Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Although there is a distinction between black and white, they are ultimately the same race, and their descendants may inherit the skin color of either side. However, only one generation had the blood of a black elf mixed in, so it was naturally quite weak, and Hedin naturally inherited more of the characteristics of a white elf.

Hedin is a descendant of the saint (Hilde), and he must forever remain with his bloodline (Hilde).

The Dark Elf's demand was that all of Hedin's blood be extracted and transferred to them.

--A bunch of idiots.

Hedin was so angry that he threw down those words, and the peace was broken.

The long-standing war had reached an impasse. The elves had become even more warlike than the dwarves they feared, utterly reduced to puppets of "mission and honor," spending their days in constant battle. Hedin, as "King," used his exceptional command abilities and innate powerful "magic" to drive away the dark elves. To the dark elves, he was a symbol of fear; to the white elves, he was a formidable leader.

Ironically, due to the ever-recurring eternal war, Hedin and the Dark Elf's "Kings" continued to grow in talent, possessing remarkable abilities even in the most confined world. To the inhabitants of the outside world, no one believed they hadn't received "Pharna" (the grace of God). At some point, their abilities had grown to a level that this closed world could no longer contain.

Utterly boring, utterly boring, utterly boring.

Hedin, who frequently cursed in his heart, had considered, more than once or twice, simply removing his crown and abandoning his homeland to flee. However, the fact that doing so would lead to the destruction of the Elven kingdom and leave an everlasting stain on his life, a stain akin to a great blemish on his reputation, caused him countless moments of anguish. In this ugly world, Hedin had become a slave to his pride.

One night—

Hedin was drinking alone in his palace bedroom, where he could see the Great Sacred Tree from the window. In his drunken stupor, he saw a "witch" in a half-dreaming state.

"You've already realized everything, yet you continue to play the role of a slave to the state?"

When faced with the witch's question, Hedin first took a sip of wine and laughed self-deprecatingly.

"After all, I have already declared myself king, and even in this foolish and narrow-minded world, I still have to fulfill my obligations. No matter how difficult it is for me. If I abandon them, I will become something worse than trash. If I have to choose between a slave and trash, I... [this great one] would rather choose the former, the point is that I have decided to die on the battlefield."

Hedin had someone who caught his attention.

He is another "King" who transforms into a sword-wielding figure among the dark elves.

He was a "king" who was utterly incompetent... yet he was a victim of this world, unable to fulfill the role of "king." Despite this, he was stronger than anyone else, and so extraordinary that he overturned all his countless incompetences with a single talent. Faced with this contradictory being who simultaneously possessed incompetence and unparalleled talent, Hedin felt utter disgust, but also a burning desire to never lose to him. This further proved that Hedin was the only person in this world he could truly accept.

Hedin, who was the embodiment of self-respect, genuinely wanted to defeat the only man who had a chance to kill him, and even if it meant mutual destruction, he wanted to pierce him with lightning.

If I had to say what my only salvation is in this world, it would be to settle things with the other side.

"In that case, I will free you from the shackles of the monarch. What you do next is up to you."

The witch smiled and offered him her wine glass. Hedin returned a twisted smile and downed the wine in one gulp.

When Hedin sobered up, she had already disappeared.

Hedin thought it was a foolish dream and took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

Even those spirits who harbored fear but still sought to exploit the king's authority grew uncontrollably in number from that day onward.

Their inability to love and their mutual contempt reveal their own incompetence.

—In a world so devoid of love, being simply abandoned by the goddess is perhaps inevitable.

This conflict between the black and white spirits eventually escalated into a full-scale war of resistance involving all the people.

Except for the innocent children, untouched by the ways of the world, everyone armed themselves, shouting that this was a holy war, and rushing to participate in the final battle. Despite the almost abnormal fervor surrounding the war, Hegnis and Hedin had no intention of stopping them. Since the king and the nation would face destruction in this battle, they both felt that dedicating themselves to the battlefield they had longed for was not a bad thing.

The two countries went to war on their border in the central region of a mysterious forest.

Although the White Elves, with their excellent commanders, initially held the advantage, things changed after Hegniti's sword struck Hedin. As Hedin, preoccupied with the immediate battle and unable to direct the fighting, the tide gradually turned. This was because the Dark Elves' individual combat prowess became superior, a price the White Elves, who had relied too heavily on Hedin's superior command, had to pay.

As the two kings engaged in a fierce duel, the elves around them fell one after another. By the time Hegni and Hedin regained their senses, only the two of them remained standing on the field.

Blood blossoms bloomed, and the two, their faces contorted in a ferocious, bloodthirsty battle, fought fiercely. Even though the country and people who bound them no longer existed, neither of them was willing to lose and fought with all their might.

The duel continued until dawn on the third day.

Just then, the "witch" suddenly appeared.

"You still haven't decided who's the winner. After fulfilling your wishes, I was originally considering accepting the one who survived."

The surrounding area was littered with the corpses of countless soldiers, and the center of the isolated island was formed by rivers of blood.

Hegny and Hedin were covered in wounds and panting heavily. Beside them was a crystal that was not stained with blood, and the witch sat on it.

The two turned their heads in surprise and saw a goddess with her hands on her thighs, supporting her face and squinting her eyes slightly.

"I'm sorry, I ruined your country. Both countries were too ugly."

Both of them were stunned after hearing this.

Meanwhile, Hegny intuitively understood something, and Hedin theoretically grasped another: she had caused the momentum for the Elves to launch a final war to gradually increase. After delivering a prophecy to the Elves that sounded like a divine oracle, her pride was wounded, and she incited them to embrace destruction. After all, with the appearance of the only and true "god" in their closed world, the Elves would naturally believe in and obey her without question.

"On one side is a king who abuses his people, and on the other side is a country that enslaves its king. Which side is more vile? In this case alone, I think the latter is so deplorable that it is unbearable to watch."

Then she added, "It's a wonder the situation is this serious."

Like a goddess embodying all beauty in the world, she maintained her smile even as Hegny and Hedin stood there stunned. One could even discern in her unspoken message, "I must free you from this eternal curse," offering a glimpse into her compassionate heart.

She is both a "witch" and a "goddess".

Some were saved because of her "love," while others were destroyed because of her "love."

It can be described as two sides of the same coin, both unrestrained and cruel.

But for Hegny and Hedin, trapped in the eternal prison called "war," this was a sublime divinity.

"If I were to speak my mind, looking at you so dazzlingly beautiful, I find it hard to tolerate the two countries that bind you. That's why I resorted to a somewhat crude method—to take you for myself."

The goddess showed no remorse and made this announcement to the two kings who gasped in shock.

Everything she said is true.

The goddess, who never uttered a lie, finally asked the two a question:

"The souls of these children reside with me, and the world that bound you has been destroyed. I'm considering taking you with me... What do you want to do?"

The two had already decided on their answer.

Despite his intense self-loathing, Hegny received a light that affirmed him more than anyone else. As long as he was in her presence, he no longer needed to retreat into the darkness.

Hedin finally encountered someone more suitable to be "King" than himself, thereby freeing himself from his obligations and being allowed to be freed from them.

This arrogant and cruel goddess saved them.

From that day on, Hegny and Hedin's souls were taken by the goddess.

4

It's snowing.

Beautiful yet cruel white fragments fell from the sky, piling up on the frozen bodies.

This body suffers from loneliness.

This body suffers from the extreme cold.

No one could bring warmth to this body or relieve its hunger.

Frozen limbs represent a hopeless reality.

A dirty body represents an unchangeable reality.

Why am I so filthy, so poor, so empty, and so cold? These questions have surfaced countless times in the sea of ​​my heart, which is covered with a layer of gray, only to vanish again.

How can I make my body no longer belong to me? In the midst of my increasingly hazy thoughts, I seriously ponder this question. Through endless contemplation, I give up the will to live.

Just then—

"Are you alright?"

Suddenly, a beautiful voice, seemingly capable of healing the ears, rang out.

As she pried open her nearly closed eyes and saw the other person clearly, she couldn't help but widen her eyes.

Something incredibly beautiful, magnificent, and comforting is right before my eyes.

Only then did I learn that such things truly exist in the world.

"I'm going to save you now... What do you want?"

It was as if they wanted to change her long-held beliefs.

It's as if you can see through the brilliance of the soul within.

The existence before us raises such a question.

I do have something I want.

Of course there are things I want.

After encountering incredibly beautiful, magnificent, and heartwarming things that bring a sense of satisfaction, only one thought remains in my mind.

It wasn't envy, longing, or jealousy—it was "desire."

I want to be you.

I don't want to be myself anymore; I want to be beautiful and warm like you.

The other party probably didn't expect that someone would actually say such a thing.

The woman was first speechless with astonishment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You want to be a god (me)? What an insatiable child! I've never seen anyone make such a request before!"

Some were saved by her love. Some swore allegiance to her.

But no one wants to be her.

Then she smiled.

The silver-haired goddess kept smiling.

It was as if she had heard something that she found very interesting.

It's also like having a heart full of curiosity.

"So, I'll give you—in exchange for you giving me—okay?"

The goddess slightly lowered her chin and looked down.

Then, the goddess reached out her hand in the unredeemed slums and asked:

"What is your name...?"

The girl opened her trembling lips.

"—Seele."

*

Suddenly, an explosion occurred.

And it had a pungent, strange smell.

The pot made a strange "plop!" sound, and at the same time, wisps of black smoke rose from it.

Faced with this tragedy that occurred in the pot... or rather, a small-scale explosion, the girl calmly extinguished the fire and murmured to herself.

She tilted her head in confusion.

Her tied-up light gray ponytail swayed gently with her movements.

"Something just doesn't feel right..."

This is a cramped kitchen.

The girl is cooking in a room decorated like a bar and equipped like the headquarters of a clan.

Judging from the disintegration of various ingredients and the fact that all the cooking utensils, especially the pot, were charred, it's easy to see that her cooking skills were completely out of control.

"It's not so much that something is wrong, it's utterly wrong..."

Standing next to the girl was another female member of the group, who was about the same age, covering her mouth as if she was nauseous.

Her delicate features, which could not be concealed even by her long hair, were now deeply furrowed with pain and sorrow.

She was sent to test the food for these out-of-control dishes—no, she was sent to taste them.

"Is it much better than when we did things haphazardly without any proper planning... or should we wish we could turn back time...?"

"Ugh, that's a really harsh thing to say, Miss Herren! Don't let my current appearance fool you, I'm actually working really hard!"

"I'm saying this because I fully understand how hard you've worked...!"

Faced with the girl who had raised her hands and looked angry, the member named Herren couldn't help but shrink back.

Her physique clearly showed that she was stronger than the girl, but she never forgot to show proper courtesy when dealing with the girl, which was why she suffered so much.

"As the saying goes, spilled water can't be gathered up again! So I can only continue to forge ahead and push my limits, trying to create the ultimate, one-of-a-kind delicacy!"