volume 1 - Chapter 38 (1/2)
Chapter 38 – The battle for time
Romaine’s conditions were not as optimistic as Brendel had imagined. With each pa.s.sing second the atmosphere became more intense, and he realized that there must be a secret that she kept in a heart— and a secret that was so deeply hidden away in her heart would ultimately present itself as fatal in this dream world.
There were only the sounds of Freya and his anxious breaths while the merchant girl slept quietly in her arms, and Brendel found himself completely afraid— that Romaine would never wake up from her slumber.
He looked at the Golden Demonic Tree, the connection between the dream world and reality was becoming weaker, and it was going to wake up anytime.
“Brendel?”
Freya’s fists were clenched into a tight ball, and she had trouble finding words to rouse Romaine from her anxiety. He said they had only five minutes, but Romaine still looked like she was deeply immersed in her dream. Yet Freya knew she could not blame the youth, because she was the only one who knew Romaine’s secret in Bucce.
She was starting to regret that she did not tell Brendel, but how could she know that this dream world was so complicated?
However, Brendel did not fall into a spiral of confusion and thought quickly. He suddenly threw the ‘Thorn of Light’ over to them.
“Let her hold this.”
“What?”
“The sword has the ability to purify darkness, let her hold it.” Even though his lips uttered these words, he knew in his heart that the Elven Sword only added 1 OZ of ‘Will’. He could only hope that it was enough to bring her out of danger.
[Mother Marsha!]
He prayed to the highest holy figure in his heart, begging her to be more merciful to Romaine. Perhaps it was the sword, or perhaps it was his prayers to Marsha, not long after, she actually woke with a moan.
She blinked and rubbed her eyes to look at the two of them, looking blankly for a while, before speaking happily: “Freya, you’re already up. You know, I had a nightmare earlier!”
“Ah!”
Freya was still in a daze, then she yelled from the bottom of her heart. She did not hear what the merchant girl said at all, but simply hugged her and cried. She had believed that there was no hope left but Brendel’s solution really worked.
“Romaine, you idiot!”
“W-what did you say?! I’m not an idiot!” Romaine seemed to have received a fatal blow, and she flailed her limbs in indignation.
Brendel was much calmer than Freya. The aid from the Thorn of Light and another person’s ‘Faith’ should be able to wake her up from the dream world no matter how deep she was in, but he was more worried about the aftermath of this situation.
But he knew that she was fine from her silly reaction.
“Alright, it’s fine to stop your tears now.” He continued: “The Golden Demonic Tree is going to wake up any time, and if there is anything to else to say, we should save it until the battle is over.”
Freya wiped away her tears and nodded.
“What should we do, Brendel?” She asked.
“We’re not the main protagonists in this battle, but a Rock Wurm in this valley–”
“What’s that?”
“Let me finish, Romaine! The Rock Wurm is something from that is born (Earth Element Type) as a Element Creature. It’s a natural enemy of the Golden Demonic Tree, but before the Rock Wurm becomes a mature adult, the Golden Demonic Tree is able to force it outside the valley by controlling the roots in the ground. It takes about 80 to 120 years for a Rock Wurm to become mature but we can’t wait this long, so we need to help it.”
“Help it?” Freya asked.
Brendel received the Elven Sword from Romaine, and he replied: “The Golden Demonic Tree’s body is very frail. The only attack it has is the roots extending from the ground and impaling its enemies. We need to to force it to attack us and the more roots it takes out from the ground, the less it has to fend off the Rock Wurm. Once that happens, the Rock Wurm is able to enter the center of this valley.”
“But we only have ten minutes. The first batch of Rotten Beast will arrive in ten minutes, and if we still have not killed it in that time frame, you must run towards the west side without hesitation. There’s a pa.s.sageway there that’s quite visible.”
“What about you?” Romaine looked up at him.
“Protecting the rear should be left to a gentleman. This is the ladies’ prerogative.” He softly poked her bright forehead with his finger. He looked back at Freya who was tying up her ponytail in preparation for battle. She noticed his gaze and nodded.
He paused momentarily as he expected her to demand staying behind. There was no reluctance on her expression but a steady gaze.
[It looks like she matured from the dream world.]
He smiled happily as he saw a scintilla of the future G.o.ddess of War’s presence on her. Then he turned back: “Romaine, wear the ring I gave you.”
The merchant girl immediately raised her hand smugly, waving the black and white ring clearly.