Wanna Come With Us? (3)
Erenes unconsciously covered her mouth.
Her eyes widened as she muttered in a bewildered voice.
"Why… why is Duke Fenris' name…?"
He called Astion Ghislain?
She had no such memory until now. That's why, when she first met the Duke of Fenris, she didn't associate him with Astion.
Because he was truly a stranger.
But now, her memories felt all jumbled up.
As her past memories faded, new recollections surfaced. It was like suddenly remembering something long forgotten.
It didn't make sense. She was an elf who had surpassed the realm of superhumans.
With the elves' innate memory and her own superhuman senses combined, it was rare—almost impossible—for her to misremember something.
Erenes gritted her teeth and forced herself to recall her past.
Yes, that's right…
'When I first met the Yulian Mercenaries…'
Back then, the Yulian Mercenaries were just a bunch of rookies.
To be honest, they were closer to wandering adventurers than a formal mercenary band.
Registering as a mercenary group had only been a procedural step to make their activities more convenient.
They had, by chance, saved a kidnapped elf. And for that deed, they were invited to the Elven Forest.
Thanks to that, the Yulian Mercenaries ended up staying in the Elven Forest for a while.
There, under Iraniel's guidance, they grew considerably stronger.
Especially Yulian—he even learned to commune with spirits. Because of that, the elves viewed the Yulian Mercenaries with even greater favor.
'…They were kind friends.'
Even among elves who rejected humans, the Yulian Mercenaries were an exception.
None of them had a wicked heart, and Iraniel had acknowledged them.
While the Yulian Mercenaries were staying in the forest, it was filled with life. But that peace didn't last long.
'…The Salvation Church.'
The Prophet of the Salvation Church, Lahamod, invaded the Elven Forest with a massive orc army and dark mages.
Caught off guard by the long-prepared invasion, the elves collapsed in vain.
In her final moments, Iraniel entrusted Erenes with the Seed of the World Tree. She gave Deneb the Blessing Stone of the race.
Then she opened an escape route so that Erenes and the Yulian Mercenaries could escape.
That day, the Elven Forest was destroyed. Iraniel lost her life.
After barely escaping, they encountered an envoy from the Pope.
'Lionel.'
Lionel was part of the papal envoy. He tried to take the Blessing Stone from Deneb.
But Deneb wouldn't easily hand over the Blessing Stone, which Iraniel had entrusted to him with her dying breath.
In the end, Lionel followed the Yulian Mercenaries, trying to persuade Deneb.
The Yulian Mercenaries then headed straight for the dwarves, anticipating that the Salvation Church would target them next.
But Valskrum fell even more pathetically than the Elven Forest.
'…Because of Torvalt.'
The dwarf prince who ran away after stealing the royal family's treasure, Gramdir.
When Grondal learned of this, he left Valskrum himself to capture Torvalt.
By the time Grondal returned, having heard the news too late, Valskrum was already reduced to ashes.
The Eternal Furnace was destroyed, but fortunately, the Salvation Church hadn't taken the Holy Stone.
Grondal barely managed to salvage the Holy Stone from the ruins, and he later gave it to the Saintess.
From that point on, he became a vessel of vengeance, devoting his life to fighting the Salvation Church.
'Torvalt…'
Torvalt had coincidentally run into the Yulian Mercenaries and joined them. After hearing what happened to Valskrum, he lived his life weighed down by guilt.
Like Grondal, Torvalt also sought revenge.
He never let go of Gramdir, the last treasure left by the fallen Valskrum. He tried everything to grow stronger, learning swordsmanship from Yulian and Kyle.
He became a rare dwarf who wielded a sword—and eventually reached the realm of superhumans, playing a crucial role in the Great War.
And yet, even though their paths crossed during the war, Grondal and Torvalt never exchanged a single word until death.
'And then…'
Suddenly, Erenes clutched her head. Her memories beyond that point had turned blurry.
No—more precisely, other memories, unfamiliar emotions, had started weaving in.
Were these scenes truly from her own past?
Doubt crept in.
Everything felt strange. Like she was peering into someone else's life.
Was this the kind of distance a theatergoer felt from the stage?
Drip… drip…
Blood began to fall from the tip of her nose.
"Grand Chieftain!"
"What's wrong!"
The startled elves rushed to her side.
Erenes raised a hand to stop them.
She kept focusing her mind, trying to untangle the mess in her head.
'…The Elven Forest.'
It wasn't destroyed.
The Yulian Mercenaries didn't save the elves and get invited to the forest. They visited as part of the papal envoy but were denied entry.
Then that lunatic named Astion snuck into the Elven Forest—to steal the Blessing Stone.
But thanks to the help of the Yulian Mercenaries, they were able to repel the Salvation Church's invasion.
Though Iraniel did expend some of her life force and weakened, she survived—and that was what mattered.
Afterward, Erenes gained Iraniel's permission and joined the Yulian Mercenaries.
'…Valskrum.'
It wasn't destroyed either.
Once again, the Yulian Mercenaries helped the dwarves.
Grondal and the Yulian Mercenaries repelled the Salvation Church's attack.
And because of that war, humanity gained the great being known as the Saintess.
Torvalt didn't wander the continent as a fugitive, but returned to Valskrum and grew as a warrior.
Yes, this is the correct memory.
Thanks to the Yulian Mercenaries… everything went well, and things turned out for the better.
Erenes was certain.
Then what on earth was the misunderstanding she had before? What were those previous memories?
'No…'
Her body began to tremble.
The Saintess didn't awaken in Valskrum.
Her awakening came much later—on another battlefield, in another place.
The memories were fragmented, mixed, and distorted. Even the flow of time didn't align.
Something was tangled.
Where had all those memories up until now come from?
What was false, and what was real?
Erenes quietly raised her head to the sky. Then she looked around.
Something felt off.
Suddenly, the world itself felt awkward, out of place.
As if she were the only foreign entity in this world.
Even though she was someone who had once reached enlightenment and harmony with the world.
– Sis! It's me, Astion!
'...…..'
– Sis, I know everything about you! I remember you said you'd be my girlfriend!
'...Astion?'
The sudden flash of memory left Erenes stunned.
The Astion she knew was always sensitive and irritable.
He never acted warmly toward anyone, nor was he particularly kind. He was just a cranky mage constantly plagued by headaches.
He had never acted so dumb.
But then...
Why did that version of him feel more familiar, more dear?
Why did it hurt so badly to see him like that?
Erenes, before she knew it, was smiling through her tears.
Ghislain…
Why had she called Astion Ghislain?
She was confused.
Her mind was still a tangled mess.
Unfamiliar memories, emotions she had never experienced, kept washing over her.
The past she had always believed she knew now felt more and more like a stranger's life.
And then, she realized one thing.
This strange phenomenon began after the Duke of Fenris collapsed.
The Duke Fenris had...
He had gone to the heart of the Forest of Demonic Beasts—what they called the Sealed Demon Realm—and then asked her,
– You said you used to travel with the Saintess, right?
– I did.
– The Saintess said she had met me before. And that we'd meet again. Then… have you met me before too?
– Are you insane?
– ...….
– The Saintess and I fought together a thousand years ago. So how the hell could you have met her?
Yes, they had definitely had that conversation.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Erenes's spine.
Inside the collapsed Duke Fenris's consciousness, there had been a "door" made of holy power.
She didn't know exactly what it was.
But she could guess that the Duke's consciousness had been drawn into that place.
Could it be...
If he truly met the Saintess…
If they had truly met a thousand years ago…
Then these memories surfacing now…
Erenes muttered blankly.
"Ghislain… you really…"
***
"Ghislain! You're seriously amazing!"
Erenes laughed as she wrapped her arms tightly around Ghislain's neck from behind. But Ghislain, with an indifferent look, shook her off without hesitation.
"Get off. It's hot."
Erenes pouted and furrowed her brow at Ghislain's indifferent response.
She genuinely thought Ghislain was incredible.
Even in this battle, which she believed they had no chance of winning, he had come out victorious.
Especially how he had dispersed their allies across different positions to minimize damage—that was a strategy she never would've thought of.
That kind of bold move—only Ghislain could've thought it up and pulled it off.
The more she saw him, the more impressed she became. That's why she praised him, but he just brushed it off like it was nothing!
That's strange. I heard human men like this kind of thing?
She had definitely read that humans liked it when elves clung to them. She'd seen it in storybooks too.
But reality was nothing like that. Ghislain didn't seem interested in her beauty at all.
The 'Astion' personality that had appeared before had gone crazy for her, though.
As Erenes pouted in frustration, Osval, who was packing up beside her, clicked his tongue.
"Tsk tsk, you can't just rely on your looks and throw yourself at him like that. Have you already forgotten what Lady Iraniel said? That looks aren't everything."
"…What?"
Erenes gave a baffled look.
All she wanted was to get a little closer to Ghislain. She was just trying to apply what she'd learned about humans.
Never mind her intentions—he, of all people, was saying looks weren't everything? The same guy who practically lost it over Yulian's appearance?
Whether she was stunned or not, Osval casually turned to Kyle beside him and said,
"Hey, when you think about it, isn't it strange? I just realized the unfairness of the world by looking at Erenes."
"…What is it now?"
"If you earn more money, you pay more taxes, right? That's considered fair by everyone."
"…Yeah?"
"Then why don't good-looking people pay more taxes too? Shouldn't there be a beauty tax to make things fair? Especially elves, they should pay several times more."
"…"
"Right? That'd be fair, wouldn't it? Don't you think so, brother?"
"…I don't know. Stuff like that."
"tsk tsk tsk, this is why we need ideological education and revolution. If I had any power, I'd lock them all up…"
As Osval's remarks grew more and more radical, both Erenes and Kyle wore awkward expressions.
That guy was always going on about seizing things or revolution—his words were starting to sound dangerous.
But Osval kept mumbling to himself, unbothered.
"A revolution is necessary… I need to gather like-minded people and raise our spears… Yes, I should write all this down. I'll definitely form a 'Revolutionary Corps' someday."
He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and started writing something. It seemed to be his personal thoughts and philosophy.
Everyone began to slowly distance themselves from Osval. He was the kind of guy you didn't want to be too friendly with.
Ghislain, as usual, didn't pay much attention to anything Osval said. He had long accepted that the world was full of all kinds of lunatics.
But lately, Osval's constant talk of "revolution" had started to bother him.
No way… is it because of him? Nah, couldn't be.
A group came to mind—one that had stirred up chaos across the continent far in the future.
It was a ridiculous leap in logic. The idea that Osval's extreme ideology would last a thousand years was absurd.
Even if he wrote it all down, there's no way it would survive for a thousand years. Probably someone else with similar ideas. Anyone could come up with that stuff.
That's what Ghislain thought and brushed it off.
Like with the "Dark Mage Duck incident," he was probably just being a bit oversensitive because past events had affected the future.
But unlike Ghislain's dismissive thoughts, Osval was writing fervently, vowing to himself.
"I might die before my revolution succeeds. If I get the chance, I should preserve my writings with a magical seal. That way someone in the future could see them and carry on my will. Oh, and since I travel a lot, I should engrave it on rocks or something in different places too. Even if someone just gets inspired, they might attempt a revolution."
Ambitiously, he hoped that his ideology would live on forever.
"Osval the Revolutionary. Man, that sounds cool. People need to be intellectual, after all."
Osval was immensely pleased with himself. He felt like he had become a true philosopher.
With that slightly dangerous chatter in the background, the Yulian Mercenaries quickly finished packing and prepared to leave.
Grondal shook hands with Ghislain and said,
"Next time, right? We'll settle who's stronger for real."
"Of course. It'll be a good match."
Both of them were utterly confident that they would win.
Maybe that's why, even though they were smiling, they both gripped each other's hands tightly.
Their handshake lasted oddly long.
They both still had smiles on their faces, but their cheeks were twitching, and their hands started to tremble from the strain.
"…Father, that's enough."
"…Ghislain, please."
Only after people stepped in to pry them apart did the two finally let go.
Both of their hands had turned pale from lack of blood flow, but their expressions looked like nothing had happened.
The Yulian Mercenaries departed from Valskrum with a grand send-off from the dwarves.
This expedition had been a success as well. They obtained the Holy Stone and won the dwarves' favor.
Now, the Yulian Mercenaries would be able to gain powerful support from both the elves and dwarves in the Great War.
But Ghislain wasn't satisfied with just that.
The Yulian Mercenaries must stand at the center.
Only then could he steer the war as he wished. Only then could no one dare to interfere with the Yulian Mercenaries.
Ghislain spread out the map. The next destination was quite far.
And for good reason—it was a forbidden land where humans couldn't live.
And there…
There resided the one who held the final Holy Stone not in the hands of man.
'…We meet again.'
Not in the past, but first in the future.
A being who split the sky and foretold the end of the world.
The final dragon who threatened all of humanity.
'The Dragon Lord, Artherion.'
It was time to face him.
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