CH 98

“Marianne!!!”

After some time, I heard shouting behind me as Daphne and Georg rushed toward us. I giggled as I looked at Marianne, who looked back at me in confusion. Daphne and Georg grabbed her by the shoulders and examined her for injuries.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“You look fine, but… we should still take you to a medic. You may have gotten an internal injury.”

Marianne struggled to escape the two people treating her like a child. I watched the scene in disbelief.

“Let go…let go. I’m fine.”

“You should get checked out. There’s no telling what the fog’s magic might have done to your body.”

Daphne let go of Marianne with that assertion, then looked at her with a complicated gaze.

“…You really did bring Elroy back.”

Daphne’s eyes were a mixture of emotions. Gratitude came first, then envy.

“Good work… and thank you, Marianne.”

But it was quickly hidden by a smile. At her side, Georg nodded and turned to Marianne, sounding a little angry.

“Do you know how much uproar there was when you disappeared? I can’t believe not one but two of you would sneak off to deal with the Disaster.”

Georg shook his head and smiled bitterly.

“Still, you did a good job. Bringing that fool back.”

The two of them turned their attention to me. Their eyes were the opposite of the warm, concerned gaze they’d been giving Marianne; they were cold, with a hint of anger.

“So, Elroy, you better give me a good fucking reason why you left in the middle of the night to deal with the Disaster, only leaving us a note?”

Georg waved the paper in front of him. I glanced at it, then at Georg, shook my head, and muttered timidly.

“…I thought I explained it pretty well–”

“Does it matter now, you stupid bastard? Why the hell did you disappear like that without telling us? Did you think it would make you look more noble, or we’d praise you for being so cool? Perhaps you wanted to see our tears when you never returned, you sick bastard!

Georg’s easily picked me up by the collar of my tattered shirt. I became a helpless, rattling doll, listening to his complaints. He frowned but sighed heavily when he met my eyes and bowed.

“…I’m sorry.”

He offered a heartfelt apology. ‘What is wrong with him? What had I done to deserve his apology?’

“I suppose it’s not entirely your fault. You’ve always made us believe in you, yet we couldn’t do the same.”

‘But I do have faith in you…Well, I didn’t think they could handle the Mist, so in the end, I didn’t.’

“Maybe it’s too late, now that you’ve already defeated three Disasters… but I can’t help but think that we’ve been relying on you too much… We’re so pathetic. Can you believe it? We’re members of the Hero’s Party, yet we are bystanders who’ve never fought the Disasters.”

Georg stepped back, letting go of me.

“Don’t be too strong for me, Elroy. I want you to entrust me with your back.”

Georg then glanced at Daphne. She looked at me and seemed to be trying to decide what to say.

“….”

Before I could say anything else, Daphne ran to me and hugged me. I let out a chuckle and brushed her hair out of her face. She didn’t say a word, just stayed there, and it didn’t last long before she pulled away from me. There was no crying or sadness from the young wizard. Before me was one of the most powerful wizards on the continent, already on her Sixth Circle.

“I’m trying to find a clue to reach the Seventh Circle.”

Daphne said with determination in her voice. The Seventh Circle. There were probably 20 people who achieved the Sixth, and only 2 on the Seventh.

“How long have you been on the Sixth Circle?”

Daphne looked at my expression and shook her head.

“I’m sure you will tell me that I’m doing well and that there is no need to rush.”

I smiled bitterly. I suddenly remembered what Marianne had said to me in the fog. Daphne’s a gifted wizard who will one day reach the Eighth Circle. I looked straight at her and said.

“No. The Seventh Circle isn’t enough.”

Daphne’s eyes narrowed.

“Make it your goal to be as strong as me, no, stronger.”

My mind flashed back to when I first recruited her, my purpose so calculated that I had forgotten it now. Reminding myself of that, I spoke again to Daphne. If she wanted to fight with me, she would have to earn it, and of course, she had the talent to do much more than that.

“Promise me you won’t settle for less.”

Daphne would become the most powerful archmage in the world. With the same belief I had when I first met her.

“…I see.”

Daphne nodded. I couldn’t fathom the resolve in it. I knew it was time for her to be alone with her thoughts.

The night air was cold. In the distance, I could hear the footsteps of paladins and priests running, with the Pope at their lead, looking dignified. He looked at us and crouched as he took deep breaths.

“Is it…over?”

I could see the bewilderment on the Pope’s face. I chuckled and nodded, and the Pope looked out into the foggy night in disbelief.

“…When you first told me your plan, I didn’t think it would end like this.”

The Pope breathed a sigh of relief.

“When the week’s grace expired, I wasted no time requesting assistance to the Kairos Kingdom. Well, I don’t know what else to tell you.”

The Pope smiled awkwardly. Then, it suddenly turned into a twisted smile.

“Come to think of it, when the reinforcements arrive, they’ll take you back to the Capital and have another celebration.”

Fuck.

And as he watched me sigh and ruffle my hair, the Pope let out a cackling, old man’s laugh.

***

The fog was said to have lifted within eight days of my entrance. I had been lost in the fog for six days before Marianne entered, and it took another two days to defeat it. In the meantime, Christmas had passed, and the New Year had dawned. The people trapped in the fog were frail, but there were no deaths. However, many people in critical condition still haven’t woken up yet.

“There are many people who are still asleep.”

Iris said. I sighed softly and looked out over the village. The priests were busily moving from house to house, checking on their patients. She looked at them and shook her head.

“Looks like I’m going to be busy since I’m the only one who can wake up and restore those still asleep. I’m going to have my work cut out for me.”

Iris made a gesture of rolling up the sleeves on her arms. I let out a smirk and nodded. She puffed out her cheeks as if to say she didn’t like my laugh.

“Elroy, you just had to go here without warning. Do you know how surprised I was when the news of you challenging and defeating a Disaster came just now? I haven’t had the time to recover my mana to heal you.”

Iris stepped closer to me, genuinely concerned. I took a couple of steps away from her with a stumbling gait. Marianne, standing to my right, shuffled along with me.

“We just need to wait for my mana to recover. It’s not like there’s anything wrong with my body in the first place. Wouldn’t it be much better to use it on the people?”

“…I doubt it.”

Iris frowned and shook her head. A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered I could’ve died if Marianne hadn’t found me so quickly.

“So, how have you been doing? Have you been in Bactins the whole time?”

“Yes. Assisting with relief efforts, investigating if there were any other affected areas, and… I’ve been doing what I can for now. I’ve also been able to heal more people lately.

Iris turned to me.

“It’s probably because of you that we were able to minimize the damage.”

I shook my head and jerked my chin toward Marianne.

“No, no. If it weren’t for her, I’d still wander around in the fog.”

Marianne blushed slightly. Iris looked at Marianne with a smile.

“And Arjen is….”

Iris hesitated as she looked at me. I tilted my head, wondering why she stopped, then she continued.

“I hear he’s on the tail of the Doomsday Cult with Bishop Andrei right now, and he told me he’d be back in the Holy Land once you’d defeated the Mist… but I don’t think he’ll return soon. The Bishop asked me to tell you he’ll be back to ask for your help when he needs it.”

I nodded. There would come a time when I’d have to take down the evil cultists governing the Doomsday Cult.

“So, will you start preparing for the Sixth Disaster?”

“…No. The Sixth Disaster is tricky, to say the least. I’ll probably have time between now and when it first appears, so I’ll see what I can do in the meantime.”

Something to get stronger.

I muttered to myself and tapped the hilt of my Holy Sword.

She hadn’t spoken to me again since I’d left the fog.