WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 77: Sanctuary

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After Adil left.

To keep my promise to the children, I went down to the first-floor dining room and told them about what had happened that day.

The children listened as though they were hearing an exciting heroic tale.

Even after I finished, they kept pestering me, asking if I had any more stories.

In the end, I was trapped there for nearly an hour before I finally managed to escape.

“Yaaawn.”

The moment I returned to my room, I threw myself onto the bed.

I was exhausted enough to fall asleep right away, but my conversation with Adil kept circling in my head, making sleep hard to come by.

‘A secret space Bellium built underground.’

Considering everything, there was a good chance that the secret space beneath the statue, rather than the statue itself, held something connected to me.

What kind of place could that secret space be?

I couldn't be sure, but it probably held valuable relics of Elysium, including Bellium’s legacy and other things connected to them.

There might even be something there that had helped me catch the wyvern yesterday.

There was also a high chance that the object that had brought me to this world was there.

But what could it be?

One thought led to another, and I ended up tossing and turning all night.

And the next day.

Since I had barely slept at all the night before, I woke up late and ate a late breakfast in the inn’s dining room.

Adil had said yesterday that he would gather materials that might help me and come by that morning.

Since he still hadn't appeared by then, perhaps the work was taking longer than expected.

Or maybe he was so tired that he had overslept.

Either way, after I finished eating, I had a cup of tea and waited for Adil.

Just as I was about to take a sip of freshly brewed tea, the door opened and Adil came in.

He must have hurried all the way here from home. As soon as he entered, he braced himself against the wall and gasped for breath.

“Gasp. I'm sorry... I'm late. Have you... been waiting long?”

Still out of breath, Adil asked me.

He had said he would go through and organize historical records last night, and there were deep dark circles beneath his eyes.

“Not at all. I just finished eating and was about to have some tea. Would you like a cup too, Mr. Adil?”

“If you don't mind, Minjun.”

After catching his breath, Adil made himself a cup of coffee and sat across from me.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“No. I kept wondering what secrets might be hidden there, so I couldn't sleep properly. What about you?”

“Even if I had wanted to sleep, I couldn't. I spent all night organizing the materials I had gathered and considering which records might help you, Minjun.”

His eyes were ringed with dark circles, but they shone brightly. It seemed he had found something worthwhile.

“Did you find anything?”

“Of course!”

He seemed to have made a discovery satisfying enough to fill him with exhilaration.

“Let's finish this and get going. I have so much I want to tell you, my mouth is already itching to say it.”

After tea, Adil led me to his home, saying he would show me the records he had organized.

Perhaps because he was the caretaker of Bellium’s statue, his home was also very close to it.

When I entered Adil’s house, books and assorted clutter lay scattered everywhere, as if he had not had time to tidy up.

“Please excuse the mess.”

Following Adil’s lead, I entered his study. He brought over several books and a notebook from his desk.

“First, after looking through the historical records, I regret to say there was absolutely no mention of the world called Earth, which you say you came from.”

“Was there anything written about worlds other than Earth?”

“Unfortunately, no. There were no ancient texts discussing other dimensions at all.”

I had quietly hoped there might be something, so it was disappointing.

Perhaps my disappointment showed on my face, because Adil immediately changed the subject.

“However, as I said before, I did find records that may be useful to you. For example, there was information on the aura that only you saw the day before yesterday.”

Adil flipped through his notebook until he found something, then opened a thick book and showed it to me.

“It is this passage.”

The page Adil opened read:

<If there is one who has witnessed the mysterious radiance that has yet to reveal itself to the world,

do not hesitate. Bring them to me at any time.>

“...By radiance, do you mean?”

“I believe you're thinking of the right thing. Considering the context before and after this passage, along with other records, there is a high chance that this radiance refers to the light you saw the day before yesterday.”

Adil said it had been a passage that was difficult to interpret for a long time, and that he was very happy to have found a clue to understanding it thanks to me.

“Then, Mr. Adil. How should we interpret the words, ‘Bring them to me’?”

“This is only speculation, but I believe it means you will be granted access to the lowest level of Sanctuary, the secret space beneath the statue that Bellium personally created.”

Putting together everything I had heard so far, it seemed Bellium might have been waiting for someone like me.

If that was true, then my coming here had not been a coincidence.

“Anyone recognized as a member of Elysium may enter Sanctuary itself. However, the lowest level is not a place that even Elysium residents can enter freely, let alone outsiders. Only those selected through a rigorous process may enter.”

“What could possibly be down there...?”

Perhaps he heard my passing mutter, because Adil answered it.

“At the lowest level of Sanctuary, Bellium’s remains are enshrined.”

“Then the passage in the book that says, ‘Bring them to me at any time’...”

“It is probably exactly as the ancient text says.”

Even after their death, it would not matter. Bring that person before their remains.

That was likely how it could be interpreted.

“There definitely seems to be a connection between Elysium and me. I just don't know what that connection is.”

It felt as though a decisive clue was almost within reach, yet still beyond my grasp.

“I think so too. Ah, Minjun. Would you like to see this passage as well?”

Adil turned the page and showed me another passage.

<I shall let that person witness another radiance.>

“This can be interpreted to mean that Bellium will bestow another power upon the one who witnessed that radiance.”

“But Bellium is no longer in this world, are they?”

How could I meet a dragon who had died tens of thousands of years ago?

But when I thought it over, it was not completely impossible.

Bellium might have left behind a final message for someone like me. Or perhaps, like in the Dragon Sword Garden, their lingering will remained behind.

The moment that thought crossed my mind.

“At the lowest level, where Bellium’s remains are buried, a faint trace of Bellium’s lingering will remains.”

“...!!!”

I had hoped that might be the case, but it was real.

I couldn't hide my excitement at the thought that their lingering will remained.

Then, just as I had with Minos in the Dragon Sword Garden, I might be able to speak with them and hear directly why they had called me here.

But that hope did not last long.

“However, whether due to the passage of tens of thousands of years or the influence of something else, it would not be strange for it to disappear as soon as tomorrow.”

Adil completely crushed my expectations.

“Then, speaking with them...”

“That would be impossible. If it were possible to speak with their lingering will, I would be happier than anyone.”

Adil clearly looked disappointed as well.

As a historian, he said he would die happy if he could speak to Bellium, who held the answers to Elysium’s history.

But he added that such a thing would not happen, so I shouldn't get my hopes up.

Put simply, Bellium’s lingering will was like a person in a vegetative state who could die at any moment.

“...That's disappointing.”

“Still, I'm certain it will be of considerable help to you, Minjun. Is there anything else you would like to hear about Bellium or Sanctuary?”

“I think this is enough for now. If I become curious about anything along the way, I'll ask.”

“Understood.”

Adil bowed politely.

“Ah, before that, please give me the items I asked for yesterday. I'll deliver them to the elders as well.”

Come to think of it, yesterday he had asked me to give him a few things that could only be found on Earth, even if they were just odds and ends.

“Sure. I'll give them to you now.”

I searched through my subspace and took out several items that were easy to find on Earth, then briefly explained their names and uses to Adil.

Throughout my explanation, Adil wrote down my words with shining eyes, like a child filled with curiosity.

After that.

“Now, I'll lead you to the statue, then take you to Sanctuary.”

I followed Adil toward Bellium’s statue.

My heart pounded, yet I felt both familiarity and comfort at the same time.

That strange sensation I had felt when I first saw the statue returned as though it were perfectly natural.

I decided to ask Adil about it while I had the chance.

“Mr. Adil, has anyone ever said they felt something like this in front of the statue or inside Sanctuary? The feeling is...”

After I explained what I was feeling, Adil thought quietly for a moment before shaking his head.

“No, unfortunately, no one has.”

“That's too bad.”

“It is quite strange, though. Even after hearing your explanation, I can't understand what kind of sensation it is.”

Exactly.

I was starting to wonder whether I was getting closer to the truth or simply going in circles.

There didn't seem to be anything more I could learn here for now.

After I slowly walked around the statue once, Adil led me to a secret passage leading to Sanctuary.

From the outside, it looked like an employee break room you might find at a tourist attraction. But after we entered and pulled back the rug, a secret staircase leading underground appeared.

Once we went down these stairs, that secret space called Sanctuary would probably be waiting for us.

At first, I thought going down the stairs would be the end of it, but even after descending, we encountered several security measures.

“The security is thorough.”

“It is an important place. It may be inconvenient, but it can't be helped if we are to stop unauthorized outsiders from entering freely.”

Only after unlocking the final device and riding a mana-powered elevator deep underground did the sight of Sanctuary, Elysium’s mysterious secret space, finally unfold before me.

It felt like someone had built a huge lair underground, large enough for an entire extended dragon family to live in together, then converted it into a shelter.

Adil had said Bellium made this place personally, so it had existed for at least tens of thousands of years.

Yet despite that immense span of time, the interior was kept remarkably neat.

“What are your first impressions of Sanctuary, Minjun?”

“It is much larger than I expected... I'm really surprised.”

The simple term secret space did not seem enough to describe this place.

When I first heard it was underground, I assumed it would not be very large. But this was practically a huge underground city.

I doubted anyone could see this place for the first time without being stunned.

Adil nodded and explained the origins of Elysium.

“Sanctuary is a space Bellium created long ago for the safety of Elysium’s citizens. Since Elysium was a city founded by exiles gathered from all across the continent, there were those who did not look kindly upon it. So even with the dragon Bellium standing watch over them, it is said that Elysium suffered many invasions from outside in its early days.”

And so began Adil’s impromptu history lesson.

“They had some nerve. Unless they were dragons themselves, I don't think they would even consider attacking a city protected by a dragon.”

Adil nodded, agreeing with me.

“It is said that such bold invaders did exist in those early days. Some did not know Bellium was its protector, while others knew and infiltrated the city on assassination missions against specific individuals.”

Whether on Earth or here, there were reckless people everywhere.

Still, since Elysium itself was a place where the rejected had gathered, I could understand why that might happen.

“Because of that, Bellium naturally continued to witness innocent citizens becoming victims. There is a legend that the tears they shed at that time became Bellium’s Tear, which you absorbed.”

I had no idea Bellium’s Tear, which I absorbed, was tied to such a legend.

“Is there any chance that legend is true?”

“It is highly unlikely.”

Well, that was why it was a legend.

“Anyway, that is why Bellium built Sanctuary for the safety of Elysium’s citizens. Repairs and renovations over the years have inevitably changed its original form, but we have tried to preserve it as much as possible.”

It was surely the most important and sacred space to the citizens of Elysium.

I couldn't help feeling reverent.

“Thanks to this place, Elysium has been able to preserve its history and traditions without falling for tens of thousands of years, despite the geographical conditions and its origins making invasions from foreign powers inevitable.”

Adil seemed quite proud of that fact.

Even I thought it was something worth being proud of.

“The fact that a shelter built tens of thousands of years ago still serves its purpose fills us with great pride. But sometimes, it is also bitter that events still arise often enough for us to need to take refuge here.”

Just from Adil’s story, I could guess how often they had suffered attacks from outside forces.

“That is enough history for now. Shall we take a proper look around inside?”

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