Chapter 82

"Is the princess really coming?"

A low voice melted into the darkness. The faint light from the candle swayed within the room.

As the voice spread around, small whispers began to emerge from all corners of the darkness. The hearts of those gathered around the table were even weaker than the small flame of the candle on the table.

The very setting felt as if it were built on sand. Everyone's eyes still held suspicion, their throats trembling in the darkness.

Their hearts were still wavering, far from being resolved. Their eyelids nervously blinked repeatedly. A sudden emotional disturbance could easily cause them to step forward and then immediately retreat.

They needed a trigger. A trigger to cut open their chests with a knife and make a decisive decision. A trigger to move forward into an uncertain future.

"Shh... be quiet."

Suddenly, a clear voice announced this. It was impossible to tell whose voice it was.

The many voices that had been creeping out of the darkness gradually fell silent. It wasn't because they were led by those words.

It was because they saw light in front of them. Not the light of a candle, but a faint glow that seemed to rise from the scene itself.

Spirit magic. And this was a particularly high-level form of it. A secret ritual that only those favored by the spirits could perform, projecting their form to a completely different place as if they were far away. A scene often called a miracle.

Ah, the one who could perform this, who could create such a miracle, was none other than her, in Gazaria, or in this world.

Everyone stopped even swallowing, making no sound at all. Their eyes widened, their ears perked up, as if trying to etch every detail of the miracle into their bodies.

The particles of light, gathered as if from the darkness, began to take shape.

The pale, glowing crystal that formed was almost like a doll, unmistakably in the shape of an elf.

"---I apologize for speaking from such a shadow. Can you hear me?"

The smile that appeared in the darkness, illuminated by the light, was surely more beautiful than the moonlight. That's what everyone thought.

The hearts of many were swept away by a great current. They had made a firm resolve in the depths of their hearts.

To follow the beautiful elf princess and restore Gazaria, which had been ruled by the old elf, the wicked Finn Lagias, to its former good times. They swore in their hearts that this was the right thing to do.

"---Thank you. I swear by the name and noble blood of Eldis, to bring you happiness."

*

My shoulder felt numb. I let out a light sigh, twisted my shoulder, and adjusted my posture, finally feeling more comfortable.

I had just injured my shoulder and hand, and it would be ridiculous to hurt them again. Even I wouldn't be that foolish.

With the strength drained from the body, or rather, the elf's body, I had to carry Eldis's entire weight, which was a real struggle for me now.

In exchange for losing all consciousness, she could create a phantom at a remote location. This was apparently one of the gifts of Eldis's wisdom, a part of spirit magic. The first time we saw her, she was just a phantom.

I had heard that creating an image in a place far from oneself was almost impossible with magic.

For her to create a phantom in a forest far from Gazaria, in this tower, was nothing short of a miracle. Indeed, she was called the beloved child of the spirits.

However, couldn't this be resolved somehow?

I narrowed my eyes, holding Eldis from behind. According to her, when handling a phantom, she became completely defenseless and needed to be protected or held. I thought she could just lie down on a bed, but apparently, that wouldn't work.

Looking closely, Eldis's eyes were slightly narrowed, and her lips were moving softly. She was definitely handling the phantom.

Eldis should be heading to the designated elf gathering place now. In Gazaria, they were precious supporters, the material that would serve as Eldis's arms and legs. Without their cooperation, it would be difficult to escape this tower.

Therefore, tonight's mission must succeed. I had given Eldis a few instructions for that reason.

But even so, unease still lingered in my chest. After all, these were the elves who, in the past, had not taken action and had accepted Finn Lagias's rule.

Even with Eldis as a trigger, not everyone would extend a hand. Moreover, elves, due to their long lifespan, often had a very long-term perspective. A few years or even decades later was common for them.

This also made it difficult for them to interact well with humans, who tended to live fast-paced lives.

However, it wouldn't be easy to resolve things quickly.

This meant I would have to wait, holding the elf princess, for several minutes, or even hours.

Suddenly, my mind wavered. I blinked my eyes.

I had never stared at Eldis's face this closely before. Even if not from a distance, I had rarely had a clear view of her before.

After all, she was terrifying and mesmerizing. Her face, which could be mistaken for a sculpture, was a crystallization of beauty that I, a commoner, would never have the chance to see. Not to mention, she was royalty, protected and nurtured in a greenhouse, a true princess.

I couldn't help but sigh. Despite our bodies touching, what rose in my heart was not lust but a sense of inferiority that scratched at my soul.

I had always felt this way, from the days of our travels to the present.

She, Eldis, was born into royalty, revered by all, and even in prison, she was still treated with respect.

There must be a weight to her position. There must be pain in her heart because of her position.

But what did it matter? What did it mean? It was fine. If she had something to be proud of from the day she was born, that was fine.

Recently, the anxiety that had been building in my chest was about to burst in this quiet, waiting place. The tower was so still that not even the sound of the wind could be heard.

Holding Karia's hand, pulling Fiara into this, and now carrying the elf princess in my palm. Ah, from the perspective of my former self, this was quite something. Quite the villainous act.

I had even avenged myself against the hero, Helt Stanley. Even though I had traveled back in time, it was more than I could have hoped for.

Yes, for me, it was more than I could have hoped for.

I couldn't help but bite my lip with my teeth.

No matter how much I struggled, no matter how much I reached out with all my might, there was a stain that could never be erased, a black mark in my heart.

It was something that could not be changed, something that was decided from the moment I was given life. In other words, my birth and the blood that flowed through my veins. Just that one point.

The fact that I was a gutter rat, born in the slums, raised with the filth of the sewers as my wet nurse, could not be changed no matter how far back I went.

No matter how far I went, I could never stand on the same level as them, those I envied. It was a difference in talent, a difference in the blood that flowed through their bodies, a difference in birth.

Birth and the blood that flowed through my body. An unbridgeable gap.

So, I couldn't help but think. No matter how well I did, no matter how much luck I grasped, in the end, wouldn't they, wouldn't she, surpass me in everything?

A sticky emotion clung to the depths of my organs, refusing to let go.

It was ridiculous. Such a ridiculous thought was making me hesitate to call Karia and Fiara true companions from the bottom of my heart.

I understood. I understood that Karia and Fiara, at the very least, had feelings that were not bad towards me. It was a comfort I could never have imagined in the past. It was a joy and a pain.

How could I accept it? On what basis should I accept it? I knew. I would eventually disappoint them. I would eventually be seen through and cast aside.

I was nothing more than a fraud now. I was just using the knowledge I had taken from the future to stay one step ahead. I was just an ordinary person. There was no basis for them to have good feelings towards me.

Still, I could only struggle. Even if I didn't know what lay ahead. I didn't want to give up, even if deep down I knew the limits of my mediocrity.

Blood dripped from my lips, which I had bitten too hard. Red, very red blood.