chapter 50
50 – Episode 50. Elvengard (3)
After a brief self-introduction.
We were quickly guided to our accommodation.
Somehow, we have to bring back the residents who had just fled.
The atmosphere is quite chaotic as we have to deal with a scene that has been devastated by a fire.
So, it looks like they are trying to ask for our understanding and take some time to resolve the situation.
“Wow! I was a little worried because it was a house in a tree. Isn’t it neat on the inside?”
The accommodations we were shown were of a level that could easily be described as top-class.
From the outside, it was a house made by digging out the inside of a thick tree.
Once you get inside, you will see a wooden floor and wallpaper, a lifestyle that is far removed from the traditional elven lifestyle.
When I visited Elvengarde before, I always had to sleep in a house covered with scraggly vines, lying in an uncomfortable hammock that looked fantastic.
So, even though there are separate lodgings for foreigners, you still insisted on putting me to sleep there?
I suddenly feel angry.
“Ahh! I feel like I’m going to live because I went from sleeping against a hard carriage to lying down on a bed!”
Beolladeng.
Now, as if Alicia was tired of protecting her body as a noble daughter, as soon as she saw her bed, Alicia fell down and nuzzled her.
I just threw my luggage away and just lay still and breathed.
It looks like you were very tired.
I thought you were going to sleep like that.
As if something had occurred to Alicia, she suddenly stood up.
She then takes out her pen and paper straight from her luggage and begins to scribble down something.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot to report it to my sister.”
“She tells Yerina that she came to Elven Gard?”
“Once you’ve finished your investigation in Basel, you should come back soon. If you don’t, you won’t be suspected.”
“If that’s the case, it would be better to write that you came from a region other than Elvengarde.”
“Why me?”
“Because of your report, I may be tracked down by Yerina. I really don’t want to see me get caught by Yerina, get married, and become the king of Falana…”
“Ah, okay! I won’t say I’m in Elvengarde!”
Alicia is startled and tears up the paper with a few words written on it.
It seems so scary to hear that I am marrying Yerina.
I’m scared too.
More than what you are afraid of.
“But… Where should I say it went?”
“Run around wherever you want.”
“No. It’s obvious that my sister will ask questions.”
“Hmm. That’s right. You’ve had a hard time too.”
I thought it was only me who kept asking questions every time I went somewhere.
It seems he was doing the same to Alicia.
I suddenly begin to feel a sense of kinship with Alicia.
“I’ve been studying magic since I was young… The only places I know are the Magic Society branch, the Magic Tower, and some parts of the northern region…”
“Then, shall I help you?”
“How?”
“I’ve been to many cities. I’ll explain everything to you so that no matter what questions Yerina asks, there are no gaps. Is there any place you want to go?”
“I… Wanted to go to the Clockwork City.”
“It’s a dwarf city? Don’t you hate dwarves?”
“Regardless of my personal feelings, I think the technological prowess of dwarves is amazing. I heard that the Clockwork City is full of amazing magic tools made with clockwork and steam engines.”
“There are so many.”
“Have you been to the Clockwork City?!”
“Of course.”
There are so many magic tools that can only be obtained there.
No matter what direction you take your tour, it is one of those cities that you always have to stop by in the end.
“What do you think there? Is there really a wind-up doll walking down the street?”
“There used to be a lot of them, but I heard that there have been fewer these days. They became less popular because the fuel economy was so poor. When you first enter the Clockwork City, there is fog everywhere, so much so that you can’t see clearly, and the exhaust fumes make the air stale. It’s so spicy. It makes you wonder if it’s even possible for people to live in a place like this. But the downtown area centered around the huge clock tower is lined with various magic tool shops…”
Alicia sat next to me and listened quietly, her eyes shining as if she was interested.
I thought she was a weirdo who was only interested in magic. She was, surprisingly, a girl with hobbies that someone like a geek might like.
If you explain one thing, ask one question.
If you explain one thing, ask two questions.
The conversation about the wind-up city continued.
Even though she had already told Yerina everything she could possibly ask, she still wasn’t finished.
She had the feeling that Alicia didn’t want to end it.
“······Eugene.”
“Uh. Why?”
“······There is something to see and do.”
“I’m going to look at something for a moment. Isn’t this enough to scold Yerina?”
“Ah…”
The long briefing session ended with Mijeong hitting her forehead against my back.
Finally, we are liberated.
She leaves behind Alicia, who looks a little disappointed, and is led away by Mi-jeong, who grabs her by the sleeve.
Seeing that she went out of her way to drag her to the next room, does she have to tell this story without Alicia’s knowledge?
“What’s going on?”
“······.”
Without any response.
Mijeong just grabs my sleeve and asks me to lower her posture.
As she sighs and gets down on her knees, Mijeong opens her mouth.
It appears that so much saliva has accumulated inside her mouth that it hangs like a thread.
“······Ha. Hangnyangnyang.”
“Are you hungry?”
“······No. I just wanted to bite.”
Mijeong grabs my shoulder and bites her neck.
It seems like the bite force is stronger than usual.
I think the mark will remain quite large today.
Mijeong didn’t stop there and bit her neck on the other side as well.
He bites both of her arms evenly.
It looks like her mouth was very bored.
Should I buy the dog gum?
“Did you chew, open, taste and enjoy it to your heart’s content?”
“······That’s right, Eugene. The reason why I summoned you.”
As if she finally remembered something she had forgotten, Mijeong runs behind her.
I guess there was some business.
I thought she just called me in for a blowjob.
“······This.”
Mijeong returned before she knew it, and what she held in her hand was a black magic stone.
The magic stone that sealed Ifrit.
“······It’s broken, it’s broken.”
“What?”
What does that mean?
I took her magic stone and placed it in her hand, but it really had no effect.
It does not function as a magic stone at all.
“Oh my…”
Now that I look at it, it seems like the red color inside the magic stone has increased a bit.
Could it be that Ifrit is trying to break through this magic stone?
Maybe Ifrit will escape from the magic stone and start messing around again.
There is not much time.
As the sun sets, closed flower buds open throughout Elvengarde, emitting a soft and warm light.
So, when I go to a place with a lot of trees, it doesn’t feel like night but is bright.
The view of Elvengarde, harmonized with nature, was very pretty even when seen in bright daylight.
The view at night is beautiful in a different way.
“This way.”
It’s quite late.
We were invited to a dinner party and headed to the restaurant.
Elders were waiting inside.
It seems that it took quite a while to resolve the situation.
“Cooking using lamb…”
“Meat?!”
Alicia’s face, which had a nervous expression at first, suddenly brightens.
She probably thought she would be eating something like bay leaf konjac or pine tree stew.
It would not have been possible to feed the hero who saved Elvengarde something worse than British food.
Is it because she ate mediocre food at the train station?
Alicia looks very ecstatic while eating lamb.
From my perspective, it seems to be below average…
Well, if you eat it when you’re hungry, it won’t taste good.
“I had the image that all the elders of Elvengarde were hard people.”
“hahahahaha. Elvengarde may seem more closed than other countries, but we also do diplomacy. If you treat precious guests harshly, you will be disqualified as an elder.”
The dinner was held in a quite friendly atmosphere.
There isn’t much important story in the beginning.
I’m just making friends.
Alicia was constantly talking about whether she was used to this type of situation.
I felt so awkward and uncomfortable that I kept staying silent.
“Is it delicious?”
“······Not really.”
Luckily, there was food that Mijeong could eat.
He is a prophet of sheep.
I don’t know if it tastes good, but I keep frowning and eating it.
Still, it will look less awkward than not eating anything.
“What would you like to drink?”
“I would like to ask for Trium.”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
Is it because I came to the city of elves?
It reminds me of the alcohol that Julia taught me and I look for it.
The alcohol I ordered came out.
It was around this time that the alcohol started to get into the mood.
The elders slowly begin to talk about important things.
“Regarding the example of saving Elvengarde. Is there anything in particular you would like to receive?”
Immediately cast “How far did you go to find out?”
They also do bargaining.
“······.”
Alicia is staring at me.
The decision-making power is mine.
Alicia sang a song about getting money from her dorm earlier.
I’m sorry, but I’m not that greedy about money.
It’s not like I’m going to start a big business.
Anyway, the money will all disappear once we return to reality.
There is no difficulty in traveling around the world, and all you need is enough money to buy magic stones and equipment for free.
This means that just receiving Cornelia’s support is already more than enough.
“Cheon Michael Jackson. What have you been thinking about…”
“Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!”
“Are you okay?!”
It’s not okay.
I suddenly heard a voice and had to cough and suffer for a long time.
‘From now on, I’ll have to make my pseudonym a bit more ordinary.’
When the elders asked my name.
I just spit out what came to mind at that time without any filtering, and that’s how a pseudonym came out.
It would be a big deal if you burst out laughing every time you hear my pseudonym.
It would be better to refrain from using unusual pseudonyms like this in the future.
“I asked how you would like to receive the reward.”
I am a little worried.
Perhaps because I am also a snob, I feel a little shaken when I have the opportunity to win hundreds of millions of dollars.
I also have the urge to just stay here, build my own kingdom, and live happily ever after.
‘That can’t be happening.’
Of course, it’s all an illusion.
Our main heroines who have regained their memories will soon find me and throw away the muksabal.
As long as those guys exist, I will never have a happy life in another world.
The worries are over.
“I heard that the World Tree priestess makes amazing prophecies. I’d like to hear the prophecy.”
“Ah… Prophecies don’t come out when you want them. It may take a lot of time, and even if you do hear them, the content is quite vague, so it may not be as useful as you think.”
“But that’s okay. If time is an issue, let’s wait until the prophecy comes out.”
Alicia opens her eyes wide and glares at me.
Her eyes seem to be asking if she would ever give up her billions of dollars and receive a prophecy.
Of course, she can’t pay for saving the Elven Gard with just one prophecy.
“And additionally, I’d like to get some information.”
“What information? We’ll tell you everything we know.”
“Why the Great Spirit of Fire went on a rampage and tried to burn Elvengarde and the World Tree. I’m curious about that.”
“Ah…!”
She must have been so disappointed that Alicia let out her sighs.
Of course, she has no intention of reversing.
“I want to know why the Great Spirit of Fire went on a rampage…”
“Huh…”
All the elders’ mouths fell silent in an instant, and they looked at each other as if they were troubled.
After all, Ifrit couldn’t have suddenly gone wild for no reason.
There must be some kind of reason, and it’s impossible for the elders to not know that.
You can’t just receive appropriate compensation and leave without knowing why Ifrit went on a rampage.
If I leave without knowing this, I will feel uncomfortable and frustrated for the next year and will not be able to sleep at night.
It’s because I’m the type of person who can’t stand being curious.
And above all, the magic stone that imprisons Ifrit is in trouble.
Ifrit’s escape is not far off as the red light continues to grow.
What will happen if we send Ifrit back from here?
The disaster in Elvengarde will resume again.
To prevent that from happening, you must find the cause of Ifrit’s extreme anger and eliminate it.
“That’s because it’s confidential… I wonder if there’s anything else…”
“No need. I won’t receive anything else other than that information.”
“······.”
Elders sighing and exchanging glances.
Is it such an important secret?
Still, it would be a cheap price compared to the burning of Elvengarde.
Just when I was getting bored and wondering what I was thinking about for so long.
Thump…!
“Mistress?!”
“Please sit down. It’s okay.
The door opens, revealing a girl with her face covered by a white veil.
The elders stood up in surprise.
Mia motions to the elders to calm down.
Soon the priestess approached her round table and faced me with her eyes faintly peeking through her veil.
She didn’t know that the priestess would appear on the mound in person.
“The reason why Ifrit, the Great Spirit of Fire, went on a rampage. I can tell you. However, since it is a secret that is critical to the security of Elvengarde, can you promise not to disclose it to the outside world?”
“Of course. I will definitely keep it confidential.”
“The story is quite long.”
Miya takes a moment to catch her breath, and then she opens her eyes again.
It seems like a long story is about to begin.
I sit down comfortably and announce that I am ready.
“Actually, about three months ago, a dungeon appeared at the root of the World Tree.”
“······?”
Oh.
There is a dungeon at the root of the World Tree?
Why does a story I’ve never heard before come out…?