Chapter 217 – 217. God’s Puppet (2)
“That… !”
Eleanor rose from the bath and looked at Belldandy.
Belldandy smiled wryly and nodded his head.
[I know what you want to say.]
It’s like a puppet that doesn’t treat a single human being, but manipulates them according to their will.
[But… The child accepted the role, and he had reasons for being compelled to do so. The child had no choice but to understand that.]
In the first place, the reason why he gave privileges by granting three powers, including enabling him to live a life close to eternal life free from the bondage of time, was simply that Belldandy discovered Eun-hyeon, a special case of an irregular person, and regarded him as special. Not all reasons.
The existence of God is not so sentimental and irrational.
There is a reason for every choice and decision, and those who take an efficient method that only thoroughly pursues results are beings called gods.
“Goddess too… Did you agree to put that restriction on Hyun-i?”
Illyana, who was still lost in her thoughts, opened her mouth and asked Belldandi.
[… Yes. When we first welcomed the child as our apostle, it was something all of our sisters agreed on.]
The three goddesses of Norn saw hope that they might be able to twist the predetermined fate of ‘the destruction of the underworld’ in the possibility of twisting Eunhyeon’s fate.
When he first accepted Eun-hyeon as an apostle, Belldandi, who read the process until reaching the result, couldn’t help but feel sorry for Eun-hyeon, worrying about the hardships and adversities she would have to go through in the future.
Therefore, through the kiss of her goddess, which she had never done before, she bestowed the protection of her goddess, hoping that it would be of some help to her Eunhyeon’s future path.
But aside from that, no matter how much Verdandy, unlike Urd and Skuld, cared for Eun-hyeon extraordinarily, it did not mean that he had forgotten the role he had to give to Eun-hyeon as a god.
It was a contract between Eunhyeon and the three goddesses.
[At that time, the child realized.]
Before being human, Eunhyeon is a representative of the goddesses and an apostle of God who was entrusted with the mission of nurturing heroes who can prevent the ‘death of the underworld’.
-I see…
Eunhyun realized it belatedly.
That he is no ordinary human being.
If you look at this situation from the point of view of a divine apostle, not from the human point of view of building bonds and friendships and protecting important people, there is nothing wrong with this.
Rather, the situation was being created to make it easier for Eunhyeon, the apostle of God, to carry out the mission of rescuing Regina, who had the qualities of a hero.
– But why?
Why was the goddess’ restriction activated at this moment?
Several times before, she had almost gone astray by yielding to the urges of her emotions.
– After all, I’ve never had a drink with you until I died like this. Our Hongi… I’m counting on you.
Joo Hyun-seong, who cared for Eun-hyeon in the end, even though he told her to give up because he had no talent.
-Do not forget. Because you’re the only hope I’ve found in this crazy world.
Seeing potential in Eun-hyeon, who had no talent, Siete taught her sword.
-Doesn’t care! Never break down! Just think about killing that bastard! It must never collapse!
A weapon whose mission was to destroy the devil itself, Brunak, who was prepared to destroy his body so that Eun-hyeon could defeat the devil.
In addition to her, even though she sacrificed many of her companions, the constraints of the goddess were only activated 60 years after she became an apostle.
-If I reject the apostle’s mission and try to put it into practice…
At that time, I lost without even having time to try to resist.
Eun-hyeon, who had just become an apostle, was weak and had no strength to protect anything.
It is the past where we had to accept their deaths inevitably.
In other words, if you directly reject the apostle’s mission and try to put it into action, the restrictions imprinted in your soul will be activated and limit Eunhyeon’s actions.
– I will take care of her daughter.
Even leading the remaining elves to the forefront, the person who directly entrusted Regina to Eun-hyeon is Regina’s mother, the Queen of the Elves.
Why did the elven queen entrust her daughter to the human Eunhyeon?
Why did the elves agree to escort the elf princess instead of sending Eun-hyeon, who is no different from a strong force in the village of the moon, to the front line?
Why do all the elves have goodwill toward Eun-hyeon, a different race, and trust Eun-hyeon without hesitation?
‘Why did I come to the elves’ village in the first place?’
Even before Eun-hyeon met Sylvia, the reason she was looking for the elf village was because she was drawn to her intense curiosity after hearing about the mysterious tree called the ‘World Tree’.
However, even though she did not come to the village of the moon with any noble purpose, fate naturally created a situation where it seemed as if Eun-hyeon was forcibly pushing her back to carry out her mission.
-… All right.
In the end, Eunhyeon had no choice but to accept the elf queen’s request.
In the first place, choosing an option other than that was impossible for Eun-hyeon, whose options were limited due to the restrictions of the goddess.
– Sister, take the princess to a safe place… I’ll be back soon. Never… You can’t get hurt.
-I am also a member of the Elven Guard. Are you afraid that you will be teased like that? You really shouldn’t let the princess scratch you. Got it?
Eun-hyeon said goodbye to the elves, including Sylvia and the elf queen, and left the village of the moon with Regina and a few escort elves.
-Teacher. I’m fine now.
After moving non-stop for half a day, Eun-hyeon and Regina’s party finally arrived at a hideout that was passed down only to the elven royal family, and Regina calmly expressed her own intentions.
-Please, with your mother… Help the elves.
The little elf girl’s hands clenched into her fists trembled tremendously, and pity and sorrow leaked out of her voice as she struggled to speak.
She asked Eun-hyeon for help, thinking of her mother and the elven warriors who were prepared for her death in order to evacuate herself, saying that it was the hope of the elves.
Eun-hyeon reaffirmed the constraints of the goddess forced into her soul.
Seeing that she wasn’t showing the same compulsion as before, it felt like she judged that her mission had been accomplished.
On what grounds and through what standards, Eun-hyeon didn’t know, but he only wanted to save Sylvia and the other elves as soon as possible, so he didn’t think deeply.
[The child who became alone used my powers and ran non-stop to the extent that he covered the distance that took half a day in an hour.]
And after witnessing a fierce battle between elves, dark elves, and demons in the Village of the Burning Moon, he immediately joined the fight.
It is said that they came over from the other side of the void through summoning, but all the demons who did not go against the providence of the world and crossed over to the Arcena continent were of the lower to middle class.
Before the destruction of the earth, they were not difficult enemies to deal with, even if they were annoying to Eun-hyeon, who had survived encounters with the highest and highest level demons.
However, even with such demons, easy things become difficult when the numbers come together.
After a fierce one-on-one fight, Eun-hyeon, who eventually won the victory, led her wounded body and hurriedly joined the elf line.
[And there the child…]
-Sister!
Starting from the fact that all the summoned demons were being sorted out, the dark elves were getting more and more disadvantaged and the elves’ dominance was getting stronger. I checked and shouted urgently.
However, Sylvia, unable to hear her voice, chose to commit suicide by slitting her throat with the dark elf’s blade that had been thrust into her throat.
It was a hard-line measure to prevent her own existence held hostage from turning her war into defeat and irreversibility.
-Ah… !
Following Sylvia’s determination, she chose to kill all the other elves who were held hostage together. She couldn’t control her emotions, including Eun-hyeon and the elves who were hesitating due to her hostage, and killed all the dark elves. It started.
-Sister… No…
Haha… Sorry… I really tried not to do this… Because I was foolishly captured and held hostage…
While Sylvia was gradually losing her vitality from her blood pouring from her neck, she kindly stroked the cheek of Eun-hyeon, who was holding her.
-Why are you making that face?
-I… If only we had fought together on the front line from the beginning without letting the princess escape…
-If so, the princess might be in danger. Still… A little while ago… I thought of you.
Sylvia confessed to Eun-hyeon that she remembered Eun-hyeon’s face in the middle of her decision to commit suicide, with her sullen blade pointed at her own neck.
-I’m not afraid to die… It’s just going back to nature… I love the times I spent with you… Because of her desire to continue going forward…
– Sister, it’s okay. Don’t tell
-Haha… I was going to live with you for the rest of my life until you die… Sorry I left first…
Sylvia continued her words with a smile trying to ease Eun-hyeon’s distorted expression, as if she was about to give up everything.
– Hyuna. Are you okay. Even if I die like this, I will never resent you.
The moment Sylvia’s hand, which had been stroking her kindly, fell to the floor and she said goodbye, Eun-hyeon realized that she had left an important woman she hadn’t even been aware of.
By preventing the harbinger of the demons re-invading the underworld through the tricks of the Dark Elves, they were able to prevent the worst situation in which the predetermined fate of ‘the destruction of the underworld’ began.
However, the sense of loss that Eunhyeon felt was so great.
[The child… Geez that was easy. She was thinking somewhere in her mind that as she became unconstrained by lifespan and she became near-immortal, she was 10 years, she was 20 years and she was going to be with that elf child sometime.]
It was an illusion, a small wish.
Even though she has been with her for over 10 years, she is not aware of her heart and has not been able to convey her true feelings.
The time she had now was so enjoyable and precious that she didn’t want the relationship to change.
So, when Sylvia died, she blamed herself for not being able to choose her choice of fighting alongside her due to her goddess restrictions.
After killing all the Dark Elves, the struggle between the Elves and the Dark Elves ended with the defeat of the Dark Elves.
Among the elves who fought on the front line, the number of dead was half of all warriors, and the elven forest was burnt down and had to be rebuilt.
[As they worked together to rebuild the elven village, the child had time to calmly think about the ‘restrictions’ etched into her soul.]
Why did the three goddesses put such restrictions on their souls and force them to carry out their mission as apostles?
This is because Eun-hyeon predicted that there would come a moment when she would prioritize her precious people more than her mission as an apostle and not fulfill her proper role.
If so, should he resent his three goddesses for putting such a device on his soul?
– No.
This is a reward for having bestowed various abilities and benefits, such as granting life and time beyond human lifespan.
– Hey. I’ll tell you one more time, but you don’t have to accept it if you don’t like it.
When I was first summoned to the room of the goddess and received the offer from the apostle, it was none other than Eunhyeon who accepted the offer from the goddesses, and it was my own choice.
It was Eun-hyeon who tried to abandon the mission without fulfilling the role of an apostle.
How could I blame it on the goddesses?
But even so, the guilt of not being able to save Sylvia rises in her head.
She wondered if it would have been better if she left it to someone else to evacuate the princess from the beginning and stopped the demons and dark elves on the front line with the elves.
– This assumption… All in vain
Sylvia was already dead, and she couldn’t save her.
What should I do in the future?
The worry didn’t last as long as I thought.
Even in this sentiment, Eunhyeon had to stand up and carry out the mission assigned by the goddesses.
– Things like this will definitely happen in the future.
It is certain that her private feelings, including her own personal desires, will someday collide with the restrictions of the goddess again.
If so, it meant that he would have to suffer as if a part of his heart had been cut away like this every time he lost her Sylvia.
-As long as you know the rules and risks… You can prepare
You just have to block that desire altogether from the start.
You don’t have to make a deep relationship enough to give your heart.
He told himself that he should thoroughly follow the ways of the gods who gave him strength and roles.
The way many elves had to sacrifice their lives to protect one elf princess, the hope of the future elves.
Eun-hyeon had to believe that it was the path leading to the future of protecting this world with more elves.
Eun-hyeon’s existence was just a ‘unit’ called ‘Marine’ that was produced in ‘Barrack’ and came out of the world in a war simulation game.
A ‘unit’ that can never be disobeyed, which must move according to the commands of the ‘user’ who exists outside of this world, who is manipulating his body from beyond the world.
After the restoration work of Moon Village was over, Eun-hyeon decided to leave the village.
-Are you going?
-Yes.
– Regina will be lonely. She told the child… I still need you
-I have taught Regina everything that can be taught. The rest is up to the child to do. My role ends here.
Eun-hyeon was able to answer the question of why he had the idea of visiting the elf village, driven by his strong curiosity about the World Tree.
Perhaps, in the struggle between the elves and the dark elves, Regina, who has the qualities of a hero, was killed, and then mid-level or higher demons invaded, resulting in the ‘destruction of the underworld’.
Through the power of ‘Creating Destiny’, Eun-hyeon, who can also twist the future and fate of others, intervenes and changes that determined future.
Eunhyeon thought that the great flow of fate had led her to the village of the moon.
Before leaving the village, Eun-hyeon looked back at him and gazed at the world tree, a huge tree.
He said goodbye, recalling the face of Sylvia, who had lived under the same roof for a long time.
– I’ll go.
