Volume 3 Chapter 48 As Usual. That Is The Best Healing
"Lady Eleonora, Randy. And thank you, Milady."
Luke bowed deeply, and Randy grinned with a mischievous look, saying, "Just one favor, okay?" He didn't look good when he was gloomy. So, he tried hard to act like everything was normal, but the tiny tear in his eye couldn't be hidden.
"Looking at the tower's features, there's no big change in the world. If that's the case, it doesn't matter to me."
Ellie turned away, saying this, but no one said anything about her slightly shaking shoulders. They all understood that this feeling wasn't something to laugh about. Knowing this, they smiled at her kindness as she tried to hide her emotions, and the 3 of them exchanged glances.
After waiting a bit for Ellie to calm down, Randy stood up.
"So, where are we right now?"
Randy looked out the window, seeing a twisted, wavy view.
"Well... it seems like we're connected to 1,200 years ago."
As Ellie said with a bitter expression while staring at the oval device, the numbers indeed showed 1,200 years ago. But unlike the Victor Territory from earlier, the scenery outside was still wavy and didn't settle down.
They waited for a while, but there was no change in the view.
"Guess we have no choice. Let's go back──."
Just as Ellie said this and reached for the numbers on the oval device──
'Hello everyone──nice to meet you.'
They all turned to the voice coming from outside the window. They saw part of the distorted view showing a scene, like a hole had opened up. A woman with black hair was standing on some terrace, waving to countless people below.
"What's this? Over there──."
"Wait."
Ellie stopped Randy, who was frowning and trying to get closer to the window.
"It's me..."
Ellie whispered, looking at the woman waving with a smile. She had long black hair and red eyes. Her beautiful face looked just like Liz's, and now she was smiling shyly.
"This is..."
"The real Lady Eleonora."
Cecilia quietly said, "She looks just like Liza," while the two men stood there in shock. Then, the view disappeared like a hole closing, and another scene appeared.
'Why──.'
The Eleonora on the screen looked worn out, holding her head in her hands.
'Lady Eleonora... a new town has──.'
A soldier peeking through the door reported, and Eleonora slumped her shoulders and buried her face on the desk, saying, 'I see...'
'Why... why?'
No one answered Eleonora's words as she stayed with her face down. Just then, the soldier quietly left, and the wavy view faded into the distorted sky again.
"What was that?"
"It's a strange disease... my body is falling apart. No one knows why."
In Ellie's bitter eyes, a new scene appeared. Eleonora was tied up on a platform, surrounded by residents who were praying intensely.
'Offer it to the gods!'
'A sacrifice to defeat the disease!'
It seemed like a foolish act, but there was no way to stop it here. Ellie explained that this was the punishment for not being able to find an effective solution to the disease.
"Is it fair to blame just one person?"
"That was my role back then."
Ellie sighed, but it seemed like she didn't agree with what was happening in the scene. It was understandable. From the view in the sky, it was clear that this was a time of advanced civilization, more developed than even modern Japan. In such a civilization, using 'sacrifice' as a solution to a disease was unacceptable.
Still... in a world where magic is close, immortals walk, spirits play, and gods are near, maybe it could be seen as a last resort. But she didn't seem to agree with that at all.
Even now, Eleonora, still tied up, was shouting that 'sacrifices are meaningless,' just like Randy thought.
But the praying residents didn't stop.
'Sacrifices... soon, very soon, the magic formula will be complete──.'
Eleonora's shout didn't reach anyone. Instead, a man's voice echoed, like he was using a loudspeaker.
'Listen! Innocent citizens... she says she will stop this plague with her own life!'
The crowd got more excited, drowning out Eleonora's shout of 'No!'
'I'm here to declare... we will form a group to carry on her will and definitely deliver your voices to God──.'
A man appeared behind the crucified Eleonora.
'She will show us the way to God by sacrificing herself... she is like a saint.'
The crowd cheered, singing 'Saint.'
"This is a wide-area hypnosis spell... I didn't notice it back then, but I lost to such a childish trick."
Ellie, with a self-mocking smile, watched as the man jumped off the platform and whispered to Eleonora.
'You trampled on my goodwill... even execution seems too light a punishment, yet you're happy to die for your beloved people.'
The man grinned, and Eleonora on the screen slightly furrowed her brows.
'We will use the magic you created for the people. Thanks to you, my reputation will rise.'
Eleonora, still frowning, probably couldn't hear it, but Ellie and Randy, who were there, did hear it...
As the man laughed with an ugly face, Randy moved toward the window, saying, "Hey, this guy is annoying. Let's punch him."
Luke quickly grabbed Randy from behind to stop him.
"Are you stupid? The history is going to change..."
"I don't care. Let's seriously beat him up. At least 3 times."
As Randy struggled, Ellie sighed quietly.
"It's already over──."
The moment Ellie said that, the scene changed again. There was Eleonora, left to dry up like a mummy. Even though it was right in the middle of town, the residents had no interest in her and just walked past without looking.
"They called you a sacrifice, but... no one even prays for you?"
As Randy clenched his teeth at the terrible sight...
'Everything... I curse everything... this whole world──.'
A voice echoed from the mummified Eleonora, and a black mist rose from her body. It was an evil and ominous aura that made even the Void Walker seem cute. It spread quickly around, turning the town into a hell of screams in an instant.
'Come... Staff of the Universal Law (Elexion).'
As the mummified Eleonora whispered, a familiar staff appeared in her hand. It was clearly the staff that had been used as an elevator's power source and as a camera shutter.
'Curse everything!'
Floating in the air, Eleonora threw the staff with all her might. It was headed for a huge church.
Then the scene changed again... this time, it showed a woman Eleonora didn't know facing her.
'Nora... I'm sorry. I got caught up in the Tower of Time──.'
'Step aside, Sharl. I must destroy this world.'
'I won't step aside. I won't let you do that.'
'Are you... trying to get in my way? You too, you too──.'
The two magic forces collided, lighting up the entire window in white.
When it settled, the outside was dark and silent, reflecting nothing. Only a noise mixed with 'I'm sorry, Nora. To stop you──' could be heard, and nothing else was visible. In the true darkness, where even the distorted scenery didn't show, someone swallowed hard.
"In the end, I didn't understand anything."
Ellie sighed, and Cecilia and Luke shook their heads vigorously.
"Lady Eleonora is a saint?"
"And probably the first one, the origin of the church?"
"That staff. Then that blood is..."
Liz, who couldn't help but jump in, joined the 3 as they crowded around Ellie. With so much new information, everyone was confused, while Randy silently watched Ellie.
Ellie noticed Randy staring at her and gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Are you feeling sorry for my past?"
Randy, still silent, slowly walked closer and firmly grabbed her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes.
"W-what's up?"
Ellie leaned back a bit, and Randy slowly spoke.
"You're not even close to being curvy."
Ellie, with a shocked expression, replied, "Huh?" and her face quickly turned red.
"Are you stupid? Are you really that dumb? You should say something like──."
Ellie, with a bright red face, shouted, "Agh! You idiot! Fool!"
Randy smiled just a little. He was really angry deep down. He was mad about that scene and the jerk who caused it. Even now, he felt like he could explode with anger, but there was nothing he could do about it.
So... so...
"Whether your past was as a saint or a witch, you're Ellie now. So, what I'm going to do hasn't changed at all from what I said back then."
Randy continued, sounding a bit rough but with a hint of kindness.
"If you've forgotten, I'll remind you. I will definitely find your body, free you from your past, and fill you with happiness and food──."
"Wow! Ah!"
Ellie suddenly shouted, and Randy frowned, saying, "Don't yell out of nowhere."
"Well, that's fine for now!"
Ellie blushed, and Randy complained, "You're the one who said it..."
Cecilia and Luke, watching the two play around, couldn't help but smile.
"Honestly, I'm really angry, though──."
Randy snorted and continued.
"I'm mad, but the past can't be changed. If I killed those idiots... I'd never see you or Liz again."
As Randy looked out the window, Ellie's face turned even redder. Luke and Cecilia looked at Randy in disbelief. It was understandable; what he said could easily be seen as a confession of love.
The fact that Randy said that to them──though he said it a lot, the two didn't know──left them shocked.
And as for Ellie...
"I... I kind of shrank back."
Liz, with a wry smile, puffed her cheeks at Randy and said, "Please don't tease her too much."
"I'm not trying to tease her..."
Randy scratched his head, and Liz looked up at the sky with a distant look.
"I'm just a little jealous. Being told she's full of happiness and food..."
Liz said this with a slightly sad smile, and Randy frowned, saying,
"What are you talking about? I'm saying that to you too, Liz."
At that, Liz let out a surprised, "Huh?"
"I said it clearly. I'm responsible for you guys. You're going to be full of happiness and food too. No, I'll make sure of it. So be ready."
Randy laughed and said, "First, let's make Victor richer──" and continued with his happiness plan. Liz's face turned red, and she nodded shyly while looking down.
Maybe it was the embarrassment of knowing he was paying attention to her.
Or maybe it was the strange embarrassment of feeling a bit jealous.
But all those feelings disappeared with Randy's smile, and Liz stole a glance at him before shyly looking down again.
"Alright. If that's settled, let's go home. I'm hungry and want to take a bath."
Randy patted his stomach, and Liz, still red-faced, nodded again.
"What are we being shown here?"
"Who knows?"
In front of the two, Randy lightly tapped Liz's shoulder, saying, "Hey, Ellie, it's your turn."
"Y-yeah. Let's head back."
Finally, Ellie, with a red face, returned, and Randy clapped his hands, saying, "By the way,"
"You used to talk like a villain, didn't you?"
"That doesn't matter right now!"
Ellie pouted and adjusted the numbers on the device, touching the crystal. The 4 of them were once again wrapped in a wavy, distorted scene.
"Alright! Let's eat when we get back!"
"What time is it now?"
"I don't know. It feels like about a week has passed."
"Time has stopped. Just like when we arrived, it's still before midnight."
A cheerful laugh faded away into the swirl of time and space.
'Nora, your body is in this■■■... someday, someday...'
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