Chapter 162 – Liquidation (11)
19. Liquidation (11)
Human-Elf War.
Actually, it had nothing to do with me at all. Whether or not there was a war, it was a story outside of Salem, regardless of who won. The story outside of Salem had no effect on The Long Terror, so it was nothing to worry about. Even coming out of Salem in the first place was unplanned.
‘However… The timing is right.’
But now it didn’t matter. In addition to Kaya’s home being closer to the realm of the elves, she was a half-elf. A half-elf who is already despised walks into a village close to an enemy country at will?
The innkeeper bought insurance saying that it was only rumors, but rumors are rumors. The rumors he told were quite detailed and well-founded.
‘Let’s share this information first.’
In particular, Raella’s opinion was the most important. I was about to go up immediately, but since my colleagues were obviously washing up anyway, I decided to go up with food. Roughly… 8 servings?
Even the innkeeper was mobilized to bring the food to the front of the room, and when I opened the door, my colleagues in gowns and pajamas were doing each other’s hair. No, Laella. I’m just doing my hair, but why is the glow coming out of my hands?
As they smelled the savory smell, their eyes turned to the food, and I set the dishes on the table and explained all the information I had heard from the innkeeper. Shay and Illumina looked at Raella-sama. So did I. The most important thing here was Raella’s doctor. Since this trip itself started at Raella-sama’s request, if you say that it’s better to go back here, it’s regrettable that you’ve come this far, but at least I’ll agree.
“You mean there is no war right now?”
“Yes, Lady Raella. But it seems to be true that the omen appeared.”
“Once I get to my child’s hometown, it won’t be long. I think it will take at least a day… I don’t want to waste this opportunity.”
“We don’t even have to consider it.”
“It takes more than a month to go back and forth, so how can I not consider your hard work? I don’t want to waste that valuable time. Besides, this can have a positive effect on my child’s psyche… I really want to ask you.”
“…”
“Can’t you… ?”
Ah.
Miss Laella. That expression, that dialogue. It’s a foul, really.
Raella never forces you. But if you say it like that, I have no choice but to listen. If you refuse, you will feel guilty about something. Illumina seems to be interested in going to Kaya’s hometown itself, and in Shay’s case, she already has three games by the time the Goddess asks her directly.
“Then let’s go as quickly as possible and solve it quickly.”
“Thank you, everyone.”
Raella-nim blushed. We couldn’t bear to see the goddess’ tears, so we lowered our heads and ate her food. It was an instant for 8 people to disappear…
**
‘Hey. He’s my child.’
[…]
‘Woke up, I know everything.’
[La Ella…]
‘Yes, child. Good morning?’
[…]
Raella, who occupied the first floor on the left of the two bunk beds, immediately closed her eyes, but she was not actually sleeping. He was talking to Kaya, who was crouching inside.
‘Why does he still not come out after waking up?’
[…]
‘Didn’t I say that I have come to help you guys? But the fact that I’m still holding the initiative is a deception.’
[La Ella.]
‘Yes? Why?’
[Now that this has happened, wouldn’t it be better for Raella-sama to take over my body as it is…]
‘What?’
[I thought so.]
‘Hey! This body is yours! How can you think of such a thing!’
[I shamelessly wanted Raella-sama to descend for the captain and his goal.]
‘Ah.’
[To be helpful. To be of strength in the dungeon.]
‘Hey. Listen to me more.’
[However, with the power of Raella, I am stepping out, and Raella is directly active. Which of the two is better? Who could be more helpful?]
‘Hey! Stop talking nonsense!’
[La Ella.]
‘Kaya! My daughter!’
Kaya trembled. Raella was the first to call her name. For the first time she called her her daughter.
‘There are two errors in your words. First, I am nothing more than a fragment that was originally separated from Raella. Even if you can generate your original power, you can’t even use all of your original power, and even if you do, your body can’t stand it. What I can support is to make your body even better, and to exercise a portion of your power as a god at a considerable cost in a very emergency situation. Just because I’m fused into your body doesn’t mean I’m wholly me.’
[…]
‘Second… Again, this body is yours, Kaya. And Hendrick loves you, Kaya, not me.’
[I can do anything for the captain.]
‘It’s pretty self-evident that Hendrick would never want you to disappear like that… If I completely took over your body, do you think Hendrick would really like it?’
There was no answer.
‘And it looks like I can forget it when I talk subtly, but why doesn’t it come out?’
[I appreciate Raella-sama’s consideration, but… I didn’t want to go home. But since we’ve already come close, there’s no choice…]
‘Do you intend to keep that scar for the rest of your life? Because of the shock at that time, I lost consciousness for about two weeks. If you don’t solve it now, it will fester inside you for the rest of your life…’
Kaya’s childhood was an old scar itself, but it happened again during the descent and fusion of Raella. And the inside of the scar, which I thought was healed, was filled with tons of pus, and Raella couldn’t let it go.
‘It’s okay since we haven’t arrived yet, but when we do, don’t run away.’
[La Ella…]
‘It will take a few more days, so I’d better prepare my mind.’
[…]
‘I’m here and my colleagues are there, right?’
Raella was fleeting, but she really felt like soothing her daughter. She immediately denied it because Hendrick’s face came to mind.
**
After resting and talking, she set off for Kaya’s hometown. If she didn’t change it in the middle, the name of the village was ‘Pain’, and she thought that the name of the village was like a beggar, and went through a road that became narrower and more difficult.
“Are the trees quite dense?”
“It looks like there will be a road that will be difficult to enter by carriage soon.”
Pain was a rural village, especially a village that had to go deep into the mountains. As Shay said, we had to park the wagon in front of a narrow and old bridge. It was simply not a bridge that two wagons could pass through.
「←Pain」「↑Elsium」
Illumina and I pulled each horse past a milestone as old as a bridge. Lady Raella has recovered enough to be able to walk on her own without support. As we left Plaha, we talked less, but as we got closer to Payne, we stopped talking altogether.
“Ah. I see it over there.”
“I thought it would be very idioty, but it’s bigger than I thought?”
“I think it’s bigger than the town I lived in. The barriers are also quite high.”
No matter how minimally, it seemed that there would be more than 50 households. It was bigger than the village I stopped by before stopping by Plaha. It would mean that there was something about a village of this size in a very remote place, but that wasn’t the point right now.
Just as we discovered the village, the village also found us. They must have been very wary of outsiders, but if they were careless, their wariness could develop into hostility. I had to make sure of my attitude.
“Let’s go in. Proudly through the front door.”
“… Yes. Lady Laella.”
We walked confidently without hesitation.
Then people found us and gathered from all over the railings with their spears and bows out and aiming at us. Having had several life-and-death battles with insane things, I don’t mean to laugh at them, but what can I say… It just seemed cute.
‘I might have been a bit tired if it had just been transferred.’
“Stop! What is it?”
As we approached the door, we were stopped by a man holding a bow from above. The man appeared to be in his 50s and was quite rugged, but judging by the way he spoke, he seemed to be a village vigilante or foreman. I wanted to tell you that among the people you’re looking down on, there’s someone more noble than anyone else in the world, and even though you’ve fucked up in the past, you’ve stood firm and grown up to become warriors against fear. His mouth itched, but… What kind of bullshit do you have to suddenly say that? I also wore plain clothes to avoid attracting too much attention, so it wasn’t that I didn’t understand why they came out so forcefully. I brought out the words I had prepared beforehand.
“I’m here to pick up the belongings of my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”
“A keepsake from your father-in-law and mother-in-law?”
“Yes. I heard you are here.”
“There have been a few women who have left the village, but not a single woman has married an outsider in the past 30 years…”
No matter how closed it is, it’s no joke.
Still, at the words of nearly 30 years, a smile leaked out without me knowing. The man frowned.
“What is funny? Are you saying that only your suspiciousness is increasing?”
“Ah. My wife wasn’t 30 years old, I heard she left town about 40 years ago.”
“… 40 years ago?”
The man made an expression of disbelief. No matter how high I look at my face value, it is in my late twenties, so after calculating the age difference with a woman called my wife, I must have lost my mind at the gap.
“I can’t believe it. Do any of you have a wife?”
La Ella nodded slightly.
“Yes.”
“If you can reveal your name, please state it. If it turns out that you are from the village, I will apologize for the rudeness so far and guide you politely.”
“Forty years ago, do you remember everyone?”
“That is entirely up to you to decide. If you can’t reveal it, you’re still just suspicious people, so you can’t enter the village.”
It was a formal tone in its own way for a villager from a small village. I don’t know if it’s because of my age or position, but there was nothing wrong with my words anyway.
However, Lady Raella’s eyes were trembling.
“La Ella?”
“Looks like one of those in my child’s memory. I almost didn’t recognize it because of the passage of time, but…”
At Raella’s words, the man’s reputation plummeted.
This in Kaya’s memory?
Except for the elf nun who guided Kaya, weren’t they all scum that harassed Kaya? And that man wasn’t an elf nun by any means.
“La Ella.”
“Are you okay. It’s okay. Only me and my child will step in here.”
Lady Raella took a step forward and took off his hood. Then, the people on the railing all opened their mouths in amazement, but the man was the best among them.
“My name is Kaya Epenzel.”
Raella-sama, as if she didn’t care about their reaction, declared to the man who was holding on to the railing.
“She is the daughter of Elkanis Epenzel, the ‘Fang of Eldinium,’ and Yesiel Epenzel, the ‘Storm Marksman’, a high-class mercenary who was born and raised here and made his name widely known.”
