NOVEL NEXT Chapter 298
Chapter 298: Siron Kingdom
They say surprises can be deadly.
“Are you kidding me?”
—Huh? Did that sound like a joke?
“Is it really the Siron Kingdom?!”
—It’s real!
Kim Si-hu fell silent at the answer from the Sylph, who had come down to his eye level.
Comparing it to Earth, Grudia was no small world at all.
Thanks to the many closed nations, even though the diverse races from Grudia may not know every country,
the area was certainly larger than Kallem, which he had visited before.
‘But to think I would end up right next to the Siron Kingdom in this vast land?’
——Don’t go to the Siron Kingdom.
——Someone might recognize you.
Miley, who had once been a maid in the Siron Kingdom, advised Kim Si-hu to avoid it at all costs.
Being the descendant of the vanished princess, who knew what kind of trouble he might get entangled in?
For her, who had indirectly experienced the internal strife that had occurred in the kingdom, it was only natural advice.
The safety of Kim Si-hu was her top priority.
‘If I think rationally, it’s better not to go as Miley suggested.’
Right now, Yoo Ji-han’s party had no information about the current Siron Kingdom.
They didn’t know who had won the struggle for the throne and finally claimed the royal seat.
How the new king dealt with the surviving siblings.
Not even the current atmosphere within the kingdom was known to them.
Acting rashly with insufficient information could lead to a crisis.
To ensure safety, avoiding the kingdom was indeed the right choice, as Miley had said.
‘But…’
Kim Si-hu looked down at his palm.
He was the descendant of the third princess who had left the Siron Kingdom more than twenty years ago.
Though that identity was completely useless on Earth, in the dimension of Grudia, it could prove to be a powerful weapon!
This had been on his mind since he first heard Miley’s advice.
‘The reason my mom left the kingdom was because of the throne.’
Erna Hass had one reason for leaving the kingdom.
She didn’t want to get caught up in a power struggle for a throne she had no interest in.
——If it weren’t for the throne issue, Lady Erna would likely not have left the kingdom.
Her siblings had been keeping a close watch on her simply because she was talented and popular.
While trying to escape them, she ended up getting involved in several incidents leading to her dimensional travel.
“Ji-han hyung! Miley said that the Siron Kingdom has achieved considerable prosperity in the entire Grudia!”
“Yeah. I heard that from your side.”
“With the kingdom’s power, it should be a tremendous help in finding the missing expedition members.”
In Grudia, where various nations were established based on different races or ideologies,
if someone were looking for someone, relying on the strength of a faction would definitely yield more results than searching in the wild.
In fact, in Kallem, they had received conveniences through the aid of the Yogo Guild and Kabuum, making it much faster to reach other heroes.
“But we decided to avoid the Siron Kingdom in our search.”
Among the items brought by Yoo Ji-han’s party to Grudia were artifacts and jewels handed over by the Hero Department.
They intended to utilize these rare items, which did not exist in Grudia, as trading tools to gain local assistance.
However, considering Miley’s advice and Kim Si-hu, the list of potential trading targets did not include the Siron Kingdom.
“Is there really a need to go all the way back when we could just walk there?”
“Hm.”
“We might get much better treatment in a country we don’t know.”
“On the other hand, like Miley is worried, it could also be very hostile.”
“If we feel any hint of danger…”
Clap!
With a confident expression, Kim Si-hu rolled up his sleeves.
“Might as well turn the table upside down.”
Miley, who had been watching over him since he was born,
had one thing she was overlooking.
That was how powerful a mage Kim Si-hu was now.
Yoo Ji-han smiled at him.
“Good confidence.”
“Are you going?”
“Okay. Let’s give it a shot.”
“I guess I should apologize to Miley later…”
It wasn’t intentional, but the party’s first destination was set for the Siron Kingdom.
*
“Chirp chirp! Nam Ho-yeol! If it’s hard, just let me know.”
“T-thank you.”
“But next time you make a shield, make it bigger and cooler! Chirp!”
“If you have a specific design in mind…”
Chilla stuck close to Nam Ho-yeol as they walked down the road.
He was always prepared to protect the one who had the weakest physical abilities among them.
“Ho-yeol, the bracelet with the [Invisibility] skill developed a crack recently.”
“Oh, that’s the characteristic of the Invisible Bird; it can’t be helped. It’ll deteriorate more with the passage of time, not the number of uses.”
Min Yu-ri looked at the slightly cracked bracelet regretfully.
The bracelet, often handy in battles, was gradually coming to the end of its lifespan.
“I could patch it up once with the feathers I brought this time, but since it’s already starting to break, it won’t last long.”
“Even though I tried to use it sparingly…”
“It’s one of those artifacts that’s precious but not highly favored for that reason.”
Artifacts that have a predetermined lifespan.
Moreover, depending on the opponent, they might be detected through magic power or scent.
Hence, high-level heroes usually did not prefer such capabilities.
“Don’t hold back. If you do, you might end up in a mess.”
Lee Mi-a shared advice born from her own experiences to the regretting Min Yu-ri.
“Have you had such experiences, Mia?”
“That one? She smashed all her artifacts with brute force.”
“…Hey, Yoo Ji-han.”
As Yoo Ji-han brought up the past, Lee Mi-a pouted her lips.
It was a memory she had just managed to forget.
“That time, Mia really reduced Keroes’ budget by a lot.”
“Shut up.”
“The scene where Guild Master Park Joong-seob’s expression twisted was quite amusing.”
“Not anymore. …Not if they aren’t low-grade artifacts.”
Lee Mi-a couldn’t deny what had actually happened and shyly turned her head away.
Though it was an incident involving the loss of her artifact, it was Yoo Ji-han who had received criticism from Keroes for it.
The reason being the support he had provided to Lee Mi-a had been insufficient.
‘A bit envious…’
Yoo Ji-han and Lee Mi-a shared brief conversations reminiscing about their time together.
Min Yu-ri cast a jealous look at the two.
Her only past memory was of being obsessed with the Giant Cat Monster.
—From here on out, this is a place I remember. Just like back then!
“Even after 20 years, it hasn’t changed.”
—Elves seek stability and don’t like change.
“My mom was a bit different though?”
—So she was a unique elf. The elders of the kingdom were always displeased with her! Hee hee!
Kim Si-hu, following the Sylph ahead, turned his head to survey his surroundings.
This was a place his mother, who used to sneak out of the kingdom since childhood, often took strolls.
—Look over there, that flower?
“Where? That one?”
—That’s the flower Erna planted before the incident occurred that led to Grudia’s escape.
“Has it grown so much…?”
A green stem sprouted from the ground, thicker than an average adult man’s forearm, with large yellow petals reaching a height level with Kim Si-hu’s eye level.
At that moment, Nam Ho-yeol, who was suddenly curious, spoke up.
“Are all the plants in this world that big?”
—Not all of them, but many are quite large.
Compared to the plants on Earth, the flora of Grudia generally tends to be larger.
Even when growing similar species to those on Earth, they tend to grow much bigger.
This was largely due to the nutrient-rich environment filled with mana.
‘No wonder I felt the mana even from the sunlight.’
Not only the soil infused with mana, but even the sunlight pouring down felt charged with it.
Plants here could absorb enough nutrients to grow substantially.
Yoo Ji-han thought that anything cultivated in such a place would end up towering high.
—More importantly, prepare yourself now. We’re about to enter the territory of the Siron Kingdom.
They cut through the shrubbery that obscured their view and crossed a small stream where water flowed smoothly from higher ground to lower ground.
The area that appeared beyond was densely packed with trees with white bark like a canvas.
The white leaves on the branches conspicuously distinguished these trees from others.
This was how the Siron Kingdom showcased its presence and marked its territory.
Yoo Ji-han stopped in his tracks, frowning as he mumbled.
“A barrier?”
—It’s a magic similar to a barrier.
A faint mana, almost invisible to the naked eye, covered the kingdom’s boundary.
It was a type of magic, akin to barriers used on Earth to manage Monster Areas.
But it wasn’t as thick as those on Earth.
“It doesn’t seem to be intended to block monsters. There must be another purpose?”
—Once we step inside, the nearby magicians will sense our presence.
“What happens then?”
—Hmm… They’ll ask who we are and what our purpose is? It used to be like that.
During the time Erna Hass stayed in the kingdom,
the immediate priority upon the approach of outsiders was to ask about their identity and purpose.
I don’t know how the current sentiment of the Siron Kingdom is, but it likely hasn’t changed drastically from the past.
—Don’t worry about it. Just go in. There will be elves who remember me, so it’ll be fine!
The Sylph, who was a spirit contracted with a royal princess.
During the time Erna Hass was active in Grudia, there were many young elves in the kingdom.
Even if some had returned to nature after aging, surely there would be elves who could recognize the Sylph.
Nodding, Yoo Ji-han stepped into the barrier of the Siron Kingdom.
At that moment, a sound erupted nearby.
Ping!
It sounded like a rubber band that was tautly stretched snapping.
“…I have a bad feeling.”
“Chirp.”
Clang!
Min Yu-ri drew her bow from her back.
The sound had distinctly occurred the moment they entered.
Chilla also drew her shield and pushed Nam Ho-yeol behind her.
“Something is coming from the front!”
And as expected,
a group of elves approached Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Elves moving gracefully stepped on the white branches high above.
Their bodies vanished and reappeared among the white leaves in a fluid motion.
The way they darted around the terrain like it was their home was remarkably swift and light.
‘They’re extremely cautious.’
The elves surrounded Yoo Ji-han’s party, keeping a safe distance.
They were monitoring him so he couldn’t escape.
Then someone descended from a tree alone.
“Who are you?”
A blonde male elf with pointed ears.
With a thin, long sword in his hand, he was glaring fiercely at Yoo Ji-han’s party, who had entered the kingdom without any permission.
Either way, Yoo Ji-han focused solely on the voice he heard.
‘Ah, so this is what Grudia sounds like.’
One of the advantages of dimensional travel.
The language of the dimension they had traversed sounded like their mother tongue.
They effortlessly absorbed the new language without any effort.
And then it happened.
—Oh? Could it be Laigu?
“Who just spoke? How do you know my name?!”
The Sylph, recognizing the approaching elf at a glance, leaped over Yoo Ji-han’s head.
“Whoa!”
The male elf recoiled, startled upon spotting the Sylph.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
“Is that you, Sylph?”
—Yes! I’m Sylph!
He recognized the spirit he had met over twenty years ago.
As soon as the elf acknowledged her, Sylph couldn’t hide her joy.
—That little kid has grown so much! Hee hee!
Having met an elf she once knew, things might start to unravel smoothly from here.
“All rangers in the trees, listen up!”
—Huh?
Yet contrary to her expectations, the voice was filled with tension.
Sylph, who had been joyfully rolling in a clockwise manner, abruptly stopped.
“From now on, we will exterminate the wicked spirit that has disturbed our kingdom!!”
—What?!
“…?”
What on earth is that guy talking about?