WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 182: Arne
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A few hours earlier, Johan, Raguel, and Lumina arrived at the entrance to the old hunting ground.
At the edge of the hunting ground, deep in the mountains, all manner of vegetation grew thick.
The fragrant scent of phytoncides filled the air.
Mountain birds chirped pleasant songs from all around.
There was no sign of people.
Only nature surrounded them.
Raguel looked around with shining eyes.
“Wow!”
High Elves were crazy about mountains.
They loved the scent of water and earth more than the smell of fire and iron.
This place was a paradise on earth for a High Elf. Since it had been designated a Holy Site, it had barely been touched by human hands for five hundred years, preserving its natural state.
Raguel was brimming with excitement.
Johan snickered.
“Are you pleased with your first outing?”
“I love it! I really do!”
“It will be even more beautiful inside the hunting ground.”
A subspecies of the World Tree stood within the hunting ground.
Even a subspecies was still a World Tree.
The vitality of nature was heightened to its utmost in regions where a World Tree took root. Calling such a place heaven for Elves would not be an exaggeration.
Raguel’s anticipation grew.
“Let’s go in already!”
Lumina’s blunt voice ruined the mood.
“We absolutely can’t enter. Not even with my magic.”
“Pardon? What do you mean...?”
“This is a Holy Site. It is bound by the Moon’s Prohibition. Unless you fulfill certain conditions, entering is impossible.”
Every Holy Site on the continent had strict entry restrictions.
The old hunting ground was no exception.
“J-Johan must have a solution.”
Lumina looked at Johan.
“Johan, you asked me before whether I could break a fourth-tier barrier. Of course I can, but your question was slightly mistaken. There is no barrier at a Holy Site. What prevents entry is not a barrier, but the Moon’s Prohibition.”
Johan snickered.
“Do you think I didn’t know that? Of course I did.”
Lumina looked puzzled.
“Then why did you ask about my realm-breaking ability?”
“There will be another use for that power. Not now, though.”
Johan took a wooden plaque from his pocket.
Raguel recognized it at once.
He murmured softly.
“...The Heartwood Core Slab.”
Johan nodded.
“It is the key to Narak’s First Zone.”
Lumina stared intently at the Heartwood Core Slab.
“I can sense a foul aura from it. Could that be an Apostle’s remains?”
“That is right. It was made from the core of the World Tree. A subspecies of the World Tree cannot help but react to this energy.”
Johan raised the Heartwood Core Slab high.
At the same time, the dense vegetation slowly parted.
The entrance to the hunting ground was completely revealed.
A forest path stretched deep inside.
Lumina let out a small gasp.
“The Prohibition is gone. I have lived quite a long time, but this is my first time entering a Holy Site.”
As Johan stepped into the hunting ground, he said, “This is nothing. If you come with me, there will be much more to surprise you.”
Lumina could not easily deny his words.
His abilities and knowledge were more than enough to stir a Mage’s curiosity.
Even Lumina, an Archmage, was clearly interested in Johan.
She spoke curtly for no reason.
“Kimchi soup? Whatever, don’t drink it. I’ll only fulfill the one-year Contract, then return to Lady Muel.”
Johan shrugged.
“Well, it’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. I won’t stop you, so do as you wish.”
He was as relaxed as ever.
Lumina glared angrily at Johan’s back.
Raguel gave an awkward laugh and tugged at Lumina’s collar.
“Ha ha, Lady Lumina. Let’s hurry after him.”
Pretending she had no choice, Lumina allowed Raguel to lead her into the hunting ground.
* * *
As they walked down the forest path, Raguel spoke with a somewhat gloomy expression.
“...It’s a sad story.”
He was listening to Johan’s tale of Michael and Hans.
Hans had willingly sacrificed their life to save Emperor Michael.
To somehow keep Hans alive, Michael came to the Holy Site every year and offered his life force to the World Tree’s subspecies.
Seven years had passed, but the Emperor still could not forget Hans.
To the Emperor, Hans had been both a loyal retainer and his only friend.
Their loyalty to each other was quite well known among readers of the original story.
The ending headed toward tragedy, but the journey itself was certainly beautiful.
Johan spoke.
“Don’t you want to change the ending? So it can become a happy story?”
Raguel’s eyes shone.
“I want to help them. I truly do.”
Johan snickered.
“With your power, it’s possible. You are the key to this matter, Raguel.”
Raguel’s resolve flared.
“I’ll do anything. Leave it to me.”
Lumina spoke in a rather serious tone.
“You shouldn’t casually say things like you’ll do anything, risk your life, or that something is certainly possible. Especially in a Holy Site like this, every word you utter could become a Covenant bound by the Prohibition. Remember that.”
Johan somewhat agreed with Lumina.
He slowly nodded.
“She’s not wrong. A High Elf’s words carry considerable weight. Even more so before the World Tree.”
Raguel swallowed dryly. He suddenly felt a little afraid.
“I-I’ll be careful.”
The moment he finished speaking, an androgynous voice echoed from somewhere.
“What should I do? I’ve already heard every bit of your resolve.”
Raguel stared ahead in alarm.
A massive ancient tree stood before him.
“Could you be...?”
“I am a fragment of the Earth Mother. A byproduct of the World Tree Alquines. You may call me Arne, High Elf.”
Whenever the voice sounded, its lush branches swayed.
Green leaves moved as though dancing.
As if entranced, Raguel slowly approached Arne.
He gently stroked the immense trunk.
“Arne, direct descendant of the World Tree.”
As a High Elf, he was instinctively drawn to Arne.
Arne burst into laughter.
“Stop that. It tickles.”
Raguel immediately pulled his hand from the trunk.
“I didn’t mean to... I’m sorry.”
He bowed deeply.
“You don’t need to be so polite with me. I’m actually defective, and if we must be precise, we’re nearly of the same generation. You carry a seed of Alquines within you, don’t you?”
Raguel had become a High Elf by consuming a World Tree Seed.
Arne had also been born from a World Tree Seed.
The same blood of Alquines flowed through Raguel and Arne.
The two were practically siblings.
Raguel spoke with a guilty expression.
“I-I happened to swallow the seed. I’m sorry!”
He had eaten Arne’s sibling.
By human standards, that was what he had done.
Arne giggled.
“It doesn’t matter. We see things differently from humans. A seed that has not sprouted is not my sibling. Only when it sprouts does it gain meaning. That seed took root in the being called you, so you are my family now.”
A long branch reached toward Raguel and stroked his amber hair.
It conveyed pure affection.
Raguel smiled brightly.
“...Family. Thank you, Arne.”
The two were completely drawn to each other.
“We must protect one another. We are the only ones each other have left in this world. Therefore, I cannot forgive the evil that seeks to use you.”
A sharp whine split the air.
A bundle of sharp branches rushed toward Johan.
Raguel’s face turned pale.
“No! Johan!”
Just before the branches could pierce Johan, Lumina flicked her index finger.
A pure white curtain spread around Johan.
Arne’s branches were helplessly sliced apart.
“Oh? You have roughly surpassed a mortal’s limits. Are you an Archmage? An impressive realm, but can you truly face me within my domain?”
The ground began to shake.
The vegetation surrounding them surged as if it possessed a will.
Branches stretched toward Lumina from every direction.
Raguel shouted loudly.
“Stop! Please!”
Jade-colored ripples spread with his voice.
The nature touched by those ripples stopped attacking.
It began to settle.
Even the violently shaking ground quieted.
Johan raised the corner of his lips in satisfaction.
“You truly are a High Elf.”
Lumina nodded.
“It is quite a fascinating phenomenon. For a moment, nature prioritized Raguel’s command over Arne’s will.”
She took a piece of parchment from her pocket and eagerly scribbled something down.
She looked very much like a Mage.
Arne’s voice echoed.
“...Brother, why are you stopping me?”
Raguel shouted, “Because those people are my family too!”
“What? Mere humans?”
“I was once human as well.”
Arne sighed.
“I told you, didn’t I? You are no longer human. You are a noble High Elf. There is no need to cling to relationships with insignificant creatures. They only want to use your power.”
Johan shrugged.
“Well, that’s not wrong. Raguel, show them your value.”
Arne gave a mocking laugh.
“See? Those filthy creatures can’t hide their dark intentions. Before you are stained by them, let us get rid of them.”
Raguel spoke desperately.
“H-His way of speaking is a little harsh, but Johan is actually a good person. He gave me hope to live, gave me eyes, and...”
Arne cut him off.
“This is serious. You have been thoroughly brainwashed. I’ll fix you. Just wait a little.”
A thin branch dug into one of Raguel’s ears in an instant.
Raguel stood blankly, unable to move.
Lumina immediately began reciting a spell.
Johan stopped her.
“Leave him be.”
“You want me to just watch?”
“It isn’t dangerous. Arne is only peeking into his memories.”
Lumina cancelled her incantation. Things had never gone badly when she listened to Johan.
Silence lingered in the forest for a long while.
Only after quite some time did the stillness break.
Arne hiccupped.
“J-Johan. No, Mapheltan? What exactly are you?”
Arne had already peeked through all of Raguel’s memories.
Arne could not help but have enormous doubts about the person called Johan.
Johan’s lips curved into a long smile.
“The sun is setting at just the right time. There is no need to explain.”
Deep darkness descended over the forest.
Johan’s figure vanished like smoke.
A pitch-black Demon took his place.
Arne swallowed a gasp.
“Y-You...!”
Mapheltan trudged toward the ancient tree.
“I am the Thirteenth Apostle of the End. And I am the being who devoured your mother.”
Mapheltan had turned the World Tree Alquines into a Demon Core and consumed her.
Sap surely flowed within his body.
Arne shrieked sharply.
“How dare you! How dare you spout such nonsense before me?!”
Mapheltan’s red eyes curved like crescent moons.
“What is the problem? Am I not family as well? Raguel devoured your sibling, and I devoured your mother. Surely we are closer than anyone.”
Lumina pressed a hand to her forehead.
Arne let out a desperate scream.
Footnotes:
“Kimchi soup” refers to the Korean idiom “drinking kimchi soup first,” meaning to count one’s chickens before they hatch.
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