Chapter 79: Can’t Think of a Title
Misha followed Lance back to the Elf Town.
He pondered Zebulun’s words in his heart. Both the Stargazing Place and the Light of Truth were related to the sky. According to them, was there something wrong with the sky?
He couldn’t help looking up at the night sky.
The dark light from the Gate to Another World hadn’t spread into the forest yet. When he looked up, he saw only the usual night sky, resplendent with starlight, so beautiful one could hardly look away.
But the closer to the Tree of Life, the dimmer the starlight became. The radiance of the Tree of Life was too bright, enough to mask all the glimmer of the stars. The dark light after the Gate’s destruction completely blocked the starry sky; even the moon was only faintly visible behind that dark light. That ugly, twisted magic was like a parasite clinging to the quiet night sky. Apart from this terrifying scene that made one shudder, Misha couldn’t see any problem with the sky.
The Hero didn’t speak to him either. They walked silently to the outskirts of the Elf Town. Only after passing the elven guard at the intersection did Misha hear Lance slowly ask, “Do you want to go see the place he mentioned?”
Misha: “…”
Misha really wanted to go see it.
But the stargazing place Zebulun mentioned was located within the Holy Land. They probably couldn’t enter rashly. And Misha really didn’t want to get close to look at the uncomfortable strangeness near the Gate again.
He couldn’t help lowering his voice and asking Lance back, “Didn’t you feel cold?”
Lance answered irrelevantly, looking up slightly at the night sky, “Only at night can you see the starry sky.”
Misha: “…”
Lance: “And only at night can our figures be better concealed.”
Misha: “…”
Wait, what does this Hero want to do now?
Misha couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
He repented for his betrayal of the gods, reflected on his sin of trusting the detestable Hero again and again, and then followed the Hero away from the Elf Town via another deserted path, sneaking into the more remote forest.
He couldn’t help asking the Hero, “Where are we going?”
Lance: “The Holy Land.”
Misha was stunned: “Don’t we need to ask the Elf Priest for permission to enter?”
Lance smiled at him: “I’m the God’s Chosen One. Can’t I enter whenever I want?”
Misha: “…”
He shouldn’t try to reason with Lance.
But when they reached the barrier outside the Holy Land, looking at the magic completely isolating the forest from the Holy Land, Misha couldn’t help muttering, “Without the Elf Priest, it will be hard for us to undo this magic.”
Lance asked him back, “Is this some very powerful magic?”
Misha: “…”
Misha thought, the Hero didn’t know magic, so this sentence might just be an inquiry to his companion who was proficient in magic. From Misha’s perspective, the barrier magic the elves used to protect the Holy Land wasn’t actually that sophisticated. It was the result of connecting several small magic circles. As long as one of the magic circles was destroyed, a gap would appear in the barrier, allowing outsiders to enter easily.
However, for things like magic circles, when he didn’t know the original appearance and incantation of the magic circle, destroying it with powerful magic wasn’t too hard, but restoring it would be almost impossible.
Now they just wanted to go into the Holy Land to take a look; they didn’t need to destroy someone’s magic circle, right?
So Misha frowned and said, “If we destroy this barrier, the Elf Priest will find out very quickly.”
Lance: “Hmm?”
Misha: “We’re just going in to take a look. Just telling the Elf Priest would be fine, right?”
Lance came back to his senses and said, “You don’t have a way to enter without destroying the barrier?”
Misha was stunned: “No, I don’t think so.”
As the future Great Demon King, all the magic he practiced inevitably had the nature of destruction and annihilation. He didn’t know the buff and healing magic Arlo was proficient in at all, let alone how to safely remove the magic barrier outside the Holy Landāif a Demon King wanted to go to such a place, wouldn’t he just blow it up directly?
Lance couldn’t help sighing again.
“It seems I can only use my method,” Lance said. “It seems this can’t be kept secret anymore.”
Misha: “?”
Hearing Lance say this, Misha suddenly rememberedāLance broke into the Holy Land last night and destroyed the Gate, yet the Elf Priest didn’t notice at all. That meant he must know how to undo the magic barrier outside the Holy Land.
Wait, this Hero… could he actually use magic?
Misha just had this thought when he saw Lance raise his hand slightly and place his hand, clad in a chainmail gauntlet, against the magic barrier in front of him.
Touched by a foreign object, the barrier rippled with magical patterns from where Lance’s palm touched, obviously blocking the intrusion. The magic the elves left here seemed relatively gentle, without attacking the intruder. But in the next moment, Misha suddenly saw cracks appear on the magic barrier, shattering like broken glass into countless pieces, creating a gap out of thin air large enough for a person to pass through.
Misha: “You…”
“Didn’t break it,” Lance said. “It will repair itself.”
Misha: “But you…”
Lance: “Let’s go, not much time left.”
Misha: “So you know magic!”
After a brief silence, Lance blinked at Misha.
“Just a little bit,” Lance said. “Essential skills for home and travel.”
Misha: “…Magic? Es… essential for home and travel?”
He stumbled as he repeated that phrase after the Hero, then widened his eyes in utter confusion, unable to figure out which of the commonly used magic could meet the Hero’s standard.
Well, practical magic like cleaning might meet the Hero’s needs, but what the Hero used wasn’t cleaning magic, was it!
“For example, picking locks,” Lance had already stepped into the Holy Land. “For another example, how to open a magic barrier.”
Misha: “…”
Misha had mixed feelings.
He couldn’t figure it out.
Is this really something a Hero should do?
Is this really magic a Hero should know?!
Misha looked at the shattered magic barrier, hesitated for a good while, and finally stepped forward to follow.
He thought he shouldn’t pay attention to these small details.
The most important thing now was indeed to go to the stargazing place to have a look.
They walked toward the Tree of Life for a while. Lance spoke up, asking, “Go to the Gate first or the Tree of Life?”
According to Zebulun, the so-called stargazing place should be between these two locations, but which side it leaned toward specifically required Misha to judge with magic.
Misha couldn’t help glaring at Lance: “Don’t you know magic too!”
Lance smiled at him: “But you’re the one who learned the spell.”
Misha: “…”
So annoying. This Hero is so annoying.
Within the Holy Land, the magic of the Gate to Another World was diffusing everywhere. Visible magic was all around, so the method of observing magic flow naturally lost its effect. Misha didn’t want to expose his eyes in front of the Hero either. He simply tried the spell Zebulun mentioned, and then suddenly saw a winding golden thread shooting out, seeming to point out the direction for them.
Misha judged the direction briefly and said, “Seems to be the Tree of Life.”
He walked silently toward the Tree of Life. Lance followed behind him but couldn’t help saying, “I didn’t expect it to be in this place.”
Misha: “…”
Lance: “Maybe you’ll be able to see it in a while.”
Misha: “…”
Lance: “As long as this place is ‘thin’ enough.”
Misha felt the Hero today was strangely talkative.
He couldn’t help turning his head to look at the Hero, only to see the Hero looking at him, with a hint of nervousness in his gaze.
Misha had never seen the Hero show such an expression. He couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous too. They soon followed the guidance to the foot of the Tree of Life. This time Misha had no mood to appreciate the miracle of creation. He just stared at the guiding golden thread and looked at the Tree of Life in front of him.
The golden thread went up along the trunk of the Tree of Life and disappeared into the canopy. This made Misha stunned, and he spoke at a loss, “…It seems to be up there.”
Lance nodded.
Misha: “…”
If he remembered correctly, the Tree of Life could only be touched by the God’s Chosen One. If he followed Lance up the Tree of Life to find the stargazing place, then perhaps… this entire tree would wither because of him.
Misha stood under the tree, uneasy.
But Lance was still walking forward. Only when he reached the foot of the tree did he turn back to look at Misha and say, “Come here.”
Misha: “…”
Misha hesitated.
Lance turned around, walked back, held Misha’s hand, and pulled Misha under the Tree of Life.
Misha: “I can’tā”
“The gods are all lies,” Lance frowned slightly. “Do you think this is true?”
Misha: “…”
Yes, he indeed didn’t know if this was true, but what if it was?
If the Tree of Life really withered, wouldn’t it be his fault? He couldn’t take this risk. He’d betterā
Lance was already holding his hand, pressing it against the trunk of the Tree of Life.
Misha: “…”
Misha: “………………”
This Hero! What is he doing again!!!
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