Chapter 126
“That mansion belonged to him?”
“Not just him. His son and his grandson as well. Three generations of masters have lived there… Kuhek?!”
The elf who was nothing but bones and skin — Sakiel.
In the middle of speaking, he suddenly clutched his heart and dropped to his knees.
“Sakiel?”
“Sakiel!”
Akkion and Veron hurried toward him in shock.
But there wasn’t much they could do.
All they could do was watch him suffer with worried faces.
“Ugh… urgh… cough!”
Sakiel’s body trembled in agony before he coughed up blood.
Concerned, I stepped forward toward him…
“Haah, haah… I’m fine. Don’t worry too much. This isn’t the first time something like this happened. Nothing new.”
“How can we not worry when you’re nothing but bones and skin and coughing up that much blood?”
“I’m fine, Veron. Fine… ugh…”
Sakiel shuddered again in pain.
Then slowly, he rose to his feet and looked at me.
“You look worried, Gideon. But that look in your eyes… it’s full of questions, too. Am I right?”
“…Yes, you are. I’ve got a lot I want to ask you. Actually, not just you — everyone here.”
When I answered honestly, Sakiel nodded faintly.
“Let me guess what you’re most curious about. ‘Did that mansion sink during the incident involving his grandson?’ That it?”
“You’re exactly right.”
“My eyes never lie. And the answer to that is…”
Sakiel fell silent, gazing into my eyes.
I studied his expression carefully.
I wasn’t particularly good at reading people’s eyes, but his expression was too clear.
Anyone could tell it was an affirmation.
“Uaaagh!!”
Sakiel suddenly screamed again.
He convulsed in pain, vomited more blood, and collapsed back down.
Veron and Akkion looked at him with worried faces.
Despite his agony, Sakiel gave a faint, bitter laugh.
“Hah, damn it. Seems they made sure it can’t be spoken of by any means. This cursed spell…”
“You told us before, remember? That if anyone even tries to speak of that event…”
“…this damned curse activates. Yeah. That’s what I said. Guess I forgot — it’s been so long.”
Supported by Akkion, Sakiel slowly got back on his feet.
“Gideon, there’s so much I want to tell you. But… given the situation, there’s nothing I can properly say.”
“I understand. So I’ll find a way — somehow — to let everyone here speak freely.”
“I’ll count on you. And you’ll probably… succeed. My eyes can still see faint glimpses of the future.”
“I see…”
“Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet.”
The frail elf extended a hand toward me.
“I’m Sakiel. The leader and elder of the elves. The oldest among us.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m…”
“Gideon Kyrgram. I know. I’ve known for a long time — been watching you for ages.”
Sakiel’s eyes shimmered as he looked at me.
And “shimmered” wasn’t just a figure of speech.
His eyes were literally glowing.
“Now that I look closely, you really resemble her. Grow your hair out a bit and you’d look identical.”
“Who exactly are you talking about?”
“…I’d love to tell you. I really would. But if I say it, the curse will strike again. My body can’t withstand it three times in a day. If I speak, I’ll die.”
He was clearly unwell; his body had been trembling continuously.
With a sigh, Akkion lifted Sakiel onto his back.
“Stop talking and get some rest. Why are you forcing yourself to endure the curse in that condition?”
“Akkion, our friend has worked for us for generations, across countless years. Compared to what they’ve done for us, this is nothing.”
“Hah… you’re as stubborn as ever. Alright then, let’s get you to the communal quarters to rest. Veron, can I leave the healing to you?”
Veron nodded energetically.
“Leave him to us fairies.”
“Heh, even after hundreds of years, you lot never change.”
With a faint smile, Sakiel murmured softly before turning back to me.
“Gideon, we’re heading out now. Anything else you want to look around here?”
“Well…”
I turned toward the center of the lake.
It was deep — frighteningly so.
I couldn’t see the bottom at all, but it wasn’t impossible to go in.
If I took a boat to the center, equipped some magic tools, and dove down…
“You shouldn’t go into that lake.”
As if reading my thoughts, Sakiel shook his head.
“There’s a curse around that mansion too. Anyone who approaches it or dives into the lake will sink and never come back. The mermaids tried once — they all sank and never resurfaced.”
“…So, we’ll have to give up searching that mansion for clues.”
“Yeah. It’s better to look for another way.”
Sakiel looked at me apologetically.
“Sorry I can’t help more. I want to tell you everything, but until that curse is lifted… there’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. Besides, it’s not like we didn’t gain any clues. But, Sakiel…”
“Hm? What is it?”
“You said you can see the future?”
“Only faintly. Nothing detailed.”
Sakiel sighed softly and continued.
“I used to be able to see it much more clearly — at least the faint outlines. But during that incident, I overstrained my eyes. Ever since then, my vision’s been blurry.”
“…I see.”
Sakiel, the elf who could see the future.
One thing was certain — I had never heard his name before.
In fact, none of the other races here were familiar to me.
Neither in the game, nor in the lore books, did their names appear.
‘So even in the game, this sanctuary’s secrets were hidden…?’
One of my advantages was my knowledge of this world.
But when it came to uncovering this particular mystery…
That advantage might not be of much use.
* * *
The welcoming banquet didn’t begin until late afternoon.
And as for the welcoming banquet of the other races… there was nothing particularly special about it.
“Gideon! Try this!”
“Ah, yes. Th-thank you!”
A giant handed me a massive chicken leg—or was it really a chicken leg?
It looked like one, but it was the size of an entire cow.
‘Did they… hunt a dinosaur or something nearby?’
The giant set down the enormous chunk of meat on the table.
I sliced off a piece and took a bite, tilting my head.
“Hahaha! Eat plenty! Wyvern meat from the snowy mountains is a real delicacy!”
“Ah, it’s wyvern meat.”
Wyverns.
A rare species that was hard to find on the continent these days.
They were supposed to be endangered, but apparently there were enough of them here for regular hunting.
“Tasty, right? We giants raise them well—other races love them too!”
“It’s definitely delicious.”
As I took another bite, I glanced around.
This welcoming banquet… really wasn’t anything special.
It was just a small village festival.
Everyone had brought food, gathered together, and were eating and laughing joyfully—a simple celebration.
“Woof! Woof? Woof!”
“What’s this Hellhound! You want to go at it with me?!”
Then I spotted Siri.
She was facing off against a female beastkin nearby.
“You little Hellhound brat, how dare you.”
The beastkin with cat ears glared at Siri, her claws raised.
Her sharp aura made it look like she might pounce at any moment…
“Woof! Woof-woof-woof!”
“…Huh?”
“Woof-woof! Pant pant!”
Siri barked excitedly and started circling around the cat beastkin, tail wagging like she wanted to play.
“…Are you really a Hellhound? Why are you so tame?”
“Woof? Woof!”
“Hellhounds are supposed to be super aggressive monsters, so why…”
“Siri. Come here.”
“Woof!”
At my call, Siri immediately ran to me.
I cut a few pieces of wyvern meat and tossed them to her, then turned to the cat beastkin.
“I hope my Hellhound didn’t offend you.”
“No, nothing like that. More importantly—you’re that human, aren’t you?”
“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Gideon…”
“I know your name already. I’ve heard about you. Hmmm, and yeah…”
The cat beastkin slowly approached and suddenly pressed right up against me.
She ran her hands along my chest, while her tail wrapped around my waist.
“You smell nice. Your body’s firm, and you look strong. You’d satisfy me well.”
“…Excuse me, what do you mean by that…”
“Lena! You’re not hogging him all to yourself, are you?!”
A voice shouted from nearby.
When I turned, two more female beastkin were running over.
One had distinct rabbit ears, the other had wolf-like ears poking up through her hair.
“Did you forget we agreed to do this together?”
“Tch. I was going to sneak him away first…”
“This is why you cat beastkin get called alley cats!”
After scolding her, the rabbit and wolf beastkin both pressed close to me too.
“You’re Gideon, right?”
“…Yes, that’s me, but why…”
“If you don’t have plans tonight, would you like to come with us to our forest?”
The rabbit beastkin hugged me from behind, and the wolf beastkin rubbed her face against my leg.
The sudden closeness froze me in place.
“We’ll prepare delicious food for you, and warm up a cozy bed. You just need to bring yourself…”
“Hey, hey, hey! You guys! I told you not to do that!”
While I was still stunned by their… hospitality, several male beastkin came running over.
“I told you not to behave so rudely to our guest! What will he think of us?!”
“Tch… Don’t worry about it! We’ll handle it ourselves!”
“You’re being disgraceful… Besides, that sort of thing should be kept among beastkin! Don’t involve other races—”
As the males scolded them, the females shouted back in irritation.
“Then maybe you males should start meeting our needs!”
“Yeah! We’re tired of always doing everything your way!”
“I’d rather go with a human who can do it anytime—”
“Hey, hey, hey!”
The male in front—a lion with a striking mane—shouted in panic.
“You three! Get them out of here! Don’t embarrass us any further in front of Sir Gideon! You’re disgracing our race!”
“Eh? Hey! Let go of me!”
“Let go! We want to be with a human—”
“Just once, like that story about the white-haired human—”
The three female beastkin were dragged off by the males.
Watching them go, the lion beastkin let out a sigh and bowed his head.
“My apologies for showing you such disgraceful behavior, Sir Gideon. As the leader of the beastkin, I offer my apologies.”
“It’s fine. Really, it’s alright.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“No, really, it’s fine. Uh, by the way, your name is…”
“Ah, I’m Laki.”
“Nice to meet you, Laki.”
I smiled and greeted the lion beastkin.
He smiled back, observing me closely.
“Just as my grandfather said, your white hair truly leaves quite the impression.”
“So you’ve only heard about my ancestor, then—you never met him yourself?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Compared to the other races here, our beastkin have rather short lifespans. Even living two hundred years is rare.”
“Then you really wouldn’t have met him personally.”
“No, we only heard stories of the great leader of old from our ancestors.”
While talking with Laki, a thought suddenly came to me.
If this worked…
“Laki, could you tell me those stories you’ve heard?”
Stories passed down through word of mouth.
Maybe that could be a loophole to bypass the curse…
“I’m afraid that would be difficult.”
“…Because of the curse?”
“Yes. Even if it’s just a retelling, any story connected to that incident from centuries ago—if we tell it to a non–other race, the same curse activates. So… yes, I’m sorry, but I can’t help.”
“That’s alright.”
It seemed this secret wouldn’t be revealed so easily.
Just as I was about to give up—
“But… if I may speak of something unrelated to that incident… It’s more of a frightening tale, really. When I was young, I heard that in the distant past, there once existed terrifying ancient beings.”
“Ancient beings?”
“Yes, ancient beings.”
I looked into Laki’s eyes.
The beastkin’s gaze was trembling with genuine fear.
As if just speaking of it… might cost him his life.
‘Ancient beings… I’ve heard that somewhere before. Ah.’
I quickly remembered where.
Roy Varbellos.
The magician from my class—and Nia’s younger brother.
It was a term I had once heard from him.