< Purification Ritual >
Sefersil, the elven forest.
A steel carriage entered the elves’ sacred place and largest city.
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
The great man slowly looked around and drove the carriage.
Fresh trees, small houses shaped like mushrooms, and picturesque elves walking around the city.
I’ve been here before, but it was truly a fairytale-like scenery.
“It’s all good, but everyone looks at me with too much pressure.”
A great man and a great elder were sitting side by side on the coach seat. The eyes of countless elves were focused on them.
The elder next to me smiled softly and said.
“It’s rare for humans to come here as guests.”
“I don’t think that’s the only reason?”
As if everything that had happened a few days ago had become a rumor, the elves’ gaze was not entirely positive.
‘I heard they have a magic sword…’
‘They say there’s a child in the carriage who has been baptized by the devil.’
‘Why did you bring people like that, Grand Elder?’
It seemed like they were whispering amongst themselves, but most of what they were talking about was heard by everyone.
The elves seemed very dissatisfied. However, perhaps because of Daejangro, no one expressed it openly.
At that time, Alina, who heard the news that Daein’s group was coming, came running from afar.
“Grandma!”
“Alina. “I see you came to meet me.”
The elder lightly jumped out of the carriage and hugged his granddaughter tightly. That figure of hers looked more like a sister than her grandmother and her granddaughter.
‘I heard that the Great Elder is over 500 years old…’
Anyway, thinking that it was an enviable race, Daein waved his hand at Alina.
“How have you been?”
Alina sighed in relief and nodded.
“I’m glad the story went well. “It still bothered me that I couldn’t come with you…”
Alina’s face looked quite haggard, as if she had suffered a lot for several days.
It was then.
“princess!”
Hawkin jumped out of the carriage and knelt in front of Alina. He shouted with a tearful face.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you again! “I thought I’d never see you again…”
Next to him, Daein made a bewildered expression.
“Someone would think it’s been a few years since we met. hey. “It’s only been a few days?”
“···It was a few days that felt like years.”
When Hawkin scratched the back of his head and made an awkward expression, Alina covered her mouth and laughed.
The elder looked at the scene with happy eyes, and when he felt the gaze of those around him, he spoke to his granddaughter.
“How about we finish talking about it when we get home?”
“Ah yes!”
After a while, the group arrived at the elder’s house.
In the center of the elf forest, there was a ‘sacred tree’ that the elves worshiped like a god, and the elder’s house was next to it.
Unlike humans, whose houses grew in size in proportion to their power, the Elder’s house was ordinary.
The party took over Garand’s new recruit from the elf explorers and talked for a while.
Hawkin and Alina mainly talked, and Dain intervened one by one. The children were busy eating the snacks brought by the elder.
Then the great man asked:
“Why can’t I see the old man?”
In an instant, Alina’s expression darkened.
“Leonard is recuperating. The condition is getting worse… “They didn’t let me come out.”
Still, it seemed like his body was still holding on.
The great man nodded and said.
“Tell him I’ll go see him when I have time. “Until then, I tell them not to die.”
Alina smiled at the blunt yet kind words.
“···Leonard probably feels the same way as I do right now.”
“Oh, and take this now.”
The great man took out the royal seal of the Hicks family from his pocket and returned it to Alina.
This meant that the contract between the two people was over.
“······.”
Even though I deserved it, I felt a little sad for some reason.
Alina took the seal and carefully placed it in her arms. She then raised her head and looked at her master.
“I will never forget the grace that helped us get to this point. “I will definitely repay you in the future.”
The girl was much more mentally mature than when Daein first met her.
His eyes were full of conviction, and he clearly knew what he had to do next.
The great man clicked his tongue as he took a sip of the tea served by the elder.
“I told you to live comfortably. “It looks like he is trying to get his country back.”
“Because that’s my duty.”
“Well, it seems like that will happen.”
Daein heard Alina’s conversation with Golkan at the Wall. She also knew something about the secret hidden in the seal she had just returned.
‘It’s only natural that it happens like this.’
The great man spoke while sipping the remaining tea.
“princess. “When you become king, you will repay the favor generously.”
“Of course. “If there is something you want, think about it.”
“···Then I’ll let you know in detail in about a year.”
What if there was an exclusive trade in magic items between the Whitehouse Guild and the Principality?
It’s still quite a story from the future, but Daein was just drawing a rough picture.
But once she said it, it became a huge motivation for Alina.
Alina’s eyes wavered.
“That means a year later… “Are you saying you’ll come see me again?”
‘That’s because the gate will be connected then.’
Instead of saying that, the great man nodded roughly.
“I guess so.”
At that moment, Alina said with her eyes shining.
“It’s been a year… i get it. “Then I will aim for that time.”
Inside, you will use the seal to find the legacy your ancestors hid in the central mountains, make a pact with the six elf families, and go to the Wall to receive Golkan’s support.
“Within a year, I will regain my kingdom. And formally to you…”
“Officially what?”
Alina blurted out her words and laughed bitterly.
“It is nothing.”
Blushing at her wild imagination, Alina pictured the two of them meeting again in a year.
There was no other motivation for the girl.
*
*
*
Saying that Hansi was busy preparing for the wedding ceremony, Alina urged Hawkin to leave with her.
And that night.
The elder, who had been away for a few hours, returned and spoke.
“We are ready for the purification ceremony.”
On the way to the elf forest by carriage, the elder gave an explanation to Daein and Lily.
About how to purify the baptism of the devil in your body.
“It may hurt a little, but it will keep you safe.”
Lily, who heard those words, nodded with a nonchalant expression.
“It’s okay to be sick. “I’m used to it.”
“···okay. I see.”
And finally the time has come.
The Great Elder guided the party to the ‘Fountain of Purification’.
The Spring of Purification, created by slowly accumulating sap flowing from the sacred tree worshiped by the elves, had the powerful power to seal away demonic energies.
Because we had told them in advance, no one other than the Grand Elder and his party approached the area around the Spring of Purification.
The Grand Elder asked Lily if she could begin.
“huh.”
Lily nodded, took off the gown she was wearing, and walked into the fountain.
Jerk, jerk.
The girl’s naked body, without even a single robe, appeared pale under the moonlight.
“······.”
Jang Young-shin turned his head in shame. However, Daein watched the purification ritual from beginning to end with calm eyes.
Bubbling.
As the girl took a step, bubbles began to form in the fountain of purification.
As I submerged up to my calves, the foaming got worse, and as I submerged up to my waist, my glands began to boil.
Soon, Lily’s head was completely submerged in the spring, and the magical energy flowing out of the girl’s body began to color the fountain of purification black.
Ssssssut-.
Like ink spreading over clear, transparent water, the demonic energy spread throughout the fountain of purification.
At the same time, the elder closed his eyes and began to recite a spell.
Wooooow!
An enormous amount of magical power emanated from the staff raised to the sky.
As the spell flowed from the Grand Elder’s mouth, magical power took shape, and soon a huge magic circle was created over the fountain of purification.
Woooooooooooo!!!
The magic circle emitting pure white light vibrated violently. The magic circle gathered the light into one point.
Crackling, crackling-
A moment later, the gathered light shot towards Lily, who was curled up like a fetus under the Purification Fountain.
Bubbly, bubbling!
Cheeeeeeeee!
The fountain of purification boiled over. Lily closed her eyes and frowned as if in pain, and cold sweat began to trickle down from the forehead of the elder holding her magic circle.
“little bit more···.”
The Grand Elder bit his lip and poured more magical energy into the magic circle.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Before I knew it, the fountain of purification had shrunk by half.
“······.”
The great man was watching the whole scene without blinking an eye.
He couldn’t take his eyes off Lily’s naked body, which he saw for the first time.
Of course, it wasn’t because of base desires.
The scars, traces of pain, and felt pain on that small body made it impossible to take my eyes off.
In particular, numerous surgical scars remained on the stomach and chest.
The great man sighed softly.
“You idiot. “If it hurts, you should have said it hurts.”
What good would it have been to know, but wouldn’t it have been better than not knowing?
Cheeeeeeeee!
The light shining on Lily became stronger and stronger. The overheated magic circle began to collapse, but the Grand Elder did not stop infusing his magic power.
“Just a little more, just a little more…”
The demonic baptism in Lily’s body was much more powerful and severe than the elder had thought.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
The magic circle in the air was now on the verge of collapse, and the fountain of purification had almost dried up.
Lily’s expression was distorted with pain.
“Ugh… it hurts···.”
Finally, when a moan escaped the girl’s mouth, the great man thought that it might be better to stop at this point.
It was then.
“Kiyaaaaa!”
With a terrible roar, black mist rushed out from the demonic seal below Lily’s navel.
dump.
At that moment, the elder fell to the floor and shouted.
“We have to stop them from going back in!”
Cheaeng!
The great man immediately drew his sword and blocked Lily’s path.
What was in his hand was not the magic sword Shalit, but the holy sword lent to him by the Grand Elder.
Although the sword’s level was lower than that of Shalit, it was much more advantageous when it came to cutting down demons.
The black fog that reacted to the energy of the holy sword turned to the great man and screamed again.
“Kiyaaaaaaa-!!”
What was just a lump of black fog began to bulge and take shape.
Swoosh, swoosh-
Six hooked arms protruded from the face of a fly, the upper body of a human, and a sharp stinger protruded from the lower body resembling a bee.
Weeeeeee!
On its back, two pairs of wings were flapping furiously.
The Great Elder, who was sitting on the floor, was breathing heavily and spoke.
“You have to kill that devil… The baptism of the devil disappears completely.”
Meanwhile, the great man covered Lily’s body with a gown and stepped forward.
“Thank you, Grand Elder. “You can rest now.”
Tsutsutsutsu!
As he raised the Breaking Heavenly Art to its peak, a blade-like force emanated from his body.
Wooooow!
A vivid auror blade shot out from his sword more than a meter long,
Churrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The watch unfolded from his left hand completely wrapped around his shoulder, emitting enormous magical power.
“devil. “You came out well.”
The great man exposed his white teeth and glared at the devil.
“If you hadn’t come out, I was wondering where I could vent my frustration.”
“Kiyaaaaaaaaaaa!”
The devil let out a roar and flew towards Daein.
Teuong!
At the same time, Daein also kicked the ground.
< Purification Ritual > End
