Episode 594
“What does that mean?”
Merlin narrowed his eyes and nodded.
‘Are you doubting me?’
As soon as Raon’s name came out, Tacheon spoke to me, who was just staring at the meeting. It means there is some degree of suspicion. Before saying that there was no relationship, it was important to first ask what it meant.
“Aren’t you still interested in Raon Sieghardt?”
Tacheon continued speaking in a calm tone, as if it didn’t mean anything.
“I’m asking you what you know about him now.”
“I’m interested in Raon Sieghardt?”
Merlin slightly lifted the end of his mask and twisted his mouth.
“is not it?”
“No, that’s right.”
I chuckled and nodded.
‘It would be better to admit it honestly.’
Saying no clumsily won’t work.
This is not the first time she has intervened at Oma’s event to help Raon. There was no way Tacheon didn’t know about that.
“I promised myself that I would rip off the head of Raon Sieghardt, who ate Lokta’s soul, but when I saw him, I could smell Rokta’s scent and my hands wouldn’t move out.”
Merlin furrowed his brows, mixing facts and lies appropriately.
“So, you disrupted the events of the Holy Swordsman and the Black Tower White Blood Cult?”
As expected, Tacheon knew that Merlin had clashed with all three forces. The correct answer was not to deceive.
“okay. “I couldn’t let him die before my eyes.”
“Is that all?”
“huh.”
Merlin simply said that was all and covered his red lips with the old woman’s mask.
“I understand to some extent.”
Tacheon nodded briefly as if he understood.
“Then let me ask you again. Do you know anything about why Raon Sieghardt moved so quickly in Seifia?”
“I don’t know.”
Merlin waved his hand resolutely and leaned back against the sand.
“The reason I saved Raon Sieghardt was because he was right in front of me. It’s not like I’m following you around. There…”
She moved her raised finger left and right.
“I’m here, how can I know his movements?”
“I think you can do that level of magic.”
“I told you. As long as you don’t die in front of my eyes. “It’s not worth doing such a troublesome thing.”
Merlin said that it was different from his personality and lowered his eyes.
“….”
Tacheon looked down at Merlin’s mask without opening his mouth.
“That sure sounds like you.”
He nodded slightly and looked away again.
“This is quite damaging.”
Contrary to the saying that the damage was great, Tacheon’s tone was not dark at all.
“The death of the Red Demon is beneficial, but Cassandra and the Red Flame Demon are. No, the most serious thing is that everyone left and the Red Flame Ghost died without gaining its strength.”
He tapped the desk with his long, thin fingers.
“The Cheonma side will put pressure on you.”
A man wearing a troll shaman’s mask briefly clicked his tongue.
“Damn things. “If you come to me, I will twist your hair!”
The woman wearing the griffon mask seemed to be already irritated, and veins were popping out on her neck.
“That’s not a big deal. “I can put it to rest.”
Tacheon shook his head and looked up at the sky.
“The problem is that there are people who change the nature of heaven.”
“If it is heavenly secret….”
“Before I started this job, I read the heavenly secret. The World Tree was seen burning, the spirit world was collapsing, and the Scarlet Flame Ghost was seen reaching transcendence. But…”
A cool chill filled his calm gaze.
“The result was just the opposite. The World Tree survived, the two Spirit Kings were born, the spirit world regained stability, and the Crimson Demon died. “The heavenly energy I saw was completely reversed.”
Tacheon rested his chin on his clasped hands and lowered his eyes.
“In general, there aren’t many people who can change heaven. transcendence. Among them, those who reach 10,000 must sacrifice a lot to achieve this.”
“Then Raon Sieghardt reached transcendence…”
“That’s not true.”
He shook his head.
“The Red Devil. No, according to the information left by Cheong Si-sa, he is still only in the beginning stages of being a Grand Master. “That’s why it’s more of a problem.”
A deep well was dug under Tacheon’s cheek.
“It means that Raon Sieghart can change heavenly energy even without reaching transcendence. “I tried not to pay too much attention…”
His eyes, filled with eerie heat, fell on Merlin.
“I think I need to change my thinking a little bit.”
* * *
“…It happened!”
The baby fox raised his hand as if to say, “I did well.”
“….”
Raon blinked as he looked at the baby fox that was carrying Merlin.
“You are under suspicion!”
If you think about Tacheon’s words, he didn’t just say it out loud, but it was like he meant to watch over Merlin from now on.
No, that dangerous guy might already be predicting my relationship with Merlin.
“huh. that’s right.”
“Why are you so carefree when you know that?”
“I told you this before.”
Merlin pawed his front paws.
“I have no regrets about Eden. “It used to be like that, but now it’s really worthless.”
She shook her head and said that she was only in Eden to extract information.
“That’s not the problem, it’s dangerous.”
“It’s always nice to hear you worry about me. “I want to record it.”
Merlin crossed his hind legs with a blush on his cheeks.
-Wow, what a crazy bitch…
Lars said he couldn’t see me anymore and ran away into the ice flower bracelet.
“Think about it seriously. “You are already in danger.”
“I know.”
Merlin nodded calmly.
“But it was well worth the risk.”
“what?”
“I was suspicious, but I could have saved you instead. “I’m satisfied with that.”
She smiled as if that was enough. I could feel the sincerity in his flawless smile.
“Haa….”
Raon sighed, holding his head. I didn’t have anything to say when it came out like that, but there was still something I had to say.
“It is true that you saved me, and I am grateful.”
“oh! “Thank you. What’s the difference between us?”
“But now, think about you.”
I ignored Merlin’s words and looked into her eyes.
“From now on, don’t approach me in my original form. “Never, even if I’m in danger.”
“Well, I’ll try.”
“It’s not about trying, it’s about following through. And…”
Raon lifted his finger and pressed the baby fox’s nose.
“Be prepared to run away from there.”
Looking at Tacheon’s reaction, they may have already started investigating. The most important thing was to create an escape hole.
“I did roughly prepare, but since you said that, I’ll think about it clearly.”
Merlin smoothed Raon’s hand with his paw, telling him not to worry.
“That’s it then.”
Raon sighed and nodded.
“Ah, I’ve been worrying about you so much today that my stomach is full.”
Merlin laughed and burped slightly. As it looked like a baby fox, I was annoyed by how cute it was.
“I see that you’re safe, so I’ll just leave.”
She looked up at the sunny ceiling, thinking that time was up.
“Hmm….”
Raon straightened his back and swallowed dry saliva.
‘What is it this time?’
While she was waiting nervously for Merlin’s words, she swept her paw in the air.
“I want you to groom this child.”
“Grooming?”
“Grooming is when an animal uses its tongue to groom its own fur. “They groom each other and build bonds with each other.”
“Tongue?”
Raon gaped at the baby fox.
“This child recently lost his parents and is alone. “He said he wanted to be groomed by a human.”
Merlin patted himself and said, “Poor kid.”
“Ah…”
I couldn’t refuse after hearing the baby fox’s story. It was a situation that required grooming with the heart, not the tongue.
-Off!
Lars crept out and covered his mouth.
-You’re pitiful….
You say you’re pitiful, but when you open your hand covering your mouth, it somehow looks like you’re smiling.
“Then let me ask you a favor!”
Merlin waved and walked away. The baby fox’s black eyes look into mine.
“Ah…”
Raon looked at the baby fox and swallowed dry saliva. When we made eye contact, I couldn’t refuse any more.
“Just prepare your mind for a moment.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
‘Let’s just do it ten times. My tongue may be a bit chapped, but…’
When I composed myself and opened my eyes, the baby fox was smiling like a human.
“Hehe.”
“Merlin!”
Because it was Merlin’s voice, he immediately pushed the baby fox away.
“After all, you are different from other people.”
Merlin chuckled, saying he knew that would happen.
“Grooming doesn’t have to be done with your tongue. “You can stroke it with your hand.”
She grinned, saying she saw something interesting.
“Then I really will go.”
At the end of those words, the baby fox’s eyes sparkled light brown. This time it seemed like he really left.
Purr.
The baby fox came to her lap and rubbed her face.
“okay. “I’ll give you as much as you want.”
Raon sat the baby fox on his lap again and carefully stroked it from head to tail.
-Put it properly! Every single hair!
‘Because I understand. Be quiet.’
Ugh.
The baby fox smiled and waved its tail as if it was in a good mood.
‘This guy isn’t the only one who’s good.’
Strangely enough, I felt at ease while petting the baby fox.
Grooming seemed to bring peace to my heart as well.
While I was petting the fox for a while, the door opened and Rimmer and Dorian came in.
“Raon! “You’re awake!”
Dorian ran over, knelt down, and bowed his head.
“Are you in any pain?”
He whimpered, saying he was very worried.
“Look. I told you there was no need to worry, right? “This guy’s body is made of steel.”
Rimmer grinned and patted Raon on the shoulder.
“young master!”
YooA ran towards Raon, holding the tray she had brought with her in both hands.
“be careful.”
Raon grabbed the infant with the same hand that was petting the baby fox.
Kyaarung.
The baby fox narrowed his eyes, wondering what was going on.
“uh? “What is that fox?”
“He was next to me when I woke up.”
Since he couldn’t say that Merlin was possessed, he pointed to the hole where the baby fox came out of.
“It looks like it came this way.”
“Wow…”
Yua looked at the fox with sparkling eyes.
“Would you like me to pat you?”
“yes!”
Raon nodded, picked up the baby fox, and handed it over to Yua.
“He’s nice.”
Yua held the baby fox dearly and stroked it.
Raon looked at the infant and the fox, then turned his gaze to Rimmer.
“Is it all over?”
“Why are you asking me that? “You took care of everything.”
Rimmer laughed, saying that everything was over when the Red Flame Demon fell.
“I did it just in case.”
“It ended well. Grandpa lived and the world tree lived too. “My compatriots died, but that was something that could not be helped.”
He muttered in a voice filled with loneliness, telling me not to worry.
“You might be hungry, so please eat first.”
Dorian handed out steaming yellow soup from the tray brought by Yua.
It looked like corn soup with small pieces of bread in it, but strangely it had no scent.
-Oh oh!
Lars savored the soup.
-I was starving, but where is the soup? Eat quickly!
‘Because I’m hungry.’
Raon nodded and took a bite of soup. Unlike the lack of any scent, as soon as I ate the soup, the scent of rubber filled my mouth.
-Keueoeook….
“This is….”
“It’s a soup made with nadine bread.”
Rimmer pointed at the soup and laughed.
“I won’t be able to eat much because I won’t be able to eat much. “I made it so that it would be okay to just take one bite.”
“I see…”
Raon answered briefly and looked at Lars. Its chubby body began to glow red.
-You Eden bastards! Don’t worry!
Lars raised both fists and gritted his teeth.
-Because King Bon will destroy all of you!
‘Is this okay?’
Raon ignored Lars’ anger and ate Nadin Bread soup again.
-Queee…. As
soon as the taste of rubber hit his tongue, Lars’ anger naturally evolved.
-This damn land! Never come again!
* * *
“Haa….”
Stelin slowly lifted his eyelids. Deep fatigue and pain spread through his sunken eyes.
“Guardian!”
“You’re awake!”
The guardians who were on guard around the World Tree ran to him.
“I woke up, but I think it was too late.”
Sterin sighed as he looked at the blackened roots and base of the World Tree.
“Did you know what happened?”
The Great Elder who was operating the temporary barrier approached Sterin and bowed his head.
“I don’t know for sure because it resonated. All I could tell was that the world tree was suffering greatly.”
Stelin frowned as he felt a burning pain in the World Tree.
“Then let me explain.”
The elder sighed briefly and sat down next to Sterin.
“It started with Raon Sieghardt. “He said he wasn’t feeling well and went on a scouting trip to the Great Forest…”
He explained everything that had happened to Sterin.
“okay. I see. “He’s the spirit king…”
Sterin must have predicted the situation to some extent, so he wasn’t that surprised when he heard that Raon and Siyan had dealt with the spirit king.
“I owe that kid a lot.”
“That’s right. Considering Siyan’s awakening, it is a debt that is difficult to repay.”
The Great Elder nodded in agreement.
“you. “It seems like something has changed.”
Sterin narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Grand Elder.
“Because I saw something that had no choice but to change.”
“is it.”
Stelin stood up with a faint smile. I almost collapsed helplessly, but the elder held my shoulder.
“What is Siyan doing?”
“Instead of the Guardian, he is circling around Seifia and regenerating the World Tree’s barrier.”
“I wanted to tell you that myself.”
He clicked his tongue briefly as if he was truly disappointed.
“Would you like to go?”
“I want to go, but there’s something I have to do before that.”
“you’re right.”
The Grand Elder smiled softly and nodded as if he knew what it meant.
“That comes first above all else.”
* * *
Raon left the dorm after hearing that Sterin had woken up.
“Guardian, are you okay?”
“You’ll be surprised that it’s so fine?”
Rimmer grinned and nodded.
“That old man. “I don’t know how long I can serve as a guardian.”
He said it was gross and clicked his tongue. Even if he said it like that, it was clear that he couldn’t sleep because he was worried.
“Hmm…”
Raon frowned as he walked down the path leading to the World Tree.
‘You rode a lot.’
The road leading from Seipia to the World Tree was full of black ash.
Even for elves, it seemed like it would take quite a bit of time and effort to restore the forest.
“don’t worry.”
Rimer waved his hand as if he had sensed what we were thinking.
“If only the elves remain, the forest will come back to life. “This can be saved without difficulty.”
He smiled and said he was confident of that much.
“You worry about yourself. “Have you tried using the sword again?”
“I tried, but it didn’t work. “I think it was just a coincidence.”
“thank god. “If that had happened right away, I would have given up the sword and opened a gambling house.”
“Isn’t it already set up? “You’re gone all week.”
“Not to that extent!”
As I walked and joked with Rimmer, I soon arrived in front of the World Tree.
However, not only Sterin but most of the elves staying in Seifia were gathered there.
‘what?’
I thought it was strange and stopped walking.
“Not yet.”
Rimmer grabbed Raon’s wrist and dragged him to the center of the World Tree.
“along. “No, I brought you here.”
He grinned as he stood next to Stelin.
“You’re awake. Fortunately, the.”
Raon bowed his head to Sterin with a puzzled expression.
“Thanks to someone.”
Stelin smiled slightly and looked up at the World Tree. Even though more than half of its base was burned, the giant tree still did not shake.
“When I became one with the World Tree, I felt the pain of being burned. “I knew it was an external attack, but it was impossible to break the resonance.”
He touched the burned area and clicked his tongue briefly.
“I thought it was over as long as the World Tree was under attack, but I felt the energy of fire and water so pure that even I, who had achieved resonance, could recognize it. Thanks to you, I was able to hold onto a little hope.”
Stelin’s eyes turned to me again. It’s different from before.
The eyes, which were filled with pride as if looking at a grandchild, were filled with respect, as if looking at a person standing on equal footing.
That’s not all. The eyes of all elves, including the Grand Elder and Erian, were like that.
“I’ll start first.”
Rimmer walked in front of Raon. He got down on one knee, holding his right shoulder with his left hand.
“The Yuhwa branch tribe meets its benefactor.”
“Great Lord?”
Without even having time to question, Erian on the left came forward and took the same stance as Rimmer.
“The Khorne Gazi tribe meets their benefactor.”
“The Sihwa Gaji tribe meets their clan’s benefactor.”
“The Maran Flower Tribe is a clan…”
“The Karan Stem Tribe is…”
The tribal leaders were not just shouting out words. Their sincerity tickled my heart.
“The guardian of Seifia meets the benefactor of the clan.”
Finally, Stelin came forward. He also kneels and bows his head respectfully. There was a solemnity as if facing the world tree.
The elders and elders standing behind Sterin and all the elves standing here knelt down, holding the shoulder of their left hand with their right hand.
A courtesy that elves only show when they express their true feelings. He conveyed his true intentions with an attitude of revealing himself as straight as a tree trunk.
At this moment, the spirit of all elves resonated. The world tree spread its bent branches like wings and fluttered transparent leaves.
Under the sunlight, hundreds of elves raised their voices.
“Meet the benefactor of the clan!”
