novelAlta Chapter 399: Behind this stage
Chapter 399: Behind this stage
“…What?”After a long time, Arendt spoke again. Iris looked at him quietly and continued speaking in a whisper.
“You’re quite peculiar. It’s hard to tell whether you’re speaking as a stranger or as Sir Arendt.”
“…”
Arendt’s face gradually grew colder as he listened. The arrogance and irritability that he had habitually displayed also slowly subsided.
Soon, only coldness remained on his expressionless face.
Though subtle at first glance, it was a clear change, as if his face was swapped.
“A stranger, huh…”
Arendt looked straight at Iris and spoke slowly.
“Is that what your god calls me?”
A low, muffled voice filled the dark hall.
Iris let out a short laugh without showing any sign of embarrassment.
“I guess you don’t like it very much. Should I call you Sir Arendt? Or do you have another name?”
“Arendt von Eckhart.”
He spoke briefly, looking straight at Iris.
“In this place where I’m facing you, that’s the only name that has any meaning. There’s nothing more unpleasant than being called by the wrong role on stage.”
“A stage…”
Iris repeated his words slowly.
“Is that so? My apologies, Sir Arendt. At first, I didn’t quite understand, but now that I’m facing you in person, I think I finally get it.”
“What do you mean you didn’t understand? And what is it that you think you understand now? Speak clearly.”
Arendt responded stiffly. But Iris didn’t answer right away. Instead, she smiled slightly and took a step back, making a suggestion.
“This might take a while to explain. Would you care to take a walk with me?”
When Arendt furrowed his brows at the unexpected remark, Iris raised her slender arm and pointed to a wall.
.
Arendt turned his head in surprise at the sudden noise.
Only then did the massive iron gate come into view.
The heavy door, which had posed as a solid wall, now stood slightly ajar, as if it were making way of its own accord.
An even thicker darkness rippled through the open door.
“Allow me to guide you. You’re curious about the true nature of this place as well, aren’t you, Sir Arendt?”
“…”
Arendt turned back to face Iris with an impassive expression. He meant to gauge her intentions, but her porcelain-doll-like face betrayed nothing.
“Haa… This is seriously a pain in the ass.”
Irritated, Arendt roughly tousled his own hair and strode over to where Salem lay collapsed.
Iris watched him and waited quietly.
Arendt laid Salem down carefully, draped his coat over him, then dragged Rider over and carelessly tossed him down beside Salem.
“Useless as always.”
Arendt grumbled briefly at Rider and then spoke to the two spirits hovering beside Salem.
“Hey. One of you two, follow me.”
Then Luna, who was sitting on Salem, quickly flew up and joined Iris and Arendt.
But Luna actually seemed more interested in Iris than Arendt.
Arendt clicked his tongue as he watched Luna gently land on Iris’ shoulder.
“Hah, you’re just a stupid spirit who doesn’t even recognize your master.”
“Don’t worry. The bond is more than strong enough.”
Iris said with a hint of humour, stroking the tip of Luna’s beak.
“They’re probably just longing for nature. After all, they must have been away from their homeland for a long time. In the end, nature is, in essence, the divine energy of the gods…”
Trailing off, Iris stepped forward and slipped smoothly into the dark doorway ahead.
“It’s not strange that they feel familiar with me. I don’t think the young spirit master understands the principle yet.”
The short hallway that they had been passing through so tediously before welcomed the two people.
Thanks to Luna, who sat on Iris’s shoulder and served as a light, Arendt was able to look around.
The walls, made of uniquely patterned bricks, still held ornate candle holders in place.
Although it was now covered in dust and had spiderwebs hanging everywhere, it was not hard to guess that it had once been a rather luxurious space.
Iris stepped forward with ease and began to speak.
“So many people have walked these halls. Many gods have also tread here, watching over the frail beings. There was no excess, but there was no lack. There was no abundance, but there was no poverty. It was not hot, but it was warm.”
Her tone was almost like humming a song. Watching her back quietly, Arendt suddenly spoke up.
“A time when heroes had no meaning?”
“Yes. As expected, you know.”
Iris nodded happily.
“It was a time when there was not even a sign of war and everyone was happy.”
“…”
It was a story that Lexion had once mentioned in passing at a small lair in the Magic Stone Mine.
Before Gods Luce and Chernion became enemies, a war that would engulf the entire continent was unimaginable.
“You speak so casually of stories that even the great dragon hesitates to mention directly. Are you being favoured or something?”
“Of course it will be difficult for Lord Lexion and Lord Nikephoros, but I have the right to do so.”
When Iris answered softly, Arendt asked sneeringly.
“Because you’re a saint who can command dragons with your fingertips?”
“By getting closer to God, you become someone who is willing to go with the flow.”
Iris turned her head slightly and glanced at Arendt.
“You could say that I am the complete opposite of you, someone who deviates from the natural order.”
Arendt furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
“This is the very reason why I, who volunteered to be Lord Chernion’s proxy, ruler over all beneath Him, cannot look down on you. It may sound a bit ridiculous to say this, but you are the only person who can discuss my memories.”
Iris turned her gaze straight ahead again and began to walk leisurely.
The long hem of her robe trailed along the floor as she walked ahead.
“Even after falling out of their favor, Sir Arendt, you survived with dignity. And thanks to dedicating my past lives to Him, I was granted His acceptance. For that, I am truly grateful.”
“…That may be so, but just what exactly are you?”
Arendt, who had been listening quietly, asked. He hadn’t really expected an answer, but Iris answered surprisingly easily.
“It’s a vague memory now, but I think I was a small creature in the beginning.”
“The beginning?”
“He really loved me, even though I was scarcely more than a handful. From then on, I realized that I was born to serve Him.”
Iris spoke affectionately, as if telling a fairy tale to a child.
“Each time I died and was reborn, I took on a new body. I was definitely not the same being as before, but Lord Chernion found me among my many lives.” Thıs text ıs hosted at NoveI-Fire.ɴet
The words were still vague. But Arendt listened quietly without interrupting.
“As I continued living, at some point I gained two legs and two arms, and a mouth to convey His will. It was around that time that I lived here.”
Iris reached out and stroked the dusty wall, as if caressing the cheek of an old friend.
“I was just a mortal who wanted to find peace in the arms of Lord Chernion… But since He told me to become a saint, I will simply follow.”
Iris pulled her hand away and let out a small laugh.
“He is not the type of person to get very upset even if I throw a tantrum, so I’m sure He’ll forgive me for today’s.”
“…”
“Do you understand now? Why I say that Sir Arendt and I are on equal footing?”
Arendt was unable to answer for a while.
It was because he had no idea how to react to the outrageous story she told.
“So, I’m a crazy outsider who somehow managed to survive while openly defying the gods…”
After a long pause, a naturally sarcastic voice slipped out.
“So you’re saying you’re a fanatic who’s clung to your god through countless new lives?”
“If I had to put it harshly, I suppose that wouldn’t be entirely wrong.”
Arendt let out a bitter chuckle at her straightforward admission.
“I was arrogant. I thought I was the greatest fool in the world, but there was someone worse than me.”
“You flatter me. But isn’t it only natural to bow before the natural order?”
Iris nodded slightly.
“So, compared to Sir Arendt, who openly shows hostility toward them, I suppose you could say I’m the more sane one.”
“Are you saying that anyone who opposes Chernion’s will should be killed off? Is that what you call natural order?”
Arendt’s tone became somewhat sharper. Iris did not deny it this time either.
“If that is what He wants, I will just follow.”
“…This really isn’t just ordinary madness.”
After a brief silence, Arendt burst out laughing sarcastically.
“Natural order? Give me a break. Who was just now talking about the golden age?”
“Natural order isn’t just about everyone getting along. Sometimes, an absolute ruler is necessary.”
Her reply was extremely contradictory.
At the moment when Arendt, who could no longer stand it any longer, was about to say something, Iris spoke first.
“Lord Luce claimed that since the world is in chaos, we must establish new rules.”
“…”
Arendt paused. Iris glanced at him and smiled, then continued.
“And Lord Chernion agreed to it. The others also decided to follow their wishes.”
Now Iris was talking about the fundamental reason why the Great War broke out.
This was the backstory of the stage that he heard for the first time since coming here.
“…Everyone agreed?”
“Yes. I don’t know if they truly believed that Lord Luce’s intentions were right, or if they had other intentions. How could a mere creature dare to guess their intentions?”
Iris continued speaking in a light tone.
“And the result, as you can see, is this.”
Even without hearing more, it was clear what had happened. One side became the absolute good and heroes, while the rest were branded as evil and punished.
Arendt, who had been silent for a while, finally began to speak.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“As I said before, you are the only one I can share memories with. It’s natural for people to become more talkative as they get older.”
While they were having that conversation, the two of them soon reached the end of the passage.
They naturally stopped walking. A door much larger than anything they had ever encountered before stood before them.
“It’s just beyond here.”
“What?”
“The evidence that proves that my story is not wrong.”
A gentle answer came in response to the sharp question.
Just then, Luna flew up and illuminated the ornate carving decorating the iron door with its light.
Like everything he had encountered so far, it was a design unlike any he had seen before.
But it was clear that right side of the door depicted a splendid sun, while the left side depicted soft moonlight.
“The reason I came all the way here without even telling my subordinates is also here.”
Arendt half-listened to Iris’ accompanying words.
Somehow, a pressing tension made the back of his neck stiffen.
His mouth felt as if it was drying up.
“The past that was sealed away by the gods after the Great War…”
A fragment of the truth that had taken countless lives and annihilated all of the elves of the past was placed before a nameless actor on a worn-out and dangerous stage.