Chapter 310 – BREEZE (1)
The night sky was vanishing.
The twinkling stars faded and the white moon was swallowed up by the darkness, eventually disappearing into a faint and weak light.
The sun rose in the distance.
It soon began to fill the whole world with its own light as it lit up the vanishing night sky with scarlet light.
Darkness came again.
The burning sun was forcibly swallowed, and the stars that flickered at the base of the sun gradually lost its light.
The witch of the west forest saw it.
She sat and blankly looked up the sky before looking in front again.
She was at the center of the world.
She, who was only a soul, read the records of the world there and finally realized the truth.
And that was why she was hesitant to leave the center of the world.
The moment she went out, she had to share her knowledge with Asmodeus, the overlord of l.u.s.t.
“I can’t do that.”
The truth she saw was too dangerous.
It was completely different from what the witch herself expected.
If this fact is known…
The witch of west forest raised her head.
The moon that was spitted out by the darkness guided with its faint glow the stars that had lost their way.
“It will only be a matter of time in the end.”
The witch of the west forest spoke respectfully.
She said that even though she knew that the other party could not hear her, and even if they did, they would not understand.
In a matter of time.
The truth would eventually be known.
But it had to be delayed as much as possible.
“In the end, I have no choice but to hold my breath and wait.”
I didn’t come here for this.
I’d rather help those kids outside than do this.
Darkness began to threaten the white moon again.
The witch of the west forest lied down and then curled up her body as she looked away from the night sky. She closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.
She wanted to wake up right before the truth was revealed.
Or right after the truth was known.
The witch of the west forest prayed.
May that time be delayed as much as possible.
She hoped that it would not happen at all.
But she already knew.
That day was not far away.
Even at this very moment, it was slowly approaching.
The witch of the west forest shut her eyes.
She remembered the faces of two people, Jude and Cordelia.
***
When Jude left, the elves of the Orange Gate led Cordelia and Scarlet to a small but cozy guest room.
“We’ll let you know when your party arrives.”
The elves were more polite to them, whether it was because they had already been acknowledged as guests, or because of Jude’s power they had witnessed.
Cordelia nodded in satisfaction and leaned against a long sofa. Scarlet sat next to her.
And a few minutes later.
Having been blankly staring at the pattern on the wallpaper, Cordelia suddenly turned to her side.
She saw Scarlet sitting with her back straight.
Her eyes were closed, but it seemed like she was not asleep as her fingers occasionally shook on her lap.
‘Is she reviewing it?’
The battle between Jude and Elune.
In fact, Scarlet was like a playable character in terms of talent. After all, she was one of the future Four Great Swordmen.
Perhaps she gained something from the match of the two.
‘A genius is a genius.’
I’m bored, but I’ll talk to her later.
Having made such a decision, Cordelia sat more comfortably on the sofa and closed her eyes. She did not review the match like Scarlet, but she was tired so she thought about sleeping for a moment.
And a few more minutes.
No, perhaps it was a few dozens of minutes.
Cordelia who had dozed off opened her eyes with a blank expression on her face. Her sleepy eyes saw Scarlet looking at her.
“If you want to sleep, lie down over there. I’ll wipe your drool.”
“Eh?”
She said absentmindedly, and Scarlet sighed before wiping Cordelia’s mouth with a handkerchief.
“Lie down and sleep.”
“Lie down. Yes, lie down.”
Cordelia lied down on the sofa she was sitting on with her feet up, and Scarlet frowned but decided to give up.
Because whether she lied down here or on the other sofa did not matter. Scarlet stood up and thought it would be better for her to just sit on the other sofa.
“By the way.”
“Yes?”
Cordelia was about to fall asleep again, but she blinked and asked back. Scarlet sat down on the other sofa and propped her chin with her hand. She said as she looked elsewhere for some reason.
“Are they okay?”
“Who? Jude? If it’s him, he will be fine. You’ve seen how strong he was, right?”
“No, not Black Cloak.”
“Then who?”
“Lord Lucas. He’s still in a dangerous situation.”
Jude and Cordelia had said not to worry, so she stopped worrying, but when she sat alone in a quiet place, she became worried.
‘There are elven knights. And it seems like there were also high-ranking demonic humans.’
The last time Scarlet saw Lucas was in the royal capital almost half a year ago.
Lucas at that time was a prospect, but one could say that he was still weak.
He was definitely strong compared to his peers, but he was weaker than Scarlet and even weaker than the elite elven knights guarding the Red Gate.
‘Of course, I’ve heard that he’s gotten stronger, but…’
When she remembered Lucas’ innocent smile which somehow reminded her of a big dog, she became worried as if she saw a baby by the riverside.
“Kajsa is there.”
“I know that, so he’ll be fine. Because he’s strong.”
Scarlet roughly spoke, and Cordelia smirked.
“Oh my, you’re worried about Lucas, huh?”
“Not a lot, but a bit.”
“Yes, yes, I know. I understand everything.”
Cordelia nodded with a happy expression and soon began to laugh, and Scarlet pouted in embarra.s.sment.
‘Strange.’
Scarlet clearly did not have a bad impression of him when she met him in the royal capital, but she was not that close to him either.
Why am I suddenly concerned?
‘No, it’s not sudden.’
Even after I’ve returned to the empire, I remember his face from time to time.
How is he?
Is he doing well?
What is he doing now?
Lucas’ face then came to her mind.
A Lucas staring at her as he blushed and heavily breathed.
A Lucas whispering something to her as he had a sly smile that was uncharacteristic of him.
‘Huh?’
Wait. What? Have I ever seen his face like that?
Or rather, in the first place, we’ve never been in a situation where… he was blushing and heavily breathing, right?
But her doubts were short-lived.
It disappeared from her mind at some point like melting snow.
All that was left was her vague feelings for Lucas.
Love, hatred, compa.s.sion, and longing.
But these quickly disappeared too.
She heard Cordelia’s voice.
“He’ll be fine. As I’ve said before, Lucas has become very strong too. And he’s gotten a lot cooler. He’s the next coolest after Jude though.”
“That’s the best compliment by your standards, huh?”
Scarlet said a bit sarcastically, but Cordelia did not mind it as she grinned and continued.
“But he’s really cool. Should I say that he’s become more manly? He seems like an adult now.”
He was still obviously like a kid when Biltwein the Hero was involved, so one could call him a ‘kidult.’
In any case, Cordelia began to sing praises about Lucas, and Scarlet pretended to not be interested, though her ears were clearly perked up.
“Anyway, just look forward to it. You’ll be surprised when you meet him.”
“Ahem.”
Scarlet still pretended to be indifferent and not show any reaction, but Cordelia did not miss seeing Scarlet’s pink earlobes and faint smile.
‘How fun.’
When she imagined Lucas and Scarlet being shy and not knowing what to do together, it brought a smile on her face.
Lucas and Scarlet.
A big dog from the kingdom and a cat from the empire.
And one black panther stuck in between them.
‘Hmm…’
Come to think of it, what about Kajsa?
Lucas and Kajsa.
Lucas and Scarlet.
Kajsa and Scarlet became close friends in the south.
I can imagine an awkward situation in the future.
But it will be fun at the same time.
‘Well… I have to stay neutral.’
Let’s have some popcorn and watch in the back. Let’s not interfere.
Having made up her mind, Cordelia closed her eyes and lightly tapped her chest that had began to pound for some reason.
She recalled Jude’s face again.
***
It was around midnight when Jude returned to the Orange Gate with the emperor’s group.
Although it was very late, the Orange Gate was brightly lit as though it was broad daylight.
“Greetings to Your Imperial Majesty.”
The one who led all the elves of the empire.
When Vincenzo Lombardi politely bowed, the young emperor and the empress dowager standing next to him smiled even though they were both tired.
The attack at the Red Gate made them suspicious of elves, but because it was none other than Vincenzo Lombardi who kneeled and bowed to show them respect, their worries were relieved.
I have to trust him.
No, I want to trust him.
Vincenzo knew the feelings of the two quite well.
The emperor was too young and naïve to hide his true feelings, and the empress dowager was quite clever, but in his perspective, she was only like a newborn who had lived for more than 30 years.
He clearly had no intentions of stabbing the emperor and the empress dowager in the back.
The power of the elves was great, but it was not enough to overthrow the empire, and even if it were possible, it was impossible to rule the empire from the front.
So they had to maintain the present.
To exist as part of the empire.
He did not need the seat of an emperor. What mattered was the prosperity and development of the elves, and the empire was needed in order to achieve that.
“We have prepared a place for you to rest. Please come this way.”
As Vincenzo began to guide them personally, smiles appeared on the faces of the emperor and the empress dowager once more.
For the two of them who had lived in the cozy and safe imperial palace, the journey of the past few days was stimulating, though it had been too stimulating.
[Everything’s okay, now, right?]
[Maybe.]
Cordelia asked with magic, and Jude immediately replied even though his gaze was still on Vincenzo.
‘He rarely appeared in the game’s storyline but… we can trust him.’
In Legend of Heroes 2, Vincenzo was close to a character in the background setting.
However, he was also known for many things as he was a person with such a great presence.
Hostility and anger towards the demon followers.
Emotions that could only be described as hatred.
Vincenzo was an old man.
His tall and thin appearance was like an old tree on the verge of death.
His old man appearance was even more impressive among the elves who spent almost their entire lives looking young.
‘It will be fine.’
After he stopped his needless worries, Jude turned to Cordelia to find his peace of mind.
But Cordelia was looking somewhere else than Vincenzo.
At Lucas, Kajsa, and Scarlet who were standing some distance from them.
It seemed like a story was being created just from the three standing together.
Scarlet smiled at Lucas who smiled back warmly like a big dog. And Kajsa saw the two. The moment Kajsa and Scarlet’s eyes met, they felt something.
[Jude, I need popcorn.]
It was Cordelia’s request, but Jude quickly refused. Because while Jude himself was not very interested in the relationship of the three, there was something more important than the three.
[Let’s go to Elune.]
Cordelia reflexively pouted at Jude’s words.
Rather than hating Elune, it was because she wanted to watch the drama of Lucas, Kajsa, and Scarlet.
[Do we have to go now?]
[Because we don’t have much time.]
The emperor was still on the run now.
No matter how much Vincenzo welcomed the emperor and promised him their support, this was the land of the elves.
In order for the emperor to properly fight the Chancellor, he had to go to the land of Marquis Buckingham that was located in the northern part of the empire.
[Uuuh… it can’t be helped.]
The convinced Cordelia nodded, and Jude smiled as he pinched her cheek.
[What is it? Why?]
[It’s just because you’re cute. Ayeee, my beast.]
Jude pulled her cheek as he sent that message, and Cordelia pinched Jude’s cheek instead of removing his hand.
[Ayeee, my scammer.]
[Beast.]
[Scammer.]
[Rabbit.]
[Wolf.]
[My successor, that’s enough, okay?]
The last one was Valencia, and Melissa who was watching them as she clicked her tongue also agreed.
Therefore, Jude and Cordelia smiled and held each other’s hands instead of their cheeks.
And another ten minutes later.
Elune was squatting on the ground because she had nothing to do while Vincenzo and the emperor were conversing. She then looked up and saw Jude and Cordelia.
“What’s the matter? You want to fight again? I’m all for it.”
Elune spoke in an expectant voice, but Jude shook his head.
“I also enjoy fighting with Elune-nim… but I came here for another reason.”
Elune’s expression turned sullen at Jude’s answer, but she still asked him again.
“What is it?”
“It’s the wish.”
The conditions in their match.
Because even an unfair contract was still a contract.
Elune blinked at his words and said with a smile again.
“Hmm, okay. Because promises are precious. What do you want me to do?”
Jude and Cordelia looked at each other at her innocent question, and then they both squatted on the ground to be on the same eye level as Elune.
“We want you to introduce us to your friends.”
“Friends?”
“Yes, Elune-nim’s friends.”
As Cordelia said with a grin, Elune frowned and looked troubled as she said in a murmur.
“I don’t have friends.”
“You have friends. Right now, you and I are also Elune-nim’s friends.”
At Cordelia’s words, Elune blinked and tilted her head.
“Jude is a friend. But Cadellia is a friend too?”
“…It’s Cordelia. And if you’re Jude’s friend, I’m also your friend.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
The conversation skills she had developed while dealing with the fairies were not useless.
Cordelia skillfully continued the conversation with Elune.
“I know about Elune-nim’s little friends. Actually, Jude and I have a lot of little friends.”
At Cordelia’s words, Elune held her breath and turned to Jude as she said.
“You’re friends with them too?”
“Yes, we have a lot of friends. Here’s our proof.”
Jude said and showed him the Fairy’s Bonds he was wearing, and Elune’s eyes widened.
Elune’s little friends.
The reason why he dared to ask for a wish as a condition.
“We want to meet the Breeze Fairies.”
Silver fairies who symbolized the wind attribute, which they needed to complete the Fairy King’s Protection.
And the ancient treasure they were guarding.
After pondering for a moment at Jude and Cordelia’s request, Elune nodded.
“Okay. I will guide you.”
Elune got up from her seat and turned around as she began to take the lead.