Chapter 114 Elizabeth (4)

“Get up.”

Yoon-seok woke up the fainted gatekeeper who lay under debris. Then he looked into his eyes and asked a simple question.

“Why did you lock her up?”

“..”

The gatekeeper only looked up at him with utter resentment but didn’t answer.

Fwhoosh!

Yoon-seok put fire attributes into Skywrath Energy and held the gatekeeper tightly by the wrist. Come to think of it, he had heard about this before. When the body burns, humans, feel the most pain. Then what if that pain was enhanced by 20 times? The answer could be roughly identified by the gatekeeper’s reaction.

“Argh! Arghhhhhh! Ugh, ugh, arghhhhhh!“

Screams poured out like a broken water pipe. At this point, it wouldn’t be strange if he went into shock, but he wouldn’t allow that kind of rest to happen. Yoon-seok sent Skywrath Energy into his body whenever his heart stopped beating and forced it to beat again.

“She is our savior. But you’re ruining the ceremony. Do you think you’ll be fine like this?”

The barely conscious gatekeeper lashed out. Yoon-seok tilted his head quietly.

“..Ceremony?”

He guessed it wasn’t just about locking her up. Something else was going on. Perhaps after the ceremony, Elle might experience an awakening and appear as the final boss.

“Why were her eyes removed?”

“It’s part of the ceremony. Only then will we be able to face this unclean world with truth.”

“Crazy bastards.”

He couldn’t stand it because he was angry.

“You’re calling that child your savior?”

“Don’t mock our long-cherished wishes and kill me now. I’ve already contacted the headquarters; you’ll never be safe.”

Yoon-seok laughed as if he was at a loss for words. Kill him? He would do it even if he didn’t ask.

“I will until all the roots are ripped out. Everything.”

This was a recreated world. Whatever he did here, nothing changed. But Yoon-seok pledged to do so.

Yoon-seok came out of the portal holding Elle using Skywrath Energy in one hand. The moment he landed on the ground.

“That’s him!”

“Kill him!”

He now met the monsters and heathens who didn’t show up after searching for them. There were about 1,000 of them. Was it because he was looking down from above? It looked like a collection of disgusting bugs. He didn’t even have to do it with his own hands.

‘Judgment of the Ruined Monarch.’

The sky darkened, and a flash of light descended. No one survived through the judgment of light. Yoon-seok, who looked blankly at the spot where they disappeared without a trace, soon turned his head.

‘Let’s leave for now.’

Yoon-seok hugged Elle and walked for a while. He was going to leave the mountain and move to a safe place so he could listen to Elle’s story. However.

「You cannot leave the specified area.」

He couldn’t leave the mountain. This kind of trick wasn’t something the Tower could withstand. Perhaps it was the same with the Holy Trinity Cult’s outposts.

‘Do we have no choice but to wait?’

Yoon-seok, returning to the mountain entrance, used Lady’s Commandment so no one could sense them. Then, he inserted Skywrath Energy into Elle’s unconscious body to soothe her wounds. Not long after, her skin regained its color, and her bruises from the chains tightened. But her removed eyes couldn’t recover.

“Mister..?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not that man.”

“..Then who are you? Where are we?”

There was a slight sense of alertness in her voice. Yoon-seok answered after thinking for a while.

“You.. no, someone you know sent me here to protect you. I don’t know where we are, but you’re safe for now.”

“Someone I know? Is it the man? Did he send you? To get me out of that hell? No, then why didn’t he come by himself?”

Did she feel any hope from Yoon-seok’s excuse? Elle bombarded him with questions like a storm. Somehow it felt like he gave her candy and took it away from her again. His heart felt heavy as she asked more questions.

“Who is that man you’re talking about?”

“Mister is the one who saved me over and over again. If I had listened to him, all of this wouldn’t have happened..”

It seemed like he was a benefactor to her. Albeit curious, Yoon-seok postponed the matter because there was something he had to confirm first.

“Elle, I’ll help you even if you don’t answer, but I have a few questions. Do you know Pontiff Kanna Blitz?”

“How can I forget her when she’s the one who worked to get me out of that hell.”

Later, Yoon-seok asked about her journey from Edenbahm Castle to Jarisman Port, and Elle said she didn’t remember the name in detail since it was a long time ago, but she thought it was right.

“Can you explain what happened from then to now?”

Perhaps it was a memory she didn’t want to recall as Elle began to tremble. But Yoon-seok didn’t back down. The ending of the last mission was merely recreated based on the original story. Yoon-seok came here to find out what happened originally.

“As I said before, it was too long ago.”

“But it’s okay. Please tell me what you remember.”

“..Okay.”

Elle slowly recalled her memory and spoke, and Yoon-seok listened without interrupting. There was quite a gap between the recreated world and the real world. First of all, the actual mercenaries weren’t as strong as the challengers. Around the 7th day of the guarding mission, the mercenaries couldn’t stop the heathens and lost Elle. Yet..

“A few days later, that man saved my life.”

Elle, who was moved somewhere in the hands of heathens, was saved by a man. The man’s name was Rick Gerssey.

“He was one of the mercenaries who protected Kanna and me. He said he had been tracing me at Kanna’s request.”

“Rick Gerssey..?”

Yoon-seok stiffened at the unexpected mention of that name. If he’d remember correctly, it was the name Yoon-seok used in his last mission.

‘Did that happen during the last mission?’

Suddenly, such doubts arose, but on second thought, it was a ridiculous assumption. The story itself was completely different in the first place. Elle wasn’t kidnapped by the heathens but reached the port, which was her destination with Kanna.

“Do you know him?”

“..No, it’s an unusual name. If you don’t mind, could you finish the story?”

“Yes..”

Although he was a Rank F mercenary, Rick Gerssey was strong. It wasn’t beyond human abilities like Yoon-seok, but he was capable of rescuing Elle after the long battle and returning to his original place in pursuit. But when they were returning, Kanna Blitz was not there.

Eventually, Rick Gerssey took Elle and started running away from the heathens. For as long as three years.

“But I made a mistake. As mister said, it wouldn’t have happened if I just stayed at home..”

Elle broke her promise and was brought back to the heathens, and she was stuck in that stone room earlier. Of course, Elle didn’t know what happened to Rick Gerssey afterward.

“He’s alive, right? Isn’t he? He isn’t hurt because of me, right?”

Elle’s breathing fastened, and her shoulders were shaking. At the same time, drops of blood flowed over the wound instead of tears.

Tuk.

Yoon-seok put Elle to sleep. The first reason was that he wanted her to rest for a while as she was exhausted, and the second was..

“So many gathered.”

He was sure what would happen from now on wouldn’t be good for the child’s emotions. Yoon-seok lifted Lady’s Commandment and came out. There was no need to search around: bugs were swarming in.

The night passed, and morning dawned. He didn’t know how many monsters and heathens died last night. He hadn’t counted. However, there were only traces of destruction around the spot where Yoon-seok spent the night as if God’s wrath had been cast on the ground.

‘Is it day eight now..?’

Yoon-seok, who was watching the sunrise, turned to Elle. The effect of his skill would wear off soon, but she was still asleep.

‘She must be exhausted....’

Leaving Elle, Yoon-seok walked from the realm of the law.

Thud. Thud. Clack.historical

He didn’t summon them, but guests were heading his way. The group wasn’t as large as the Holy Trinity Cult, with only about 300 people. The group, which looked like some kind of special troop, also included the Red Wolf mercenaries.

“W-why are you here..?”

Did he receive a promotion in the meantime? Miller, who was at the forefront as if he’d become the chief, spoke when he discovered Yoon-seok. They weren’t on friendly terms, but Yoon-seok explained the situation first. He didn’t go into detail, but he went around it roughly. The main point was that he found this kid, and he chose to change the scenario because the options appeared. Miller, who heard everything silently, frowned.

“I was wondering why the scenario suddenly changed, so you were the culprit. Let her go. Then you won’t die.”

“I refuse. As I said, it’s my duty to protect this child.”

Coins disappeared from the 10th floor. That was, if he failed the mission, he would die for real. Miller shouted in frustration.

“So why did you make that choice?!”

“That’s not your business, is it?”

Miller’s expression hardened.

“As long as she’s in the sacred land, we’re being told where she is in real-time. No, not only for us but also for them. But do you think you can survive?”

Just as how the monsters and heathens appeared uninvited last night, he wondered how they knew how to get here, but they were able to track their location. He was grateful that he knew now. But there was no need for interference.

“I’ll take responsibility for my choice.”

“Responsibility? Do you even know what responsibility means?”

“Yes, so why don’t you just go back?”

This was Yoon-seok’s consideration. The 45-day battle was what the mission was all about, so they wouldn’t fail the mission if they returned. Of course, he would understand the ambition of challengers since Elle was an additional challenge.

But Miller didn’t know. He didn’t know that if he rejected this proposal, the only responsibility he could take for the choice was that he might lose.

“I knew you were a weirdo from the start, but I didn’t expect you to be in it so deep.”

Miller laughed. It wasn’t a strange response. That was how most of them reacted before he pulled out his sword and showed his true self.

Shift.

Yoon-seok pulled out his sword and drew it through the ground. He didn’t want to waste more time on meaningless arguments.

“If you cross this line, I’ll wield my sword against you.”

Yoon-seok clearly stated his intention. If he ignored this, the consequences of the choice would be his. But Miller smirked and said.

“It sounds like you can defeat all of us on your own?”

Yoon-seok also smiled behind his mask. It was a question he didn’t even feel the need to answer.