Chapter 54

Haelumenta (4)

After briefly looking down, I unfolded a spatial leap and returned to the ground.

The two people who were slowly getting up were startled by my sudden appearance.

"Te, teleport...?"

The woman muttered in shock.

I asked them,

"Who are you?"

A female mage and a male swordsman.

In particular, the male's level was 73, which was quite high.

I never expected to meet people in the middle of the Demon Realm. What are they doing here?

The man glanced at the fallen Bulcante and me, then let out a sigh. Despite my efforts to save them, they seemed wary.

Instead, the woman, brushing off the dirt from her head, replied in a dazed voice,

"Yes, yes. We're just adventurers."

"Adventurers? You two were wandering around this Demon Realm?"

"Yes, but..."

"Why?"

"Well, since we're adventurers, we wanted to have an adventure..."

She laughed awkwardly and glanced at the man.

He, still wary, spoke,

"We are grateful for saving our lives. May I ask who you are?"

I pondered for a moment before answering,

"An adventurer."

"...Why is an adventurer in the Demon Realm?"

"To have an adventure?"

A brief silence fell.

Hmm, thinking about it, that makes sense.

Meeting a stranger in the middle of the Demon Realm.

I didn't need to explain my situation in detail; just saying I was an adventurer was the most appropriate answer.

I decided not to pay much attention to their situation, assuming they had their own reasons.

"Whatever your reasons, be careful. I'll be on my way."

I was about to turn around.

"Wait, just a moment...!"

"Sir, please wait."

The two of them grabbed me simultaneously.

When I looked at them, the woman spoke first,

"Excuse me, but could you just...?"

"That's rude."

I cut her off, thinking they might be about to ask for a favor.

I didn't know if Ashel was alive or dead.

I needed to find her as soon as possible and couldn't afford to be distracted by other things.

"Oh, I haven't even said it yet...?"

The woman stepped back, and the man spoke,

"There's a monster we're looking for. I wanted to ask if you've seen it."

"Monster?"

I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry..."

I stopped mid-sentence.

These two, wandering the central area of Haelumenta alone.

Perhaps they knew something if I explained my situation.

"Actually, I have a question first."

"Yes?"

"My companion suddenly disappeared."

I quickly and concisely explained my situation to them.

How Ashel vanished while I was away for a moment, with no signs of a battle, and how I was tracking her trail through the forest.

They listened silently to my unexpected explanation.

"Do you have any idea what happened?"

When I finished, the man looked at the woman.

"I'm not sure... Ah."

She tilted her head and let out a small exclamation.

"Could it be a monster that can put its victims to sleep or induce hallucinations?"

That was something I had also considered.

However, given Ashel's level, it would take a very powerful ability to subdue her.

And if that were the case, I couldn't understand why they would take her away instead of dealing with her on the spot.

Most importantly, based on my game knowledge, there were no hallucination-specialized monsters in Haelumenta.

"Oh, now that I think about it, there is a monster I can guess...?"

But the woman seemed to have a lead. She recalled,

"A few years ago, I used to explore Haelumenta with my companions. We encountered a creature that almost killed us all."

"What kind of creature?"

"Well, I'm not sure what it was. We suddenly lost consciousness, and when we came to, we found ourselves tied up with some kind of plant vines."

...Plant vines?

I looked at the trail on the ground again.

Her description matched what I was imagining.

"During the time we were tied up, I and the others all had nightmares. We were lost in painful memories. Eventually, one of us woke up and saved the rest, and we barely survived."

Nightmares...

I furrowed my brow, as I was starting to get a sense of what was happening.

Many of the monsters in the Demon Realm have bizarre abilities.

Some of them prey on the weaknesses of their victims' minds, using their pain as nourishment.

People with weak mental fortitude or significant trauma are particularly vulnerable to such abilities.

'Is this one of those monsters?'

I didn't recall such a monster in Haelumenta, but since this is a past timeline, there could be many unknown monsters.

If this monster has hallucination abilities and managed to subdue Ashel and take her away...

I resumed following the trail.

The two followed me urgently.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm tracking the trail left by the monster."

"Trail...?"

The man narrowed his eyes and examined the ground I was looking at, then widened his eyes and muttered,

"You're following such a faint trail?"

"Yes."

"What can you see? I don't see anything."

The woman also examined the ground, nodded, and said,

"Anyway, if you're going to save your companion, we'll help you."

"I appreciate the information, but I don't think I need any help."

"Well, you do look incredibly strong, but... still, there might be something we can do, right?"

The woman looked at the man for agreement.

He seemed about to say something but just nodded.

Thus, I ended up tracking the trail with these two unexpected strangers. Since they offered to help, there was no need to refuse.

"That way, it turned."

The man, who seemed quite skilled at tracking, pointed out the direction whenever the trail got confusing.

Thanks to his help, we saved time and moved faster. The trail was becoming clearer, indicating we were close.

"..."

It didn't take long to find our target.

I was speechless as I looked at the scene before me.

【Lv. 70】

Plant vines wrapped around the trees and extended into the air. In the center, a person was tied up like prey caught in a spider's web.

It was Ashel.

"That, that's it! That's the one from back then!"

The woman, who had been momentarily stunned, shouted, and the man immediately drew his sword and prepared for battle.

Woosh.

At that moment, a wave of energy spread out from the plant.

The two, exposed to the wave, staggered and fell to the ground.

I looked at them in disbelief, then shifted my gaze back to the plant vines.

'What is this?'

Is this the monster's ability?

But thanks to the Soul of the Emperor, it didn't affect me.

I had expected this when I heard about the monster's hallucination abilities.

I took a step forward.

The monster, surprised by my unharmed state, writhed and sent out more waves. But they had no effect on me.

Unable to affect me mentally, the monster lashed out with a few remaining vines like whips. But they were blocked by my Immovable Barrier.

Its level was high, but its destructive power was poor, likely due to its hallucination abilities.

Swoosh.

A drop of blood from my finger touched the monster's vine.

The monster, now lifeless and limp, stopped writhing.

I teleported to the vine above where Ashel was tied and stood in front of her.

"..."

I hesitated for a moment.

I could see Ashel's face through the vines, and the tears streaming down her cheeks.

I had a rough idea of the nightmare she was experiencing.

I began to carefully untangle the vines from her body.

She was entangled in a mess of vines, and it would take some effort to free her.

***

"What do you want to be, Ashel?"

Ashel stopped swinging her sword and turned her head.

Her sister, who had been rolling around in the grass, asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what you want to do or become."

Ashel had never thought about it before.

Her sister often asked such unexpected questions.

Ashel thought for a moment and answered,

"I'm not sure what I want to do... but I want to become the best warrior in our clan."

Her sister pouted.

"Come on, is that really what you want? That's just what the adults want! They always praise you as a genius and tell you to train hard."

"No, I want to do it too."

"Liar. Think about it, you slowpoke. What do you really want deep down? There must be something."

Ashel thought again.

But nothing came to mind.

"I don't really have anything. I'm already satisfied with my life."

Her sister sighed.

"I just can't understand you, even though you're my sister."

"What about you? What do you want to do?"

"Me? Of course, I want to go outside the mountains!"

She jumped up and pointed excitedly at the other side of the mountains.

"One day, I'll go out into the world and explore the continent! And I'll make my name known as a great adventurer across the land!"

"You say that every time. Are you serious?"

"Would you spend your whole life here until you die of old age? Even you can't stop my dream."

Ashel shook her head.

Leaving the mountains was forbidden for their clan.

If someone tried, all the clans in the mountains, including their own, would stop them.

Because it was the only way to protect their territory from the outside world.

Her sister's dream was unrealistic from the start.

"Aren't you curious about what's outside the mountains?"

"Maybe. But if I go out, I might just be rejected."

"Plovic the elder said that in the north of the continent, there's a land called Caldric where all kinds of races live together."

Plovic was the oldest member of the clan and one of the few who had experienced the outside world.

"There, no race is rejected or rejects others. And the ruler is a dragon!"

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

"So if I go out, I'll start there. New adventures! New companions! And new love!"

"Hmm."

"Why are all the men around me so boring and hopeless? If I go out, I might find a true partner who suits me."

Then she suddenly turned and asked,

"What about you? Training, eating, sleeping, training, eating, sleeping... and who are you going to marry?"

"Who? When the time comes, my parents will find a suitable partner for me."

"No, that's not right. You need to find someone you truly love! If your parents bring someone, will you marry a guy like the son of the Gelt Tree Clan leader?"

"That's not true, but..."

Her sister, looking dissatisfied, rolled around in the grass and muttered,

"Anyway, that's how it will be. When I'm determined to leave, you, as the best warrior in the clan, will stop everyone. And I'll slip away from the mountains."

Ashel couldn't help but laugh at her sister's absurd plan.

"Why are you laughing? I'm serious! It's my lifelong wish, and you won't ignore it, right?"

At that moment, a voice called from a distance, and both sisters turned their heads.

A woman was smiling gently and waving. It was their mother.

"Great, the food is ready. Training is over."

"You didn't even swing your sword a few times."

"Hehe, it's a secret from Dad? Mom!"

Ashel slowly followed as her sister ran ahead.

Her mother, who had her in her arms, waved for her to come.

It was peaceful, warm, and comfortable.

Ashel didn't want anything more special.

Training, hunting, sharing meals and laughter with her family, and having silly conversations with her sister.

She just wanted this simple, repetitive life to continue forever.

...But the peace that seemed eternal crumbled suddenly and easily.

"Run, Ashel! Don't look back!"

Her father, covered in blood, blocked the attackers and shouted desperately.

In his arms was her mother's cold, lifeless body.

It was a stormy night.

Armored men slashed at the clan with swords, robed figures burned them, and a monstrous creature with a spear brutally slaughtered the clan's warriors.

Even the fierce thunder couldn't drown out the screams of the clan echoing across the mountains.

Ashel ran, holding her sister's hand, stepping on blood, leaping over bodies, and moving her battered body like a demon.

When they reached a place far enough from the village that the screams could no longer be heard, there were no more attackers in sight.

But the leader of the attackers didn't let them escape.

He walked toward them, cornered at the edge of a cliff. His eyes were cold, and his spear, drenched in the clan's blood, gleamed menacingly.

Ashel pushed her sister behind her, ready to fight to the death.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her back.

"..."

Her sister was pressing on the wound.

There was no time to wonder why.

Her sister pushed her forcefully, and Ashel was helplessly pushed into the air.

She reached out to grab her sister's hand, but it was out of reach.

Her sister's body slowly fell into the river below.

Only the faint sound of her sister's sad, smiling voice reached her ears.

"...Survive, Ashel."

The last thing Ashel saw was her sister turning and running toward the attacker, and the silver spear piercing her chest.

Ashel slowly sank into the water.

Her vision went dark, and a profound silence fell.

Soon, hot tears began to stream down her cheeks, endlessly.

'Why...?'

She wasn't curious about the outside world. She was content with living peacefully in the mountains forever.

Regret and intense emotion welled up.

She shouldn't have turned her back on her father. She should have been the one to survive. She should have fought to the end with everyone.

What was the point of surviving alone?

Now, she had nothing left. No clan, no homeland, no parents, no sister, nothing. What was the point...?

Rustle.

Her body, which had been sinking endlessly, suddenly stopped.

Crack. Sizzle.

An unknown sound reached her ears. A faint light seeped through her closed eyelids.

Ashel slowly opened her eyes.

The scene before her was not underwater but in a forest. A face was looking down at her.

"...I was worried you might be dead, but you were just sleeping soundly."

Ashel blinked, unable to grasp the situation.

The 7th Sovereign, who had freed her from the tangled vines, extended his hand.

"Get up."

Ashel, dazed, looked at his white hand and reached out to take it.

She didn't want to lose anything again, no matter what. She firmly held on.