At first, I didn't immediately recognize who the child being beaten was.
Her face was covered in blood, and in truth, the scene was so absurd that she seemed to be feeling more shame than pain or distress during the beating...
Usually, if someone were beaten that badly, they would at least show some sign of pain—
"Gasp, Zern!"
"...Zern?"
As I watched in bewilderment, Linmel stood up with an even more shocked expression, stopping her from punching the girl’s face while she had her pinned in a mount.
"Why did you come in? I told you I’d handle it!"
"Your sword came out of the city gate. In a crumpled state."
When I dragged the fragments of that sword over with seawater to show her, Linmel looked down at the child with a flustered expression.
"You sent it out?"
"...It was a call for help. I knew that whoever was outside would bring you to me if they came."
As the opponent wiped her face with a nonchalant expression, I could finally see what she looked like.
"Elicia?"
"..."
It was Elicia, quite literally in her young form.
She blinked a few times, then looked at me.
And soon, she furrowed her brows.
"...What is this? You’re a fake after all."
"What’s wrong with her? She won't even believe it when I show her directly."
Linmel, who had been clenching her fists, started to raise them again, but I raised a hand to stop her.
Something was wrong.
"Wait, Elicia. Can’t you recognize me?"
"I know you made yourself look similar. But you aren't Zern."
Elicia glared at me coldly, her tone full of conviction.
"You aren't even human, are you?"
"Hmm."
Elicia was looking at me a bit more intently now.
"You might have fooled Linmel, but you can't fool me. Do you think I can't see those things floating around you? You are the will of the world. You are the moving world itself."
"...A few things happened. But I can prove it."
In the end, it was a problem that could be solved by talking about things only Elicia and I knew.
As I slowly opened my mouth to speak, she cut me off.
"I don't want to."
"...What?"
"Do you think that trick will work again? This time, you even summoned an Outer God of the Deep Sea to mimic those memories just to deceive me, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I won't be fooled twice."
*Grind.* Elicia bit her lip.
"No matter how elaborate a fake you bring, I already have the real one. I don't need another."
"Hmm. What is this..."
I tilted my head, finding Elicia's reaction so strange, when something flashed through my mind.
Elicia had entrusted herself to the Red Lotus. And her world was The Void—a terrifying, lethal poison that could affect any world, even an Outer God.
Would The Great Void just let that go? It must have tried to appease and use her in some way.
And the most efficient means to appease Elicia...
Though it’s like gilding my own face, it would have been me.
"That crazy bastard, The Great Void..."
I rubbed my face with my hands and faced Elicia, who wasn't hiding her hostility.
The situation fit perfectly. The Great Void had already created a fake version of me to try and win Elicia over.
'Was even that part of the plan?'
By showing her a fake me once, it ensured that when I returned for real, she wouldn't believe me and would clash with me.
If it had been plotting such a scheme, I could only say it had truly transcended the realm of humanity.
But then, two questions arose. Why go to the trouble of using Elicia to deal with me? It would be much easier for it to come itself.
For now, I spoke calmly.
"There’s a bit of a misunderstanding. I’m not a fake sent by The Great Void. Listen to me..."
"Don't you dare open your mouth in that form in front of me again."
*Grind.*
The world slowly turned white.
The library, the world, was disappearing.
"...Oh dear."
The second question.
Why couldn't it detain Elicia by force?
I understood that immediately. Elicia’s very existence was a threat to an Outer God.
As Elicia erased her surroundings, I felt my Deep Sea gradually being gnawed away. It wasn't a large amount for now, but the fact that my power diminished just by being in contact with her meant that even if I forced her down, there would be no gain, only loss.
I had no choice but to bring out the Deep Sea as it was.
"I'm sorry. You need to calm down first."
"Are you stupid? Even if you spread your world, to me..."
Elicia, who had been sneering—
The very next moment, she blinked and looked around.
"...What?"
"It's over."
Elicia immediately lost all control over the space.
Because the surroundings were now the Deep Sea, the deepest part of the ocean.
"W-wait a minute..."
*Bubble, bubble.* Elicia clutched her throat as she watched the bubbles rising from her own mouth.
If I hadn't hurriedly drained the seawater from around her, she would have drowned right there. Even after she was able to breathe again, she looked around as if she still hadn't come to her senses.
"...This is impossible. This is, this is the Deep Sea."
"That's right. Because I govern the Deep Sea."
"When? When on earth did you take control of the surroundings? This capital is completely my domain, one I created—this is impossible..."
She wore an expression of disbelief, but soon she seemed to convince herself and glared at me.
"You—you really are the Deep Sea."
"I've been telling you that since earlier, haven't I?"
"That's not what I mean. I mean, just by existing, the area around you becomes the Deep Sea. That is..."
Elicia’s eyes, as she stammered, were consumed by terror.
"...An Outer God of the Deep Sea?"
"..."
"So they really did exist. Something like that..."
She slowly stepped back, trembling.
"Yeah, there's a reason for all this. And honestly, compared to other Outer Gods, I'm not really that big of a deal..."
"What? How can you say something like that?"
When I said that, thinking of the Mimic or The Great Void, Elicia furrowed her brows and countered my words.
"You—you are an Outer God that shouldn't exist. If the surroundings become the Deep Sea just by you existing, what kind of Outer God could face you? If the area becomes the Deep Sea the moment they meet you, can any world beneath that Deep Sea endure it?"
"...It's not to that extent."
"It is to that extent. The endless desert, the mountains that reach the sky, the lava that never cools. They are all nothing in the Deep Sea. The desert would become wet mud, the mountains wouldn't reach the surface even if they touched the sky, and the lava would be reduced to mere rocks..."
Elicia seemed to have studied Outer Gods diligently at the Red Lotus.
How was I supposed to explain this? A sigh escaped me, and Elicia, looking as if she had resolved herself to something, pulled out a dagger.
I thought she was going to aim it at me, but the direction Elicia pointed the dagger was at her own throat.
"What are you doing?"
"I have a means to resist, too. If I die in this world—you will be left to carry The Void."
*Stab.* The dagger pierced her white throat, drawing a light trickle of blood.
"Even if I can't defeat you, I can at least ruin your world forever."
"...Elicia."
"Don't call me by that name...!"
"I heard from my master that you were the one who saved me right before I melted into the Deep Sea at the spire."
"......?"
"I’ve been forgetting to tell you that I was grateful for that. Thank you. If you hadn't helped me then, I wouldn't be able to exist as an Outer God like this now."
Elicia’s eyes widened.
To the point where I wondered if it was even possible for them to get any bigger.
"...Th-that... you wouldn't know that even if you mimicked my memories..."
"And I'm sorry. I should have at least said something before I left. It was too rushed—and to be honest, I was deceived. Who would have known it would take that long? I thought it would take a week at most."
"..."
"Anyway, it's my fault. I'm truly sorry. From now on, I'll make sure to contact you every two days before I go anywhere."
*Slide.*
Elicia slowly lowered the dagger.
She still didn't look like she fully believed me. But since she was in a state where she would at least listen to what I had to say, I slowly opened my mouth.
"So, here's what happened—first, I went to find Cheonhwa..."
For about two hours.
I laid out the story of what I had experienced in the Deep Sea.
Elicia seemed to be doing her best to distinguish whether my words were true or false, and Linmel listened with interest, like a child hearing an old fairy tale.
"So that's how I ended up here. I really didn't intend to deceive you."
"...Zern?"
"Yeah."
"The real Zern, is, is it really you?"
"Yeah, it's me... how many times do I have to say this?"
Even though I had my faults, I felt a bit annoyed, as if I were answering the same question for the hundredth time—
"It really is Zern..."
Her face finally showed conviction. It was so suspicious that I wondered what she usually thought of me.
Tears flowed from Elicia’s expressionless eyes. Not knowing how to react, she looked around and shouted in a hurry.
"Th-the Deep Sea! Put it away! Quickly!"
"Huh? Oh, right."
Thinking she might be uncomfortable with the Deep Sea, I hurriedly put it away. Only after it vanished did Elicia let out a sigh.
"Sorry, I shouldn't be inside your world. Because my very existence is something that pierces holes..."
"It's not a world that will break just because of a few holes, so it's fine."
"Ugh...!"
Suddenly, Elicia’s face flushed red, and she strode toward me.
Because of the height difference, she had to look way up at me, her eyes welling with tears as she sobbed.
"Why did you come so late? I’ve stopped being human..."
"Sorry. But I’m not human either."
"Th-that’s true, I suppose..."
Elicia clung to my body like a barnacle, showing no signs of letting go.
"Sniff, I’m sorry. For not recognizing you... I r-really thought you were a fake. I’d already been fooled once before... *snort!*"
"It’s fine. I said it’s fine. Just don’t blow your nose on my robe—ah, right. You’re sleeping, so I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s been really hard for you, hasn't it?"
"Yeah... it was, it was so hard. And lonely..."
"I wonder about that..."
Seeing Elicia hanging off my stomach without moving, Linmel let out a scoff, a hint of annoyance in her voice as she dropped a cryptic remark.
"You seemed to be having a grand time on your own. You didn't look lonely to me."
"What? What is that supposed to mean?"
Elicia, who had been hugging me, flinched as if startled, then quickly lifted her head to change the subject.
"Z-Zern. That’s right. It’s dangerous here. The Great Void will notice you."
"Ah, right. You’re right. But I’ve had the Deep Sea manifested for so long now, don't you think I’ve already been found out?"
I had kept the Deep Sea exposed under this sky for quite a while.
It had been unavoidable since Linmel deemed it dangerous, but I knew I had to be prepared for the consequences. As I frowned, Elicia shook her head as if to say that wasn't the case.
"No, the Great Void must be incredibly busy right now. So, just having the Deep Sea manifested isn't enough to get you caught. The problem is being with me."
"...Not enough to get caught? Why?"
I furrowed my brow.
The way Elicia put it, it sounded as if there was something wrong with the Great Void itself.
"Yeah."
Elicia affirmed my question.
"That guy, the Great Void, is in the middle of a fight right now."
"The Great Void? With whom...?"
"Someone you know—no, an elf."
Unbelievable words spilled from Elicia’s lips.
"Your master, Delsia, is suppressing the Great Void to a certain extent."
The end.
ⓒ Rotten Gimbap#1i525
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