Perth and I were silent for a while. The only sound echoing through the room was the crackling of charcoal in the hearth.
Greed was also quiet. It’s like there’s nothing more to say.
When I suddenly looked down under the hearth, I saw a fine carpet. As soon as I entered the house, I was facing the gaze of the chieftains, so I didn’t notice.
The carpet that was spread around the hearth was decorated with things that looked like people and monsters.
[What is the pattern woven into this carpet?]Hearing that, the chiefs stood up and moved to the back.
The hidden pattern was now revealed. It looked like it was depicting some kind of battle.
Perth smiled at me for the first time.
[I guess you noticed. Elves’ legend passed down to us who don’t even care about it.]
[Legend? About what?]
[The Holy War.]
Perth began to tell me what was depicted on the carpet’s pattern.[When a messenger appears to us from the closed holy land, the path to the holy land will be opened. The white wall that binds us will collapse, and our souls will be saved. That person will take away the power of the elves and will awaken us to new powers. He is the one who calls for freedom and leads us to a pure land…a holy land. This was left behind by a compatriot of mine who left behind one of the handprints that covered the white wall before they departed.]
[Take away the power of the elf… So, earlier… with the savior?]
[I’m sorry. I should have told you in order, but everyone, myself included, was too impatient. I was looking for a way to contact you here, and you came from over here.]
『Gramps, by holy land, do you mean Gallia?』
[Back then, beyond the raging sea and the attacking sea serpent, there was a place where humans lived…indeed, it was our hometown, the sacred land of Gallia.]
『Hometown? I’ve been alive for a very long time, but I’ve never seen your kind before.』
[Then, it must have happened in an earlier era than when you were born. Nowadays, only the legends that are depicted on this carpet remain.]
Perth was unable to properly answer Greed’s question. The other chieftains looked the same.
[Perth-san, the elf… Cecilia also said that Gallia was the holy land.]
[If you are a savior to us, it is the opposite for the elves. For them, you are the one who will bring about the collapse of the Great Wall, which they worship.]
[So, the reason Georg did all that…]
[Hmm, I guess it’s because you came from Gallia. However, he may have been skeptical at first. That’s why he showed you the reincarnation ritual to see how you were doing. Which resulted in yesterday’s duel. Maybe you taking away your opponent’s power has changed his confidence.]
By winning the duel, Georg gave me permission to live in the elf town.
I would like to get out of the Great Wall as soon as possible, but…
[The main part is to not intervene with force, because I can steal the elf’s power.]
『None of them wants to end up like that elf named Zack.』
[Spirit beast Belial…]
Everyone gasped at my words. And Perth speaks on behalf of everyone’s opinion.
[Could you please show me the spirit beast that you said you stole?]
[Right here!?]
[Yes, everyone here will trust you.]
There is an advantage to being able to gain the trust of beastkin. For Cecilia, who has difficulty moving directly, I might be able to become a bridge between her and the beastkin.
However, at the same time, it also leads to me gaining the title and responsibility of savior.
I remember the legend that Perth said. If they say, “That person is the one who will lead us to a pure land…a holy place”, then if I take on that role, I will naturally be able to return to Gallia. In the process, we might also find out where Roxy is.
『I guess you’ve decided.』
[Yeah, I’m tired of being pushed around by Georg like this.]
I exited Perth’s house and summoned the spirit beast.
[Come forth, Belial.]
The spirit beast Belial appeared as if threatening the chieftains with its two large horns.
The surrounding temperature dropped and cold air blew. Perth said while exhaling white breath.
[Ooooh… Fate Barbatos-sama.]
Then, his eyes widened and he knelt down to me. Other chieftains followed suit.
It felt like they’re following me rather than trusting me. I had no recollection of making such a promise.
[Please stop with the honorific. there is no need to be so respectful.]
[But…]
『Fate trusted you and did this. Then, isn’t it your duty to respond to that?』
[Hmm. I understand. In that case, Fate. Please try touching the Great Wall.]
Perth took me to the portion of the Great Wall decorated with the handprints of beastkin.
[Now, put your hands on the wall.]
Pushed by his confident eyes, I touched the Great Wall with my left hand, to match one of the handprints.
[Ehh!?]
[Oooohhhh]
I let out a voice of surprise. The chieftains, unlike me, were filled with joy.
Because there was a hole in the Great Wall. It was similar to the one I saw when Cecilia showed me here.
At that time, there was no reaction even when I touched it. This time it was different.
When I thought about what the difference was, only one thing came to mind.
[Is it a spirit too?]
[That’s right. Only those who can control spirits are qualified to pass through the Great Wall. You can freely move around the Great Wall since you took that power from the elf.]
That’s why Zack was so furious when he lost Belial.
The spirit was a symbol of the elf’s power, and also a proof of being chosen by the Great Wall.
I slowly stepped into the empty hole. It’s okay, I think I can go out like this.
Then, I heard Perth’s voice coming from behind me.
[We can’t go any further from here. What will you do?]
It’s still early for sunset. Originally, I was thinking of having Cecilia take me out of the Great Wall tomorrow.
In this case, it’s just right. I wanted to go back to the beach where I washed up.
[I’m going to see the sea.]
[How I want to do so too. See you again, Fate.]
[Yeah.]
When I went outside, the hole immediately closed. Perth’s voice could no longer be heard from my side.
『The air is really fresh here』
[Although the inside of the Great Wall is very spacious, it was hard to breathe because of the high walls.Greed, did you feel anything when you passed through the Great Wall?]
『Didn’t you feel it too?』
[Yeah, I think I understand now.]
『That wall has a will just like me. I don’t know if it can speak though.』
[If it could, that’ll make things faster]
『Things don’t always go well. You know this all too well, right?』
That’s exactly right. If things were going well, I wouldn’t be here on Louise Island.
I should have been able to go back to where Myne, Eris, Aaron, and the others were waiting with Roxy.
『Well, just being able to travel back and forth across the Great Wall is a good start.』
[Let’s go to the beach. This is your first time seeing it, right?]
『I’m looking forward to it. The ocean that goes on forever』
After looking at the Great Wall from the outside for a while, I started walking towards the sea.
I remember the terrain up to the sandy beach where I washed up. According to the information given to me by Cecilia, it is on the west side of the island.
[Do you know, Greed? Even though this island is this big, it’s actually a floating island.]
『If it has connection to Gallia, then it makes sense. If they’re good enough to make the continent levitate, then making such thing floating in the sea should also be possible.』
As we proceeded westward while talking about Louise Island,
『Fate, a monster! It’s coming here』
[Yeah, I know.]
I pulled out the unfinished black sword from its sheath and prepared for the approaching monster.
My strength is also coming back. I won’t fall behind like when I was saved by Cecilia last time.
[Hnn? That monster…]
『What’s wrong, Fate?』
[It’s the beastkin I saw turning into a monster during the reincarnation ceremony.]
If I’m not mistaken, I recognized the monster running towards me. It was the beastkin-turned-monster who had been banished from the Great Wall by Georg’s reincarnation ceremony the other day.
