< Chapter 78 - The Forest of Eternity >
Chapter 78 – The Forest of Eternity
[It’s okay. After all, I was born to be forgotten.]
“No, that’s not it!”
Cordelia, clutching the moonlight, spoke as if pleading, but Melissa’s reaction was unwavering.
[If I think about it, I was abandoned by my former masters even at the Snow Queen’s facility. I’m used to being abandoned.]
“Why are you saying such sad things… And I told you I didn’t throw you away? I just blinked for a moment. Huh? You came back to me like this.”
[In one day.]
“Sorry······.”
Cordelia’s lips pursed as her face became gloomy, her voice trailing off.
It was because my regret towards Melissa had grown too much.
If I think about it, I was too inconsiderate.
I told him to go with me and transplant it into Moonlight, but I completely forgot about it.
Of course, Cordelia also had her excuses.
For a while after the transplant, Cordelia didn’t respond even when Melissa called her. It’s true that Moonlight’s performance itself had improved, but Cordelia was worried because there was no response.
‘But I ended up forgetting it······.’
After not getting an answer for over a month, I got used to Melissa not responding and eventually just stopped talking to her.
Since I started working as a Pink Bomb in the royal capital, I stopped using Moonlight altogether due to various circumstances, so I completely forgot about its existence.
‘I called you again because I needed it.’
Even Cordelia herself saw it as an excessive action.
Isn’t this no different from handling tools?
If Uther had treated Cordelia like this… it would have been horrible to even imagine.
[Oh, that… Oh, are you crying?]
“No··· I’m so sorry······.”
As Cordelia’s eyes turned red, Melissa suddenly panicked and fidgeted – or rather, she made a groan that sounded like she was fidgeting – and then she spoke quickly.
[That, uh, um! Okay, you won’t forget it now, right?]
Melissa’s voice had become much softer, as if the coldness from before had disappeared. Cordelia opened her eyes wide and quickly nodded.
“Yeah, yeah! I’ll never forget.”
[Okay, then let’s not talk about this any more.]
“Oh, thank you, Melissa. I’ll do my best.”
[Yes, I will believe you one more time.]
“huh!”
Cordelia, smiling brightly, kissed the jewel part of Moonlight and finished her lips, and Melissa, who probably felt nothing, let out a cough.
And there was one person sitting over there watching this whole scene.
‘It’s warm.’
Uther, who had been watching with a pleased fatherly smile, nodded, and Cordelia, who had felt Uther’s gaze once again, spoke with a cold face.
“What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, I just thought it was warm.”
Hehehe.
Even Cordelia, who was obsessed with Uther, looked like she was about to get goosebumps as she smiled warmly again.
“Don’t laugh like that. You sound like a pervert.”
“Hoo hoo hoo.”
But Uther laughed again, and Cordelia was overcome with the desire to hit him.
“Anyway, let’s pack up and leave.”
“Huh? What else are you packing?”
“Because I have to clean up Mount Damos.”
After giving a vague answer, Yuder took a step towards the aggro generating device.
&
A night had passed, but the traces of the fight were still there.
The villagers, who were usually reluctant to approach Mt. Damos, became even more cautious when the loud noise was heard, and all the monsters in the vicinity were annihilated by this incident.
“What about wild animals?”
“You must have been scared because the monsters smelled so bad.”
Of course, after some more time had passed, they would have come running in at the smell of rotting corpses, but it wasn’t to that extent yet.
“Okay, then leave this here… Cordelia, please.”
“huh.”
While Uther placed the remains of the fake aggro device he had assembled from spare parts in suitable places, Cordelia examined the place where Gamor Kahn’s corpse had been – more specifically, the corpse of the Borg that Gamor Kahn had been using as a host until then.
Unlike the other corpses, it was completely turned to dust, perhaps because Gamor Khan had escaped.
“Um… If I bury it, it won’t be noticeable, right?”
[I think so.]
As soon as Melissa agreed, Cordelia used her Dig magic to dig the ground, burying most of the powder in the ground.
“Are you done?”
“Uh, roughly.”
Cordelia, who had filled the hole using the Earth Wall, approached Uther.
“Will this really work?”
“As I said last time, you don’t have to make up a perfect story. A plausible, believable story is enough. In fact, it’s more realistic if there are some flaws.”
The prospective con artist nodded at the words of the skilled con artist, and Melissa made a subtle expression in her jewels at the con artist couple’s antics.
Uther’s scheme – no, the plan was simple as always.
On Mount Damos, the Black Hand mercenary group led by Gamor Khan was annihilated in a fierce battle with monsters.
Up to this point, it was true.
It was true that Gamor Khan fought monsters on Mount Damos.
‘Mixing lies with facts.’
Basic rules for creating a plausible story.
The story that Uder added here was as follows:
“The battle took place when Gamor Khan failed in his attempt to control the monsters of Mount Damos with a monster-attracting device.”
The evidence is a half-broken aggro generator lying in the middle of the battlefield.
“Juder and Cordelia, who were passing by, discovered Gamor Khan’s atrocities, and Gamor Khan, who had already lost his troops in the battle with the monsters, attempted to escape.”
“Wait a minute, just passing by?”
Not a road, but Mount Damos?
“Just say you stopped by the mountain to slay monsters for the Yeongmin.”
“indeed.”
And this was true.
After I got the Ultimate One, I tried to clear out some monsters.
“Anyway, Uther and Cordelia set off again, leaving behind only a letter containing the whole story, in order to track down the escaped Gamor Khan.”
It was a story that explained what happened on Mount Damos, while also giving justification to Judas and Cordelia for hastily setting off instead of staying in the estate to clean up.
‘Gamor Khan is just a normal-sized Borg, except for the necklace and the Grand Order.’
Moreover, since the body was burned, it would have been impossible to confirm the identity even if an acquaintance came.
“And then this naturally explains why we use Ultimate Five.”
“What if we become enemies with the Black Hand mercenaries?”
“Anyway, if we are going to fight Malekith, we will have to become enemies, and they are located far to the south.”
“indeed.”
Cordelia, who had even clapped her hands, looked at Moonlight and coughed in vain, then said in a polite tone.
“Did you see? It’s our house.”
[Um… yes.]
You’re a great conman.
While Melissa swallowed her words, Cordelia read the letter that Uther had written to the townspeople.
“I like it. It seems like it exudes love for the Youngmin.”
“They’ll actually like it. I told them to let the villagers have all the monster byproducts.”
Moreover, since they would now be able to use Mount Damos, it was like hitting the lottery for the villagers.
“Oh, right. What about my notice?”
Because if it was discovered, it could cause problems.
As Cordelia looked around again, Uther laughed and took out something he had hidden in his bosom.
“I’ve already recovered it. Destruction of evidence is a given.”
“Ohhh.”
Since a special powder was attached to the notice, it was possible to track its location with one search spell even in this chaotic place.
“You see, Melissa? It’s our house.”
[Um… yes.]
Destruction of evidence is a crime.
While Melissa swallowed her words again, the dark-skinned Uther and the dark-skinned Cordelia looked at each other, smiled, and began to walk down the mountain together.
&
As the village chief near Mount Damos read the letter from Uder and Cordelia with a surprised expression on his face, the two were running along the mountain path in a combined state as usual.
‘Well, I feel like some strange words are becoming familiar.’
Since when did it start to come together = Because it became a merger.
Anyway, Uther, who had fixed Cordelia and carried her, stopped walking for a moment and then spoke.
“Let’s decide our course again around here.”
“Shouldn’t we go southwest from here to the nearby Holy Cross Protectorate branch?”
The branches of the Holy Cross Guardians were usually located deep in the mountains, but the branch the two were currently visiting was not like that.
At the southern entrance, across the border between the center and the south, in the trading city of Saint-Croute, there was a branch of the Order of the Holy Cross with a three hundred year history.
“A village was created where the original branch was, and that village became a trading city again.”
“I know.”
“Oh, but I feel like I have to explain.”
Yuder, who was laughing bitterly, continued speaking.
“Anyway, to get to Saint-Croute from here, you have to take the Senez River or cross the Kanos Mountains, which are connected to Mount Damos.”
“Yeah, that’s the normal route, right?”
“It’s the usual route.”
As Uther smiled, Cordelia hugged his neck and asked.
“What, what? Is there a secret route that only you know about?”
“Well… similar.”
To be exact, it was the path that Belencia had taught me last night.
Uther, who had fixed Cordelia up, turned to the south and said.
“Did you know that if you go straight down here, you’ll reach the Forest of Eternity?”
“Oh, but that’s the elf forest.”
However, unlike the dwarves who traded with humans and lived their lives, the elves within the Kingdom of Cailun strictly avoided contact with humans.
Even the Forest of Eternity was sealed with a powerful barrier magic developed during the era of the Magellan Kingdom, so it was no different from a magical realm for humans, as once they set foot there, they could not return.
“In the original, you could only enter after the fall of the Kingdom of Seilun?”
“Because the elves were also attacked by demons.”
Even as the northern and central parts of the Kingdom of Seilun collapsed, the elves, who had maintained a policy of isolation, were eventually forced to face the demons in isolation and helpless, and met their promised defeat.
“The last king of the elves went mad and became undead.”
“I remember. His name was Keltur. According to the setting, he fell ill as soon as he inherited the throne… So he’s a prince now, right?”
“Probably. First in line to the throne or something like that.”
Anyway, that wasn’t what was important now.
Now that the North and the Center are intact, if we block the South as well, there would be no chance of the Forest of Eternity collapsing.
“Can I get some help?”
“He was a nobleman who had been secluded even while his country was in ruins, so there was no way he would help him. The same goes for the nobles below him.”
“Right. Anyway, why the Forest of Eternity? Is there a path there that you can run through the barrier?”
“uh.”
To be exact, it was a path that went around the outer part of the Forest of Eternity, but even just that route would allow one to reach Sankroot faster than any other route.
“Wow… How can you be the only one who knows about this? You don’t even mention it in the biographies of heroes?”
“So you didn’t get first place?”
It was such a mean thing to say, but strangely enough I didn’t hate it.
Cordelia said, hugging Uther’s neck.
“Anyway, let’s go quickly.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
With Cordelia firmly secured on his back, Uther began to run south.
&
The Forest of Eternity was a mysterious place even at first glance.
Large trees, probably at least ten meters tall, lined up like a fortress wall, and the thick fog that hung around all day made it impossible to see the surroundings.
“You, sir, do you really know the way? If you go in, you can come out, right?”
When Cordelia asked with an anxious face, Uther nodded for a moment.
“maybe.”
“Maybe? Wait, haven’t you been through here before?”
“No, that… Wait a minute.”
Uder smiled awkwardly, picked two flowers that were blooming nearby, and recited the spell that Velencia had taught him.
“Okay, here.”
Uther, who had pinned the red flower to his waist, placed the remaining white flower in Cordelia’s hair.
“What is this?”
“It’s a sign. With this, the forest will recognize us as elves… or rather, as forest dwellers.”
“Then you won’t get lost inside?”
“uh.”
maybe.
Yuder swallowed the words and pushed Cordelia down again before taking a step forward. It was not that he did not trust Velencia, but the atmosphere in the forest was so ominous that his heart started to pound.
Cordelia was the same, hugging Uther’s neck tighter than usual and looking around cautiously.
Yes, that’s ten percent.
As they walked along the edge of the forest to avoid provoking the elves, Uther and Cordelia looked at the same place at one moment.
It was because Uther sensed it with his keen senses, and Cordelia sensed it with her animalistic intuition.
“Over there.”
“It’s coming.”
Cordelia jumped down from Uther’s back, closed her eyes, and listened to the ground.
I immediately realized that it was a wild animal.
“There is barely a sound of footsteps. They are very light footsteps. But they are being pursued. The pursuers are running wildly. There are at least seven in number?”
When did you develop such talent?
Instead of asking, Uther turned in the direction Cordelia had pointed.
Cordelia continued.
“If we don’t help, they’ll be caught soon.”
It was a situation where it was unclear who was being chased and who was being chased.
But without saying who would go first, Uther and Cordelia started running towards the direction from which the sound came.
If the person being chased is good, help them; if they are bad, catch them.
Very simple logic.
Of course, there was the option of pretending not to know and just passing by, but that was too much for the two of them.
Because it was the manners of the rotten water not to miss an incident once it occurred!
“Is there anyone there? Help me!”
A woman’s voice that is clear, elegant, and urgent at the same time.
Uther and Cordelia’s speed has increased a little.
&
< Chapter 78 - Forest of Eternity > End
