East Road Quest

Chapter 84: Sage

Sage and Jade dismounted their steed and began to ascend the hillside. They aimed to reach a higher vantage point to survey the battlefield.

“Not all elves look the same, I see. Even with a brief glance, I noticed differences in the lengths of their ears, hair color, and skin tone,” Jade remarked, following behind Sage.

“Just as your people have various races, so do the elves. Even within the same race, appearances can vary by region,” Sage replied.

“What races are there?”

“The elves you saw were all Forest Elves. There are also Earth Elves and Tunnel Elves, among many others. But these days, categorizing by race is frowned upon as discriminatory, so it’s best if you pretend not to notice. While humans won’t be dragged before a judge for being surprised by a black-skinned elf, a careless word can still provoke an elf to draw their sword.”

“I was sufficiently startled by a black orc like Merald; would I be surprised by a black elf?”

“That remains to be seen. Oh, watch your step here. The gap is quite wide.”

As soon as they left Teymon’s domain, the terrain became treacherous. Had Sage not warned her, Jade might have fallen into a stone crevice about three steps wide.

The ground was covered with thick tree roots spread out like a web, and broken branches and leaves were piled high, making it impossible to tell if it was solid ground or mud without someone pointing it out.

The rocks they used as footholds were carpeted with moss, some soft and pleasant to walk on, while others were as slippery as ice. A misstep could lead to a fall down a several dozen-meter cliff.

“I thought ‘great oak’ meant something big by human standards, but here, a ‘great tree’ is almost two hundred paces tall. So, by elven standards, that’s 2 duphons?”

Gasping for breath, Jade reached the top of the hill and could just make out the tips of the trees.

The Dark Forest was filled with various trees stretching their branches in all directions to cover the sky, but the oaks here stretched mainly upwards, making it not so dark.

“If we took just one of these trees to Rome, it would probably be called the World Tree.”

“That’s true. And there are even bigger trees. Inside Teymon, there are trees three duphons tall, and usually about thirty elven families live in them.”

“They live in trees? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It’s safer than the three-story wooden buildings you humans construct. Above all, we don’t harm the trees to build our homes,” Sage said with a smile.

“Occasionally, there are mishaps when homes are built in trees that haven’t fully grown, and the houses become crooked as the trees grow.”

Jade turned her gaze toward Teymon. From this angle, only a few of the tall towers and the three-duphon-tall trees Sage mentioned were visible, obscured by the forest.

‘I hope there’s time to explore the elven city with Sapph after the battle ends. I wonder if Ruby has seen it already?’

Jade harbored a modest wish.

“This gap seems a bit wide for you to cross.”

A chasm blocked their path. Glancing down the crevice, the bottom was so far down it was out of sight.

“Take my hand.”

Without any signal, Sage forcibly took Jade’s hand and leaped.

Jade, unable to resist, was swept along. She thought they were falling, but before she knew it, they had reached the other side.

Jade’s legs gave out, and she stumbled, but Sage pulled her up by the hand she was holding and continued walking.

While running hand in hand with Sage, Jade felt strangely unexhausted and light. Her stride became much wider. The side pain that had been throbbing during the ride on Campion disappeared the moment she took Sage’s hand.

“Did you cast some magic on me?”

Jade asked.

“I did cast a spell, but even if I explained, you wouldn’t understand.”

Sage said, “Can’t you just get to the point? I’m so fascinated by all this and want to know everything.”

“Would you understand my feelings if Merald asked you to explain the essence of the Catechism to her?” he replied with a chuckle.

“Haha, that’s true. And you, Sage, seem to know a lot about humans, don’t you? You seemed familiar with our religion and culture.”

“Living as long as I have, you get to know a bit about the cultures of other races.”

“It’s not polite to ask a lady her age, is it?”

“It’s considered impolite to ask a woman’s age, here or there. Even if she’s an old lady like me.”

“To call you an old lady seems unfitting; you look too young. Merald calls you ‘old mother,’ and I thought maybe it was some special elf magic that kept your appearance young while your body aged. But watching you run now, you look like a girl who grew up in the wild. And that staff you’re carrying isn’t because you’re frail, is it?”

“Strictly speaking, it is a tool I use because of discomfort. In my youth, I could wield great magic without such a staff.”

“Still, it’s true that you’ve managed to maintain a youthful appearance. Is that common among all elves? Looking at the aged wizards of Teymon, it seems like you have a special secret of your own.”

“Elves live much longer than humans. But let’s just say this is a special case.”

Sage continued with a smile, “Oh, and I’ve warned Saph, but I’ll warn you too. Don’t talk about religion. I don’t want to discuss the Catechism priests or God.”

“What if I said I don’t believe in God?” Sage paused and looked back.

“A priest, you say?”

Jade shook his head. “It was a title forced upon me, and now I no longer hold such a position.”

“I sense both guilt and anger in your tone.”

“Do elves have a god?”

“We don’t acknowledge a personified god. We believe there is a light within, and when that light is revealed, it is considered divine. Life is about finding the god within oneself. If one fails to find it, they are reborn through their past good deeds to continue the search…”

Sage resumed walking as he spoke, “…that’s the faith we hold. Therefore, elves do not tolerate a world ruled by gods, nor any hierarchical order.”

“Despite saying that, your tone doesn’t seem to follow that faith.”

“You’ve noticed well. Even with such faith, elves who do wrong are still wrong, and those who crave power will do anything for it. There are elves who believe in evil gods and tribes that oppress those who believe in other gods. Did you know? In Teymon, a religion following the Komoras has already emerged.”

Without further explanation, the situation became clear.

Jade murmured to himself, “Elves are no different, then.”

“No different at all.”

A massive sound grew closer. A large, thick oak tree was uprooted, the ground was torn, and the earth thundered.

Beyond the forest, the head of a serpent whipped past. The oaks here were larger than the trees of the Dark Forest, making it hard to see the head of the Helldra. But its overwhelming size was unmistakably conveyed.

“Do you also know that Ruby is an angel?” Jade asked again.

“Saph asked the same thing. Did you think elves wouldn’t know about angels?”

“I thought angels were a concept unique to humans. Saph probably thought the same.”

“While each race may have different names for them, angels are known to all. Of course, the way they are perceived varies.”

“How so?”

“Humans made the mistake of accepting only one aspect of angels.”

“Is it just one side?” Jade asked.

“The good side. Angels can be as duplicitous as humans. But let’s end this topic here; it’s a long story,” Sage replied, shifting the conversation back to Ruby.

“Did you know Ruby is an angel? I recognized it while healing her. But she’s somewhat… different from the angels I know. Not that she isn’t an angel.”

“Angels are usually not so brutal and aggressive, right? And she speaks so roughly.”

“That’s a prejudice you have. Why do you think angels can’t be aggressive? Before the Kaitlic was established, angels in the ancient scriptures slaughtered tens of thousands of humans.”

Jade was still not used to hearing the word ‘scripture’ coming from an elf’s mouth.

“That’s true. They burned all those who fell from grace and worshipped other gods.”

“That’s the terrifying aspect of angels. They don’t coexist. They’ve added the word ‘fallen’ to ‘believing in other gods.’ They’ve even threatened to burn down the forests of elves living peacefully if they don’t believe in their god.”

“Angels… threatened elves? When?”

Jade asked, surprised.

“In ancient times, before I was born. We have documents similar to your old scriptures. Read them if you get a chance. Just to let you know, I don’t have them.”

Sage stopped walking at the top of the hill.

It was a high ground where even the tallest oak trees looked small. As she let go of her hand, Jade felt a pain in her side again.

Looking down the hill, Sage said, “Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want to speak ill of you traveling with Ruby. There are as many good angels as there are bad ones, and it’s not strange for a mage using angelic magic to travel with an angel.”

“Yes,” Jade replied nonchalantly, then asked in surprise, “Angel’s… magic?”

“Why do you think elves can’t use light magic, and why can’t demons resist it? It’s because it’s angelic magic.”

“I vaguely thought so, but hearing Sage categorize it so precisely is a bit disconcerting.”

“I’m disconcerted by your surprised reaction. Isn’t the teacher who teaches magic important? Who taught you magic?”

“Father Daniel…”

“A priest? A Kaitlic clergyman taught you the magic of light? That’s surprising.”

“He’s quite unique. He also taught me the language of the elves.”

“I feel like I want to meet this person. The name Daniel seems like an alias too.”

“I feel the same. I wouldn’t be surprised if he used another name to meet the sage of the Dark Forest.”

Jade didn’t mention that Daniel had died.

Saph might have already told her, or she didn’t want to acknowledge his death herself.

Heldra, advancing towards Taimon, stopped with about a chiffon’s length left to the oak wall. Although screams could be heard, Jade had no idea what was happening.

All she saw were giant heads rising and falling above the forest. Dawn had broken, but the sun had not yet risen, so it was still dark around.

Standing on the edge of the hill, Sage looked down at the forest with only her toes touching the ground and her hand on her eyebrow. Despite the height where one could roll until the end of the world if they fell, and the strong wind, she showed no fear.

“It’s really big. It’s my first time seeing the whole body like this.”

Jade couldn’t even approach within five steps of the hill’s edge. Still, she could see the serpent’s head rising above the sea of green leaves.

“Why has Heldra stopped?” Jade asked.

Sage reported and explained on behalf of everyone.

“Didn’t Merald say he would stop it? He did just as he said.”

“With what weapon?”

“Merald is proficient with all weapons. But in this case, he was using a bow.”

“Merald’s arrows are large, but they wouldn’t even scratch Heldra, would they?”

“He’s not shooting at Heldra. He’s aiming at the ground and trees around Heldra.”

Jade crawled on her belly, inching as close as possible to the edge of the hill.

Heldra was attacking something. Each attack was tremendous.

When the lion’s head spat black fire, the spot it hit turned black, the trees vanished, and only charcoal remained.

The serpent’s head sprayed poison. Where the poison touched, white steam rose, the grass evaporated, and the trees withered instantly. Jade thought it remarkable that Ruby had survived being covered in such poison.

On the other side, another head was relentlessly ramming and snapping at the air, trying to bite something. Upon closer inspection, it was Merald darting between the trees.

Standing on the lion part of the Hydra’s head was the demon who had kidnapped Sapp.

‘Was that Buffalord?’

He didn’t take any particular action, but it was clear he was directing Heldra.

“How about it, Jade? Can you annihilate it?”

Sage asked.

Jade reported what she had observed.

“At first glance… each head has a different nature. The eagle head seems to be of the hellfire type… the other three are of the dark type, but I’m not sure about the skull part. All five heads could be of the dark type. Or maybe not…”

Her confidence waned as she spoke. Sage asked,

“It’s not a demon that can only be removed by knowing its name, right? Then leaving Sapp behind would be a big mistake.”

“Such a jumbled monster wouldn’t be a high-ranking demon with a name. Sapp said so too. On the contrary, from my perspective, Buffalord is a more difficult entity to annihilate. It’s a demon named ‘Antebas.’” As soon as Sapp mentioned that name, Jade could recall which pages of the Book of Annihilation contained it.

“Sage, if Heldra crashes into Taimon like this, really…”

Jade paused, looking at where Heldra stood and then back towards Taimon. Although Heldra seemed to be stationary, it was gradually getting closer to Taimon while fighting Merald.

‘Thirty thousand elves…’

Suddenly overwhelmed, Jade found it hard to speak in Elvish, or even the common tongue.

Sage looked down the hill and said,

“You’re worrying about nothing. Just let it go.”

As Sage extended his staff forward, a gentle breeze blew from behind, nudging Jade.

Jade pressed herself even flatter to the ground.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s better to be afraid of the height of this hill. The only thing you should worry about is your own life. Risk your life to annihilate Heldra… Don’t think about anything else.”

Sage spoke firmly.

Suddenly, the spot where Heldra stood shone brightly white. And then, as if pressed down by an invisible hand, its massive body sank into the ground.

Sage, not content with standing on tiptoe, leaned his upper body out over the edge of the hill.

“We’ve succeeded.”

“What happened?”

Jade couldn’t see anything as Heldra had collapsed under the trees.

“Binding. Merald shot arrows into the ground and trees to weave a magical formation, and Heldra got caught in it. To put it simply for you, Heldra is now trapped in an invisible net.”

“Merald isn’t a magician, is he?”

“In a broad sense, he is. I’m a magician who uses magic and herbs, and Merald is a magician who utilizes the terrain and landmarks. It’s a concept that might be too complex for you. Now, let’s go.”

Sage extended his hand.

Jade, caught off guard, took it. But as Sage leaned down the hillside, she exclaimed in alarm, “Wait, isn’t the way down on the other side?”

“It’s faster this way.”

“It’s not about being fast…”

Sage grasped Jade’s hand and, with force, leaped down the slope.

“Ah!”

With a single cry, Jade felt herself falling. For what seemed an eternity, they plummeted further and further down.

Jade imagined her body shattering into pieces upon hitting the ground. However, when she opened her eyes, they weren’t falling but sliding down a slope as steep as a cliff.

The tremendous speed made Jade dizzy. Looking down, she saw her feet hovering a palm’s width above the ground. The earth and grass brushed swiftly beneath her soles.

It was as if they were riding on an invisible sled.

“Such a large body won’t be bound for long.”

Even after descending the slope and reaching flat ground, their speed didn’t decrease; they continued to slide between trees and rocks. Jade was almost like luggage, dragged along by Sage’s hand over dirt and stone.

In an instant, they arrived near Heldra.

Sage twisted her body, stopping as abruptly as they had fallen.

Jade, still clutched in her hand, bounced into the air before falling back to the ground. Thanks to Sage’s magic, the impact of the fall was almost nonexistent, but it didn’t prevent the nauseating feeling.

Barely holding back the urge to vomit, Jade lifted her head to see Heldra’s body blocking the path like a fortress wall. The ground around the fallen monster was cratered from the impact, and several dead Komoras lay scattered.

Up close, the creature’s size was even more unfathomable. Its lizard-like, sleek scales rippled like waves, making it hard to discern which part of Heldra they were looking at.

‘The mane suggests it’s the back.’

Jade followed the mane with her gaze towards the heads.

Though its body was pinned to the ground, its five heads were still moving. Busy above in the trees, they hadn’t noticed Jade and Sage on the ground. It was clear that the emeralds were still distracting them.

“Finish it.”

Sage spoke as casually as if she were in the middle of a dice game, saying, “It’s your turn now.”

Jade, with trembling legs, stood and flipped through the book with shaking hands to recite the destruction spell for dark demons and touched it.

Light emanated from her hand. Anticipating a strong recoil due to the creature’s size, Jade squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them.

Nothing happened.

“Huh?”

Jade uttered in disbelief.

“What’s wrong?”

Sage asked.

Jade placed her hand, glowing with the light of annihilation, against Heldra’s skin again. Still, nothing happened.

“The light of annihilation…”

Jade stammered in panic.

“…It’s not working.”