Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58 At Lida's words, Turan set down the hollowed log basket he had been using to collect sulfur. He had an intuition that this conversation was far more important than gathering minerals.
"I don't mean to contradict an elder, but doesn't scripture say that after a person dies, their soul departs for the Celestial Palace to enjoy eternal bliss?"
The scriptures of the Frea gods tended to vary in doctrine and the composition of the pantheon depending on the region, but the teachings regarding the afterlife remained consistent. Was that not why mages considered the scattering of a deceased person's soul to be a proper funeral rite? It was done in the hope that the soul would not remain on earth as a vengeful spirit, harboring grudges, but would instead ascend to the heavens to reach the gods and enjoy an existence forever free of pain and suffering.
However, if what she said was true—that souls in the Celestial Palace also grew old and died—it was a statement that utterly negated the existing concept of the afterlife.
Lida frowned at Turan's point.
"This is why I can't stand the youth! Don't be so hasty; listen to me until I'm finished. I said the body dies because the soul grows old; I never said the soul itself dies. Doesn't it say so in the scriptures? That the physical body is meaningless in the Celestial Palace. Do you really want to spend eternity shitting, pissing, and suffering even after you're dead?"
Lida clicked her tongue lightly and climbed onto the log basket Turan had made, sitting with her legs crossed.
"To put it simply, a person's soul is the power that moves the body. When the soul withers, the body's vitality withers with it. Eventually, you lose even the strength to breathe and you die... As for the soul, well, it probably ascends to the Celestial Palace and lives on as an old soul or becomes young again. No one has ever come back to tell the tale, so that part is purely in the realm of imagination."
"Then one would need a way to reverse the aging of the soul to truly achieve immortality."
"That is precisely the field our family is pouring all our strength into researching! Though we still have a long way to go."
As she spoke, Lida patted the thigh of the Monkey King standing beside her.
"Look at this fellow. Hasn't he lived for nearly a thousand years and remained this healthy? I doubt even my ancestors, who decided to let Icool live, expected him to last this long."
Indeed, it seemed one of the reasons they had left the Monkey King here was as an experiment to determine the lifespan limits of a magical beast. Lida stroked Icool's leg, a dreamy expression on her face.
"What is the reason Icool can live so much longer than us? Is a monkey's soul simply more resilient than a human's? Or is it because he's a lower, simpler life form? But this friend is far wiser than most humans, even if he cannot speak. There must be some other criteria. Something we don't know."
Certainly, Icool felt like the kind of magical beast Bije might become if she lived to be a thousand years old. Turan met the creature's sullen gaze for a moment before subtly looking away.
"I have a magical beast bound to my soul, and she is just as clever as Icool. She even knows how to write."
"Write? How impressive! I tried to teach Icool his letters, but I gave up because he found it so bothersome. Did you leave her somewhere?"
"I had her wait further up the mountain in case there was trouble. If it's alright with you, shall I call her here?"
"Please do. I'm sure Icool would like to see another magical beast friend after all this time."
At Lida's words, Icool shook his head with an exasperated expression. He likely meant he had no need for a "magical beast friend."
Turan sent a signal through the soul tether and fired a small spark into the air. Before long, Bije descended into the valley, her pitch-black wings spread wide. Upon seeing the giant monkey, she recoiled in terror and hid behind Turan's back.
Had she sensed the opponent's strength through some instinct unique to magical beasts? Amusingly, Icool, who had acted indifferent until a moment ago, looked genuinely dejected by Bije's reaction.
"It's okay, Bije. There's nothing to be afraid of. Elder Lida and Icool are both friends."
"So your name is Bije? I am Lida. I won't hurt you, so let me see your face."
Perhaps Lida's soft, gentle tone worked, as Bije hesitated for a moment before peeking her head out to look at her. Icool, perhaps thinking his massive frame was intimidating, remained crouched down. Feeling somewhat reassured by this, Bije crept out and scratched the sulfur-covered ground with her claws.
[ Hello. ]
"My, what beautiful handwriting. Hah, a magical beast that writes... if this child lives a long life and writes a history book, she'll be a treasure in her own right. How old are you?"
[ Don't know! ]
"She's likely about ten years old," Turan added.
He recalled hearing at the time of their binding that she had been a sub-adult when captured ten years prior, so it couldn't be far off. Birds usually reached adulthood in a year or two, after all.
"Young, so young! If we weren't in a place like this, I would have brought you something delicious."
Lida chatted with Bije about various things, then turned to Icool and nagged him, saying that if he learned to write, they could communicate like this too. Icool covered his ears with his massive hands as if he didn't want to hear it.
*
After Lida spent a long time mediating between Bije and Icool, the giant monkey and the golden eagle seemed to have formed a strange bond. To be precise, it was like the relationship between a frisky kitten and a laid-back large dog.
In the meantime, once all the sulfur chunks were loaded into the baskets, Lida suggested they enjoy a soak in the hot spring since they were already there. She claimed it would improve their skin and be good for their health.
A short while later, Turan waded into the hot spring, his lower body covered by a single cloth. He had stripped off everything else with his clothes, but he kept the Mimic Relic threaded through a metal ring and worn like a necklace.
The water was hot enough to scald an ordinary person, but it was perfectly suited for a noble's body.
"Ugh..."
Beside him, Bije flapped her wings, diving and resurfacing several times before getting her head pushed underwater by Icool's thick finger, letting out a squawk as she swallowed some water. The giant monkey let out a hearty laugh, only to be pecked sharply in the side by the angry golden eagle's beak. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do much damage to his thick hide.
After watching the two bicker playfully for a moment, Turan turned to Lida, who was also enjoying the soak wrapped in a cloth.
"Is there something you want from me?"
"Hmm? Why ask that all of a sudden?"
"The things you mentioned earlier... they seemed too important to be just passing comments."
It was, after all, a discussion about the secret of immortality—the treasure of treasures that everyone desired. It was too heavy a topic to dismiss as the mere ramblings of a talkative old woman. Especially to someone she had met for the first time today.
At Turan's words, Lida grinned and clapped her hands.
"That's all because of you. I chose only the most handsome men to be my husbands, but none of them compared to you. It's the same as how men start blabbing about anything in front of a beautiful woman."
When Turan fell silent, unsure how to respond to the claim that she had spilled secrets because she was smitten by his looks, Lida chuckled and shook her head.
"It was just a joke, don't look at me like that! Most people already know we don't age, and even if it becomes known that we aim for immortality, what would change? The conclusion was that we still know nothing anyway."
As Lida spoke, a strange sense of fatigue and frustration flickered across her face. Given her age and strength, she likely wasn't distantly related to the recently deceased head of the Lavitas family. Perhaps they were even sisters.
Then, Lida suddenly wiped the playful expression from her face and spoke with a serious tone.
"Yes, it's true that I brought this up because I have a proposal. Have you ever seen a White Elf?"
"A White Elf..."
"Specifically, a White Elf of royal blood who possesses the talent of a Spirit-Caller."
The Dark Elves Turan had encountered and fought in the past dealt with the spirits of the dead, or necrotic spirits. In contrast, White Elves were said to deal with the spirits of the living—living spirits.
Beyond that, there was almost no information, as they had been nearly wiped out thousands of years ago, unlike the Dark Elves who had thrived by retreating into tunnels. Even in the World Travelogue Turan had read, White Elves were only mentioned in passing, as in, "such people used to live in this region long ago."
"No, I haven't. Aren't White Elves already extinct? I've read quite a few history books, but there hasn't been a single mention of them appearing in the last few thousand years..."
"That may be. But perhaps, in some remote corner of the world, there are still White Elves barely surviving, hiding from humans. What I want is simple. If you ever discover a White Elf Spirit-Caller, bring them to us—whether by capture or persuasion."
Certainly, a being capable of manipulating the souls of the living would be of immense help to the Lavitas' research. If they could manipulate the soul to stop or reverse aging, the path to literal immortality would be open.
Lida looked at Turan with a somewhat inscrutable expression and continued.
"Judging by your power and skills, you can't be from an ordinary family. Yet, the fact that you wander without even revealing your house suggests you didn't fit in for some reason. That means you might see things in places others cannot go, doesn't it? Those weighed down by their burdens and duties cannot afford to roam as they please."
Even though they had never truly clashed with mana, Lida spoke as if she knew exactly how strong Turan was. It seemed one of the three or four magic devices she carried had a function similar to the Mimic Relic.
Instead of denying her words, Turan listened quietly before asking a question in return.
"If I bring you a Spirit-Caller, what do I receive in return?"
The knowledge she had shared was quite rare, but it was far too light a price for bringing back a Spirit-Caller who had supposedly vanished thousands of years ago. To put it bluntly, it was a task more difficult than stealing the primary relic of a Great House. At least those objects were confirmed to exist.
At Turan's words, Lida grinned and winked.
"A reward? How about me? I may be a bit up there in years, but I pride myself on my looks. I'm embarrassed to brag, but my husbands were all quite satisfied with me."
The beauty with long, flowing black hair and smooth, healthy bronze skin teased him by slightly lifting the cloth covering her body. However, Turan felt nothing in particular. The image of her acting like a withered old woman just moments ago was too strongly etched in his mind. More than anything, he had begun to realize that this was simply the old woman's way of teasing him.
"I would like a serious answer."
"What a boring fellow! Fine. If you bring us a Spirit-Caller, we will give you a Relic of Agelessness."
A relic that prevents aging...
Turan unconsciously glanced toward the Guardian magic tool he had set aside with his clothes. Because he possessed an item with a similar function, he understood exactly what she was saying.
"Are you saying it's an item that contains the Lavitas bloodline ability?"
"To be precise, it is an item that grants the wearer the power of healing and purification without rest. We have already confirmed that an ordinary human wearing it did not age until the day they died. Naturally, it is a treasure of which we possess only one."
"How long did the wearer live?"
"One hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty years. It varies by individual, but they usually live about that long."
Turan took a moment to catch his breath and looked up at the sky, stunned by the magnitude of the offer. If what she said was true, it was truly on par with the highest-tier relics left by the gods. Looking at the stars dotting the pitch-black sky, he felt his narrowed thoughts expand once more.
A sudden thought occurred to him, and he asked Lida.
"Have you made this proposal to anyone else besides me?"
"I've made the offer secretly to a few influential figures from friendly Great Houses. And there are strong wandering nobles like yourself, though they are rare. Naturally, the reward goes to the first person to bring one back."
In other words, he was just one of many fishing hooks the Lavitas family was casting out. It was more advantageous to cast a hundred hooks rather than just one. Certainly, a noble who wandered without being tied to a family despite possessing great skill was the most likely candidate to find a White Elf. If a race that disappeared thousands of years ago was hiding somewhere, it would be a place difficult for ordinary people to enter, and powerful mages were usually entrenched in their family estates, rarely leaving.
After considering it, he decided it wasn't a bad proposal. It wasn't a demand to search for nothing else; if he just happened to find one while traveling, he would receive a holy relic.
"If I find one, I will contact you."
"That answer alone is enough to pay for this old woman's rambling today."
Lida let out a hollow, elderly laugh.
*
After enjoying the hot spring, Lida departed down the mountain first, saying they should meet again later. Turan spent the night in a suitable spot and then stored all the sulfur chunks in his high-capacity pouch.
Of course, since the smell was pungent, he carefully partitioned the space inside the pouch to ensure they didn't come into contact with other objects. Being a holy relic, the pouch possessed such a function. When he looked at the amount he had fully stored, he couldn't help but marvel.
I shouldn't run out of this anytime soon.
It was probably about two to three hundred kilograms. Even this was a mere speck compared to the amount in that valley, so if he needed more, he could simply return and gather it then.
Turan began walking east with Bije perched at his side, reflecting on the conversation from the previous night. The promise of immortality in exchange for a Spirit-Caller...
During that conversation, Turan hadn't just been tempted by the prospect of eternal life; he had recalled the records of the ancient Frea gods he had seen in the library. That being who, in his later years, had openly displayed contempt and a desire for control over humanity.
What if that being, while extending his own life by moving his soul or using the power of a Spirit-Caller, realized that his descendants—whom he looked down upon—could also achieve immortality? And what if he fell into a paranoid delusion that they would one day even target the realm of the gods?
Perhaps he had wanted to prevent that, even if it meant exterminating all but a few controllable White Elves.
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