The great mage who transcends by returning, episode 164
Grave.
Generally, when the word ‘grave’ comes up, people think of a slightly plausible form.
A well-polished tombstone.
the words written on the tombstone.
tidy surroundings.
Aren’t there things like that?
minimal respect for the dead.
Isn’t Aether the founder of the Dark Elves, who are no different from the masters of this forest?
So it is natural to expect.
A huge and beautifully crafted structure, or a tombstone with a phrase full of respect for the founder.
but.
“…what is this.”
Mia looked around in disbelief.
She, as an apprentice priestess, had never approached this place, and she was quite agitated by the gruesome state of the tomb.
“Why on earth is the ancestor’s tomb like this…?”
“What is this?”
Ji Bo-ro, who was acting as a guide, also opened his eyes with a similar expression to her.
Aether, the founder of the Dark Elves.
As soon as we entered her tomb, there was no such thing as a terrible ghost attacking us.
In a way, it was peaceful.
It was also terrifying at the same time.
“What is this? Why is the ancestor’s tomb like this… …!”
“Did you know the location and not know that the tomb looked like this?”
“I am….”
Jiboro’s expression was confused.
It was worth it.
…The state of the ‘grave’ was so messed up that it was miserable.
A hideous, withered body lay with its back against a tree.
The identity of the corpse must be Aether.
There was nothing like a coffin.
In such a state, it was only natural that there were no tombstones or buildings to enshrine the coffin.
Shouldn’t we consider it fortunate that the corpse remains even though years have passed when not even a white bone remained?
no it can’t be
“really…It’s miserable.”
“How can this be the tomb of the progenitor? ….”
The condition of the tomb was not good enough that Lian and Eileen both drool.
Not even a proper tombstone or earth, let alone a coffin, has not been made.
“I don’t think I even took my life gracefully….”
I carefully inspected the corpse’s surroundings.
The corpse was frozen in the position with the dagger held in both hands driven into its throat.
In other words, Aether committed suicide.
Writhing in misery and endless hatred… ….
The face of the withered corpse showed the pain and despair he felt right before he died.
“Hmm, but that’s a bit strange.”
The butler tilted his head as if he didn’t understand, then said.
“Anyway, being called the founder means that the existence of this Aether was very important to the Dark Elves.”
“yes.”
“But leaving them like this is a handshake that tramples their legitimacy to the ground. Even if I was afraid of the curse, no, so it would have been right to treat it more clearly.”
The butler’s words were right.
If the curse was feared, the end of the sijo had to be arranged for future generations.
However, looking at this situation, it was clear that the Dark Elves simply stood by and watched the death of their ancestor.
Set came up and said.
[Wasn’t the curse already too thick when this elf named ‘Aether’ chose to commit suicide? To the extent that I can’t approach the surroundings.]
‘No, that’s not the reason.’
Rather, it is highly likely that the malice and curse that now covered the Dark Forest intensified because of this neglect.
If I had taken some action right away, I wouldn’t have come to this point.
‘It’s because I intentionally stood by.’
There is a possibility that something might be going on.
There will never be a situation in which ‘Sijo’ will be neglected so miserably for no reason.
“….”
Mia stood blankly looking at the corpse of Shijo.
“Is it hard to believe?”
“…I don’t know.”
Mia had complicated eyes.
She clutched her chest as if she couldn’t understand why she was doing this.
“Sijo said…Are you betrayed? You couldn’t solve it until the end.”
“I guess so.”
“I understand. I don’t know why, but the ancestor’s hatred and pain. all of them… ….”
She muttered, then bent her knees and stretched out her hand toward the corpse of the founder.
For a very short time, the fingertips were illuminated.
He didn’t seem to notice, but it was a very pure force.
[Wait, that kid….]
“First of all, she’s a shrine maiden.”
[No, even considering that, what should I say? little…Unusual?]
“I guess so.”
The reason why the current shaman tried to get her out somehow wasn’t just because of the preciousness of her blood.
other reasons.
Maybe these things you see now could be the ‘reason’.
I took my eyes off Mia for a moment and looked around.
At that time, Eileen, who was looking around, came towards me and said.
“Here it is. Isn’t something a little strange, Mikhail?”
“Is it because it’s so quiet?”
“Well, there is that too.”
Eileen frowned.
“Isn’t there just one or two strange things? It looks like it’s been weathered over the years, the entrance I passed through earlier. Before it became like this, it looked like it would have trapped someone.”
“Hmm.”
I looked around.
As she said, there are not only a few suspicious things around her.
“Besides, it’s not like this forest was treated as forbidden for nothing, but it’s also too quiet.”
“That’s right.”
It was an Aether corpse that hadn’t weathered for a long time and still remained, or a tomb so empty that one could think it was artificial.
and…It’s peaceful.
It’s hard to believe that this is the source of the disaster.
“You know better than you think?”
“…If you follow Master, you learn even if you don’t like it.”
Aileen looked at the distant mountain with a dry laugh haha.
“It’s definitely too quiet.”
I walked slowly tapping around with the staff.
Eileen watched me like that and followed slowly.
“What are you doing over there?”
“check. Being a ghost is really not easy to last for a long time.”
Resentment, such as hatred, is surprisingly volatile.
It burns strongly for a moment, but from a certain moment it quickly weakens.
In other words, it means that it is almost impossible for a general ‘ghost’ to maintain its existence for 1000 years.
“uh…Ha, but the Dark Forest is actually full of serious madness and hatred, right?”
“yes. That’s why I thought this dark forest might be one of those rare cases.”
I continued to look around.
He continued to hit the ground with his tuk-tuk staff to confirm the existence of the ghost.
Nothing else, but the soul of an elf.
The material for my staff is part of the world tree, the mother of elves, and I was good at finding the souls of elves.
But nowhere.
“…hmm.”
No soul was felt anywhere.
The forest is full of malice and hatred that must have come from Aether, but there was no trace of that spirit here.
As if it disappeared right away.
But that alone is lacking something.
If there is no soul, is there any reason to create such a space?
‘It would be more convenient if someone could explain the situation… ….’
If so, I thought I would be able to grasp the situation more clearly.
Do you want to check that out?
Ugh.
“…hmm?”
The magic tool he had in his bosom began to react by shedding light.
It was an item connected to the one handed to Hedos.
Whoa!
“Huh huh up?!”
Then, a bright light shone in front of my eyes, and a human and an elf fell from the air.
“W This is….”
“Hero?”
Hedos looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Even if it’s that far, the thing next to me is… ….
‘ah.’
I immediately grasped the situation.
“…Did it end up like this?”
I think it would have been better to have the safety device on.
Human emotions are fickle and don’t go as planned.
“Hedos.”
“…ah.”
Realizing the situation belatedly, he lowered his head as if he had no face.
Instead of scolding me, I turned my gaze to the dark elf next to me.
There’s no need to explain what she really is.
“Welcome, Mister.”
I greeted the Dark Elf shaman, Ruina, who came with a sales smile.
* * *
“…I’m sorry, warrior.”
Hedos stepped forward and bowed his head to me with a sorrowful expression.
“The hero warned me, but I didn’t listen….”
“are you okay. Because I thought it might be like this.”
I waved my hand to calm Hados. In any case, in the end, Ruina was saved.
It’s not all good, though.
‘The fact that he came like this means he finally found out about our existence.’
But blaming him for that would be unwise.
Didn’t I send him after calculating the possibility of that in the first place?
“There are many things I want to say, but in this case, it must have been unavoidable.”
“…sorry.”
Let’s end this story here.
There’s nothing good about digging deeper right now.
Besides, the fact that he succeeded in rescuing Ruina is also quite important.
Of course, Hedos still kept his head down as if he had no face.
I lightly tapped him on the shoulder and looked back.
Behind them, Mia and the priestess, Louisa, were shedding tears as they embraced each other.
Perhaps thanks to the subspace potion and my holy power, Ruina’s condition improved considerably.
Fatigue is unavoidable, but it’s much better than the time when I thought I was going to run out of breath.
I let the two of them enjoy the encounter for a while and then approached Ruina.
“Miko-nim, there are a few things I want to check, is that okay?”
“You say yes.”
Ruina looked at me with Mia still in her arms.
“But he….”
“Oh, that’s fine.”
From the moment Ruina appeared here, scout Jiboro had been staring blankly into space with an expression of abandonment.
I must have been quite shocked.
It would seem that my common sense has been shaken from the very foundation. In particular, it would not have come as a shock to him that the remains of the founder were left unattended in this way.
“This ‘grave’. Did Miko know?”
“yes.”
Ruina nodded with a bitter expression.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I was in a position to bear the ‘malice’ of the founder. I deliberately didn’t explain the details to Mia, but… ….”
“Excluding the shrine maiden, how many people know about this?”
“…There will be elders and His Highnesses within the kingdom.”
“In other words, the ‘high ones’ knew everything.”
It was an excellent choice not to go to the ‘higher ones’ right away.
Clearly, if I had gone straight without much thought, things must have been pretty messed up.
“Then, this is the main topic, but the spirit of the founder.”
“yes.”
“Does it really exist?”
“…!”
Jiboro, who was listening in the corner, trembled.
natural reaction.
My question now is related to the core of the plan claimed by ‘Charon’, who has now swallowed the kingdom.
In the end, in order for an extreme faction called Charon to be established, the spirit of Aether must exist burning with hatred.
We waited for Louisa’s answer.
Not only Jiboro, but also the rest of the party looked very nervous.
and….
“The soul of the ancestor… ….”
Louisa answered my words.
“It no longer exists.”
“It can’t be!”
Scared to finish her words, Jiboro shouted.
He trembled and glared at Ruina with bloodshot eyes.
“Don’t lie! Now you must be lying because you want to escape your obligations! What the ancestor doesn’t exist anymore… …!”
“I guess so.”
I ignored Jiboro’s words and affirmed Ruina’s answer.
“No trace of a soul was felt anywhere. There are only unsightly remains left unattended.”
“Yes, the warrior is right.”
Louisa had a calm expression.
The expression that he expected this question from the beginning.
“Children raised as shamans are extremely restricted in their freedom. This is important to the shrine maiden itself, but… ….”
“There will also be secrecy issues.”
The shaman’s ‘knowledge’ was thoroughly managed so that even Mia, an apprentice, did not know much information.
“…A vengeful spirit cannot last that long.”
“It is.”
“The ancestor was unhappy until the last moment, but the grudge did not last long after death. …It was fortunate.”
At those words, Mia, who was being held by her, asked strangely.
“then…It’s strange. The founder’s spirit disappeared right away, but why the hell… ….”
“I needed a symbolism to unite.”
“Then you shouldn’t have left the tomb like this.”
“that….”
At those words, Louisa’s face contorted.
She hesitated, as if not knowing what to say.
What you are about to say now seems to be very sensitive.
“…This is because the clan’s secrets existed.”
also.
I quietly nodded.
“Tell me in detail.”
“Shijo-nim is getting weaker and weaker. In the end, it’s hard to control the clan. Even the hatred towards the sisters… …It was.”
It was good until then.
The fact that the hatred that bound Aether so much had faded meant that she was finally released from her long spell.
Just in case there was a problem… ….
“It was said that the clan still needed the father’s ‘hatred’. At that time…The situation outside was really chaotic.”
Wait a minute… ….
The other guys waited for Ruina’s next words with that look on their faces.
And she spoke
“In the end, the first Dark King and the elders violated a taboo. A taboo that should never be violated… ….”
A choice not to make.
As a ‘clan’ and ‘children’, an act that should never be done.
Swallowing a sigh, Ruina continued.
“They imprisoned the weakened founder. Secretly from the other clans, here…In a place called ‘The Grave’.”
Regardless of the direction, Aether just needs to ‘hate’ someone.
With that alone, the madness of the Dark Forest will continue and prevent outside invasion.
“they…I started to treat the progenitor simply as a tool to create ‘hate’.”
“How long…?”
Mia asked with eyes that seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment.
And Louisa responded to her sister’s words with a bitter voice.
“…Until the moment I die.”
