novelraw Chapter 138 : Chapter 138
Chapter 138 : Chapter 138
Chapter 138. The Easternmost Village (1)
As I rode eastward with the elf escort, a familiar landscape came into Aman's view.
The small fishing village where he had first set foot on this strange continent.
The place where the nameless middle-aged couple who found and cared for him so devotedly, and the pure, blue-eyed girl, lived.
‘So I've come back here after all.’
Aman was overcome with emotion.
If he had not been able to leave Reubungwo.
Or if he had not been able to cross that vast ocean.
Even if he had miraculously arrived here, if he had not been discovered by that girl's family.
He would have been a cold corpse by now.
He would not have met the Hero (Yongsa) nor would he have been able to inform him of the crisis in his homeland.
‘I was really lucky.’
He reined in his horse, slowing down, and spoke to Frank.
Soon, Anonymous, who was riding the same horse, translated for him.
“Sir Hero (Yongsa). May I go into the village first? The villagers might be surprised if a large group like us suddenly appears, so I think it would be better for me to go first, explain the situation, and ask for their understanding.”
Frank thought for a moment and then nodded.
“That's a good idea. Then, go with Anonymous. You won't be able to communicate on your own.”
“Thank you!”
Aman immediately rode with Anonymous towards the village.
As he had expected, the villagers were startled by the sudden reappearance of the young Eastern man.
And by the beautiful girl he had brought with him.
Of course, they would never have guessed that this girl was actually the queen of dragons.
Aman greeted them warmly through Anonymous' translation and once again expressed his deep gratitude for saving him.
Did his sincerity get through?
The villagers let down their guard and welcomed him warmly.
Aman looked around, searching for the young girl who had first found him.
Soon, someone appeared from the direction of the coast.
It was the girl Aman had been looking for.
As soon as the girl saw Aman, she smiled brightly and ran to him, throwing her arms around him in an embrace.
Aman, feeling awkward yet warm, patted the girl's back.
And he noticed the old wooden necklace he had given her hanging around her neck.
‘The Tear of the Sea God. Fortunately, she didn't lose it.’
With a troubled face, but firmly, he asked Anonymous to translate.
“Please tell the young lady. Can I have that necklace back? It's actually very precious to me, and I really need it right now.”
Even before Anonymous translated his words.
Surprisingly, the little girl seemed to have understood his intentions just from Aman's expression and his desperate eyes.
She carefully removed the necklace without a moment's hesitation and handed it to Aman.
Then, she spoke clearly in the continental language.
“This is important, right? I'll give it back to you. Take it.”
At that moment, the sea breeze blew her hair.
Aman couldn't fully understand her words, but he could certainly grasp the meaning.
He took the necklace preciously and held the girl's small hand tightly.
“Thank you so much! I will never forget this kindness. If... if I can ever come back, I promise to give you something much more valuable and better than this!”
It was right at that moment, as Aman was making a promise with the girl.
Wooooong-
A rumbling sound as if the ground was shaking came from the village entrance, along with the murmuring of many people.
Where the startled villagers looked, Frank's main force had arrived.
But its scale and composition were beyond imagination.
There were dozens of well-trained soldiers, of course, as well as a group of short but sturdy-looking dwarves.
And even mystical elves, as if they held the spirit of the forest.
The army, composed of various races, exuded an immense sense of pressure just by its existence.
It must have been a sight the people of the small fishing village had never seen in their lives.
“Wh-what is that!”
“Elves and even dwarves? What on earth is happening?”
The villagers began to stir in fear.
“Everyone, calm down! It's alright, everyone, calm down!”
Aman tried to calm them, but it was not enough.
At that very moment.
Frank stepped forward and shouted in a low voice.
“I am Frank Pendragon, the representative of the Continental Alliance and the lord of Lumen Fortis.”
His voice had a power that reassured people.
“We have not come to harm you. We just need to impose on you for a short while here to cross the eastern sea. I promise to provide sufficient compensation for everything we need.”
At his identity and his polite yet dignified attitude, the villagers' commotion began to subside.
Aman looked at Frank's figure and admired him once again.
Leadership that calms and leads people even in a confusing situation.
‘As expected of the Hero (Yongsa).’
At his composed appearance, Aman nodded.
He too would lend his strength to the journey to save the world, by the side of that hero.
A firm resolve filled his eyes.
***
Fifteen days had already passed since we arrived here.
The easternmost coastal village was transforming into a huge shipyard.
The soldiers I brought and the villagers who originally lived here joined forces to cut down and carry huge trees from the surrounding forest.
The dwarves who had joined us also began to build the frames of the ships at an astonishing speed using those materials.
Thang! Thang! Thang!
The coast echoed with the incessant sound of hammering.
There was still a severe shortage of manpower, but soon the main force from Lumen Fortis and the support troops dispatched from each allied nation would arrive one after another.
Until then, we had to prepare as many ships as possible.
I watched the bustling scene and took a stroll along the beach with Aman for a moment.
In his hand was the Tear of the Sea God, which had now returned to its original owner, no longer belonging to a strange foreigner.
I looked at the ordinary-looking wooden necklace and said.
“Is this really the mysterious magic device that puts the sea monsters of that cursed strait to sleep? It looks too ordinary. I thought the Tear of the Sea God would be some kind of blue jewel.”
Aman touched the necklace preciously and replied.
“It may look like ordinary wood on the outside, but it is not, Sir Hero (Yongsa). This was made from a part of the root of the World Tree, a giant tree in my homeland of Reubungwo that is said to support the world.”
“The World Tree?”
I asked again.
A setting I had never heard of in the original version of PP.
‘What kind of place is Reubungwo? The Sage of the East, the tower that seals Primus, and even a World Tree…….’
My head was spinning from the story development that was so different from the game I knew.
I asked Aman the question I was most curious about.
“Is there any story about Primus that has been passed down specifically to your clan?”
Aman nodded as if it were a matter of course.
“Of course. In the first place, the reason for our clan's existence was solely to stop him.”
He looked out at the distant sea for a moment, then heavily opened his mouth and began a shocking story.
“In fact, the first humans Primus ever created were our ancestors in Reubungwo. Having received the power of creation from the goddess, he wanted to test his abilities. He used the characteristic of the island being cut off from the outside world to conduct a kind of experiment to see if the new beings he created could survive on their own, form a civilization, and prosper.”
The first humans were in Reubungwo?
I couldn't hide my surprise.
“Then why did you, the first humans, have to live trapped on that small island?”
If the first humans had the appearance of Easterners like Aman, they were as good as nonexistent on the continent.
It had been a long time since I came here, but I had never seen an Easterner other than Aman.
Aman replied with a bitter smile.
“Because we were failures.”
“What? Failures?”
“Yes. We don't know the exact reason, but our ancestors could hardly have children. Unlike what Primus intended, the procreation of the race was impossible. According to the records, if ten couples married, only three or four of them could barely have one child.”
“What does that…….”
I was so shocked that I couldn't continue.
This wasn't just a matter of infertility.
This was a structure where the entire clan could not last long, heading straight for extinction.
“Then how were you able to survive until now?”
“Our founder, the one you call the Sage of the East, Sir Hero (Yongsa), found a solution. He discovered that if our clan drank water in which the leaves of the World Tree were brewed, our reproductive ability would return to normal.”
The leaves of the World Tree?
I suddenly had a question.
“Wait. Something's strange? How old was that founder? If Primus created the first humans, it would be a story from tens of thousands of years ago.”
Aman understood my question and explained.
“Ah, he was not the first human created directly by Primus. He is their distant descendant. However, his contribution in discovering the secret of the World Tree and saving our clan from the brink of extinction was so great that we honor him as our founder and sage.”
Only then did I understand everything.
I nodded and patted his shoulder.
“Your clan must have suffered a lot. By any chance, how many survivors are there in Reubungwo now?”
At my question, Aman's face darkened rapidly.
A deep sadness and anger flickered in his eyes.
Seeing his expression, I realized I had said something I shouldn't have.
It was just a guess, but there must be almost no one left alive due to Nox's invasion.
“I'm sorry. I misspoke.”
Aman shook his head as if it were okay, but his eyes were red.
He grabbed my hand and asked with a desperate look in his eyes.
“Sir Hero (Yongsa)! We can beat them, right? We can defeat Primus and Nox and regain peace, right?”
Desperation was evident in his voice.
I held his hand back, smiled gently, and answered with a confident voice.
“Of course. We are on the side of justice. Whatever it is, justice always wins in the end.”
At my answer, a bright smile finally blossomed on Aman's face.
I slowly raised my head and looked beyond the far eastern sea.
There lies the source of all this tragedy, and the final boss of this world.
‘Can we win?’
To be honest, it was difficult to gauge our chances of victory.
The opponent was too powerful, while the information I had was meager.
But I couldn't back down.
‘No. We must win.’
For my daughters, for my comrades.
And for all these people who believe in and follow me.
Perhaps this desperate battle is the real reason I came to this world.
I clenched my fists once more, renewing my resolve.