NOVEL NEXT chapter 40
40. The Great Sage’s Amnesia
“Hm?… I… am…”
“Oh!! You’ve awakened!!”
Gildia, perhaps overwhelmed with joy, expressed his excitement at the Great Sage’s awakening with considerable enthusiasm.
“How are you feeling?!”
“Hey, hey, we have an injured person here; be a bit more gentle, will you?”
Gora tried to calm the exuberant Gildia, but
“I’m sorry, but who am I?”
“““Huh?”””
Everyone’s voices overlapped.
◇◇◇
“I… I have no memory?!”
Gildia let out a strange cry of surprise and collapsed on the spot.
Wide discreetly supported him and laid him down in a recovery position.
Noticing the awkward atmosphere around them,
“I… I truly apologize…”
His slightly troubled expression of remorse seemed less like the eerie Great Sage whose thoughts were unreadable and more like an ordinary mage… completely unrecognizable.
“Ah, at this rate, we’re at a dead end regarding Elg.”
Upon hearing that name, the Great Sage clearly reacted.
“Elg? Did you say Elg!?”
At that reaction, Gora asks,
“Do you know Elg!?”
The great sage nods as he replies,
“Yes, of course! After all, he is the holy knight of our party!!”
Everyone tilts their heads at the great sage’s proud declaration, placing a hand on his chest.
“‘Holy knight??’”
When they inquire about the situation, they learn that Elg possesses a divine revelation known as the “Holy Guardian,” and its power is immense in terms of protection, granting him a sacred status.
“That said, Elg is a dark knight, you know…”
The great sage asks back, a bit flustered.
“Ah… a… a dark knight!? What happened to Elg!?”
The great sage jumps up from the bed, asking in surprise.
“Well, we don’t know either, but that guy looks like a dark knight through and through, not a shred of holiness about him—completely black.”
The great sage lowers his face, asking desperately,
“W-where is Elg? And I can’t see the others either.”
The group exchanges glances, and all eyes turn to Rainel, who is the last to meet their gaze.
“Eh? You want me to say it? This…”
Rainel begins to speak reluctantly.
◇◇◇
“So, that’s how we got here.”
After going through the entire sequence of events, they finally reach a pause, but the great sage and Kelt are so shocked that they hold their heads in disbelief.
“Such a thing…”
Their expressions reveal confusion and anxiety.
A brief silence falls over them.
“Still, what should we do now?”
Rainel suddenly lets the words slip.
“What should we do? There’s nothing we can do, right?”
Gora gives Ayra a knowing glance.
“Well, you know… there’s no way someone like us could meet the Saintess, and even if we did, what would we do?”
“That’s true, isn’t it? By the way, how long are you going to keep sleeping? Wake up already!”
Rainer transforms his fingertips into electricity and pokes Gildia.
“Ah-bah-bah-bah!”
In the midst of his dejection, Gildia is suddenly jolted by the electric shock.
“What are you doing?!”
Gildia jumps up, grabbing Rainer by the collar.
“Stop it! This isn’t the time for that; we’re discussing what to do next.”
“There’s only one thing we can do! Bringing back the Great Sage in this state won’t help at all! Therefore, our top priority is to confront that man, Elg!”
At those words, Rainer sighs and responds.
“No way, there’s no way I’m letting Elg do something like that.”
Gildia, feeling a sense of discomfort from that phrasing, asks back.
“Wait, did you just say Elg?!”
Rainer looks up to the heavens and declares with refreshing clarity.
“That’s right, Elg! The god who saved me with overwhelming power when I was on the brink of death!”
The others tilt their heads in confusion, while Kelt nods in agreement.
“Yes! Elg is amazing! He is more loving than anyone else and has never harmed a single party member!!”
But you’re the one who’s been hurt…
Amidst that atmosphere, Rainer faces Kelt.
“I didn’t like the previous you, but I feel like I can understand you now!”
“Yes! I also had a bit of a hard time at first, but I’ve never seen anyone believe in Elg as much as you do! That alone is enough to earn my trust!!”
In an incredible chemical reaction, Rainer and Kelt join hands.
Everyone else is bewildered by the situation.