Chapter 143
Chapter 143. Elf (2)
‘You said to sit comfortably…’
Even though Yoo Ji-han was seated, he felt more uncomfortable than when he was standing, so he glanced at Kim Si-hu.
But Kim Si-hu merely shrugged his shoulders, as if he had anticipated this situation.
After exchanging greetings, the elves straightened up again.
They gazed at Silph with somewhat moved expressions.
“That beautiful and shimmering color…! I’m so glad you haven’t changed at all since then.”
“I never thought I would see you again.”
“This is clearly the blessing of the World Tree.”
Three pairs of eyes were fixed on Yoo Ji-han’s head.
But for some reason, Silph seemed a bit annoyed by their attention.
The contractor, Yoo Ji-han, was definitely sensing it.
“Cough, cough!”
He cleared his throat to draw their attention and said.
“It seems that Silph is quite an important being to all of you.”
“Of course!”
“The spirits contracted with royalty in Grudia are treated the same as the royalty themselves.”
“…The spirit receives the same treatment as royalty?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, Yoo Ji-han was taken aback.
When he first made a contract with Silph, he spent time practicing summoning and dismissing her.
He easily attempted over a hundred summons in a single day.
During that process, Silph would shiver and complain, showing signs of exhaustion… but to think that the being he treated that way was once regarded as royalty.
‘It would be better not to mention that incident.’
Realizing he still treated Silph like a pet until very recently, he figured it was best to keep that a secret from the elves before him.
“Sister Miley, do you have any helpful information as Silph’s contractor?”
“Information, huh…”
The woman named Miley stroked her chin thoughtfully.
She was an elf who had crossed over from the world of Grudia alongside Kim Si-hu’s mother, Erna Hass.
Among those elves, she had served as a maid for Erna Hass, the third princess of the Siron Kingdom.
She was a close friend who had spent the most time with Erna Hass among the elves they met today.
At the same time, she was a witness to the first contract scene with Silph.
“To start off, I can say that Silph always had a playful side. Running around the vast castle in Grudia often left servants like me quite flustered.”
“…”
“She liked to fly between trees in the forest on sunny days…”
Silph loved the wide, tree-filled forests.
Yoo Ji-han, who had kept her confined in a small pouch for the past few months, felt a stab in the heart with every word that Miley spoke.
“Still, if we’re talking about useful information, it would be magic, right?”
“I know all the magic that my mom used! I’ve been teaching the useful spells to Ji-han.”
“No, she probably can’t know it all. Since Lady Erna hasn’t used magic sincerely even once since she crossed to Earth decades ago.”
“…!”
At Miley’s response, Kim Si-hu’s eyes widened.
It was information he had never heard before.
‘The mom I remember was someone close to a Rank 2 Hero…’
Erna Hass had abilities comparable to a Rank 2 Hero, in Kim Si-hu’s judgment.
But if she never showed her true power in her lifetime on Earth…
What was the extent of her full abilities?
“Speaking of Lady Erna’s magic, it brings back memories. Do you recall the day when monsters invaded the kingdom?”
“Of course! I fought fiercely on the front lines.”
The male elves sitting next to Miley reminisced about the past.
They were all knights associated with the Siron Kingdom.
They were among those who had crossed over with Erna Hass when she came to Earth.
“The power shown by Lady Erna and Silph back then was truly a force that could change the tides of the battlefield! Among all the wind magic I’ve seen, it was undeniably the best.”
“Can you tell us a bit more about that?”
Yoo Ji-han listened attentively to the elves’ conversation.
Raging storms accompanied by bolts of lightning that seemed to tear the world apart.
Fierce gales sweeping away all visible enemies.
Even colossal tornadoes that gave the illusion of dragons soaring into the sky.
The magic that Erna Hass reportedly used on the battlefield was nothing short of impressive.
And the spirit who played a key role in using such magic…
Was now rolling around above Yoo Ji-han’s head.
Bzzzzt—!
Perhaps due to discussion related to her past,
Silph seemed to be quietly pleased.
“You probably never had the chance to see Lady Erna’s true power. After settling in Korea, things were mostly peaceful.”
“I see…”
The strength Kim Si-hu remembered of his mother was merely a tiny fraction.
Realizing a significant truth today, he felt considerable shock.
Miley looked at Yoo Ji-han and said.
“I want to help, but sadly, it seems difficult to provide direct assistance.”
“I feel the same way. We can hardly dare to emulate Lady Erna’s magic.”
“No, that’s alright. Just hearing what you just shared was enough help.”
As Yoo Ji-han nodded, he extended his palm forward.
Then, Silph, who had been playing around above him, promptly landed on his palm.
“…!”
“…?!”
Without even uttering a direct command, the actions of the spirit and the contractor flowed so naturally.
Seeing Silph follow Yoo Ji-han without any reluctance astonished the elves, including Miley.
Yoo Ji-han remained fixated on Silph and said.
“Thanks to all of you, I realized that the limits of Silph’s abilities are remarkably high.”
The astounding powers of a Spirit Master that Yoo Ji-han had glimpsed through Yoon Do-ha!
If all the magic Erna Hass had used was indeed true,
It wouldn’t be impossible for Yoo Ji-han to reach a similar level.
“Apart from Silph, I have something I’m personally curious about.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why and how did you come to Earth?”
“After Lady Erna got embroiled in a dispute over the throne, she fled the kingdom with those she could trust, including myself. Coming to Earth was shortly after that.”
“…!”
“However, I’m not sure if it should be called a dimensional transfer… It was a coincidence that occurred.”
During the time when over ten princes and princesses were vying for the throne due to a king nearing the end of his life,
Even Erna Hass, who had the ability but no particular desire for power, found herself embroiled.
Tired of the events happening in the kingdom, she abandoned everything she enjoyed as a princess and ran away.
‘People are similar everywhere.’
Earth and Grudia. Humans and Elves.
Despite the different worlds and races they lived in, the societal issues that arose weren’t all that different.
At that moment, Kim Si-hu turned to Miley and said.
“Oh, right. I also wanted to ask something.”
“Hmm?”
“Last time, I subconsciously used a very strong and strange magic, right? The instructor at the Hero Academy said it resembled elf magic, but no matter how much I searched my memories, I never learned anything like that.”
“What magic was it? Can you describe it?”
“A round entrance formed from green grass and tree vines appeared from the ceiling, and an enormous arm shot out of it.”
“…An enormous arm?”
“Yes. A huge arm like something made of wood! Just like a giant you’d see in a cartoon.”
Kim Si-hu explained in detail about the giant’s arm that had pressed down on the barbarians, spreading his arms wide.
But with each description of what he saw back then,
The expressions of the elves listening quietly began to change dramatically.
“Are you serious?! Si-hu, you must have seen it wrong, right?”
“There’s no way I could have seen it wrong. Right, hyung?”
“That’s correct. I witnessed that scene right up close, so I’m sure.”
“……”
The elves’ expressions grew even more serious.
Their atmosphere, exchanging glances, was as if they knew something.
Timidly, Kim Si-hu asked.
“Do you know something?”
“There’s a legend that has been passed down in the Siron Kingdom for a long time.”
“A legend?”
“When the first World Tree that supported the world of Grudia reached the end of its lifespan, our ancestors supposedly cut that World Tree down to create a weapon that would eternally protect Grudia…”
*
After Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu left the café.
The remaining elves all stared blankly at the tabletop with cups placed on it.
Three elves seemed like they were about to say something but held back.
The first to speak up was a male elf.
“Miley, what do you think?”
“There’s no way Si-hu would lie to us.”
“……”
A brief moment of silence followed.
Miley, fiddling with her empty cup, let out a short sigh.
“The half-human, half-elf is….”
“I still can’t believe it.”
“Belief or disbelief is up to you. But Si-hu is Lady Erna’s son and showed extraordinary talent since childhood. Therefore, I’m certain.”
Clank.
Miley placed her empty cup on the tray and said.
“The one the elders have long wanted as the wielder of the divine weapon isn’t in Siron, but has appeared here in Earth.”
*
—Mr. Yoon Do-ha! What are you trying to do right now?
“What do you mean? I’m just cleaning up the trash in Korea.”
—Don’t carelessly call innocent people trash!
“Innocent? Who’s innocent?”
—Even if it’s a group on the opposite side of the heroes, this is too much…!
A phone call between a police senior official and Yoon Do-ha.
The official was passionately denouncing Yoon Do-ha, who openly targeted IUPC.
But Yoon Do-ha, listening to him, wore a bored expression and fiddled with his nails.
“Alright, enough. Let’s just confirm one thing.”
—What are you confirming?
“Just repeat the sentence I’m about to say.”
—……?
“IUPC son of a bitch.”
—W-what?!
“Go ahead, give it a try.”
—……
Out of nowhere, Yoon Do-ha asked the police to curse.
The other party fell silent at his request.
Eventually, when no answer came, Yoon Do-ha clicked his tongue and said.
“I’m hanging up now.”
—Wait…!
Click.
Yoon Do-ha unilaterally ended the call.
Then he sent a pre-prepared message to various Rank 2 party members belonging to the Dice guild.
The content of the message was simple.
There was work to be done, so they were instructed to wrap up other activities by the designated day and gather at the guild.
His party member, Park Jae-kyung, who was standing by, spoke up.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s considerable opposition from all sides…”
“Jae-kyung, the die has already been cast.”
“Articles are coming up rebutting the information we leaked to the media, one by one. Not only in the country but also in various media outlets overseas.”
“Let them talk as they wish.”
They were on the verge of executing a burning operation to completely erase the group known as IUPC from Korea.
“They’ve finished discussing with the nine major guilds too. I’m feeling a bit excited about getting together after a long time.”
“Are you saying everyone will gather?”
“If they don’t show up, I told them we’ll remove their names from the top ten guilds in Korea.”
“Isn’t it a bit extreme for all Rank 1 heroes to gather just to eliminate one group?”
“We might as well do it firmly. Seeing how things are going, they must have something prepared too.”
“……”
“Ahh, they’ve really had it easy for too long! In the past, I would have jumped in and toppled them all without hesitation.”
IUPC was a faction with extensive connections and a worldwide presence.
Unlike those who operate in the shadows, they couldn’t be lightly provoked.
But having built up a considerable amount over time, they had reached a point where removing them in Korea wouldn’t lead to major issues.
Yoon Do-ha turned his head and gazed out the transparent window.
“Once this is over, let’s head to Busan and grab some gukbap.”
