Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 321

Ruthless to his enemies but the most reliable ally to those on his side.

If she asked, he would take her back to her village without hesitation.

Even without regard for her vow.

But she couldn’t return to the High Elf village.

Even if she wanted to, the High Elves would never accept her back.

They were, as their name suggested, a noble and pure race.

They upheld purity as an absolute principle.

To them, an elf tainted by the outside world—especially by humans—was no longer kin.

Even if that elf was their own flesh and blood.

Brielle knew this truth, which was why she had never once told Zeon that she wanted to go back.

At first, she had accepted it without question.

But after spending so much time with Zeon, her perspective had changed.

The underground world had already begun its transformation with the introduction of the mana generator.

The people there longed for a better life.

They wished for progress.

And that desire for change wasn’t something to be feared.

Purity and nobility were important, but in the end, if the rest of the world continued to advance while the High Elves remained isolated, they would eventually be left behind.

Her village needed change.

Brielle believed that now was the time.

‘Once things settle down in Neo Seoul, I’ll visit my village with Zeon.’

She had no expectations of a warm welcome.

To the High Elves, a kin who had lost their purity was no longer family.

It didn’t matter.

She didn’t need their acceptance.

She only wanted to give them a chance for progress.

The mana generator she had built would be enough to serve as that catalyst.

Resolving herself, Brielle took a deep breath.

“Hoo…!”

“What’s wrong?”

Zeon glanced at her curiously.

Brielle smiled.

“No reason.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Just because.”

“Alright.”

Zeon chuckled.

As they talked, they arrived at their house.

Brielle tilted her head in confusion.

There were unfamiliar figures standing out front.

Their entire bodies were covered in loose robes.

With their hoods pulled low, their faces were hidden.

But Brielle immediately recognized them.

‘Elves.’

It was a scent only elves could perceive.

Though diluted from years of living in the human world, the distinct elven fragrance still remained.

Zeon also recognized them.

Especially the one whose scent was the strongest.

“Serian… is that you?”

“It has been a while, Lord Zeon.”

The elf in question pulled back her hood and spoke.

With pale white skin, platinum hair, and eyebrows so light they almost disappeared, the woman looked like a snow fairy from a distance.

She was Serian—the ruler of the Northern District.

Zeon asked,

“What brings you here?”

“I wanted to thank you in person.”

“There was no need to come all this way.”

“Thanks to you, we stopped Eli before she could cause even greater destruction. Just imagining what might have happened if she hadn’t been stopped in time… it’s horrifying.”

“It was fortunate we prevented it before it was too late.”

“That’s all thanks to you. Because you eliminated ‘Gu,’ we were able to avert disaster. I had to come and personally express my gratitude.”

Serian’s attitude toward Zeon was extremely respectful.

She treated him as an equal.

It was proof that she fully acknowledged his strength.

Then, Serian’s gaze shifted to Brielle.

From the moment the elves appeared, Brielle had pulled her pointed hat low over her face.

She wanted to avoid their attention.

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But in the end, it didn’t work.

Serian had already caught the distinct scent unique to High Elves.

She lowered her head slightly and spoke.

“It is an honor to meet such a distinguished one.”

“Ugh. Keep your voice down. You’ll make a scene.”

“Yes.”

“I’m going inside.”

Brielle quickly stepped into the house.

‘Would it have been better if I were still drowning in drugs?’

Back then, the impurities in her body had masked her High Elf scent.

But ever since she had fully freed herself from addiction, that unique fragrance had begun to radiate again.

The elves born and raised in Neo Seoul wouldn’t recognize it, but elves like Serian—who had come from Kurayan—would notice it immediately.

For someone like Brielle, who just wanted a quiet life, it was a nuisance.

Even in Kurayan, High Elves were revered.

They were seen as sacred beings who connected elves to the gods.

Even among their own kind, they were practically worshipped.

The destruction of Kurayan had forced them to flee to Earth, but that reverence remained unchanged.

That was why, the moment Serian recognized Brielle as a High Elf, she had treated her with such formality.

‘If Zeon weren’t here, they’d probably have dragged me off to the Northern District, locked me in a room, and forced me to commune with the gods.’

Brielle clicked her tongue.

They may have longed for answers from their gods—

But in a world that had already fallen, those gods would never respond.

For all they knew, the gods had perished alongside Kurayan.

Either way, Brielle had no interest in communicating with them.

That was the duty of the High Elves who remained in her village.

Thud!

Brielle shut the door to her room.

At the same time, Zeon and Serian entered the living room, leaving the other elves outside.

Serian glanced around.

“So this is what the inside of the fortress looks like.”

“You call it a fortress too?”

“Your home is referred to as a fortress. I’ve heard it so often that I’ve started calling it that myself.”

“Tsk.”

Zeon clicked his tongue.

It wasn’t that he disliked the name—

He just disliked the attention that came with it.

He gestured toward a seat.

“It’s not much, but please, have a seat.”

Serian smiled and sat down.

“Thank you. There’s a good energy in this house.”

“Good energy?”

“The moment I stepped inside, I felt lighter and at ease. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.”

“There’s nothing special about this place.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

Serian gave him a knowing smile.

With over three hundred years of life experience, she could tell—

This place was no ordinary home.

The moment she stepped in, her body felt refreshed, and an unknown vitality surged through her.

Since arriving on Earth, she had never felt anything like this.

There was something special about this place.

It was enough to make her want to stay longer.

She was curious about what made it so unique.

But Zeon clearly had no intention of satisfying that curiosity.

He asked,

“So, I doubt you came just to say thanks. What’s your real reason for visiting?”

“For one, I wanted to offer you a reward.”

“A reward?”

“Please, take this.”

Serian handed Zeon a small box.

“What is it?”

“Open it and see.”

Zeon frowned slightly and opened the box.

Inside was a small key.

“What’s this?”

“A key to El Harun.”

“Why are you giving me this?”

Zeon’s eyes narrowed.

El Harun was a city built by non-humans who had fled to Earth.

A place completely closed off to humans.

For Serian to hand him a key to such a place—

It made no sense.

“El Harun is a place that must remain hidden from humans, isn’t it?”

“But you already know it exists near Magadan.”

“That’s not the same.”

“It is.”

“I’d like a proper explanation.”

“Honestly, I wanted to keep El Harun’s existence a secret forever. Not even my closest aides know about it.”

“Then why did you change your mind?”

Serian’s expression darkened.

“Do you remember the Balrog summoning incident?”

“…Yes.”

How could he forget?

The one who had summoned the Balrog was none other than Damian.

Damian, who had lost his father to the inhabitants of El Harun, had come to Neo Seoul with the White Bear Caravan, causing an unprecedented catastrophe.

The aftermath left the entire city reeling for a long time.

He had gambled everything to uncover El Harun’s location, and in the end, even sacrificed his own life.

That incident had left a deep impact on Serian.

It made her question—was El Harun really worth keeping hidden at such a cost?

She had only visited El Harun once in its early days and never returned.

She had been too busy protecting the non-human races living in Neo Seoul.

By the time she had some breathing room after stabilizing the Northern District, the thought of returning to El Harun had already faded.

Too much time had passed.

The bond she once had with them had long since weakened.

El Harun was an extremely closed-off city.

Its residents refused to share any news with her—not even Serian herself knew how the city had changed over the years.

“Honestly, I was deeply shaken back then. I couldn’t understand… What could El Harun have done to plant such a colossal grudge in one man’s heart? Burning oneself to ashes for revenge? That concept is utterly foreign to elven ideology. It made me curious—what exactly has been happening inside El Harun?”

Zeon’s eyes narrowed.

“So that’s why you’re giving me this key?”

“Truthfully, I don’t even know if it still works. It’s been a hundred years since the barrier was first erected. For all I know, they may have forgotten the key even exists. A century is a long time.”

“What if I take this key and destroy El Harun?”

Serian’s voice remained calm.

“Let’s be honest—if you truly wanted to enter El Harun, you would find a way with or without that key. In reality, the key means nothing. The only reason I’m giving it to you is… well, consider it a bribe. A small request that, at least once, you take their circumstances into account before passing judgment.”

“A bribe, huh?”

Zeon rolled the key between his fingers.

In truth, he had no immediate plans to seek out El Harun.

One day, he might.

But that day wasn’t today.

He slipped the key into his coat.

“Fine. I’ll hold onto it.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s strange for the giver to be the one saying that.”

“I was actually worried you might refuse.”

Zeon tilted his head.

“So… you have no intention of going to El Harun yourself?”

Serian let out a small sigh.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned since coming to Neo Seoul, it’s that clinging to blood purity leads nowhere. Back in Kurayan, elves may have been an exceptional race. But here on Earth? We’re just one of many. We intermarry with other races. We have children, and those children have more children. That’s how the Northern District came to be. There aren’t many pureblood elves left here. But they’ve adapted, and they live well in Neo Seoul. Now, compare that to the elves who refused change, isolating themselves in the desert—”

“They live miserable lives.”

“Exactly. The world has changed. And the races that came from Kurayan must change with it. But El Harun chose isolation instead. The fact that they stopped contacting me entirely proves it—they don’t want to share their struggles with anyone. I believe El Harun has made the worst possible decision. They need a catalyst for change. And I hope… that catalyst might be you, Zeon.”

“I could just as easily be their destroyer.”

“That would be their fate, then.”

Her voice carried a quiet sorrow.

No one wanted to see their own people destroyed. But if El Harun continued to isolate itself, it would eventually crumble from within.

That was the lesson Serian had learned from her time in Neo Seoul.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]