Chapter 115

"Berg, it's me."

"Come on in."

It was the young man with green hair, who was actually the longest-living elf in Shahav.

"What brings you here?"

Berg looked haggard as if he was suffering from some kind of illness.

"Are you still afraid?"

"This is a mission I've devoted my entire life to."

"I'll try my best to understand you. Three more adventurers will arrive soon, and they will play the most important role in this."

"…Three?"

"I handpicked them myself. I don't want the desert to grow any bigger."

"Well, they're all adventurers, aren't they?"

"A paladin, a mage, and an engineer. All three are the best in their specialties."

"Go ahead and do your thing. I won't interfere anymore, and my people are already willing to use their power for you…"

"I need Aisha's help."

At that moment, strength returned to Berg's eyes, which had been dull just a moment ago.

"No, she's recovering but her body's far from sound. There's no room for negotiation for this one."

"She won't get hurt."

"I just said there's no room for negotiation."

"Is this your mission, Berg? Or the mission of all the elves here?"

"All of us, but Aisha hasn't made a decision, so she doesn't count."

"…She's still an elf."

"You can't ignore your own kind just because you don't agree with them."

"I'm sure Aisha would think like that as well."

"I wouldn't mind, if only she was fully recovered."

Berg was adamant, and Seojin even more so.

"By then, it'll be too late. Are you willing to risk unnecessary death for the sake of your principles?"

"Unnecessary death? You told me that you could solve it on your own!"

"I never said that it wouldn't come without sacrifice. I'm just trying my best."

"Damned human. This is why I don't trust adventurers."

"I'd advise you to maintain that attitude, except for when it comes to me, of course. Where is Aisha?"

"I'm… damn it…"

Berg jerked his head back with a look of ultimate defeat.

"…go inside."

"Thank you, Berg."

* * *

Aisha, the elf found in the ground, looked at the human who had suddenly paid her a visit.

"What endues thee h're?" she asked in a tone that was reminiscent of any historical drama. It didn't fit the appearance of the sickly girl.

Seojin didn't mind much.

"I need your help."

"How can I beest of holp?"

"I mean, I wish to borrow the power you wield, for the good of this land."

"Oh, I und'rstand, but I cannot grant thy requesteth."

"Do you happen to know what has become of Salevania?"

"I has't nay idea."

"Do you have any idea long it's been?"

"Timeth is cruel, and the concept of t is not did grant to those who is't catch but a wink."

"Much has changed while you were asleep."

"I'm not v'ry valorous at the human language, howev'r…"

"Udu rakshi."

Aisha's eyes widened as Seojin said it was okay for her to speak Elvish.

"You can speak Elvish!"

Ancient Elvish: 100%

Language skill is sufficient.

He could finally talk with Aisha like a normal person.

* * *

"Legia was a good woman, truly. She cared for the forest more than any elf I've ever known…"

"She was, until eight hundred years ago."

"…"

Aisha dropped her sullen gaze low. She didn't understand. She couldn't match the tender, kind elf from her memories with the monster that devoured the forest. Legia had always trod carefully so as not to accidentally step on small creatures of the forest.

"Legia put you to sleep, didn't she?"

"That's right. She apologized to me and told me that it was for my own sake…"

"So you accepted it?"

"Yes, because Legia said so."

This girl trusted the being underneath the desert to the point where she'd accepted its words without a doubt. Nevertheless, Legia hadn't just put her into a normal sleep.

"Aisha. If what you say is correct, you have already lived more than a thousand years."

"I didn't live all that time, I was just asleep."

"Right, otherwise you'd already have turned into a being like Legia."

A thousand years. That was how long an elf was allowed to live. Any more than that and they would turn into monsters, devouring the life force around them. But in the hundreds of years she had been asleep, Aisha was as dead as she was alive. Seojin thought that she must have been in a sort of dormant state, and that time hadn't counted toward her thousand years.

"So, Aisha, how old are you now?"

"I'm…"

"Excluding the time you slept."

"I'm a hundred and seventy years old."

"…That's young, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, I am rather young."

One hundred and seventy years was a long time. However, Aisha was an elf, and by elven standards, she was definitely one of the younger kin.

"How old was Legia back then?"

"Nearly one thousand years old."

Aisha answered Seojin's question sincerely, even with such sullen eyes. Fallen elves were like that. She might have been Legia's friend in the past, but now she was an all-consuming monster.

"I'm sorry to ask so many questions. I know you're still recovering, but…"

"… That's okay, wrongs must be righted, after all. You're a human, right?"

"I'm Seojin, an. adventurer."

"Adventurer? Do you travel around the world?"

"I wouldn't say trave… ah."

Seojin realized that Aisha wouldn't know about adventurers, as she had no memories and the game had only launched a year ago.

"Well, it's a little different. I'll just say we're unique humans with special abilities."

"…Special abilities?"

"Like you, humans who have been given, well, powers, depending on which path they take."

Aisha nodded in vague understanding after his explanation.

"We're not originally from this land, and appeared only a year ago."

"You're kind of like us elves then?"

"Sort of, and now that you mention it…"

Seizing the chance, Seojin brought up the exact reason he had wanted to see her.

"Aisha, you know where Legia is, don't you?"

* * *

A little earlier, whilst Seojin was comparing Maya's notes with the records, the story of Aisha and Legia had flashed before his eyes.

The two of them could share each other's location and feelings anytime, anywhere. Because that was all they ever wanted.

It was a special snippet that would directly help him clear the episode.

'…Elves' powers are manifestations of their desires. That's the case for the ones in Shahav, at least.'

Seojin concluded that Aisha and Legia were so close that it caused similar powers to blossom.

"…It's not that precise."

Seojin was right.

Key Figure Information Added.

Aisha: 170 years old / Elf / Bond/ Close to Legia.

Elf: Bond

* You and the other know each other's location and emotions.

* Accuracy is affected by the user's emotional state, etc.

'As expected!'

Seojin clapped internally as he saw Aisha's ability in the information tab.

"It's true that I can feel her presence, but I don't know exactly where…"

"You'll know once your body is fully recovered."

"… But adventurer, the fact that I can still feel Legia means that maybe she hasn't changed…"

"Legia has been corrupted," Seojin said firmly as he sensed her anxiety.

Her fingertips trembled, and her pupils were wavering. Her sense of reason knew better, but her emotions couldn't keep up with it all.

"I can still feel her, which wouldn't be possible if she became something else entirely. Her breathing, her emotions…"

"How does she feel?"

"… I can't figure it out, it's all tangled up. I don't know what Legia is thinking."

"Legia lived the thousand years that were permitted for her, and over the next eight hundred forbidden years, she swallowed up Salevania. The forest became a realm known as the Sleeping Desert."

The elves that had once lived together in harmony were scattered, in search of a forest where they could stay. Many lives were lost, and the land was parched. The elves in the frontier city, Shahav, were the only ones left to resist.

"Aisha, I heard you couldn't decide whether to join the Guardians of Balance or not."

Nobody here could lie because they'd be found out the moment they spoke. The moment she announced that she was willing to cooperate, Aisha would not be able to hide her abilities.

"Are you afraid?"

That simple question carried many meanings. Was she afraid of losing Legia, was she afraid that she still had Legia, was she afraid that Legia's spirit had worn down? Whatever happened, when it was all said and done, there was nothing positive about the reality Aisha would have to face.

Now, Aisha was cowering, her entire body shaking. That wasn't just due to her lack of energy. It was because she'd tried so hard not to think about the thing that had been forcibly brought up, and now, she knew she had to face it.

"You can use your powers to help, Aisha."

"I… I can't… I'm really sorry, but I…"

"I didn't say you should help us."

Her ability was sure to be handy, The only reason the elves had no choice but to abandon the desert was that they couldn't find Legia, and Aisha was capable of doing that.

Regardless, that was not what Seojin meant.

"You can help Legia. Only you can."

Aisha said that the Legia she remembered always trod lightly to spare even the smallest lifeforms.

"Think about it, Aisha. How would the Legia from your memories feel if she knew she'd unintentionally caused harm?"

"…I'm sure she'd be sad."

"I think so too. She might even shed tears, blaming herself for her mistake. Imagine such a gentle soul… twisted into something completely different."

From the moment of the fall, elves became different beings altogether.

What form that change took was unknown to all, but one thing was certain: there was no turning back from that point onward.

"Legia, who would weep at the slightest death, has taken more lives than she can count over the centuries. She couldn't stop even if she wanted to."

Aisha was now covering her face with both hands, but Seojin didn't stop talking.

"How would Legia feel?"

* * *

Shahav, the frontier city.

It was an unpopular stronghold that was home to few players, but now, two figures were passing through the entrance to the city.

Both were clad in robes from head to toe. However, one was tall, while the other was stout like a dwarf.

The two paused as they found each other at the same time.

"…Why are you here?"

"What about you? I was definitely faster."

"Nonsense, I was first. You can go back to building one of those useless machines you love so much. This is one of those jobs where a wizard is bound to be of much bigger help."

"Still the same ego, huh? All you do is mutter an alien language that you don't even understand."

"The fact it sounds like an alien language to you proves your intelligence. Just reading the runes…"

Kiri's paused and closed her mouth while Bigfoot turned his head. A knight in colorful platinum armor was looking at the two of them.

"Hey there. It must be you two, right?"

"Who…?"

"Well…"

The paladin bent his upper body and spoke in a low voice.

"Aren't you two from Resistance and Red Tower? Seojin told me to wait for you guys."