C766
[Lueth!]
[Is it really Lueth? We’ve been forgetting about you all this ti…!]
The large pupils of the Cat Tribe mbers filled with moisture.
-[Please, convey this to our friend inside. Neru, on behalf of the Cat Tribe, we express our gratitude for a thousand years of hard, solitary work. As much as I try to rember, I can no longer recall who you once were…]
These were Neru’s words when they first encountered the third tomb.
The hearts of the Cat Tribe mbers overflowed with emotion as they finally t the old friend they had only recently rembered.
Have the thousand years of loneliness finally co to an end?
Lueth stood still, watching Jin and the others who had appeared before her.
Although she had been in constant communication with Valeria, seeing the door open still didn’t feel real.
“Yes. I’ve co to fulfill my promise, Chief Butler.”
Jin extended his hand toward the door and spoke.
Lueth, she, fixed her gaze on that hand, then looked around and beyond.
The scene from a thousand years ago at Storm Castle was playing out.
Once, it had been a place where loved ones and comrades always spent ti together. After everyone perished, all that remained was deep sadness and loneliness.
That scene now trembled and lost its form.
It was a phenonon caused by the forced opening of the subspace.
Now was the ti to leave this place and walk toward the light their past selves had left behind.
Lueth slowly moved her steps and took Jin’s hand.
Feeling the warmth of another person, sothing she hadn’t experienced in a long ti, caused her eyes to grow warm.
[Oh dear, showing such a disheveled appearance right after reuniting.]
“There’s no need to worry, it doesn’t feel that way at all.”
[Lueth! It’s , Neru! Do you recognize us?]
[You must have been very lonely in there, haven’t you?]
[Neru, Lulu, Miru… You all seem to be safe.]
“Chief Butler, won’t you be a little happy to see too?”
Lueth’s eyes narrowed as she averted her gaze.
Bale seed slightly embarrassed by that unenthusiastic look and awkwardly coughed.
[...Sir Bale. Though you seed disappointing a thousand years ago, it appears you’ve found your true purpose again as one of the Ten Great Knights, following Sir Jin’s example. It must have been Sir Jin who freed you from the seal.]
The ones who sealed Bale were the Ten Great Knights of that era.
Lueth recalled the mories of Bale running wild, destroying the world each day after Sarah’s death.
“Oh, well. That’s how things are, I suppose. Maybe.”
[Though I understand your sorrow, have you ever thought about how we felt when we had to seal a comrade running wild like a madman?]. Lueth asked.
[Have you ever thought about it?]
When he awoke from the seal, Bale had spoken as if he and Lueth were on good terms, but the reality was different.
Bale’s spirit dimd quickly upon hearing Lueth’s voice.
[I’m sorry…]
[Rember, you mustn’t let those things happen again. Lord Jin just called Chief Butler, and it’s probably because I still need to fulfill that role, just as I did back then. Therefore, I will watch over you as the Chief Butler of the Family. Do you understand?]
Judging by Bale’s behavior up until now, he sotis complained or acted stubbornly, but now, sensing the atmosphere carefully, Bale nodded heavily.
Lueth had a way of handling the Ten Great Knights, including Bale, in the past.
When Bale visibly felt down, Lueth smiled and patted his shoulder.
[Of course, I’m glad to see you. Thank you for coming back now.]
“Yes! Hehe, this ti, you’ve truly returned.”
Jin thought, observing separately the seasoned teacher and the mischievous troublemaker, that there truly wasn’t a pair like them.
Lueth’s gaze turned toward Valeria.
Unknowingly, Valeria had been gripping her elderwood staff tightly ever since Lueth appeared.
[Miss Valeria Histor. So you’re the Record Magician Sir Jin ntioned. You possess powers similar to our fairies’…]
Lueth and Valeria had been conversing in resonance until now, but most of the conversation had been about thods to open the subspace.
Lueth still didn’t know that the na "Histor" was born from the will of the fairies.
However, when Lueth saw Valeria in person, she felt a strange sense of kinship.
No, even during the resonance with her, it had been the sa.
There was no need for the group to explain this matter separately.
When Lueth gently waved her hand in the air, a blue Recording Window appeared, and within it, a video began to play.
The video showed a woman who resembled both Lueth and Valeria, along with the image of Sheila.
“Until the end, all the fairies who fought against Zipple were forgotten.”
[Human, what are you talking about suddenly?]
“But their souls, their final records, perated the nature of this world and beca seeds. For four hundred years, those seeds flowed across various parts of the world, and finally, they sprouted and gave birth to a human… That human is , Minka Histor. You need to know this, you who are the cursed descendant of the fairies.”
It was the day Minka Histor, the ancestor of the Histors, visited Sheila.
Lueth and Valeria couldn’t take their eyes off Minka in the video.
For Lueth, it was the mont she discovered the existence of her own descendants, which she had been unaware of.
And for Valeria, it was the mont she saw the progenitor of her lineage.
[Just as Runcandel left behind the spark of Sir Jin, my family left behind the fla called Valeria. Now I understand what Sir Jin told back then. My family, your roots…]
Lueth gently embraced Valeria.
[I heard you’re the last surviving mber of the Histor lineage. I imagine your life must have been filled with hardships and sorrows. I hope my return brings you so comfort.]
Valeria held back the urge to shed tears.
She didn’t want to show any weakness before Lueth.
Rather than comforting Valeria, Lueth nodded as if impressed by her ability to suppress her emotions.
I didn’t notice this in our last encounter, but the Chief Butler has a commanding presence.
‘Well, considering Bale doesn’t even make a sound, she must’ve been a very strict Chief Butler.’
Jin felt that Lueth reassured him.
[Hmm, you have good posture, Miss Valeria. It’s good to endure when you can. Of course, comfort is necessary, but now is the ti for determination and a sense of mission. We’re still incomplete. I haven’t retained all the mories from a thousand years ago, and my powers have greatly weakened. Your magic is probably not fully developed either.]
“Yes, Miss Lueth.”
[From now on, let’s work together to recover what we’ve lost. I also want to use the na Lueth Histor from now on, instead of Lueth Damiro Yul. It’s the na left to by my kin. Do I have your permission?]
Valeria nodded continuously, like a child eting a respected adult. Lueth smiled at her.
It was a sight Jin had never seen in his past lives.
[Jin.]
“Yes?”
[What’s your current position in Runcandel?]
“I’m the Twelfth Flagbearer and the Young Patriarch.”
[And the current patriarch of the Family?]
“He’s absent. I’ll explain the details later.”
[In that case, until the patriarch returns, can I operate under the assumption that there’s no one above except you?]
“There will be many tasks for you.”
[I understand. I will greet you formally again, Young Patriarch-nim. From now on, as the Chief Butler of the Family, Lueth Histor, I will resolve the major and minor affairs of Runcandel under the command of the young patriarch.]
Lueth knelt on one knee and made a respectful gesture, catching Jin off guard.
He had always acted this way with his distant ancestors whenever such a situation arose.
But soon, with a calm and serene voice, Lueth admonished him.
[Even if it were Temar kneeling before you, or even if it were so god, the Young Patriarch must maintain composure and dignity.]
Jin pondered how to respond, then nodded with a solemn expression.
“I understand. Please rise. I’ll introduce you to the mbers of the Family and the comrades of the Val Alliance.”
[Yes, Young Patriarch. I look forward to it.]
Before taking Lueth to Runcandel and Tikan, they had to first visit the Wantaramo Forest.
The Cat Tribe mbers, who had already developed great sympathy for Sheila, felt uneasy witnessing the strong and determined personality of Lueth, whom they had forgotten.
Perhaps, to Lueth, Sheila was nothing more than a foolish traitor.
When they arrived at the Wantaramo Forest via the dinsional portal of the Cat Tribe, Sheila folded her wings and greeted them.
[Elder Sister.]
Sheila looked at Lueth anxiously, and Lueth received her with eyes that revealed nothing of her inner thoughts.
Although she was the long-awaited elder sister, now that they were face to face, Sheila found it hard to find the right words to start the conversation.
[Shil Damiro.]
Lueth called Sheila by her old na.
The other descendants of the fairies, witnessing Sheila’s attitude, lowered their heads, feeling ashad of their initial fear of Lueth.
Lueth’s mories had returned to the descendants of the fairies, and they felt embarrassed.
[Elder Sister, I…]
[After a thousand years, do you intend to make excuses?]
Sheila bit down hard on her lower lip and lowered her head.
[No, I just want to apologize. To you, Elder Sister, and to our lost and forgotten species. Even if it’s a aningless apology.]
[Yes, I know it well. Late regret and apologies hold no value. You disappointed a thousand years ago when you endangered our tribe, but look at the result. Our people, including myself, who fought until the end, left descendants called Histor, while you, who turned your back on your duty, were cursed by the Witch.]
Sheila couldn’t respond and lowered her head.
[But I believe you’ve paid enough of a price.]
[...Elder Sister?]
[So now, don’t make the sa mistake as before… When the ti cos to fight, to protect the world, step forward and risk your life when those who seek to save the world need your power.]
Sheila’s pupils widened.
[If I promise to do that, will you forgive ?]
[What you need isn’t my forgiveness, but your own. So, you don’t need to ask for my forgiveness. I never hated you.]
Upon hearing those words, Sheila pressed her head to the ground and broke into tears. Lueth lifted her up and spoke to her.
[Yul, from now on, I’ll give you a na that only the Fairy King can grant. I’ll watch and see what role you play in the decisive monts. And if you stray again, I’ll take that na away from you.]
[That will never, ever happen!]
[Is that so? Then now you are a mber of the Val Alliance. If there’s anything you need, contact the Family or the Val Alliance. We’ll be leaving now. Don’t forget that feeling and take care, my younger sister.]
With those words, Lueth imdiately headed for the edge of the forest.
Sheila, or rather, Sheila Damiro Yul, couldn’t take her eyes off the figure of her elder sister as she walked away until she disappeared.
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