Chapter 641. What the Darkness Desires (2)

A temporary outpost of the Holy War Alliance, constructed using architectural magic.
Despite the urgency of the situation, I had not forgotten to design my own office.
Sitting there, I reflected once more.

The most important thing is always the intent of the one setting the question, Hoyeol.

[World Quest: The Source of Calamity]
Two worlds in chaos.
And in that chaos, there is a culprit.
Arcanians, Adventurers—
Pursue the being that has plunged both worlds into disorder.
—Track Raymond Sean. (In Progress)

From this perspective, the more I examined the system, the harder it became to discern its limits.

To think the system would refer to Raymond Sean as the source of calamity.

The moment when the common speculation was confirmed—
That even Raymond Sean, the developer of Arcana Continent Chronicle and the one capable of executing regular updates, was beyond the system’s control.

But more importantly, is this the first time a quest has explicitly mentioned reality?

Well, considering that Seoul had become a land of anomalies,
it wasn’t all that surprising that the system itself was becoming more anomalous.
More importantly—

Scribble, scribble.

Even as I pondered, my quill did not rest.

A more devoted son doesn’t exist.

Even amidst such pressing matters, I still had to write a letter home…!

At least, thanks to the time difference between Arcana Continent and reality,
this was merely the first letter I’d written in four days.

Has it really been that long?

It hit me then—just how frantically I had been moving.
I had been so focused on my goal that my sense of time had become blurred.
The raid against the rampaging World Tree, which had begun with the appearance of a boss monster, had finally ended today.

For now, at least.

Still, the first expedition of the Holy War Alliance ended in success.

To quote Analyst Nam Cheolmin on our results—

-“…We achieved an overwhelming victory!”

Indeed.
I, Lee Hoyeol, had achieved my goal.
A victory so decisive that the absence of Grandfell was hardly felt.

…Flinch.

Without realizing it, my quill faltered.
For in that moment, the sheer agony I had endured,
all the suffering I had undergone, flashed before my eyes like a montage…!

I was on the verge of tearing myself apart, trying to keep up with Grandfell.

It was a truly moving moment.

Please, don’t call it an overreaction.
Without the reassuring presence of Grandfell to rely on,
facing a behemoth like the World Tree had been an immense burden.

More than anything, I was the commander of the Holy War Alliance, standing on the battlefield myself.

And I could say with confidence—

I carried a heavier burden on my shoulders than you ever did, Grandfell.

Some might ask why I was making such a fuss after securing victory against all odds.
To which I, Lee Hoyeol, would answer—

This is all part of the art of survival, my friend.

The harder a project is to complete, the more valuable the one who completes it becomes.
I was giving my own achievements a well-earned boost.

Without a shred of guilt, I continued writing.

──────
Thanks to you, I have claimed a truly great victory, Mother, Father.
──────

When Grandfell was around, it was different.
But now that he was gone, winning our first confrontation against the World Tree…
It had been far from easy.

Of course, there was a reason I wanted this recognition so badly.

[Legend]

A status that grew stronger the wider it spread, regardless of its authenticity.
A trump card tailor-made for a player like me, whose life had been defined by bravado!

-“Is this all?”
-“Neither the fierce northern winds nor the raging inferno could stop me.”
-“Do not belittle the pride of the Holy War Alliance.”

Every time I slew a blessed boss monster,
I had gritted my teeth and uttered those boastful lines.
And in the end, I received the message I had been waiting for.

[Your legends echo even further across the land.]

…That’s enough, Hoyeol.

No matter how embarrassing it is, it will be forgotten with time.

Even if I myself forgot,
someone in the Holy War Alliance would surely remember my grandstanding…!
But having resolved to surpass even Grandfell in shamelessness,
I had to grow accustomed to this sort of mortification.

Swish.

Opening the portal to reality, I sent the letter home.
But just as I did, a conversation from the Holy War Alliance meeting resurfaced in my mind.
Wait—

In all the commotion, did I ever actually say it out loud?

That this expedition had occurred due to my conflict with the World Tree?

I can accept that the people around me figured it out.

After all, the Holy War Alliance was mostly composed of players who had moved with me.
They had overheard my conversations with Baekseo,
and could have inferred details from the system messages.
It wasn’t unreasonable for them to put the pieces together.

But—

…How did Marcelo and the senior mages know?

Given their talents, I wouldn’t be able to grasp how they arrived at their conclusions.
Their abilities might not match the brilliance of Grandfell,
but as an ordinary person, I couldn’t fathom how they reached enlightenment.

So my real question was—

Was their choice really that easy to make?

Putting aside how Grandfell had treated them like disposable pawns,
they had trained, studied, and bonded as fellow mages in the Magic Tower.
Yet, even with that camaraderie, they had chosen to stand against the World Tree—
the so-called creator and mother of Arcana Continent.

That was enough to keep even Hiel from defying it.

Was this, too, a lingering effect of Grandfell’s influence?
I was still deep in thought when—

Knock, knock.

Someone hesitantly rapped on my office door.

“…Chief Lee, this is Bellier Yusia.”

I nearly jumped.

Speak of the devil…

Marcelo had already informed me.

That from the very first day she had entered Arcana Continent,
Bellier had gone missing.
She hadn’t even attended the Holy War Alliance’s general meeting earlier.

Did she come straight to me upon returning?

I couldn’t help but flinch.

If it’s Bellier…

Even before the expedition began,
she would have been aware of my conflict with the World Tree.
Isn’t that the world tree that grew in the special room of the Healing School?

Unlike the other senior mages, she might know the full truth.

Had that been why she had gone missing?
Had she learned something in the process?
Had she sought me out to question me directly…?!

A flood of thoughts surged through my mind in that brief moment before I responded.
But I couldn’t afford to hesitate.

“You may enter, Bellier Yusia.”

Creak.

The door swung open, revealing Bellier.

“!”

Without thinking, I sprang to my feet and rushed to her side.
She nearly collapsed right there—her injuries were severe.

“…My apologies, Chief Lee.”

Even breathing seemed difficult for her.
Yet, as I supported her, those were the words she chose.
Her eyes were filled with genuine remorse.

I replied.

“That is an unnecessary concern.”

Even you, Grandfell, would have reacted the same way in this moment.
But more importantly—who had done this to her?

As I unleashed my mana to assess her condition—

A simple laceration?

A senior mage of the Healing School.

Bellier possessed the ability to heal most wounds on her own.
These injuries shouldn’t have been beyond her ability to mend.

Did she encounter so many enemies that she ran out of mana?

Was she forced into a battle so relentless that she had no time to even cast healing magic?
And more importantly—

Who in their right mind would dare lay hands on a Senior Mage of the Magic Tower?

Just as I was piecing things together, Bellier’s lips trembled as she spoke.

“…I apologize. I should have told you earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

“For a moment… I doubted you, Chief.”

Doubt.

At that moment, I was certain.
Bellier had learned about me through the World Tree.

How much did she know?
Had she uncovered my past embarrassments as well?

I instinctively tensed.

Well, my specialty is reading the room.

Now was not the time to dwell on it.

“…Even though I knew better, I wanted to understand you, Chief.
If I could just grasp a little more about you,
I thought I might be of some help.
So, I broke protocol and acted alone.”

I responded to Bellier, who was struggling to finish her words.

“I understand your sincerity.”

I still hadn’t heard exactly what had happened to her.
But I reassured her anyway.

Why?

Because it was simple.

“Welcome back, Bellier Yusia.”

“…!”

In the end, Bellier had returned.
To the Holy War Alliance. To the Magic Tower.

These wounds—she must have sustained them on her way back.
Some might ask, Who would dare attack a Senior Mage of the Magic Tower?

The answer was clear.

The enemy was the World Tree itself.

Controlling monsters that were thousands of levels high—
It meant wielding authority over the entire Arcana Continent.

I muttered inwardly.

‘…Hiel.’

Perhaps the only reason Bellier had made it back at all was because of Hiel.
Perhaps she had drawn a line for my sake.

I clenched my teeth.

Even if that wasn’t the case—

I will believe it is.

Hiel, no matter what you think of me,
I am not yet prepared to see you as my enemy.

Even though it was just a little, I wonder if my shaking magic was transmitted to Bellier.

“…I feel ashamed, Chief…”

“I’m listening.”

“Elsidor, the Elf—he must have gone through the same thing as I did.”

Elsidor?

A name was suddenly thrown into the conversation.
But it wasn’t all that surprising.

He was a direct descendant of the World Tree.
If the World Tree wanted to speak to him, it could at any time.

If he went through the same thing…

That meant Elsidor had made the same choice.
I reassured Bellier.

“I will seek out Elsidor immediately.”

“……”

Bellier bit her lip.

If one paid close enough attention,
it was obvious.

She still had something left to say.

I continued.

“If there’s more you wish to say, speak freely, Bellier.”

“…Pardon?”

“I am ready to hear anything.”

“!”

I had been through far too much at this point.

The Claudi family—something I had once considered a mere stain on my past—
turned out to be none other than the Sin of Pride itself.
And Grandfell…
had intentionally hidden that fact from me.

What could possibly shock me more than that?

I truly believed that.

And then, Bellier spoke.

“…Harkon Kingsguard.”

The moment his name left her lips—

Harkon?

Unlike before, this time, I found it genuinely unexpected.

Bellier and Elsidor shared a connection to the World Tree.
But Harkon?

As far as I knew, he had no ties to it whatsoever.

But reality was telling me otherwise.

I had sent Harkon a telepathic message.
Granting him permission to join the Holy War Alliance at any time.

And yet, for four days, the Lionheart Order had not shown themselves.

If it’s Harkon… he would understand me better than anyone.

That was why I hesitated before responding.

“He kneeled before the World Tree and swore upon the Heart of the Lion.
That he would obey Hiel’s command…
No, that he would obey the World Tree’s decree—
to stop you, Chief.”

…So.

“W-Wait, Chief…?”

“What is it, Bellier?”

“Look… outside the window…!”

Her trembling finger pointed toward the sky.

And there—

Before I could even process it—

I saw it.

A brilliant, radiant silver Evil Eye.

…Grandfell?

.
.
.

[The ‘Evil Eye: The Source of All Evil’ has appeared in the Arcana Continent.]