Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – The Restorer of Shadows (2)

“Her name is Rina, huh? Good.”

The next morning, I changed my clothes again and chuckled at the sight of her fidgeting. It felt a bit like I had taken advantage of her, but I hadn’t really asked anything too harsh of her.

The price I paid to Ethan included receiving such services.

“Are you a beastman?”

“Y-Yes. I’m probably not pureblooded, though…”

When she flinched, her ears and tail twitched in unison, which was fascinating. They were real ears and a real tail, not just graphics or makeup.

From my perspective, seeing them in person was incredibly intriguing.

“There were only a few who awakened as beastmen when I was in the Tower. I remember there being all sorts of people. Some went from being perfectly normal to transforming into wolves. I guess the beastmen left in this world are their descendants, right?”

“The Tower?”

“During the time you call the Mythical Era, ten thousand years ago.”

I shrugged, chuckling bitterly at her perplexed expression. I had a feeling Ethan hadn’t told Rina about my true identity, but honestly, it felt frustrating to keep hiding something from someone who would be by my side continuously.

However, Rina seemed confused and unable to grasp what I was saying.

“If beastmen are their descendants, then elves probably are too. Other races too.”

There weren’t few climbers who had even changed their entire races like I did. Back then, it was unthinkable they would become the ancestors of a race.

They tried to conquer the Tower and prevent the calamity, but all had failed.

Of course, there were events that allowed beings like Rina standing in front of me to be born, but considering that a failure and calamity would be nothing but my arrogance.

“By the way, why are you so stiff? Is the short outfit that reveals your shoulders and legs uncomfortable?”

“That’s not it. What can I assist you with, Iriliana?”

“Just help me normally, like the other maids do.”

Rina was still wary of me, but the truth was I had no intention to harm her at all. Her beautiful face and attractive body didn’t resonate with me anymore.

Influenced by the fact that my body had transformed into this frail state, and above all, my mind was a jumble that I couldn’t afford to entertain such primal desires.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

I decided to take her outside.

It was to properly explore the world that had collapsed and been rebuilt after ten thousand years while I had been doing other things.

“This should be enough.”

“Wait a moment. You haven’t put on your socks and shoes yet.”

I changed out of my pajamas and into my outerwear. Clothes belonging to a girl no bigger than my palm, something I thought I would never wear in my lifetime. I wore a modest dress with a hem reaching above my knees and a hooded cloak, but I was barefoot, as if Rina was surprised.

“I can’t wear shoes for a while.”

“…Huh?”

“I need to be close to the ground.”

It wasn’t a quirk but rather a type of training. Seeing Rina’s shocked face made me chuckle, and without hesitation, I stepped out into the mansion garden.

The moment my skin made contact with the ground, I could receive strong signals from the earth spirit through the point of contact.

‘Is this sufficient?’

“—!”

The earth spirit that popped up in front of me told me that merely touching the ground amplified our communion, and the natural power I could accept grew stronger.

There was no need for self-training like in the tutorial.

Given that it was a force of the world so enormous it could not be compared to a mere layer of the Tower, it was, without a doubt, overpowered.

To think I could grow just by standing still like this.

“This city’s name is Su’an, right?”

“Yes, as far as I know, it’s a name passed down from ancient times.”

Since leaving the mansion together, Rina had become my guide. I couldn’t help but smirk when I heard the name of the city again, which I had already heard once from Ethan.

‘Then, if we go up a little, there should be Seoul.’

A somewhat familiar name, it had changed a bit, perhaps due to the great apocalypse, but the map still retained much of the original outline of the Korean Peninsula. Even after ten thousand years, remnants still existed, not simply as artifacts or ruins.

“This Su’an is a free city. Due to the nearby forbidden area, surrounding forces have left it as a neutral zone. Thanks to that, the city is governed by a mayor elected by the residents.”

“There’s so much that’s fascinating…”

The city was bustling with people, and there were so many uniquely styled buildings and items. It took me a while to understand what Rina was explaining.

This wasn’t a city I was familiar with on the Korean Peninsula; it was a completely different world to me.

The Earth I used to live in, and the history I learned about it, had transformed into a world that was now developing in ways completely different from what I knew.

Even though this place was my hometown, I felt like a complete outsider who had fallen into another world.

“What’s this?”

“That’s a device for knocking off the dirt stuck to shoes.”

“I understand what this is. A water fountain?”

“…It’s an item that helps beastmen tidy their tails.”

In the end, I could only ask Rina about everything. Even if I tried to pretend I knew, I couldn’t guess a single thing.

“This is a main street, so there are many people, and you could get lost.”

The one advantage was that my cluelessness had significantly lowered Rina’s guards. As we headed toward the large plaza and the main street, Rina grabbed my hand tightly, like a child who didn’t want to get lost holding onto their parent’s hand.

It seemed she wasn’t lowering her guards, but rather perceiving me as a child.

“By the way, what’s that statue over there?”

I pointed at an intricately designed statue in the center of the city square. It was possibly some kind of magical device, as the statue glimmered in the daylight.

Others around seemingly paid no attention to the statue, either seriously admiring it or passing by without a second glance.

But I couldn’t react nonchalantly to its appearance; it was too strange.

“A long time ago, in the chaotic era when this city was not yet fully established, and monsters from the Mythical Era still roamed and harmed people, this statue represents a hero who led followers and protected this land until the end.”

“This is…?”

Rina explained to me as if it was common knowledge. However, getting closer and looking up at the statue did indeed seem strange.

The overall form appeared human, but it was mounted on a horse with wheels attached to its lower body.

It wore what seemed like thick armor. The armor covering its upper body looked like it could keep one very warm while wandering outside in winter.

The helmet it wore also looked extremely sturdy. The facial area could be lifted, providing a good field of vision while preventing injuries.

It was genuinely bizarre and grotesque, yet absurdly familiar in many aspects.

“They were knights who guarded the city during the Mythical Era and protected the citizens. There are certainly records that people from the Mythical Era referred to them as knights.”

“…?”

At that moment, someone approached us. He seemed to know us and came over, a middle-aged man with a plump body, dressed quite neatly.

“Oh, that was sudden. I am Evans, the owner of the Neor Theater.”

As we stared blankly, he introduced himself. Seemingly mistaking Rina for something, or perhaps just being generally polite, his demeanor was quite courteous.

“This Su’an is one of the cities where traces of the Tower remain, making research on the Mythical Era very active. Scholars from foreign lands also come here, setting up research facilities.”

“I’ve heard an intriguing story. You said people from the Mythical Era referred to those individuals as knights? By any chance, was there another word before knight?”

“Oh, you seem young but have knowledge of legends. There are various hypotheses regarding that. In reality, they trained various types of knights to build formidable powers. They likely served a similar role to cavalry guards.”

“…”

He appeared completely serious and devoid of any playfulness.

And I felt utterly lost about where things might have gotten tangled. To be fair, I didn’t really have any knowledge about prehistoric times myself.

If someone claiming to be from that era appeared and said that what I had learned was actually a nail clipper, how would I react?

“What do you think about the Mythical Era?”

Having given up correcting him about knights, I asked something else since he initiated conversation.

I wanted to hear about the era I lived in from someone who might be a descendant of my family or acquaintances.