To You, Who Will Die Alone in Paradise Chapter 74

Sarphana answered simply.

“He will become one of our kind.”

“That’s not what I mean…!”

“Other than that, I can guarantee nothing.”

Dandeleon was at a loss for words. He had thought Sarphana had misunderstood the intent of his question, but now he saw that she had clearly understood what he was trying to say.

“The word ‘mutation’… is rather unpleasant. We refer to it as evolution. Evolution is a completely new birth. It is a wondrous miracle where everything that makes up the body is rewritten anew under the blessing of Zarmash. Just as a newborn child is a complete blank slate, so too is one who has evolved.”

Sarphana asked Dandeleon.

“Isn’t that what you were curious about? Just how much of the parts that originally made up that elf will remain if he evolves.”

“That’s right….”

“Usually, that is the case. Memory, personality, sometimes even appearance. Almost no traces of the previous life remain.”

Dandeleon did not despair. Instead, he focused on the other words Sarphana had let slip. Phrases like ‘usually, that is the case,’ or how she had said ‘almost’ no traces remain, instead of none at all.

“‘Usually’ means there are exceptions, right?”

“According to the stories that have been passed down.”

Sarphana tilted her head and frowned slightly.

“They say the closer the evolving blood is to Zarmash, the more traits from before the evolution are retained.”

Dandeleon’s heart pounded fiercely. He felt as if he had glimpsed a flash of hope in the darkness.

“When you say ‘closer,’ you’re talking about the bloodlines, right?”

“Yes. The reproduction that lesser beings engage in is merely an act of leaving behind inferior replicas. But blood from a closer bloodline gives birth to an evolved being that retains its original form.”

“Uh….”

He had to ask a question, but he was in a hurry. So the question that popped out of Dandeleon’s mouth was childishly simple.

“Am I close enough to Zarmash?”

Sarphana’s eyes widened.

“What did you hear me say earlier? You are one of the seven eggs born from the first drop of blood of the great Zarmash….”

“Three bloodlines. I get it. I get it.”

Even if he didn’t know the details, it must mean he was close. As she had said earlier, the only ones closer to Zarmash than Dandeleon were his mother, Sarphana, and the mother above them. Dandeleon thought for a moment and then asked again.

“Sarphana, have you ever mutated—no, evolved someone else?”

“I have not.”

The answer was disappointing. Unable to let go, Dandeleon clung to her.

“Not even once? Think carefully. Didn’t you go to the continent several times?”

“Until Apsara disappeared, I had never even taken an interest. Why would I ever need to go to such a filthy land?”

“Ugh…!”

But the more he heard, the further he got from his desired direction. Dandeleon, on the verge of tears, pondered for a long time before carefully speaking.

“Sarphana, by any chance….”

“I refuse.”

“How do you know what I was going to say?”

Sarphana glared at Dandeleon.

“You were going to ask me to mutate that elf with my blood, were you not? I refuse.”

That was exactly what he had been about to say. Wanting to persuade her somehow, Dandeleon’s tone changed to sound slightly like he was wheedling.

“Why not? If it weren’t for Kellewen, I would have been dead already. I want to repay his kindness, can’t you help just a little?”

“If I evolve that thing, does he not then become my responsibility?”

But the answer that came back was more serious than he had expected. She spoke in a stern tone, as if admonishing Dandeleon.

“Evolution is the act of creating a new life. If you intend to completely change someone’s life, it is only natural that you should also be prepared to take responsibility for him.”

“Well, that’s true, but….”

“If you want that thing, the responsibility is also yours. I cannot do it for you.”

He felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.

Dandeleon shut his mouth and sank into thought. The more he thought, the more he realized Sarphana was right. He understood what she was trying to say and fully grasped the weight of taking responsibility.

However, it was still terrifying.

“The memory… we can’t know how much of the pre-evolution traits will remain, right?”

“We cannot.”

Let’s say he succeeds in mutating Kellewen and taking him to the land of the monsters. But if the Kellewen who opens his eyes has no memories and a completely changed personality, could he still be called Kellewen?

If that were to happen, even if he were alive, it would be meaningless. Because the Kellewen that Dandeleon knew would never return.

However, no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t come up with any other way to save Kellewen. If he took him along, he would be consumed by the demonic energy and die or be mutated, but if he left him here, he insisted he would die offering his magic to Yggdrasil.

In the end, Dandeleon was left with only two paths. To respect Kellewen’s wishes, or to take a chance on a slim probability.

“I’ll take responsibility. So just help me.”

Dandeleon steeled his resolve and said to Sarphana.

“I want to evolve Kellewen. And then I’ll take him to the land of the monsters, no, the Lazars. Can you help me?”

Sarphana’s lips curled into a smirk.

“Cut open his stomach and put your blood in.”

“Pardon?”

“It is faster than ingesting it through the mouth.”

“…And that’s what happened.”

As soon as he finished speaking, something popped into his mouth. A fragrant scent spread inside, and his mouth watered. Dandeleon chewed and swallowed the fruit in his mouth, then said to Kellewen.

“I told you not to just give it to me, you should eat some too.”

“I am eating.”

“Really?”

Kellewen gave an sheepish smile and put a piece of fruit in his mouth. Dandeleon smiled with satisfaction.

“Eat a lot. You’ve been starving, haven’t you?”

After finishing their conversation at the sea, the two had returned to the house where Kellewen had opened his eyes and continued to talk. Kellewen was surprised to hear that ten days had passed while he was unconscious. He was even more surprised to hear that Dandeleon had nursed him that whole time without sleeping.

In the past, he would have collapsed long ago, but Dandeleon was no longer a frail human. His body, which had been overflowing with energy since leaving Roallanté, had completed its evolution even before arriving in the land of the Lazars.

Unlike Kellewen, whose body had scales sprouting here and there, Dandeleon’s body showed few visible changes. But on the inside, he was completely different. All his senses, including his eyesight, had become sharper, and the strength in his arms and legs was so great that it was difficult to get used to.

His stamina had also improved to an unimaginable degree. Even after staying up for ten days straight to nurse Kellewen, his body was fine. When he felt a little tired, he would go to the sea, soak his whole body, and bask in the sunlight. Doing so would restore strength to his weary body.

“Don’t you feel it too? How you get energized when you go into the sea.”

“I did feel that.”

Kellewen said, pushing another piece of fruit into Dandeleon’s mouth. It seemed the fact that he had been starving still bothered him, no matter how much he said he was fine.

Dandeleon lay with his head on Kellewen’s thigh, accepting the fruit. Until yesterday, he had felt like his insides were burning black with worry for Kellewen, but now he was so incredibly happy.

“Then this place is….”

“The territory of the Lazars. This is an island called Elsurha, which means the land of Surha.”

Dandeleon explained what he had learned from Sarphana for Kellewen, to whom everything would be unfamiliar. Unlike the continent, this area was made up of many large and small islands, and the larger the island, the stronger the monster that owned it.

“Surha was your mother’s and Sarphana’s mother, right?”

“Yes. I haven’t met her yet either.”

Originally, he was supposed to go and pay his respects to Surha as soon as he set foot on the island, but the plan was delayed because of Kellewen. It was because his evolution had not finished by the time they arrived on the island.

“She says that since you are my responsibility, we must go together when I pay my respects. I’ll go to Sarphana tomorrow and ask when we should go.”

“Shouldn’t we go right now? I am fine now….”

“I don’t want to.”

Dandeleon pouted.

“I’m going to rest a bit. I’m tired too.”

In truth, he was overflowing with energy from having soaked in the sea and because Kellewen had woken up, but Dandeleon deliberately lied. It was so peaceful for a change, and he didn’t want to ruin the mood by saying they had to go meet a family elder.

Kellewen just smiled softly without answering. Seeing that expression, it seemed his lie had been found out, and he felt embarrassed, but Dandeleon decided to be brazen. He playfully poked Kellewen’s thigh, then something occurred to him and he shot up.

“Oh right, do you want to try on some clothes?”

“Clothes?”

“You’re practically naked right now.”

Kellewen’s face turned slightly red.

Kellewen was currently wearing only pants, with no shirt. The pants were little more than a thin piece of cloth wrapped around him, and on top of that, they were soaking wet from jumping into the sea. If Sarphana were to visit right now, it would be a very embarrassing state of dress.

Dandeleon rummaged through a basket of clothes in a corner of the room. He had already spotted something earlier.

“Come over here!”