The great mage who transcends by returning, episode 165
Aether was standing in the darkness where no light could be seen.
Her gaze had stopped at the place where the priestess had been before.
“…That’s funny. Whoops.”
After a while, a cold smile forms on her lips.
She muttered that and then laughed for a while.
The laughter gradually became grotesque.
And soon, bright red bloody tears began to flow from the purple eyes.
Tears of blood flowed down her cheeks and soon formed on her chin and dripped drop by drop.
The veins of blood that formed on the pure white skin were very bizarre.
“Light. whoops yes If you’re a hero, you won’t be defeated so easily.”
He was weeping, his sorrowful temper buried in the darkness.
Feeling the trembling in her fingertips, she slowly raised herself.
It was in the darkness where no light could be seen, but her eyes were looking at the past.
Old memories that were as bright as the sun.
Sisters who were closer than anyone else.
Memories of being more colorful and happy than ever filled my head.
The World Tree rises high into the sky.
A lush and sacred forest built around the world tree and its people.
everything was good
really everything… ….
It was a time when I was so lost in old memories.
For an instant, she staggered, clutching her forehead.
“Ouch…?!”
intense pain.
And ‘something’ kept whispering to her.
“…I know.”
“Until now, I have not obeyed your orders. i know.”
“Yes, I have been sleeping alone for a long time. I know that too.”
“are you okay. I won’t disappoint you. You will definitely succeed this time. certainly….”
She was talking to ‘someone’.
The more she did, the more the tears flowed from her eyes.
drip drip… ….
Suddenly, the red blood began to turn black.
The blood that flowed like that stopped when the voice that tormented her head stopped.
“haha….”
All that remains is an empty laugh.
But it’s okay.
Although something unexpected happened, it is within the scope of management.
While thinking about the conversation with the voice in my head, the door slowly opened from behind.
“Are you okay, mother?”
Dark King Brakrion spoke to him in a respectful voice.
For a brief moment, there was life in her eyes.
His back was turned, so he couldn’t see Brakrion.
“If you are still having a hard time letting go of your anger because of the sins of your ancestors, please….”
“It’s okay, Brakrion.”
But that life quickly disappeared.
When I turned my back to greet him, Aether’s face was full of kindness as usual.
“It is not you who have sinned against me, but the children of a long time ago. You don’t have to feel responsible for that sin.”
‘I won’t forgive everything.’
different from the outside
“So keep your head up.”
‘I’m going to kill you.’
It was unfortunate for Brakrion.
If he could read her thoughts, he wouldn’t have listened to her in the first place.
“On the contrary, I think about you as great.”
“iced coffee….”
“It wouldn’t have been easy for them to greet me this way if they had heard of the sins of their ancestors….”
That much was sincere.
Even she couldn’t help but sincerely admire the greed and impudence of the idiot in front of her eyes.
I never thought I would have the absurd idea of using myself for the subject of knowing the secret history of my ancestors.
In my opinion, you might think that you have a lot of self-confidence.
But what about this
‘I have no intention of moving you the way you want.’
Their wishes will come true.
The curse of madness will cover the outside world beyond the forest and kill mankind indiscriminately.
but at the same time.
‘The Dark Elf race will also disappear completely.’
Concealing her thoughts, she spoke to Brakrion.
“An intruder kidnapped the shaman. Brakrion, you know what to do, right?”
“The shrine maiden…!”
Brakrion’s eyes widened.
Grinding his teeth, he lowered his head to ‘Aether’.
“I have no face. I will definitely bring Miko back.”
“Yes I believe you.”
Actually, I don’t believe it at all.
Still, it would be more helpful to make the ‘plan’ come true if the chess pieces somehow moved.
And when the plan came true.
will give them
“Kill the intruder and bring back the shrine maiden. For that ‘Aether’.”
The ugliest and most terrible end.
* * *
“…her.”
Even after Ruina’s story was over, no one was able to open their mouth for a while.
Because it was such a shocking story.
the wheel.
To imprison their ancestors, not to anyone else, and use them as a ‘tool’ to extract hatred.
It’s terrible.
“Then, except for the royal family and elders….”
“I don’t know. It is still the same now.”
Descendants who imprisoned and tortured my ancestors for protecting the forest.
I recalled the memories of Aether that I had seen on my way here earlier.
Upon hearing the circumstances, the direction of hatred and betrayal in those memories began to look completely different.
The hatred of the sisters faded.
Even if that feeling doesn’t turn into affection again, it somehow succeeded in turning from minus to 0.
If it ended like that… ….
Perhaps the end of Aether could have been a little more peaceful.
The last… …Maybe I could have been calm.
What was that feeling like?
The hatred that had barely been put to rest was rekindled by my children whom I believed in, and the feelings of that time when I came to hate my children… ….
It would have been terrible.
To the extent that it wouldn’t be strange at all to come back to life and somehow try to destroy my children.
“If the spirit of the ancestors had attained Buddhahood without any major problems, nothing would have happened. Naturally, the madness of the forest would also have weakened, and there would have been no need for a shaman to exist.”
“However, because of the shoveling in his later years, ‘Vengeful Spirit’ collapsed, but ‘Grudge’ remained.”
In other words, there was a ghost to control the curse before.
However, due to the shoveling of the first Dark King, the curse that should have disappeared along with the ghost has not been resolved.
“Hearing such a story, I can understand how the self-proclaimed ‘Aether’ feels about returning.”
“No, but what is the current Dark King? You accepted it even after knowing that my ancestors betrayed you? What is that. Are you insane?”
Ryan shook his head as if he couldn’t understand.
Actually it was.
What on earth were you thinking about accepting someone who was betrayed and was sharpening a knife?
Louisa answered simply.
“It is greed. At the same time, the hatred of the ‘outside world’ also played a part.”
“What did the outsider do?”
“Time has passed. In the past, the outside was chaotic, so the madness in the dark forest was helpful, but now the situation outside is not bad, so the madness is starting to feel cumbersome.”
“…It’s absurd.”
“Yeah a little…No, it can be seen as very shameless.”
Louisa continued to speak.
Originally, it would have been just a typhoon in a teacup, but the current darkness king’s ambition to exceed the degree was the problem.
He had been obsessed with persuading the elders and turning all resentments outside.
And then,
‘Aether’ came.
authenticity!
Even the returned mother seemed to have forgotten the grudges of the past.
So I just accepted it out of the blue thinking it would work out.
Of course, there would be a problem that ‘Aether’ appeared in a situation where only the royal family and elders of the Dark Elves knew the secret history at the time.
What if, by any chance, the resurrected founder reveals the secrets of the past in front of everyone?
The legitimacy of the royal family collapses.
So it’s possible to think that I went in first, but… ….
‘But this isn’t it.’
Yes, it is safe to say that the method the current Dark King has chosen is the worst.
Even according to the priestess, it seems that jealousy, hatred and greed towards the outside world were intertwined.
I got it anyway.
“great. You say that you messed with the ghosts who should have reached Buddhahood on their own, and made a mess of it.”
“…yes.”
Saying that, Ruina hugged Mia in her arms once more.
Mia embraced her sister’s arms with an expression of incomprehension.
“I know. It’s the family’s self-employed gain. But, warrior, can’t you show me a little mercy? The majority of the clan are just being swayed.”
“Huh, honestly, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to push it away….”
If my heart is the same, I just want to push it all away without paying attention to the front and back.
but.
“I can’t do that. For now, he has the title of a warrior.”
He sighed and spoke.
“I know not everyone. Even if you cut out what is festering, you have to leave what remains.”
There are many selfish people, but among them, there must be a dedicated kind like this shaman.
Then the answer is simple.
“…ah.”
Ruina was in tears.
“Thank you, warrior….”
“There is no need for Miko to thank you. I’m just trying to do my duty as a warrior.”
Having said that, I went straight to the point.
“Anyway, the plan will be a bit different, but the purpose is still the same.”
To remove the madness of the forest.
However, there is one thing you need to be sure of before setting up a plan.
“Princess, one before that.”
“You say yes.”
I looked straight at her.
“Isn’t there one more thing you want to tell me?”
“What is that…”
Ruina’s arms that were holding Mia gained strength.
Mia tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
I stared into Mia’s eyes.
With that gaze, Ruina’s power as she embraced Mia grew stronger.
“…sister?”
Even Mia’s call, Louisa did not answer.
After a while she spoke to me with a deep sigh.
“That reaction…Are you asking this already?”
“It’s just speculation. I think I can be sure only after listening to the priestess.”
At my words, Louisa let out a wry smile.
“Aither-sama’s ghost collapsed after a great tragedy. In the process, his soul was eventually shattered.”
“….”
“Most of them became a disaster called ‘madness’ and covered the Dark Forest. But among them, one piece that is closest to the essence has survived.”
“You mean reincarnated?”
“Yes reincarnation…It might be okay to look at it that way.”
At those words, Mia’s eyes widened.
She looked back and forth between me and Ruina.
“Fire reincarnated? Sijo? who? whoever….”
“Okay. Who is it?”
really don’t know
Instead of answering, I quietly looked at Mia.
Ruina also smiled bitterly while hugging her.
At that point, no matter how lost I am, I can’t help but notice.
“Now wait a minute… …?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”
Ruina stroked her sister’s head and continued.
That was no different than an answer.
“…me?”
Mia laughed haha in disbelief and shook her head.
“Ah ah…Could it be that I am the reincarnation of the ancestor? ….”
“If you don’t believe it, try touching the corpse of the ‘father’ over there again. It’s strange that it maintains its shape even after nearly 1000 years.
Mia asked what she meant, got out of Ruina’s arms, and gently touched the corpse.
With a look on his face, wondering if a reaction would really come.
but.
Hwaaak!
As soon as her hand touched it, the corpse that had only resonated briefly earlier began to flow towards her.
And in an instant, the body disappeared without a trace.
“…ah?”
Mia opened her mouth as she blankly stared at the light that spilled on her.
I looked at Mia and said.
“Sister-in-law, welcome.”