Chapter 61

61. Love and Hate

At present, we were inside a restaurant by the roadside in Haiyang Gwe.
It had an extremely old-fashioned atmosphere, and the decorations were so flashy and luxurious that if this were reality, it looked like the kind of place where I would have to spend 100,000 won for a single piece of meat the size of a baby's fist.

So this was how the Great Hero lived, huh?
He lived in a place like that, but ate meals at such luxurious restaurants?
What kind of luxury was this?
Was it something like being house-poor but spending all your money on food?

After Leviinge's shocking confession, we somehow managed to leave the Labyrinth Forest and tried to find Errol, only to hear that the person Errol had sent told us to wait here.

Was he watching us from somewhere, or was all of this part of his plan?
Either way, he was a frightening man.

"The Great Hero really is a frightening person, just as I felt back then."

"Why do you say that?"

"It seems that everything from the moment he encountered me until now was part of his plan.
Isn't that what you think?
Since you can use the power of the Flow, I thought you would have sensed that much."

"If I knew that, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble."

My hollow laugh was swallowed by the calm music of the band in the restaurant.
Leviinge, who was elegantly cutting his food with a knife, surprisingly turned out to be a spirit mage.

The one I was seeing right now seemed to be the spirit of the Lake of Life, the place that had been inside the Mother Forest I had burned down.
But aside from the change in attitude, there was no way for me to tell whether I was looking at Leviinge or the spirit, which made things difficult.

Whenever she suddenly got startled while staring straight at me, she would hurriedly look away and turn completely red.
That was how I confirmed, "Ah, this is Leviinge right now."

Leviinge seemed to be much more easily embarrassed.

"Haha, I'm a little late, aren't I?
I had a meeting for a moment.
Anyway, they really started working me hard as soon as I became a Great Hero.
They weren't like this ten years ago."

Errol approached our table with a smile, pretending to look around as if he had just arrived for the first time.
It was irritating how he never forgot that friendly smile.

That sly bastard.
What the hell was going on inside his head?
There was no way I could turn his head inside out and check.

And just when I was about to talk behind his back, he appeared at the perfect moment.
He had been watching us!
You bastard...!

"It's been a while, Miss Leviinge.
You look like you're in a good mood."

"Ah!
The White One!
It's nice to see you."

Like me, she couldn't make eye contact with him, but she seemed happy to see him and bowed her head politely in greeting with a bright voice.
Still, she also looked as if she disliked him a little and wanted to avoid him.

Well, that wasn't my concern.
So, then.
What exactly was the Great Hero of Salvation planning by bringing me here?

"Actually, the reason I invited everyone here today is..."

"...."

"...because when things happen without me knowing about them, I feel abandoned and lonely!
But why is everyone so serious?
Did something bad happen?
Didn't you finish everything already?"

"...Damn it."

For once, even Iyen didn't scold me.
It seemed that after talking about various things on the way here, Iyen had also realized that Errol was not an ordinary person.

I roughly exhaled through my nose, crossed my arms, and leaned back against the expensive-looking chair.
Fine.
Let's hear what he had to say.

"Hahaha, I really mean it...
Hmm!
Anyway!
For us to continue the conversation, Miss Leviinge will have to leave for a while, right?"

Apparently, Errol meant that there was something he wanted to discuss with the spirit.
Leviinge's innocent expression instantly changed.

"...I don't have anything special to say to the Great Hero.
But I have a lot I want to say to that man."

"Haha!
With people this influential gathered within the Alliance, do you think I could sleep peacefully if I weren't here?"

"Then why don't you go somewhere else and help the people who are trembling with anxiety?
Great Hero of Salvation.
You are not the Great Hero of Prevention, are you?"

"The spirit also left the elves behind and is staying here, yet you're being awfully strict with me."

...I wanted to run away.

It felt like some unemployed guy who had been playing games at home had suddenly been dragged into a meeting where the leaders of nations were discussing important matters.

And that was probably exactly what was happening.

It was the same when I had gathered with Grandpa and talked to Chaos before.
Just proceed with the story among yourselves and ask me for some meaningless opinion later.
Do it like an actual game!

Please don't make me the subject and then ask me questions and expect answers.
What a terrible game!
Leave at least some parts that actually feel like a game!

"Well, I don't really have anything special to say."

So I tried to avoid the conversation by saying something that I didn't even intend to hear myself, but Leviinge's sharp gaze, filled with her power, struck me.

There were many things in my life that I found burdensome, didn't want to do, and didn't want to remember for long, yet ended up remembering forever.
But it had been a long time since someone had directly asked me about what happened back then.

Ugh.
PTSD.

"You know about me, don't you?"

"...Yes, I do.
I'm sorry."

I grumbled with my lips sticking out.
Just imagining having to listen to all the things I needed to apologize for through that spirit made my mind go blank.

Seriously.
I was so grateful that I had never committed any crimes in reality.
If I had had to carry sins on top of an already difficult life...

Wow.
I didn't even want to imagine it.

"As I thought, you are the human who jumped at me back then.
You haven't aged at all, so you must have done something.
Is it because you're an outsider?"

"No, well...
I didn't really do anything."

"What relationship do you have with the wolf that burned the forest and my friends back then?
You are definitely the same person as the one from that time, aren't you?
Answer me clearly."

Ugh...!!
I was being crushed!

Crushed by my past again!

Someone, please save me!

Hey!
Great Hero of Salvation!
What are you doing?
Extend your hand of salvation over here!

What?
Was this it?

Was giving someone the opportunity to repent for their sins and receive forgiveness the true meaning of salvation?

Damn it!
That bastard Great Hero!

Why does everything you do make sense when I think about it carefully?!
Damn it!
You have no humanity!

And unlike Grandpa, she wasn't asking, "Was this guy really that person back then?"
She was saying, "You're definitely that guy.
Tell me clearly."

"I'm sorry.
That was my son.
I was the one who was there back then, and I was the one who ordered him to do it.
I'm sorry."

The spirit glared at me as if she wanted to kill me.
After hearing my apology, she continued staring at me for a long time.

Then, as if her emotions had finally settled, she gently smiled and spoke quietly.

"I feel good after receiving your apology.
Fortunately, the forest that burned back then is slowly returning.
If you look at it differently, thanks to you, the conflict between the elves and humans also ended.
I can't completely wash away the resentment I have toward you, but after seeing your actions today, I thought that perhaps I could forgive you.
You have a wonderful indomitable spirit."

"...I'm sorry!!!"

What an incredible person!

At this point, even Buddha would stand up and applaud while cheering!

What the hell had I done?

Had Errol given me this opportunity on purpose?

Th-this was so painful...!

At least, that was what I thought.

But I still couldn't understand it.

The elves considered the Mother Forest sacred, and this spirit herself didn't particularly hate elves.
Yet she was saying that she might forgive the person who had burned down such a precious forest.

What kind of values did she have?

It was frightening.

I wanted her to give me another reason that I could actually understand.

"More importantly, the child I'm using as my host likes you...
No!
That's not it!
Forget I said that!"

...Haaah.

Ah, seriously!
Ha!
So that was it?

This really was...

Tsk.
Hoo...

What a great game...!

How did situations like this keep appearing that I could never even dream of experiencing in reality?

And then I would get embarrassed, feel strangely happy, and become all ticklish inside.

What was this?!

"Did I do something?"

Being liked by a woman was something that had never happened to me before in my entire life, except for Pai.

And this time, it was an elf, the textbook definition of a fantasy race!

She looked somewhat young, and that wasn't exactly my type.

But still!

I would always be grateful for kindness directed toward me!

Hehe.
The fact that I wasn't completely flustered despite this overwhelming affection, thanks to my previous experience with Pai, was surely proof that I had grown as a person.

"Yes?!
Ah, no!
It's not that!
Th-that...
I mean..."

Leviinge kept glancing at me.

I hadn't even managed to remember her name properly the first time.
What had she possibly seen in me to develop feelings like this?

Pai at least had the excuse of saving my life several times.

This was truly amazing.

"The truth is..."

"The truth is?"

"When I first saw you, I thought you seemed like a really terrible person..."

As I listened with great anticipation, something strange entered my ears.

The emotional tone and the content of her words didn't seem to match at all.

"...Huh?"

"A-and also!
The spirit told me that you were a human even more worthless than a bug that deserved to rot away, die under a curse, and disappear!"

"???"

"I...
I had never seen a human worse than me before...!
The spirit never insults other people like that!
She's actually a very good person!
And the White One here is also a really kind and good person, but you kept glaring at him!"

"Uh... huh?
What?"

"...It's the best!"

It was twisted.

First Pai, who stabbed my heart while having the highest possible affection level.

Then that mysterious, confusing fanatic.

And now an elf girl who had developed some bizarre affection toward me.

...Where exactly had I gone wrong?

"At first, my master was also a very pathetic person...
But now he's become something that isn't even an elf anymore, so I can't take care of him!"

"I don't understand.
I really don't understand.
I'm done."

"Ah, ahjussi!
Pull yourself together!
You can't break down here!"

"Because of this child's feelings, I couldn't deal with that demon in time.
No.
I shouldn't blame this child alone.
I also felt sorry for him."

"Ueeee..."

"So I should hate you.
But because of this child's feelings, my anger toward you has cooled down as well.
It is troublesome.
She finds joy and fulfillment in taking care of pathetic people, and even puts the demon right on the edge of her preferences."

"I think I'm going crazy!!!"

Who was it that said expectations led to betrayal?

If you didn't expect anything in the first place, you couldn't be betrayed.

Ah, you...

Just how long were you going to keep winning against me?!

I almost completely broke down from the shock.

But then I saw the dark smile slowly forming on Leviinge's face as she watched me fall apart.

The sight gave me chills, and fortunately, I came back to my senses.

So there really were people like this...

Ah, no.
Wait.

Why would they create a character like this?

And if they were going to make one, couldn't they have kept her far away from the player?

Ah.
She had been living in the Labyrinth Forest.

She had been living plenty far away, but I was the one who brought her here.

I wanted to blame someone else.

But hahaha!

This was all my karma, wasn't it?

Hahahahaha!

Hehehe...

"I'm not completely forgiving you yet, so don't show such a pathetic side.
Are you trying to seduce me?"

"?!
Wh-what the...
Ah...
Never mind."

"First of all, I sincerely want to apologize for what I did to your friend."

"Yes.
Thanks to you, one child completely lost his mind, and because of that mad child, an entire tribe was wiped out.
So you should apologize."

"...If I apologize one more time, won't she like me even more?"

"Probably.
If you bow your head and apologize like a reed swaying in the wind without any backbone, she'll probably be delighted.
I'd like to see it a little myself."

If I didn't apologize, she would probably like me for being such a pathetic person anyway.

It was a world I couldn't understand.

Did long-lived races like elves really find joy in such strange things?

Um...
Anyway.

It seemed like we had somehow dealt with the reason we had gathered here, right?

It was strange, but it seemed like she had accepted my apology for what I had done.

Now could we finally move on to the usual strategy meeting?

Right?

Please tell me that's what we're doing!

My mind couldn't take any more!

My fragile and delicate mind was going to cry!

"Oh my, are you about to cry?
How pathetic.
Hehe."

"St-stop...
Please, can't we talk about something else?!
Please!
I'm begging all of you!"

Was she perhaps doing this on purpose to torment me?

You know, like those mystery novels where someone secretly becomes the closest person to the target of their resentment, waiting for a chance to stab them in the back?

"...You really did something so horrible despite having such a weak and timid heart."

"No, I...
I really thought it wasn't a real situation, so I just went wild.
It's not like I actually had any hatred toward them..."

"Enough.
Let's move on.
If I continue talking about this, I'll be influenced by this child's emotions as well."

"Ueeeee...!
Wh-what does that mean?!
What does it mean?!
Tell me!"

"Please stop acting so cute."

I had never been cute even once in my entire life.

"...Can we move on to the Labyrinth Forest now?"

"Yes."

"Huu...
Ugh...
The Great Hero of Salvation really was the real thing..."

"Haha.
I've always been real."

I felt like I had been hit one last time, but thanks to Errol, the conversation finally managed to move on to the Great Demon living in the mansion.

"It's a Great Demon, isn't it?
You knew that and still served him as your master?"

"Yes.
Could there have been another elf as pitiful and pathetic as this child in her eyes?
He couldn't even move, couldn't sleep easily, and was picky about food.
He would also have seizures sometimes.
From the Great Demon's perspective, he clearly needed someone to take care of him.
And this child needed someone to fulfill her desire to care for another.
In the end, they filled each other's needs."

"Even so, he's a Great Demon."

"At first, he was simply a patient.
But as time passed, the part related to his appetite grew larger and larger, until he eventually became what you saw.
By the time this child thought, 'This isn't right,' it was already too late.
There was nothing she could do."

I see.

So that was how it was.

But this nameless spirit of the Lake of Life seemed capable of making Leviinge run away.
Why hadn't she?

Even if the Great Demon looked pitiful, if she cared about the elves, wouldn't that concern apply to Leviinge as well?

Perhaps she had been influenced by Leviinge's emotions and kept taking care of him until it was too late for her to leave.

What did Leviinge actually see when she looked at me and that demon?

"The mansion was originally an ordinary mansion.
But little by little, its appearance changed as if it had been burned, until it became what you see now.
Eventually, the entire mansion became that creature's cage and body."

"So can I understand that damaging the mansion also damages the demon?"

"It is possible, but ordinary strength won't be enough.
When it was simply a burned mansion, you could break it by hitting it.
But in its current state, unless you attack the exposed flesh parts like the tongue you saw, it will be difficult to deal any meaningful damage."

I see.

I understood that.

But that tongue moved much faster than I expected and was surprisingly tough.
Even that exposed flesh wouldn't be easy to attack.

If Malang could melt it with her acid attacks, that might work.

But I doubted things would go that smoothly.

"Is the Great Hero not going to help?"

"Ahaha.
If we were in a closed space like this, perhaps.
But in a place like the Labyrinth Forest, where there are watchers everywhere who might not even notice what we're doing, my position becomes a problem if I act together with In-gwang."

It was something I had already experienced when fighting Corruption.

Back then, Grandpa Alro had actively stepped forward, allowing me to receive at least indirect assistance.

This wasn't the Empire, and the way they treated the Great Heroes was clearly different.

I should understand that.

"I'm sorry, In-gwang.
I didn't expect the city to oppose it this strongly.
I really was fighting until just a moment ago, you know?"

"It's fine.
I wasn't expecting you to help from the beginning.
But I'll call her Leviinge comfortably.
How many times can she fire that water cannon from earlier?"

"...I'll do my best!"

Why did Leviinge have to appear at exactly this moment?

We were having a serious strategy meeting about defeating a Great Demon.

Why did you have to appear there?!

"No, not your best...
And can't I talk to the spirit?"

"I'll do it!
I can do it!
Leave it to me!"

"No!
I really can't stay with her!"

"Huuu!
A grown adult acting like a child and throwing a tantrum!!"

"I'm scared of her!
Get her away from me!"

"Hoo...
Hoo...!
I can't hold it in anymore!!"

"Aaaaaah!"

Crash!!

...Wait.

Let's take a short break.

Yeah.

Let's do that.