Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 73: The Land of Ash [12]

Somewhere far away, hidden among the tall trees of Holylight’s shadowy forests, Ellegaard slept by the light of a campfire. She sat with her back resting against a cut tree trunk, a blanket draped over her shoulders to protect herself from the cold. Beside her, Jeanne was awake, staring at the fire with a somewhat bored expression.

She rested her elbows on her knees, giving her friend a bit of attention, but seeing her so calm only put her in a worse mood.

"Ellegaard... Are you awake?"

The elf responded with a sleepy grunt, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. Then she did nothing else, making Jeanne frown.

"Hey... Wake up for a bit. I want to talk."

This time, Ellegaard let out an annoyed groan, making the same motion of covering herself with the blanket. Jeanne sighed, looked around, and found a small branch. She used it to poke the elf’s cheek.

"Ellegaard... Hey..."

The elf growled, tossing the blanket aside. She grabbed her magic staff and held it tightly as she scolded the princess.

"What do you want?! Let me sleep! I’m tired!"

Jeanne smiled.

"Well, you didn’t care whether Mitsuki was tired or not; you beat him mercilessly until he cried. Just how evil can you be?"

Ellegaard rested the staff on the ground, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"Do you seriously want to argue about that again? That’s why you woke me up?"

"It’s always nice to have a way to annoy you, don’t you think? Besides, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I was thinking about our next stop."

"Holylight? What about it?"

"You know what they say. Once you enter the capital, you never come back. What if what the Heralds of the Shadow said is a lie to get rid of strong adventurers?"

Sitting up on the log, Ellegaard rubbed her eyes with her knuckle and said:

"Well, we’re here precisely to confirm that. If something bad happens, we still have the option to run. We’ll be fine as long as we act carefully. The monsters inside the capital might be unknown, but we’re strong—with powers unknown to them."

"You’ve got a point, to be honest. And it’s not like we haven’t been searching for grimoires in remote villages and ruined castles."

"Yeah. We already have the experience needed to survive. Unless we run into a fallen god or something like that, we’ll be fine."

Both of them stared at the campfire in silence after that. There really wasn’t much to talk about. The walls of Holylight were already visible from where they were. The distance they had covered in such a short time was insane, but considering they were the strongest adventurers in Amaria, it wasn’t surprising.

"Do you know how long it’ll take Aslan to catch up with us? I’m not very good with numbers."

"About two more days, I think. If that man finds a good place to hide the carriage, it could be sooner."

"I see. It’s just that without him, I somehow feel unprotected. We’re strong and all, but without Aslan, our strength feels incomplete."

Ellegaard seemed particularly moved by that. She placed the staff over her thighs and looked at Jeanne carefully before answering.

"You miss him because, unlike your father, he was actually there for you most of the time. Jacques may be a great king, but as a father, he leaves a lot to be desired."

Jeanne looked up, offended, but Ellegaard silenced her with her argument.

"If he weren’t like that, his daughter wouldn’t have been a spoiled brat who does whatever she wants. Do you have any idea how many problems you caused me when we started our journey? And I’m sure you caused Aslan plenty of trouble during your sword training."

"Well, that..."

"Are you going to get sad now? Good! Because someone has to pay for the annoyance of waking me up in the middle of the night." She returned to her sleeping position, covering herself with the blanket again. "But setting the obvious aside, that’s at least what made your father allow you to see the world. He wants you to learn how to live—and to suffer—to understand that nothing falls from the sky as a gift, that no one is there to fulfill your ridiculous orders."

"Hey, you’re going too far."

"You know me. I say what I think, even if it hurts others. I’m not a fake person who lives for others." A faint smile formed on her face. "And neither are you. That’s also why I decided to go with you."

That last part was striking. Jeanne was confused, but when she tried to respond, the elf had already fallen asleep again. She lowered her gaze, thinking.

"Okay... At least you admit we’re the same."

They are friends, after all. Their journey would soon take them to the heart of Holylight’s capital, where they would finally uncover a truth that would turn the entire world upside down.

Far from there, back in the first village on the outskirts of the capital, Mitsuki stared at the empty space where the specter had once been. His breathing trembled as the sudden memory hit him, carrying all the pent-up emotions of Prince Arthur.

The system flickered before his eyes and across his arm.

[ You will receive rewards. ]

’Prince...’ That single word felt heavy. ’The memories of this place... I understand now—they tell me the story of the prince and the people close to him. Through their eyes, I see the tragedy of the Mystery of Cinder.’

A story broken into pieces, just like all the places left in ruins by the catastrophes.

He was about to check the rewards the specter had left him, but he felt Monar’s hand on his shoulder.

"Man, specters are really depressing beings. Their last words were probably something they said when they died, before becoming a specter," Azel said, interrupting.

Monar nodded.

"The past is what drives specters in the present. In a place filled with them, history and disastrous emotions turn into power. That’s why not many can survive Nemoria—they’re consumed by that history and the emotions they can’t control."

"Not only that," Marco added, descending beside the specter’s remains. "Those who lack mental and emotional strength are the most vulnerable to the ash, yes—but those who lack physical strength are the ones who fall the fastest."

"That’s obvious, Marco. Stop trying to sound mysterious," Azel said with a laugh.

The blond seemed annoyed for a moment, but it passed as he stepped in front of Mitsuki.

"You did pretty well protecting Monar. You proved you’re useful to us. Keep it up." He turned around, walking back toward the center of the city. "That’s all for today, gentlemen. Let’s go back to sleep, or later we won’t be able to resume the journey because of exhaustion."

Mitsuki was left... stunned.

’Huh? The guy who kept messing with me just said I’m useful? Did he just praise my abilities?’

What a strange night. Monar cleared his throat, drawing Mitsuki’s attention. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I told you—he’s not the bad guy everyone thinks he is. He knows how to recognize others’ efforts when he sees them. You’ll probably get along with him later on."

After that, both Azel and Monar left the scene, leaving Mitsuki deep in thought.