Chapter 124

“Gasp…!”

As I came to my senses, I felt suffocated. My head also felt like someone was hammering it.

“Ugh…”

The things I saw during my last visit were shocking, but they were nothing compared to the records I saw this time.

‘Damn it… what the hell…!’

The reason Yoo Ju ended up returning was essentially me.

No, I was the one who pushed her into it.

I made myself a hostage, forcing her to return, and deceived her heart.

And… I think I know why I chose Yoo Ju as the Returner in the first round.

First, the potential for military power.

I don’t know what a Transcendent Being is, but considering the talk about creating one, it seems like a realm unreachable for players with ordinary talents.

Second, she was probably a good candidate for building a relationship.

‘Since we started together from the tutorial.’

Even though the starting points were different, if I built a relationship in the first round, it was almost certain that Yoo Ju would look for me in the tutorial during the second round.

Then, I could build a relationship with her faster than anyone else, and the probability of starting activities in the same clan as her would be high.

‘… And that’s exactly what happened.’

She was probably the only one who met those two conditions.

But that’s not the problem.

‘Damn it, the important thing is… I played with Yoo Ju’s heart and used her as a pawn.’

Even though I make cold judgments and don’t hesitate to use others if necessary, I received a lot of help from Yoo Ju in the second round without the memories of the first round.

Even someone like me can’t help but feel guilty.

‘And… the next important thing is that there’s no hope for Eras.’

I didn’t get much information about this, so it’s a disappointing situation.

No, actually, this is the most important problem.

The only information I got was that a threat is approaching Eras, and that there’s no hope without a Transcendent Being.

‘Damn it… what should I do? It’s almost certain that I tried to make Yoo Ju a Transcendent Being… but what the hell is a Transcendent Being?’

Still so many unknowns. I think I need to stop thinking for now.

Because my head hurts too much from the sudden influx of information and emotions.

As I moved to leave the library, Ute spoke to me.

“Are you leaving?”

“… Yes.”

“Haha, I hope the records in the Library of Records were helpful.”

Now… I probably won’t come back to the Library of Records. Maybe.

******

“….. Damn it, when is she coming?”

Since the woman said she would come find me in a week, I couldn’t be at the Clan House on the seventh day.

Because there was a risk of being discovered by the clan members.

‘And… if that woman and Yoo Ju meet no matter what… no, maybe it’s okay if they meet.’

Yoo Ju is probably looking for the woman who killed me in the second round with fire in her eyes.

‘But she doesn’t know her face or voice.’

I used magic to alter my voice, and I wore a hood and mask, so the chances of her recognizing me are slim.

‘… Still, it’s better to be careful.’

Anyway, for the above reasons, I booked a high-end inn and have been staying there all day.

In case the woman comes looking for me, I left a note with the inn’s location.

‘Damn it…’

It’s not like it’s my first blind date, so I don’t know why I’m so nervous.

As I nervously picked at my nails on the bed, there was a knock on the door and a voice.

“…. Master. May I come in?”

‘She didn’t appear out of nowhere like last time.’

“…. Yes, come in.”

Like the last time I saw her, she was wearing a hood.

“…. Do you recognize me now?”

“…. Ruska.”

When I called her name, she took off her hood and coat and approached me with a smile that seemed happy.

‘Damn it… I can’t get used to this.’

Without the memories of the first round, she felt awkward to me, and her appearance was quite overwhelming.

When I read about extinct elves in books, I heard that elves and dark elves have appearances that go beyond human standards, and now that I’ve seen her, I think I understand what that means.

If I thought Yoo Ju and other women were beautiful or attractive, this woman was something else… like a man’s…

‘Crazy bastard, what are you thinking right now?’

… Now is not the time for such stupid thoughts.

“Master, I… I came to find you. It took a long time, but…”

“Huh…?”

The problem was that she didn’t stop and kept approaching me.

“Wait…”

As she kept coming closer, I had to half-lie on the bed, and she crawled towards me on all fours.

“I… really regretted it a lot. Why I couldn’t get closer to you. Why I couldn’t express my feelings or thoughts.”

“What…”

“… Are you nervous because of me? It’s definitely different from the first round. Back then, you were in a much worse state. You rarely expressed emotions, and I never saw you flustered like this.”

“…. Huh?”

“You look quite cute now. Honestly… it’s kind of deadly. Do you know that?”

“What, what are you… talking about?”

She continued with a bewitching smile.

“When I entered the inn, the innkeeper misunderstood that you had called for a prostitute. Of course, the innkeeper didn’t see my face, but he must have known I was a woman from my voice.”

‘Crazy…’

Something about the atmosphere felt off.

“How are you feeling now, Master?”

She whispered in my ear.

“What do you want to do in this situation? Go ahead, you can say it. I…”



“Since I am your slave.”

“That is…”

“Yes. You can speak as your instincts guide you.”

Almost instinctively swept away by the atmosphere, I barely managed to hold back from giving a strange answer, got up from the bed, and spoke.

“Please… stop joking. For now, can I call you Ruska?”

‘Damn, that was close.’

I almost lost my rationality without realizing it. Her appearance and aura went beyond simply being captivating.

Upon hearing my words, she made a somewhat disappointed expression.

“Hmm… disappointing.”

“…..”

“It doesn’t matter what you call me. Call me whatever the master is comfortable with. Whether you call me a slave bitch or by my name, it’s up to the master.”

‘Calling her a slave bitch is insane… Do I want to get stabbed?’

“Then I will call you Ruska. Let’s start with the name first. Can you please stop calling me master?”

“…..?”

Her face had an expression as if asking why.

“Although I have read the records of the first round, I have no memory of it. Isn’t it a bit strange for you to call me master? Strictly speaking, this is only our second meeting…”

“No, to me, you are the master. Didn’t I dye everything in your color? Do you plan to evade responsibility just because you have no memory?”

‘What is she talking about? It sounds weird.’

Anyone hearing this would misunderstand that I did something to this woman.

“…. I don’t plan to evade responsibility. But wouldn’t the title cause misunderstandings if others hear it?”

“I don’t mind being misunderstood. No, I don’t mind turning misunderstandings into facts.”

‘Crazy… I mind.’

“…. I mind.”

If a clan member or someone who knows me sees her calling me master, what would they think?

‘Just imagining it is terrifying…’

“…Then let’s do this. I’ll call you master when we’re alone. But when others are around, I’ll call you by your name.”

“…Understood.”

I wish she wouldn’t call me master at all, but it seems she has no intention of stopping.

At least she won’t call me master in front of others, so that’s a small relief.

‘…What should I ask first?’

There are many things I’m curious about, but I’m not sure where to start.

“…I heard the elves are extinct. Are the books wrong?”

‘First, a question about her.’

It’s something I’m genuinely curious about. At least according to Eras’s history books, the elves went extinct 100 years ago.

I heard that the World Tree, which the elves worshiped like a god, was intentionally burned and destroyed by someone.

“No, it’s accurate that all elves except me are extinct.”

“…I see. Then how are you still alive?”

“Because I was the one who caused the extinction of the elves.”

“…What?”

‘What did she say?’

For a moment, I thought I misheard, but her following words were beyond belief.

“The elves were a hopeless race. Deceived by the Demon Tree, which only appeared sacred, they worshiped it and offered their life force and magic. If it continued, Eras would have been destroyed by the Demon Tree.”

“The Demon Tree?”

“Yes, master. The World Tree recorded in history books was not the sacred tree everyone speaks of. It was just a Demon Tree parasitizing the world and consuming the continent.”

I was so shocked by her words contradicting the records that I could only listen blankly.

After all, what Ruska was saying was enough to completely negate Eras’s history.

“I told my fellow elves many times. The tree you believe in is just a Demon Tree trying to devour the world.”

“Then…”

She sighed and continued.

“I was originally the youngest warrior chief of the elves. But no one believed me. Instead, they treated me as a heretic. From that day, I left the village on my own, and I became a Dark Elf.”

“Ah…”

No wonder her abilities were so high; she was the elves’ warrior chief.

Come to think of it, I recall her title included being the youngest warrior chief of the elves.

‘I read that elves who are exiled or separated from their group become Dark Elves… Is this such a case?’

“I had to make a decision. Should I leave my beloved kin alone, or should I kill my comrades who were giving their life force and magic to the Demon Tree for the sake of the continent?”

“So… you, Ruska, caused the extinction of the elves and the Demon Tree…”

“Yes. As you know, master, I am… not only a warrior but also an assassin. Assassinating the high-ranking officials of the elves wasn’t too difficult for me, being both a warrior chief and an assassin.”

“…. I see.”

Eras’s history books never recorded who burned the World Tree. Probably because they couldn’t find out.

“But… no matter how much it was for the sake of the continent, the fact that I killed my own kin with my own hands doesn’t change. I didn’t care if I was captured as a slave by humans. If I were sold somewhere and suffered… I thought it would be my punishment.”

“…And then you met me?”

“…Yes. At a time when I no longer found meaning in life, I met you, master.”