mercenary.”

Bow glanced at Collie and then asked the female assassin again in an arrogant tone.

“I have seen enough of the garbage things you are doing. I assume you have no intention of making excuses?”

“Why is the Great Warrior here……”

Her previous attitude was gone, and the female assassin was trembling, breaking out in a cold sweat.

It seemed that even in a state of mental domination, fear had a stronger grip on her body.

Confirming this, Bow gave Ropin a slight signal.

“Erase it all.”

“……Understood.”

[Ropin uses a skill.]

Anti-Trauma (Lv.1): Removes negative effects that interfere with the target’s mind.

The veteran Ropin immediately swung his staff.

As a bright aura spread, the mana shimmering in the eyes of the Waning Moon Cloak assassins instantly scattered.

“Keoheuk!”

“Show some respect. I’m warning you, I won’t say it twice.”

Thump!

The moment Bow scowled and was about to take a step forward, the staggering female assassin quickly knelt on one knee.

“I greet the Great Warrior, Lady Tersion.”

Simultaneously, all the assassins present knelt together.

***

Half a day had passed since Artier’s party had visited the lord’s castle.

In the lord’s castle of Gigas Hall, dozens of soldiers in silver uniforms were roaming about.

“Gigas Hall will be temporarily managed by the World Tree Council.”

In the office they had visited once again, Bow, no, Tersion, spoke in a casual voice.

“This city will probably return to normal soon. Though that brat Codis seemed smarter when he was brainwashed.”

“That……”

“What, is it awkward?”

Tersion flicked her straight hair and covered her face with her mask again as she spoke.

“Or is this more comfortable?”

“It’s not like that.”

When Artier answered firmly, Tersion lowered her mask as if satisfied.

“I couldn’t help it. It’s a rule to hide my identity when carrying out a mission.”

“Then why did you reveal your identity?”

“It just goes to show how exceptional the current situation is.”

At first, she too did not believe in Codis’s atrocities.

She had thought someone had spread a baseless rumor or it was a ploy by the humans.

But as various pieces of evidence began to emerge, and after confirming the powerful mental magic that had even affected the Guardian of the World Tree, she could no longer stand by.

“By now you must have realized, the reason I was collecting elven artifacts was to get back what was stolen.”

“Using the time when the empire was in chaos?”

“That’s right.”

In the chaos caused by the appearance of the Hellmorphs, the elves wanted to reclaim the artifacts that had been taken by humans.

And as their representative, they had chosen the Great Warrior Tersion, one of their strongest.

“This mask and robe might look like rags on the outside, but they are quite expensive artifacts. If I don’t take off the mask, even a Grand Magus would perceive me as a human.”

“Will it be okay?”

“What?”

“For you to tell us something like that.”

At Artier’s question, Tersion thought for a moment and then smirked.

“Why? Are you someone important? It’s not like you’re in a position to go and warn the emperor of the empire right now.”

“…….”

“There’s that, but I’ve decided to trust you this time.”

“Yes?”

“I figured a guy who recklessly jumps in without a thought for his own life might care a little about this side’s life too.”

If the elves’ scheme entered the emperor’s ears, the elves would surely be oppressed.

Perhaps even the autonomy they had barely managed to protect would be threatened.

“Thank you. For trusting me.”

Knowing that fact, Artier had no intention of doing such a thing.

But separate from that, being trusted was certainly a grateful thing.

“So will you return the artifact to me? That brat Codis messed it up badly, but it’s still a precious treasure to us.”

“Of course.”

Artier took off the bracelet without hesitation.

‘The options are a shame, but…….’

He couldn't fight the entire elven race just to get a few skills.

Artier knew well that this was a situation where he had to take a step back.

“Thanks.”

Tersion pocketed the bracelet and glanced out the window.

“It’s a shame, but it’s time to say goodbye.”

“Yes?”

“I have something I must do. That takes priority over all other matters.”

She was by no means collecting elven artifacts for personal satisfaction.

The mission of her race weighed heavily on her shoulders.

“I can promise you. I will continue to search for elven artifacts in the future.”

“Why? The process of collecting artifacts is never easy. Are you trying to recruit me without any reward by doing that?”

Tersion did not hide her suspicion.

Artier scratched the back of his neck and sighed inwardly.

‘I can’t lose a comrade like this here!’

Of course, although Bow was a strong archer, if asked whether she was worth hiring to the point of giving up all the artifacts, it was a bit ambiguous.

She didn’t have more skills than others, and the only thing special about her was that she was one or two levels higher than others.

But Artier wanted to continue his connection with her if possible.

‘I’m going to continue collecting elven artifacts anyway, and I have to use some of them.’

In <Cross Destiny>, there were several main events that could be passed very easily if one had a specific item.

Artier planned to collect the items to be used in such battles in advance.

The problem was that these were not just artifacts, but ‘elven’ artifacts.

Using them without any prior consent was bound to lower his affinity with the elves.

‘If I build a connection with Tersion, an elf, I might be able to mitigate the penalty to some extent.’

Organizing his thoughts, Artier raised his head.

“Elven artifacts are needed to save the world.”

“……What do you mean?”

“You saw it too. How the Hellmorphs are destroying the world. You can’t be sure that the elves or the World Tree are safe.”

“You’re not unaware of what that means, are you?”

Tersion’s expression immediately turned cold, and she glared fiercely at Artier.

“Was your intention in finding the artifacts for me also for that purpose? To use the elven artifacts?”

“I won’t deny it. But I didn’t intend to use them without permission.”

If an elven artifact is used by someone who is not an elf, the World Tree Council can find out immediately.

‘I remember resetting that playthrough because I was endlessly pursued after using one without thinking.’

He did not want to experience that nightmare again.

“Whatever my intentions or purposes may be, I know that me, a human, using elven artifacts would be an unpleasant thing for the elves.”

“…….”

“I won’t ask you to permit it right away. But please watch over me from my side. See how I use the artifacts, and why I said I need them.”

Tersion fell into thought but soon shook her head.

“That’s not something I can decide on my own. I need to get permission from the Council.”

The World Tree Council was a large organization that commanded all elves.

The twelve council members elected as representatives of the elves could issue commands that the elves could never refuse.

“Hiding among humans while concealing my identity and traveling with a human companion are two different things. Besides, there are quite a few council members who dislike humans.”

“……Is that so.”

So it’s no good?

The moment he sighed, Tersion spoke her next words.

“But if it’s a trade, it might be a little different.”

“Yes?”

“Elves don’t really like appealing to emotions, you see? They prefer clear-cut interests. If you request the one-time use of an artifact on the condition that you help with my duties, the Council might accept it.”

She said so and picked up a random parchment and quill from the desk and began to write something.

“Of course, if it weren’t for your actions so far, it wouldn’t have worked at all.”

Pat!

The parchment transformed into a bird and flew toward a large, distant tree.

“Right now, it’s not without possibility. You’ve provided important information that the Council hadn’t even gotten a whiff of until now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But you haven’t proven why you need the artifact, and whether that method is just.”

“…….”

“So I’ll follow you around and make a judgment with my own two eyes. I can at least do that much.”

Artier looked at the hand extended before him.

And with a smile, he took that hand.

“Alright.”

[Bow’s name will be changed to Tersion.]

[The job will be changed from Archer to Elf Great Warrior.]

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