Chapter 354: Divulging a secret (2)

    Arwen’s short but intense life in Alvenheim continued as she desired.

    One day, she decided to rest, both to recover her shaky legs and to read some of the Zenon Chronicles.

    She claimed that the outside of the bed was dangerous, so I stayed with her, either rolling around in bed or looking around the room.

    We spent time together that wasn’t boring, and I occasionally had conversations with Arwen.

    “Then, does that mean you couldn’t decide on a name for this world?”

    “It’s not this world, but the world in the Zenon Chronicles.”

    Especially after reading all the drafts I had given her,

    Arwen started asking various questions. The first one was about the name of the world that Zenon would shout out.

    Originally, I had thought of naming it after Hirt’s real name, but it was rejected.

    So, a different name had to be chosen.

    “Do you think others will think the same, even if it’s not your idea? I don’t think so at all.”

    “Then we have no choice. Do you have any suggestions? It’d be great if it were related to the earth.”

    “There are books related to ancient languages in the sanctuary. You should read them later; they’ll be helpful.”

    “That would be fine. Ancient texts are extremely rare and hard to find. Over time, many of them have been lost.”

    “Besides, I’m more interested in history, specifically event-based history, rather than language.”

    “By the way, Lucifer spread his wings... even though he borrowed the power of a demon, could it really be...?”

    Arwen looked at me with eyes full of expectation and curiosity. It seemed she was thinking about Cecily’s demonization incident.

    I shook my head with a wry smile. Cecily’s demonization and the elf’s angelization were different matters altogether.

    “No, that’s not the case. Even the gods concluded that it couldn’t happen. A transcendent being like an angel can be lowered to a mortal, but the reverse is impossible.”

    “Why?”

    “Because of their origins.”

    To become a transcendent being, one must be born as a transcendent. It’s impossible for a mortal to become a transcendent.

    Though I felt a bit disappointed after hearing this, my perspective changed after experiencing reincarnation.

    So, dying as a mortal and being reborn as a transcendent—couldn’t that be acceptable?

    A god’s body, not a human one, that is.

    There is a record of Hercules from Greek mythology doing something similar.

    ‘It’s the story of Jin dying and being resurrected as an angel... Hmm...’

    It would be possible, but the thought of a demon becoming an angel feels off.

    It’s not like the elf, a descendant of angels, but a demon ascending to the heavens.

    I thought this might need to be a last resort, as there could be backlash from Alvenheim.

    Moreover, Jin became one with Diabolos, a complete entity. The soul was the same.

    Could the gods purify a soul tainted by evil and separate out Jin’s personality?

    It might be possible to bring a version of myself from another dimension and reincarnate, but this was a delicate matter.

    ‘I should ask about it.’

    I left Arwen alone for a moment and stepped out of the room.

    As I had mentioned before, Elodia also serves as a sanctuary.

    Normally, elves worship Luminous, and dark elves worship Mora. However, since the dark elves were exiled, the elves now worship both.

    According to Arwen, their relationship with the dark elves has also notably improved.

    Perhaps, in the near future, the much-anticipated fusion with the dark elves would happen, and Arwen thanked me for making it possible.

    Anyway, I headed toward Elodia’s worship room to ask the gods a few questions...

    [A mortal’s soul can be revived in the vessel of a transcendent... It’s not impossible. We’ll just have to create a new vessel, which will take a lot of effort.]

    ‘So, you’re saying it’s possible?’

    [It’s not impossible.]

    I asked Mora, not Luminous. Since I hadn’t talked to her recently, I was a bit disappointed, so I went to find her.

    Mora’s worship room in Elodia was dark, like the temple of Helium, with only candles lighting the room.

    Even though Alvenheim had exiled the dark elves, they hadn’t completely rejected them due to their respect for tradition.

    If they had, Mora might have truly been angry. I thought this as I asked her the question.

    ‘What about souls that are tainted? Is it impossible to purify them?’

    [It’s possible, but it’s incredibly difficult, like trying to separate ink mixed with water.]

    ‘So it’s not impossible?’

    [Yep.]

    That was reassuring. However, I was still concerned about the elves’ discontent, or more precisely, their dissatisfaction.

    Though they might not openly rebel, I worried that the idea of a demon ascending to become an angel might cause dissatisfaction.

    Moreover, the heroes from both the elf and dark elf sides sacrificed their lives to destroy the World Tree. If they hadn’t, Diabolos would have been resurrected much sooner.

    There have been countless heroes who sacrificed their lives to save the world, but reviving Jin as a transcendent through resurrection seemed unfair.

    No matter how strong a demon worshiper may be, if nature stands in the way, it would be impossible for them to chase you.

    So, do you understand how great the blessing you received is?]

    I did.

    It was far beyond the level of simply elevating a regular human to a druid.

    I understood very well how mighty nature is.

    No matter how strong humanity grows, it could never defeat nature.

    The thought of nature helping me didn’t quite sink in, though.

    ...You’re really showing me a lot of affection.

    [How could I not? Look at everything you’ve done for me.]

    “Haha.”

    Her sincere praise made me embarrassed.

    It wasn’t something I was used to, being praised by a god.

    To shake off this awkwardness, I quickly moved on to another question.

    “Then, what about the World Tree’s seed? Should I just plant it in the territory?”

    [······]

    I asked about the World Tree’s seed, but there was no response. Only heavy silence.

    Feeling something was off, I asked again.

    “Mora?”

    [Hm? What is it?]

    “How about the World Tree’s seed...”

    [Do whatever you want.]

    “Do whatever I want?” That vague answer left me puzzled.

    Did she mean I could smash the seed with a hammer? Or was she actually telling me to plant it in the territory?

    As I was pondering her cryptic words, Mora’s voice became slightly urgent.

    [Is there anything else?]

    “Well... no, not really.”

    [Okay, then. See you later. Goodbye!]

    It seemed like she had something urgent to attend to, and she quickly ended the connection.

    As the connection was cut, I slowly opened my eyes.

    Before me, Mora’s statue remained, devoid of any divine presence. It seemed she had left hastily.

    “What’s going on?”

    Why wouldn’t she talk about the World Tree’s seed? What kind of future awaits that even she won’t tell me about?

    Still perplexed by her reaction, I stood up and thought to myself that Luminous would probably have a similar reaction. The seed of the World Tree definitely holds some significance.

    “I can’t just smash it with a hammer.”

    For now, I decided to leave it be until I returned.

    Sorting out my confused thoughts, I walked back to the room where Arwen was waiting.

    She was sitting on the bed, holding a seed the size of her face.

    It wasn’t so much surprising as it was adorable, and I couldn’t help but smile.

    Arwen grinned at my question and gave a really cute reply.

    “Well... it seemed lonely sitting there all by itself, so I thought it would get cold...”

    “...”

    “It was a gift from Hirt, right? So I thought I should take care of it a bit more...”

    It was such a sweet and endearing thing for someone over a hundred years old to say.

    Hearing that, I chuckled and cautiously climbed onto the bed, sitting next to her.

    Then, I gently patted the golden seed she was holding and quietly said, “Shall we hold it together?”

    “To- together?”

    “Why, you’re embarrassed to hold it with me?”

    Arwen blushed, embarrassed by my suggestion, and I smiled gently, pulling up the blanket.

    It wasn’t yet time for sleep, but it would be enough to make a lasting memory.

    I pulled the blanket up to my chest, placing the seed between us, and slowly embraced Arwen.

    “My dear.”

    “Shh.”

    Just as we were about to drift into a peaceful nap, a strange sound reached our ears.

    Crack!