Chapter 54: Logue’s Final Revelation

“Nothing.” With a sigh, Logue walked towards a pavilion, his hands clasped behind his back.

Aric blinked, then strode to follow.

“You’re very curious about who I am, aren’t you?”

Seeing Aric match his pace, Logue’s wrinkled face twisted into a wry smile.

Aric nodded silently.

“Elf boy,… I’ll tell you a story,” Logue suddenly said, stopping before the house door.

“…Go on,” Aric said, pursing his lips and nodding in assent.

Trembling slightly, Logue sat on the steps of the house door, leaning against it as he gazed at the faint, ethereal sun on the horizon.

“A long, long time ago, there was a young man with a harmonious family and a fiancée he deeply cherished.

But on the eve of their wedding, he fell prey to outside instigation, slaughtering his entire family and dragging even innocent people into hell.”

As he spoke, Logue’s voice grew hoarse, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Listening in silence, Aric’s brows furrowed deeply. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the story Logue was recounting was, in fact, his own past.

‘Perhaps it’s just a misconception,’ he thought.

“Tell me, elf boy,” Logue said slowly, shifting his gaze from the sky to meet Aric’s eyes directly.

“What?” Aric asked, emerging from his thoughts to return Logue’s gaze.

“Do you think a young man, whose hands are stained with blood and sin, can ever truly be forgiven? A young man who only regretted his actions after being abandoned by his instigator and facing death?” Logue asked, his voice grave, looking up at Aric.

“I…”

Aric’s mouth parted slightly, then he fell silent.

How could someone so deeply steeped in sin ever be forgiven? If Aric were to encounter such a person, he wouldn’t hesitate to seek vengeance for the victims; anything less would be unacceptable.

‘This… this truly is a difficult question!’ he mused.

Aric’s long-pondered words ultimately dissolved into a sigh.

“I don’t know how to answer you…” Aric shook his head, lowering his gaze.

“Heh, hehe… Hahahaha, actually, even if you didn’t say it, I already know the answer.” Logue watched Aric, tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.

“Those who sow evil cannot live! Hahahaha.”

Collapsing onto the ground, Logue threw his head back and let out a long, sorrowful laugh.

Witnessing Logue’s distraught state, Aric tightly shut his eyes. He couldn’t bear—or rather, refused to see—an old man reduced to such a spectacle.

After a long moment, the laughter ceased.

After a period of silence, Aric slowly opened his eyes.

Logue had risen at some point and opened the house door.

“Come in, boy!” Logue beckoned, then stumbled into the house.

Aric hesitated, gazing at the house, unsure whether he should enter.

“Come in! It’s alright, just treat it like your own home.” Logue, his eyes red-rimmed, poked his head out and urged Aric.

Seeing Logue’s sudden shift in demeanor, Aric hesitated for a moment longer before walking straight inside.

“Do you know who captured you and held you captive as a s*ave?”

Logue, unbothered by the grime, plopped down onto the dusty floor that clearly hadn’t been cleaned in ages.

Aric gave a slight shake of his head, then nodded hesitantly.

“Well, do you know or not?” Logue asked impatiently, digging at his ear.

“Erm, I know a little bit,” Aric began softly, scratching his neck. “Though it might not really count as knowing.”

Logue narrowed his eyes, studying Aric for a long moment before speaking slowly. “Tell me what you know.”

“Hmm… alright,” Aric nodded, then slowly began to explain. “This is what I pieced together, subtly inquiring from the people mining beside me at the time, combined with a bit of my own speculation.”

“Those who captured me should be connected to the Three Great Empires. And, of course, there might also be a special organization, though I’m not sure if it even exists.”

Logue watched Aric silently, nodding in approval.

“Your guess is correct. The place where you were imprisoned is indeed connected to the Three Great Empires.

However, that’s not the absolute truth, because those fellows have no idea about the mining tunnels.”

“Is that so?” Aric murmured, pinching his chin as he sank into thought.

“Do you want to know?”

“What?” Logue’s sudden question momentarily stunned Aric.

“Do you want to know who the mastermind is?” Logue asked, settling into a comfortable position with a smile playing on his lips.

“…Yes!” Aric nodded seriously.

“Heh, hahaha, good, then I’ll tell you.” Logue burst into laughter.

At this, Aric stood still, like a diligent student awaiting a new lesson from their teacher.

“Before I tell you, there’s something else I need to mention.”

“What?”

“This pocket dimension, if nothing unexpected happens, will collapse in a few months.” Logue raised his left hand, wiggling a finger.

“What the f—” Aric exclaimed, cutting himself off. “No, can you give me an exact time?”

“No!” Logue replied, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he calmly watched Aric, who was squirming like an ant on a hot pan.

“…” Seeing Logue’s mischievous smile, Aric fell silent for a moment, then caught on. “Are you messing with me?”

“Think whatever you like,” Logue said, spreading his hands.

Aric stared at Logue, speechless.

“Ahem, alright, I’ll stop with the idle chatter. I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

Under Aric’s pointed gaze, Logue’s old face flushed.

Aric remained silent, crossing his arms as he quietly awaited further explanation.

“Oh, come on~ Why aren’t you any fun, young man?”

As if realizing he couldn’t tease Aric any longer, Logue showed a look of regret and let out a heavy sigh.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Something big is about to happen.”

Logue’s expression gradually grew solemn.

Seeing this, Aric’s own heart tightened with apprehension.

“War Fiends, do you know about them?”

“I do!”

“Then do you know where they come from?”

“Beyond the heavens!”

“Indeed, it’s ‘beyond the heavens,’ but not in the way you imagine! This ‘beyond the heavens’ refers to another world, a fundamentally different one.”

“What do you mean?” Aric asked, his expression bewildered.

“You can ponder that later,” Logue said, waving a dismissive hand. “Furthermore, the War Fiends didn’t just appear here; they were brought by others. Those are the very people who captured and imprisoned you.

The empires can only control the War Fiends because they have a cooperative relationship with these individuals. Without it, they would be nothing more than helpless fodder, easily manipulated by those same forces.”

Listening to Logue’s continuous revelations, Aric’s expression grew steadily graver.

‘The War Fiends under the empires’ command were actually bestowed upon them by others?’ he mused.

Aric pursed his lips, then asked with a serious expression, “Who exactly are these people you speak of?”

“…Ah~” In response to Aric’s question, Logue’s brow furrowed, then relaxed, repeating the motion several times.

After several such repetitions, Logue rose from the ground and slowly walked out of the house.

Although Aric didn’t quite understand why they were going outside, he followed closely behind.

“Those people are not easy to deal with,” Logue said, his hands clasped behind his hunched back. As he gazed at the small grove, fear flickered in his eyes, as if he were staring at some monstrous, flood-bringing beast.

“Not easy to deal with?” Aric frowned.

“Indeed, they’re difficult. But, of course, it’s not entirely hopeless.”

Logue’s words brought a sigh of relief to Aric. It was good to know there was a way.

“…Elf boy, I’m leaving!”

Logue straightened his back, a genuine smile gracing his lips as he looked at Aric.

“What do you mean?” Aric asked, bewildered.

“Catch!” Without further explanation, Logue pulled a thick, heavy book from his mana space and tossed it to Aric.

Seeing the book flying towards him, Aric quickly caught it, then grumbled at Logue, “Hey, hey! You just tossed such a thick book at me? Aren’t you worried I’d be knocked out?”

“I trust you,” Logue said, slowly sitting cross-legged. “Remember this, boy.”

“What?”

“You are about to face a church dedicated to the destruction of all things in the world—a church that worships the evil god ‘Sathosdark’: The Sin Annihilation Sect!” Logue enunciated each word clearly to Aric.

“’The Sin Annihilation Sect? The evil god Sathosdark?’” Aric murmured to himself.

After speaking, Aric was inexplicably struck by a chill that went straight to his core.

“No, this… Logue!!”

Rubbing away the sudden goosebumps that had appeared, Aric looked up. But upon seeing the scene before him, he cried out in alarm.

“Don’t worry about me.”

Engulfed by dark, inky flames that had appeared from nowhere, Logue endured the scorching pain, a desolate smile gracing his lips.

“Logue, wait! I’ll get you out of here!”

Stepping closer to Logue, Aric extended his hands, preparing to channel mana to cast a fire-extinguishing spell.

But just as he moved, Logue interrupted him.

“It’s useless. This is a divine flame, sought by the leader of the Sin Annihilation Sect from the evil god himself, meant for traitors who reveal their secrets.

We mere mortals cannot extinguish it.”

“The evil god’s flame? I don’t care what kind of flame it is!” Verdant light flared in Aric’s hands as he tried to channel it into Logue’s body, but it had absolutely no effect.

‘How could this be…?’

Stumbling back a few steps, Aric fell to the ground, staring at his own hands. He couldn’t believe he was unable to extinguish this eerie flame.

“I told you, it’s useless.” Logue smiled bitterly, his bones already visible beneath the burning skin. “Elf boy, meeting you must have used up all my luck. You saved me, you gave me new life, but I shouldn’t be alive. My sins are too great. In any case, thank you.

Also, this dimension truly will collapse in a few months; I wasn’t joking. As for the exact timing, you can check the book I just gave you.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the empires’ cooperation with the Sin Annihilation Sect is for the purpose of mining the mana ores produced in your world.”

With these fragmented words, Logue disintegrated into ashes, scattering into the world.

Watching the ashes drift into the air, Aric clenched his fists and fell into a profound silence.