Chapter 29 – Reversing 10,000 Years (4)
I always thought I hadn’t changed much. Although I was growing rapidly, I still felt inadequate and had too much I didn’t know. But considering the entire world changed except for me, it was a meaningless story.
In the one-eyed village, having two eyes makes you an oddity. It’s a problem that must be carried until one adapts.
“Did you come here expecting something like this to happen?”
“Of course not. The original purpose was completely different.”
The fox beastman, who introduced herself as Renia, spoke with a trembling voice. I let out a small laugh at her question about whether I knew what was happening here.
My original purpose was simply to investigate the curse, and I accepted a request from the mayor that seemed promising. I became interested in this cave because she, the High Elf, pleaded pitifully for me to help, as this land was the only one that could listen to their voices.
I had indeed been worried about Kai’s situation since I learned of it.
In the current situation, I was the only one who could lift Kai’s curse. Because I was so concerned, I mustered the courage to try and do what I could do now with Rina’s encouragement.
It was certainly not a grand and noble mission of the last remaining climbers.
I couldn’t deny that the ‘events that occurred during that process’ might seem grand to others.
“You’re a scholar, right? Don’t you know why this happened?”
“I—I major in artifacts… Above all, nothing like this has occurred until now. The curse inducing erosion as if it were alive and summoning monsters in large quantities might be related to the phenomenon that happened during the last restriction.”
While she was deep in thought, Renia mentioned the phenomenon that occurred during the restriction.
Hearing that made me feel a little uneasy, and I averted my gaze. The phenomenon she mentioned was probably connected to my story.
“Anyway, this is not something to take lightly. If the curse left in this world awakens and evolves again, the repercussions of that disaster will be significant.”
Renia suddenly knelt and grabbed my pant leg. Although I wasn’t wearing anything on my lower body, she sensed that I was about to leave and stopped me.
“It’s true that those remaining are bothersome, but I don’t know much. Especially not in theoretical or academic areas. Even if I cooperate, it won’t be much help to researchers.”
“That’s not true. The power of the great High Elf, who has reappeared after transcending time, will be of great help in some way.”
As I shrugged my shoulders with a wry smile, she shook her head, waving her tail.
I flinched at her words, which pierced through my identity in an instant. I could accept that I was an elf, but I never expected her to recognize the High Elf I hadn’t even mentioned.
“The origin of the elves, the High Elf, where the records began at the Tower of Creation. This is something anyone who has studied elves should know. After the last High Elf disappeared thousands of years ago, it seemed to have completely vanished, but apparently not. It’s amazing to meet someone who appears in historical documents like this.”
“I think you’re misunderstanding something…”
Renia, who had shown wariness just moments ago, now had her eyes sparkling.
She thinks I’m an ancient High Elf who has resumed activity after noticing the changes in the world and ending a long seclusion.
In strict terms, it wasn’t entirely wrong. From her perspective, I was indeed a person from a distant past and it was true that I was coming out and resuming activities after a long time.
So I flinched for a moment but didn’t strongly deny it.
If I continue to be interested in the anomaly I recently dealt with, having at least one link rich in knowledge in that field wouldn’t be a bad thing.
‘Who knows what could happen if I don’t intervene.’
It shouldn’t be raised with a noble sense of mission. I couldn’t let this new world I have to live in get ruined again, so I was simply trying to do something.
Since I had the power to purify and eliminate it, it would be frustrating if I did nothing when I could do something.
After being flung out from the collapsed tower and feeling the emptiness and helplessness right after realizing what kind of world this was, I didn’t want to experience that again.
“I don’t know the exact cause, but it’s true that the curse that has been passed down from ancient times is rampaging even at this moment. Do you want to stop it too?”
“As a person living in the present and someone who researched that era, of course, I do.”
As I lifted the corners of my mouth, she nodded her head eagerly while wagging her luscious tail. Seeing that, I steeled my resolve.
Ethan, Patrick, and I are the same. It’s about finding a network that can help me in areas I need as I adapt to this world.
“Share what you discovered here with others and let’s research it together. But don’t mention me.”
I planned to publicize the anomaly discovered today through her. Of course, she was enough as my collaborator, so I kept my identity secret.
“Of course!”
Renia nodded her head hastily. She probably wanted to monopolize the knowledge about me, so I had no worries about information leaking out.
By doing this, I would only be able to extract the information I needed.
“Do you realize what the events of today mean for Ian?”
Having realized it was time to leave slowly, I turned my head towards Ian, who was still sitting in the corner absentmindedly.
“The door of erosion, which was rampaging due to Kai’s sacrifice, has closed. It was the goblin they had disregarded who sacrificed himself to save them, so it’s your role as the eyewitness to ensure that others learn about it and can properly honor him.”
“My role…”
I gave Ian a hint. That was the repayment I could give to Kai, who had sacrificed himself.
Ian mumbled to himself absentmindedly, but Renia, who stood up, seemed to understand the true meaning of my words, and her expression changed.
“Don’t worry. By the time I arrived, the situation was already nearly resolved, so I’ll handle it well.”
Wanting to make a good impression on me, Renia was quite proactive.
*
“Let’s start heading back now.”
Just after I exited the cave, I climbed up a nearby hill to secretly hide my body and looked down at the nest, which had already been annihilated, smiling faintly at the sight of the guards arriving.
“—!”
“And you, despite Renia casting magic, why didn’t you notice? What would you have done if it had been the enemy? Moreover, Ian noticed but kept quiet.”
Seeing the earth spirit beside me enjoying themselves made me chuckle. The earth spirit then glanced around, avoiding my gaze.
As I grew, the spirits that communicated with me also grew. They are beings with emotions and selves, not just meticulously programmed AI, so I need to scold them properly to prevent this from happening again in the future.
“Do you need a new friend?”
“—…”
Seeing the sulky earth spirit after being scolded made me laugh. It had been quite some time since I had come into this world that was much easier to communicate with spirits than the tower.
The distance with the earth had also gotten closer, but it was time to call in a new friend.
“The next friend seems to be a bit lighter.”
The gentle breeze, wrapping around my body dressed in Rina’s loose blouse, which was torn and tattered from the aftermath of the battle, felt refreshing today.
At this distance, if I took a day to sit down and talk, I thought I could bring them to my side.
‘I should think about artifacts too.’
Originally, gathering enough power to bring in another spirit would take longer, but there was a different reason for the shortening of that time.
The cluster of light gathering in my hand took on a shape once again. This gun, which had been absorbed into it, was an item that existed in the same era as me.
This power was not the blessing I received as a High Elf. Like the collapsed tower that left behind a curse, it was the power that remained with me, the last remaining climber.
I still have no idea why the curse remains rampant until now or why this power has manifested within me.
There might not be any fixed meaning to it. There might not even be criteria for artifacts that react and those that do not.
This part was something nobody could help me with; it was something I had to figure out all by myself.
“Iriliana!”
“I’m dead tired, so let’s hurry back. Everything went well.”
When I reached the promised place, Patrick and Rina were indeed waiting for me.
Dressed in the clothes that Rina had kept, I urged them to get back quickly. So many things had happened that I had temporarily forgotten, and maybe it was because I had used too much energy, but I was extremely tired.
