80 – Green Woman (4)
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Is it because the green woman removed all the demon energy from my body?
Or is it because the magical energy of this forest became more intense while I was in the spirit world?
The air, which was even more contaminated with demon energy than before, penetrated my lungs as if it were stabbing me.
She was right from beginning to end.
Without the help of the green woman, I would never be able to survive in this forest.
However, I had no intention of going out of the forest with these cursed eyes.
In the first place, the magic energy was so dense that even my eyes were stinging, so it was not easy to understand my surroundings, so even if I wanted to go out of the forest, it was impossible.
I bit my lip.
It felt like I was constantly being beaten, with my hands and feet tied and unable to resist.
Fate, or misfortune, or malicious coincidence.
I don’t know what to call it, but I was so sick of this situation where mere humans were constantly tormented by that fateful being that they couldn’t resist.
The worst thing was that not only my body but also my emotions were unable to resist or escape.
Even if I wanted to blame, there was no one to blame.
There was no use blaming the situation.
Even if I tried to blame people, there was no one who would accept my grievances.
I tried to blame God, but the goddess and the green woman were also caught up in this fate and were drifting, risking everything to try to change this fate.
In the end, what’s left for me is whether I give up on this terrible life, or whether I overcome it even at the expense of others.
There were only two options.
If you don’t want to sacrifice the green woman, you don’t have to do anything.
Then I can die and escape this disgusting fate that has been tormenting me.
“…Damn it,”
But I raised my hand.
Following the method taught by the woman in green, she slowly waved her hand and placed her magical energy into her fingertips.
“I’m sorry.”
I mouthed the words of apology.
The woman in green said it was okay, but this wasn’t just her apology.
My parents, my sister, Lila, the men I killed, the corpses of Millwood Village I burned, and perhaps countless others who may fall under my curse in the future.
It was an apology and declaration to all of them.
I hated myself for not being shameless about my hypocrisy, my desires, and my evil deeds.
Will there come a day when I can take my sins lightly?
When will I get used to sacrificing others?
It’s funny.
I found it very funny that I was trembling at all hypocrisy on a topic that wasn’t even good, on a topic that had already chosen a bad thing.
I chose it anyway.
“I miss Sylvia.”
At that moment when it seemed like blue light was gathering at the tip of my finger, a large ball of light erupted from the tip of my palm and shot up into the sky.
It felt similar to when I summoned a fox into my palm.
The only difference is that the spell was not memorized.
The lump of light that rose in the air slowly emitted a wind that drove away the surrounding demonic energy, slowly stripping away the light that had enveloped the body.
The skin, like a dragonfly’s wings, slowly peeled off, and the peeled skin slowly unfolded into a thin dress.
A green woman wearing a beautiful dress was slowly rotating in the air and coming down.
An angel, a fairy, or a fairy.
She slowly landed in front of me, radiating a surreal beauty that was difficult to describe.
“…”
She didn’t say anything.
We had already said our goodbyes enough, so it seemed like there was nothing more to say.
She was squinting with bloodshot eyes as red as her pupils and wiping away the tears that kept falling. She glanced at me and smiled brightly.
She took a deep breath and folded her hands in front of her chest.
From her yellow skin, bluish-green rays, reminiscent of a white cloth gradually turning color, seeped through her skin and soon began to gush out.
I had not yet given her any requests or orders, but the green woman did so without saying a word, as if she did not want to give me even time to hesitate.
Her feet, which looked like they were entangled with tree roots, slowly began to take root in the ground.
The rays that tore through her yellow skin slowly turned into solid tree branches.
A strong wind blew from all directions.
Fallen leaves and dirt were flying around, and the wind was strong enough to sway my body, so I had no choice but to crouch on the floor with my eyes covered.
How much time has passed?
As the wind passing over my head gradually subsided, I could feel that the demonic energy around me had disappeared.
It may be that the strong wind blew away all the demon energy.
I rubbed my watery eyes and slowly raised my head.
“…This place,”
The scenery reflected in my eyes was very familiar.
The lakeside where I once came with Sylvia.
Have I been here since the moment I left the spirit world, or did that loud wind just send me here?
Feeling a mysterious sensation that I was not sure what it was, I slowly turned my head and looked around.
Everything was almost identical to the scene in my memory, but there was one thing that was noticeably different.
In the middle of the lake, there was a large tree growing with its roots rooted in the ground below the water.
This tree was clearly a tree that had never existed before.
The leaves of the tree were dark green, and the trunk was solid brown, but there were yellow stripes left here and there.
I slowly walked into the lake, walked towards the tree, and gently placed my palm on its large body.
The refreshing scent of citrus fruits, coming from an unknown source, seemed to pass by my nose.
“…It’s you. “Queen.”
Naturally, the tree made no reply.
Just like her in her last moments.
When I think about it, this beautiful lake was also the place where I first took out the fox.
It was probably the day I practiced magic with Sylvia.
It may not have been a coincidence that the image of a fox appeared in my hand for the first time that day.
The fox and the green woman also brought me here, so it seemed like this place was full of spirit energy.
I slowly got up.
I turned my head and moved my view to a distance outside the lake.
Although I couldn’t see it, I could somehow feel it.
Only the area around this lake is safe from Magi.
I could go out, but considering the concentration of demonic energy I felt earlier, it seemed like it would be difficult to move around like before.
It meant that it would be difficult for me to go looking for Sylvia.
“…I have no choice but to wait.”
From No ble mt L dot c om
If I remember correctly, this lake was close enough to the village of Millwood, where Sylvia and I lived, less than 30 minutes away.
Maybe it won’t be that far in the future before Sylvia comes looking for me.
Sylvia was an astute hunter, and she was also a great warrior.
It was clear that she would immediately notice the changes in the forest.
Moreover, the woman in green definitely told me.
Sylvia is still in this forest.
She even said that the warrior would come for me soon, so I guess so.
I trust the green woman.
You can only trust it.
That would be the minimum reward I could give the green woman.
“In the end, I again….”
A feeling of guilt as cold as the temperature of the cold lake water penetrated my heart and crawled under my skin.
I slowly put my head against the tree.
“…Mi,”
Tuk.
As I was about to say an apology, a leaf fell on my head.
I kept my mouth shut at the feeling that felt as if my head was being stroked.
The spirit said that death is a different concept from that of humans.
The soul does not leave the body, but rather blends into nature.
The green woman even became a tree and remained here.
I was able to realize that she was still looking down at me.
I carefully picked up the leaf that had fallen on my hair.
The leaves were still as green as her hair.
It felt like the green woman was telling me to stop.
“…Are you still listening?”
No matter how much I am her rightful owner, she asked me not to pity her, as she sacrificed everything for me, whom I had only met once.
It’s not a sacrifice, it’s a wish,
The green woman said that to me.
Then what I should say is not an apology.
I spoke once again, placing my forehead against the large tree stuck in the middle of the lake.
“Thank you. Really.”
A wind blew from somewhere and the leaves slowly swayed, making a sound that sounded like laughter.
I secretly smiled at the sight of perfect communication.
I slowly removed my forehead and muttered.
“…Anyway.”
I hugged my arms.
Is it because you went into the water?
When I came to my senses, the weather felt a little chilly.
From what I remember, it was still summer until the day the town of Millwood burned down.
“… How long on earth have I been in the spirit world?”
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