218. Elsia (1)
#218
“Ronan is your father.”
Elthea said. Ronan’s face hardened. In the space where silence reigned only the low muttering of machinery could be heard.
“Ronan….”
Adeshan was looking at Ronan who was lost with concern. How long has it been? After remaining silent for a long time his lips lightly touched.
“…My father? “A savior?”
Elsia nodded her head. Ronan’s legs which had been frozen as if they had been rooted finally moved. He slowly walked towards the glass coffin containing his savior aka his father.
The closer I got the more detailed I could see. The man floating in the glass tube was wearing nothing. Although his physique was average his body was covered with sturdy muscles.
The most noticeable thing about him was the gaping hole in his upper body. A hole the size of a one-year-old’s head went all the way from the back to the chest and the area around the affected area was stained black as if it had rotted.
‘Is he even alive?’
Ronan frowned. If he were an ordinary human being he would have suffered serious injuries that he could not possibly have survived. Dozens of tubes which appeared to be used to preserve his life were stuck like stems all over his body.
When he finally reached the glass tube he turned around to face his man. Ronan took a deep breath and raised his head.
“…ah?”
Ronan’s eyes widened as he looked up at his face. Contrary to expectations that it would be covered by a fucking shadow the savior’s face was clearly revealed.
He was unable to hear or see the name and had no idea how this had happened. But that wasn’t what mattered now. Ade Shan followed behind him and covered his mouth with both hands.
“Ro Ronan. This face…!”
“…Robe guy.”
Ronan who was dumbfounded said to himself. The Savior’s face bore a striking resemblance to the traitor who had stabbed him. His silver-white hair reminiscent of Iril flowed in the water and his facial features were distinct and sharp.
In fact it was no exaggeration to say that the words were similar and that they were just the same except for the minor details. Although his eyes were closed now and he couldn’t see Ronan was sure that the eyes under his eyelids were the same sunset color as his own.
‘What happened?’
It was confusing. I even thought that that little girl had actually lured me into a trap. In fact the person in front of me was a traitor and he suddenly opened his eyes and rushed at me.
However the energy coming through the glass wall was unmistakably that of a savior. Ronan’s eyes widened for a moment as he pondered.
‘Zaifa and Barca… no way.’
For a moment Brother Turgen’s face flashed in my mind. Although their personalities were completely opposite they also resembled each other in one way as if they were printed on a sheet of paper.
The pieces that had been lost and wandering around were coming together one by one. It was a pity that he couldn’t have a direct conversation because he was unconscious. Ronan opened his mouth without taking his eyes off his savior’s face.
“…The savior and the traitor were twin brothers.”
“betrayer? “Aha you mean Abel.”
“Abel?”
“yes. He is the Savior’s brother and the traitor who stabbed him in the back. “I’m also currently the leader of Nebula Clazie.”
Ronan’s eyes widened. The doubts he had been harboring for years were immediately resolved. He had always been called by nicknames such as Traitor or Robber but this was the first time I heard his real name.
“Huh? But how do you know all that?”
“that….”
Elsia tilted her head. It seemed that Ronan did not know that he had experienced memories of past saviors in the image world. Ronan was dragging his tail.
“And just for a second can you see the savior’s face?”
“But.”
Elthea’s eyes widened. She seemed very surprised that Ronan could see the savior’s face.
“That can’t be possible…! “Just wait a moment.”
Elthea walked quickly and stood in front of Ronan. Looking at her up close like this I noticed that she was quite short. She suddenly got up on her tiptoes and grabbed Ronan’s face with both hands.
“Look into my eyes.”
“What are you doing now…!”
Ade Shan was startled by the gesture that made her look like she was about to kiss him. However Elsia just stared into Ronan’s eyes and did not do anything. After about a minute Elsia let out a small exclamation.
“Oh my god this can’t be happening.”
“What’s wrong?”
“In the first place you should not be able to see the face of your savior. You shouldn’t even know the name. Because that is the prohibition given to you by the Savior. But this…”
Elsia removed her hand from Ronan’s face. Adeshan who had been anxious breathed a sigh of relief. She continued her words as she drooled.
“…the prohibition has disappeared. “To be exact it disappeared as if it had been burned.”
“It burned down and disappeared?”
“yes. Of course I expected that if you came this far you would have cursed me or two but how did you get to this level…what method did you use?”
The moment I heard those words Navardose’s face flashed in my mind. The sultry dragon woman laid her Ronan down ripped out some of her own embers and replaced them with a curse.
Suddenly I remembered falling into Barca’s trap and fighting in an ice cave. At that time Ronan activated Aun Pillar’s magic and felt an intense burning pain at the location where the ember was planted.
‘I thought it would grow gradually but did the spark grow bigger then?’
I’d have to find out more details but it seemed right that it had disappeared at that time. As Navardose said the embers must have grown and burned off part of the curse.
But I was wondering if I should say this. Sparkling mana the symbol of Nebula Clazier was emanating from Elthea in front of her. And at a concentration that is thicker than anyone else’s.
It was a natural phenomenon since he was an original member who received strength from the savior but it was still inevitable that doubts would arise. I didn’t even see what happened after the savior was stabbed and fell into the fire pit. Ronan who was silent for a moment opened his mouth.
“Uh…sure. “I don’t remember.”
“You don’t even tell me how you found out about what happened in the past and you don’t completely trust me. “Do you still suspect that I am Nebula Clage…so I am Abel’s person?”
Elthea’s eyes narrowed. Ronan winced at her sharp reasoning ability. She let out a deep sigh as if she knew Elsia would do that.
“Huh…I understand. First I have to prove that I am not the enemy and move on. “What can I do for you to believe me?”
“Uhm so….”
Ronan touched his awkward chin. I couldn’t think of a suitable identification method for her. At that moment Ade Shan who was standing awkwardly opened her mouth.
“That Ronan. “If you’re lying I can find out…”
“iced coffee. “I see.”
Ronan snapped his fingers. Why didn’t I think of this?
Adeshan who wields the mana of shadows knew how to tell whether someone was lying or not. Thanks to this ability of hers in her past life she was always able to have the upper hand in psychological warfare.
“great. Then take a close look at Elthea here to see if she is lying. “Are you okay Elsa?”
“yes? “That’s exactly what it means…”
Elsia tilted her head. When she heard Adeshan’s explanation of her abilities she was filled with admiration.
“Shadow Mana… that’s also a mental type. “Contrary to its appearance it possesses a very dangerous power.”
“I will never do anything strange. “I promise.”
“It doesn’t matter. Because I had no intention of lying anyway. “Where should I start?”
Elsia surprisingly accepted her proposal with ease. Ronan said.
“From how you knew I was coming here. “You greeted me as if you had been waiting for me.”
“I knew from the Savior that you would come here someday. You said it several times before you lost consciousness. However you didn’t mention the time so I didn’t know it was coming until I encountered it on the cliff.”
“Then why did you suddenly drag me here…”
“yes. I followed the Savior’s will. Because Ronan told me to bring him to him first when he comes. “You were conscious until then.”
Elsia twisted her lips. Ade Shan shook her head as her eyes met Ronan’s. It meant she wasn’t lying. Ronan took out a map showing the location of this place from her pocket.
“Who left this map? “I found it in the Savior’s room in Drimore.”
“That’s something I don’t know about. The Savior probably drew it himself and hid it. “He said he left clues here and there for you to find and I think this is one of them.”
“Damn I honestly don’t understand. “You’re making something like that on a subject that’s banned from knowing anything about you.”
“well. Actually there were quite a few things the Savior did that I didn’t understand. Still isn’t it because it had its own meaning?”
Ronan sighed. If it was going to be like this I wondered why I put a curse on it. Is this a similar mentality to that of an old friend who says he has to die every day but wants to live when the time comes? This time too Elthea wasn’t lying.
“great. Just one more thing. Why did you quit your job in Drimoore and move somewhere? “I heard you were working there until just five years ago.”
“It’s because the savior’s condition is getting worse. As soon as he left Drimoor he took up residence in these ruins. “He was able to recover quietly alone and avoid Abel’s pursuit.”
The reason the Savior left Drimoore early was because of his health. The wounds from being stabbed by Abel in the past were increasingly eating away at his body driving him to the point where he could no longer work.
This ruin known to have stored seeds in the past was a perfect hiding place for a savior. He and Elthea spent decades transforming this place into a fortress comparable to the Drimoore and creating a life support system for their increasingly weakened saviors.
“Even when he was in Drimore he stopped by periodically to check on his well-being but at some point he got worse to the point where he couldn’t survive on his own. From then on I settled here.”
Elthea explained that the savior entered the glass coffin on his own five years ago and lost consciousness only three years ago. Additionally the space they are currently in is a life support system. Ronan who was looking around opened her mouth.
“Well… when exactly do you mean the most brilliant period? “I’ve never seen anything like this in a history book let alone something called a luminescence.”
“I don’t know the details but they said it happened a long time ago before Navardose was even born. You said that this world has been destroyed several times and that the people of the world that was destroyed just before had the technological power to literally reach for the stars. “I may seem knowledgeable but I only learned some of the techniques of the time over his shoulder.”
Ronan turned to Adeshan. This time when he confirmed that it wasn’t a lie he laughed as if he was dumbfounded.
If this happened before Navardos was even born then how many years has the savior been alive? Elthea continued speaking even though there were no additional questions.
“I was definitely devoted to an organization called Nebula Clazier. I became attached to it and grew the denomination. But that was when the Savior led the organization.”
“It must have been very different from now.”
“yes. It’s hard to believe that this is the same organization as before. Because the direction itself has changed. I want people who are suffering to be saved like me. “There is no reason to remain in a group that is trying to destroy the world.”
Elthea knew something about Nebula Clazie’s plans. I didn’t know the details such as sending down gangsters but I knew that they were trying to deal a big blow by weakening people.
‘A friend.’
Only then was Ronan able to trust Elthea with peace of mind. If he had known all the details he would have been more suspicious.
The disconnection of information she was experiencing had been ongoing since when with all her might she escaped Nebula Clazier and fled in search of her critically injured savior. I thought it would be okay at this point. Ronan who decided to trust opened his mouth.
“I’ve actually seen you before.”
“yes? “What does that mean?”
“It was part of the process of breaking the curse. “I saw the memory of my savior in the world created by my mind.”
“…Savior’s memories?”
Elthea raised her eyebrows. Ronan clearly explained what he saw and experienced in the world of images. Elthea who summons Abel Hyran who stabs him behind the scenes of Nebula Clazie’s founding process and the savior who attempted to escape but was eventually shot down. Her frozen mouth slowly opened.
“…oh my god. “I really saw it.”
“The problem is that we don’t know anything about what happens next. So what should I do now?”
“Uhm…really?”
“yes?”
Ronan frowned. I didn’t expect the word ‘yes’ to come out here.
“Wasn’t there a purpose you brought here?”
“Well… like I said I just followed the savior’s words. The last command was to bring him when you come. But as you can see he has lost consciousness…”
Elsia dragged her tail gloomily. Ronan laughed. She was so knowledgeable that it was ridiculous.
“Then what you’re saying is that you need to talk to the savior first. “But is that person still alive?”
Ronan lifted the tip of his chin and pointed at his savior. From the front it looked like a much more serious injury. Occasionally foam would come out of his nose and mouth indicating that he was breathing. Elsia answered in a voice that conveyed her melancholy.
“…Not yet. But there isn’t much left.”
“How much is left?”
“About a year at most.”
“Fuck there really isn’t much left.”
Ronan cursed. This was the part that helped me understand why no savior appeared in the final battlefield.
I wish I had come when I was conscious. Even though I called him I couldn’t even say a word to him. I felt like an absolute idiot.
“…Is there any way to fix it?”
“It exists. “Just one.”
Ronan’s eyes widened. Of course he expected the answer to be that it couldn’t be fixed but this was another unexpected development.
“What is that?”
“I’m transfusing her twin brother Abel’s blood.”
