Chapter 98: Sun Claiomh Solais (6)
2IPiTMmNext morning, we witnessed an oak tree that quite literally reached the heavens. Each and every one of its branches were thicker and longer than thousand-year-old trees as they all reached out to the sky.wAEj
kvet“U, uahhh…”cUPp
rbxn6fAAlicia had already been impressed by the 10-meter-tall oak tree. After seeing it reach all the way to the sky, she even seemed a little horrified by it.fzL
3W4fZ6K『ᛊ』 — SowilosIlkkJ2
drII carved a rune on the ground as the rune of the sun immediately emitted light. Rune Magic wasn’t a very efficient way of using magic but…lcw7
m6Pv– Suruk…!rBeA
TNld0kgMy body rapidly absorbed the aura bursting out from the ground. The AOE mana regeneration field was also working properly.KNb9
g6Is“W, what in the world happened?”WGSIV
TDXO“This is the true might of a veteran player.”LkY
DVn3Nh“Sorry?”VdgY
NEywyThere were a few hardcore fans of the game that even went through the source code to analyze the game.2ajWmax
B1UPjAfter acquiring the Yellow Gold Mandrake and the White Silver Mandrake using the god of the lake hidden piece, a few of those hardcore fans wondered if this would connect to other hidden secrets or not.9Opu5t2
mL5P0ULo and behold, to their surprise, there really was an item that was related to the Yellow Gold and White Silver Mandrakes!Bplvw
zaP74buOne of them was the Mandrake Fertilizer. It was something that could only be made by mixing a bunch of special materials along with a unique dirt, a very potent fertilizer that was overpowered in the ‘farming content’.xxu4a
sEGXCD‘I wasn’t expecting it to be this OP though.’IqT
BNGYMDzI did test it a few times on the way here. Using a little bit of the golden fertilizer, we tested it on a few different plants and we even proved its usability by using it during the oak tree and mistletoe trial but… I still wasn’t expecting it to be this powerful.c7OdS8
m8QIJbKThe oak staff that sucked in all the nutrients from the remaining fertilizer was as tall as the sky and was literally touching the heavens.LTmie
24SvNh“I do not know how you managed to do it, but nonetheless, you have done a magnificent job.”wOqTswS
yTEUzkias remarked in awe while looking at the oak tree that was as tall as the heavens.frX
HMLt7tAThe oak tree that was being grown by one of the strongest druids, Dumnorix, was barely reaching 300 meters in height.Fp1W
QRwCompared to that, ours was at least 1 kilometer tall already, and besides, it was still in the process of growing in real-time and it probably wouldn’t take that long until it would actually reach the heavens.Wi7zie
1khrD“Hmm. If you are going to depart now, let me give you my final advice as the Sage of Findias.”Iqi
rKfoPX“Please do, sir.”qIK
smSuR“As I have said before, the Solar Eclipse will be coming soon. That will be the weakest moment of the Sun, and will be the only instance where you would be able to lay your hands on it.”ui3v
Yw5hm4WIn other words, the Sun, Claiomh Solais was only obtainable during the Solar Eclipse.U4o
pDX‘Are there no restrictions after you obtain it once?’DXONzbS
dG5qxEjIn the last iteration, it used to be in the possession of one of the King’s subjects, the King of Beauty, Eochaid Bres[mfn] Eochaid Bres: Previously Ohad – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bres[/mfn], and he had been using it regardless of whether it was the Solar Eclipse or not.D05tz
enhes“Everything is now in your hands, young hero.”lSOOt1
zD0DjWith those last words, Uzkias went back to his house as if he had done everything that needed to be done.6wJ
lAl7c“Mr. Korin. Are we setting off immediately?”1Ux
K5AGPh3“Yeah. It won’t end in just a day or two. We need to grab some rations and clothes before we start climbing it.”BKMEbu
dl6QbS“Uhh, I will go tell Sister to get ready.”9dO94
WxZMWWhat was unfortunate was that my strongest members weren’t ready yet. I roughly knew how to obtain the Sun, but the problem was the Sky Titans protecting it, as well as things I was unaware of.iRc
vsGDIt would have been reassuring to have Hua Ran and Marie with us, but… if the two of them didn’t arrive in time, we would have no choice but to set off by ourselves.bqgC4
N9X“We need to depart in a week at the latest. Hopefully they’ll come by then.”iZG
y6hm6A****gEQX
uDzBmZNight.wJvx
g9eXbRaUnder the moon, Alicia was swinging her sword.WwY
IjO5hWhile waiting for Marie and Hua Ran to arrive, she learned the sword from the Sword Emperor during the day and repeated what she learned at night.JfkPwx
SI4OHer plan was to continue it until Korin said it was time to leave.Rv8YC
5uR9I“Haa… Haa…!”tTuh
9pfxgSEver since the Sword Challenge, Alicia had broken away from laziness and began to seriously train in the way of the sword, but that was not because she was sincerely intrigued by the sword.yW4
p8IZHsShe was more focused on following Korin Lork to the training rooms and spending time with him while training together. This was the first time she was training for the sole purpose of increasing her skills with the sword.nvyydv2
6T3JWkeIt reminded her of her childhood days, back when she chased after the steps of her older sister and got absentmindedly absorbed into swordsmanship.DGB4qCq
sqADSAlicia had never been so immersed in the sword ever since she first cut a person. As someone who was afraid of herself using the sword, she wasn’t used to this feeling.M9LA
Vz64rFI“Haa…”rHB14vF
QhBGRHer entire body was drenched in sweat. Despite her trembling hands, Alicia desperately held onto her Demon-Slaying Sword while wiping the sweat off of her forehead.yUnE6
YbcMFSRight when she was about to continue swinging her sword, a cold voice reached her ears from behind.bXRj2BR
uCLL“Stop there. You will simply end up ruining your body.”qFii
5VOviI“…Sister.”Bs3LI
n58ZL9CLunia Arden —her older sister from another mother— walked up to her while giving her a bottle of water.rW2T
aaeAt“Training is about forcing yourself to your limits and slowly exceeding it over time. Any more than that right now for you is torture, not training.”XM9t
Ou3nzV“…Okay.”J7IoElK
ZKf3Alicia agreed and sat down on the chair that Yuel left for her.KfrGFL
4LjonvY“Have you had dinner?”LuamLo
NwvIze6“…Not yet.”4MHh
FnOfodxHearing that, Lunia picked something up from her pocket and tossed it at her. Without even seeing it, Alicia knew what it was.ExCa4
Vr27Honey bomb candy. It was Alicia’s favorite candy that was so sweet that it numbed your tongue.hmr4R
HITmNZv『You carry that around the whole time. Do you like it?』Ria5w
k5j『Yes… Sister. I love it.』tgz
hlepk6I『I see.』p3W73GT
49nF8s8Looking back, that was probably when Lunia started to carry these candies around in her pocket.G2kW23R
PKxWPJ3Remembering that tickled her heart in a pleasant manner, but it also put her mind in dismay. She had been having a myriad of contrasting emotions whenever looking at her older sister these days, ever since she returned home for the winter holiday.0n7
2br8w“Sister. Do you like Mr. Korin?”Ab9wxQV
1RqElWhHuh?1yAPHw
YNalAlicia was surprised after saying that. Why did I say that, she asked herself. That came out of nowhere, didn’t it?SpAE1r4
CCvnuq“L, like, I mean…”RWXj8Lr
uWz“Well, he is not a bad man.”F27y
Qpt7k“Sorry?”lVaF
u27mqtFSeeing the shivering eyes of her younger sister, Lunia floated a rare smile on her lips.Kh1Qp
nr0ODn“Objectively speaking, he is an outstanding man, whether it be appearance or talents.”2s6AR
ZEnN5UIn the quiet secret lands of the druids, Lunia’s voice reached her ears all too well. Alicia wanted to say something back, but her lips refused to part.kmR
yi5b4She hesitated and tried to look for the right words to say, but in the end, the only thing that left her lips was a half-assed complaint.QmsCw
tBezq2“Y, you can’t decide marriage just from…”RgZ
dyna“Naturally, I too am a lady myself. I would not have asked for his hand in marriage just for external reasons.”vNIdl9
n0ZW“T, then…”9z3F6
Z6J“He is a kind-hearted man. If it is him, I am sure the marriage life in the future will fare smoothly. He is someone who will try his best to satisfy his wife.”6su7gxz
OhH1“B, but…”HWXo
Acho3kAlicia felt the need to say something back. Even though she didn’t know why, she had the urge to say something, and…VbQL
hjzU“Your ‘age’ gap is quite big as well…”BDwNoR
NbdNeKPShe unconsciously put emphasis on the word, ‘age’, as a sharp look immediately appeared in Lunia’s eyes.QtmFHi
pew“It is true that there is some difference in experience, but that is precisely why I have abundance in things that he would not be able to experience from young ones.”g2vy2z
WIm5C3B“I, I wonder if that’s true.”1egG
muwaAfter that, the two sisters silently gazed at each other without saying anything else. Strangely enough, Alicia used to be so intimidated by Lunia that she couldn’t even look into her eyes for an extended period of time, and yet here, their eye contact lasted more than 10 seconds.nKgS
ojTMPTheir eyes were so fiery that they were even giving off sparks. Anyone seeing it would have screamed out loud in shock.xfd
HJo6Despite seeing that rare side of her younger sister, Lunia inwardly gave a sneer.4n4
JlnhIt was clear that she didn’t want to have him taken away – Lunia long knew about the nature of the emotion she had for Korin. However, Alicia wasn’t explicitly revealing it. In fact, she would have done something already if she even knew about it.7KI
h35AAlicia had yet to even realize the nature of her own emotions. Otherwise, there was no way something trivial like this was the only objection she would give despite hearing about his engagement.dDE4L
rQ6uaLunia was someone who had to immediately lay her hands on something she decided to have, or at least try to. Therefore, the fact that Alicia wasn’t even aware of the emotion she was feeling for the first time in her life was so naive of her that Lunia couldn’t help but look down on her and sneer.L07m
ragVwNThat naivety and indecision was Alicia’s shortcoming.DL2r
jjqCLunia felt the need to provoke her regardless of how cheap it may sound.I5SqGVO
y4jwnaqFights had to be fair. Since that was her lifelong conviction, Lunia wanted to make her younger sister stand on the starting line at the very least before the start of the battle.Zne7usr
lTKNShe had to stand at the same starting point as her and set off with the same flare signal. There, Lunia would come out victorious and gaze down at her younger sister with triumphant eyes.koiE
uN5jKBTelling her, that she lost;bOrW
qgzpqAnd that he was taken from her.ygJT
dpwoZ3The wine in that chalice of victory would most certainly be the sweetest of them all.tix
tnw“He has already agreed that he and I will have an engagement ceremony after this is over.”lTAVOK
xWXfKQZEven though that was a false engagement tied by a contract, Lunia didn’t bother revealing that.qAwsN
grJ“T, that can’t be…”4zo
9YwI5Oblivious to all the inner workings of their engagement, Alicia was enveloped in an overwhelming sense of defeat.YUl1
c9KPAt the same time, her mind brought her back to the illusion she saw when first entering the secret lands.EsunZVd
Ye9YV『Brother-in-law… Sister is not coming home tonight.』DnU2Ta
0hzrShe recalled that treacherous act that she had fervently denied while screaming to herself. And then, she ended up imagining that delusion that should have been forever kept a secret.dJ3BvN
3LTG5If that same situation were to unfold, would she do the same thing?W7aUv60
MVnWhy was it that she couldn’t say no to that straight away?zHeo
2SfcT****QJDNCo
1HwdEnMarie went past the Arden headquarters in the East and headed straight to the border. In order to meet Korin as quickly as possible, she rode the Hresvelgr and relied on Doggo’s senses to fly through the mountain range of demonic beasts.Ro6kSO
4EE“Doggo. Where is daddy’s smell headed?”GiCeT0
yGQvG2r“Woof! Woof woof…!”rk4KKv6
EkQKDoggo pointed at a direction with its long hands as Marie quickly pulled the reins of the Hresvelgr to slightly modify the direction.zqk
S9bIn the middle of a long flight, a sudden thud echoed across the mountains all the way to the sky she was in.HY4
gDQsw– Kwaang! Kwang! Kwaaaang…!Dju
RhS“W, what is that?”uFsR
BNyJ1Hearing that horrendous noise of nature being destroyed, Marie turned her eyes and was baffled by the unbelievable sight.hvUP
L4nQgdz– Kwang! Kwagang! Kwaang…!Ry7i
7GWGSomething was racing through the forest in a straight line.EU4V3G
oop4dThere were no paths in the woods. Roads weren’t developed and traveling through an ocean of trees was supposed to be extremely tiring.Fy2
plJOOcHowever, that thing that was running through the forest was speeding in a straight line as if it was running on a wide plot of barren land. Everything in its path was being destroyed.qTj
Qoad14t“H, Hua Ran?!”rWE0boo
KU5The one crushing through the hundred-year-old trees with their bare body was a small girl wearing nun clothes. There was only one person she could think of that could pull that off.boJe0M
PZXR“W, what is she…?!”9bMeZ
9lKIt was then. In the middle of her non-stop dash, Hua Ran looked up at Marie’s eyes. Their eye contact, however, lasted only a split second.KuB5s4v
5z5“Huh? She… disappeared?”GBbNG7w
rQ9EfHHua Ran suddenly vanished from her sight in the blink of an eye, but that was when something else entered her sight which grabbed her attention even more.bsWj8j1
nQFe9At the end of her gaze was an enormous tree that was so tall it was about to reach the sky.lu9Oj
3Itz“I, is that it?”vh2QJfg
lmxtZY6That was also in the same direction as the place Doggo was pointing at, as well as where Hua Ran disappeared. It was an incredibly large tree so Marie decided to look for Hua Ran for starters and landed on the ground.MqjDp5
g1jrTo“Hmm… Daddy is nearby, you say?”bOoikc
7GUr“Woof!”bfgnv
vMywEVZHer argument was supported by Doggo’s bark. Marie turned to the Hresvelgr and said while feeding it a bag of potatoes.xnMOUi
8ItZRzm“For now, stay in the sky and follow us from behind. I will call you if something happens.”2DSPmZ
PPeZ“Krrrhk…!”6Z6S
rtUThe large eagle, Hresvelgr, understood human language and flew up into the sky.eryj
Zwi“The place where Hua Ran disappeared is…”URN9OV
dPgeRelying on the enormous oak tree as a landmark, Marie began searching the forest. After taking a few steps forward, as soon as she arrived at the place where Hua Ran had disappeared…lq0TmZ
K3Y————U3YnpxA
8qF7zM“Huh?”6c6A7eG
RRHEverything suddenly turned dark.sNLHMB
47yxkeOr did they?wUKlNkx
uD4EWhen Marie dizzily came to herself, she was sitting inside a chapel.S2P
D745F3q“The bride and the bridegroom just graduated from the Academy, right? I heard they did the deed during enrolment!”VzE4
aBRn“Oh my oh my! Was it a shotgun marriage? Just what I would expect from such a wonderful couple! Hohoho!!”JF49a2C
PX0Wsh“Hnn?”pjoL
nh8GaLUA peaceful melody from the organ was echoing across the chapel with kids dozing off.7EQF0
E1loQH6Unlike the calm and simple performance, the chapel was fancy and well-decorated. It was rare for chapels to be decorated like this, considering how religions usually talked about frugality, harmony, and mercy.va6J
cUAu8QsThis was something that could generally only be seen at sacred chapels like the Grand Chapel of Zeon.UpY2
0SWqG0hThanks to that, Marie realized that she was in someone else’s marriage.h5nb8q
B7yq“The bride will now be entering.”kYzZ3XY
qgMs6vGAlong with the sonorous voice of the priest, the large main gates of the chapel opened as the bride then walked in. The wedding dress of the bride had a white background with fancy golden strings and hundreds of embedded diamonds.FoziMOz
V6SsLThat was the wedding dress of her dream. At times, she used to imagine wearing a dress like that and walking down the red carpet of a wedding hall with a specific boy.XMkI
O42“Ugh… Whose marriage was this again?”ZbNE
0TVYIn the middle of her attempt to remember what she had forgotten, Marie was shocked after seeing the bride.CSASU3m
qHh“Hua Ran?!”nIm
dA1o0JThe bride was walking in with a flushed and embarrassed look on her face, and was led down the red carpet by Josephine.T9hbh
xyoKpQ“Wow, so pretty.”7VNcXW
g8OR“What a beautiful young lady.”xHKGfH
g6kThe old ladies sitting next to her were giving Hua Ran compliments, and created a fuss while saying both the bride and bridegroom looked wonderful.ijnjZ
a6A9HHowever, none of that reached her ears.aK9
sDTAEho“A, ahaha… Hua Ran is getting married, huh? W, why did I not know about this? Ahahahaha…”vrY5T
mxaShe was hit by an incredibly ominous feeling.sIvkZj
w4JcWho was Hua Ran? She was like a boulder who always had an indifferent and carefree attitude to whatever happened in the world, was she not?XSt
pWvNWho would a girl like that get married to with such an embarrassed look on her face, one that had the same shade as the red carpet beneath her feet.ntSY
2OwThere was only one person she could think of.fD1HN0
BPCYo“I, it can’t be… There’s no way. Surely…”NYZO1
E3B“The bridegroom will now enter…!”aJL
T4mvvT0The priest’s voice, however, mercilessly trampled on the girl’s wish as the boy appeared from behind the opened doors of the chapel.6UQ
ObUwcCpWearing a classic southern-style suit with obsidian buttons and a luxurious watch on his wrist, the boy nervously walked inside.ZCk89
Oa9vqMiAfter arriving next to the bride, he received her hand from the bride’s guardian as the two of them walked to the hosting priest of the ceremony.3BLl
dIGPUm“——–”14TWQz
ECMs4ChLight shone through the stained glasses on the ceiling and the walls, brightening up the bride and the bridegroom as if blessing their future… and Marie sat there blankly watching the two of them.tkoq
CT7cTAll she could do was vacantly sit there and watch them.Wkf
zMEb………wi15EF
JWm……t2Lp
OEpN…zlV
tGXldxAThere were two people who looked extremely happy and harmonious.dQOfi
MSMjAnyone looking at the two of them would smile from how wonderful they looked together, but that did not apply to Ran.oih0Q
zY1U“……Oppa.”91CT345
rhsQXOHA boy was giving a wide smile to the girl with water-colored hair who did not even bother trying to hide her flushed cheeks. Facing each other with deeply affectionate eyes, they smiled brightly like fools.WTo6q
uGDboIt was clear from their eyes that they loved each other a lot.ld8oly
sek1Seeing them cherish each other like lovers, Ran bit her lips.UO8Yp
yvy“…We lost.”PbmT51O
iebzkHe was taken from her.0R2
8iuZsFOHe was stolen.9Lk8NmJ
fxgM5bRan knew that wasn’t the right way to think about it, but she couldn’t stop herself from coming up with such negative thoughts. She couldn’t help but find it very unfair.k85
g80Even though she had everything;7vO
OQhSB4A happy family, wealth, and status… Compared to that, all she ever had was her oppa, and that was the only person she had ever wanted.o4QfVaR
z0X8dShe had everything, so why couldn’t Marie give him to her at the very least?x6IwZ5H
X8VRan couldn’t stop those greedy thoughts and complaints. She was too young and inexperienced to hide and settle those negative thoughts.sSFSyW
nRr4pIn the end, her jealousy and hatred even headed toward the one she loved.Rhc746
TC8“It was my first time though…”s21
HxIxIt was her first time giving her heart to someone, and it was also her first time touching a boy’s hand.JNZ
mKs8d“He took all of my firsts…”7fi
OyJNgtTSo… why aren’t you with me?67YnZUT
9NGxZyI gave you my everything, and can give you everything… So why did you throw me away, oppa?qF5JDih
k1iTShe felt upset, sad, frustrated, and clueless from that sense of betrayal.4mdW
tGNlThe ideal image of happiness in front of her was at the cost of her own happiness.cI00y24
FTPVCQR****MmJSba
tg08UiUzkias, the guardian of Findias, curiously asked while gazing at the two girls that had been taken to the town hall.U4niPN
ZBSKPN1“So, did you say they had been like that for a ‘few days’?”XG4Ud
VKZO“Yes, sage.”pE8NxHq
DoeThere were two more outsiders who visited the secret lands of Findias, who lost their consciousness after coming in contact with the illusionary fog surrounding the city.lslB
zU3Normally, they would have sent them back for being unable to beat their illusions, but they couldn’t dare do that to those girls.jrT
bVS………!!!bc7
dhhEf7A frightening aura was being emitted by them. The outburst of energy from their unstable emotions were so immense that they were blocking anyone from touching them.LK7
7kG1“They weren’t like this when we first brought them here though…”lwh
JLcghx0“I wonder what they are seeing in their illusions.”cpRiw
kkrThe druids of the secret lands were appalled by the ridiculous amount of their aura and mana. The emotions of these transcendent beings were threatening to break the barriers of the city.pzlbHk
cs5vzG“Haa… At this rate, they are about to create cracks on our barrier. I will personally go into their illusions and guide them outside.”zqbauh
RKzy“Do you need our help, sir?”4ylf
UvdX“No. I will divide my consciousness into two to lead both girls out at once.”WHgG
LhdInterfering with another’s mind was a very risky task. Using the hidden technique of druids, Uzkias separated his consciousness into two and entered the illusions of the two girls.Nei3M
FtgOt『……What?』ljUq
5JQfFrAfter entering the illusions of the two girls… Marie Dunareff and Hua Ran, Uzkias was utterly shocked.KCrf
4YeD『What has the world come to? How could these young girls be so…』pouX8Y
gQYVOne thing was certain, the two girls were soon to wake up from their illusions without Uzkias having to guide them out.7iiM
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