mtlumby2d Chapter 639
Chapter 639
Chapter 639
Neo Seoul was in a festive mood after winning the war.
The people who heard news of the victory from the awakened who had directly participated in the war poured out into the streets and shouted in triumph.
The sight of countless people filling the streets and roaring with excitement was spectacular.
And this scene was not happening only in Neo Seoul.
Even in the slums, people rushed outside and enjoyed the celebration.
In this war, many awakened from not only Neo Seoul but also the slums had participated.
Not many had personally visited the Steel Fortress, but everyone knew just how important that place was.
The fact that they had all joined forces to protect such an important place filled the people with immense pride.
People flooded every street, savoring the afterglow of victory, drinking together all night long.
Normally, when this many people gathered, trouble was bound to happen, but not even a minor incident occurred.
The place where people gathered the most was naturally the district where the portal had been installed.
Every time awakened returned to Neo Seoul through the portal, the people erupted into loud cheers.
“Waaaaah!”
“They’re back again.”
The awakened returning through the portal looked briefly flustered by the overwhelming welcome from the people, but they soon adapted and waved back in response.
Every awakened who returned from the Steel Fortress was treated like a hero.
And the awakened did not dislike such treatment.
Until now, no matter how great their achievements were, people had always looked at them with fear in their eyes.
To ordinary people, awakened were objects of admiration, but also of fear.
That was why they had always tried to keep their distance from awakened.
And awakened themselves, knowing they were superior beings, did not mingle closely with ordinary people either.
More than a hundred years had passed like that.
Over those hundred years, a high wall had formed between awakened and ordinary people.
And now, for the first time in their lives, those who had drifted apart like water and oil had united with one heart.
Jin Geumho did not miss this opportunity.
“From today onward, this day shall be designated Victory Day, and a festival will be held every year.”
“Waaaaah!”
Cheers exploded instantly.
Everyone had been too busy worrying about survival to even think about festivals until now. Most had not even known such things could exist.
To those people, Jin Geumho’s declaration of a festival was like pouring oil onto blazing flames.
Jin Geumho released the food and alcohol he had stockpiled all this time.
The rulers of each district had no choice but to join in as well.
They could not simply ignore the people’s enthusiasm.
As enormous amounts of alcohol and food were distributed, the excitement reached its peak.
And while people were enjoying the joy of victory—
Hera and the elves were welcoming the World Tree.
“Ahh!”
“It really… is the World Tree.”
They shed tears of ecstasy as they looked at the World Tree.
The moment Hera and the elves saw it, they knew.
The World Tree before them was the real one.
Its size could not compare to the World Tree that had once stood in El Harun, but in exchange, it radiated overwhelming spiritual energy.
The refreshing sensation was like showering in mana itself, leaving Hera and the others unable to regain their senses.
The World Tree swayed its leaves as if welcoming Hera and the others as well.
“A real World Tree has been born.”
“Huuk!”
“Huaaah!”
Some elves even burst into loud sobs. Yet not a single person thought they looked pathetic.
Because the High Elves here had cried exactly the same way when the World Tree first revealed itself.
So they understood the elves’ reaction.
As if possessed, Hera approached the World Tree.
She reached out and gently touched it.
A refreshing energy flowed through her fingertips.
Latrisha silently watched Hera.
A faint smile rested on her lips.
Just then—
—Pyororong!
A tiny spirit flew toward Hera.
The spirit circled around her while chattering endlessly.
Only then did Hera lift her head and look at the spirit.
It was a spirit that had been born just yesterday.
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a tiny lump of light.
Hera stared at the spirit as though entranced.
“Could it be… you want to form a contract with me?”
—Pyorong!
The spirit made a cheerful sound as if saying yes and flew around Hera even more energetically.
A newborn spirit astonishingly wanted to form a contract with Hera.
Not knowing what to do, Hera looked toward Latrisha.
She was not a resident of World Tree Village. So she could not recklessly form a contract with a spirit born in this village.
As though understanding Hera’s feelings, Latrisha smiled gently and said,
“In this place, the spirit chooses its contractor. The one that child wants is you, Hera. You only need to decide.”
“Is… is that really okay?”
“Of course. In this place, it is.”
“Then… I want to form a contract.”
“Not to me. Tell that child.”
At Latrisha’s words, Hera looked at the spirit.
“Do you really want to form a contract with me?”
—Pyororong!
“Alright! I want to form a contract with you too.”
At that moment, brilliant light burst from both Hera and the spirit.
The smile on Latrisha’s lips deepened.
Because she knew that this was the phenomenon that occurred when a contract with a spirit was formed.
Latrisha approached Hera.
“Congratulations on forming a contract with a spirit.”
“Th-thank you. I still don’t know if I really deserve to contract with this child, but I’ll do my best not to disappoint it.”
“That child chose you because you possess the qualifications, Hera. So you may have confidence. How does it feel to form a contract with a spirit?”
“It feels… complete. Like I regained a body part I had once lost.”
“That’s how it was for us too.”
Both Hera and Latrisha had formed contracts with spirits back in Kuraian.
To them, who had lost their spirits alongside Kuraian’s destruction, forming a contract with a spirit restored sensations they had lost long ago.
Hera felt her senses become several times sharper.
Latrisha said to her,
“Now that you’ve formed a contract with a spirit, let me properly show you around our village.”
“Yes!”
Following Latrisha, Hera toured the village.
The High Elves who had returned to the village immediately resumed their livelihoods, forgetting even the afterglow of war.
Among them, the ones that caught Hera’s attention were the High Elves tending young sprouts.
“What are those?”
“They’re crop seeds. We brought them from the seed storage and are cultivating them.”
“You mean… all of those can be eaten?”
“Yes! Here, we cultivate them mainly to preserve the seeds, while those grown for consumption are sent to the Primordial Forest.”
“So the crops in the Primordial Forest all came from here.”
“That’s right. There are many varieties, but the quantities aren’t abundant yet, so for now we’re focusing on securing seeds first. Once enough seeds are gathered, the rest are sent to the Primordial Forest.”
At Latrisha’s words, Hera let out a faint sigh and said,
“Haah! Then Lady Floa naturally already knew about this place?”
“Yes.”
“I really was a frog in a well. To think I had absolutely no idea such things were happening outside El Harun.”
She truly felt too ashamed to even lift her head.
She was supposed to be the leader of the elves, yet she had remained complacent within El Harun and never realized what was happening outside.
Latrisha comforted the self-reproaching Hera.
“Don’t blame yourself. It hasn’t been that long since things became this way. And honestly, we ourselves barely did anything for the World Tree to be born like this. The one who brought the seed of the World Tree was Lord Zeon, and the one who protected it so it could grow like this was also Lord Zeon. The reason spirits were born in the Primordial Forest is also thanks to Lord Zeon. Without him, we could never even have dreamed of such a sight. Back then, we were truly in despair. We were isolated in dense darkness where we couldn’t see even an inch ahead. The one who brought light to us was Lord Zeon.”
“Mm!”
A low groan escaped Hera.
The more she listened to Latrisha’s story, the more incredible Zeon seemed.
In Neo Seoul, World Tree Village, and the Primordial Forest, Zeon’s influence was absolute.
There was practically no place untouched by his hands or footsteps.
‘And I tried to oppose someone like that.’
Hera unconsciously shook her head.
Just then—
Kuuuung!
Suddenly, a powerful mana wave was felt above World Tree Village.
Feeling danger from the unfamiliar but overwhelming fluctuation, Hera shouted,
“It’s dangerous. Something is approaching.”
—Pyororong!
The spirit contracted to her also reacted and looked up into the sky.
Yet despite Hera and the spirit’s sharp reactions, Latrisha merely smiled softly.
Seeing her like that only made Hera more anxious.
“This is no time for this. Something dangerous is coming here. We need to respond immediately.”
“Hera.”
“Yes?”
“That person is not our enemy.”
“That person?”
“Yes. Lord Arisedon is the guardian of our village.”
The moment Latrisha finished speaking, a gigantic dragon pierced through the clouds and revealed itself.
“A dragon?”
Hera’s eyes widened. But she quickly denied her own thought.
Because its appearance was completely different from the dragons she knew.
Long whiskers stretched from both sides of its snout, and its body was long like a serpent’s.
A saw-like mane ran down its spine, and it had four legs.
Even without wings, it glided through the air smoothly as though swimming.
“What in the world is that?”
“It’s a Yong.”
“A Yong?”
“A divine beast of Earth. In Kuraian’s terms, it’s an existence equivalent to a dragon. That being is protecting our village.”
“That…”
Hera wore an expression of disbelief.
It was difficult to easily believe that such an enormous magical beast was the guardian deity protecting World Tree Village.
“Waaah!”
“It’s Lord Arisedon.”
“Lord Arisedon is descending.”
At that moment, the young High Elves in World Tree Village cheered upon seeing Arisedon.
Seeing the young elves wildly waving both arms in welcome, there was no choice but to believe it.
If Arisedon were truly hostile, the children would never react like that.
Hwoooong!
Along with a gentle breeze, Arisedon descended before Latrisha.
Latrisha bowed her head to greet him.
“Lord Arisedon!”
—Latrisha!
“Have you come to rest?”
—I descended because I sensed an unfamiliar presence in the village.
Arisedon’s gaze turned toward Hera.
Arisedon’s body alone exceeded two hundred meters in length.
Even his eyes were as large as most magical beasts.
As those enormous eyes stared directly at her, Hera felt her entire body freeze.
—What is your name?
“I-It’s Hera.”
—You came from outside?
“Yes! I came at Lady Latrisha’s invitation.”
Though briefly flustered, Hera quickly regained her composure and answered calmly.
Because she could not sense any hostility in his voice.
—Then you are our guest.
“Yes! Hera is someone acknowledged by Lord Zeon.”
—Then she can be trusted.
The moment he heard Zeon’s name, Arisedon discarded even his last trace of suspicion.
Carefully, Hera asked,
“What… kind of relationship do you have with Lord Zeon?”
—Thanks to him, I, who was nothing more than a magical beast, was reborn as the guardian of the World Tree. He is my benefactor.
“Ah!”
—Hera!
“Yes?”
—Welcome to World Tree Village. Stay as long as you wish.
“Th-thank you.”
Hwoooong!
Arisedon immediately soared back into the sky.
Hera stood there blankly, staring at Arisedon as he disappeared into the clouds.