novelraw Chapter 129 : Chapter 129
Chapter 129 : Chapter 129
Chapter 129. Aman (4)
“Are we still far?”
Aman licked his dry lips from the burning thirst and muttered with difficulty.
He had walked and walked towards the west for so many days and nights that he had lost track of time.
After leaving the fishing village that had saved him, he had walked without a single day of rest.
Towards the strange ruins, or what looked like a tower, that he had seen on the poster.
But the destination was nowhere in sight.
While walking on the endlessly sprawling, unfamiliar land, the little money he had was long gone, his sturdy clothes were worn and tattered, and the soles of his shoes were about to wear out completely.
And what about his body? There wasn't a single healthy spot.
Blisters repeatedly formed and burst on the soles of his feet, and his muscles constantly screamed.
Taking each and every step was agony itself.
‘I want to stop. I want to rest.’
A tempting whisper lingered in his ears, but Aman gritted his teeth and shook his head.
He couldn't stop here.
‘This is no longer just my problem. My hometown. No, the fate of this entire world is at stake.’
He swallowed the pain of another burst blister and took a step forward.
He had to meet the Hero and tell him.
Before Primus and Nox destroyed all the towers in Reubungwo.
But there are limits that cannot be overcome with human will alone.
In the end, his body collapsed first.
His vision blurred, his legs gave out, and he fell powerlessly onto the sandy beach.
The last thing he saw was the calm waves of a vast lake, glowing red under the setting sun.
It was a place called Lake Kalle.
‘Is this as far as I go…….’
As his consciousness gradually faded, he fell into a deep sense of powerlessness.
How much time had passed?
Unfamiliar words faintly reached the ears of Aman, who had lost consciousness.
He also felt a hand gently supporting him.
He mustered his last remaining strength and barely lifted his eyelids.
Through his blurred vision, he saw figures with pointed ears and slender bodies.
They were astonishingly beautiful, but they exuded a mysterious atmosphere that was somehow different from humans.
They exchanged some words with each other, then carefully lifted Aman's body and began to carry him somewhere.
Aman no longer had the strength, or the reason, to resist.
He fell back into a deep sleep, his last memory being of their retreating backs.
***
When Aman opened his eyes again, what he saw was yet another unfamiliar ceiling.
However, unlike the rustic fishing village hut from before, it was a wood pattern with a somewhat neat and nature-friendly feel.
He reflexively tried to sit up, but his muscles creaked and refused to obey.
‘Where is this?’
Before he could even pull himself together, he had to hold his breath at the sensation of something sharp aimed at his neck.
When he turned his head, a being with pointed ears and agile-looking movements was staring at him with a tautly drawn bowstring.
‘Elves!’
Aman was startled.
The legendary race he had only seen in old storybooks in his family's library as a child.
To think they actually existed!
With a bright face, he opened his mouth and spoke in clumsy but clear Elvish.
“I am not an enemy! I only came seeking help!”
At his words, the elf who had been aiming the bow widened her eyes in surprise.
She cried out as if in disbelief.
“How can a mere human speak our language? Where did you learn that language!” “My name is Aman, from an island in the East called Reubungwo. My family has been recording the languages and history of all races for generations.”
He muttered to himself with a dark face for a moment.
“Although I was too lazy to learn the continental language……”
At the mention of Reubungwo, the elves began to stir.
They whispered quickly among themselves.
“Reubungwo? Don't tell me he's from the Sage's Island?”
“Could he be his descendant?”
“To think the day would come when one who inherited that blood would set foot on this land again.”
‘Descendant?’
Aman did not miss their conversation.
His eyes sparkled.
“Do you know about the founder? The sage from the East who visited this continent a long time ago!”
At his cry, the elves fell silent for a moment, then exchanged glances and nodded.
The elf who had been aiming the bow lowered her bowstring and said.
“Follow us. The elder will want to see you.”
Aman followed the elves to their village, located deep in the forest.
Passing between beautiful buildings that were in perfect harmony with nature, he finally stood before the largest and oldest-looking wooden building.
What greeted him there was an old elf with a white beard and eyes that held deep wisdom.
The elf elder looked Aman up and down with a surprised face.
“They say you can speak our Elvish language?”
“Yes, that's right! It is an honor to meet the elf race in person, whom I have only encountered in ancient records! I heard that you disappeared from the continent a long time ago, but you were still alive!”
The elf elder smiled faintly and nodded.
“This place, Lake Kalle, is a sanctuary blessed by the goddess long ago. Thanks to that blessing, we have been able to continue our lineage here, away from the greed and wars of humans. But why have you come all this way, crossing that long road? Where are you trying to go?”
Aman took out a worn poster from his bosom and showed it to them.
It was a picture of the underground dungeon of Lumen Fortis.
The moment they saw the picture, the faces of the elf elder and the surrounding elves hardened coldly.
“Why are you making such expressions?”
The elf elder replied in a cold voice.
“They are our enemies!”
A young elf next to him also couldn't contain his anger and shouted.
“That's right! Because of their endless greed and arrogance, we who once roamed the continent freely are now forced to hide near this lake! And you dare to go to the den of humans?”
Aman was in a difficult position.
‘What should I do? I have to go there.’
He hesitated for a moment, but then opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
He desperately needed their help now.
He began to explain the terrible things that were happening in his hometown of Reubungwo.
The resurrection of Primus.
The conspiracy of Nox.
And the fact that the ancient towers that supported the balance of the world were being destroyed.
As his story continued, the elves' expressions grew more and more serious.
Finally, when the name of Primus was mentioned, the elf elder broke out in a cold sweat and trembled.
“Impossible. Primus… he has been resurrected!”
“You know him?”
“Of course I know him!”
The elder continued with a pained expression.
“He is the one who turned this land into ruins long ago! He was the first son sent by the goddess for the balance of this world, but he became intoxicated with his own power and arrogant, eventually defying the goddess's will and committing acts of destruction! The fall of our elf race was also greatly influenced by him!”
Aman couldn't hide his surprise at the elder's words.
And at the same time, he was certain.
“Then you must send me there all the more! I must quickly inform the Hero of this news and stop Primus's resurrection!”
At his desperate cry, another murmur arose among the elves.
A moment later, the elder opened his mouth as if he had made a decision after deep contemplation.
“I understand. This is no longer just a problem between us and the humans. The fate of the entire world is at stake.”
He looked at Aman's exhausted body and added.
“However, it is impossible for you to go to the west alone in your current state. I will assign a few elite warriors as your escort. They will guide you safely to your destination.”
Aman bowed his head deeply at the elf elder's words.
“Thank you so much! I will never forget this kindness!”
Thus, Aman finished preparing to start his journey to the west again, this time with a reliable escort of elves.
His steps were still heavy, but his eyes shone with a firm sense of mission to save the world.
***
The scenery that unfolded before my eyes was quite different from what I had expected.
“…This is Akaba?”
Noemi muttered, looking around with a bewildered expression.
It was the same for me.
I had heard it was an important fortress city that guarded the border, but the city before my eyes was completely unmanaged and desolate.
The building walls were covered in spiderwebs, and there wasn't a single person in sight on the streets.
Only a bleak wind swirled through the empty city, creating a gloomy atmosphere.
Number 1 frowned and said in a low voice.
“It seems they haven't used it at all since we left. It seems to have lost its function as a fortress.”
He was right.
To think that an important base that should be preparing for threats from the north was being neglected like this.
Had some unusual change occurred within the Durani Empire?
“Anyway, we don't have time to delay here. We still have a long way to go to the capital, so we must hurry.”
At Number 1's urging, we left Akaba behind and began to move quickly south.
I quietly asked Number 1.
“What kind of person is the Emperor?”
Number 1 replied in an emotionless voice.
“Well. He's a difficult person to define in one word.”
He chose his words for a moment and then added an explanation.
“He has been on the throne for over three hundred years. During that long time, he has been obsessed with only one thing, his own eternal life. Rather than the stability of the empire's people or the prosperity of the empire, he is obsessed with finding ways to extend his lifespan even a little, you could say he's a twisted king.”
It was exactly what Iris had told me.
An abnormal obsession with life.
Would such a person readily grant my request?
‘This negotiation won't be easy.’
I sighed inwardly.
But I couldn't back down.
I had to obtain that magic device, no matter what it took.
It took a whole week like that.
Finally, we were able to arrive in the capital of the Durani Empire, a huge city that preserved the glory of its brilliant past.
But what greeted us was not a welcoming crowd.
“……!!”
In the plaza in front of the city gate, an innumerable number of soldiers were lined up without a gap, waiting for us.
The sharp spear tips and gleaming armor reflected the sunlight, emitting an intimidating aura.
A tense security posture as if they were about to go to war.
Had my letter arrived first?
Or was there another reason?
In the center of the numerous soldiers, at the very front, stood an old man dressed in splendid golden robes.
His age was completely unpredictable from his appearance alone.
The deep wrinkles seemed to speak of long years, but his eyes shone more brightly than a young man's.
‘That's the Emperor of the Durani Empire.’
The moment our eyes met, I felt goosebumps all over my body.
It was not the gaze of an ordinary old man.
Within it, the cunning and greed accumulated over three hundred years were intertwined with a terrible obsession with life.
Rude, who was next to me, muttered with a tense face.
“That old man's gaze. It's not ordinary.”
Noemi also moved closer to my side, ready to fight at any moment.
On the other hand, the Emperor stared at me as if seeing right through me without saying a word.
As a tense tension filled the plaza, I slowly walked towards the Emperor.
‘Failure is not an option. I must succeed.’
That was the only thought in my head.