Chapter 114 - People who do not know each other (2)

Absilon.

An imperial word that means elf tea.

However, long ago the word referred more to imperial teas than elf teas.

"The number of suicides among young noble sons has begun to increase significantly."

The aroma spreading is refreshing enough to remind you of a forest, and the taste in the mouth is spicy enough to brighten your eyes.

Absilon, which was not only a passing fad but also had great practical utility, spread by word of mouth among young nobles.

"But when we found out that this was the cause, it was already too late."

The gray hooded man looked at the pouch in his hand and smiled with empty hands.

"Suicide, does the tea called Absilon cause some kind of hallucination?"

"No."

The gray-hooded man looked at Vlad and shook his head.

"If there had been such serious side effects from the beginning, we would have noticed long ago."

Any medicine called a medicine will surely cause severe side effects.

Drugs are those that cause not only mental confusion but also various negative physical effects, making normal activities in society impossible.

"So, what are the side effects of Absilon?"

If there are no serious side effects, there's no big problem, right?

The gray-hooded man sighed at Vlad's obvious question.

"High dependency, exceptionally strong excitement effects, and depression."

"What can you do with that?"

Vlad stopped laughing when he learned about the side effects of Absilon.

Did you really want to talk so seriously about this level of side effects?

However, unlike Vlad's indifferent reaction, the gray-hooded man was only speaking seriously.

"It's the kind of depression that makes you want to jump out the window in front of your mother."

"…Mmm."

Vlad, who didn't think it was a big deal, stopped and closed his mouth with a stifled breath.

The weight of the response he heard was so heavy that he felt sorry for daring to laugh at it.

"Today's youth are always depressed. Such are the times."

Possibility is something beautiful, and youth who can express it in their own world are precious.

That's why you must protect that moment.

"That's why I didn't realize."

The first founding king, Frausen.

He was a person who cared for and loved children and the potential of youth.

However, contrary to the will of the first king, the current empire could no longer offer a future to the youth.

The empire's weakened situation continued to push future comrades into dangerous battlefields, and those who had already taken their positions no longer left glorious positions for the youth.

These were depressing times for everyone.

"So, shouldn't it be banned by law?"

He didn't know much about the law, but if it's such a dangerous product, it would be right to ban it anyway.

However, the gray-hooded man only smiled like a sigh at Vlad's innocent question.

Look at this innocent youth.

A child who doesn't know the dark web that stretches into the depths of this world.

"…Someone's misfortune is another person's happiness."

The gray-hooded man opened the opening of his pouch and began to pour out the elf tea leaves.

Tea leaves fluttering in the wind.

The elf tea leaves, fluttering like ashes, flowed slowly through the dirty mud of the dark alley.

"Absilon's interests are already deeply rooted in the depths of the empire. It's so bad that it can't be stopped with just the death of a few people."

Absilon makes money.

And money turns into power.

The powerful people of this era were people who didn't care at all about buying the bright gold of young people's death.

"I want to stop it."

An unknown marauder.

A retiree with a tattered hood.

However, he was a person who saved someone's life as much as the weight of the tea leaves he plundered.

The sword of the man he found that day on the stone bridge was so shining that Vlad dared not take it.

***

Dark night.

Vlad was quietly climbing the hill alone at the city entrance.

Although not very high, it was a place with a view of the urban landscape.

From there, looking towards the city of Tanovo, Vlad could see that what the man in the gray hood had said was correct.

"…That's right."

In any city, there were surely places where light didn't reach.

The existence of slums was a phenomenon that occurred naturally regardless of the ruler's ability.

"It was built not too long ago."

However, what Vlad saw now seemed a bit different.

A boundary in the form of a line between the center and the outskirts of a poor neighborhood.

Vlad's eyes were drawn to the outskirts' slums that suddenly changed color instead of slowly accumulating and being dyed the same color.

"…"

There must be a reason for the sudden increase in the size of the slums.

When people are pushed out of the ground they stand on, stories are likely to emerge.

Vlad, who knew this, turned his head and looked at the large building near the slums.

A four-story building whose lights don't go out even though it's a dark night.

Depressing smoke billowed from the chimney atop the building.

"It's the same everywhere."

The city of Tanovo is becoming richer over time, and the Vitskaya family is consolidating as a new power in the central region.

However, the residents who should have enjoyed the benefits were increasingly pushed to the outskirts of the city and used to manufacture drugs.

Everywhere, the powerless were crushed by the vast world and struggled.

Vlad began to descend the hill, spitting out the bitter energy rising from within him onto the ground.

"I guess I should do this."

I owe my life on the stone bridge.

He also has an idea about the voice.

And Count Vitskaya also has a personal debt to settle.

There would be no reason to worry about the proposal of the man in the gray hood.

"Kill the dragon, use the imperial sword, and make friends with spirits here and there."

However, there was something else troubling Vlad's mind.

'What the hell did you do?'

A person related to spirits, who probably killed a dragon, and, above all, a person who uses the imperial sword.

The more Vlad learned about the clues about the voice, the more confused he felt.

How did a person who was obviously as grand as a black lightning bolt come to me?

Vlad was now more curious to know why than about the identity of the voice.

***

Even though it was winter, the forest was lush and green.

No matter how much he looked up, there were houses so tightly packed that it was hard to see them beneath the trees.

No, there were trees that looked like houses.

Elf forest. Ausrina.

There was a busy man in the place that dominated the World Tree.

"Varadis! The priestess…"

"…I know."

He was trying to maintain his usual calm expression, but even now his dark blue eyes were constantly trembling.

"Open the door."

"Yes."

Varadis, escorted by his subordinates, entered the largest tree under the World Tree.

In a huge tree that would have been 10 stories tall if it were a human building, there was a tree that naturally took the form of a house even though no one had touched it.

"Are you here? Varadis."

"…Excuse me for the delay."

"No."

The closest place to the World Tree.

Varadis, who ran up to the highest point of the tree, bowed his head as he looked at the elders who were already waiting for him.

"Is it a revelation?"

"I suppose so."

The eldest among the elders.

The old elf, as cracked as an old tree, nodded silently, holding his staff.

However, although his face was hardened by age, there was an anticipation in his eyes that could not be hidden.

"…This is really the first revelation I've received in a long time."

A story of hardships and trials.

It may have been a glorious time for humans, but it was a shameful time for elves, who were increasingly pushed to the outskirts of the continent.

Even during that time, only a handful of revelations from the World Tree arrived, so the elves must have felt like they were crossing a vast and dark sea without a single light in sight.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

However, unlike the elders who were eagerly awaiting him, Varadis had a concerned expression on his face and entered, breaking through the wall of elders.

Fragrances rising from everywhere.

Numerous candles burning among the incense.

The girl lying in the middle still felt pain, and her whole body was shaking.

"This is the first revelation from the World Tree that I received after being named a priestess. Surely there will be a burden."

Varadis heard the words coming from behind and carefully stroked the sweaty white blond hair of the girl.

Even now, her hands and feet were constantly trembling. And even the two white eyes without pupils.

"…"

Varadis held both hands tightly towards his sister, who was trembling as if she had epilepsy and was struggling with the energy of the World Tree.

The girl's hand he held was very cold.

"Come."

The girl began to slowly open her mouth, as if she had finally felt Varadis's warmth.

As he spoke, the candles and incense around him began to tremble dizzily.

"Everyone, be silent."

As the elder said, the elders even breathe carefully.

As everyone held their breath, the candles placed here and there began to burn brightly as if they were about to explode.

It was a revelation.

"The dragon… is coming."

Varadis felt the girl's hands tense.

The girl's furrowed expression, as if she were having a nightmare, was pitiful.

"The dragon has seen us. What should we do?"

A voice that changes every time you spit it out.

As the revelation of the World Tree and the girl's voice alternated, the words coming out of her mouth gradually began to take shape.

"…Show me."

The girl's breathing began to become increasingly difficult as she gasped.

"Great Elder."

Varadis urgently turned to see the girl whose complexion was becoming paler.

"…What do you mean?"

The elder nodded as he looked at him, closed his eyes in silence, and grabbed the staff he was holding.

This new girl is still young and inexperienced, so they should forgive her.

Here, the elder showed willingness to open his world and share revelations with the younger.

"What can I show you?"

An elder who brings forth the revelation of the World Tree through questions.

Drops of sweat slowly fell onto the hands that were clasped together in prayer.

"Sword!"

The revelations that had not yet been transmitted through the girl's mouth began to flow into the elder's mind.

"Ack!"

A clear place began to appear in the Grand Elder's mind.

Under the roots of the trees.

Damp caves, stalactites, rocks in the deepest part of there.

A sword stuck in the rock.

"…This is it."

A sword that has not lost its shine even with the passing of years.

The elder's eyes widened as he recognized the sword.

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