Chapter 61 …
When I whispered to him through voice transmission, Austin Gerard accepted my orders with enthusiasm.
It was fortunate that the people from the Banquet Hall hadn’t contacted him first. If they had approached him before I did and issued additional instructions, he might have grown even slightly suspicious—no matter that the words came from me.
— “Then I will join you in three days.”
The waterfall near the World Tree—commonly called El Ar’s Tear.
Unlike the massive waterfalls on “Earth,” it doesn’t pour down in roaring torrents. True to its name, it trickles gently, like falling tears.
The water glows beautifully, and the scenery on the way there is said to be breathtaking. Even back when I saw it in-game, I had thought it was stunning.
Moisture from the mysterious water cascading down the falls mixes with the fine mana in the air, forming shimmering crystals between the leaves.
Brilliant sunlight scatters across those crystals, refracting into dazzling light.
There’s no need to worry about the concentrated light starting a forest fire. As one would expect from a place with a waterfall, the water spirit Undine primarily resides there.
El Ar’s Tear lies at the heart of Senta, befitting its grand natural beauty. It takes two full days just to reach the portal.
And since I’ll have to greet people along the way, wave a bit, and go “Here, receive a blessing! Pshoo, pshoo!” here and there, it’ll inevitably take about three days.
I had been lying down for a while before abruptly sitting up. Just because it was a rest day didn’t mean I could laze around like this. No true Korean would.
When I cracked the door open, the corridor was empty. It seemed they had even cleared out the guards so they could rest comfortably. Of course, they’d likely installed listening devices and surveillance tools instead.
There were probably similar monitoring devices in the hallway. Even if I couldn’t see them, people from Senta were surely lingering nearby.
I strolled lazily down the corridor. I might as well get some fresh air and enjoy the scenery.
Making a move on my own to obtain useful items, or dragging out Calebrin—who was resting in his room—to use as a stand-in… those kinds of actions were unavoidable.
After all, we were a diplomatic delegation visiting a hostile nation where war could break out again at any moment.
If I behaved even slightly suspiciously, I’d end up planting the seed for a Senta vs. Empire war.
And if that happened, all the groundwork I’d laid in the Banquet Hall for a ~peaceful armistice negotiation~ would fall apart.
That absolutely couldn’t happen. I needed to go to the Demon Realm… and speak with the Demon King.
That’s the only clue I have right now.
[Main Quest! Spread the faith to all the people of the world.]
[Failure Penalty: Death]
Why would I die if I didn’t obey the words in this status window?
No—before that. Why had I ended up becoming Cernuan Lumiere in the first place…?
I had to find out.
What? I can think about this?
Before, whenever I tried to dig into why I was in this situation, something felt like it was pressing hard against my head.
Still, better to just remember this for now.
If I dwell on it two or three more times, something unknown might clamp down on my skull again.
I exited the castle where our lodgings were.
A vast garden stretched out before me. It clearly pursued a different kind of beauty than the Empire.
In the Empire, trees were neatly trimmed, flowers were planted in uniform species or matching colors, and marble fountains were installed. The gardens bore heavy marks of human hands.
Here, the garden looked as though nature itself had simply been transplanted.
The trees stretched their branches freely in every direction, and a variety of flowers bloomed throughout.
They hadn’t even filled in the stream running through the distant valley, so there were natural ponds and flowing brooks.
I’d only seen it in-game, but Senta really does have plenty to see.
Compared to that, the Empire felt rather bleak for a fantasy world. There weren’t even many different races like you’d expect in a proper fantasy setting.
Why couldn’t they have made Senta the starting region instead? You nameless bastard who turned me into Cernuan Lumiere.
If you wanted true fantasy romance, Senta was the place.
Ah… I really preferred Senta’s romantic half-elf spirit swordsman NPC over Cernuan Lumiere. A bold swordsman fighting alongside spirits was way cooler than some shady cult leader.
I dusted off a nearby bench with a couple of light taps and sat down. The wind brushed past my long hair.
Pretending to enjoy this rare moment of leisure, I assessed the situation outside.
Security isn’t that tight. Well, I barely have any combat power. If they’re cautious about anyone, it’d be the people around me…
Behind me, a large tree rustled unnaturally.
A chill ran down my spine. Surely not an assassin?
After being hit with poisoning, an attempted assassination, and even terrorism in the span of a few days, I couldn’t help but tense up.
Carefully, I turned around—
“Oh dear. Ahahaha.”
A well-built adult man was hanging from a thick tree branch. He awkwardly climbed down.
What is this…?
He approached me, scratching his head sheepishly and smiling. As he came closer, I recognized him.
Why are you here…?
The very man who fit the role of the bold, romantic spirit swordsman better than Cernuan Lumiere ever could—
“Quite the way to greet someone, huh? Hello! I’m Erendor.”
It was Erendor.
“Greetings, Brother Erendor. What business did you have up in that great old tree?”
Though a half-elf, he possessed vivid blue eyes like a true elf. Ordinary blue signified an elf not contracted with a spirit; faintly luminous blue marked one who had formed a pact.
His long hair—somewhere between blonde and light brown—was swept back except for two strands framing his face.
And floating beside him was his symbol, Ifrit.
No matter how I looked at it, this was truly the Erendor from the game.
Wait. Why can I see Ifrit?
According to the setting, only those born with innate talent could see spirits.
“Hahaha! You’re a cheerful one. I didn’t have business with the tree. I actually came to meet you.”
“Me?”
As I asked in surprise, he stepped closer. His shadow fell over the bench. He was quite large. Being an elf, his height wasn’t surprising—but those muscles were.
Cernuan is just long and lanky.
Fine. Once I break free from this system and gain my freedom, I’ll definitely work out and get shoulders that broad.
“That’s right. Ascetic… and Saint. I’m the one who’ll be guiding you to El Ar’s Tear.”
El Ar’s Tear requires a guide with elven blood… but why did it have to be Erendor?
He was bold and slightly airheaded, fitting the romantic spirit swordsman archetype. He wasn’t gullible. Personally, I was genuinely glad to meet him—but…
For the me right now, it would’ve been better if some other elf had come…!
Is this because I once wished I could be Erendor? Is that it, fate?!
After a moment of silence, he scratched his head again and began explaining.
“El Ar’s Tear is truly beautiful. Because of that, plenty of people sneak in to see it. Mages try to harvest the ‘tears,’ and poachers come for herbs and animals. So we set up a barrier. About… thirty years ago?”
The time perception of someone with elven blood was impossible to grasp. Thirty years ago was “recent.”
“Anyway, even with the barrier, up to ten people can pass if accompanied by someone with elven blood…”
Ah. I already knew all this. He must’ve assumed I didn’t.
Memories of struggling to rescue an elf NPC for a side quest flashed through my mind. Of course, even after saving them, I’d only managed to wander the elf forest. The World Tree itself had been map-locked.
“You elves must have quite the burden.”
“Well, it’s not like I personally handle it. But I heard a Saint from the Empire was coming. I’ve always been very interested in the Empire.”
I knew that too. And the reason I was wary of Erendor was—
“I think the Empire has far less to see than Senta.”
“Hahaha! You’re a cheerful one after all! Hearing a Saint born and raised in the Empire say that is hilarious!”
His interest in the Empire wasn’t particularly favorable to me.
He was interested in the Empire’s Demonic Sword.
And that Demonic Sword was currently being carefully stored in Marquis Alderion’s secret villa.
The reason he’d approached me like this was likely because, as a member of a diplomatic delegation, I could somewhat travel between the two nations. My being a Saint, an ascetic, a wielder of mysterious abilities—none of that mattered to him.
Smuggling is impossible, so he’s targeting the one legal method of crossing borders—me…
From his perspective, even if it failed, he’d at least want to try meeting me.
A bolt from the blue for me.
…Or was it?
He wants the Demonic Sword. I’m stuck holding it like a troublesome burden.
I want a holy relic. He’s an elf who can access such places—even if only half.
I smiled faintly and tapped the space beside me.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Oh? As expected of a Saint—so courteous. I’ll take you up on that.”
As soon as he sat down, the once-spacious bench felt completely full.
They say elves struggle to build muscle by nature, but looking at him, that didn’t seem true. Or maybe that was just because he was half-elf.
“Saint. How’s the Empire these days? Newspapers are biased… they only tell one side. I’m very interested in the Empire, so I’d like to hear it directly from you. Would you mind?”
“Hmm… the Empire? I live almost entirely within the temple, so I’m not well-versed in external affairs…”
I paused briefly before speaking.
If I’d demanded information this openly, others would’ve torn me apart. Truly, having a good body beats having a good head. No need to scheme when you’ve got muscles like that.
Just looking at those muscles and the greatsword strapped to his back made me want to fabricate stories on the spot.
“Lately, the weather has been rather unpredictable.”
“Weather…? Right, Senta’s weather shifts a lot too, being so close to nature. Interesting that it’s the same in the Empire.”
He looked at me like, That’s not what I meant.
Small talk begins with the weather. That’s the rule.
“Yes. There were floods, so I assisted in disaster relief.”
“So you’re constantly saving people?”
“To be precise, my mission is to eradicate suffering from this world.”
He tried to hide how utterly bored he looked, but it was written all over his face.
After spending so long trying to keep Cernuan Lumiere’s mask from slipping among suspicious people like the Widow and Yelena, this reaction was refreshingly transparent.
At this point, it was almost cute.
“Riiight. Quite the grand mission you’ve got there.”
His expression clearly said, As if that’s possible.
I simply smiled.
Yes. Even a good dog deserves at least the scent of meat.
“Speaking of which, someone recently asked me to lift a curse placed upon a certain sword. The story behind that blade was quite fascinating.”
His eyes sharpened.
Smiling faintly, I tucked a strand of wind-blown hair behind my ear.
“Would you like to hear it? It’s very… very interesting.”
