NOVEL NEXT Chapter 300
Chapter 300. Siron Kingdom (3)
Laigu gazed at the captured companions of Yoo Ji-han and Min Yu-ri.
Though they were injured, the wounds were treatable given enough time.
Those humans could easily take their lives right now if they wished.
But for some reason, none of them seemed to have the slightest inclination to kill.
“Surely… it’s different from the rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“I heard that over twenty years ago, the Sylph who betrayed the wind and nature turned into an evil spirit.”
–Kyaaa! Who the hell said such nonsense?!
The Sylph puffed up her body in anger.
Upon witnessing this, the elves flinched.
But it didn’t take long for them to realize that it was not an act of aggression or a threat.
“Is that really the Sylph?”
“It’s definitely her. She’s just been able to talk now; she’s exactly like the Sylph I remember.”
“But that evil spirit lured Lady Erna away and kidnapped her….”
“She looks just like an ordinary spirit.”
The exterior and behavior of the Sylph differed greatly from the imagined evil spirit, causing murmurs to ripple among the gathered elves.
The whispers soon built into a massive wave, stirring their troubled minds as they clutched their weapons.
After a sufficient discussion amongst themselves, Yoo Ji-han pointed to the broken trees and said,
“First, we should move. It looks like more people might gather.”
The battle had been loud enough to break several trees.
If the rangers gathered here didn’t return to their original positions, reinforcements would surely be dispatched.
Laigu nodded, understanding that.
“…Wait a moment.”
Laigu pointed to five rangers waiting at the back.
“You five, return to the base first and report that everything is fine.”
“Are you going to be okay alone?”
“If I die, I’ll be counting on you for revenge.”
“…What should we say to the squad?”
“Say we fended off a monster invasion. I’ll take the blame for the broken trees, and do not mention anything about the humans until I return.”
“Are you trying to take all the blame for yourself? Just say we all made a mistake while fighting.”
“Do as you please.”
Swoosh!
Having received their orders, the rangers ran off towards a destination.
Then, Laigu gestured to the elves lying unconscious next to Yoo Ji-han’s party.
“Bring the unconscious elves and follow me.”
“If you really want a friendly conversation, it’s best you avoid inflicting any more injuries…!”
Frustration was evident on Laigu and the elves’ faces as they looked at their captured companions.
To think that they, as rangers protecting the Siron Kingdom, were subdued by humans who were far fewer in number.
Some elves felt an unbearable sense of humiliation from their over-inflated pride.
“You can take these guys with you.”
“What? You’re really letting the hostages go first?”
“Yeah. I don’t particularly care.”
To release perfectly subdued hostages without any conditions?
If they assumed those humans were enemies of the kingdom, it was a decision that was not just foolish but audacious to the extreme.
It might mean they were so at ease that they didn’t even need hostages.
‘This is strange, strange….’
The Sylph, once a spirit of the princess, now recorded as a legendary evil spirit.
A human who struck a contract with such a Sylph and became its new contractor.
And the overwhelming power displayed by that human’s party.
“…Let’s depart.”
Laigu decided not to make any judgments until he heard the full details of why those unknown individuals came to the Siron Kingdom.
*
The place Yoo Ji-han’s party arrived at, following Laigu, was an old hut.
A space so hastily built that it could barely provide shelter from the wind and rain during an emergency.
When the wind blew from the outside, it seemed as if it would escape right through the other wall.
Seeing a house that even the poorest of beggars would refuse, the Sylph spoke with concern.
—Laigu! You’re not telling me this dilapidated place is your home, are you?
“Pfff!”
“Cough, cough….”
The rangers chuckled lightly at the Sylph’s question.
Whether it was the comedy timing or just a grim atmosphere taking a turn, their laughter quickly spread to all the elves.
As even the person next to him began to smirk, Laigu unknowingly blushed.
“That’s nonsense! This is merely a resting place for the rangers during training.”
—You used to love places like this dark and secretive as a child.
“T-that’s….”
—So some things never change, huh? Heehee!
Hearing the Sylph’s laughter, Laigu recalled the past and tightly pressed his lips together.
A pitiful secret base made from poorly woven branches.
The memory of inviting Princess Erna Hass to that secret base.
——What a splendid secret base!
The memory of her praising it as splendid when she visited was something Laigu could never forget.
Lost in sentiment, he quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts.
“Make yourselves comfortable.”
“There’s nowhere to sit.”
“…Then I’ll just speak while standing.”
After clearing his throat, Laigu glared intensely at Yoo Ji-han.
“Who are you people, exactly?”
“As you can see, we’re humans.”
“What is your purpose for visiting the Siron Kingdom? Let me be clear, don’t say you came here not knowing it was Siron.”
“Of course we knew. We’re currently looking for humans.”
“Humans? Humans like you?”
“Sure, we’re humans, but we’re humans from another dimension, not Grudia.”
Laigu’s face scrunched up as he couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of “another dimension.”
Upon seeing his reaction, Yoo Ji-han realized the concept of dimensions didn’t exist in Laigu’s mind.
‘If the elf leading the rangers is like this… ordinary elves must be no different.’
The rangers, who were much closer to internal information and secrets of the kingdom than regular citizens.
If even they lacked knowledge about dimensions, it implied that most of Grudia’s population were similarly unaware.
Thus, Yoo Ji-han briefly explained the concept of dimension travel to Laigu.
“Another dimension, not Grudia? Does such a thing really exist?”
“It exists.”
“Are you saying Lady Erna went to that place called Earth?”
“Bingo! You understood well.”
Princess 3, rather than being ensnared by the whispers of an evil spirit, had fled to escape the power struggles surrounding the throne.
In the process, a sudden dimensional shift ensnared her and those following her.
The place they arrived at was not Grudia but a world completely centered around humans.
Thud!
Upon grasping the truth, Laigu covered his mouth with his palm and stared at the ground.
‘What the hell is this?!’
His eyes shook rapidly like an earthquake.
He was assessing whether the story he had just encountered made any sense.
“…It’s hard to believe.”
“Even if it’s hard to believe, you have to accept it for now. That way, we can continue with the next story.”
“But this blatantly contradicts the history of Siron; it’s too convenient of a setup!”
“What else can we do? The history that side created is what’s ridiculous.”
“That can’t be…!”
—Laigu! What does history say about this?
“The evil spirit Sylph manipulated the third princess to conquer the Siron Kingdom….”
History that all elves born in the Siron Kingdom considered essential education.
What was recorded in actual history books of Siron was as follows:
For some reason, the Sylph, who turned from the spirit of wind to an evil spirit.
The evil spirit, controlling her contractor Erna Hass, secretly devised a plan to conquer the Siron Kingdom.
Those remaining in the royal family sensed the changes in Erna Hass, and further learned of the dark scheme of the Sylph.
In the end, they faced a grueling battle and achieved victory.
The defeated evil spirit took Erna Hass and vanished somewhere.
—Who the hell wrote that history book?
“Bingo! What a brazen fabrication!”
It was the kind of content that would fit well in any fairy tale or epic tale.
The Sylph, followed by Chilla, displayed an expression of disbelief.
Unable to contain himself after glancing at Chilla a couple of times, Laigu finally asked.
“Wait, are you also human?”
“I’m a Chinchilla! Cheep!”
“So there’s a new species called Chinchilla on Earth.”
“Cheep, cheep! That’s right! I’m a part of a great species that will one day catch up to humans!”
“I’ve never seen a species entirely covered in fur that could speak like us.”
Laigu looked at Chilla with curiosity.
The existence of Chinchillas, which didn’t exist in Grudia, added credibility to the existence of Earth.
Just then, Min Yu-ri, who seemed poised to respond, immediately sealed her lips.
There was no need to clear up his misunderstanding.
“If your story is true, then Lady Erna has never been manipulated by an evil spirit.”
—That’s just something the evil spirit fabricated, right?
“……I once thought it was strange too. While others might not know, I had interactions with both Lady Erna and you, the spirit.”
—Then why?
“So many people pointed fingers at Lady Erna.”
Princess Erna Hass, who often mingled with outsiders despite the class discrepancies.
Laigu, who had often encountered her and considered her like a younger sister in the past.
——The simple-minded third princess was manipulated by an evil spirit!
Those who had bonds with Erna Hass, like Laigu, found it hard to believe the sudden proclamation from the royal family.
To think that a woman so beloved and capable was being manipulated by a spirit!
There had been no clear signs before the proclamation was made.
Many people who conversed with her during the time she was said to have been manipulated were not few.
However, the royal family’s strong stance and the atmosphere it created were sufficient to sway the minds of the citizens.
——To prevent a recurrence of these incidents, we, Siron, will henceforth prohibit contracts with spirits.
——All contractors who currently have contracts with spirits must sever their ties!
——If you dislike that, you may leave Siron.
Under the guise of preventing further incidents, it was the kingdom’s Spirit Masters who suffered the consequences.
Due to the above directive, they were left with no choice but to either break their contracts to remain in the kingdom or completely leave it.
However, elves had a tendency not to easily abandon the land they were born in.
In the end, many spirits vanished into the spirit realm due to a fabricated history created by someone.
—Poison, Aishia, Rutel, Sunny… All the spirits I remember must be gone too.
“……”
—That’s a bit lonely.
The news that all the spirits with whom she had spent a long time was gone.
The Sylph, who had secretly hoped to reunite with the spirits of Grudia, revealed her deep disappointment.
‘Could that wicked evil spirit really put on such an act?’
Laigu bit his lower lip hard.
If the Sylph in front of him was assumed to be the evil spirit, it would mean that everything about her was a façade.
In his eyes, it was impossible to think the Sylph was fabricating a lie.
‘Is it really… Sylph?!’
The evil spirit recorded in history.
Or is it the wind spirit I remember?
Two thoughts collided violently within Laigu’s heart.
At that moment, Kim Si-hu, who had been silent, spoke up.
“Hey… didn’t Lady Erna Hass disappear from the kingdom and a new king take over?”
“She changed shortly after the previous king passed away.”
“Who is that?”
“The great king who has led Siron to this day, Daphric Hass.”
Daphric Hass.
One of Erna Hass’s many younger brothers, who ultimately triumphed in the fierce succession and throne struggles.
Upon hearing his name, Kim Si-hu ground his teeth in his mind.
‘That bastard is the one who insulted my mother.’
To further solidify their power, the royal family diminished the reputation of the disappeared Erna Hass.
Whether it was an instruction from the king himself or just a matter he allowed.
Without the king’s intervention, such a false history could never be recorded.