NOVEL NEXT Chapter 255
“U-uwakened!!”
I never ever expected this in my entire life. It’s amazing to see these pointy-eared folks so happy just because I’ve come back to life.
The woman’s intense emotions directed at me, along with the pain that was stabbing at my nerves, made me wince involuntarily.
“Ugh…!”
“…No, why again?”
But that elf, after judging my expression to be quite peculiar, seemed to conclude that since I was walking and making sounds, I was perfectly fine. Isn’t she making more fuss than me while not even being hurt?
The pointy-eared one fidgeted and stomped her feet anxiously, then suddenly bowed her head.
“W-wait! I’ll get a healer right away!”
…Her behavior is quite peculiar, but well. At least she’s promised to bring a healer.
I couldn’t help but wish they would bring some refreshing water too, as I slowly began to piece together the battle we had just faced and pondered how the war had unfolded.
‘We definitely dealt a harsh blow to the demons.’
Looking around, I noticed I wasn’t lying in the rubble of destruction but was resting in a space reminiscent of the elegant architecture of the elves, right in front of the World Tree. It’s clear Shione not only saved my life but seems to have finished off that damned poison demon as well.
‘Well, well, you’ve finally made a mess of things.’
Even though I had pierced a hole in its heart and erased its escape routes, to entirely eradicate it, Shione’s anti-magic powers would be even more crucial than the combined might of hundreds of spirits. After all, she has that twist of fate power alongside me, so when she releases a power-packed arrow, the demon won’t stand a chance.
Yeah, who trained that archer? Furthermore, Shione—a person who should be making the greatest contributions for the fate of the continent—was right there.
‘But even so…’
Just because we took down one demon, it doesn’t mean that the countless enemies stationed in front of the fortress would dissolve like bubbles. I can’t help but wonder how the situation has played out since then.
Just then, I heard hurried footsteps echoing from the hallway.
‘Did they already bring the healer?’
Even that disrespectful elf must have some sense of gratitude towards the outsider who helped protect her hometown.
As I turned towards the sound, a woman finally entered.
That silver hair can’t belong to anyone else but Shione. Despite the other women from the Count’s House looking like loyal puppies, there’s no mistaking it’s her.
‘…What has she been up to while I was asleep?’
She seemed to still have fresh bloodstains on her beautiful right cheek where a long gash cut across. And why does she have a longsword in her hand that looks like something Siabel would wield?
“…Princess Shione?”
“You finally woke up!”
“What on earth happened to you?!”
“Are you alright? Ah, your arm? They said your arm was the worst!”
“No, I…”
We both wanted to ask so many things that the conversation wasn’t progressing smoothly, when another guest made her entrance from behind her.
Diolia, who felt somewhat familiar, let out a small sigh as she looked at Shione and me.
Watching Shione chirping around me, I quietly gazed at Diolia with a look that said, “Whatever happened to you?”
She answered my question directly.
“It’s been nearly a week since you lost consciousness. The Great Forest managed to reclaim its final defensive line today, and Shione and I were just around there a bit…”
Diolia’s face was filled with concern.
Now that I look at her again, her condition didn’t seem normal either. Dark blood covered her body, and it seemed as though she was limping on one leg.
“Suddenly, gigantic corpses breached the defensive line, causing an explosion. We managed to escape quickly, but… it still caught us a bit off guard. Ha…”
As Diolia examined the wound on Shione’s cheek, she pressed her temples and shook her head.
“Ray, couldn’t you have woken up just a little bit later?”
“Eh?”
“If you had woken up a bit later, Shione wouldn’t have run straight over here. We could have reunited in a more relaxed state…”
“…That’s harsh, Diolia.”
“Just kidding. Take it as a joke.”
A joke? What kind of joke is that?
She was completely earnest with her lengthy words.
And what’s with “just kidding”?
“Joking…? What do you mean?”
“Ray, you’re a better knight than I am, aren’t you? It feels a bit wrong to casually call such a capable knight by just Ray.”
I guess it does seem weird to still be called a slave despite wandering around all this time.
Having become so accustomed to this continent, the title sounded nice enough that I quietly kept my mouth shut.
“Ray.”
“Yes, Princess Shione.”
“Do you think it’s fine to only talk with Diolia in front of people who are worried about you?”
Shione tightly gripped my right arm.
Whoa.
Crazy.
As the pain I had forgotten suddenly flared up, tears welled in my eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“…It seems that because you touched me, it hurts again.”
“That’s just because you’re alive, isn’t it?”
Shione was genuinely upset.
As I talked with her, the elf who had rushed to get the healer came through the door.
The first one to be treated was Shione. It’s not great for her to have scars on her face. They pasted on a potion and the healer crushed special herbs to apply to her wounds.
Then it was my turn. After a quick check on my condition, I drank the brewed tea, and received a precise report on my state from her.
“Thanks to the World Tree sharing its power to heal you for a long time, your body has greatly improved. For a while, there will be aftereffects, so you must be particularly careful with your movements.”
The fact that it was the World Tree healing my body.
Having received treatment from the source of life, not from some subpar elf or human, it seems that this resulted in me breathing calmly, even while on the verge of death.
“…We’ll take our leave now. We’ll look for a better room soon, so please take your time to rest.”
Once those two elves disappeared, leaving just the people from the Count’s House in this room, it seemed our topic naturally returned to the matter of returning home after the war.
“They said the last defensive line has been restored. Is that correct?”
Shione nodded slightly.
“After that demon was killed, the Great Forest has been pushing ahead to drive the demons out.”
“While the sacrifices were significant… thanks to the reinforcements from the Kalia Marquis Family, along with the armies led by the Arielte family and Chelness family, it’s not nearly as serious as before.”
“And… the Grand Elder from the Great Forest has thrown himself into the battlefield for the final operation now.”
…Did the high elf who fought while spitting blood risk himself in battle again?
What is this final operation? What kind of interests are tangled up that even a high elf would personally throw themselves into it?
As my doubts grew, Shione sat down next to me, bringing with her a sense of relief I hadn’t seen in a long time, and it felt just like being back in my own room. In that moment, I couldn’t help but relax a little.
“We’ll… be able to go back soon.”
Her voice was soothing, almost like floating on clouds.
“To our home.”
We will return alive.
Finishing everything we set out to do without failure.
*
Even if the landscape is filled with rotting plants due to the demons’ onslaught, there is one encouraging change: the impenetrable black sky no longer exists here.
Under the blue sky shining warmly upon the world, the high elf, Edelin, now brought her dwindling forces to confront the demon that exuded the strongest scent of death.
With her chin held high, she drew her sword.
Swish─!
“After thousands of years, we meet again without killing each other.”
“You….”
The tip of her sword glimmered with hostile mana, manifesting her intent to kill.
The one receiving Edelin’s murderous intent turned around quietly, having been with his back to her. As he moved, the scent of iron and rotting flesh flooded the surroundings.
As the face of the figure, hidden beneath a black robe, turned to Edelin, all the elves surrounding her instinctively began to tremble.
“…!”
The primal fear engulfed them.
The feeling of being prey on the brink of death was a kind of pressure even elves, who had lived for centuries, found hard to endure.
Yet, Edelin stood strong despite the presence of that overwhelming existence.
“Cursed necromancer, who do you think you are trying to invade here?”
Fear was not her way of dealing with the enemy she had once triumphed over.