Chapter 126 : Chapter 126
Chapter 126: Black and White (1)
“What, on earth, is that…?!”
“It is proof that we have succeeded in conquering yet another environment.”
Kain said with a smile, in response to Ibi’s muttering as she looked at the submarine, which looked more like a monster made of steel than any ship she had ever seen before.
“A new form of ship, that can navigate deep underwater.”
For the dark elves, who were accustomed to harsh environments, trying to break through the fierce storms that surrounded Krom year-round with a conventional ship was no different from a gamble where their lives could not be guaranteed.
They could somehow endure and adapt to the miasma, but the weather was something they couldn't control.
So they researched a way to navigate under the sea, where the effects of the storm were less severe, and this was the result.
“It was completed recently.”
It was also the reason why the dark elves of Krom had once again turned their eyes towards Tiaria.
They now had a means to safely venture outside of Krom without worrying about their forces being lost to the storm.
And the ‘weaklings’ outside still couldn't even imagine that they could do such a thing.
In other words, it was the perfect time to resume their conquest.
The cities of the continent would be helpless against the army of dark elves that suddenly appeared from under the water.
As Toric had said, the dark elves of Krom, who had grown up in a harsh environment, were extremely strong warriors.
So strong that a single dark elf soldier could single-handedly face dozens of ordinary continental soldiers.
However, because of that, while they looked down on those who had grown up in places without miasma as ‘weaklings’, the fact that Krom was a shitty place to live remained unchanged, so there had been occasional attempts to conquer more livable places.
Therefore, Tiaria, the closest city to Krom, always naturally became the number one target, and this time was no different.
And the reason why their conquests had failed until now was, as mentioned before, because they couldn't send a large number of troops at once due to the storm.
But, that was no longer the case.
“…….”
There was no way a veteran like Toric wouldn't understand what the existence of this submarine meant.
Moreover, he had the experience of directly stopping the dark elves' conspiracy that had been aimed at Tiaria.
Faced with a game-changer that would turn the tables, Toric, who realized that many things had changed since then, couldn't help but be horrified.
“Rest assured, dwarf.”
At that, Kain, who was watching from the side, let out a small laugh.
“Didn't I say I would welcome you as my daughter's guests? I have no intention of silencing you just because you saw this.”
He said, as if to say that if he were going to kill them, he would have done so already.
“This is the first time we've had outsiders on board. You may consider it an honor.”
Kain, who had made this non-threatening threat without a single change in his expression, then walked towards the open door of the submarine and said.
“Let's go.”
And so, we began to navigate the depths of the sea.
On both sides of the submarine, there was a single small window.
The companions, who had been extremely wary of whether this unknown ship they were seeing for the first time in their lives would even work, were now all staring blankly at those windows.
How many opportunities would one have in their life to see the depths of the sea right before their eyes?
Not only Miki and Lily, who couldn't hide their shocked expressions, but also the eyes of the always expressionless Rine were now much wider than usual.
Even Toric, who had been fidgety since the moment he sat down, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the existence of this submarine in a different sense, was occasionally looking at the window.
Even Ibi, who had been lost in her own thoughts since meeting Kain, was now so overwhelmed by the scenery that she couldn't take her eyes off it, her mouth agape.
Indeed, it was a sight worth it.
Kain, who was watching Ibi with a pleased expression, crossed his arms and carefully approached her side.
“It’s too early to be surprised yet.”
He said, to show her an even more magnificent scenery, to act like a gentle father.
“Our home is more beautiful than any other place in this world. I'm sure you'll like it too, Evie.”
But as soon as Kain approached, Ibi flinched and immediately took a few steps back.
At this, Kain, with a bitter smile, returned to his seat quietly, as if not wanting to pressure her.
After the submarine entered the waters of Krom, the submarine, which had been swimming calmly until then, began to shake a little.
At that, the companions, who had been busy looking out the window until a moment ago, now all sat down demurely and showed a hint of tension.
But the depths of the sea were certainly less affected by the storm.
If we were on the surface, we wouldn't even be able to sit properly like this.
How much time passed like that?
The trembling of the submarine stopped, and it finally began to slowly rise.
When we came out of the water, the outside was shrouded in darkness, and almost nothing could be seen.
But it wasn't because it was the middle of the night.
“Everyone, wear these.”
Just then, Kain gave an order to his subordinates and had them distribute masks, similar in shape to the ones they were wearing, to me and my companions.
“From now on, it will be difficult to breathe without these.”
Because of the miasma, Gloom.
Perhaps because it was an item received from a completely untrustworthy opponent, everyone hesitated, looking reluctant, but when I immediately put on the mask without any suspicion, they finally began to put them on one by one.
“Evie.”
On the other hand, Kain personally called Ibi by her name and handed her a mask.
It was the same item as the masks we were wearing.
“You, having inherited our, my blood, will be able to adapt to the Gloom quickly… but still, wear it until you get used to it.”
The reason was that it was dangerous to be exposed to too much of it at first.
“Don’t worry. You'll get used to it little by little.”
Ibi, who had been staring down at it silently for a moment, then snatched the mask from his hand and quickly put it on her face like the rest of us.
After we all had our masks on, the door of the submarine finally opened.
And the scenery that unfolded before our eyes as we climbed onto the submarine through that open door was──
“──!”
Something that made even me, who already knew it would be like this, gasp in admiration for a moment.
The sea in front of me, the lighthouse of the pier and the light emanating from it, the buildings of the city not far away, and the ancient castle standing in the middle of it all.
Even myself, standing on the submarine.
Everything, appeared in ‘black and white’.
As if I had stepped into a black-and-white film.
When Miki climbed up the ladder next, his bright blond hair, which had been sparkling as usual inside the submarine, immediately turned ‘white’ the moment it passed through the open door.
The vibrant colors of Miki were instantly incorporated into the world of black and white.
“H-How…”
Just like me, Miki began to look around the black-and-white world that unfolded before him with eyes of disbelief.
“Is something like this…”
“It’s because of the Gloom.”
“Pardon?”
The creators of this world tried to express the characteristic of a city that worships the God of ‘Darkness’ with this scenery where everything appears in ‘black and white’.
The Gloom, in addition to being a deadly miasma, also disrupts the surrounding ‘light’, or something.
No, was it absorption?
It's the mischief of that gloomy fellow.
Suddenly, ‘The Beginning’, who was watching the same scene as me, said with a sneer.
That cowardly fellow always went around spreading this kind of thing.
All the gods were crazy in one way or another, but that Kromo fellow was especially so.
Anyway, for that reason, the setting was that when the Gloom was thick in the atmosphere, it became difficult to distinguish colors, and the world would look like it was in black and white.
Since coming to this world, I had seen, heard, and vividly felt many things, but this… this scenery was particularly different.
It felt as if my senses up to this point were being denied.
“This is… Krom….”
A world that has lost its light, the dark city of Krom.
It was certainly a scenery befitting its reputation.
“You know well, Bard.”
Kain, who was the last to get off the submarine, immediately threw off the mask he was wearing as if it were a nuisance as soon as he jumped down to the pier.
Then, he took a deep breath, inhaling the thick Gloom in the atmosphere deep into his lungs, and at that moment.
“…!”
Kain's two eyes were tinged with a ‘color’ that did not exist here.
In a world where everything appeared in black and white, only his eyes began to burn with a purple glow.
“Huu──”
Then, after a long exhale, Kain, as if overjoyed at being able to finally breathe, spread his arms and let out a cheer, then immediately turned to Ibi and smiled.
“Welcome home, Evie.”
***
Krom, which we had finally set foot in, could not be described as a vibrant city, no matter how nicely you put it.
Was it because everything appeared in black and white?
In the city's landscape, which was a mixture of ancient architecture and iron structures, although it was an undeniably beautiful sight, I felt a sense of eeriness beyond desolation.
There was nothing here that could be called ‘nature’.
Not even a single common tree could be found.
Because they couldn't survive under this miasma.
Therefore, everything in the city was artificially made.
The only living creatures we could encounter, the dark elves, all glared at us with suspicion as we passed by wearing our masks.
In all the citizens── NPCs we passed, not a single hint of looseness could be found.
In every one of their movements, not a single wasted motion could be felt.
Even though they weren't wearing armor, they all looked like disciplined soldiers.
As if, just like the trees that couldn't survive under the miasma, those who were not so disciplined had all died long ago.
So, this place felt more like a huge military barracks than a city.
“Understand. It's been a very long time since everyone has seen… officially invited outsiders like this.”
Saying this, Kain led us to the center of Krom, to the tall castle.
Inside the building, unlike the outside, there was no Gloom.
Thanks to that, it was easy to breathe, but we could take off the masks that were extremely uncomfortable in every other way.
At the same time, the effect of everything appearing in black and white disappeared as soon as we entered the building, and the usual colors returned.
“I-It’s back…!”
Miki, who still couldn't believe the quick transition, looked around in admiration, especially at his companions.
“The colors…”
Lily, who must have found it just as strange, began to gently touch and look down at her own hair, which had turned from black to its original light pink, instead of her own habit, which was also black outside.
“Follow me, Evie.”
Kain, saying he had something to discuss with Ibi, took her somewhere else himself.
“Sister…”
Lily looked at Ibi with a worried expression, but.
“You don't think he'll kill me, do you? He's supposed to be my, father, or something.”
Ibi, who let out a hollow laugh, gestured as if to say she'd be fine.
“I'll be back.”
After the two of them left, the rest of us, who were left behind, were not sent to the dungeon for breaking a promise or anything like that, but were taken to a reception room, as they said they would treat us with great hospitality as guests, just as they had first promised.
“Please wait here for a moment while the two of them finish their conversation.”
Of course, they didn't leave us alone, and instead of leaving the room, they began to openly watch us, guarding the door.
And so, what remained in the room were the one soldier guarding the door, and the two soldiers who had been here from the beginning.
They didn't show any hostility towards us, but they didn't even try to hide the swords at their waists, as if to deliberately show that they could cut us down at any moment if we tried anything funny.
So we, as if to show them, sat quietly at the table and drank the tea that was placed in front of us.
Sipping the tea like that, I looked at my companions sitting together one by one, and then gave a wink.
Then, I shot up from my seat and took off the 「Witch's Eye」.
“──Everyone.”
Yes.
The dark elves of Krom are extremely strong and cruel warriors.
But as I've said before, they were still human in the end.
“I'll, show you something good.”
Ones who would fall in love at first sight, upon seeing my beauty.