novelraw Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Ch.17 Thus, Mother and Daughter Bloom in Conversation
Leah, who witnessed the dark underbelly of the world.
Her mind was tangled, staring blankly at the ground.
Though she didn’t deeply believe in religion, seeing those specters stirred a strong desire to believe in a god.
Souls who received no salvation from the divine.
She didn’t want to become a monster that only craved the bodies of the living, like them.
Fortunately, the ghosts couldn’t fly into the sky—they could only curse Leah without being able to harm her.
Thus, even as she stared blankly at them, she remained safe.
While Leah was lost in fear and despair over death, the ghosts’ forms gradually began to fade.
—Pip?
As the ghosts faded, Pipi tilted its head curiously.
Pipi gently pecked Leah’s hand, lost in thought, and only then did her eyes refocus.
“Huh?”
Leah finally noticed the ghosts disappearing.
Pipi chirped at her, as if asking if she was alright.
—Pip?
‘What exactly did I just see?’
Seeing the unbelievable existence of ghosts, she resolved to find out who they were and how they could exist in this world.
After all, she was a mage who sought the truths of the world.
Most likely, her master knew about ghosts—things she didn’t know.
As a mage who pursued the truths of all things, she resolved to learn about death and ghosts.
And she was certain the answer lay with her master.
Having reached that conclusion, Leah headed toward the mine to find her master.
She wanted to meet him as soon as possible to resolve her questions, but her master didn’t emerge from the mine for quite a long time.
‘When will he come out? Stupid master.’
Thinking inwardly about her master, who kept her waiting, she stared at the mine entrance.
The deep, deep mine.
Looking at the thick darkness inside, Leah thought,
‘If I go in blindly, we might miss each other.’
She had explored dungeons and mines multiple times during her time in the Hero Party.
Thus, she knew well how complex the interiors of such mines could be.
‘Besides, there might be multiple exits.’
Leah, waiting for Hans to emerge.
‘When will he come out?’
After waiting for a long time with no sign of her master, she grew impatient but forced herself to endure.
Deciding to wait a little longer, Leah kicked an innocent rock near the mine entrance while waiting.
But as the situation persisted with no sign of movement, Leah’s thoughts changed.
‘Maybe something happened to him.’
She didn’t think her master, so strong, could have been defeated.
But recalling his recent absentminded behavior, she wondered if he’d fallen into some trivial trap. Leah began debating whether she should go look for him.
‘If he’s in danger…’
Leah, pondering for a long time.
“Hmm… I guess I’ll have to search for him myself. Fly.”
As she spoke the activation word, her body slowly lifted off the ground.
Rising gradually into the sky, Leah thought inwardly,
‘I didn’t really want to use detection magic…’
After being shocked that her master hadn’t told her when he crossed to the New Continent, she secretly cast a location-tracking spell on Hans.
Secretly enough that even a master skilled in magic wouldn’t notice.
Of course, even if she hadn’t been secretive, Hans wouldn’t have noticed—but she didn’t know that.
It was insurance, in case her master vanished like the wind again.
Looking at the mountain peaks, Leah debated whether to use the location-tracking spell.
She wondered multiple times if she was stalking her master.
‘Right. My master might have gotten lost in the dungeon. So using it isn’t wrong—I have to save him, don’t I?’
Rationalizing that Hans might be in danger, Leah quietly whispered,
“Eternal Hunt.”
As the activation word flowed from her lips, something sparkling appeared in her vision.
‘Master? When did he come out?’
Seeing a sparkling red light on the opposite side of the mountain range, Leah jumped to a conclusion.
‘So the mine connects to the other side?’
In truth, he was trying to escape and hadn’t anticipated Leah’s obsession.
Unaware of that fact, Leah flew toward Hans.
***
“Haaah!”
I stretched, gazing at the slowly setting sun.
Fortunately, after passing through the cave, I finally emerged outside.
Exploring the dark cave relying only on a single Light Ball hadn’t been easy.
But at least I’d escaped from Leah.
“Haa… I’m finally alive.”
Feeling a refreshing sense of liberation from dangerous, murderous Leah.
I knew the New Continent’s map by heart, but Leah didn’t know its geography—so I figured if I slipped away properly, I’d be safe.
While I was sighing in relief…
“Master! What are you doing here?”
Startled by the voice from above, I looked up…
—Whoosh.
Leah landed beside me.
“Le… Leah? How did you get here?”
How did she get here? Could she have noticed I was trying to escape?
No, that can’t be. That’s impossible.
In that brief instant, I frantically pondered how to escape this predicament.
“Master! What exactly are ghosts?”
Caught off guard by Leah’s sudden question, I stupidly replied,
“Huh? Ghosts?”
Ghosts are monsters newly added to the New Continent with the Dragon War expansion.
They’re low-level mobs summoned by new classes like Voodoo Shamans or Necromancers.
“Yes. They seem completely different from zombies. They seem to have self-awareness, so they’re similar to high-level undead… but their uniquely eerie atmosphere doesn’t make them seem like undead at all.”
To her words, I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
“They’re undead, mainly inflicting curses or mental attacks. But they’re not that strong. If you get support magic from a priest, your attacks will land.”
Their immunity to physical and magical attacks seems overpowered, but they always suffer critical hits from divine power.
Plus, their HP is lower than an average man’s, so they’re easy to kill.
In short, if your party has a priest, they’re just regular mobs to handle easily.
To my words, Leah asked in surprise,
“But I’ve never seen undead like this before. They seem like a completely different category from liches or dark knights.”
To that, I nodded.
“That’s right. Usually, only Voodoo Shamans or Necromancers can summon ghosts.”
“Voodoo Shamans? Necromancers?”
Voodoo Shamans are the indigenous class of the New Continent’s natives.
I recall the setting that Necromancers were created when people from the Old Continent secretly adopted and modified them.
“Yeah. Voodoo Shamans are what we call the native shamans here. And Necromancers are a class that uses modified versions of the magic used by those Voodoo Shamans. Of course, neither class is particularly welcomed.”
It’s only natural they aren’t welcomed, since they deal with the dead and specters.
Leah fell into deep thought at my words.
“Then… do we become ghosts when we die?”
To that, I shook my head.
“No. To become a ghost, you must die under a curse or harbor so much resentment you can’t leave this world.”
But how did she find this place?
What happened that brought her here?
Judging roughly, it didn’t seem like she’d noticed I was trying to escape.
Curious about her presence here, I asked,
“But how did you know to come here?”
To my question, Leah replied with a slightly fearful expression.
“Well… ghosts appeared….”
While floating in the air using Fly magic after being attacked by ghosts, she happened to spot me—internally, I was dumbfounded.
Tch… I’ll have to look for another chance to escape later.
“But Master, why are you here?”
Seeing me emerge from the other side of the mountain range, Leah looked at me curiously. I shrugged and replied,
“Oh? I explored the mine and came out over here.”
I pointed to the large cave behind me, and Leah approached it, saying,
“That looks like a natural cave?”
“Yeah, it seems to be connected to the ore vein.”
I lied smoothly, hiding my intention to escape.
“Hmm… I see. Next time, I should just stay by your side. Ah! Right. Teach me how to use divine power too.”
“Huh…?”
Leah’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“How to use divine power. I want to use divine power too.”
Mountains beyond mountains.
***
Late night.
Mia went to visit her mother.
She hadn’t had time to be fully with her family since the parade that started at noon and the banquet that began in the evening.
“You’ve come?”
Mia’s mother, the Elf Queen.
An elf with long golden hair and a gentle smile.
A queen who wisely navigated conflicts with human nations targeting elves for hundreds of years, bringing peace and prosperity.
She spoke with a bright smile.
“Yes. How have you been? I heard news through rumors and letters, but I always worried about you and couldn’t sleep well.”
Mia replied with an embarrassed expression.
“The Sage helped me a lot—it wasn’t much.”
In truth, the Sage had sent her letters, informing her of artifacts that would aid her growth, allowing her to develop smoothly.
Though her own efforts allowed her potential to blossom, Mia believed all her achievements were thanks to the Sage.
Of course, the Sage wouldn’t think so, but Mia’s high regard for him was undeniable.
“Hehe. The Sage… I’ve lived a long life, but I’ve never seen such a mysterious being. To wield both divine power and magic—it’s truly an enigmatic existence.”
In ancient times, now long gone, even dragons didn’t possess divine power.
The Elf Queen, who had met dragons symbolizing endless magic and wisdom, knew how astonishing this was.
Even the angels, who ascended to heaven following God’s command, couldn’t wield magic.
The inability to wield both divine power and magic was a natural law decreed by the gods.
But the Sage ignored that law, existing beyond the world’s rules.
Merely a human, no less.
“So, did you meet him often?”
Though her youngest daughter’s romantic interest was unusual, the Queen, believing he wasn’t a bad person, asked with a mother’s supportive heart.
Mia’s face flushed slightly.
Even with family, romance was quite embarrassing.
“I met him occasionally in the Imperial capital.”
On the day she resolved to give herself to him, Mia informed her family according to tradition.
Thus, her family couldn’t possibly be unaware of her admiration for him.
“So, has our future son-in-law treated you well?”
If Hans heard himself called ‘son-in-law’ by the Elf Queen, he’d panic and foam at the mouth—but unfortunately, he wasn’t here.
“Not yet… he doesn’t know my feelings.”
Mia’s face flushed shyly.
If Scarlet or her comrades saw her now, they’d be shocked.
After all, she always showed a cold demeanor.
For her to blush like this?
Neither Hans nor any of their former comrades could easily imagine it.
Elves, after all, only show their true selves to those they trust like family.
Seeing her daughter’s expression, the Queen looked surprised.
“Oh my? You haven’t told him yet?”
“No… he still doesn’t know.”
Seeing Mia speak shyly, it was hard to imagine she’d become the Elf Queen who collected human skins in the original story.
Seeing her daughter like this, the Queen smiled mischievously.
“Hehe, when did our Mia grow up so much?”
The Queen recalled the elves today, chanting Mia’s name as she returned to the World Tree.
The image of elves cheering for their daughter, now grown and having defeated the Demon King, remained vivid.
“I was already grown up long ago.”
She was already over 200 in elf years, so technically an adult, but compared to the eternally living Elf Queen, she was still clearly young.
“Yes, you’ve truly grown up. You said you’ll head back to the Imperial capital again, right?”
The Emperor was preparing a grand festival to commemorate the Demon King’s defeat.
The Queen and Mia both assumed she’d stop by the Imperial capital, meet the Sage, and then head to the World Tree.
“Yes. This time, I have to bring him with me.”
Mia had two reasons for going to the Empire.
Officially, to maintain friendly relations with the Empire, the dominant power of the Old Continent—but in truth, to meet the Sage and bring him here.
“Yes. Bring him with you.”
If Mia, a High Elf, married the Sage, she’d lose her right to the throne under elf law.
But since her youngest daughter was already deeply infatuated with him, there was nothing to be done.
If Mia had been an only child, it would have caused great turmoil—but fortunately, she had older sisters and brothers.
Anyway.
“Hehe, rest well until you leave and tell me all about your travels.”
The Elf Queen considered it a great pride that her youngest daughter had defeated the mighty Demon King.
A great hero who saved the world from the Demon King’s hands.
It had been a long time since a hero emerged from the Elf Kingdom.
Thus, the Queen, eager to hear the stories left untold in letters, and Mia, who understood her mother’s heart.
Thus, mother and daughter bloomed in conversation.
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