The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 126

Chapter 126: You Are My Spring (1)

「8th Witch, Glumiêm.

Karen’s seventh daughter and still a very young elf, Glumiêm.

Her small feet step into the forest.

It was a mysterious gait that even adult elves couldn’t hear.

━Everything starts with walking.

🔹🔹🔹

That day.

The man who saved her told her.

Glumiêm was already known for her speed among elves, but after receiving his teachings, even adult elves couldn’t catch her.

Up north.

She headed towards the highest point, where even the elves did not approach.

The forest ends and an incongruous meadow unfolds.

Beyond the meadow, the sea is visible.

The deep black seawater of Elivagar, which runs through the Elf Forest.

Whoosh━.

There are no waves in the water.

Only the frozen sea surges like a thin plate. The man and Karen stood in the small meadow, where only the strange sound of icy waves echoed.

Karen spread her arms wide, and Glumiêm awkwardly looked away before closing her eyes tightly and hugging her.

“Did you come here safely without being caught?”

“Yes! Now the other elves can’t catch me.”

“Good job, Glumiêm.”

Karen stroked her hair.

In the distance, the man was carving a stone, building something. Glumiêm’s eyes were fixed on him.

Karen hugged Glumiêm with a bitter expression.

“Don’t worry too much about us. We are humans, and you are an elf.”

Glumiêm lowered her head.

She was happy.

She was curious about the relationship that humans called mother and father, and she wondered if this was exactly what she had with them.

But there is a difference in lifespan between the races.

Even if she couldn’t help it, she would live for three hundred years, but they were human.

A race that could call it a miracle to live even a hundred years.

“I’ve been thinking.”

Glumiêm came out of Karen’s arms and spoke in an intelligent tone.

“I found out that human parents die before their children.”

“That’s right.”

“It doesn’t matter that I’m an elf and you two are human. Parents die first anyway, so to me, you two are…….”

A very elven thought.

Even though she was still young and hadn’t joined the ‘Central Spiritualization’ of the World Tree, she couldn’t help but be born that way.

Karen continued Glumiêm’s mumbled words.

“You mean we are your parents?”

“Yes. You told me I was your daughter!”

She was speechless for a moment.

Thump━.

The man, who had been carrying a stone on his shoulder, approached. He was far away, but his formidable senses had heard their entire conversation.

Swoosh━.

He lifted both Glumiêm and Karen and placed them on each of his shoulders.

“Wow!!”

Glumiêm shouted excitedly, and Karen, as if accustomed to it, placed her arm on the man’s head.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course. We have to be a memory for this child. Glumiêm.”

“Yes!”

“Hold on tight.”

Wheeeeooo━.

The man started running towards the edge of the cliff.

The cold northern wind hit their faces and ruffled their hair.

Thump━.

The man leaped.

He soared into the air.

It was the north.

A magnificent view of the frozen sea stretching out before them.

An extreme zone where even the sea freezes.

“Waaaaaaaaah━!”

Glumiêm’s eyes spun.

The man’s running speed was incredible, and the horizon between the black sea and the blue sky rushing towards her.

It felt so good to be close to a place she thought she could never reach.

“I am your father now.”

Wheeeeooo━!

His voice was clear even in the raging wind.

“Okay, Father!”

At Glumiêm’s cheering voice, Karen narrowed her eyes.

She held back the tears that were about to spill and stroked Glumiêm’s head.

“And I am your mother.”

“Father! Mother! I have parents too!”

Glumiêm cheered.

For an elf born from a tree, this kind of relationship was awkward, yet it was a precious jewel she longed for.

It was a relationship that the greedy and selfish Glumiêm desperately wanted.

“Yes, you are our daughter. We want to become your memories.”

“Of course. I will never forget you, Father and Mother.”

“……I’m sorry.”

Karen’s small voice couldn’t penetrate the wind.

She knew the future.

Glumiêm would one day become the embodiment of the World Tree.

She would become the queen of the elves, the ‘Unlooking’ Witch of the Forest, here.

And she would die.

“I received it, so I will protect it.”

Glumiêm was an elf.

She noticed even the smallest sounds and turned to look at Karen with a bright smile.

She would become the despair of the Airian North.

She would prevent humans from daring to cross the forest.

Thus, she would protect this meadow and sea of memories where she had been with her parents from humans.

With all those vows in her heart.

Glumiêm vowed to ‘unlook’ everything for her parents.」

🔹🔹🔹

Fizzle━.

But soon the golden light fades. As if imitating an ordinary steel sword, ‘Summer’ hid its brilliance.

Caterina sighed.

“So, someone who can temporarily wield it has appeared.”

“There hasn’t been one until now?”

Saintess Caterina nodded.

“Not once in the history of the Holy See. They either hold it or die from it.”

Cain looked down at ‘Summer’ for a moment.

In the previous world line, he had coveted this sword. It was good to protect the Great Wall with the magic sword, ‘Winter’, on his back, but he also wanted to become a hero praised and admired by the whole world.

‘Even more so because it was Abel.’

He had no idea that he would end up holding the holy sword that he had longed for in this way.

[‘Winter’ says it’s much better than ‘Summer’.]

[‘Summer’ is incongruous━]

Crackle━.

Small ice formed on the hilt of ‘Summer’ as it touched Cain’s hand.

[‘Winter’ freezes ‘Summer’.]

‘Summer’ went silent.

〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉 were all said to be equal, but judging from the current situation, he wondered if ‘Winter’ was the strongest.

And.

‘It’s gotten talkative.’

Until now, the sacred treasures had only communicated when absolutely necessary, and only as much as necessary.

Almost like how the ‘automatons’ made in the magic city of 〈Lil〉 would answer only to set questions.

But now something had changed.

‘The closer I get to ‘Winter’, the more I can hear its will.’

[‘Winter’ says it’s an accurate guess.]

[‘Winter’ says that it’s able to communicate because Cain has become much closer to it after awakening ‘Samhain’.]

Cain recalled the message that had been appearing every time he awakened ‘Winter’ lately: ‘Samhain’s Winter’.

He had thought it was an evolution of ‘Winter’, and it seemed his guess wasn’t wrong.

[‘Winter’ says it may be able to communicate directly someday.]

Cain smiled faintly.

Other things aside, he was strangely thrilled to find out that ‘Winter’, which had always been with him, was so talkative, and he felt reassured by the fact that it had always been with him.

“By any chance…….”

Cain turned his head to face the Saintess.

More precisely, not at her eyes, but at the Holy Crown, ‘Autumn’, above her head.

However, Cain shook his head and closed his mouth.

“Do you want to touch the Holy Crown too?”

The Saintess noticed what Cain couldn’t bring himself to say.

“I thought about it, but it seemed rude to ask to touch the Holy Crown, which only the Saintess can inherit.”

“It is rude.”

Thud.

Contrary to her curt words, the Saintess took off the Holy Crown that was firmly placed on her head and held it in her hands.

“But I am curious. I wonder if you can hold it, the Holy Crown that only the Saintess can inherit and that even heroes or the Pope cannot touch without her permission.”

Swoosh━.

She held out the Holy Crown.

It was a tiara that seemed to be a pair with the pure white crown that appeared whenever Cain used Winter’s Active.

Oleciren, who had been watching, was startled and looked back at Cain.

“Then.”

Cain reached out his hand.

Thud━.

‘Autumn’ settled into his hand as if he were holding an ordinary crown.

[‘Autumn’ looks at you.]

[‘Winter’ asks why ‘Autumn’ is staring at him like that.]

[‘Autumn’ averts its gaze.]

A faint autumn light.

The wind blowing from the Holy Crown was warm yet chilly at the end, just like a real autumn breeze.

It flickered a few times in Cain’s hand, and then, like ‘Summer’ losing its light, ‘Autumn’ also transformed into an ordinary tiara.

“……Give it back.”

The Saintess stared at the sight in disbelief and took it back.

Fwoosh━.

Then, the Holy Crown, ‘Autumn’, regained its original mystical autumn light.

“I don’t know if it’s the Ethelred family that’s special, or if it’s you that’s strange.”

With those words, Caterina rose from her seat.

Her hand holding the box containing ‘Summer’ was clenched as if in a fist.

Cain and Oleciren watched her back, but as she was about to leave without a special farewell.

Caterina turned her head slightly.

The sunlight pouring in through the half-open gap illuminated the side of her face.

“I’ll overlook the witches, but I won’t stand by and watch the creation of a Witch’s Kingdom.”

“That’s interference in internal affairs.”

Oleciren retorted in a single word.

“…….”

The Saintess glanced at Oleciren and left the tent.

[‘Winter’ mutters that the two women’s battle of nerves is no joke.]

Cain chuckled.

He had a hunch that his gloomy life would change as ‘Winter’ became more talkative.

“Is the Saintess that pretty?”

Oleciren turned her head and looked at Cain with intense eyes.

As Cain met her gaze with a bewildered look, she continued.

“You’re suddenly smiling, so I thought so.”

“It’s not like that. I just heard something funny. By the way, what’s the current situation?”

“It’ll be faster to see for yourself.”

Cain tried to get up from his seat, moving to the side of the bed.

Although she had spoken curtly, Oleciren, who had been nursing Cain by his side the entire time he was unconscious, grabbed his arm.

Cain lowered her hand and said,

“I’m fine.”

Cain’s insides, which even the Saintess couldn’t grasp.

‘Winter’s’ Passive, Pure White Thunderbolt, was activated and constantly developing him. Moreover, its efficiency seemed to have increased significantly compared to before, so he didn’t feel any discomfort now.

Thud━.

Oleciren shook her head.

“Still, just lean on me.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“Just do it for my image.”

Oleciren pointed to the opening of the tent where the Saintess had exited.

A cool spring breeze blew in, flapping the tent, and bright sunlight poured in.

“……Alright.”

Wooong━.

He felt a vibration.

Cain opened the tent with a strange feeling.

“Waaaaaaaaah━!”

Thousands of people.

At the forefront were those who had participated in the Northern Expeditionary Force, along with King Hybolt.

“The liberator of Airian!”

“Great warrior!”

“The Witch slayer!”

Those who rejoiced at the disappearance of the northern despair that had weighed down the kingdom for hundreds of years.

Behind Hybolt stood people Cain knew well.

Marquis Jeremy McLoud.

Count Brediol Lamaring.

Count Garrick Crowl.

Count Digrid Wareham, also the Tower Master.

And the unfamiliar man was probably Count Bradley.

All seven great nobles of Airian were gathered, and the others were probably those they had brought with them.

As Oleciren approached them with Cain, she whispered,

“The nickname ‘Witch Slayer’ is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Does it bother you?”

“Quite a bit.”

“Then you better behave yourself from now on.”

Cain, who had been walking while making a silly joke, looked around.

One of the counts, Edmund, was nowhere to be seen.

━I’ll find you later.

As if he had been watching, Edmund’s voice reached Cain’s ears.

Cain chuckled and stood before Hybolt.

“Cain Ethelred, you have overcome countless trials and tribulations and slain the Elf Queen, Glumiêm.”

Oleciren stood to Hybolt’s right and handed over ‘Head Breaker’.

Olivia stood to his left and handed over the ancestral sword of the Airian royal family.

Hybolt took the weapons they handed him in each hand and bent one knee.

Thump━.

Following him, the nobles, knights, and those who had followed them all knelt one by one like a wave.

“I express my gratitude to you, Lord Duke Cain, as one who lives in Airian for your achievements.”

Hybolt bowed his head, and the princess, the seven great nobles, the expeditionary force, the attendants.

Everyone bowed to Cain.

Wheeeeooo━.

The spring breeze tickled Cain’s black hair. He brushed his hair back and said,

“I refuse the dukedom.”

“……What?”

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