CH 17

He lifted his arm cautiously. He could still feel the healing energy left by the spirits, aiding in his recovery. Although most of the pain and wounds remained, the deep ones had mostly disappeared, making movement possible.

The bones in his right fingers were still fragile, but they would heal with time. Even if there were lingering aftereffects, they wouldn’t hinder his archery, and he could always recover with items or healing potions later.

There wasn’t much to worry about.

“Keugh.”

“Hey, son. You shouldn’t get up yet.”

Ignoring the screams of his joints and muscles, he calmly replied, hiding the pain in his expression.

“It’s fine. Most of the wounds are healed anyway. Let’s go check on them.”

“Don’t lie. I can see how much you’re sweating.”

She tried to gently push him back down, but he chuckled and slipped away from her grasp.

His sudden dodge made his body scream even louder, but it didn’t worsen his injuries. Muscle pain was manageable with determination.

His breathing grew heavier, and the cold sweat increased, but he endured the pain inwardly.

It’s determination, pure determination.

“There’s no time to waste here.”

The Beastmen’s main base, Kel Van, had fallen, and the Orcs were determined to fulfill their destiny by sending nine Warhammers into the Elven Forest.

In essence, the beastmen had reached a point of no return.

This meant that my initial plan to forge an alliance with them was falling apart.

Nevertheless, I had no intention of breaking the promise I made to those kids.

Sure, I’d already sworn an oath to the forest, but giving up on them now just didn’t sit right with me.

Above all, I had grown quite fond of them, and I genuinely wanted to help them with their request.

It had only been two days, and I’d already given my heart away too easily, but I decided to keep it simple.

These were the first non-human races I’d ever become close to.

No matter what, there should always be an advantage at the beginning.

You owe me one, kids, for all the kindness I’ve shown.

I’ll collect when you grow up.

“Eld!”

“Later. I promise I’ll rest later.”

“Where’s ‘later’ in resting?!”

I’ll listen to your scolding later.

With a hearty laugh, he deftly avoided his mother’s touch and left the room.

“Mother, I’m not so weak that I have to be like this… Wow.”

As I opened the door and the view of the village came into sight, I forgot what I was about to say and stood there with a dumbfounded expression, mouth hanging open.

Outside the door, approximately thirty sentinels were standing in formation.

“…May the blessings of the forest and the protection of the mother be with you in your future. Peace be upon you from El Lyradelle.”

I stumbled over my words at the unexpected sight, but as I recited the Elven greetings and a simple prayer, one of the sentinels at the forefront nodded.

“May the forest’s smile grace your path. Are you well?”

In a polite tone, I unconsciously scratched my back.

“Yes, thanks to you. But what’s going on right now…”

“Ah, you must be surprised. We have gathered here because we want to confirm your well-being.”

“What?”

I responded foolishly to the incomprehensible statement.

“First, we would like to express our gratitude to you.”

With those words, the lead sentinel, along with all the sentinels lined up behind, extended their left fists backward while raising their right fists to their hearts, spreading their index and middle fingers, and bowing their heads.

It was a gesture of the highest courtesy that an elf could extend to a foreigner.

“May the forest be glorious.”

“May the forest be glorious.”

This was the sentinels’ slogan, also used as a form of praise.

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, I stumbled and stuttered, trying to choose an appropriate response.

“Uh, thank you for the forest’s praise.”

Since I was not yet a sentinel, I replied with a similar gesture.

Behind me, I sensed my mother approaching quietly.

To keep the elves in front of me from hearing, I whispered with the lowest possible voice.

“Mother, what on earth is happening?”

However, my mother, seemingly bewildered, only widened her eyes and gave no response.

Unable to say anything due to the abrupt situation, I continued to listen to the sentinel in front of me.

“My name is Irian Alskra, the El Sentinel of Chitaen.”

The term “El Sentinel” referred to the chief sentinel of that village.

In other words, the presence before me represented the best sentinel and one of the highest-ranking figures in this village.

I was terrified, but the pain throughout my body prevented me from showing any proper shock.

So, I simply replied in a voice devoid of soul.

“Uh, I am Eldmir Arhitea of El Ruel.”

My self-introduction was merely to inform them that I was not a sentinel, nor had I undergone adulthood ceremonies, but Irian and the sentinels’ demeanor remained unchanged.

He continued to smile brightly, displaying an incomprehensible demeanor.

In the end, unable to endure this perplexing situation, I asked directly, “May I ask what’s going on honestly?”

“You may ask anything.”

That’s a relief.

“Why are you welcoming me like this? Even though we share the same race, I’m still a complete stranger.”

If all of them had greeted newcomers like this just because they were of the same race, the meeting with El Rien’s three sentinels wouldn’t have been so stern.

In response to my question, the elf who introduced himself as Irian with that enigmatic smile deepened.

“Simply put, the fact that you were able to simultaneously confront and withstand eight of the elite orc Warhammers, the high-ranking members of the orc nobility, is already a testament to how valuable you are. Whether it’s in another village or among elves who haven’t undergone their adulthood ceremonies, or even more so because of that, your nobility in sacrificing your own life to uphold the oath of the forest is an example that all elves should rightfully admire. You are a being deserving of this level of respect.”

“…”

Even though it was a compliment, I felt uncomfortably warm in response to those words, which could be described as excessive praise. In this world or in my past life, I had never heard anyone praise me to this extent. It was a strange feeling of embarrassment brought about by praise.

“Well, it’s not a big deal, so don’t make a fuss about it.”

“Hahaha!”

Irian seemed cheerful as he burst into laughter.

Some of the sentinels behind him also seemed to chuckle, their bodies trembling slightly as they held back their laughter, and a few even laughed quietly.

I wore a puzzled expression, wondering if I had said something strange, when Irian spoke loudly.

“Did I hear correctly? A common elf, not even a high elf, and one who hasn’t undergone their adulthood ceremonies, single-handedly fought eight high-ranking orcs? This is an achievement that defies belief! Eldmir, you can be prouder! Elves are indeed one of the few races who consider humility a virtue, but not now! You have accomplished something that will go down in history! El Lyradelle should be proud to shelter you!”

“Haha…”

Was this really such a remarkable achievement?

I just found Irian’s demeanor excessively exaggerated and awkwardly chuckled.

However, Irian approached and said, “Eldmir, your survival in a battle against them is not the end of the story. You even defeated half of them directly. The rest were not in normal condition. In essence, you overwhelmingly won! Who else could achieve such an accomplishment? A dragon from mythology? Or perhaps El Drasik, our ancestor? Haha! We feel as if we have witnessed a scene from mythology.”

Were the elves a race that revered honor to this extent?

Irian’s demeanor was so full of joy that it made me think. However, I didn’t find it bad at all. In fact, it felt refreshing to realize that there were elves like these.

Seeing a side of them that I hadn’t seen in the village made me smile along with Irian without even realizing it.

“Oh, by the way, what happened to those Warhammers? Did you capture them all?”

I asked without much thought, but upon reflection, it was a genuine question. Even though I had taken out half of them and turned the rest into a manageable state, they were high-ranking orc nobility. While I didn’t want to disregard the sentinels in front of me, the power of the high nobility was not something that could be handled by just 30 sentinels.

Why didn’t I think of that sooner? I had been preoccupied with the whereabouts of my mother and Artir and had pushed aside the next most important matter.

“Are you referring to them?”

It was only then that Irian stopped smiling and put on a serious expression. He seemed somewhat apologetic.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t completely subdue them. With the assistance of sentinels from nearby villages, we chased after the injured ones, but… we had to be satisfied with merely driving them away.”

“Ah…”

I had suspected as much, but hearing the actual response made me let out a sigh of disappointment, even though I didn’t intend to.

Then I hastily bowed my head upon realizing that I had been somewhat rude.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“No, there’s no need to apologize. It’s as Eldmir says. Despite nearly winning the fight, we were only able to finish off one of them. We had to watch as the rest escaped from the forest unharmed. Especially considering that some sentinels were injured in their counterattack, it’s truly a shameful matter.”

Still, at least one of them was taken care of. I silently breathed a sigh of relief.

The term ‘high rank’ wasn’t just for show.

No matter how much the Warhammers are a race devoted to the war god, it’s not for no reason that their high-ranking nobles are called the incarnations of war.

Absolutely. It’s not for no reason that they are said to be those who have harnessed the power of gods.

These creatures, not only the Warhammers but all high-ranking nobles, are considered to possess tactical value to the extent that each individual can overturn the course of a war. Their power is evaluated as equivalent to more than a regular army.

Among them, there are even individuals who are highly regarded. Their existence is, without a doubt, one of overwhelming might that could be deemed akin to an army.

In the game, players referred to such beings as ‘Named.’

In any case, these beings are that dangerous.

Once they gain the upper hand and don’t finish it decisively, they become even stronger and return. It’s as if, like a hero in a comic, they grow stronger with each crisis they overcome.

That’s why I was concerned about their last moments, and even though I managed to finish one of them, the other three would become a significant threat to our elves, only getting stronger.

Thinking like that made me gloomy, but I quickly changed my thinking to a positive one.

After all, I had survived against such beings.

Yes, I had survived and won against those high nobles, against orc heroes. I slowly began to feel the sensation of Irian’s elation, calling it an achievement that would go down in history.

However, I had no recollection of the process. I had no memory of the battle with them. While I thought I could manage against them one-on-one to some extent, I was by no means capable of defeating them in a group. I had simply been consumed by rage to the point where my mind went blank, and when I regained consciousness, I was already in an incapacitated state.

Although I had finished off half of them, I had been on the brink of death at that time.

‘Were there any skills in the game that had such an effect?’ I wondered.

There was a skill called ‘Berserker’ in the game, which was a buff-type skill that lowered defense and increased attack power, but it certainly didn’t have such a dramatic effect. Besides, that skill was specific to the warrior class and not something an archer like me could possess.

But apart from the skill, I couldn’t explain what had turned me into that state.

What kind of skill or effect could have made me like that?

Even someone like me, who could proudly call themselves a veteran of ‘Omega World,’ was left dumbfounded by the situation, but now I didn’t care. It was all in the past.

Moreover, when I undergo the rite of passage and receive my status window and skill window, I will be able to find out then.

I shouldn’t be impatient.

Right now, I should celebrate the fact that I survived.

And above all, I should focus more on what is happening to me now.

“…Can I ask one more question?”

“I’ve already said it once, but feel free to ask anything.”

Irian gave a gentle smile.

This time, I didn’t smile back at that smile.

“The Catkin children.”

Kelis, Ersi, Esrin, and Ketrit.

My guests.

“Where are those children?”