Episode 221
58. A changed future (2)
Kugu Palace.
Giggiggeek-
After a moment, drunk with the joy of the expedition’s success, the hull of the ark Mary Celeste began to lean sharply.
It is a cursed ship that sailed with the power of the black tree sleeping inside.
Even the interception system that neutralized the first bombardment was the power of the Black Tree.
However, the core of the Black Neck was destroyed, and even the captain, Tergogh, died.
It was no longer able to function as a normal ship.
damn The deck splits in half, and the wreckage falls into the dark darkness.
The sound of waves crashing into the empty ark was heard.
“Evacuate everyone!”
At Ishtar’s warning, the expedition members who were embracing each other get out of the ark at once.
Aidan also flew through the sky, guiding the evacuation of the remaining troops.
Arthur’s students, who were fighting at the aft of the ship, returned to Moby Dick.
The Artels, including Ishtar, returned to the country.
Because anyone could see it was on the verge of sinking right away.
It was an instant when no one was left on the deck filled with the heat of battle and the cries of victory.
Except for me and Ilyana Noel, who remained on the ark until the end, everyone was successfully evacuated.
“Illiana, we have to go too.”
“Okay, I get it. But wait a minute, Sanwoo.”
She said, swiping the world tree standing tall in front of the withered and twisted black tree.
“Your work is done. You can go back now.”
Then the huge tree that had soared slowly shrank.
It became the first seedling in Ishtar’s hands.
“… … ?? What did you do now?”
It was almost magical.
The giant tree that was supposed to be several tens of meters shrunk in an instant.
When I asked in amazement, Illyana replied with a light smile.
“It’s going back to normal. This world tree grew like that by borrowing the power of Sephiroth.”
“finally… … You can now wield the power of Sephiroth.”
“Because that was our family’s business.”
Illyana gently wrapped her shrunken seedling in her arms and put her hand to me.
As I grabbed her hand, mystical mana wrapped around her and floated from the deck.
It wasn’t flying magic that used the wind element.
Just like the alien magic that Tergogh used, magic that I can’t understand now.
Like the space-time magic newly established by Lorna-senpai, it is felt that the essence is completely different.
‘The clan of El.’
Perhaps this was Iliana’s fate from the beginning.
The reason she was suddenly associated with the Church of Death was because she was a member of the El clan.
gurg gurg.
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Mary Celeste’s hull slowly tilted under her rising feet.The waves on the blue sea roar and swallow the huge ark.
water chief.
As it is corrupted and polluted, it is sealed into the deep abyss.
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Me and Illyana soared over the sinking ark. Illyana looked at me and said.“Sanwoo, look over there.”
I followed her hand and shifted my gaze. It was Moby Dick’s deck.
There, the professors, including Dean Irkhan Bradamante, and the many students who had landed on the ark with me were lined up.
soon after
As soon as I and Illyana landed on the boat, thunderous cheers poured out.
“Wow!”
“Baeksanwoo! Baek Sanwoo! Baeksanwoo!”
“He is a god… … !!”
“It’s really great. teacher!!”
It seems that it is completely wrong to live without being noticed now.
I was about to blur my eyes because I was a little shy, but Aidan smiled and came up to me.
“Sanwoo.”
“Aidan.”
“Isn’t it time to be proud of yourself? I have only seen a few.”
“What… … there’s nothing we can do.”
Perhaps, according to the original DLC content, he would have joined with Tergogh and went on to corrupt Artel.
After all, Tergogh would have been able to wield the power of Sephiroth like Illyana.
However, as long as he has decided to go against that trend head-on.
From the first time I was called to the central meeting, it was as if my existence was brought to the fore.
The same goes for the back alley.
‘It’s going to be a pain in the butt… … That’s the fate of the sophomores.’
I just decided to resign.
Even when the Illuminati was organized, didn’t it eventually become a bigger variable that controls all variables?
He also took control of the back alleys, and now Illiana gains the power of Sephiroth.
The existence of me and the Illuminati has already become an inaccessible variable.
You don’t even need to work under the hood.
“then.”
I looked at Aidan and clenched my fists into the air.
A moment of ghost-like silence.
Arthur’s students cheer, raising their arms in the air in unison.
to be honest.
It felt pretty bad.
* * *
From an objective point of view, this large-scale expedition was a success.
Defeated the ancient Artel and their ark, Mary Celeste, who woke up from the abyss before landing on Paradise Island.
Above all, it could be said that it was a great victory just because there were no fatalities even though there were injuries.
Of course, it was not without damage.
The three sailing boats provided by the back alley were damaged to such an extent that they could not be used properly except for the flagship Black Pearl.
The students of the Ortana Faculty were the main pillars and had to bring the other two ships.
Self-propelled sailing could be seen as impossible.
In fact, a new build would work just as well as a repair.
Anyway, let the expeditionary fleet arrive safely at the port.
The officials of Nakwon Island and the priests of the temple, who had already been informed of the victory, quickly got on the ship.
Transporting the wounded, treating them, documenting the situation, and securing new recruits for the students who were part of the expedition.
The deans of the three faculties and the ‘heads’ who were entitled to attend the Central Assembly had to disembark quickly to reassure the other residents.
Assuming the worst case scenario, each evacuation plan has already been communicated to the residents.
It was clear that he was eagerly awaiting the outcome of the battle.
“Relax, residents! Paradise Island is safe!”
About two hours after the expedition returned to the island.
The residents were delighted with the official announcement from the Faculty of Nakwon Island and returned to their normal daily lives.
the next day.
A total of 20 people, including Dean Irkhan Bradamante, gathered at the headquarters of Paradise School.
The dean of each department, the chief professors, the operating heads of each department… … .
The purpose of the gathering was no different.
Post-mortem critique and fact-finding of the expedition. And it is a discussion of compensation for participating students.
“But… … The Elder hasn’t contacted you yet?”
“Yes that’s right.”
To the words of Dean Dalfner, the head of the administration in charge of the operation of Nakwon Island answered.
The Elder.
From the battlefield 300 years ago to the present, the strange hero who has lived a long life did not appear even after the expedition ended.
Originally, all decisions were left to the three deans and the heads of each wife-in-law.
It was the first time that an ancient Artel, who was thought to have been annihilated, would appear and attack Paradise Island, even in an unprecedented situation.
“I can’t help it. Is he not the one who will die or go missing?”
“It is.”
From the establishment of Paradise Island to the present.
He is a living legend and elder who has seen the whole process.
Strength is not only strength.
It was to the extent that even the deans could not easily recognize the insider.
This time, it just seemed like it had no choice but to move on.
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Maybe the Elder also foresaw this situation and didn’t know it on purpose.“Then let’s start the meeting.”
ding- ding-
Dalfner, who presided over the meeting, tapped the bell in front of me.
“First, Dean Arthur Bradamante will explain the situation in detail.”
He is the one who first heard about the resurrection of the ancient Artel from Baeksanwoo.
Irkan, who was called, got up from his seat and confided everything that had happened until just before the expedition, without missing a single word.
The professors who were at the place where the first expedition was decided had a mediocre reaction because they had already heard it.
Administrators and other professors who heard it for the first time were amazed.
“The student received a revelation from the high priest of the temple… … .”
“Besides, the situation of contact with the back alley, no- I can’t see it as a situation anymore. You are saying that it is also related to the unrest that occurred in the back alley before the expedition.”
“There is no other answer than that.”
“How on earth can a student… … .”
Seems like they didn’t know they were all like this.
Nakwon Island is divided into the ‘Faculty Department’, which is responsible for the education and guidance of students, and the ‘Operation Department’, which is responsible for the lives of residents and students.
Even if the faculty had a stronger voice, in the end, they could not violate their respective autonomy rights.
It was only natural for the staff of the operation department to react like that to Baeksanwoo.
Right now, even in the Arin and Ortana schools, the name Baek San-woo is not very well known.
‘It was a prize that would come from the cotyledon. I’ve caught a huge tycoon.’
Irkhan thought so.
He recalled the past when Baek San-woo first took the entrance exam, which Professor Kehlin Morris pointed out as a student to watch out for.
After that, even Professor Isabella, who was at odds with Professor Kehlin, was possessed.
Why did they form a club and hold a pan-faculty competition.
He climbed up to the advanced class and even signed a contract with the Lioner.
Even that is surprising.
Baeksanwoo’s journey did not end there.
It showed continuous growth and became a scholarship student fully sponsored by Professor Kehlin.
Subsequently, he was educated as a disciple of Professor Helen Merses, who is considered the most talented person in Arin.
Is it just the faculty?
He also maintained a close relationship with Ishtar Arhalten, the princess of Artel while signing a contract with the Lioner.
The Temple of Canaan, Jelliah the Redeemer, who is in charge of the Judgment Bureau of Heresy.
It was even estimated that he had a close relationship with the guilds in the back alleys.
As they say, it is not a path that a single student can walk.
I don’t know if it’s a ‘hero’.
As Irkan finished speaking, muffled noises could be heard everywhere.
The professor and the department head were in a state of great agitation.
The only ones who remained silent were the professors who participated in the expedition and watched Baek San-woo’s performance.
“Now what?”
“What do you do? Even if he was named a hero, it would not be enough.”
“What I mean is how to congratulate the ball. Hero of the expedition? Shouldn’t I be given a medal or a title?”
“It’s natural… … !”
ding!
Dean Dalfner put the brakes on the increasingly confused left.
“Everyone, calm down.”
“Hmmm, hmmm.”
Professor Ecclesia Bell, who was sitting in the corner, raised his hand as the raging professors cleared their throats at once.
She, who is the forbidden book of the Great Library, was present as a reference for ‘Ancient Artel and the Tree of Sephiroth’.
“Professor Bell, speak.”
“… … I think it’s best to just leave it as it is.”
“… … ???”
The eyes of the attendees were all focused on Ekklesia, but she continued speaking without thinking.
“Whatever it is, it is just a shackle. If you try to control it blindly, you will end up drinking poison.”
She has already met Baeksan-woo once.
Illyana Noel, who appeared like a comet on this expedition and saved everyone.
When she disappeared, Baek San-woo had visited the Geum Library once.
It was only a few hours of meeting, but Ecclesia could see that the white mountain cow was never the culprit.
Of course, it was also because he had already heard from the temple of Canaan that a student named Baek San-woo was an apostle of light.
It wasn’t solely because of that.
When Baeksan Cow heard about the Sephiroth Tree.
He was not afraid.
Rather, there was a sign of pain in the buttocks.
As if there was a variable that was out of the established frame.
Treat Sephiroth as a simple variable? Even that Aidan Christopher wouldn’t do it.
At that point.
Ecclesia Bell was convinced of the identity of the Baeksan-woo.
One who controls all circumstances, foresees the future, and directs the laws of the world to the right place.
Evil men, good men, heroes, and demon kings.
An absolute being that can be anything. The incarnation of the god who encourages this world.
player.
He is not a great person who can be tied to the frivolous title of ‘hero’.
He was the world’s savior, and at the same time, he could have become the world’s destroyer at any time.
Professor Ecclesia Bell nodded and added.
“just… … For now, we have no choice but to keep an eye on him.”
Professor Ecclesia Bell’s eyes lit up. There was neither curiosity nor worry nor fear standing in those eyes.
The eyes of a forbidden book that manages world order and thoroughly excludes threats.
“As ever, I mean.”