Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

Chapter 24 respectively

The return journey was not easy. Ilaris's body grew weaker and weaker, and even holding onto Allen was a struggle.

Although Allen wouldn't get tired from this short distance, if the person carrying him couldn't cooperate and exert force, it would be easy for them to slip off.

Moreover, Ilarice was tall and slender, while Allen's body was far from fully developed, making it even more difficult for him to carry her.

In addition, the torrential rain and strong winds showed no signs of abating. Even as dawn broke, not a single ray of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, as if this kind of weather would continue for several more days.

"Allen".

"What is it?"

"Don't you want to know why I'm here?"

"Are you willing to talk now?"

"If this is the Lord of Lan Hai's arrangement..."

Ella hesitated for a long time before continuing.

"Perhaps I should tell you..."

"Okay, I'm listening."

Allen was actually quite curious about the mermaid girl.

Being marked separately on the [Territory] map is enough to suggest that she has a secret, or that her existence is extremely special.

Moreover, her actions were quite mysterious.

They came to Sapphire Bay to complete the sea god's trial known as the "Lord of the Blue Sea," with the aim of absorbing an ancient magic that Allen had previously discovered.

This ancient magic also severely damaged the girl's life, almost killing her instantly.

To be honest, if it weren't for the sacred power emanating from the girl's prayers, Allen would have almost thought she was worshipping some kind of evil god.

"Our race is a race of mermaids who live on the seabed of the Howling Wind Sea."

Alaris's weak voice paused for a moment, as if waiting for Allen to process the information, but Allen already knew.

"Our clan possesses an ancient heritage and a divinely bestowed treasure that can protect our clan and grant us the blessings of the sea."

"At the same time, we have another mission, which is to guard the seal of an ancient evil creature."

"An ancient divine saying states that when the brilliance of a divine gift dims, we must go to...this place."

When Ella paused at this point, she seemed unwilling to call the place "Sapphire Bay" like Allen did.

"This land possesses an ancient magic... that can power our divine artifacts."

"But we can't always find ancient magic to complete the recharge, so we come here every year to try our luck."

"Ancient magic left behind by the Kingdom of Ono?"

Allen interjected, "Can the magic left behind by the human kingdoms really power objects bestowed by the gods?"

"The Kingdom of Ono? Is that the human kingdom that occupied this land hundreds of years ago?"

Ella didn't have the strength to shake her head, she just said softly,

"A few hundred years may be considered ancient for you humans, but for a longer-lived race, a thousand years ago is considered ancient."

"So, the ancient magic left on this land didn't even originate from the Kingdom of Ono; it dates back to an even more distant time?"

"Some of them are indeed remnants from human kingdoms, but most are not."

Allen was somewhat surprised to hear this answer, but upon further reflection, it made sense.

Whether the ancient magic originated from the Kingdom of Ono or came from an even more ancient era made no difference to Allen.

Ella took a few breaths, gathering some strength, before continuing:

"Our clan calls this place... 'the Land of Misfortune'."

"Whether it was a human kingdom from hundreds of years ago or an ancient civilization from even earlier, they all perished because they occupied this land."

"Therefore, you should leave this land as soon as possible; this is not a suitable place to build a home."

Upon hearing this, Allen was taken aback; he hadn't expected such an answer.

So he quickly pressed for details:

"Why did they perish because they occupied this land? Is it because disasters occur periodically? Or is something... uh, some ancient evil or something sealed here?"

"I have no idea."

"Then tell me, they perished because they occupied this land. Why is there such a cause-and-effect relationship?"

"That's what the ancient proverb says."

"Uh... so you don't know there's any causal connection?"

"Um."

"Perhaps these human kingdoms are simply destined to perish. After all, we don't live as long as you do. After a few generations, wars and turmoil are likely to break out."

"But our clan has been passed down for thousands of years."

How many people are in your clan?

"Less than ten thousand people."

"..."

Allen was speechless.

With such a small number of people, and confined to a fixed place on the seabed, completely isolated from the outside world, wouldn't it be difficult to cause any disturbance?

Mermaids probably don't have many books to read, so they just stick to some ancient traditions and study them repeatedly. They probably don't understand what the dynastic cycle law is.

He couldn't possibly give up months of hard work and move to a new place to start over just because of such a nonsensical legend.

Besides, who knows if we'll be so lucky next time? It's hard to say whether an accident or an enemy will come first.

However, Alaris was trying to warn him with good intentions, and even took the initiative to tell him many secrets of the merfolk.

Allen was grateful for her kind reminder.

So he thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps I can break this curse? After all, I'm very lucky to have met you, and perhaps the Lord of the Lan Hai will also protect me?"

"..."

This answer silenced Ilarice.

Allen noticed that whenever her deity was involved, she would become exceptionally cautious in her words and actions.

Just as the two were talking, a receding coastline came into view.

Allen mustered his courage and, in one breath, led the mermaid girl down the hillside and into the sea.

The surging and receding seawater made it difficult for Allen to stand. After choking on several mouthfuls of water, he finally reached waist-deep water.

"That's enough, put me down now."

"it is good."

Allen carefully placed Ilaris into the water, and she sank straight down before being swept away by the sea, which worried Allen.

But he quickly realized that his worries were an unnecessary instinct stemming from a land creature. She was a mermaid; how could she possibly drown?

However, seeing that there was still no movement, Allen couldn't help but open the character panel and look for Elarice's figure.

Sure enough, he soon spotted a character panel in the distance.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Name: Elarisse Iselion Tideshake

[Race: Mermaid]

Age: 17

[Character Template: Hero]

[Level: Sea God Priest lv10]

[Alliance: Lawful Good]

[Status: Trial of Divine Favor (Completed), Weak Divinity (Temporary), Unknown Magical Erosion]

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

This discovery surprised Allen.

The parts that were previously invisible on the panel are now visible.

Putting aside the level for now, Allen guesses that the "weak divinity (temporary)" status bar is most likely the hidden cause of Elaris's ability.

Perhaps the highlighting of the [Lord] map is also due to this.

As for the last state, [Unknown Magic Erosion], Allen speculated that this might be the result of Elaris absorbing ancient magic and offsetting the influence of [Weak Divinity (Temporary)].

What exactly is the ancient magic underground that can counteract the divine influence related to the gods and recharge divine gifts?

Allen became increasingly curious.

However, as he watched the panel location gradually fade into the distance, he realized that Ella was unlikely to return to say goodbye.

On second thought, it makes sense; Ilaris's health has deteriorated to the point where she's on the verge of death.

Now that they've sent her to the ICU for emergency treatment, it's going too far to ask her to let them know before she goes to the ICU.

But I still feel a little empty inside.

The bizarre encounter that night left Allen with a myriad of thoughts.

He suddenly felt a chill and couldn't help but shiver.

He hadn't realized it while running, but now he did. The thick animal skin robe had been given to Elaris, and he was soaking in the icy seawater with his upper body bare, which was indeed a bit too much for him.

So Allen looked in the direction where Ilaris had left, rubbed his shivering skin, and ran back towards the stone fortress on the cliff.

……

After Allen returned, on the distant sea, Ilaris had returned to her original fish form, floated to the surface, and looked at the stone castle with lights on the cliff.

He remained silent, lost in thought.

After a long while, she submerged underwater again and disappeared.