Episode 1020 Starlight of Dawn (4)
Even if the Host’s power suppresses the participant’s existence, the essence remains the same. Furthermore, the power of the Apostle cannot affect the essence of Verden.
Infinite magical power.
Even if it wasn’t revealed, there was no way that an elf, a race that handles magic itself, would fail to sense an endless amount of magical power that could be mistaken for the World Tree.
It is obvious how Mortelan made the elves attack the capital.
Verden gazed into the green eyes of the elf looking at him. Beyond the tears veiled in his gaze, a thirst for revenge flickered.
You brought the elf all the way here only to have it killed by humans.
Elves love their own kind more than anyone else.They possess extreme collectivism.The moment they realize the suffering and death of their fellow elves, bloody revenge is inevitably carried out. Mortelan exploited this fact to command the elves as he pleased.
Since Mortelan had been given the role of an elf, the other elves did not suspect him at all. This is because elves have no concept of fratricide.
“The, the… incarnation of the World Tree? The incarnation?”
Mortelan mutters blankly, unable to come up with any proper response. His allies, Tearel and Luzak, had a similar reaction.
“I, Lewiendel…! Following Mortelan, we eliminated the mastermind, but due to the small dragon and the remnants of the evil god, we could not destroy the capital… You have personally descended for the sake of us unworthy children.”
The elf grabbed Verden’s hand tightly.
“I will follow the Great Mother. Hurry and the annihilation of those wicked humans…!”
The elf’s fervent belief in wanting human death sent chills down Luzak’s spine.
There is no compromise on revenge.
If you kill an elf, it cannot be stopped unless the elves go extinct or all those involved in the killing die. The nature of elves remained the same, whether in modern times or in ancient times.
Then, Verden said.
“Does that elf look like one of your own?”“Huh…?”“Open your eyes.”
Verden pointed at Mortelan, who was standing proudly among the elves. The eyes of all the elves, including Lewiendel, turned toward him.
Lewiendel.
Verden whispered again.
Open your eyes.
Lewiendel’s pupils twitched. Mortelan, instinctively sensing that something was wrong, was momentarily shaken. Inside him was shock and terror.
why?
Why do you fear your own kind?
As it was something unimaginable for an elf, she came to understand Verden’s intentions from the fleeting change in emotion the guy displayed.
Mortelan is not an elf.
It is something that has donned the shell of an elf so perfectly that even Lewiendel was deceived. The Avatar of the World Tree saw precisely that. That must be why He personally came to the filthy realm of humans.
Was it you?
Lewiendel’s magical power flickered.
Killing one’s own people.
Mortelan composed himself and immediately added force to his tone. He knew better than anyone that backing down here would be the end.
“I—”
Phew!
An arrow shot by Lewiendel in an instant pierced Mortelan’s eye at an angle. He deliberately did not aim for the brain, so the creature avoided instant death.
“K-Kuaaaak!”
Mortelan staggered, clutching his head, and fell from the building. Crawling on the floor in agony, he flinched and suddenly lifted his head.
Negative emotions that can no longer be hidden.
Only then did the other elves realize that Mortelan was not an elf, but something else. Love instantly turned into murderous intent and led to action.
That makes no sense.
Mortelan’s trembling face soon turned toward Verden.
“This is a scam! Just how great a role was he given by the host to be the guest of honor!”
The elf’s blade, having jumped from the roof, pierced Mortelan from behind. His jaw slammed shut. Mortelan’s three-inch tongue was caught against his own teeth and severed.
Before he could even let out a dying scream, the elves surrounded Mortelan, and their arrows pierced through the gaps.
Mortelan, who was butchered within seconds of the sound of flesh being smashed, was murdered in a more gruesome manner than any corpse in this capital.
“To be deceived by someone who is not of my own kind…… This, this is the greatest disgrace for a child……..”
Lewiendel pierced Mortelan’s skull with an arrow and turned around. Then, weeping profusely, he pleaded with a face even more filled with rage than before.
“The one who committed such an act must surely be a human from another country…… Human! O Incarnation of the Great Mother. Who is it? We will execute them. Please, please let the child atone for this……!”
Thinking that there is another human behind Mortelan and desiring complete revenge, and crying like a child in front of his mother—you could say that is typical of an elf.
But revenge ends here.
The stage of the adventure is a false world, and the elves are those who died long ago. Like Luzak, they are souls played with by the host.
“Take your leave.”“But…!”“There is no need to be toyed with any longer.”
Verden stroked Lewiendel’s head with a gentle touch. The elves’ eyes widened. Lewiendel seemed to light up for a moment, then let go of his desire for revenge and nodded.
“yes…….”
The wind blew.
The elves who raided the capital scattered like dust and exited the stage of adventure.
“It looks like you’ve done something amazing. Do you know what it is?”“I don’t know either. In an adventure game… I, I, I’ve never seen a sight like this before. I can say with certainty that I have never even encountered it in knowledge…”
Luzak muttered as he looked at the spot where the elves had been just moments ago. Who on earth is Verden? That question took root in his mind.
[Luzak. Depart.]
* * *
I walked forward through the street where the elf had disappeared.
Knowing the way inside out, he arrived at the Great Church of the Religion of Moonlight in the capital of the Kingdom of Hersaon while avoiding combat as much as possible.
“The kingdom’s capital was built upon ancient ruins. Here is the entrance to an underground passage managed by the royal family. The Knight of the Dawn must be somewhere in there. And the passage leading to the royal castle as well.”
Boom!
“The Hersaon royal family’s pursuers are already targeting her. You would do well to be prepared for an engagement.”
Dismounting from their warhorses, Verden and his party entered a church with a collapsed ceiling and broken windows.A symbol of the crescent moon lay buried in the ruins.
“Hmph!”
Luzak pushed the stone platform aside and slashed the carpet beneath with his sword.A hidden door, unopened for a long time, appeared.
[Scan complete. No issues found.]
Alpha confirmed that there were no signs of anyone having passed by down there recently.
Verden bent his finger.
The old dust stirred violently, and the stone entrance with the rusted handle opened. We stepped into the underpass one by one. A strange resonance could be heard.It was a vibration that sounded as if a noise originating from somewhere had swirled around in the underpass before shattering.
“Judging by the continuous noise, it seems quite a lot of people have entered the underpass. Since there is no telling what kind of intellectuals might be there, it would be best not to use
If our location is accidentally exposed by magic, crowds might flock toward Verden.For now, we must avoid this situation.
“The left leads to the Royal Palace, and the right leads to a deeper underground area. The underground passages are not uniform because there are hidden mechanisms that manipulate each passage. It would be faster to find the Royal Palace first and then head underground.”“That’s enough. I can manage on my own.”
Tearel tied her hair up with a string she didn’t know where she got it from.
“Terrin? Still, it’s dangerous to be alone.……”“See you later.”
Beta watched her walk away alone as if nothing were wrong, then jumped off Verden’s shoulder as if he had made up his mind.
[Your Majesty Asher. May I follow Terrin?]
“what?”
Verden’s expression hardened for a moment.
Although Tearel can currently wield higher ranks than Verden relatively freely, at best, he can only maintain mid-level 5th-tier magic for 10 minutes.His physical body is that of an ordinary mage.Now that Beta is also weakened, it is difficult for the two of them to guarantee their survival against a formidable enemy.
‘If things go wrong, Beta… … .’
Verden hesitated, as safety was more uncertain than ever. The words that he could not allow it, regardless of Beta’s intentions, rose to the tip of his tongue.
[Your Majesty Asher.]
Alpha patted him on the back.
[Alpha is Beta. Faith.]
Alpha respected Beta’s choice, asking Verden if he would respect that choice as well.
Eventually, Verden slowly pulled his chin back.
“……Have a safe trip.”
[I’ll be back.]
Tearel, who had gained a companion he had never expected, glanced at Verden and reached out to place Beta on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’ll return Beta safely… Huh? Why is it so heavy?”
It has become much lighter compared to reality.
I can’t lift it.
Verden’s anxiety intensified.
* * *
anyway.
Beta manipulated the frame to grow a physique comparable to Tearel’s. Beta, whose strength was formidable even with weakened resistance, took charge of the front line.Thus, Tearel and Beta headed down the left path and disappeared into the darkness.
Beta’s resistance and Tearel’s magical abilities have reached the limits permitted by this game. With their combination, most dangers pose no problem. Unless they are facing beings of a higher caliber, such as dragons or the remnants of gods…
Objectively speaking, it was a safer situation than Verden, but since he had a habit of assuming the worst, he couldn’t help but be worried.
I suppose you could say it’s like a child left out by the water’s edge.
Alpha crawled up the ash hair and pressed firmly against Verden’s narrowed brow.
[Your Majesty Asher. Stop worrying!]
“I understand, so come down.”
Luzak laughed heartily.
It’s just like a parent and child.
[Your Majesty.]
Verden held Alpha safe in his bosom and took out Eisenfall. Thanks to Alpha, his anxiety had subsided somewhat, but now it was time to focus.
The blue eyes shone eerily.
As Verden entered battle stance, Luzak also gripped his sword tightly.
Guide them.
* * *
A commotion is heard from outside, in the distance.
It is the sound of soldiers of the royal family of Hersaon fighting against the believers of the Morning Star abandoned in the world.
Survival and revenge.
Although their goals differed, they were the same in that they risked their lives. Who would fall? Regardless of the outcome, the result would remain unchanged.
The morning star is hidden by the moonlight, but at the new moon, it shines even brighter. Does the moon envy the morning star, or does the morning star jealousy the moon?
A verse of poetry rings out from the deepest part of the kingdom’s underground passage.
“……At the dawn when the morning star has fallen, the moonlight of the new moon shall not be seen.”
A woman wearing armor engraved with a pattern symbolizing the morning star sings alone.
Knight of the Dawn
The last knight commander left behind by the Religion of the Morning Star awaited his end in a space akin to the product of an evil god. A coffin sat beside her.The body of the ‘man’ placed in the coffin was vivid, as if he had just breathed his last.
Today, the morning star finally falls to the earth. Beginning with the mad moon, the noble sun, the fleeting twilight, and the dawn of hope will all fade away.
The knight of dawn placed his hand on the man’s chest and muttered as if in prayer.
“All the ‘light’ of the world that caused us… that caused you to die, shall fade away. May… the final morning star bring an end to humanity.”
The Knight of Dawn kissed the forehead of the man whose soul had departed long ago.No tears flowed.Her tear ducts had long since dried up from witnessing the slaughter of religion.
I will follow soon, Archbishop.
* * *
As we went deeper underground, the presence of people grew closer, one by one.
“Were there monsters in the underpass?”“No, there weren’t. In the original history!”
Kaang!
The axe swung by the Orc Warrior grazed the armor and struck the wall. Luzak, having burrowed beneath it, slid and slashed through the creature’s groin.
“Intellectuals must have intervened. They found the underpass, and it seems like something big has happened. Since it looks too dangerous to go in directly, they must have guided them! To observe how this situation unfolds!”
Blood-stained Luzak swept through the horde of demi-humans as a knight. His long sword would catch on bone, but when that happened, he would grab a goblin’s arm with his other hand and swing it with all his might like a weapon.
thud!
The moment Luzak let out a gasp for breath, a loud presence was felt from the opposite side. Monsters with their necks bent over from hitting the ceiling appeared.
Even trolls and ogres…….
Verden stretched out his arm.
Earth Javelin
A massive Spear of the Earth pierced through in a straight line. The chests of the ogre and the troll were destroyed and collapsed. Although trolls are famous for their regenerative abilities, there was no hope of survival now that their heads were severed from their bodies like that.
“Luzak, at this rate, it is too exhausting.”
[Shortcut. Needed.]
Luzak brushed the flesh and blood off the long sword and nodded.
“There is a path that is not a path. I am actually on my way there. The fourth guest is a great wizard, so it will surely be alright.”
… … .
The fighting continued until a break was needed.
Verden, Luzak, and Alpha advanced once again through the torchless passage. The two saw through the pitch-black passage using
“I know I’m asking this now, but…”“Speak.”“Why are you trying to help the Morning Star religion?”
Luzak straightened his disheveled helmet and answered without hesitation.
The doctrine of the Morning Star’s religion is giving charity. I received that grace from the Morning Star a very long time ago. That is all there is to the story.
Is the motive to repay a debt of gratitude?
Luzak might have been a pretty decent human being before he became an intellectual of the deep sea. Verden thought so, and Alpha voiced that thought aloud.
[Luzak. A decent knight.]
“Hahaha, that’s too much praise.”
At the end of the passageway where I finally stopped, there was an elevator. It was an elevator that moved physically, not moving by magic stone.
The problem was that there was no stepping stone.
All that is visible is a pitch-black underground with no end in sight.
“It’s a facility that broke down a long time ago. There’s no rope to hold onto to go down, and the walls are slippery. Anyone like me would fall to their death no matter what.”
Luzak stood on the edge of a cliff.
“But you will be different.”“Hold on tight.”
Alpha grabbed Verden’s collar tightly, and Luzak clung to him.
I’ll reach the bottom soon.
Verden took his companions and immediately threw himself into the darkness.
Flight
The morning star is almost here.
