Chapter 064 …
Erendor gave a wry smile. I couldn’t help but smile faintly as well.
“The Empire’s people forgot to treat spirits as gods…”
To be more precise, it was closer to an atmosphere where they didn’t acknowledge spirits at all. There weren’t many people watching, and in a place that only believed in Lumensia, acknowledging the existence of spirits would just feel… off.
And in that moment, I had forgotten and spoken the real name of a high-ranking spirit.
It was suspicious enough that a million people could doubt it.
Erendor continued.
“Living only in the Empire, spending all your time holed up in temples… and yet our noble saint knows about spirits. And not just any spirit, but Ifrit by its true name. Now that’s curious.”
But it wasn’t a big deal.
“It’s just more stories from a long journey, I suppose. Would you like to hear it now?”
There were plenty of excuses ready.
Ifrit floated over to Erendor with a soft flutter. It seemed to have warned the others not to interfere.
I smiled at the flying Ifrit without trying to hide that I could see it.
Erendor, grinning mischievously, returned to the group.
“No, let’s save it for later and hear the rest of the story all at once, you amusing friend.”
Soon, what looked like tears of Elar began to glimmer on the ground. They looked like chunks of glass or crystal, hard and solid, but stepping on them felt as if a husk was collapsing.
“I’ve never seen this level of detail even in the game.”
I enjoyed this world of the game with satisfaction. Life in Sernuan Lumière was far more enjoyable. My original life? Who cares. No one was waiting.
A soft crunch accompanied the party’s footsteps. Despite the dense forest, sunlight reflected on the crystal fragments and leaves, making it as bright as daytime.
As wind spirits seemed to giggle past, it sounded almost like the crystals were clinking together.
Clink…
“Now, now. This is the real sightseeing, so don’t be too surprised.”
I carefully examined the vines draped like curtains. They looked like strands of crystals strung together, like beaded curtains at the entrance of a Chinese restaurant.
When Erendor swept the leaf curtain aside, the crystal beads collided and shattered, falling to the ground as fragments.
“Welcome to the world of beautiful nature.”
My eyes sparkled with reflection.
The green plants seemed frozen in a crystalline layer. The leaves too.
I pinched a leaf at eye level between two fingers. It shattered like hardened sugar water, scattering silvery dust just like before.
“Is this safe to touch?”
Yelena asked innocently. Erendor chuckled.
“It can only be good for you, not harmful. Young lady. Mages are desperate to get a taste. This place’s special water combined with magic creates a nourishing effect for those who wield magic.”
At that, Calebrin’s eyes shone. He touched the leaf with his tongue, frowned briefly, then opened his eyes wide and licked it like it was ice cream.
“Is it good?”
Yelena asked. Calebrin nodded, and she cautiously licked the leaf as well. Her expression brightened, and she began crunching the leaves like a snack.
Cardil grimaced at the sight. Erendor watched amused, like a city boy experiencing rural life for the first time.
“You traveler…”
Calebrin offered a leaf to me politely. I declined. He pouted slightly and handed one to Cardil.
“Do you even know what you’re putting in your mouth?”
Cardil scolded him like a doctor warning against street food. Calebrin hesitated.
“But… it seems healthy. Ca-Cardil, you’re not going to try…?”
“….”
Cardil paused, sighed slowly, and accepted the leaf from Calebrin, chewing thoughtfully.
It looked as if a herbivore were grazing to survive. Despite a harsh appearance, he was a genuinely good guy.
“Hehe…”
Calebrin smiled, pleased. Our utility max-level enjoyed it, so that was enough. I leisurely strolled, admiring the scenery. Everyone was captivated by the beauty around them.
Erendor let everyone act freely without complaint. Probably because of the “plan” he and I had set.
It would take some time for Austin Gerard to prepare his own plan in this hostile forest, so we could leisurely enjoy Elar’s Tears until then.
Somewhere, the sound of flowing water reached my ears. I moved closer, with Yelena and Calebrin following immediately. Cardil trailed without concern.
Elar’s Tears. Blue water flowed over rock like frozen ice.
As described beforehand, it wasn’t a grand waterfall. The single stream winding over the rocks might have seemed modest, but it had a tranquil charm of its own.
More beautiful than the flowing water were the sparkling stalactites formed by drops and the mysterious fish in the pools.
Not a single fish seemed ordinary. I stood still, watching the glittering fish swim in the transparent water.
“Can fish that colorful even live in such clear water?”
Even in nature, these little predators looked ready to swallow anything in one gulp.
“Could they be poisonous…?”
Typically, flashy creatures are either poisonous or taste awful.
If anything, it would be stranger if they were edible and harmless. Could such a predator-free environment really be sustainable?
The pool had no bushes—just candy-colored pebbles and shimmering water.
Wait. Could it be…
Erendor suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Everyone who’s seen Elar’s Tears praises its beauty. What do you think, our saint?”
“It is beautiful, certainly… but also strange.”
“…Strange?”
“Beautiful, yes. But there’s something peculiar about this beauty. There are no predators here.”
Even the water spirits, usually common, were nowhere to be seen. In-game, Undines were the most abundant of spirits.
So far, the only spirit we had seen was a minor one clinging to Erendor. The absence of lower spirits was itself troubling.
“What do the fish in this pond eat? Magic? If so, that’s even more troubling. Creatures that live solely on magic…”
Erendor’s expression hardened. I continued.
“Can we even call that a living creature?”
I turned to see Calebrin’s expression harden. Cardil, who had been quietly thinking, seemed shocked as well.
“Can someone explain what this means?”
Yelena scratched her head with her halberd. But there was no one kind enough to explain here.
“Then… this place is already…”
Calebrin adjusted his hands.
“Yes. You’ve noticed, interesting friend. This elf forest is already half dead. When nature runs on magic, it means…”
“A void of life.”
Calebrin said sharply, gripping his staff. Yelena squeezed between us, waving her arms.
“Wait~! I still don’t understand, can someone explain?!”
I cautiously spoke.
“It means the spirits that create new life are absent. Magic is being used to replace nature.”
“Spirits? Well, I did see a spirit just now… but are there really spirits of life?”
“There are, friend. Didn’t you see one just now?”
“I mean, I’m not sure if a ‘spirit of life’ really exists.”
Yelena seemed more curious about whether life spirits truly existed, not doubting spirits in general.
“I understand water, fire, wind, earth, lightning… those make sense, as mages use them. But ‘life’ spirits… that’s too abstract. Do they really exist?”
“Yes.”
Erendor’s clear answer left Yelena speechless.
“Listen, young lady. Even if you don’t believe in them, they exist. That’s the truth. So don’t stubbornly refuse to believe, or you’ll regret it later.”
Erendor winked at me. I had no idea why, but I smiled back.
Yelena, observing us oddly, raised her eyebrows and continued.
“I’m not saying I don’t believe… I just saw a tiny cute fire spirit around you too.”
Yelena gestured toward Erendor with her fingers. Ifrit giggled silently in the air.
I laughed and stepped forward.
“So, sister, your curiosity isn’t whether life spirits exist or not… but how they exist, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Hmm. This was an ambiguous topic even in the game. I didn’t know either.
If I were a GM, producer, or scenario writer… maybe they would. As a former hardcore player, I had no clue.
The most you could do as a spirit master in-game was summon spirits of light, darkness, water, fire, earth, air, or lightning.
As Yelena said, life was too abstract.
But I do have the Necklace of Lanoop, a healing relic. Healing has always been tied to life. Even the World Tree. If I go there, I need to investigate why the life spirits Erendor mentioned are absent.
Perhaps by examining the World Tree, I could uncover some secrets—maybe even about the entity that distorts my thoughts.
Could this be why the World Tree was inaccessible in-game?
Erendor replied to Yelena.
“Well, you’ll find out soon enough, young lady.”
Yelena shrugged. The sightseeing group returned, murmuring.
“It was truly beautiful.”
“It felt unreal, like it didn’t exist. Right, Councilor?”
“How can such a fantastical place exist? Not just Elar’s Tears, but the creatures of this entire forest are incredible!”
Erendor smiled.
“Ha! That’s right. That’s why the elf forest is considered the most beautiful.”
“This is due to magic in the air binding with moisture, creating these phenomena. That’s why the flora and fauna here are completely unique!”
A spectacled scientist from Senta spoke excitedly.
“So may we take a few samples for research? Studying these plants, animals, and this vast wilderness… Senta could achieve unprecedented prosperity!”
Erendor sighed, about to respond, when suddenly—
Ka-WAANG!
“They’ve come to kidnap the saint!”
Austin Gerard appeared, poorly disguised, throwing makeshift smoke bombs.
