Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 560

560.

“That’s because we’re inside a barrier.”

“Pardon? A barrier?”

“Yes, think of it as a temporary disruption of communication with the Spirit Realm. Your spirit contract isn’t broken.”

The gloomy atmosphere quickly dissipated. Langshi lifted her head sharply and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Wow, a barrier! I know what that is! It’s like an invisible wall, right? I’ve only heard about it in theory, but it really exists! I never would have guessed!”

“Not just anyone can create one. But the main pillar supporting the barrier is gone, so it’ll break soon. Then you can summon spirits again.”

“Wow, I see. That’s such a relief. I was really upset thinking I’d never see them again.”

Langshi, relieved once more, smiled brightly. Her voice seemed to crack at the end, so I carefully looked at her face. She was smiling as if nothing was wrong, but her eyes were already red.

“It’s okay now, Langshi. You’re safe.”

Perhaps she had wanted to hear those words from the beginning. Langshi’s expression crumbled at that one sentence, and she bit her lip before suddenly hugging my waist tightly. I was taken aback by the sudden situation, but when I noticed her trembling shoulders, I couldn’t help but pat her back. No matter how mature she had become, she was still young. Kidnapped, imprisoned, subjected to strange magic, and nearly killed just now. She had experienced things that would be hard for an adult to handle, so there was no way she could be okay. Even if she acted composed, she must have been very scared.

After a moment of flinching, Langshi began to sob. I could clearly feel my clothes getting wet, but I couldn’t hear her crying. Feeling sorry for her as she tried to suppress her sobs, I spoke to calm her down.

“You came to save your friend, right?”

“H-How did you know?”

“I happened to overhear it. I didn’t realize that brave girl was you.”

“I was too reckless, wasn’t I? I was actually known as a prodigy at school. So I thought I could save her. You can scold me. Everything I had to become a spirit mage was thanks to El, but I was too arrogant.”

“No, you did well.”

“Really?”

“Of course. You were just trying to save your friend. You did well. And I think you really are a prodigy. You must have been flustered when your spirit magic didn’t work, but you still used your wisdom to interfere with the spell. You were really amazing. I’m so proud of you, Langshi.”

Her sobs grew louder. I comforted Langshi, who was now crying her heart out, and let her cry as much as she needed to.

Since coming to this world, it felt like I had been running forward without looking back. In the meantime, the responsible girl who helped her single mother and fetched water alone in the forest had become a wonderful spirit mage who risked danger to save her friend.

She was about the same age as Alisa when I first met her, so I felt even more attached to her. Just as I was so proud of this child’s growth, I was also looking forward to Alisa’s growth. And Isana, who would have grown even more than them.

Have they all become adults now? But no matter how much they’ve changed, I’ll find their childhood faces. Just like I found the same smile in Langshi that I saw when I first met her, even after she had changed so much.

Thinking that far, my heart ached. So many unexpected reunions seemed to have stimulated many things. I missed the people I had left behind in my own time more than ever today.

* * *

“Thank you so much for saving us.”

By the time Langshi had calmed down, the sky had completely brightened. The blue morning sky was clear, as if indicating a new beginning. By then, the women who had found some composure thanked me repeatedly. They all looked tired, but their expressions were clear.

After briefly assessing their identities, I found that there were more people from other regions than villagers. Some had been dragged here without knowing why, but most had come after being told about job opportunities, only to be caught up in this mess. Originally, there were more people, but they had all fallen ill and died during the rituals. They had died after having their life force drained every day. Their bodies seemed to have been thrown into this lake. Mermaids had dragged them away, but I didn’t want to imagine what happened after that.

Fortunately, no one was in such bad shape that they couldn’t move. Ellyuen explained that the life force they had consumed could be recovered with some rest. When I told the people that, they were greatly relieved and happy.

“Let’s get out of here first.”

Of course, no one objected. I decided to lead the way out of the forest myself. Most of the forces around the lake had been dealt with, but there were still remnants, including the Siren’s followers, left at the tents. Even though the crown prince’s men and the mermaids had fled, they didn’t seem to notice anything, which meant they were completely unaware of the situation. Still, it wasn’t an environment where they could escape on their own.

“El, aren’t you going to take that?”

Just as we were about to leave, Weldy pointed somewhere. I wondered what she was talking about, but it was the circlet hanging on the Siren’s statue. The relic that had turned the crown prince to ashes in an instant was quietly resting on the statue, which was its original target. My judgment was right after all.

Queen, who was lying on the altar in front of it, no longer had even a trace of life. With the magic circle broken, the life she had been weakly maintaining seemed to have ended. Now that all the royals were dead, what would happen to the Effen Kingdom? A worry that was irrelevant to the situation briefly crossed my mind, but I stopped thinking about it, figuring it wasn’t my concern. Well, they’ll figure it out somehow. Anyway, the moment of contemplation was short.

“I’m just going to leave it there.”

There was no specific request from the Demon God Temple to return it, so it should be fine. The forest wasn’t completely purified yet, so it seemed better to keep it as it was until the power of punishment was unleashed. Even I thought it sounded like an excuse. Or maybe it was lingering attachment.

After that, things went smoothly. There were no dangerous incidents during the journey out of the forest. The fog was still there, but it had thinned out and wasn’t obstructing our vision. After moving for about an hour, the trees gradually disappeared and a path began to appear. The women, who had spotted the village in the distance, burst into tears again. They seemed to realize that they were finally safe.

Unexpectedly, people were gathered in front of the village. They had probably come out to assess the situation after seeing the fog in the forest clear.

“Oh my gosh, look over there!”

They saw us walking out of the forest and shouted in surprise. “Ena? Is that Ena coming from over there?” “Oh my goodness! It’s Sara! Sara’s here too!” Gasps accompanied by sighs erupted. Among them, a familiar little boy ran out quickly. It was Mion.

“Sister!”

“Mion!”

The girl, who had been holding Langshi’s hand tightly while leaving the forest, burst into tears when she saw her younger brother. While the siblings hugged and cried, several other women reunited with their families. As much as they cried, the women from other regions cried with them. The scene of reunion was filled with sobs.

“Lady Weldy!”

There was a welcome reunion on our side as well. Just as the people who had been crying were starting to calm down, a familiar voice was heard from behind. When I turned around, I saw Karian running out of the forest in a fluster. He seemed to have accidentally discovered our trail and followed us.

“Karian!”

No matter how much you’re with people you know, it can’t compare to the comfort of meeting your own kind. Weldy, who had been resilient all along, finally had tears in her eyes.

“Ah! It really is Lady Weldy! I’m so glad you’re safe! I’m so glad!”

Karian was also moved to tears. He looked exhausted, as if proving that he had been wandering through the forest all night. His hair was soaked with sweat and dirt, and his face was covered with scratches, as if he had been scratched by branches. But he didn’t seem to be aware of his own condition and was only busy checking on Weldy.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.”

“I was so worried when I found out you had gone into the forest alone. What happened to you? How did you get out of there?”

“El saved me.”

Karian looked at me with surprised eyes at Weldy’s honest answer. A look that seemed to want to ask many things flashed across his face, but he seemed to think it wasn’t the right time and immediately suppressed it. He straightened his posture and bowed politely.

“You saved us again. I am deeply grateful to our benefactor.”

“It’s nothing. You must have suffered a lot all night in the thick fog. By the way, where’s Sibelius?”

“Oh, that’s right, Karian. Where is Sir Sibelius?”

Then Karian’s expression suddenly darkened.

“So he hasn’t joined you yet. I was wondering if he might have, since I didn’t see him…”

“What do you mean? Are you saying you don’t know where Sibelius is either, Karian?”

“Well, the truth is… I lost sight of him while wandering in the fog. I haven’t seen him since.”

From what I heard, they seemed to have separated quite early after entering the forest. When Weldy’s expression hardened, Karian quickly comforted her.

“He’s a strong man, so he’ll be fine. Now that the fog is clearing, he’ll find our trail and come out, just like I did.”

“Do you think so?”

“Of course. Please don’t worry too much.”

I agreed with that opinion. If there was anyone dangerous in that forest, it was the crown prince, and he was already dead. The remaining remnants of the troops and followers couldn’t be a match for Sibelius, even if they encountered him. If he searched properly and found traces of people leaving, he would soon guess what had happened. I didn’t deliberately hide the traces, so he would be able to figure out our route easily.

“Come on, let’s not stand here like this and go inside. Let’s all talk in a warm place.”

So we accepted the villagers’ invitation. Originally, we were planning to part ways around here and go to the place where we had set up the tents, but it was difficult to refuse their insistence that they couldn’t just send their benefactor away. I hadn’t had enough time to catch up with Langshi yet, so I was thinking of staying for a while until Sibelius came.

But perhaps it was a warning not to let our guard down. Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed and the surroundings darkened rapidly. Surprised, I looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds forming at a rapid pace. It was hard to believe that the sky had been clear just a moment ago. In fact, there was no sign that it was going to rain. That was the case even now, with the sky full of dark clouds. Ellyuen was also looking at the sky. Seeing the unpleasant look on her tightly narrowed brow, it was clear that this phenomenon wasn’t caused by spirits.

“Oh my, what’s going on?”

“Is it going to rain?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

As a water spirit mage, Langshi also realized that this phenomenon wasn’t a natural occurrence. Among the people who were still relaxed, only Langshi’s face was hardened.

“It’s not going to rain. Something else is about to happen.”

The atmosphere among the people quickly stiffened. Then, as if waiting for those words, an eerie energy exploded. A fierce and chilling sensation crawled up my skin, giving me goosebumps all over my body. The others seemed to feel the same thing, as they hugged each other and trembled. In the now completely black sky, bright lights flashed and blinked repeatedly. As Langshi said, something was about to begin.

‘Ah, could it be that? The power of punishment?’

If I had to guess, that was the only thing it could be. I thought the deadline was still a while away, but this is too close. Or did they notice that I purified it and start it right away? It feels like the latter.

“Doesn’t it feel similar to when the Dark Moon Festival starts?”

“Ah, now that you mention it. But the Demon God’s birth festival is in Kwanjer. And the atmosphere isn’t this scary, is it?”

“Besides, the Dark Moon Festival disappeared after the Demon God Temple disappeared.”

“Gasp, could it be that the Demon God Temple is going to be rebuilt?”

Among the villagers, there were some who inferred a connection with the Demon God. The faces of those who made a close guess were very bright. Although the perception had worsened in recent years, there was no one who disliked the temples of the higher gods. (Even if they had to give up prime land) Temples themselves benefit humans. Especially the temples of strong gods like the Demon God were like guardians protecting the region. He was also a god who controlled magic power, so the production of magic stones also increased. The amount of shipments differed several times depending on whether there was a Demon God Temple or not. Of course, the quality was incomparable. The cores of the magical beasts and monsters that came through the cracks every Dark Moon Festival were also valuable resources. Although it had never been officially announced, the losses incurred since the Demon God Temple disappeared must have been considerable. They must have been afraid of incurring the wrath of the Supreme God, so they would be happy that the temple was being rebuilt. But one person seemed to think differently, as his face was pale.

“Hey, I don’t think this is something to be happy about.”

“What do you mean?”

“I read an article in the newspaper a while ago. It was an article about the Demon God Temple releasing a prophecy, and the content was a bit strange. It said that the Demon God Temple would soon be rebuilt in the Effen Kingdom, and after that, the Demon God would judge the kingdom.”

“J-Judge?”

The people who were listening intently all held their breath. The man who was explaining nodded with a frightened face.

“Could today be that day?”

Kwagwang! At that moment, as if in response, a huge bolt of lightning struck from the sky. People screamed reflexively and sat down on the ground. Ah, give me some warning about this! Are you doing this on purpose! You must be doing this on purpose! I glared at the spot where the lightning struck, rubbing my chest, which was pounding with surprise. I don’t know what you did, but smoke was rising from the forest.

‘Wasn’t it supposed to be only those related to Siren who died?’

Striking lightning indiscriminately. I thought you would end it in an instant like Ellyuen, I didn’t know it would be like this. In terms of the form of punishment that anyone could see, I had nothing to say. The problem is that it’s not just the remnants of Siren in that forest.

“J-Judgment! The Demon God is angry…!”

The people who were in chaos couldn’t come to their senses. The lightning that fell while they were having a related conversation had a huge impact.

“I’m telling you, nothing’s going to happen.”

“But lightning struck! If the Demon God strikes lightning here too…!”

“That will never happen. That lightning will only strike inside the forest. It’s safe from here, so don’t worry.”

“How can you be so sure?”

How can I be so sure? Because that’s what I came here for. I’d be in big trouble if it wasn’t resolved after all this trouble and purification.”

“How can you be so sure?”

How can I be so sure? Because that’s what I came here for. I’d be in big trouble if it wasn’t resolved after all this trouble and purification.