Chapter 94: Sun Claiomh Solais (2)
KQzk7dVThe next morning, we gathered at Uzkias’s house.KAK
YgX5UgMe, Yuel, and the Arden sisters.k2yt
o4G6RTOn the other hand, along with Scaith were a bunch of people wearing gloomy-looking clothes. They were probably monsters related to the ‘Shaded Village’, considering how Scaith was taking them around with him.orBb
EyN1LQThere was an old man in the group who was definitely unlike the rest of them. It was annoying, but it seemed that Tates had also sent this old man with Scaith.WojT
CWwQFg“I will now announce the second test.”Aq8Xs
zVmEe“Second? Was there the first test?” Alicia asked while tilting her head. She seemed tired as if she didn’t have enough sleep last night, making me wonder whether she was okay or not.QiELlBV
wNhZZ“You have already taken your first test when entering the city.”MKLwfr
qHy“When entering the city… Are you referring to the illusion formation?”LI9sk
sVmtkxBIn response to Lunia’s question, Uzkias replied with a nod.CiozgJO
KcoX“That was a test of your qualification, seeing how much you can do to fight for your conviction… and whether you have an unshakable perception of justice or not. All of you have proven your conviction already.”7CVIJ
XR2I see. That seemed to have been a test of how much trust we had in ourselves, and how we would act in certain situations. Looking at how both Lunia and Alicia had also made it through, it seemed that all of us were confident and unhesitant in whatever we had to do.w4A2
CVPS“Umm… I, I don’t think that was the case for me…”76xR
tRJ1eAlicia hesitantly raised her hand and an objection.6ep
BGCCb“Alicia.”IIAY1
339XH“Y, yes? Brother-in-law… I mean, Mr. Korin!”0ChkKEG
MalMuLx“Hmm? Anyway, there’s no need to be that self-deprecating. Be proud, because you have carried through with your conviction and values.”ilN
dPxZ55“U, uhh… t, the thing is…”Eu8OJ
viII9She was sweating profusely from her forehead. It seemed that she really was tired from lack of sleep.2OVzh
j6cKDAlicia lacked so much confidence in herself that even Lunia tried to lift her mood while tapping on her head.as0c
Onq“Whatever your actions and your cause may be, fight for your conviction. We, as humans, tend to become stronger when fighting for a cause.”r1J
ZbqEo“I, I don’t think I should though…”ZEi
xkOHer eyes dizzily rolled around in circles. Maybe we had to let her rest.H0XqzR
pqZ0KC“Alicia. Maybe you should take some rest if you’re tired.”37G48
IzmiShe looked so out of it that even Yuel stepped up to make her rest.qVI7
cUpEV“I, it’s okay. A sinner like me has no right to rest…”79xOB
r0BO“What do you mean by that?”wMxdByc
31AH4ZRI had no idea why she was like that, but in any case, Uzkias added something before introducing the test to us.jQQ
YqYMbP“The druids that have come with you will be helping out with your test. For Korin Lork, it will be Yuel the druid of Avelorn, and for Dun Scaith, it will be Dumnorix, the representative of Esus.”YDzH
loZeHearing that, I turned to the old man who was standing next to Scaith with a robe on. In some ways, he was a more intimidating opponent than Scaith.l5eUd36
FXOLawmaker, Dumnorix.GYDUeMf
I9NOHe was a Druid Elder, who was a right-hand man of Tates Valtazar unlike most druids that kept a neutral position. He was the druid who wholeheartedly supported the usurpation of Tates Valtazar.b4RrZtP
sKAkd1In other words, he was someone who wanted the Advent of Paradise. I had to put shackles on him first.FBZ
cQwa“Sage Uzkias. There is something we would like to make certain before we begin.”QxvFXr8
aNEq“What is it, young hero?”81xXmt
od4YAr“For these tests, let’s make it so that we can only receive assistance from the druids, and keep them from participating in battle.”9jGdIF
pTlz“Kuhihihilk! Did you hear that, Dum?”sAK
VHFFa7“…”XE7M
gqTGqLThe old man wearing a black robe, Dumnorix, turned towards me. His eyes with an arcus senilis threatened to pierce through me.ZyPK5
s9H6vuI“The tests will involve no fighting,” Uzkias replied.HHKP
x19“What about after the tests are over? Whoever it is, the one who didn’t get it is going to attack the one who did for sure, so it would be problematic for us if the druids don’t maintain a neutral standpoint.”P5feoD
94dHx2s“Hmm…”no7M
XldUzkias pondered, contemplating about the neutrality of druids and whether he should force it onto others or not.3joe
z1kJAlthough they were a communitarian society, that didn’t mean they outright denied the individual rights of their people. Whether it be Yuel or Dumnorix, Uzkias was probably thinking that he had no justification to stop either one of them from supporting different people.7TEla
dCiRjBut at the same time, he was probably thinking about how Yuel was a normal druid while Dumnorix was a Druid Elder. There would inevitably be problems with fairness.4TkwM
XpC“Let’s make a vow with a geass. On how we will both accept the result of the test and refrain from attacking each other for the next 60 days.”tvK0OZ5
Ljh5N“Huhihi?”CnSJE9J
WnfhIn an instant, Scaith’s eyes glistened. Right, I knew he would find that offer very appealing for himself.77KEmpM
We9MPw“What do you think, Dum? ‘I’ think it’s fine.”AUePj
j5vFpo“…Alright.”t1kegpO
Y99qpBefore starting our test, we made a geass under the supervision of Uzkias.ium4
t34The content was as I said, about me, Lunia, Alicia, and Yuel not attacking Scaith’s group, as well as Scaith and his group not attacking us.0svk4J
ASMeJIt was a simple contract of restriction which was therefore more powerful. The moment we went against this vow, this vow would take our lives for it.c8W
CaTwJ“That should be enough. I will now announce the second test. Your task is to make a staff out of wood that has had a connection with the gods.”nWk8L
9crh“I understand the staff part… but what do you mean by having a connection with the gods?”3KPMFom
Xzwuc“You shall listen to the advice of your druids for that because they have the knowledge. The deadline is tomorrow before sunrise.”aazpHwD
a3ViITHmm. In the first place, this hidden land was impossible to enter without the help of druids, and it seemed that we would need the help of druids from the first to the last test.hpVYtY
9vXVuWhat was fortunate was that I had been somewhat aware of this from the Precepts’ reward that I received after killing Fermack. After all, the reward itself was about the existence of Findias and its relation to the ‘Solar Eclipse’.3BZgmI
VO9PA0‘In other words, this would be a part of many tests that will allow us to reach the sky, or the sun for that matter. The problem is that I don’t know the individual tests inside but…’NLnw6ka
6l2dDaI“This test is not for deciding the victor. Just find it. After a rightful procedure, you will gain the chance to arrive at the Sun.”qcDYv
TxTkCqAfter Uzkias was done with his last sentence, we gathered together and the first one to open their mouth was Alicia.KaV
HFq4“Ms. Yuel! What does it mean to find wood that had a connection with the gods?”ej8ng
T1TxbK“Druids that become the sages of forests make their staffs using a special tree.”9uCwIds
wUbNI looked at Yuel’s staff. Her staff was made out of an old oak tree, and was a considerably good one. However, it was different from the final weapon you could get for Yuel in ❰Heroic Legends of Arhan❱. That was…ZI1LxQ
tbHbfCY“We need to look for an oak tree with a parasitic mistletoe, right?” I asked.QAqZ
LnHuHNQ“Yes… How did you know that?”7D3
ODMFR88“I found it in a book when I was reading about Ogham letters.”eQlrc4Q
sC28I used Ogham letters as an excuse because I couldn’t tell her, ‘I had to go through a quest to get you that final weapon in the game’, and Yuel seemed convinced by it.DSzc
O1Ou“If I remember correctly, for druids, a mistletoe and an oak tree represents death and resurrection; and are special ingredients that are symbolic of a communication with gods. Is that correct?”Uv7xwnx
4chU2I“Yes. That’s why we say an oak tree with a parasitic mistletoe is the trace of a communication with gods. Plus, they are very powerful magic mediums as well.”E3mG1
THk0JvcThanks to Yuel’s explanation, everyone understood the content of the test but our next question was how we would find the said tree. Lunia shared her concerns.6Uoc0P
xc6gNhN“This will not be very easy.”uHIr8i
0aE“What do you mean, unni? Weren’t there a few mistletoes near our house as well?”ThFWtr7
M4ZR3FH“The important part is that the mistletoe must be on an ‘oak tree’.”V0P2lVV
VI5a3N“Mistletoes grow on all sorts of trees including apple trees and lime trees. It won’t be easy finding a mistletoe on an oak tree,” Yuel added from the side.WAc4EeD
WSkMbIt will definitely be easier than finding a jujube tree that was struck by lightning, but finding an oak tree with a mistletoe in this ocean of trees won’t be that easy either.4jbKsY
v6q0vA“But if I ask the spirits, that should increase our chance at finding one.”uAL3Z
jZf8Fortunately, we had a druid in our group, the representative of nature that was loved by the forest itself. They were so loved that the trees and spirits even made them houses and a city.4TV
ToofG“Alright. Let’s first head into the forest.”69Yy7
RS3yHowever, waiting for us was a very rough start.FT8l7
a228HV0The spirits did not listen to Yuel’s request.kaqVfR
MIxF****CUQL
zDY3G“T, this is bad.”Rsw
2SPyMwYuel said with an apologetic and troubled look on her face.LA1pWX
WJj“Are the spirits not listening to you?”pn6h
jxs5“Rather than that… most of them…”LbU
Qa4“Most of them went to Scaith, huh.”08fN
uhaEftThat was out of our control though, because Dumnorix was a sage of another forest whereas Yuel was just a young druid who learned a few hidden skills. Spirits naturally had no choice but to prioritize the forest sage who had dedicated himself to nature for much longer than she did.CRWA
IYU2l“I know it’s not a contest of who comes first but… Will we even be able to find a mistletoe by tomorrow morning at this rate?”CQXV
sv4pW1“We would have to be… very lucky.”tEc
JwIyIt was completely like a lottery. Finding an oak tree in this dense forest was already a chore and finding one with a mistletoe was close to impossible, unless we received the help of a bunch of spirits through the druid.mE4q
8Cl6R0“Mr.Koriinnnn~!”Dj0
fXhmNMIt was then. Alicia came running at us while carrying a large branch that was bigger than her own body.E9owweP
4Ep8“A mistletoe! I found a mistletoe!”ymNx
aQ1vcShe seemed to have run around looking for one while we were coming up with a plan.BNlm
9NlzVM“That’s a nettle tree, Alicia.”raDzrCX
CCUP“Ehk? But the mistletoe… I made sure to cut it nicely though.”J3V
uIze3xAlicia planted the branch of the nettle tree with a mistletoe into the ground with a disheartened look on her face. As if she couldn’t let go of her hope, she looked back and forth between the branch and Yuel, before carefully sharing her opinion.SSRI2m
TjQ4nw“Umm, maybe there’s… a different way?”Rbp
HQe“Speak, Alicia.”ZOvV
vrP“For example, we can pop the mistletoe into an oak tree…”B19m0
wAYbSfh“That will get rid of its magical significance though,” Yuel replied.BSKesx
XluOze“Hmm…”3er
ekAh99This time, Lunia raised a different plan.vdl4Z6
pX8zjp5“I heard there was a secret technique among druids that can immediately grow a plant. Can you not grow a mistletoe along with an oak tree?”QAAGr
5Ji“A plant that grew rapidly is just expanded with mana and has no nutrients so it will go back to its original shape. It won’t even last until tomorrow.”2sYcE
xkhxiPRapid growth… hmm?nQw
ljVZqK“Yuel, can you find an oak tree for us?” I asked.94i5
fCNDI“That… shouldn’t be too hard.”UVq
DjU“That will be more than enough then.”bbjUSxe
BImh3U9I said while shaking the glass bottle that I took before coming to the east. It contained something gleaming in gold, and was the hidden card up my sleeve that was supposed to help us reach the sky.uOQdzLx
OIyuzzdIt was time to take a glimpse at a portion of that power.9TAM8
irFpl****o8QWE
trOqmPkNext morning, Dun Scaith giggled while looking at the thick oak wood staff in his hands.6sApo
CFtYz7“So pretty~. Right?”lhHh
4iP“Yes, it certainly is, Mr. Scaith.”b6JAn
uTFOoHis subordinates enthusiastically agreed to his words. Most of his men couldn’t come into Findias through the first test and even the few that did were quite useless. It was Lawmaker Dumnorix who did most of the work, but…r2SMxsY
3NWckZ“Who’s the little friend that made this staff?”nUVb2F
N9LScaith praised the one who made the staff regardless.nMe
kuFOeJc“Little friend! Buddy buddy! Let me give you a compliment.”tCB
nn9“Ah, ahh…”8JxPgq
hpU9RQDespite being praised for his work, his subordinate wearing a robe had a pale look on his face. He tightly gripped on the silver rosario hanging on his neck and gulped.GKOCv
32NHe knew how Dun Scaith had ‘devoured’ his fellow priest after calling him a ‘friend’. That was why his face turned pale from his compliments.g4jucFr
hUjS“P, please do not kill me sir.”6dzzj4
34jli4G“Nnn? What is wrong, little buddy?”qDB
MnyU“I, I do not want to die yet.”reJX
QNpBn“EVERYONE DIES—!!”byVzkUa
hyTScaith roared out loud with a sonorous voice. His eyes were tainted in purple as something started wriggling beneath the hems of his coat.EmrE
BqgHxjV“Little friend. Don’t you want to ascend to heaven? We can help you ascend… The world is very cruel and there is a limit to how big it can go, okay?”fMwN
hqOtRThe tongue of a serpent licked the priest. Right when Scaith’s duster coat was wriggling and about to change into a different form—inh
VaJb6y“Scaith. Uzkias the sage is watching us.”ZDgt
JbPI“…”YkhJO
d9g2CL0Dun Scaith stepped back down. Before long, Korin and his group came towards them.YqLw3T
UDKzp“Hello, little Korin. Is your rod also as thick and hard as mine?”cJy
u5NeC7j“You should be careful with your word choice.”sQqn
QAw“Huhihirk…!”xQr
IuhScaith was fond of that boy. What face would the goddess make if he were to take that pretty head of the boy and put it on a platter?9C9H73
Y7B9What would the pitiful queen, who was sealed by the king 80 years ago and forced to move around the world with a fake body, look like if even her last disciple were to return in a miserable state?WPM
OnJgLN“So, have you made a good staff? I couldn’t really see any spirits next to you.”CQIMP
BdEpZVyIt was hard for Scaith to approach them in secret because of Lunia’s acute senses but even without going closer to them, he still knew that there were less than 10 spirits helping Yuel.sKGgQG
PWvYqOn the other hand, there were a thousand spirits helping them, and finding a suitable tree had been very easy.7qm
SJ8“Yuel. Show them what we got.”SpFEAa
5RTW“Okay.”X0s
Vj8DYuel took out a large staff from her robe. It was a huge staff made of an oak tree with a parasitic mistletoe.FEECfIb
IdVx“Their rod is bigger and harder than ours!”GObc2
funFDKWith a flick, Scaith immediately turned his face to his subordinate who made the staff for them as the priest shuddered in response.971T9
GFyX“How did you do it? You shouldn’t have had enough time to find one.”Ftyhy8
X1L“Don’t you think you should put something on the line when you want to know what your opponents did?”Uu28n
gx5us“Huhihihik…! You’re right! What do you want?”vWcL
sDKJve“I can tell you if you give me either the Spear of Light or the Stone of Destiny.”alud
jjJ“They’re at home.”OMf5vt
In5qo“Too bad, then.”LMd
D1Sft6After we had a short verbal quarrel, Uzkias walked to us in the form of a leopard.SUCdSh
Ldr“You have both marvelously completed your second test. You have all passed.”MsHXRzp
sO1F4Without any further delay, Uzkias announced the third task.gT67aA
HThEH“In the forest north of this place is a magic rowan tree that bears red fruits. Your task is to bring those fruits.”1fCL
r6ZWe knew there would be more to the task than what he implied.wE4PPS
qvJlh1I****60ZGRb3
jdv2PThere were so many demonic beasts in these forests that this place was called the Mountain Range of Demonic Beasts, but there were certain areas that were avoided by those monsters.9OTbY
wZuYBkOne of those was Findias. Because of magic barriers around the city, demonic beasts couldn’t enter them and had to retreat back out.sbAFe
WsSWIURAnd… another example was territories of absolutely terrifying entities that demonic beasts did not dare trespass.A5uYfS
Y5UvkXW“This way.”6mLrfJz
L11cEOutside the secret lands of Findias, Yuel, and Dumnorix were in the lead with Dun Scaith and my group walking awkwardly side-by-side.QCM
0wJ“Little kid, little kid. Do you like toads?”FZvHQ
FzCDeED“I like bullfrogs. They taste like chicken.”2V35
mSH6R“Uhihih…! I’m not liking you as much anymore!”MqVEa8
DoADo you think I ever did? It was when I was about to walk away from him.JqHv
tnlWUF“I told you not to call me!!”0yjcj1
fjB0fScaith screamed as if in a fit and almost grabbed me by the neck but—0OJg3
kejv“Huhi? No no no. I can’t break the pledge. Huhihikk…!”HFV1Lst
UNKw1“Ughkk?!”JtrI
e5EJMIn the blink of an eye, Scaith reached his arm back at one of his robed subordinates. The man was immediately thrown onto the ground after having his neck crushed.eLK9
hqux“I! TOLD YOU! NOT TO CALL ME…!”cgItnz
uUP9dLike a madman, Scaith punched the man in a robe with his fists along with a maddened laughter. It took less than 3 seconds for the robed person to be crushed to smithereens by his insane strength.yZKWt
42BNTI was wondering why he was taking around so many men for no reason, but it seemed that they were there as scapegoats for whenever he had a fit like that.weG8g
yDRGbkHA time bomb at least had a timer, but this guy was like an unexploded mine that was already stepped on. You never knew when this guy would explode.w6sGx
hJoSy0m“We are almost there.”XCClz4
l9XDumnorix said as we then turned our eyes to the other side of the dense forest. At the end of the forest was a massive empty plot of land. We immediately spotted a rowan tree with red fruits and also discovered the one behind it.JpT
42r0S“T, this can’t be. How did we not notice this until now?”TctONv
v0qhBeyond the tree was a cliff – or rather, something that had appeared like a cliff until now.TjbND
704– Crack crackkkk!ZXGVi00
H7RTA disharmonious and jittery noise echoed across the forest from something moving after a long time of staying still. Using that as soil, trees, fruits and dust had all been built up on top of it to form a mountain. How long would that have taken?TVwXNP
5mckbu“…”ZCQSI
fLIpJ6e“…”3XH2Qu7
lnyvUc3We were all shocked to a stop and that was when ‘that thing’ opened its eyes.5eQiA
7oNu7“…A giant.”y4eJiE
64ZI accidentally let out a snicker after hearing Alicia’s remark. That was no giant – even giants were like newborn babies in front of that thing which was taller than 70 meters.cCq
aEhK2They were beings that existed even before my master… Erin Danua and her race ruled over the world. They were the gods of the first era of this world, that only existed in storybooks and rarely appeared to show off their might.j71Pu
jhhXCISky Titans.CHgEV4
CK0The one before me was a named character of ❰Heroic Legends of Arhan❱, who was of the same race as the Sky Titans that protected the Sun of Findias.1Rycns
DF696— My name is Searbhan. Those who crave the fruits must prove themselves.BafNeA
33yA majestic voice weighed down on the world.AXfSo5
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