Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 61

Ego Forest (4)

The guardians of the forest, the Leaf Clan.

The chief at their apex was indeed different.

‘A chief is a chief, huh.’

With each step he took, the trees moved as if clearing a path. Thanks to that, Drew and I had no trouble moving.

“This is going well, right?”

Drew whispered quietly.

“Yeah. You can talk normally now. There’s no need to be quiet.”

“Really?”

“Either way, the Leaf Clan will only take us to safe places.”

“I see.”

Drew, regaining confidence, stretched his shoulders unnecessarily.

“I am Grantel, chief of the Leaf Clan.”

The chief extended a leafy hand to us. As we grasped the large leaf, he shook it as if shaking hands.

“I believe this is a human greeting?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Forget the Tiger Clan’s rudeness from earlier. They are naturally fierce.”

I already knew this, so I didn’t mind. What could I do about their nature?

‘If you’re recognized as a friend, they’re more reliable than anyone.’

It was up to me to win their hearts someday.

“It’s alright. It’s probably because the humans who visited before didn’t show a good side.”

Grantel looked at my composure with satisfaction.

“Quite mature for your age.”

“You flatter me.”

We walked for about an hour with such small talk.

‘Are we almost there?’

The Leaf Clan members stopped walking.

“I’ll have to cover your eyes for a moment. We need to enter our haven now.”

“Yes.”

Following Grantel’s order, the guys covered Drew and my eyes with leaves.

“Ugh!”

Drew’s low groan followed. Our bodies were moving as fast as before. The Leaf Clan members were carrying us.

That fleeting moment passed, and we stopped. When the leaves covering our eyes were removed, an even denser forest than before filled our vision.

[So this is their haven. Fitting for the Leaf Clan.]

‘It’s changed a lot.’

I had visited the Leaf Clan’s haven a thousand years ago. However, the shape wasn’t consistent due to the trees growing every year.

“Sorry for treating guests like this, but we can’t reveal this location.”

“I understand perfectly.”

Many Leaf Clan children were approaching us with curiosity.

“Humans?”

“It’s a human!”

Their small size made it hard to distinguish them from the surrounding grass when viewed from a distance.

[How cute.]

Before I knew it, the children had gathered around us.

“Everyone, go back inside the trees.”

Grantel waved his hand at them.

“Just a moment.”

“What is it?”

“I’d like to give the children a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. I’ll open a subspace for a moment, so don’t be surprised.”

Illimita was immediately activated. Grantel’s eyes narrowed at the portal created on my wrist.

“Hmm. That’s no ordinary item.”

“It cost me a bit.”

What I took out from beyond the portal was a bundle.

“What is that?”

“Cookies. My nanny made them. I thought the children would like them.”

As I unfolded the bundle on the ground, the children took another step closer.

“Coo, cookies?”

“What’s that?”

“It smells delicious!”

“Human food!”

Of course, they could only stare with longing eyes since they didn’t have permission from the chief, Grantel.

“Ahem. Quickly pick one up and go. It’s not polite to ignore sincerity.”

Permission was finally granted. The children, holding cookies as big as themselves, scattered at the chief’s command.

“Then let’s go over there and talk for a bit.”

After the children disappeared, Grantel pointed to a large tree in one corner.

“Drew, stay here for a moment.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

There was no need for Drew to participate in the conversation, so I left him among the other Leaf Clan members and moved.

“You have the Leaf Clan’s token?”

Grantel’s first question was, as expected, about the token. He wouldn’t remember giving me a shining token.

“Yes. This is it.”

As I took out the shining token again,

“Hmm… It’s definitely our Leaf Clan’s token, but it looks incredibly old.”

Grantel’s brow furrowed.

“You’re a young human. Is this really yours? It’s at least from several generations ago.”

It was a natural question. He couldn’t guess it was from a thousand years ago, but it looked old at first glance. I was too young to have such an item.

“Perhaps… did you consume an elixir of immortality?”

“It’s nothing like that. It would take a while to explain.”

“Then, sit here for a moment.”

Grantel leaned against the large tree. I sat next to him and continued the story.

“This is a token my ancestor received. He said that someday we might receive help from the Leaf Clan and told us to keep it as a precious heirloom.”

That was the only way to explain it. I couldn’t say that I was the one who received this token.

“An ancestor… Do you know how old this item is?”

“I heard the name of the person who gave it to him.”

“Who is it?”

“Kahun.”

The name was spoken casually. However, the name that came out of my mouth…

“Ka, Kahun, you said?”

…created a drastic change in Grantel’s face. His eyes were shaking greatly.

‘What is it?’

I became uneasy at the sight of him, who had been calm until now, even stuttering.

I confidently spoke of Kahun, who had once been a comrade, but Grantel’s reaction was unusual.

[Did that guy cause an accident and get kicked out of the Leaf Clan’s registry?]

‘He was a bit eccentric for a Leaf Clan member. Could it be… Still, he was a chief.’

I carefully asked Grantel.

“Is there a problem…?”

“No. It’s nothing like that.”

Grantel shook his head.

“For you to mention the legend of the Leaf Clan…”

“Huh? No, what?”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head. He was a guy who used to joke around with me.

‘A legend?’

I naturally became curious because I didn’t know the hidden meaning.

“What kind of person was Kahun?”

“He is a role model for all Leaf Clan members.”

Grantel, watching the moonlight shining through the leaves in the deepening night, calmly continued.

“I don’t know much either, but the other races prospered the most in his generation. The chiefs of Ego gathered together and joined forces.”

“I see.”

“It’s no exaggeration to say that we were able to survive this long because of Kahun and the chiefs of that generation.”

“…From the mages, you mean.”

Grantel nodded slightly.

“Unlike now, there was trust between the races, so it was possible. But do you know who was at the center of that?”

“Was it Kahun?”

“No, it was a human.”

“A human?”

“Yes. It’s unimaginable now. The relationship with humans is beyond repair.”

Only then could I understand. The protagonist of the legend he was talking about was…

“A thousand years ago, a human led the residents of Ego out into the world. He treated the other races equally.”

I was referring to myself. Naturally, an excited voice came out.

“So what happened after that?”

The events that followed after I died. If it was a Leaf Clan member who knew the story of Kahun, they might know what happened after that.

“After that… In the midst of a heyday, the human suddenly disappeared. After that, mages called the Oseong [Five Stars, a powerful group of mages] dismantled the other races. In the end, we hid back inside Ego.”

“You don’t know much about human history?”

“That’s right. After that, we just set our own areas and lived as if hiding. Occasionally, we confront humans who bare their teeth at us…”

It was a pity that I couldn’t get information.

[But there are people who remember you.]

That alone was enough to fill my heart.

“But do you know why your ancestor received Kahun’s token? If Kahun recognized him, he wouldn’t have been an ordinary human.”

Grantel’s gaze turned to me.

“Do you know the name Kahn?”

His clear eyes were shaking again.

“…How do you know that name?”

“Fortunately, you seem to remember the name. In fact, I am his descendant. I’m Ahin Kahn.”

Grantel couldn’t even make a sound and was struggling to control his intense emotions.

The human who brought the other races together a thousand years ago. That was me, Adonis Kahn.

‘I can’t say that I’m me.’

It was a pity that I couldn’t reveal the truth as it was.

[Still, I’m glad I hid Delemah.]

‘You’re right.’

Since the Oseong were the ones who trapped them in Ego again, hiding the red eyes was a divine move.

“A descendant of a hero. I’m more honored to meet you…”

“No. I heard that my ancestor received a lot of help from Kahun.”

Grantel, who had calmed down for a moment, regained his composure. His gaze turned to me.

“So, what is the reason why Kahn’s descendant has come back here?”

“I came here to ask the guardian of the forest for a favor.”

“The guardian of the forest… It seems you have business in this forest. An elixir? Or a spirit vein? What do you need? You’re no ordinary righteous person, and you’re a descendant of Kahn. I’ll give you that much.”

Of course, it would be nice to have what Grantel mentioned.

‘I need to make sure they don’t feel repulsed.’

What I was about to ask was a slightly different concept.

“Please take me to the Hall.”

A sensitive matter for the residents here. As expected, Grantel’s brow furrowed for a moment.

“The Hall…”

“Is it difficult?”

“Hmm. No matter how righteous you are, it’s not an easy problem.”

Hall. The place that the residents of Ego value most. It was also the reason why the other races lived here, so I understood perfectly.

“I already know what you’re worried about. I promise I won’t touch the energy there, so please.”

“You know that much?”

“Instead, please let me get a little bit of energy nearby. I’m going to use it when I go to the Zairo Mountains.”

Grantel shook his head and chuckled.

“You’re no ordinary young human. It seems you already know everything about this place.”

I could only respond with a small smile.

“The Zairo Mountains… You won’t be able to go with your current achievements. You’ll need the power of the Hall.”

“Yes. Please. Even if I have other intentions, you can stop me at any time, Chief.”

Eventually, Grantel nodded quietly.

“But I’ll take you there with your eyes covered. Is that alright?”

“It doesn’t matter. Just take me on a path that other races don’t use.”

“Hoo. When will you depart?”

“We can’t depart now anyway, can we?”

The surroundings were already dark. You couldn’t enter the Hall at night.

‘If I went now, it would be a dog’s death [a wasted effort].’

Grantel smiled with satisfaction at my answer.

“As expected, it seems you came knowing this place well. Then will we go tomorrow morning?”

“Good.”

His leafy hand patted my shoulder.

“Ah, and can I ask you for a favor too?”

“A favor…”

“This is a separate request from taking you to the Hall, so you don’t have to feel pressured and can refuse.”

“I will help with anything I can.”

I couldn’t turn away from him, who was showing me kindness.

“Perhaps, once again…”

Grantel hesitated for a moment. His deep eyes shot towards me.

“Can you become Kahn for the residents of Ego?”