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#257. Things in the sky (1)
Woof woof woof──!
The mana contained in the bolt was crying.
The trace amounts of mana flowing across the surface of the cube were also gathered in the small groove in the center and were emitting a vivid light.
Ray slowly reached out his hand.
Holding the bolt, facing home.
It was an instinctive behavior, like being attracted by a magnet.
Kirik─!
The moment the bolt engages the home.
Damn it!
The cube split in half with a lightning bolt of gold, and light poured out from within.
When the halo disappeared, the surrounding scenery had changed.
The stone chamber was still intact.
But the person standing was different.
The Pope and Solitaire were not visible, but two others were.
A woman in a purple robe.
A dwarf armed with all kinds of tools.
Two figures stood facing each other in front of the cube.
‘It’s not the present.’
Ray could now intuitively feel that this was a scene from the past.
The woman was the purple guardian he had seen in the memories of Blue and the World Tree, but the dwarf had no idea who she was.
Then I heard a conversation.
“Rael, you’re alive.”
“You too. I thought you were at the mercy of Redran since all contact was lost.”
The woman smiled bitterly at the dwarf’s words.
“We ran desperately. We carved records and murals into the last remaining elven forest, and lifted the spirits’ home into the sky so that the soldiers of the Red Citadel could not see it.”
Ray realized that the conversation was taking place at a time when the Red Guardians were invading the territories of the other Guardians.
The dwarf, who had been silent for a moment, asked.
“Is it because of guilt that you help other races? As a human race like Redlan?”
“I guess we can’t completely deny that part.”
“It looks like the elves and spirits are almost finished.”
“We avoided extinction, but we were on the verge of death. What about the dwarves?”
The dwarf answered.
“97 people.”
“97 people.”
“I was talking about the number of dwarves who survived. Including me. Damn, the Red Citadel guys, their power was stronger than I could have imagined, I couldn’t hold out.”
“I think that’s inevitable. The rainbow fragments that Redran possesses are red. Most of the emotions that it amplifies are advantageous in battle, such as anger.”
The woman who had been speaking softly took something out of her bosom.
It was a brilliant purple jewel.
“Still, I think it’s fortunate that no other fragments were taken.”
「… … .」
The dwarf also took out a brilliant yellow jewel from his bosom.
He opened his mouth, looking at the two jewels with a complicated expression.
“I mean, I can’t shake that thought these days. What if the rainbow hadn’t inspired us with emotions? Wouldn’t this war have never happened?”
At that moment, the woman’s voice became stiff.
“Are you serious?”
“Think about it. The reason we started the war in the first place was because of emotions. Jealousy, envy, greed, and things like that… .”
“Thanks to the feelings.”
The woman interrupted.
“We were able to evolve. We were able to break away from the inanimate life of stones and rocks, and to laugh, cry, get angry, rejoice, and burn the life that was given to us.”
A flood of emotions came out.
The woman looked very angry.
“Let me ask you, Rael. Do you want to go back to that time when you had no emotions?”
“… That’s not it. I’m sorry. I admit that I made a slip of the tongue. Emotions are not wrong. If they were, it would be because we couldn’t control them.”
“Okay. Don’t ever say that again.”
Knock—knock—knock—
At that moment, cautious footsteps were heard from the stairs.
The figure that appeared soon was a young man, with an anxious and tense expression, but a fierce look in his eyes.
“It is an honor to meet you, Guardians. I am Azema, a wizard from the Red Citadel.”
Azema, that was the name of the first pope written in the diary.
The dwarf shouted, sending currents everywhere in an instant.
“Red Citadel! How on earth did we get here!?”
“It’s okay. I’m the one who called.”
“Are you in your right mind? You’re calling the Red Citadel wizard to a secret meeting place. What if he’s set a trap outside to catch us?”
“You don’t have to worry. We’ve already verified that you’re an ally.”
As she said this, the woman approached the man who was kneeling on both knees.
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“Get up, Azema. We have lost the war and lost all our followers, so we are no longer worthy of being looked up to.”
“No, how could I dare… .”
“I still have 97 followers.”
“It’s okay if you wake up. And, can you tell me what the situation is at the Red Citadel?”
“Don’t ignore what I say.”
The man stood up after hesitating for a while, took a deep breath, and then opened his mouth.
“Right now, the Red Citadel is… in chaos.”
“What? Why the Red Citadel? Shouldn’t they be the ones who eat and live the best? They should have won the war and taken everything on the land.”
A dwarf’s discontented cry.
The man spoke as if he was embarrassed.
“We thought so at first, too. But… when we looked back after waking up from the joy of victory, the land was more desolate than we had imagined. The quality of the mana flowing in the air had become extremely poor, and the farmland had become a dead land where nothing would grow no matter how much we planted.”
It was almost a given.
Because during the long war, magic was abused on a truly ridiculous scale.
“I didn’t think it would be a problem. I thought the devastated environment would naturally recover over time. But… .”
“It was a complete mistake.”
“Yes, the already sick environment will not return to its original state no matter how much time passes.”
The inhabitants of the Red Citadel wandered the land in search of a place to settle down.
The land near the upper reaches of the Elton River was relatively good, and it was chosen as the new settlement site.
“At first, it seemed like they were working together to overcome the hardships, but soon divisions arose. People were plentiful, but resources were limited. With the sparks of conflict, the districts began to divide.”
The strongest ones took over the first stronghold, Sector 1.
Those who were pushed out in the struggle began to move down the Elton River, taking up positions in sectors 2, 3, and 4 in that order.
“… So the sector was divided up to sector 25, right near the walls. Those who couldn’t even set foot there were banished outside the walls.”
The dwarf clicked his tongue with a sigh.
“That’s why there were so many beggars wandering around outside.”
“What about Redlan? What was he doing until the Citadel became like that?”
“The Red Guardian did not take any action.”
“What did you say?”
A woman’s angry question.
The man flinched for a moment, then looked around and answered carefully.
“The Red Guardian simply watched the situation… and then left us and disappeared somewhere.”
“How can you be so irresponsible! Are you saying that you abandoned your followers and went off alone?”
“Yes, one morning, he disappeared from his residence.”
“Without any message?”
“There was no message. However, he said that with a vain expression while watching the conflict.”
“What do you mean?”
The man took a deep breath and answered.
“Emotions are a curse.”
「… … .」
「… … .」
There was silence for a moment.
The woman asked the man.
“Ajema, do you think so too? Emotions are a curse.”
“… No. I think emotions are a gift given to us.”
“Thank you for thinking so.”
The woman, her trembling breathing steady, continued speaking.
“You said you came from Sector 7. You gave up the opportunity for a relatively comfortable life to help those who were driven out of the city walls.”
“Yes, that’s right. I want a world where everyone can live in abundance and happiness. But with my current power… I don’t see a way to restore the devastated environment, or a way to help people.”
The man burst into tears and broke down in his seat, sobbing as if his emotions were running wild.
“I can’t see the way… There’s no way… For me, there’s no way to turn this hellish reality back to how it was before.”
「… … .」
The woman bit her lips hard.
He spoke while caressing the man’s head.
“There is a way.”
“Is there a way, a way?”
“Unite those who wander outside the walls. Create a group, raise a family, and just live tenaciously. Cry, laugh, be happy, get angry, and suffer. Be true to your emotions at the moment, and increase the number of people who surround you.”
and.
Phew─
“Find the reincarnated sun.”
A dwarf joined in the conversation.
“The reincarnated sun, what does that mean?”
“Rael, I’ve told you about the current state of the rainbow. The rainbow didn’t disappear after sharing its emotions with us. It just lost its power and is now wandering the world as a spirit.”
The dwarf nodded.
“That’s right, that’s what you said was the result of your research. The wandering soul of the rainbow will be reincarnated into a new life.”
“That’s right. They may still be reincarnated somewhere. However, no one knows what they look like. They may be human, elf, or dwarf. We just haven’t found them yet, but they may be in the form of birds, insects, or plants.”
The woman, walking slowly, spoke while caressing the surface of the cube.
“That’s why I leave records all over the world. So that the rainbow that returns someday can find them. So that we can know what happened in the world.”
“I know that, but the sun also reincarnates….”
“Have you ever thought that the sunlight has become weaker?”
“Yes, but isn’t that because of the aftermath of the war?”
The woman shook her head.
“It’s not because of the war. The sunlight itself has become weaker. It’s because the sun follows the rainbow to the ground.”
“Why does the sun follow the rainbow?”
“Well, the sun loves rainbows.”
The dwarf was speechless.
The woman continued speaking with a smile.
“Did I put it too humanly? If we were to express it in the grammar of dwarves who value rules and principles, we could say that a rainbow is sunlight.”
“Please explain in a little more detail.”
“Sunlight is a dazzling white. But it contains many colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, the colors that make up the world.”
「… … .」
“That’s why. The sunlight after the rain. As it goes out into the world, it hits the water vapor in the air. Then it splits and reveals the colors it had hidden inside.”
“That’s what a rainbow is.”
“If I were to guess from the results obtained through experiments, yes. I have never actually seen a rainbow in the sky.”
The woman turned away from the cube and turned back to the man, continuing to speak.
“Anyway, from the sun’s perspective, the rainbow is no different from his own alter ego. He may have thought of it as a lover. However, one thing is certain.”
widely.
The woman’s palm was placed on the man’s head.
“The sun is also reincarnating. To meet the rainbow. So, live, Azema. Increase your membership and increase the probability that the soul of the sun will be present in the new life born within your group. If you find the reincarnation of the sun, you will also be able to find a way to restore the weakened sunlight.”
then.
The source of all life is sunlight.
The devastated environment will also be restored.
The man with the dried tear stains nodded as if possessed, then realized something and asked.
“As you say, I will do as you say. But how can I know the reincarnation of the sun?”
“That’s not difficult.”
The woman took a small piece of stone out of her bosom and handed it over.
“It’s a sun stone. If the reincarnation of the sun holds this stone, pure white light will pour out.”
“The official name for that stone is Terracotta. Don’t change the name without permission. It is a rare mineral that cannot be easily found anywhere in the world, and has the property of absorbing light when exposed to sunlight… .”
The woman turned her gaze to see the dwarf tackling her from the side.
“That’s right. It’s a very rare mineral. That’s why I was only able to obtain one. And this will not be enough to explore the reincarnation of the sun. I don’t know now, but later on, the population outside the walls will increase significantly. But luckily, I know a dwarf whose hobby is collecting minerals.”
The woman said with a smile.
“Take out everything you have.”