60 . Secrets Revealed (2)
Is this what it feels like to witness an existence that should not be recognized, to be caught in an immeasurable madness, and to see a person slowly being crushed by that madness and losing himself? ?
Bloodshot eyes, trembling gestures, screams bordering on moaning through parted lips. Seeing the clearly terrified expression on his face, I was filled with more intense conviction than panic.
That reaction, he definitely knows something. I couldn’t have reacted like that if I was ignorant of my daughter’s secrets.
I immediately turned my head to the sound of Elia’s voice touching my shoulder from behind.
“Dad, are you okay?”
“Yes, I am fine. What about you?”
There was no need to ask. It didn’t look good at all. Like fierce dogs tied to a leash that could break at any moment, they were poised to jump out at the slightest touch. His trembling body and his staring gaze at the woman called the elder spoke for him.
This wasn’t dangerous. Now my daughter is not the child she used to be. Isn’t this situation similar to carrying a bomb that is not strange even if it explodes right away? Of course, I was solely responsible for the explosion of the bomb.
I took a slight step forward, blocking the gap between the children and the elders, and maintained a standoff for a moment.
The stumbling elder, several elves supporting him.
Between the children staring straight at the elder and Rihanna only paying attention, I was the only one who was about to die.
As they remained silent for a long time, an elf who appeared to be the elder’s assistant spoke insinuatingly to the elder who was on the verge of collapsing.
“How about going inside? I think we should listen to this human being. What will happen if you get kicked out….”
The elder gave a short moan and showed a worried look, then gave a small answer, lowering his head as if he couldn’t help it.
“… Let’s do it.”
Standing upright again with support, the Elder cast a glaring glance at me and spoke in a glaring tone.
“Originally, humans are not allowed to enter the Great Forest, but this time I will have no choice but to step back.”
With that said, the Elder went back to the place he had come from, displaying his annoyed gestures.
It was quite slow, as if to follow her, so I had no choice but to keep an eye on her and follow her. In the first place, it was close to madness to try to search alone in this vast forest without following the elder.
Every time I walked after the elder, the elves were watching me with eyes that were not too different from those of the elder.
The spears and bows they were aiming at showed off their sharp light under the moonlight, as if they would stab us at any moment. No matter how much a country has gone through, it is not accustomed to this kind of situation.
Rihanna, who can confidently say that she did well at the warriors’ party, was also frightened by the attitude of the elves, who had stronger malice than any enemies she had encountered so far. There was.
In this situation, the only ones who maintained a calm expression were, of course, four children, all of them.
Elf, me, Rihanna, and everyone were maintaining the tension of walking on thin ice.
I followed the elder who I saw at first glance and entered the depths of the Great Forest. The unknown anxiety that had been tormenting me ever since I arrived in the Great Forest gradually disappeared, and the empty seat filled with warmth resembling his mother’s arms. It was filling up.
A sense of intimidation, as if being overwhelmed by someone, but not wanting to go against it.
I slowly raised my head and confirmed the identity of the emotion I was feeling.
The moment I confirmed the presence that filled my field of vision, I was certain.
The old tree in front is more beautiful than anything I have ever seen.
Leaves shining softly, like glass ornaments crafted by artisans.
Moonlight sinking calmly through the long branches that seemed to cover the sky.
Every time the dawn breeze accompanied by the scent of flowers blew, the leaves fluttered like dancers, and the light coming through the branches swayed, creating the illusion of falling petals.
Moreover, the eye-catching elements were not limited to the sky. The roots of the trees that stretched around like vines and the giant tree that seemed like it would not be able to be caught even if twenty adult men surrounded it showed its majesty without hesitation.
The elves looked at my bewildered expression and opened their mouths with confidence.
“How is it, isn’t it beautiful? Ordinary human beings are our mothers, whom we cannot see even if we live our whole lives. You can consider it an honor.”
Certainly, the world tree boasted a figure that would make the shoulders of elves rise.
The elder opened his mouth in a cold voice without turning his head, as if he was displeased with it.
“Please refrain from talking nonsense.”
At the elder’s words, the elf straightened his posture, bowed his head, and handed him an apology.
“Sorry, sorry!”
The elder disappeared into her mansion built right next to her world tree, and her elf who assisted her came to our side.
“Wait a minute. Elder, you need time to prepare too.”
All that was left was one step forward, and at this point, I was able to wait long enough.
Stand still in place and look up at the World Tree again. I wondered how a tree of this size had been hidden so far. If it was this huge, it would be immediately visible to flying races and monsters, right?
The elf in front of me quietly added an explanation as if he had read my question.
“I think she was curious about how her mother disappeared.”
As soon as the elf saw that I was nodding her head and began to explain with a proud expression, she flinched and moved her steps again.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll tell you this story later. It looks like the elder is ready to receive guests.”
The elf opened the mansion door, stepped aside and bowed her head.
As soon as I stepped into the wooden mansion, I heard a clear voice.
“Come in.”
The elder, who reappeared, greeted me with an infinitely gentle expression.
She bowed her head slightly and ran her fingers through her messy bangs neatly and tucked them behind her ear, apologizing for her earlier attitude.
“Early, her emotions were running high and she looked disheveled. I apologize for that.”
The elder looked so calm that he thought he was in a dream. She turned her steps and led us into the living room of the mansion.
“Now, this way.”
Sitting in the prepared seat in the center of her living room, the elder opened her mouth right away before she had time to catch her breath.
“My name is Sharon, the current elder of Daesoorim. What is your name?”
I forgot to speak for a while and stared blankly at her face.
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Finely braided light blue hair and clear golden eyes that seem to see through the opponent.
Having regained her composure, she was proud of her outstanding beauty to the extent that it would not be out of place to say that she was the elder of the elves.
Moreover, contrary to rumors that she is hostile to humans, Sharon was quite friendly toward me.
Sharon tilted her head curiously at my lengthy silence, and then I revealed her name with a slight trembling of her body.
“My name is Ain.”
Upon hearing my name, she took a sip of her tea and went straight to the point without mentioning any of her miscellaneous stories.
“Ahin, do you know what calamity you have brought to our great forest?”
Before I could even argue, she continued her story one after another.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know, so even after doing this, I must be making such a cheeky face. Those elves you brought, no, they are too ugly to be called elves! Why the hell did you bring me here? I barely forgot, why the hell!”
I felt like I was being weighed down by Sharon’s voice, which was getting more and more heated. Why? Again, that’s what I wanted to ask.
What kind of existence is my daughter that a high-ranking person in the position of elder of the elves reacted like that?
Her hand holding the teacup trembles.
“Honestly, I want to kill you right away and drive you out of this forest, but if I do that, the Great Forest will disappear from the map.”
It wasn’t until I heard Sharon casually spit out her goosebumps that I was able to put aside my complacency that she was being kind to me.
I, who had been listening to Sharon all along, was able to open my mouth for the first time after that time came.
Yeah, that’s the only question I’ve had in my head.
“The Great Forest is off the map, that’s all I’m talking about my children. I’m asking here this time. Why are you so afraid? Rather, you are the one who abandoned these children.”
Sharon pressed her temples gently as if her headache was hurting.
“Can you handle it if I tell you the truth? With that weak human spirit and petty morality? How can you remain so calm after knowing what you did?”
His attitude seemed threatening, but he had no intention of backing down. I looked her in the eye and said in a quiet voice.
“That’s why I came all the way here.”
“Well, that’s good. I will let you know if you want it that way.”
The children who had been sitting quietly and listening to our conversation until now flinched and sat next to me before I knew it.
“Dad… !”
Sharon let out a voice filled with disgust as she shuddered as if it gave her goosebumps.
“Dad? Oh yeah… It’s a distorted relationship.”
I responded in a sharp tone to Sharon’s attitude, which continued to look at the children with disgust and seemed to dismiss our relationship in one word.
“Stop talking nonsense, speak quickly.”
Sharon took a deep breath, tapped her finger on her table, and let out the truth I was longing for.
Of course, that truth was not something a mediocre human could handle.
The truth doesn’t always pay off. The worst hope that can turn into poison at any time, depending on who drinks it.
And the truth I hoped for came to me as the latter.
“Ancient demon… Due to their unique cruelty, they were abandoned even by those who worshiped them, their names were erased, the greatest humiliation a forgotten god could experience, and the four evil gods disappeared without a trace. That is their essence.”