Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance Chapter 100

It was daylight, but dark clouds covered the sky, making it less saturated. The saint, Rosinia, dozed languidly in a temple pew with a thick cardigan draped over her shoulders.

 

“Lady Rosinia.”

 

A man broke through the silence and approached her. Feeling recognized and shaking off the drowsiness, Rosinia looked up and saw the High Priest, Carlo.

 

“Oh, there’s little Carlo.”

 

The saint’s wrinkled eyes narrowed, and Carlo chuckled at her comment.

 

“You’re forgetting that I’m well past the age of sixteen, aren’t you?”

 

Then the saint smiled wickedly.

 

“I have lived for more than two hundred years, and to me, Carlo, you are still a tiny little priest.”

 

Carlo was at a loss for words; he had never won an argument with Rosinia before. Sighing heavily, Carlo eased himself into the seat beside the saint.

 

The High Priestess’s demeanor was all lightheartedness, but Rosinia didn’t mind Carlo’s demeanor.

 

She’d had her eye on him ever since he’d arrived as an apprentice priest at the tender age of four. It was not uncommon for a child born with great divine powers to become a high priest from an early age, but it was very difficult for him to remain so pure.

 

“Clear soul.”

 

There was an aura about him that could only be found in a deep forest stream.

 

“It’s not the best weather, so why don’t you go inside?”

 

“No, it’s a beautiful day.”

 

Rosinia turned her head and looked Carlo in the eye.

 

“A hero, but a child. Isn’t that putting too much pressure on a child?

 

Those were the words Carlo had spoken shortly after Aire’s birth, when he had been thrown into a world of oppression and discipline as soon as he could walk.

 

It was a remark that had gotten him labeled a lunatic by the other priests for treating a hero like a mere child. But Rosinia, who had been a saint her entire life, thought it spoke to her.

 

The isolation that comes with being special is a terribly heavy thing, and sometimes it’s nice to be treated like an ordinary person.

 

“Little Carlo.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Do you think he’s a hero?”

 

Carlo’s expression hardened at the saint’s words. At first, he grimaced a little, as if he had suddenly eaten something bitter, but then his eyebrows drew together in a way that resembled a tantrum.

 

“With the sword he wields and the accomplishments he’s accumulated, he’s certainly a hero, but if I’m honest, I still feel sorry for him.”

 

“Pity him?”

 

“Yes. Sometimes the sword seems so heavy on his back, and it bothers me that he didn’t have a normal childhood, one where he could run around the gardens talking and playing.”

 

The saint blinked lazily. It was a satisfactory answer.

 

“You are a grown man.”

 

Taking Carlo’s hand, she drew it to hers and patted it lightly. Carlo shook his head with a bitter expression.

 

“No. I’m a hypocrite for thinking that, but in the end, I couldn’t change anything for him.”

 

“Do you regret it?”

 

Carlo didn’t answer. He merely lowered his gaze in silence. Rosinia didn’t press him for an answer, either, just held his hand, which was now full of wrinkles.

 

“Sweet little Carlo, if it’s in your heart, I want you to support the hero’s choice when it’s all over.”

 

“When it’s all over?”

 

“Yes, when it’s all over.”

 

“And when is that?”

 

The saint smiled at Carlo, who met her eyes with a questioning look.

 

“You’ll know when the time is right.”

 

“…Lady Rosinia always talks too much in circles.”

 

“When you get older, you get childish.”

 

Carlo pouted his lips. Rosinia’s smile deepened as she remembered the look on his face when he was a little boy, his cheeks full of candy.

 

“May all your choices lead to happiness.”

 

Rosinia wished peace to the white, young soul who looked so much like Regia.

 

 

***

 

 

She doesn’t know where to begin.

 

Eileen wondered all the way to meet with Aire. She had a million questions she wanted to ask, but her mind was not organized.

“Chew?”

 

“Star, you tell me. Are you really a god?”

 

“cough…”

 

The carriage arrived at the appointment in good time, with Star cupping her cheeks as she averted her gaze. The coachman quickly turned the carriage around as Eileen stepped out.

 

“Good evening.”

 

Soon after the carriage pulled away, she felt a tap on her back. Eileen turned around to see a long-haired, brown-haired man standing there.

 

“Who…”

 

“My name is Gavil, I am a follower of Lord Aire, his direct priest.”

 

“Hello.”

 

Eileen nodded in greeting, and Gavil bowed once more.

 

“And where is Lord Aire?”

 

“You will find him if you use this warp stone. I have been waiting here for Eileen at his direction.”

 

Gavil handed her a warpstone half the size of her palm, and Eileen looked down at it suspiciously for a moment. Sensing her suspicion, Gavil spoke.

 

“I apologize for the suddenness of this request. But with so many eyes on you, it was the only way to keep you out of harm’s way.”

 

Eileen glanced at Star again, and found her staring back at her with a blank expression. She didn’t seem to sense any suspicion.

 

“I see.”

 

Nodding, Eileen activated the warp stone. When the flash of light from the warpstone faded, Eileen’s figure was gone.

 

 

***

 

 

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

 

Eileen warped to an old tower in a secluded mountain valley. She opened her eyes in a room bathed in light from a large window, and was greeted by Aire standing at the window.

 

“Lord Aire.”

 

“Just call me Aire.”

 

The stranger had removed his eye patch, and his golden eyes shone brightly even with his back to the sun. Eileen suddenly realized that his eyes resembled the golden aura that Star emits when she uses the power of the Old Tree.

 

“Please, make yourself comfortable. This is an old tower, uninhabited, so don’t worry. Before we begin, do you have any questions?”

 

Eileen sat down in the chair that had been prepared for her, and Aire took the seat across from her. Once she had seen him take his seat, she immediately asked a question.

 

“The Saint did not see the Divine Beast, but the Hero did see Star.”

 

Eileen placed the star in her arms on the table.

 

“Chew! Chew!”

 

Star bounced excitedly on the table and waddled over to Aire. Without answering, Aire reached out and patted Star’s head.

 

“It’s no wonder she can’t see. He’s not a newborn.”

 

Eileen closed her eyes in anticipation and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she followed up with a question.

 

“Then how do you see Star, by any chance…?”

 

“I’m an elementalist, too.”

 

He smiled weakly as he embraced the star fully.

 

“I’ve had spirits by my side for a very long time.”

 

Eileen didn’t know what to say for a moment. Part of her was surprised that a hero could use elementalism and keep it hidden, but part of her was surprised at the blank look on Aire’s face as he confessed.

 

When she didn’t ask further, he stroked Star and continued his confession.

 

“I am an Elementalist, contracted by the Elemental of Time.”

 

“The Elemental of Time…”

 

“Yes, so I have something to say to you.”

 

Setting Star back down, he straightened his posture. Bowing deeply, almost touching the table, he said.

 

“I apologize for getting you involved, but I am to blame for your soul’s entrance into this world.”

 

Eileen lifted a hand to stroke her face, feeling a cold sweat run down her back. The hero knew everything, after all.

 

“It’s okay to apologize, but tell me your story first. I deserve to know what happened, don’t you think?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Raising his head again, Aire paused as if to gather his words.

 

“This world was destroyed once.”

 

A dry, cracked voice filled the room.