◈ Episode 208. A Lucky Day (4)
Agentres looked at his own body.
His hands and feet trembled violently.
He had desperately exerted his strength to try to move.
Yet he could not budge, as if frozen solid.
“Agentres-nim……?”
It was not just him.
His kin, everyone had stopped in their places and could not move.
Even the elf drawing a bowstring.
‘What in the world is that.’
Agentres’s gaze turned toward Haiel.
At first, he thought it was the Spirit King.
The only spirits who would dare block his path would be the kings of spirits, none other than you. However, it was a question. Why would a Spirit King concern himself with the affairs of the continent?
Fortunately, the misunderstanding did not last long.
—“I, Haiel, command by my liege’s order.”……
Liege?
The title of king is not attached for nothing.
It is called king because it is a being that truly reigns.
Yet, judging by the momentum alone,
that spirit, who might be a being of even higher rank than the Spirit King,
does there exist a liege whom it truly serves?
‘There is no way such a being exists on the continent.’
There was no way.
The judgment he had forced himself to make was once again off the mark.
Agentres’s pupils dilated.
—“Stop, by the Hierarchy of Blessings.”
Hierarchy of Blessings……?
No magic, nor any spirit’s natural ability, could dare bind their bodies. There was no doubt. As those words said, this was the power of our foolish mother, the World Tree.
“Well, well.”
A foul stench was felt.
One of the Seven Deadly Sins, the demon, rolled its curiosity-filled eyes.
Daring to wave her hands this way and that before his very eyes.
“Wow, they really stopped? Our high-and-mighty guests wouldn’t normally listen so obediently to an order to stop…….”
He raised the corners of his mouth wickedly.
“Whatever it is, you’ve been caught. Weakness.”
To insult him, to insult the elves.
In his heart, whether it was the meal, the deal, or immortality—
he wanted to throw it all away and sever that bastard’s neck.
But he could not move.
“Who are you.”
Speaking to Haiel with all his effort was all he could manage.
However, the killing intent contained in that short phrase was exceedingly sinister.
To the extent that even the Great Evil would click his tongue.
“Wow, at this rate I can’t tell who’s the demon.”
However, she was Hoyeol’s avatar.
Though Haiel possessed a tiny frame, she did not shrink back in the slightest.
With an upright posture and an unwavering expression.
Haiel answered.
“My liege has not permitted questions.”
“?”
“You have no right to ask.”
To be exact, she retorted.
“How dare you…….”
Agentres’s killing intent grew even fiercer.
It was at a level that made even the cackling Great Evil watch his step.
However, what returned was still only Haiel’s lofty voice.
“Elf, why did you face the Great Evil.”
“!!”
At that question, not only Agentres but even the Great Evil flinched.
In their eyes, Haiel had only just revealed herself in the air moments ago. To think she had grasped not only the purpose of the meal but even his identity as the Great Evil in a single instant.
“Tch. I’ve lived a long time, but I’m not that much of a celebrity.”
Haiel’s extraordinariness was enough to put even the Great Evil on guard.
But what bothered him more than anything
was that there existed a liege served by such a nonsensical spirit.
‘Where.’
Agentres awakened his senses.
Surely, the one called liege must have been watching everything.
They were the senses of an elf, which had even detected the dwarf in the high sky.
He had strained those nerves to the utmost.
‘There is nothing.’
Only the Demonic Eye
floating in the sky as always.
No other presence was felt.
Haiel opened her mouth softly.
“My liege has not permitted idle thoughts, either.”
The moment the words fell, stray thoughts disappeared.
“Answer my liege’s question.”
His mouth opened without him realizing it.
“……
It was to reclaim immortality.”
It was humiliating.
If only he could.
It was a disgrace to the extent that he wanted to cut out his own tongue for uttering such words.
But thanks to that, he could be certain.
“Then you have been chasing after something futile.”
“……?”
“The Blessing of the World Tree that you long for is held within my liege’s grasp.”
I see.
That so-called liege
is the one who stole Mother’s blessing from us.
At that moment, Agentres made a judgment.
Now that he knew the whereabouts of the World Tree’s blessing,
he no longer needed the demon’s power.
‘I simply have to find him by any means necessary.’
He had no idea how the man had hidden himself until now.
In the end, he must be on the Arcana continent.
He could endure the trouble of scouring the entire continent.
But.
“Wait a minute, interfering with business is a different story.”
The Great Evil watching that silently.
He was not one of the Seven Deadly Sins, nor was he Gluttony.
His goal had been within reach.
Was everything going to fall apart because of a single spirit appearing out of nowhere?
“Regrettably, dear guests.”
Gluttony’s gaze turned toward the elves.
“Unauthorized menu items are scheduled for disposal.”
In other words, don’t get any clever ideas and watch closely.
Gluttony exuded a foul stench and approached Haiel.
His muzzle grotesquely gaped as if torn open.
The essence of the Great Evil, hidden beneath human skin, began to reveal itself.
“It seems that discipline thing doesn’t work on me.”
The World Tree?
I, and my brothers,
have never had a mother like that.
“……?”
But Gluttony could not approach Haiel.
Because someone blocked Gluttony’s path.
It was Urus, who had been observing the situation.
Clack—Urus raised his iron arm.
Gluttony flinched.
‘A human?’
But the energy he felt was beyond human.
Could this bastard also be a Transcendent like Shegwin?
Agentres was similarly startled.
‘……
I missed him?’
When he had been on high alert,
Urus had definitely been within the radius of his senses.
That he had missed him despite that meant
the man had intentionally suppressed his presence.
It meant his intrusion was purposeful.
Elf, Great Evil, Transcendent.
The moment they finally faced one another,
Urus opened his mouth.
“Elf or spirit, I don’t care who.”
At the following words, Agentres was convinced once again.
“Pray tell me the location of the World Tree.”
That he would have to slaughter them all, no matter what.
*[Demonic Eye
’s Telescope]
I looked into it.
The mess had finally turned into a complete disaster.
Even if the elves could be controlled by the [Hierarchy of Blessings],
the Great Evil and Urus were beyond my ability to handle.
Still, it was fortunate.
‘Good work, Diend.’
The Imperial Army led by the Emperor.
They had succeeded in rescuing the residents of Polsta and turning the reins toward Antonium. For now, it meant they had blocked one of the Great Evil’s plans.
By the way, you guys are truly pathetic.
‘Do you all get a bonus for living up to your names or something?’
In that sense, you’re doing well, Haiel.
To the point where you really rival Grandpel.
Thanks to Haiel stepping forward without thinking of the aftermath,
even me, who had only been watching, was able to roughly grasp the situation.
For one, the elves were truly consistent.
“Do you yearn for a meaningless life without pride?”
Immortality?
I’d want to give back even what I received.
No, just imagining suffering through a dark history for a lifetime is terrible.
What meaning is there in living an immortal life at the cost of deeds so ugly they can’t even be compared to a dark history?
I really wasn’t going to say something like this, but...‘It’s no wonder your mother......
No, the World Tree.
It doesn’t seem like she stole the blessing.
To think they make that violent Elsidor seem like a gentleman.
Just how much of a scoundrel are they all, these temperamental ones.
Urus was the same as ever, too.
‘To think the World Tree was his goal.’
He had seemed completely uninterested when the elves and the Great Evil were talking.
The moment Haiel appeared and talk of the World Tree came up, Urus butted into the battlefield.
‘That damn love of his miracle drugs.’
It is the World Tree, the mother of all things.
The energy inherent in such a World Tree could certainly be seen as a miracle drug.
It’s just that no one had the nerve to chew up and swallow the World Tree.
But if it’s Urus, the story changes.
Even just looking at the anecdotes in books, Urus’s madness toward miracle drugs was at a level where it wouldn’t be strange for him to munch and chew the World Tree down to its roots.
‘This is one hell of a mess.’
None of them looked willing to back down easily, each for their own reasons.
At this rate, a head-on collision was only a matter of time.
If that happened, it would truly be a major incident.
Even the creation of a rift would be only a matter of time.
I looked at the telescope.
[A small fortune dwells in your touch.]
[You have temporarily become adept at operating the telescope.]
[The effect’s duration increases.]
……
What, you give the disease and the cure?
Anyway, the greatly increased luck had been helpful.
In fact, it wouldn’t have been strange if the telescope’s duration had ended around the time the Imperial Army arrived at Polsta.
Fortunately, its eyes are still wide open and alert.
Yes, if you have any conscience at all,
don’t even think about closing your eyes, Telescope.
‘That battlefield is too much for Haiel.’
Maybe if she were with me.
Because Haiel is not used to battle.
It’s impossible for Haiel to play an active role in that three-way battle.
‘Though if she cleverly exploits the Hierarchy of Blessings, who knows.’
Haiel is the spitting image of Grandpel.
As if she’d scheme and use the hierarchy like me, I Hoyeol.
In the end, does that mean I can only watch?
“Unscheduled meetings are more efficiently handled all at once.”
……
Even in this situation, the words flow so smoothly.
Damn it, do I have no choice but to accept the variable called a rift?
I formulate a strategy regarding it at four times the speed.
Right now, send a telepathic message to Marcelo and…….
Kurrrung—!
“……?”
That’s right.
Until that moment, I had been overlooking something.
Something I had forgotten, even if only for a moment.
That the system does not lie.
Through such a system.
The effect of greatly increased luck.
Booooom—!
A thunderstorm pouring down on the Arcana continent.
Before long, the continent’s sky begins to split.
To be exact, it begins to tear.
Something colossal writhes in that dimensional rift.
And then, before long, it reveals itself completely.
It’s a Dragon....
The dragon’s roar echoes across the continent.
That roar was enough to make even Urus and Gluttony, who had seemed ready to tear out each other’s throats at any moment, stop.
“Hmm.”
The Old Dragon, Yunaxus, looked down upon the devastated Arcana continent.
And with his huge pupil, he looked at the elf.
To be exact, he looked at Agentres.
Yunaxus spoke.
“Agentres.”
O Mother.
“My foolish younger brother.”
Why You have taken back the blessing from them—
I now understand.
Yunaxus rebuked like thunder.
“Have you still not understood Mother’s will!”
The creature that rules over all things, a Dragon.
Was it because he was directly exposed to the Dragon’s Roar without Mother’s blessing?
The senses of his entire body trembling.
But thanks to that, he could escape from the damned Hierarchy.
Agentres cracked his neck with a crack— and answered.
“Shut your mouth, Yunaxus. You lizard bastard.”
...
So the elf who looks like the leader is named Agentres......
And that Agentres is the younger brother of the Dragon, Yunaxus?
This is an unexpected secret of birth?
Wait, then what does that make the family tree?!
The World Tree.
Dragons.
Elves.
And......
Me and Haiel?
In that instant, I thought of a possibility.
‘......
Is the Hierarchy of Blessings effective against dragons too?’
I couldn’t be sure of that.
Because even if they were siblings, there was a possibility that the dragon had not received the World Tree’s blessing.
In fact, Elsidor had also said that the blessing was the exclusive domain of the elves.
Besides.
‘No, that’s not what’s important right now.’
I just wanted to ask a favor as the youngest of the World Tree’s family tree.
Brother, try to stop them somehow!
Me, I Hoyeol.
Three older sisters.
I thought I was confident when it came to begging.
But Yunaxus was roaring even more furiously.
“If you have not understood, I shall rebuke you until you do.”
It appeared.
[The Old Dragon, Elder Dragon Yunaxus, has appeared.]
A full-fledged appearance message.
Far from coming to mediate, he had come to fight.
They say older sisters are better than older brothers for a reason.
‘At this point.’
It can’t be helped.
Let’s try it, Haiel.
Whether the [Hierarchy of Blessings]
is effective against Yunaxus too!...
Haiel stood on the bridge of Yunaxus’s nose and spoke.
“I command by the Hierarchy of Blessings.”
“……?”
“Calm yourself, Yunaxus.”
“……!”
Then the thunder subsided.