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chapter 34
He spoke to him with the friendly smile he had shown them all this time.
“Congratulations again. No, I mean it sincerely. You really wanted to kill me back then, didn’t you? And understandably so…”
At that, the corner of his mouth twisted slightly.
“You’re the one who killed your mother, aren’t you?”
“……”
Irian tilted his head as he observed Eldmir’s lack of reaction.
As far as he could remember, Eldmir was not the type of man to endure such blatant provocation.
His usual pattern was to immediately erupt with rage, acting as if he would kill Irian on the spot.
By doing so, he intended to draw all attention solely to himself from the High Elves. But now… no reaction at all?
Irian felt the unease he sensed from him intensify.
He decided to continue provoking him.
“What’s the matter, Eldmir? Are you some kind of nobleman who feels pity for me? Good heavens, how generous of you.”
“I made a promise,” Eldmir’s voice came unexpectedly calm.
So calm, it seemed unaffected by Irian’s provocation.
Irian furrowed his brows unconsciously at the gap between the Eldmir he remembered and the Eldmir in front of him now.
“The promise was to give you the most painful death. So, I’ve thought it through.”
Only then did Irian realize: Eldmir was not calm.
He wasn’t being merciful.
He was simply containing a rage of unimaginable magnitude.
‘Has he really changed into someone else in such a short time?’
The old Eldmir would have been overflowing with that rage, unable to contain it.
Back then, he was just a reckless youth, getting excited simply because he had shown hostility toward his mother.
But now, that youth completely observed and controlled his emotions.
“How should I make this psycho suffer? What kind of pain would even matter to this evil bastard?”
Irian decided not to give him any more room to speak.
“Do you really think your mother died because of me?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know much about you. The only thing that comes to mind is that High Elf you just barely let escape with your life.”
“Of course, I take some responsibility. I won’t deny that. But look closer—was that really all my fault?”
Their words collided like two people speaking without really listening, yet both listened intently to every single word.
Their strange exchange continued.
“If I were to kill the High Elf… would you suffer even a little?”
“Your mother… she died because of you.”
At that moment, a loud thud echoed from somewhere.
It sounded as if something massive had crashed into the ground.
Irian fell silent upon hearing it.
Under his silence, Eldmir slowly appeared.
“Your goal is obviously the destruction of the Elves. But I still don’t understand why you bother saving that foolish woman. Was she really that precious to you?”
It wasn’t just his tone or demeanor that had changed.
The first thing that caught the eye when he appeared was his appearance.
“So, I’ve prepared for this.”
His previously pale eyes and blond hair had transformed.
His eyes now burned a deep red, as if holding flames within, and his hair shimmered as if fire were cascading down it.
“I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”
As he finished speaking, a faint scream reached their ears.
It was the voice of the High Elf Irian had risked everything to save.
“The reason I saved her… honestly, it might sound ridiculous to say it was because I grew fond of her, right?”
Irian gave an awkward laugh and scratched his chin, then shrugged.
“I told her to run so much, yet she got caught so easily. That’s very much our princess for you. So… can you really kill her?”
Irian did not lose his smile.
“As you said, our princess… isn’t exactly brilliant. She makes mistakes often, but she is still a high-born. You can’t catch her just by bringing down a wyvern, especially at this distance.”
Indeed. She had already begun desperately fleeing from the fallen wyvern.
Even if she were in front of him, it would be difficult; from this distance, capturing her was impossible.
Irian’s bluff was meant to unsettle Eldmir, but Eldmir was not easily fooled.
“Sure, I can’t beat you in this way.”
Eldmir acknowledged Irian’s bluff. There was no one left to deceive.
“Hahaha, thank you for the compliment. In return, I’ll tell you one thing.”
Irian raised a finger.
“The reason your mother had to die.”
“You intend to continue your meaningless provocation until the end?”
Irian put his finger to his lips.
“Shh, listen until the end. If it weren’t for you, your mother wouldn’t have died.”
Eldmir gave him a look of contempt.
“Well, what can I do? You want me to mention that I suggested traveling with those beast-kin to forge alliances? Because of that, my mother and I fell into your trap, leading to this whole mess? If you were really going to make such a low-level provocation, I must say, I’m disappointed.”
Irian’s eyes widened. He had not expected Eldmir to preemptively deflect his provocation in this way.
Irian had tried to poke at Eldmir’s guilt and conscience, but the current Eldmir was completely unaffected.
“Hahaha,” Irian shook his head. Eldmir had changed far too much.
What would have once been an effective provocation now only seemed to demean the speaker himself.
But Irian had not given up yet.
“Was it really only my scheme that allowed me to kill you?”
“Ah… you mean that.”
Eldmir nodded, as if understanding.
“You planted informants in the forest, right? Probably traitors disguised as elves, like you.”
“Did she hear everything?”
“Yes. Were you trying to make me feel disillusioned with my own kind?”
Eldmir let out a mocking laugh.
“Even you get desperate when death approaches. Attempting such obvious manipulation…”
“Hmm… looks like I got hit back instead.”
Irian smiled bitterly. His cards to provoke Eldmir had run out.
The current Eldmir was unyielding—hardly a youth anymore.
“Don’t worry. Even without you saying anything, I plan to deal with all the informants myself. Anything else you want to say? Like information about them or the villages they hide in?”
Eldmir’s brazen question left Irian dumbfounded.
“You’re really not the Eldmir I knew.”
“I am me. That hasn’t changed.”
“No, I mean… it’s not just that…”
Irian stopped speaking and clicked his tongue.
“Well, we won’t be having such friendly conversations forever.”
The High Elf had long escaped this place. Eldmir could not pursue her.
There was no reason to hesitate any longer.
Irian nocked an arrow.
“How long do you intend to keep talking? You’re not seriously planning to let me live, are you?”
He shot an arrow at Eldmir’s face.
In the blink of an eye, the arrow burned up before reaching him.
The sudden phenomenon made Irian frown; this was the same flame that had once incinerated the Dark Elf trackers.
“The Spirit’s Flame… seeing it with my own eyes confirms it.”
“……”
“Eldmir… you absorbed the power of the spirits?”
Irian muttered to himself in disbelief.
“Simply borrowing the spirits’ power through elemental magic cannot produce such strength. This is a divine force seen only in high- or supreme-tier spirits. Using it without a spirit… unheard of. Then, the only explanation for what I see before me is…”
Eldmir now exuded a divine force akin to a spirit itself.
But how? How could he harness the power of spirits?
“Does it matter?”
“AAAHH!!”
Irian’s arm caught fire.
Without warning, his arm was engulfed in Eldmir’s elemental power.
The Spirit’s Flame burns all it touches. To oppose it, one needs similar elemental power or magic.
But Irian had long ago killed the spirit he had contracted, not just to release the contract but to silence it.
“Ugh… aaah!!”
His entire arm was consumed in flames. Irian kneeled, suppressing his scream.
“The… divine… power…”
His right arm was completely incinerated, leaving no trace of ash.
Clutching his shoulder in agony, Irian groaned, “That energy… so ominous… like a spirit, yet alien… what are you?”
“I just told you.”
Eldmir approached him fully, his gaze burning like crimson flames.
“Is that important now?”
“…It is.”
Sweating profusely, Irian forced a grin.
“It seems someone’s death triggered this. It might not matter to me, but it certainly matters to you, doesn’t it?”
“You talk too much even while in pain.”
Eldmir reached out and grabbed Irian’s chin.
Irian struggled and groaned, but Eldmir’s strength was overwhelming.
Even when he reached for his dagger, his left arm was instantly burned from wrist to hand.
Irian screamed loudly as Eldmir threw him to the ground.
As Irian coughed and groaned, Eldmir spoke in a low voice:
“You’re right. My mother’s death is my responsibility.”
Cough, cough!
“Believing a fool like you, bringing my mother here… I was foolish. I even arrogantly thought I could handle the battle here alone.”
That was the source of his dread.
Endless self-loathing, and boundless anger toward Irian and the Dark Elves.
“Don’t think you’ll die easily.”
