◈ Episode 180. Everything is ripe (3)

Elf.

Elsidor did not move.

More precisely, he could not move.

He couldn’t go against the [Hierarchy of Blessings].

Elsidor radiated his murderous intent as if venting his anger.

“Aaah, aaah!”

His mind wanted to slaughter the two scurrying insects, but his body wouldn’t listen. He could only watch as they scurried away, whimpering.

“I will never come near you again!!”

“Ha, if you would have mercy on me just once……!!!”

“…….”

“Hiiiiiit!!!”

The silence came after a while.

Tears, snot, and eventually crawling on all fours.

Only after the two worms were gone did things quiet down.

Still, Elsidor did not die easily.

Nevertheless, Elsidor did not live an easy life.

Why am I, an elf, being humiliated by humans?

‘……You want me to grow this flower?’

I will kill you, Lee Hoyeol.

Elsidor went beyond grumbling to muttering curses.

However, despite his resolve, magic flowed from his body.

The amount of magic power was beyond human levels.

Shimmering.

The herbs that had absorbed Elsidor’s magic power glowed brightly in the darkness.

Elsidor remembered Hoyeol’s voice.

-“There’s a saying in this world.”

-“……?”

-“He who does not work, does not eat.”

-“……!”

Ever since that day, Elsidor had been plunged into reality.

He hasn’t left the golden palace.

Did he get a hard time for it?

If anyone asked, he couldn’t help but nod again.

-“I will grant you limited freedom.”

You are free to roam the kingdom of Yusra.

However, harming others is strictly forbidden.

Of course, Elsidor had freedom, but only one.

As I wander the streets, all I see is a bunch of trashy humans.

The fact that he couldn’t kill them only made him feel more frustrated.

-“Meal.”

Elsidor racked his brain as he locked himself in his spare room.

How can I get out of this, out of the Hierarchy of Blessings?

But no matter how much he racked his brains, he couldn’t think of a way.

“…… my damn mother.”

The Blessing of the World Tree, which gave them the power of eternal life, was something like that.

Moreover, Elsidore realized.

“There are degrees of favoritism, aren’t there?”

That the blessing of such a great mother could be bestowed upon only one human.

And that blessing was in Hoyeol.

It was safe to say that once he’d been caught, running away was no longer an option.

But.

“……Who’s to say I’m running away?”

Until I get my blessing back.

Elsidor had no intention of lowering his tail.

So he couldn’t ignore Hoyeol’s words.

Surely, Hoyeol had said.

-“Why don’t you take it if you want?”

If you can take it, take it.

-“You, too, must prove your pride in front of the World Tree.”

Elsidor’s thoughts turned toward pride.

Then the Hoyeol came to him.

And now.

“…… He who does not work, shall not eat?”

It was true.

Elsidor was paying for his meals now.

No one in the Golden Palace ate for free, and he was no exception.

Elsidor looked at the flowers in the garden.

Nothing could compare to these.

Beautiful flowers and grasses filled Sisley, the land of the Elves.

And yet these flowers were pampered and nurtured.

“Hmph.”

I snorted, feeling insignificant and ridiculous.

For the first time, I felt victorious over Hoyeol.

Soon, Elsidor spoke up.

“But this shame will end when I regain my pride.”

A bold declaration.

Lightened by this, Elsidor energized the flower garden.

A glowing circle of healing magic illuminated the Elixir Garden all night long…….

*

Even a slug can roll over.

I entrusted Elsidor with the care of the flower garden.

Actually, I’m more like Lee Hoyeol.

I wanted to push Elsidor a little harder.

I didn’t want him to just play and eat.

Should I just throw him into the Battle for the Demon King?

I seriously considered it.

Why, as long as the [Hierarchy of Blessings] exists.

Because Elsidor couldn’t do nonsense.

‘The most powerful.’

Including me.

From the Kingdom of Yusra to the Magic Tower, no one could claim to be stronger than Elsidor. Unless, of course, you count the Master of the Magic Tower, who floats in a magic sphere…….

But I doubt the pride of Grandfell would agree with me.

“Unfortunately.”

The Battle for the Demon King is also part of the Holy War.

There was a condition to joining the holy war.

You had to prove yourself worthy.

“I have no intention of giving the honor of participating in the holy war to someone who hasn’t realized their pride.”

……To call a quest full of hardships the Holy War is an honor?

Seriously.

I think I finally understand why I always have such a hard time, Grandfell.

[Oasis in the Yurihara Desert]

[Appropriate Level: Lv.150]

[Collapse Rate : 0.7%]

Enter the portal.

In an instant, the view changed.

A rift was created in the ocean.

It looks like a sandy beach is floating on top of the sea.

It’s quite a sight.

If I were being honest, I would have issued a leave notice.

I wanted to take off my jacket and shirt and just soak up the sun.

“Hiel.”

A vacation is a vacation.

Despite my relaxed appearance.

My insides are creaking, no, grunting.

Soon, Hiel appeared.

“Hiel, I have answered the call.”

Overly elegant as always, Hiel.

I spoke with Hiel, who clutched the hem of her robe in both hands and bowed respectfully.

We begin with the situation on the continent of Arcana.

“No faction movements have been seen.”

No wonder.

Because the demons who participated in the battle for the Demon King were powerful enough to take over the throne. Now, such strong people have completely disappeared from the Arcana Continent.

The only remaining forces will be the existing Demon Kings.

“Finally realizing the subject.”

Why are the activities of such demon kings quiet?

Since he is the same Demon King, they probably knows better than anyone else.

What the high ranking demon king is like.

An evil so different that it cannot even be described in language.

Such was the case with Gamigin of the 4th Throne, who was sent to Hell.

Gamigin’s eyes looked exactly like a Evil eye.

Perhaps the demon kings shared that vision.

If so, it certainly makes sense.

-“Let them tremble in fear. Akshan has returned.”

Akshan has returned.

I proclaimed it loud and clear in front of Gamigin.

……Wait, I didn’t think much of it at the time.

Now that I think about it, good job, my snout.

I guess my bluff worked, huh?

Now that the gates of hell are closed.

There are no Akshans, no Demon Hunters on the continent of Arcana.

But I’m the only one who knows that, right?

Besides, if you’re a demon, you must remember.

that I died on the continent of Arcana.

Should we consider changing our position?

‘Demons must be truly terrified.’

I died without leaving a corpse behind.

And then I show up with a bunch of demon hunters who’ve been slaughtered in the holy war.

I’m declaring that Akshan is back, aren’t I?

Hiel bows his head again.

“I, Hiel, apologize for not being able to join you on that journey.”

Even the ever-overestimating Hiel has this reaction.

The Iron Castle.

I didn’t have to ask for the dwarves’ reaction.

They’re almost celebrating at the sight of the cowering demons.

Of course, despite my nervousness, I spoke as usual.

“It’s not a journey, it’s not a struggle, it’s not a trial, it’s just a passing breeze. So keep your head up, Hiel.”

“!”

I’m just thankful for you guys, to tell the truth.

A breeze, blah, blah, blah.

Your ability to pack a punch line is getting better every day, Grandfell.

You have nothing to be sorry for, Hael.

“This is a time when your skills are needed.”

Even as a nameless sub-spirit, Hiel’s {Nature} abilities were quite effective. Now that she’s been elevated to the rank of Unique Spirit, its effectiveness is beyond even my imagination.

That was the case in London alone.

I thought it was just a fancy Aquarius oak tree, but it had a life-restoring effect. That’s why it’s possible to grow an elixir from an herb…….

‘Maybe it’s not just a pipe dream.’

If I succeed.

Wouldn’t that be a greater achievement than turning stones into gold?

Considering the effectiveness and rarity of the elixirs in the literature…….

I don’t know what a [unique] is, it’s probably at the level of [Epic].

‘I’ll be able to grow Epic-grade items infinitely!’

For a moment, I had a golden dream.

I wiped the thought from my head before the snout could strike a second.

Come on.

You don’t have to tell me, Grandfell.

I know you can’t pursue a material life because of your integrity.

“I’m glad you still need my abilities.”

You need not be so pleased, Hiel.

Perhaps we will continue to need them.

Soon, Hiel’s blessing washed over the oasis.

‘Good.’

Moving the blessed water out of the rift is not difficult.

I have magic, not skill.

Let’s see, if I cast the 『Space Expansion』 spell on a decent bottle of water like this one…….

Mm-hmm.

As you can see, water is constantly being sucked into the bottle.

Anyway, it would be difficult to call this a decent water bottle.

‘… … Anyway, at least for tea time.’

A teapot, a teatime essential.

Take a moment to scoop up the water from the oasis in an old-fashioned way.

‘I guess this is enough.’

I put the teapot in my inventory.

Hiel handed me something.

“And I regained another piece of pride.”

……reclaimed a pride?

That makes me tired just thinking about it!

My heart sank.

I took a closer look and realized it was the remains of the Quernberg Machine Tower.

“Yeah, level matters.

As you can see, I entered the rift at level 150.

Currently, I was finding it difficult to level up through the normal Rift strategy.

‘Maybe when there are more Demon monsters.’

Now that the demons have slowed down.

It would be hard to expect to level up in the next regularly updated rift. In that case, the experience points accumulated in the Quernberg Machine Tower were more than just rain in a drought.

“Please rest in peace. My lord.”

With an overly loyal bow, Hiel returned to the continent of Arcana. I, too, stepped through the rift and manifested a portal to the Kingdom of Yusra.

Learning from experience.

For a manifestation of reversal magic, I’ve drained quite a bit of energy, and the remains of the machine tower are shackled, not with the shackles of the Circle. It was necessary to manifest the reversal magic while being as comfortable as possible.

Dalkak─

“Indeed, the sun has set.”

…… You have the audacity to say that the tea is delicious.

Anyway.

Nothing brings you peace of mind like a cup of tea bagged green tea, Grandfell.

I agreed, and slowly drew up my powers.

Goooo-oh.

Once again, I’m grateful for the title system.

If the circle hadn’t been sealed by the effects of the [Transcendent].

I wouldn’t have been able to manifest my magic like this.

I guess this is why prior learning is useless.

Crumbling─

The cogs begin to turn.

The magic stone begins to glow once more.

A vast energy emanated from the machine.

This was the second time.

Nevertheless, it is not easy to adapt to… … !

The kind of power that makes your hair stand on end and your organized desk fall apart.

To put it in Grandfell terms.

Yes.

The pride of the machine tower began to seep into my body.

A message flashed through my mind.

[You will receive experience points accumulated on the Battlecruiser Quernberg Machine Tower].

[Claim the reputation accumulated in the Battlecruiser Quernberg Machine Tower].

[You have leveled up].

[You have leveled up].

[You have leveled up]…….

Will I be able to aim for the limit, level 50, this time?

I won’t know until I open the status window.

‘But first.’

There was something I needed to check first.

A member of the Akshan, I must witness the end of the Quernberg Machine Tower.

[Acquire the memories of the Quernberg Machine Tower].

Soon, the memories of the tower unfold before my eyes.

“……!”

It was a puzzling thing.

A gap of years, perhaps decades, in my existence.

Just as the town of Dredsen was unfamiliar to me from my last memory.

Most of the cities and towns of Arcana were unfamiliar to me.

In this moment, the scene before me was strangely familiar.

Magnificent walls.

The fluttering banners.

And even on the walls.

Even the face of a lonely man.

It was so familiar that it felt like déjà vu.

Soon, I realized why.

“Is that so, are you also thirsty for the throne?”

Yes.

The battle for the throne wasn’t just for demons.

Empires.

A capital city, Antonium.

A man on the ramparts, a blade of treason pointed at the Emperor’s throat.

In that moment, a message flashed before my eyes.

[Main Quest: Warring States Period]

“……!”