Chapter 29

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Chapter 29: A Familiar Face? (1)

"Liana?"

"Liana? Who is that?"

Diana tilted her head in confusion.

Her face was unmistakably that of Liana from Earth.

What’s going on?

Are they twins?

Ah… or maybe she really is the same person.

This fractured world keeps sending Awakened individuals back in time, replaying events over and over again in an attempt to correct the past.

Everything here resets to the beginning if the Chaos Lord isn’t defeated.

The original fate of Kevrian is destruction.

And only a few elves and dwarves are said to have been saved by divine intervention, becoming apostles of the gods.

These apostles, their names bestowed by the gods, were sent to Earth as helpers.

Hmm… if that’s the case, Diana here might just be Liana in her past form.

Perhaps she once fought valiantly in this doomed world, was saved by the gods, and became an apostle known as Liana.

“Peep! Peep!”

Even Peep flew straight to her and nuzzled her face.

It seems it, too, finds her reminiscent of Liana.

Diana awkwardly watched Peep for a moment before slowly petting it.

"Oh, and this little chick...?"

"In the world I come from, there’s a high elf who looks just like you. Her name is Liana. She helped this phoenix hatch, which is probably why it recognizes you."

"A high elf who looks like me… how fascinating."

"Yes. You look so similar that I thought you might be twins."

She gently stroked Peep a few more times before returning him to me.

Then, she drew her twin swords again, imbuing them with holy energy.

"Diana, what are you doing all of a sudden...?"

"I cannot allow the bodies of my honor guard to be desecrated by a lich."

"Then let me help you."

"No… these undead comrades are the result of my own failure. Please, allow me to handle this myself."

With a pained and sorrowful expression, she drove her sword into the hearts of the fallen elf corpses.

Diana spoke to each one as she purified them.

“Frederica. For 72 years, you protected me, my dear friend and loyal guardian. I failed you, and you fell in your prime… Do not forgive me.”

“Eliza. You were always so vibrant. I can’t forget the time you asked if you could call me your elder sister… And now, I’m the one plunging a blade into your heart…”

One by one, she called out their names as she pierced their hearts.

Each time, the elf corpses were purified and disintegrated into dust.

By the time Eshil’s 2nd Division and Alfid arrived, they bit their lips and shed tears at the sight.

Tsk…

This isn’t a situation I should interrupt.

When she turned around after purifying the last elf, I felt a chill.

Her once blue eyes had turned blood red, unfocused.

Her cheeks bore red streaks, as if from tears of blood.

Suddenly, I remembered something from the strategy guide.

“No matter what cruel training you impose on the high elf Diana, her mind won’t be significantly shaken. High elves are almost demi-gods; they don’t fall easily. But if you kill her comrades one by one in front of her, tormenting her, the story changes. She will rage and rage, hoping to fall herself, and summon the Spirit of Wrath. When she abandons her divinity and succumbs to fury, that’s when the strategies I wrote down will help, and the potions will be effective. Hehehe… Oh, and the first sign of being consumed by the Spirit of Wrath is her eye color changing…”

Her eyes really did change color.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

I have to stop this.

"Diana! Snap out of it! Don’t let your anger consume you!"

"Apostle…"

"Succumbing to your fury and forsaking your divinity is exactly what they want. I understand your feelings, but for the sake of revenge, you must remain calm. You cannot let the Spirit of Wrath take hold of you!"

At my words, Diana closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

I turned to the other elves.

“The power of the Water Spirit has returned. I remember you using the Water Spirit for vitality and healing magic. Please assist Diana with this.”

“Ah… understood.”

The elves of the 2nd Division, still teary-eyed, quickly approached Diana to comfort her.

Thanks to their support, she gradually regained her composure.

Whew.

Crisis averted.

"Thank you so much, Apostle. I almost lost my mind and made a grave mistake."

"It’s nothing. Losing your comrades is a natural reason to feel anger. I simply spoke up to prevent the enemy from exploiting that anger."

"Ah… If only I had your calm and wisdom, Apostle… I wouldn’t have sacrificed my sisters… I wouldn’t have let them become undead, their souls unable to find peace…"

Here we go again.

If this keeps up, she might spiral into another fit of rage.

Time to assign a task.

“Let’s set those thoughts aside for now. Our top priority is opening the Fire Sanctuary. We must head to Mount Idea immediately.”

“Yes, Apostle. As you command. Let us depart.”

Even Alfid, sensing the urgency, quickly agreed.

Diana steadied herself and sheathed her swords.

There were about 30 elves remaining.

Considering the number of elf zombies we’ve dealt with so far, which exceeded 200, this is practically annihilation.

Can this small group handle the Fire Sanctuary as easily as they did the Water Sanctuary?

I wanted to ask, but the atmosphere was too somber.

For now, we decided to move toward the Fire Sanctuary in silence.

“Let’s rest here for a while. The troops are exhausted.”

Diana approached me to suggest.

That explains why our pace had slowed.

With such a large group, carrying them as I did with Alfid isn’t feasible.

Resting is the only option.

“Let’s look for an open space, then.”

“We can just lean against the trees, but how about you, Apostle…?”

Ah, right.

Elves.

I’d almost forgotten, having carried Alfid on my back earlier.

“I’m fine as well. Let’s rest here.”

The elves summoned the Water Spirit, scattering droplets around.

When I asked, they explained it would act as a lookout.

Trusting in it, I decided to get some rest myself.

Come to think of it, this is my first time sleeping in Kevrian.

And it’s in a forest...

The elves leaned against the trees, closing their eyes one by one.

Her appearance made for a picturesque scene, like a painting, but the atmosphere was so gloomy that it barely caught my attention.

Looking at the system window, the undead legion didn’t give much SP, nor did they offer any ability absorption.

Was it because they were corpses?

Wow.

This is just trash.

At least the experience points went up a bit, but still, it wasn’t at a satisfying level.

The reward gap compared to when I killed a dragonkin was so huge that I wasn’t exactly thrilled.

The fight wasn’t even easier this time.

Was it because I couldn’t kill the lich?

The rewards are so stingy.

[Translator - Night]

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“Saint of the Sun God.”

While I was debating whether to spend my stats or not, Diana approached me.

Clad in pure white armor with her helmet off, she truly embodied the image of a saint.

“Thank you so much for earlier.”

“No need to thank me. It was only natural to help.”

I smiled brightly in response to her gratitude as I removed Hephaestus' armor.

It felt refreshing to see Liana—no, Diana—who had been like an unstoppable force back on Earth, bowing her head in gratitude.

“And… if you don’t mind, may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“What does the Sun God Hellenis like?”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve heard that the Flame Chariot is a power granted only to saints whom Hellenis deems truly extraordinary. For Saint Kim Jiho to possess it means you are greatly favored by Him…”

Her voice trailed off, and her expression darkened.

Wait, shouldn’t she know better what Hellenis likes?

After all, she’s supposed to be the saint of the Sun God, right?

Ah, I see.

“Do you know what SP is? He likes SP.”

“SP? What is that?”

“Oh, Soul…”

[SP has decreased by 1.]

Huh?

Why?

[Pollux warns you not to carelessly speak about SP.]

[Aurelia informs you that revealing SP with your current rank results in an SP penalty.]

What the heck…

If there’s such a warning, couldn’t they have told me beforehand?

This system is so kind yet so inconsiderate at the same time.

Anyway, let’s calm down this woman with the wide-eyed stare first.

“Oh… I misspoke with a celestial term. That was my error. As for what Hellenis likes… But why do you ask?”

Answering a question with a question.

That’ll divert her from the SP topic.

She didn’t seem too suspicious and answered my question directly.

“Because I was destined to become His saint.”

“Destined?”

“Yes. Until now, there has never been a saint of the Sun God among the High Elves. My entire race has long awaited the day a saint of Hellenis would emerge. When I was born, the blessing of the Sun God descended, and everyone believed that I was destined to become His saint. I thought so too. But even after coming of age, I’ve yet to hear His voice. All other saints chosen by the gods are acknowledged upon coming of age, yet…”

Her face filled with anguish as she continued.

Strange.

Back on Earth, Liana was the Sun God’s saint and was the one handing out those two A-ranks as a top leader…

But here, she hasn’t even been acknowledged by Hellenis.

What’s going on?

Hah, do I need to brush up on Greek and Roman mythology or something?

As I hesitated to answer, Diana’s expression grew more despondent, and she continued with a weak voice.

“It must be because I’m lacking… But I wanted to know what He likes, hoping perhaps I could earn His favor.”

Her long ears drooped.

She’s so different from the confident Liana back on Earth.

At this point, I can’t help but wonder if she’s actually a different person.

I mean, High Elves might all look kind of similar, right?

Sigh.

Still, she’s one of our team’s strongest assets.

I can’t let her spiral into despair.

What if she gets angry and turns into a fallen elf or something?

I’d better say something to cheer her up.

“Diana, you’re overthinking it. Even in the celestial realm, Hellenis was watching over you. I was honestly jealous of how much attention He gave you.”

“Oh… Hellenis was watching over me?”

“Yes. Diana, you need to have even greater faith in the Sun God. You said you weren’t acknowledged as His saint after coming of age? That’s normal. If it were that simple, why do you think there hasn’t been a saint of the Sun God among the High Elves until now? There must be unavoidable circumstances delaying it. Rest assured, the Sun God is watching over you. Don’t worry too much.”

Her ears perked up.

Elves are so naïve, really.

Even an improvised speech like this works immediately.

“You’re very kind, Saint Jiho… Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. After all, we’ll be meeting in the celestial realm eventually, won’t we? Haha.”

Diana bowed deeply in gratitude, and I flashed her a confident smile while spouting a few more embellishments.

The Sun God is watching you closely, anxiously waiting for you to realize it, or something like that.

Honestly, if this world is going to end and reset anyway, a little embellishment can’t hurt, right?

Each time I spoke, her ears twitched, and her face brightened.

So naïve.

Come to think of it, didn’t the guidebook say her ears are a key point in gaining her favor…

Hmm.

“Your words mean so much to me. Thanks to you, my worries have lessened.”

Diana, who had come with such a dark expression, left with a noticeably lighter heart.

Other elves who witnessed the scene bowed their heads to thank me.

Is Diana a concern for the entire unit?

She’s so different from the confident Liana back on Earth.

Hmm… Liana = Diana does seem likely, but with how things are unfolding, I’m not so sure anymore.

I’ll keep observing.

There’s probably more to uncover.

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