Chapter 167
She was truly a beautiful Queen.
She appeared to be in her thirties, but I thought she was probably much older in reality. There was also a level of magic power that was hard to gauge.
The Queen of Elin greeted the divine beasts first. The divine beasts rubbed their heads against her hand like cats. Then, they even lowered their postures.
The Queen gazed gently at the divine tree.
That tree's name seemed to be [Osu].
It looked like the Queen and Osu were sharing some sort of communion.
The Queen nodded and then turned around.
She was still smiling faintly.
—I was told guests would be arriving. So, it was you. This is the first time in Elin's history something like this has happened. Please forgive our member's rudeness.
"I fully understand."
It was said that the Elin had no emotions, but it seemed more accurate to say they expressed emotions differently than humans. Perhaps, as beings with long lives, they lived as sages who attained enlightenment.
—Your Majesty, what did you mean when you said the darkness within them is not really darkness?
At the man's question, the Queen replied.
—These people are capable of wielding both the powers of light and darkness. So they are not tainted by darkness.
—Is that possible?
—These people possess the primordial divinity.
—That's hard to understand.
The Queen looked at us.
—The ancient king of Rac passed the primordial strength onto them. The primordial strength is a divinity where light and darkness coexisted, and only these people possess such strength. This means the gods support them.
The man in white armor looked at us.
He seemed to have a displeased expression, as if questioning why the gods supported humans instead of the Elin.
—The reason Lord Osu invited you here is to give you three gifts. In addition, we wanted to introduce you to us.
"Gifts?"
—Lord Osu is aware that you have purified darkness in multiple places.
"There is still darkness remaining."
The Queen only gave a faint smile.
As if she knew we would purify the rest, too.
—Even we, the Elin, cannot purify the darkness. Only that beautiful woman over there can do so.
She was referring to Eilin.
—That is why I wish to ask you for one favor.
"What is it?"
—The northern continent of Aindel has been steeped in darkness since ancient times to this very day. I hope you can vanquish that darkness. If you do so.
I waited for the Queen to finish her words.
It was a bit annoying.
—I will ask if two legendary guardian elementals may accompany your party.
"You know about the Elin siblings, then."
—I also know that you saved our kin who perished in the devil's sacred ground. You are also the only ones who can lead them here.
"Wouldn't they perish in the presence of divinity?"
—You alone can embrace even the darkness. With the primordial strength, they too can be transformed into immortals. If that happens...
The Queen's gaze turned to the dark knights.
At that moment, I was honestly surprised.
If that really happened...
The Queen did not finish her words.
As if it was fine for us to learn about it later.
Was it really possible?
At any rate, there was a reason why the members trapped in the Forest of Death were not tainted by darkness. The light that exploded when we opened the ancient king's stone coffin must have been the primordial strength.
"What exactly is the gift Lord Osu is giving?"
—He says he will give three things.
A smile spread across the Queen's lips.
As if she herself was pleased.
—First is Lord Osu's seed. This seed is infused with the primordial strength. Only those like you, who possess that strength, can make it sprout.
I had expected the primordial strength.
It was essential to be able to save the souls of the Elin of Devil Island. It wasn't just for providing peace.
—Osu's seed, and the primordial divinity, can embrace all strength in the world, even absorbing properties. Someday, it will become your unique strength.
It seemed to mean that what power you meld into the primordial divinity will determine what it becomes. If you fuse magic with it, it will act as magic; if you add flame, it becomes the strength of flame.
Since we had magic power, primordial divinity and magic power would likely combine. There had to be some hidden authority within the primordial divinity as well. After all, it was said to be a strength that ruled the world.
The Queen continued.
—The second is Lord Osu's leaf. This leaf contains the strength of time. There are only three, so you must use them wisely.
"What is the strength of time?"
—None of the Elin have ever used it. Therefore, we do not know exactly what it is either.
The strength of time...
Would it be something like 'As', that sends you to the past?
—Finally, there is Lord Osu's branch. This branch possesses the strength of summoning. You can summon all your comrades you know to a single location at once.
"You mean to call up your forces?"
—Yes. As long as the place is large enough, the numbers don't matter. However, there is only one, so I hope you use it at the most important time in your life.
To summon your forces via spatial movement?
That's some incredible magic.
—And as the Queen of Elin, I, too, would like to bestow three gifts. First are the two legendary guardian elementals I mentioned. The second is...
The Queen's smile deepened.
—I wish to give you a magical warehouse. It's a massive warehouse you can summon and use at any time. Everything—including people—can enter, not just things.
"Is that warehouse here?"
—Yes. It is a place no one else can enter, so you may trust and leave things there.
It seemed that the space connected to the magical pouch actually existed here in Aindel. The owner of that magical pouch must have been one of Elin's high-rank members.
—Lastly, I will give you a ship.
"It doesn't sound like an ordinary ship."
—It is a ship summoned by elementals. This ship can freely go to and from Aindel.
A ship of the elementals, but there's no reason to refuse.
It would certainly be eye-catching, though.
"As you are giving us these gifts, we will purify the darkness in the north of Aindel. But is there any other reason you are giving us these gifts?"
The Queen gave a subtle smile.
—You may consider it Lord Osu's will. Both Lord Osu and Lord As in Hairopro have always watched over you, and will continue to do so in the future.
So, in other words—
You've suffered until now and you'll continue to suffer, so we're giving you your reward in advance. That's basically it.
It feels cumbersome, but it was something we had to do anyway. No one else would applaud us for it, but being acknowledged and rewarded like this was still nice.
It probably wasn't just because we purified the darkness.
Perhaps that divine tree called Osu could see the future. The divine sword was just a medium.
Would we really do something big in the future?
Something left me uneasy.
There really is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
/ / /
We sat around in the banquet hall of Elin.
No servers brought out the dishes; you simply took a plate, served yourself, and sat wherever you wished to eat.
Everyone was excited when told to eat.
But the moment we saw the food, we were lost for words.
Every dish was something I had never seen in my life.
Everything consisted only of greens, berries, and things that looked like black beans. There was no meat. None of it was even cooked.
Because of that,
Everyone just stood there with their plates.
"What is this? Are we goats?"
"This looks like goat poop."
"Shh. They'll hear you."
"What kind of hospitality is this?"
Allen and Donnie grumbled.
When I tried something that looked like a black bean, it turned out to be a nutrient ball made with medicinal herbs and honey. The texture felt like chewing goat droppings.
The man in white armor approached us.
Carrying a plate piled high with wild greens.
—Does the food suit your tastes?
"It's... okay."
—I know humans enjoy meat. But here, we do not kill animals. Nor do we use fire, so please understand. I hope you can still enjoy your meal.
He said this, then sat down on a soft seat.
He sat and ate the food with his hands.
We sat down together, too.
We hadn't had a proper meal in so long, so we were looking forward to it, but our appetite evaporated instantly.
Still, we did eat.
There was no salt or seasoning. It was like chewing raw greens. The berries were fairly sweet, at least.
As I satisfied my hunger, I sorted my thoughts.
Six gifts.
Gifts from Osu.
1. Seed of primordial divinity.
2. Leaf infused with the strength of time.
3. Branch for summoning forces.
Gifts from the Queen.
1. Two legendary guardian elementals.
2. The massive magical warehouse.
3. The elemental ship.
Just how much will we suffer in the future to merit these gifts? Well, since we're getting them, we'll use them. I probably won't have a reason to use the gifts from the Osu tree anytime soon.
The gifts from the Queen were pretty good.
I used to wonder when the Elin siblings would ever accompany the ancient guardian elementals, but now they would have even higher beings with them.
The magical warehouse would serve as not only a supply depot, but probably be a place for the dark knights to reside as well. They could come out whenever summoned.
We'll see the elemental ship soon enough, but I imagine it will be very fast, since it moves by elemental strength. For now, let's leave it at that.
"May I ask something?"
—Anything.
"There's a miniature version of your race, shrunken and living out at sea. Is there no way to restore them?"
The man in white armor looked at me.
—Shrunken?
"They believe going to Aindel will restore them. Am I wrong?"
The man stared at me.
—You certainly expect a lot from us.
"That's not for us, but for their sake."
—Human. The Queen may accept you as guests at Lord Osu's behest, but we feel differently. To us, you're nothing more than unwelcome intruders.
"So, you're saying you don't like us."
—Humans are inherently selfish and evil. As imperfect beings, you should be subject to the control of us Elin and the Queen.
At this, everyone in our group, who had been forcing themselves to eat, put their plates down. So this was the real reason for the gifts: you want us to come under the Elin.
Were we to be put under the Elin's control, or were we to follow the Queen's orders? It was unclear, but either way, it was unpleasant and ridiculous.
"So you want us to become the Queen's vassals?"
—I'm glad you understand.
"You actually think this is Osu's will?"
—The Queen's will is Osu's will.
"You people are insane."
Suddenly—
I grabbed the man by the collar.
—What do you think you're doing?
The hall fell silent.
Even the elder Elin stared at us.
"It's one thing for warriors to look down on each other, but I don't care what you think of humans. However. To demand we submit to you?"
I gripped his collar even tighter.
"If you're going to say crap like that to us, you'd better have the skills to back it up first. This palace alone—we could destroy it ourselves. Do you really think you could stop us? You Elin think you're something to us!"
My shout rang out.
The man spoke calmly.
—I challenge you to a duel.
I stared straight into his eyes.
"Fine, but if you want to fight me, be prepared to put your life on the line. Ever since you looked at Eilin like she was trash, I've wanted to kill you. So try saying it again."
I was genuinely angry.
Gifts or whatever—they didn't matter anymore.