Chapter 322

Evan D. Sherden, Encountered Anomaly (1)

The night before entering the dungeon, Evan visited the High Elf Mirole to ask her opinion about the Mana Realm's future rift.

"Mirole, do you have some time?"

"Leader? Why are you looking for me?"

"I'm sorry, I've wanted to talk to you..."

It sounded like she was blaming Evan for something, but Evan replied back as if he was making excuses. Mirole grinned, shook her head, and let him into her room.

"I know you're always busy. I didn't mean to blame you for anything."

"I'd appreciate it if you thought so."

Evan's eyes turned to the cape hanging on the wall. Yes, it was a cape specially made for the Astray Knights, and it was made of Red Dragon leather. Mirole only received one cape after all the other knights finished receiving their items and weapons made from the by-product of the Dragon.

"Are you sure that's enough for you?"

"That's enough. I already have plenty of tools for fighting."

She was right. Immediately, Evan remembered seeing the bracelet she was wearing in the Yo-Ma Great War Zero. It was one of the final pieces of equipment. Since the enemy's level was already higher than that of the other series, the artifacts' quality was improved. At that time, the words 'new age' or 'ancient' was attached to artifacts to symbolize their strong power.

'And probably...it was a final piece of equipment dedicated to Mirole, who had the option of restoring and increasing the spirits as well as amplifying their power of archery. It's not easy to receive it, but the great ancient magicians in this world must've been very active in her early days.'

Indeed, there is no way that the world would remain as it was now if the Great Magicians didn't play an active role at that time. In any case, Mirole would be wearing only the items that she acquired in working with those ancient magicians. It would've been difficult to create anything that transcended that artistry, no matter how good the Dragon's materials were.

"But an apology is owed to you."

"I'm satisfied enough with this cape. I'm glad you've accepted me as a true member of the Knights."

Evan felt guilty because Mirole's words sounded like a devoted girlfriend who always cherished the cheap ring she received from her flirty boyfriend.

"Oh, but..."

Mirole laughed at Evan's unnecessary guilt.

"There's something I'd like to ask from you someday."

"If it's something that I can give to you..."

"Can I tell you later? I don't think you can afford it right now. I'll wait patiently for a while."

"Well."

That's weird. Evan thought the atmosphere was getting a little odd again. He hurriedly changed the subject by shaking his head to deny the pinkish atmosphere that was spreading around him.

"The truth is, I'm here to see if you know anything about ancient creatures like the dragon we met before."

"You're talking about beings like Behemoths and Cyclops."

"Yes, I think it's only a matter of time before they show up like the Dragon. The Dragon already had eggs, too. Considering the time it takes a dragon to produce eggs, it wouldn't be odd even if I thought they are already flying around somewhere..."

"But I don't think you have to worry too much about it."

Strangely, when Evan opened his eyes to the Mirole's mysterious appearance, she laughed and talked about the problem that Evan had forgotten until now.

"Leader, do you know how great the curse you're carrying is?"

There was speculation that Mirole knew about Evan's curse. Considering the abilities she had shown as a High Elf, there was no way she couldn't have noticed the existence of a curse that even Evan's other acquaintances had seen. However, why was she talking about the curse right now? Evan replied while tilting his head.

"Yes, of course. The world itself has come to crush me... but I had somehow weakened it with my curse resistance. Now, it's just a little bit of malice that sometimes bothers me."

And that's why Evan's acquaintances would never leave him alone. Now that the curse has weakened, of course, there were only minor side effects like his chair suddenly collapsing or a sharp tip trying to poke him in the eye, but others hated the idea of Evan being exposed to even such minor discomforts. So, if Belois, Shine, or Diona, weren't available, Arisha always stood by Evan and quickly stopped every little misfortune that descended upon him.

"Yes, I've been watching their lovely struggle. Sometimes I wanted to help...but did you think that the world curse would be suppressed that much?"

"Uh..."

To be honest, it was a blind spot. He never thought about that. As he listened to Mirole, Evan felt stunned. It was a hallucination that the great evil of the world that he thought completely suppressed climbed up from under his feet again to devour him. He blinked, and there was only the High Elf quietly watching him.

"Do you mean that I have something to do with the rifts in the world?"

"I didn't want to tell you, but yes, probably."

But Mirole firmly nodded.

"When you're ready to face the facts in person, I was going to discuss it with you. And I think it's time."

"No, but how...Uh, no, how..."

Even if he wanted to deny it, the story was so well matched that he couldn't argue. Of course, it was related to Merdin's blockade, which coincided with the Demon Invasion three years ago, but...

"I don't think so. The Demon King doesn't have the power to control the Mana Realm."

"Yes, you know it, too. They will be moving separately. Of course, it was the cause of the world's curse."

"I remember that. Surely that was just a coincidence..."

On the day of the Demon Invasion, Geffrel arrived here only to break down Sherden. Evan and the others confronted the early arrival of Yo-Ma Great War 4's scenario. Even Serena's existence was unexpected for the Heavenly King. Evan's contact with Geffrel was certainly the reason for the world's curse, but it was also clear that he never attacked Sherden for that purpose. More than anything, he tried to curse Evan as if he had realized something! In other words, there was no connection between the movement of the Demons and the rifts in the Mana world.

"Let's talk about it now. The world has given Master Evan a curse that screws up the cause and effect. Of course, you succeeded in resisting the curse, but it wasn't perfect, and the curse is still affecting the world."

"In the form of a rift."

"Yes."

Evan was amazed and ended up with a bitter smile on his face. At this point, it could only be said that Evan in the game had a huge secret. Because Evan realized his past life and succeeded in resisting the curse, there was the Demon King, the only one who's supposed to run wild, and the rift in the Mana world! Of course, that doesn't mean he was going to accept the curse and die. If he died, there was no way he could close that rift!

"But why on earth would a curse be so great that it would dictate the fate of the world to me...?"

"I'm sure you'll find out for yourself shortly. Until then, I will assist you and be by your side."

"Ha."

He agonized over his fate. Did he tell Mirole right after he discovered the existence of a previous rift? Knowing these things would happen, she came to Evan, the strongest man on earth, and tried to work things out for him...and there, she nodded. But it was clear that Mirole was looking for the source of the rift's opening in the Mana world.

'How foolish I must have been.'

Even though he didn't know what he did, he was a fool who said, "You are here to help me because I'm the strongest!" It was a dark history that could kill him immediately.

"Well, boss. I think you misunderstood again."

"No, there's no misunderstandings."

Evan replied to her in a firm voice. Now he was aware of the facts. But why did she have to come to him again? ...Was it possible that this High Elf abandoned her long-standing love and came to Evan? He couldn't consider such a delusion!

"...What?"

Evan, who was fiercely criticizing himself, suddenly stopped. He realized that he was in the middle of telling an important story.

"But didn't you say it's something we don't have to worry about, Mirole?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

"That's very strange. I've heard that the rifts are happening because of me, so I thought the situations would be worse..."

"There are two reasons."

Mirole lifted two fingers and folded one of them. Maybe it was just his feeling, but the way she looked at Evan seemed softer. It was the look you gave a lover...No, he was mistaken!

"First, it's because Master Evan has great resistance to the curse."

"Uh, I mean...so as long as I hold the curse, suddenly the Behemoths aren't going to break down the country?"

"At least for the time being."

He didn't want to hear the back of that possibility. With Evan's agonized look, she folded the other finger with a small smile.

"Secondly, because this curse, after all, is targeted towards Master Evan."

"...That means."

"Think about it. When a dragon appears in the seal, there is usually a much bigger commotion than this. But there wasn't. The Dragon was hiding in the dungeon and raising eggs calmly, then met us and was destroyed. You see how astronomical the odds are, right?"

"I know what you're trying to say."

No matter how much the curse of the world twisted the world's fate, it means that there would be no cracks in places unrelated to Evan. But there was an error there, too.

"The Dragon didn't come to me; I went to the dragon, right? Moreover, the Dragon seemed to have destroyed other explorers where it originally stayed."

"I assure you, that's just a minor error compared to the great work of the Dragon."

There was nothing to say about it. Even if an explorer died, how many more explorers had perished elsewhere? What's more, Evan visited the Dragon...On the contrary, Evan was destined to go there, so it could be said that the Dragon appeared there.

"I don't like to talk about fate, cause, and effect..."

"You're breaking it, aren't you? The rifts in the Mana world, in a way, are a symbol of your great resistance."

"Ah."

Evan sighed deeply and asked her again.

"So that means the rifts will continue to appear in places where I'm related to?"

"I don't know everything either, but I think so. Anyway, you don't have to suffer from guilt that you might destroy the world."

"No, I don't feel guilty."

Evan suddenly spoke with a straight face.

"If it weren't for me, this world wouldn't have been able to stand the Demon King and would've eventually collapsed. So, if the world doesn't take this risk, it would be already gone."

"Well, I can't deny that. Without you, the human race would have been destroyed."

At Evan's words, Mirole smiled again and nodded. The High Elf's smile was so attractive that even Evan was embarrassed, but Evan overcame her charm with an iron heart because he was determined not to be mistaken again.

"Huh, I came to discuss it with a light heart, and then I heard a truth that was heavier than I imagined. But...I feel refreshed."

"Don't worry too much. If you look at what the world has done to bring you death, you don't have to worry about it."

"Yes, you're right."

To Mirole, who put such bold words in her mouth, Evan replied with a big grin.

.

"Let's upgrade our knights' gear using that."

It was a conversation two nights before they entered the deep dungeon, beyond the 51st floor, which had been reversed since the Great Change.