The Guardian of Yggdrasil, Eris.
I couldn’t wrap my head around why she was here helping me.
Maybe she visited Elgrid around this time, or perhaps she remembered me; I was filled with doubts.
I had a lot I wanted to say to her right away, but I swallowed it down.
Now that we had met, there was no way I would leave right away, so I had to deal with the magical beasts that were interfering first.
Trusting in her magic to deal with the swarm of bugs, I completely ignored the ones rushing at me and began to chase after Apviel.
“Get lost! I said get lost!”
Abandoning his pride, Apviel flattened himself to the ground like a bug and showed an incredible speed, like a fish in water.
‘At this rate, it’ll be hard to catch up.’
If I had another weapon besides my sword, it might have worked, but I had no way to deal with it now. Eventually, I bit my lip, wondering if I should just throw my sword.
The wind was swirling, making my legs feel lighter.
It moved so fast, it left me shocked, but it wasn’t unfamiliar.
Eris’s support magic.
When I checked behind, she merely glanced at me and slightly nodded, continuing to sweep away the bugs without saying a word.
‘She really has been amazing from the start.’
While sweeping the bugs away with a gale, she double-cast a spell on me.
Feeling strangely at ease thinking she was the same person I knew, I forced myself to ignore the slight smile creeping at the corners of my mouth as I closed the distance to Apviel.
“Y-you insane bastard! I said get lost!”
The creature started firing some kind of goo everywhere.
It looked dirty and dangerous, so I squinted and dodged, but the ground where the goo landed started to melt away.
“Gross.”
“Shut up!”
Finally reaching the end of the Academy, it began to climb the wall without a hint of hesitation.
Crash!
“Gaaah!”
I leaped right onto it, driving my sword into its back.
It thrashed around, desperately flailing, but already skewered like a shish kebab, it was stuck to the wall.
Watching it struggle, I couldn’t help but want to tease it.
“Did you want to live like this while calling others ugly and disgusting?”
“Shut up!”
It had been acting all grand as if it were the master of an army, but now look at it, desperately flailing.
In the end, while pretending to be noble as an ancient beast, it was actually just a magical beast that devoured others alive to survive.
Of course, not all magical beasts are like that; sometimes you meet those who truly understand honor beyond their species’ limits.
“Even if you’re the King of Insects, just die neatly instead of struggling ugly. Just like you told Adriana.”
What was so noble about its current state compared to Adriana’s?
But it shouted back in anger.
“I am different! I am different! How can you compare me, a king who has lived for eons, to a witch who has barely lived a few years?!”
“Different, sure. You’re just a bug.”
I slowly began to tighten my grip on my sword.
“Wait! Please! Please! Spare me…!”
Thud!
The sword lodged in its belly shot up, neatly splitting its upper body and head apart.
The disgusting guts spilled out, falling to the ground with a splash.
“Don’t feel too unfair. You were going to die anyway.”
In my past life, I had already lost my life when I met the ancient beasts in the Forest of the Demon Realm.
I wasn’t sure if it lost its life here or in the Forest, but since it was going to die anyway, it probably wouldn’t matter much.
Glancing at the sky, the bugs, having lost their king, began to attack people in chaos.
But it didn’t seem like it was my turn to step in.
“Ah, it’s not like this high position is for nothing.”
While Eris and I had drawn attention, I saw the Dean and professors using magic to trap the bugs and evacuating all the people.
“Magic really is convenient.”
Watching the bugs get sucked into the magic and disappear as if drawn by a magnet was truly fascinating.
It would take me all day to kill them.
As I stood there, staring dazedly at the bugs disappearing in front of Apviel’s corpse, a sharp-eared woman approached.
She looked at the split-apart Apviel behind me, smiled slightly, and said.
“You’ve certainly handled it well.”
“……”
Her beautiful voice.
It was truly her.
Eris was standing before me, smiling.
I rubbed my eyes, but she was surely right there, and the strong scent of the forest tickled my nose pleasantly.
Could it be that she had regressed along with me?
Was she here to find me? A glimmer of hope began to bloom.
“I’m here to find you.”
Eris took my hand and smiled gently.
“Ah, ah…”
My heart felt heavy.
I wasn’t one to easily shed tears, but at this moment, it felt like they might just spill over, so I hastily rubbed my eyes.
What if…
What if she had really come back just like me? The countless nights I had hoped for that seemed to be rewarded.
I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of excitement about the countless days ahead of us.
“You who have been chosen by the Sun God Helios.”
If it weren’t for her next words.
“……What?”
“I’ve come to tell you how to use the great power you have gained and to warn you. I saw with my own eyes your lone charge toward the powerful magical beast while everyone else was fleeing.”
Wait, what was she talking about?
“Virtuous one. I understand why Helios chose you. There are still people like you among humans.”
“……”
“With your immense power and the blessing of the Sun God, you shoulder the heaviest burden in the darkest places. Today, I, the Guardian Eris, have witnessed your heroic deeds. I will not forget it.”
“No, wait.”
Realizing she was misunderstanding something, I quickly pulled my hands away from hers.
“Helios? Sorry, but I’ve never been chosen by anything like that.”
“Eh? But…”
Tilting her head in confusion, she stared at me, her expression morphing into a peculiar one as she exclaimed, “Huh?”
“Hmm? Wait a moment! Have you not gotten some kind of mark on your palm or chest? Something like whoosh! That glows…”
“I don’t have anything like that.”
Did she always have this clumsiness?
Having shown a graceful appearance in front of me, this side of her felt strangely familiar and made me chuckle.
“Y-you’re serious? I’m sorry. But I can’t imagine mistaking something like that!”
What was this, I wondered, as Eris, who crossed her arms and tilted her head in confusion, revealed a habit of pondering that seemed to have persisted from long ago.
“……”
Watching her, a bittersweet smile crept onto my face.
Being an elf, she hadn’t changed much in appearance compared to the version of her from ten years later in my memory. If anything, her hair was a bit shorter than back then.
[What if?]
Her shy question from deep in the dark forest came to mind.
[If everyone died, and we were the only two left, would you marry me?]
Despite the surroundings being dark, her face, flushed red as if about to burst, was vividly imprinted in my mind.
[No, if both humans and elves went extinct, then you’re my only choice left.]
I couldn’t have imagined that such a relationship would develop back then, considering how cold she had been during our first meeting.
At that time, she had come to find me for the herbs to cure the elf plague, carrying the title of Guardian.
Our relationship was purely business at first, and we didn’t exchange many words in the beginning.
[We will become the beginning of a new humanity. The day when Half-Elves rule the world will come.]
Elves were inherently gentle towards their own kind but had a strong tendency to reject other races.
“Uh, I’m sorry. I think there was a misunderstanding.”
While apologizing and bowing her head, I pretended to be nonchalant, then slowly extended my hand for a handshake.
[By the way, what’s your name? I’ve just called you Sherpa all this time.]
“My name is Daniel McLean.”
“Eh?”
I could finally answer now, and I truly felt sorry.
“My name is Daniel McLean.”
But really, thank you for being alive.
