Chapter 87: Pebbles and Leaves Part 7

– A secret about the queen.

"..."

A secret about the queen?

It would be a lie to say I wasn't intrigued. I was very much intrigued. The more "secrets" of this world I could gather, the higher the chance I could complete the Origin God Quest and return to my original world.

But the likelihood that this was just one of his tricks was higher.

If I had to choose between the revered Elf Queen and the mad dark elf mage, of course I'd choose the Elf Queen.

However, he never intended to listen to my response in the first place.

– Dianta, I already know she sent you to find me.

"...!"

– You seem surprised. Why? Did you not expect a dark elf to step into the 'Labyrinth of Dreams'?

Could it be the "darkness" that attacked the queen in the Labyrinth of Dreams was this very village chief?

But dark elves do not undergo the "coming of age ceremony", nor do they receive a branch from the Guardian Tree. Therefore, they had no means to enter the "Labyrinth of Dreams".

– If there wasn't a 'prison' in the 'Labyrinth of Dreams' to hold the souls of dark elves, yes, even I wouldn't have been able to infiltrate it.

The Labyrinth of Dreams was, in essence, a repository of the elves' memories where various knowledge and memories were stored in "rooms" specific to each family.

There was a "prison" within it that held the souls of dark elves…?

"…It wasn't impossible."

Being elves themselves, it was conceivable that the memories and knowledge of dark elves could also be stored in the Labyrinth of Dreams.

Of course, their value might not have been seen as equal to that of regular elves.

– The queen had locked away our joys, sorrows, and even our pains in that place.

"..."

– I was able to infiltrate the 'Labyrinth of Dreams' through that very prison.

Just as I who wasn't an elf had entered the Labyrinth of Dreams by special means, it seemed Grizel had also found a way to enter by some special method.

But for that to be possible, a medium like the Guardian Tree would have been necessary…

– As the World Tree began to wither, the first place affected was right here, the Dark Forest.

– The monsters became stronger, and the famine worsened.

– We did whatever it took to survive. Really, whatever it took.

– Even to the point of almost devouring each other.

– We sought help from the queen.

– To survive.

– But Dianta, she…

Kikiki, kukuku. A creepy sound, somewhere between laughter and crying, filled the air.

– The queen used us as a stepping stone to escape the 'disaster'!

– Isn't that a fascinating story?

– She abandoned us!

"...!"

The Elf Queen abandoned the dark elves?

Although it was said that the dark elves were ostracized within Lysette, they were still unmistakably elves of Lysette. Therefore, the Elf Queen had a duty to protect them.

– That's why I resolved, no matter what…

– …to survive.

– And I gained 'power'.

Power.

At that ominously resonant word, I tensed up and stared into the darkness.

– With this 'power', we can survive without the queen.

– We can fulfill the dark elves' wish to create the 'Dark Lysette'!

– To purge the rotten elves and create a new paradise…!

Mad laughter echoed around.

"...Stop this crazy talk."

The laughter abruptly stopped.

"What do you mean 'Dark Lysette' and 'a new paradise'?"

-...

"How is what you're saying any different from the queen's logic? Aren't you also using others as stepping stones?"

-It's different.

"To me, it looks the same. The outcome is exactly the same. You're no different from the queen."

I could feel the darkness around me seething and crawling up my ankles. Seems like I struck a nerve? I didn't stop provoking him.

"No, perhaps you're even worse. You're willing to burn your own kind, drown them, and deny them a peaceful death, not to mention the 'education' you impart by throwing them into underground prison."

The pain in my skin infiltrated by darkness was intensifying. I gritted my teeth and endured the pain, and then I sneered.

"Why? Did you really think you weren't 'the bad guy'?"

At that moment, the air around me sharpened, as if the darkness had coalesced to sever my neck. That's when I used [Sunlight]. After pouring nearly all my magical power into it, a round disk the size of a tire began to emit light.

Now's the time.

"Cuscus!"

I shouted loudly to summon Demarcushel, and as I ran towards Lloyd, I squeezed out the last of my magical power to use the [Forest Protection] skill. Instantly, trees, vines, bushes, grass, flowers, and more formed a dome-like structure around us. But this sanctuary wasn't just a simple structure. It was impervious to physical attacks and, to a large extent, magical attacks as well. As soon as the sanctuary which was unaffected by darkness, light, or any other force materialized, an enormous explosion erupted.

-Boooom!!!

-Rumbleee!!!!

-Thud!!!

-Grrrr….

-Bang!!!

-Crack, crack….

Demarcushel who had dissolved in the darkness as a shadow triggered a massive explosion, that caused the entire space to shake. Lloyd and I held our breaths while waiting for the terrifying noise to subside.

"He must have been in the darkness. He might not be dead, but that hit must have dealt a significant blow."

As I spoke to Lloyd, he asked in return,

"If he's not dead, how do we deal with him?"

I paused and went into deep thought. We didn't fully understand the extent of his powers yet.

"Physical attacks won't work. It would be best to use my purification powers, but with no moon tonight, I can't guarantee their effect."

"..."

"First of all, the Dark Elves in the village must have noticed the disturbance from earlier. The Dark Elves here are quite strong. Lloyd, I'll need you to handle them. I'll try to deal with Grizel somehow."

"If you need help,"

"I should be fine. Please take care of El."

Lloyd nodded his head. I pulled the sage's flask from my space ring and drank the potion inside. It was only half full, but even so, I could feel a considerable surge of magical power. It was a high-grade magic potion after all.

It's not enough… but it's enough to give it a try.

First, I used [Wounds Healing] to restore Lloyd's health, and then we cautiously stepped out of the refuge. As soon as we did, my shadow burst into dark flames.

"Cuscus."

-Don't call me that.

"What happened?"

-I burned everything. It felt refreshing!

"No, not your feelings—what happened to him? Grizel, I mean. He was in the darkness."

-Go see for yourself.

I lifted my head and looked around. The house had been completely reduced to ashes, leaving no trace.

Despite that, I could tell that Grizel wasn't dead.

No, I could feel it.

The dark elves from the village seemed to have noticed the disturbance and were converging on our location. I looked at Lloyd who gave a slight nod.

-Phweeet!

Ayla came running at the sound of a whistle. I climbed onto her back, and soon she leaped over the high fence that encircled the village.

The endless darkness of the Dark Forest spread out in front of us, living up to its name. Without [Owl Eyes], I would have been consumed by the darkness and unable to do anything. Using the effect of the skill, my eyes shimmered with a faint light as I scanned the surroundings.

Footprints.

Small footprints led deeper into the forest. I had Ayla sniff the scent of the footprints and took out my bow and arrows. With her nose on the ground, Ayla sniffed carefully and moved forward while I kept my senses sharp and watched the darkness.

How far have we advanced?

"..."

A faint light appeared in the distance and I instinctively knew.

Grizel.

When I hissed softly, Ayla's steps became slower and slower, like a hound that had spotted its prey. We approached the light slowly and hid behind a large bush. I parted the bush slightly to look beyond.

"Ah, origin of the world…"

There was Grizel with his back to us, arms spread wide, absorbed in chanting a long prayer towards something emitting an ominous light. Every now and then, ancient words could be heard coming from his mouth though they were difficult to understand.

"~~~... It's early, but the time has finally come. ~~~... Please allow me to devote myself to you...."

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. A brief and ominous flash of light.

I must stop it...!

I pulled the bowstring with all my might, my hands trembling inexplicably. It was unusual.

-Swiiiiiiiiiiishh!!!!

However, the arrow flew unwaveringly. At a very high speed…

-Thump!!!!

"...!"

I suddenly held my breath. The arrow that was surely flying toward Grizel's heart…

"Druid."

"...."

"I knew you would follow."

…was caught in his hand.

His hand trembled as he gripped the arrow tightly. The arrowhead had stopped just in front of the bastard's heart. Grizel looked at me and smiled. A smile that seemed purely innocent.

-Crack!

Then he snapped the arrow.

"That's right..."

"...."

"It's good, a good thing indeed."

He began to walk toward me, one step at a time.

-Grrrrrrr…

Ayla growled in warning, but it had no effect. I was mesmerized by the sight of something shining behind the guy's back, and I managed to take out my arrow and fire again. Pull and shoot. Aim for the heart again this time.

"Since you've come this far, I'll show you."

Grizel smiled serenely before extending his hand toward me. Perhaps influenced by "something", even the tips of his fingers were faintly glowing.

"True power."

"..."

"True justice."

"..."

"True salvation."

-Grrrr, wooof! wooof!

Ayla leaped toward him before I could react. However, with a single swipe of his hand, Grizel sent Ayla flying into a large tree. It was as if an invisible giant hand had grabbed and hurled her.

"How about that?"

"What on earth are you doing…"

Grizel's fingertip lightly touched my forehead.

"Don't you want to see?"