I Became My Healer Elf Character-Chapter 84: Sacred?

It took a while, but eventually Miliyu was able to collect herself. The queen looked at her daughter and nodded. "I'm glad your okay. We'll need to inform the elders of what's transpired."

"Is that all, Mother? Are you really glad? Just earlier, you had told me you wanted me to go through with the ritual. I can't understand."

Miliyu frowned and looked towards the floor. "You're right. But my words are not lies. I am glad you're safe, and we need to inform the elders. They have to know that Lord Mosa is dead. For the sake of our tribe."

Miliana shook her head. "Mother, can't you conceive of the idea that the elders are the very ones who tricked us? Don't you find it suspicious? How was our whole tribe so easily convinced that Mosa was a god? Why did the elders forbid many books in the library?"

Hikari raised her eyebrow at this. She wondered how an underwater library would even work. Were the books written with squid ink? How would the words stick to the pages? Either way, she didn't voice those thoughts, letting the duo continue their conversation.

"I don't know, Miliana. However, the elders that started this have perished long ago. It's possible that the current elders had no idea."

Hikari placed a thoughtful hand on her chin. She didn't want to get too involved with the mermaid politics, but at the same time, she was the one who killed their object of worship. She'd have to give them something to placate them. Eventually, she made up her mind.

"Take me to meet these elders. We will simply confront them directly. All of this pointless speculation leads nowhere."

"You're right, Lady Hikari," the queen said. "Usually such a thing would be forbidden in the tribe rules, but I suppose, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Are they also located in this castle?"

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The queen shook her head. "The elders aren't located here. They have a separate place, isolated from the affairs of the rest of the tribe members. The only time we see them is during ceremonies, or when they give new orders. In terms of the hierarchy, they are above me. I cannot defy them, yet you are above them."

"In that case, lead us there. You shan't have any fear with me around. And if they are hostile, I will simply have the dragon blow them to bits."

The queen's eyes widened. "Please don't do that!"

"It was a joke. Now, let's hurry along. I have people on the surface that are waiting for us to return."

Miliyu lead them back the way they came. The group swam up the castle and exited the anemone at the top.

As they floated there, the queen pointed her trident to a distant white structure, erected away from every other building. The thing was a huge white shrine, reminiscent of Mayan structures from Earth. But this construct was much bigger. The squared base stretched for hundreds of feet in each direction, and the white pyramid was as tall as the tallest Egyptian monument.

The biggest difference was that this pyramid did not end in a point. The top was squared off many rows before the point would be, and on top of that square, there was a large statue of Lord Mosa.

When the group arrived at the base, Hikari truly grasped its enormity. She wondered where all of this smooth white stone came from. The ingenuity of the mermaids was fascinating. Perhaps when she finished whatever she needed to do, she'd ask them for several books or tablets.

Cemented into the side of base, there was a large and heavy stone door. The queen gestured to the entrance. "This is the only way into the temple. The door will respond to my magic, but it's up to the elders to let us inside."

Hikari being curious about mermaid magic did not try to interrupt the queen. She waited patiently for Miliyu to work.

The mermaid put her palm against the door, and she began to channel her mana. The gills along her neck began glowing a vivid red, along with her eyes. The light traveled up her arm and filled the door. Small streaks on the door began glowing red. After a moment, it began to slowly lift from the ground.

"They've answered our call."

Once the door fully opened, the group headed inside. The interior of the place came as a big surprise. It almost completely hollow. Along the walls, there were torches providing light, and at the other end of the vast chamber, six elderly mermaids floated above their very own bedding.

It seemed that this ceremony room could house many people. However, remembering the fate of Miliana, it was more like a final chamber if one were unlucky enough to be a princess.

The elders were entirely comprised of male mermaids. Despite appearing wrinkled and having less shiny tails, none of them had graying hair. Each of them had long, lush blue hair. Rather than carrying tridents, they all held a golden staff with a blue pearl at the end.

One of the elders in the center was the first to address the group. "Queen Miliyu, you bring strangers into our sacred ground. Alas, you've also brought the princess. Do you intend to plead on her behalf again?"

Miliana reacted to his words, staring at the queen. "What does he mean, Mother?"

Miliyu simply shook her head and responded to the elder instead. "I've not come for that request. It seems that it will no longer be needed. No, I've brought a true goddess into our most sacred grounds."

The startled man looked over the group of newcomers, noticing Hikari's particularly striking white wings. He looked over her pointed ears, much different from his own. Where his were edged in blue scales, ending at a fin, hers were reminiscent of a different species.

He pointed his staff at Hikari. "I see, you must be an elf, right?"

Both Miliyu and Miliana responded at the same time. "An elf?"

Hikari crossed her arms and shrugged. "Well, that's a pretty close estimation. I am indeed an elf. I'm surprised that tribesmen who've not exited this place in so many years would even know what an elf is."

The man nodded and ran two fingers through his beard, until he pointed towards the wall with his staff.

Hikari followed where he pointed, finally noticing all of the large tablets decorating the walls. There were so many of them, and each of them were full of scriptures. All of them were not written in any language Hikari knew, yet she felt if she focused on them, their meaning would come to her.

"All of it is detailed in our most sacred writings. In the past, mermaids and elves interacted with each other. There's a scripture written about each of the interactions mermaids had with other species. In translation, the scripture about elves reads 'in passing, the elves had gifted our people with something so divine. Biting into the sweet apple flesh, our souls felt purified, and our hunger was sated.'"

The elder looked back at Hikari with a questioning gaze. "Our tribe has never been able to translate the true meaning from the words. While we can read them in our language, we cannot decipher the meaning. For one, what is this apple they refer to? Perhaps you would understand its meaning? Is it truly something so divine?"

Both Ayase and Hikari chuckled at the same time. The elf resisted breaking into a full blown laughing fit, but this situation was too absurd for her mind to process. Not only had the mermaids made a god of a Mosasaur demigod, they even interpreted these texts as something more profound.

Kurayami shrugged upon hearing his words. "I don't understand what's so great about those apples. If it was me, I would have written about meat or fish."

The elder frowned. "I don't understand what's so funny, and what does this horned one talk about?"

"I actually possess the apples you speak of in your scriptures, and I'd be willing to let you taste of them."

"You do? And you'd let us taste their divinity?"

Hikari resisted chuckling once more. "I am not sure what you expect, but yes, I'd be willing to let you try them. However, first you must hear out what we have to say. It's better you should hear it from me."

The elder nodded. "Yes, though, I think I understand what's happened."

"In that case, I won't hold back. Your Lord Mosa is dead. I'm the one who killed him."

Hikari wasn't sure what she expected. She thought the elders would start flailing around. Perhaps, they'd begin screaming about the loss of their god, or they'd be like Miliyu and go into denial. However, none of them looked like that. They all looked as if they expected this outcome, and two of the elders on the sides even sighed in relief.

"So, it's true. That's why Lord Mosa has not contacted us today. Normally with it being so close to the ceremony, he'd check in daily."

Miliyu looked in disbelief at all of the elders. "Is that all? You're not terrified? You don't question it? Why? I don't understand."

The elder who'd been speaking on all of their behalf sighed deeply. "Now it is time. I shall share with all of you our story. A history of elders, and a story of tragedy."