Chapter 182 – Forgotten Story (Two)

At the word “husband,” each person showed their own reaction.

Veronica slightly turned her gaze to look at Ray.

Demper hastily erased the child-rearing plans he had been unfolding in his mind.

Ray continued his questions with a tone that carried considerable interest.

“You came out to find your husband?”

“The periodic news he sent through the Spirits was cut off. I was worried.”

Grine gazed at the distant horizon across the wilderness with a faint look in her eyes.

“Wondering if something happened to him. If he’s facing difficulties while fulfilling his mission. If he’s fooling around with a human woman…”

“Mission?”

“Yes, his mission. Earlier, when I mentioned the forest, you reacted with disbelief. I understand. In a world where black rain falls, it’s extremely difficult for a place like a forest to exist. But it’s possible.”

“How?”

“Because in the Last Forest where our village is located, there is a World Tree.”

According to Grine, the World Tree is a massive Sacred Tree.

Its branches and leaves spread out widely, blocking the black rain while providing shade.

It is a grateful existence that prevents the contamination of the surrounding soil and vegetation through endless purification.

“Records say the World Tree has existed since the Ancient Era. So perhaps its lifespan is running out. Recently, its influence has been gradually weakening.”

That’s why Grine’s husband, Caron, headed out into the outside world carrying the Seed of the World Tree.

To find fertile land where a new World Tree could be born.

“The World Tree will grow well no matter where it’s planted. But the harsher the land, the lower its growth limit. What we want is fertile land where the World Tree can unfold infinite potential.”

Infinite.

Literally meaning there is no set limit.

“How big can it grow?”

“Using the World Tree currently in the Last Forest as an example…”

Grine paused as if searching for something to compare it to, then said.

“It would likely cover a typical Sector with its shade.”

Everyone except Ray couldn’t close their gaping mouths.

The surprise didn’t end there.

“They say in the Ancient Era, World Trees were located everywhere. Among them, there are tales of individuals large enough to cover several major cities.”

While everyone was at a loss for words, a few words connected in the boy’s mind.

Elf, Seed, Traveler.

And.

“Meat.”

“Huh? Meat?”

“I’ve heard news of Caron.”

“Ah, Ray! That’s right, that!”

Veronica brought over the flowerpot she had secured inside the bus window.

Then, from the cloth pouch Ray took out from his chest, green seeds emerged.

Grine’s face stiffened.

“…That’s right. These are definitely a World Tree sprout and seeds. How do you have them?”

“Purchased them from a Slum resident in Sector 48.”

“A Slum resident?”

Ray calmly explained how he obtained the seeds.

A traveler who collapsed in the Junkyard and was rescued by Slum residents.

The seeds that traveler gave to the residents as a reward, which he, Veronica, and Philip purchased.

“They said he always covered his ears with a hood. When going out, he masked his face, and his appearance was exceptionally outstanding. Also, he carried about ten dagger sheaths at his waist.”

“…That seems to be my husband.”

“And they said he wouldn’t eat meals if there was no meat.”

Grine, who had been nodding while listening, slightly frowned at the last statement.

After being lost in thought for a moment, she spoke as if reaching a conclusion.

“Eating meat… It seems he’s become accustomed to the dietary habits of the human world.”

“Right? Elves originally don’t eat meat and are supposed to follow a vegetarian and frugal diet, right?”

Veronica exclaimed in a delighted voice, as if venting the grievances she had received from Ray and Philip until now.

Grine answered.

“Since the forest’s fruits and vegetables provide sufficient nutrition, there’s no reason to consume meat. Elves live in the forest their entire lives, so they have no occasion to see meat dishes, and even if they did, they wouldn’t put it in their mouths. It doesn’t suit their palate.”

Veronica looked back at Ray as if to say ‘see?’

“……”

While Ray felt a strong sense of betrayal towards Elves, Grine opened the jerky pack she was holding and took out a piece.

“You said my husband enjoyed canned food with every meal. Meat, and such heavily seasoned processed food at that…”

She frowned as if the smell was unpleasant, hesitated, then put the jerky in her mouth.

After chewing for a long while, she gulped it down.

Crinkle.

With a natural hand movement, she took a second piece from the pack and put it in her mouth.

“So… munch… I’ve told my story to some extent… munch… Ray-kun, will you tell me your story?”

While Veronica watched the scene with a shocked expression.

Ray summarized the reason he left Sector 50 and the process of obtaining the yellow gem.

After hearing the story, Grine nodded.

“So half of the Rainbow’s yellow fragment was buried in Sector 46. Perhaps that’s where the Yellow Guardian breathed his last.”

“Yellow Guardian?”

“Because each Guardian protected a fragment of a different color.”

She said the Guardians, who suffered great damage in the war, scattered in all directions, each taking their fragment.

The Green Guardian, said to have been an Elf, fled to the current Last Forest.

And the green gem has been passed down since then.

“……”

Ray stared at the green gem in Grine’s hand.

The ceaselessly surging waves of Mana.

Infinite vitality and dynamism.

He could be certain.

That it was the same kind of object as the gem he possessed, undoubtedly a fragment of the Rainbow.

“I’m gathering those fragments to complete the Rainbow.”

At Ray’s direct way of speaking, Grine smiled faintly.

“So, are you planning to take this gem from me?”

“……”

That wasn’t it.

Grine hadn’t harmed them in any way and harbored no malice, so he couldn’t just take the item.

‘Even if we were to fight, I can’t guarantee victory against someone whose combat level is unclear.’

While hesitating to answer, Grine’s voice was heard again.

“What do you plan to do after completing the Rainbow?”

“…I have something I want to achieve.”

“What is it?”

This time too, Ray didn’t answer.

Grine watched that with a deepening smile, then parted her lips.

“I can give you the fragment I have.”

“You can give it?”

“You don’t seem like the type to use it for bad things.”

Based on what about me?

As if reading Ray’s gaze, Grine said.

“Spirits don’t form Contracts with people who harbor evil intentions. Because they are beings that easily empathize with the Contractor’s emotions. There are exceptions, but mostly that’s the case. And next.”

“……”

“My intuition. Ray-kun, you seem like a good person.”

At the direct compliment, Ray showed no particular reaction.

Instead, only Veronica’s shoulders beside him were soaring with pride.

The boy asked suspiciously.

“You’re not really saying you’ll give it without any compensation.”

“That’s right. The condition is that you help me find my husband and land to plant the World Tree.”

“That’s a more modest condition than I thought.”

“I wonder. Can finding a new foundation for the continuation of a race be called modest?”

“Why are you suddenly making such a proposal to me?”

“Seeing you handle the Gem’s Mana so skillfully means you’re not an ordinary talented Wizard. Also, I’m still not familiar with the human world.”

Ray fell into thought for a moment.

Accepting Grine’s proposal meant she would join the party.

The gains outweigh the losses.

Keeping a hard-to-encounter Rainbow fragment nearby is a better choice than letting it go.

A 3rd Circle Wizard and a gem containing infinite Mana would themselves become a significant force.

There was no reason to refuse, but there were things to clarify.

After exchanging glances with Veronica, Ray opened his mouth.

“I’ll accept the proposal.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

“But there’s a condition.”

“What condition?”

“I’ll help you, but I can’t make finding land for Caron and the World Tree my top priority. Our party each has our own goals that take precedence.”

“How long will it take for all those goals to be achieved?”

After thinking for a moment, Ray answered.

“I can’t guarantee, but at worst, a year. Maybe 2, 3 years, or even longer.”

“Ah, then it’s fine. I can just wait a little while. It’s okay if you help me after all the party members achieve their goals.”

Just wait a little while?

Feeling a momentary strangeness, Ray soon recalled that Elves are a race with an extremely long lifespan.

“How old are you?”

“This year marks my 224th year living in this world.”

“Pfft!”

Demper, who was tilting a water bottle as if his throat was dry, spat out water in an instant and asked in a flustered voice.

“Th-then, how many years do Elves usually live?”

“I know they grow at a speed similar to humans until about twenty years after birth. After that, they age very slowly. Total lifespan, in cases of longevity, they can live close to a thousand years.”

A thousand years.

Veronica, who reflexively tried to count the number by bending her fingers, soon realized the unit itself was different and gave up.

The combined lifetimes of all the humans present didn’t even reach Grine’s age, let alone a thousand years.

It was a moment when the fact that Elves are different beings from humans truly sank in.

Demper cautiously opened his mouth.

“I’m envious. Humans don’t even live a hundred years, but a lifespan close to a thousand years…”

A bitter smile spread across Grine’s face upon hearing that.

“Envious?”

“Yes. That’s right. With that much time, can’t you achieve everything you want to do in life? I think it’s truly a blessing.”

“I wonder. I think it’s a curse.”

“Huh, what?”

“They say due to the war in the Ancient Era, each race lost something precious. It’s said that what the Elves lost was ‘desire.'”

The cold night air, infused with silence, was sucked into Grine’s mouth and then.

“Think about it. A daily life repeated for hundreds of years, day after day the same, without any desire for progress.”

It was uttered meaningfully.

Grine looked straight into Demper’s eyes and asked.

“Can such a life be called a blessing?”

“I-I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn without knowing…”

“It’s okay. Anyone who doesn’t know would think that way.”

With a gentle smile, Grine turned her body slightly.

Gazing at the dark horizon at the edge of the wilderness, she continued.

“If I have one single desire, it’s to find out why Elves were cursed like this. To do that, I need to dig into the history of the Ancient Era. But with only the Stone Tablets and historical materials preserved in the Last Forest, there were limits to what I could find out.”

Grine added.

While examining the Stone Tablets and materials, she felt as if someone in the Ancient Era had intentionally tried to conceal history.

“All the books had important parts missing. They were damaged in a way that felt deliberate. The Stone Tablets, perhaps due to their strong material, didn’t seem to have their records damaged, but they didn’t contain any meaningful information either.”

Ray recalled the Stone Tablet he saw in Binjin’s tower.

Indeed, there were excessive scratches all over, more than could be attributed to just the passage of time.

“That’s the reason I tried to join an exploration team heading to the Ruins. Finding my husband is important, of course, but I’m equally interested in history.”

“What if you don’t get enough information from the Ruins?”

“It’s fine. I don’t plan to explore just one or two places. If I have one unique weapon, it’s time. And besides the Ruins, there’s a destination─ you should be able to see it with a sky like this, ah! There it is!”

Everyone looked up at the clear night sky following Grine’s finger.

Among the countless stars, a small mass that emitted no light was visible.

Ray, who used enhanced vision to identify the object, unknowingly murmured.

“Land…?”

“That’s right. A massive landmass. It’s said there is a library there that preserves all the history of the Ancient Era.”

The boy felt a churning in his stomach.

He felt as if, even though he was running with all his might, the boundaries of the world were rushing past him at an even faster speed.

“……”

But that was only for a moment.

The tightness in his chest disappeared, replaced by various hot emotions, including curiosity.

The boy’s lips, gazing at the land floating among the stars, suddenly opened.

“If Elves lost desire, what did humans lose?”