Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Smile.

Elatra flashed a refreshing smile.

Her expression, radiating nobility, brought a sense of calm to the mind and body just by looking at it.

“It’s been a while.”

Elatra descended from the altar and bowed slightly in greeting.

Of course, it wasn’t directed at Dojae, Sari, or Osun.

– It’s been a long time. I never thought I’d see you again like this.

– Elatra over there! How many years has it been? Two hundred years?

– Another version of me….

The seekers’ voices rang out in unison, making my temples throb.

It was especially intense when Elatra spoke from this side.

“Elatra. Is it time for us to become one again?”

– They have been resurrected. To regain our full power, we must become one again. Come back here.

“I understand. I think so too.”

Bathed in light, Elatra walked toward Dojae.

But Dojae stopped her.

“Wait.”

Ella Tra stops, puzzled by Dojae’s gesture.

“What is it?”

“Is it that this Elatra isn’t going to you, but rather you’re coming to this one?”

“Of course. We are one. It doesn’t matter who goes to whom.”

“Then doesn’t that mean others can’t hear your voice?”

“That’s right. Only you can hear it.”

“Hold on. Sari wants to ask you something.”

Dojae pushed Sari forward toward Elatra.

He felt it would be better for Sari mentally to speak face-to-face rather than have him relay the message.

“No, Dojae. I have nothing to say to Lady Elatra.”

“Suddenly? Then why did you come here?”

“At first, I thought if it was a Seeker, you’d do anything for me. After the village was destroyed and I lost the elders and even Grandmother, I needed someone to lean on. With Arkthria gone too, I didn’t know what to do.”

Sari’s expression grew distant.

But soon she clenched her jaw and fixed him with a hard stare.

“But this isn’t something the Seeker can do for me. It won’t bring back the dead villagers, nor can he exert his power solely for my sake. On my journey, I’ve seen many kingdoms and other elves. Now is not the time to care only for our Nightingale Forest—it’s time to watch over the entire continent. That’s why I will become a source of strength for Lady Elatra. You too, Oson?”

Osun nodded at Sari’s words.

“Seeing Dojae and Lady Elatra changed my mind. Even after losing their homes and families, they look only to me. Ultimately, I am the pillar of Nightingale Village. Wherever I am is the Nightingale Forest. That’s why now, I will fight the monsters alongside them. When peace returns to the continent, we will go back to our forest.”

Sari clenched her fist tightly.

Truthfully, Dojae didn’t quite understand why Sari’s feelings had shifted, but he interpreted it as meaning it was okay to reunite the two Elatras.

“Lady Elatra. If the two of you were to reunite, would anything change? Like your personalities, for example…”

Dojae immediately asked the question most important to him.

If Elatra merged back to her original state, her abilities would double, but what if the traits of this Elatra, with her extreme personality, manifested more strongly?

He thought it might be a bit troublesome.

“Our foundation is closer to my side. I understand what you’re worried about, but there’s no need for major concern. Just look at the mask, right? She didn’t try to control you while wearing it.”

“True… Still, couldn’t we wait a little longer before merging? I’d like your warm voice to embrace Sari.”

“Alright. We’ll do that. Heh.”

***

A room set up like a reception area in one corner of the temple.

Sari brewed tea, just like last time.

This time, however, she simply steeped a green tea bag in warm water.

“How’s that?”

“It’s pleasantly bitter and nutty, right? The aroma is a bit weak, though.”

Sari’s expression improved noticeably as she drank the tea.

Ella didn’t say much else, just listened to Sari talk, but that alone seemed to help a lot.

“Well, there’s something I need to tell you now… I’m leaving for the northern continent.”

“Really?”

“The north?”

Sari and Osun said, sounding surprised.

They had assumed Dojae would stay with them.

“You saw the Titans and humans outside, right?”

“Yeah. Humans? There used to be a lot of them, but Titans are a species you rarely see. I was surprised!”

“It’s my first time too!”

“Right. That Titan said he had business in the north, so we were heading there together. Lady Elatra and I had separate matters to attend to, so we stopped by on the way. That’s why we need to slowly head back north now.”

As Dojae finished speaking, Sari and Osun’s expressions turned somber.

Though it had been a short time, the two had grown quite attached to Dojae during their travels together.

They had shared many moments of anticipation, laughter, and lively conversation.

But now, barely hours after meeting, they were parting ways again, and they felt sad.

“It’s a shame…”

“It’s such a shame we have to part so soon…”

Their voices trailed off.

Clearly, there were more things they wanted to say.

That they wanted to travel across the continent with Dojae once more.

But now they were not alone.

As the leaders of their respective tribes, they couldn’t just abandon the villagers and leave on a whim.

Especially not Sari.

After all, the Nightingale Village was now comprised solely of the Grey Elves present here.

“I understand both of your feelings. But you both have things to protect, don’t you? I came back here for the same reason as you. To protect both the world I originally lived in and this place.”

“…….”

“……”

“And someday, I might need your strength. No, all the races living across the continent will need to unite for peace. That’s how terrifying the beings we face are. They are…”

Just as Dojae was about to explain further.

Elatra set down her cup and spoke.

“I’ll explain.”

Elatra began speaking about the traitors.

About Gelahan’s confidants, the four Renegades.

“The first traitor, known by the moniker ‘The Dream of the Wraith,’ Ridiran. He is said to be the strongest among the traitors.”

Lidiran possessed the ability to make both the living and the dead dream.

It was qualitatively different from brainwashing or undeadification.

Lidiran’s dreams not only pushed a person’s abilities beyond their limits, but also allowed them to learn things they could never have learned or experienced in a lifetime.

In other words, if he showed someone sword techniques in a dream, even a ten-year-old child could wield a sword with knight-level skill.

That’s why Ridiran’s army inflicted the greatest damage on the continent during the Hundred Years’ War.

“The second most dangerous is the Crimson Purity, Bedaya. Her allure can seduce anything. Men are especially vulnerable. Heh heh.”

At Elatra’s words, Sari shot glances at Dojae and Osun.

Dojae showed no particular reaction, but Osun flinched and shook his head violently.

Red Purity Bedaya.

She could indeed seduce everything, just as Elatra said.

Not just humans or other races, but monsters and even the unintelligent.

This could also be interpreted as meaning she could even seduce inanimate objects.

In other words, inanimate objects caught in her seduction gained a will loyal to her and moved according to her will.

This could be seen as similar to a golem.

“Balan, the Beast King who could slay even dragons with his personal prowess alone. That man possesses a body impervious to any magic whatsoever.”

Balan’s abilities weren’t particularly special.

Instead, his physical strength alone was overwhelmingly powerful, surpassing all other traitors.

During the Hundred Years’ War, he fought relentlessly for two weeks against an army of ten thousand humans, slaughtering them all before calmly departing.

It was said that Balan was the most troublesome for the Seekers when sealing the Apostates.

His immense strength and willpower drove them to squeeze every last drop of power from their abilities to finally seal him.

“You’ve seen the next one before, right? Havik of Choice. He’s the weakest among the Fallen. But…”

Harvik’s ability was somewhat unique.

Depending on the conditions he imposed, they could be either an infinitely light restriction or an infinite constraint on his opponent.

If the condition was light, the backlash Havik faced upon acceptance was minimal.

But if the condition was heavy, Havik had to bear a corresponding backlash.

That is, how much damage it inflicted upon his stature. And yet, Havik enjoyed presenting his opponent with two conditions to choose from.

Solely for his own amusement.

“Lee Do-jae, your arrival here must have greatly shaken Havik’s standing. That’s good news for us.”

It was a welcome sound to hear.

For Dojae at that time, preparing for future dangers was better than facing immediate ones.

Thanks to the month’s respite, he had leveled up further and even summoned Louisden.

Especially then, if he had let Briasius do as he pleased, he might not have been able to escape Gelahan’s control as he had now.

In any case, considering everything, the choice to cross over to this other world was working out favorably for Dojae.

“And… you were chosen to be able to stand against all of them.”

“Dojae!”

“Whoa! Master!”

As Elatra finished speaking, Sari and Osun exclaimed in admiration.

“Dojae! That’s totally awesome!”

“Master! I see him again!”

“What? Then how did Ohson see Dojae?”

“It’s not so much that I saw him… I just didn’t realize you were that kind of person!”

“I knew. Dojae’s a fixer, right? Thanks to him, Osun could return to the village, and he saved Salta and Catania during the tournament too.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Dojae is the last savior! No, the savior! The savior of the continent!”

Sari jumped up and down excitedly.

Dojae scratched his head awkwardly at the grandiose nickname that didn’t suit him.

“I’m not cut out to be some kind of savior. I just want to protect the people I care about and other races like you.”

“Awesome! Totally awesome!”

“I never dreamed my master harbored such a grand aspiration!”

Sari and Osun clung to Dojae, seeming even more moved by his words.

“Anyway, I just want to deal with the traitors and Gelahan, so just know that.”

“Yeah, yeah! Dojae, we’ll help you! We’ll be your strength!”

“This Osun Ironhammer! I swear on the honor of the Ironhammer clan that I will strive to be of service to my master!”

“Sigh… These two really…”

He averted his gaze from the seething Sari and Osun.

He looked at Elatra.

Now was the time to merge the two Elatras into one.

“Then, I entrust this to you.”

“Me and Altin, Louisden and Hayden. There are four remaining seekers.”

“Four? Come to think of it, why four…?”

Whoosh.

Before Dojae’s question even finished, Elatra’s form was enveloped in an immense light.

Then, like a spotlight shifting, the light moved and fell upon Dojae.

After feeling a massive surge of mana being absorbed into his body, Dojae spoke.

“Elatra, why four?”