Chapter 33 – Ethan Conrad (3)
“Are there no remaining traces at all?”
“That’s correct. What little was left has quickly disappeared. It seems that at least eliminating it is possible.”
Neru, her student who was investigating the area of erosion inside the cave, nodded while taking off the protective suit he had covered himself in.
The investigation itself was nearly at the end. It was impossible to dig any deeper in a condition where only traces remained. However, Leania, who had decided to focus entirely on this matter, was not satisfied with this.
“Notify other regions as well. This incident definitely isn’t merely due to proximity to the Forbidden. This could happen in other places as well.”
“Understood.”
She shifted her gaze to other areas. Fortunately, it had been suppressed quickly, but if such incidents were to occur throughout the world simultaneously, then something far more terrible would happen.
‘If this incident had occurred here without that individual…’
Leania had witnessed the sight of the goblins from the dimensional gate that caused the erosion rushing out. If they had continued to flood in, the flustered guards and adventurers might have been defeated without a fight.
In such a case, not only the nearby villages but even the city could have suffered damage. Just imagining the dreadful outcome sent shivers down Leania’s spine, raising the hair on her tail and ears.
“By the way, why are you suddenly gathering news about the Elves?”
“W-Well, there’s that. Just send a contact.”
While lost in thought, she flinched at Neru’s sudden question and stammered, mumbling her response.
The sole reason she had suddenly taken an interest in the Elves was that which she had never spoken of to anyone.
The fact that the erosion that had occurred this time fortunately stopped at this level was largely due to the sacrifice of Kai, who had served as a medium, and the power of ‘that Elf’ who had completely purified the erosion.
‘I’ll have to report this.’
Leania decided to meet that Elf once again. While the pretext was naturally a report on this incident, the truth was that she simply wanted to see that incredible, mystical being one more time.
“What’s this? Did someone shoot a signal flare from the city?”
“Is there a festival happening?”
The very next day, it was also because of this that she shot up the red signal flare. Leania chuckled faintly at the murmurs she heard in the surroundings and hurriedly threw on her hood and dashed to the meeting place.
The agreed-upon meeting spot for Iriliana and Leania was a forest near the sparsely populated city. Arriving there first, Leania kept sniffing the air.
‘I have already memorized that individual’s scent.’
This acute sense of smell was her talent for distinguishing unfamiliar individuals. With Iriliana’s scent being of a kind she could not find in anyone else, as long as she didn’t wear a strong perfume, she could detect it even from a considerable distance.
“Did you discover something?”
“Huh!? H-How!”
However, when Iriliana suddenly appeared next to her, removing the hood from her head and smiling, Leania, who had been diligently tracking the smell in the air, turned her head in shock without detecting her presence at all.
It wasn’t just that the scent was muted or erased. It was as if the smell was “entirely” absent.
‘As I feared, it’s just as I suspected.’
Iriliana smiled at Leania’s reaction, her lips curling up. Utilizing the power of the wind spirits to conceal her scent and the earth spirits to be the first to sense Leania’s presence, she had succeeded in doing just that.
Mastering the forces of nature allowed for things that beings of Leania’s modern era could hardly imagine.
“Is it really that important?”
“Y-You’re right. The investigation is now completely finished.”
Even so, Leania was not close enough to Iriliana to pry into her secrets. Startled by her smiling face, Leania brought up the main topic.
“The investigation yielded no findings whatsoever. It is entirely unknown how such an event can occur, why no traces remain despite such a dimensional gate opening. If it were an event surpassing mere curses and entering another kind of disaster, then it would make sense.”
“Hmm…is that all?”
“Aside from that, I contacted others and searched through nearly all records and documents available, but there were no records regarding the dimensional gate that causes erosion. This is the first time such a phenomenon has appeared.”
In truth, Iriliana wasn’t Leania’s superior, but without realizing it, Leania reported the details as if she were a subordinate.
Of course, the shared goal of both individuals to stop this inexplicable erosion meant that her attitude wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Erosion harms this land, this world, and the beings living in it. Just like how the tower collapsed ten thousand years ago, bringing an era to an end.”
“That is…”
“The tower proclaimed the end of this world and released disasters and curses. In other words, as if trying to erase and deny everything, most of the civilization and populace of that era were wiped away.”
With a bitter smile, Iriliana muttered as if reminiscing about the past. She was merely organizing her thoughts based on the information and experiences she had gathered, but to Leania, it felt as though an ancient being was recounting events they had lived through.
‘Indeed, this individual is…!’
Leania’s speculation was not wrong. Though Iriliana herself did not know how that process unfolded, it was a fact that she had lived in a time long gone.
“Why did the curse remain? And why are such issues still occurring today? If we think of the disasters and curses released by the tower as a kind of program, can’t we piece something together?”
“I-I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Program? I’m saying it’s a designed process that executes in a certain way. This isn’t too difficult a hypothesis, is it?”
Iriliana tilted her head in confusion as she explained the meaning of her words, which even exceeded the power of trans-linguistic understanding.
The recent eruptions of erosion were undeniably overwhelming enough to be described as remnants of the disaster that once destroyed this world in ancient times.
If the curse left in this world were merely faint traces, such events should not occur.
‘The disaster that began ten thousand years ago has not yet ended?’
Leania, regaining her calm as per Iriliana’s words, quickly extracted the conclusion. It was a fact that both individuals, and anyone who thought a little deeper about the recent occurrences of erosion, would easily realize.
“The purpose of the tower was to erase this entire world, but it failed. The evidence of that is you all. The descendants of those who bounced out after the tower collapsed. Tens of billions perished along with civilization, leaving only a handful, yet they were great. They survived to the end and ultimately rebuilt this world.”
She pointed a finger at Leania. With that small finger, Leania merely moved her mouth, feeling as though she was being recognized.
“And your existence itself is the very cause of the tower’s failure in its program for total annihilation of humanity. I don’t know the details, but the program for total destruction has not yet finished. It has waited thousands of years just to kill you all, us again.”
“But we can overcome this once more. Iriliana, you are also a High Elf who has lived since that time, are you not!?”
“…I am unworthy.”
This could be seen as the resurgence of a catastrophe that ravaged an era they called the Mythical Era. Excited by the possibility of hearing that, Leania called out Iriliana’s name.
However, knowing what kind of misunderstanding Leania had, Iriliana could only smile weakly at her display.
“And it could all be a fuss over nothing. After all, nothing has been confirmed yet.”
“That’s right. For now, I’ve contacted everyone to monitor whether similar events are taking place in other regions.”
“Then let’s not worry too much as nothing definite has come up yet.”
The atmosphere grew serious, but Iriliana waved her hand. True to her words, nothing had yet been confirmed. Of course, if similar news arose from elsewhere and the damage escalated, it would be evidence supporting their conjectures, but for now, that was a hypothetical.
“Continue the investigation… I will contact you.”
‘If all of these assumptions are valid, it would be a matter of great importance that must involve the whole world. And this individual will be at the core of it.’
Leania glanced at her, stating she would contact her later. Iriliana didn’t particularly oppose it. As Leania had thought, this incident was not one that could be ignored lightly for mere annoying reasons once it escalated.
“And if there’s anything you need or wish for, feel free to call.”
For that reason, Leania, seeking to gain a little more favor, smiled and threw out her bait. Though her counterpart was shrouded in mystery, Iriliana, being a member of the nobility, an esteemed scholar, and a magician, could likely accommodate just about anything.
“Nothing in particular? I can get anything I want already anyway.”
‘And I’m somewhat distanced from public authority.’
Iriliana cut down that bait without hesitation. Leania was indeed prepared to offer conveniences rivaling those of Ethan, but she was still a person who held a public position.
In short, unlike the free-spirited Iriliana, who had no qualms about restoring artifacts and selling them in the black market at a high price, this was the reason she was contemplating whether to assist the increasingly cornered Ethan.
