SFRW-Chapter 195

Ch. 195 Sword God From The Ruined World

Now that the goal is set, it’s time to decide on the method.  

“Don’t overcomplicate it! Let’s just start with what we can do right now. We’ll go to the Emperor of the planet and demand the Orb of Withering. If he’s really the administrator of this planet, he should know something about the curse on the World Tree, right? And if he doesn’t… well, what can we do? We can’t stay here for thousands of years trying to solve it, so we’ll just have to move on to the next planet.”  

As we keep moving forward, we might unexpectedly find a solution somewhere else. And most importantly—  

“If the one who cast the curse disappears, the curse will naturally lift, won’t it? So, in the end, capturing Barhaut himself is the surest way to break the curse on the World Tree.”  

He wasn’t wrong.  

However—  

“So, we’re just going to ignore the suffering the elves here will endure in the meantime?”  

Choi Kang-soo glared at Kusak with a disapproving expression, as if asking how he could be so heartless.  

“Hey, hey. Get a grip. You’re the one who needs to straighten up. Don’t get so infatuated with elves that you can’t tell right from wrong. If it pains you so much, why don’t you stay behind and solve it yourself?”  

“What did you say?!”  

“Am I wrong? Was our purpose in coming here to save the World Tree?”  

Kusak and Choi Kang-soo clashed again, but thanks to Seo Do-jun’s earlier warning, it didn’t escalate as heatedly as before.  

“What kind of person is the Emperor of the planet?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s question, Eliana answered immediately.  

“He’s a cruel and ruthless man who would sacrifice even his own family to maintain his power. He’s the worst kind of human.”  

“Sacrifice?”  

“I’ve heard the Emperor performs human sacrifices once a month.”  

“Good heavens! Human sacrifices?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon covered her mouth in shock, as if she couldn’t fathom such a thing. Gloria also grimaced in disgust.  

“There are quite a few who worship Barhaut as a god.”  

At Veronica’s words, Rakun nodded.  

Well, considering how many planets Barhaut had conquered and subjugated, it wasn’t surprising that some revered him like a deity.  

“Tell me more about the planet.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s request, Eliana began explaining everything she knew, down to the smallest details. To her, Seo Do-jun and his group were no different than saviors who had appeared to help them.  

Above all, the presence of Choi Kang-soo, the Holy Knight and proxy of the gods—even if they were gods from another world—gave Eliana and the elves a great deal of faith.  

Because of this, not just Eliana but the other elves also did their best to share whatever knowledge they had, hoping it might be helpful.  

Thanks to their explanations, Seo Do-jun was able to learn a fair amount about this world.  

“From what they’ve said, it won’t be easy to just charge in recklessly with brute force, huh?”  

Veronica’s words made Rakun nod in agreement.  

The planet’s strength was greater than expected. The Emperor, having received power from Barhaut, stood at the pinnacle of this world’s might.  

Not only that, but the seven Masters who served him were also formidable in their own right. According to Eliana, each one was comparable in strength to Veronica or Rakun.  

With hundreds of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of knights supporting the planet’s power, even Seo Do-jun and his assault team would find it burdensome to force their way in blindly.  

And there was one more thing—  

“A monster army?”  

“There are rumors of a massive monster army lurking in the underground caverns beneath the imperial capital. They obey only the Emperor’s orders and are said to be an undead legion—Barhaut’s true remaining power.”  

“Ah, I hadn’t considered the Administrator’s direct forces.”  

Kusak clicked his tongue and lightly smacked his own head in self-reproach.  

“What’s the Administrator’s direct force?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s question, Kusak sighed and answered.  

“Barhaut is more meticulous than you’d think. He doesn’t stop at just conquering a planet. Knowing rebellions can happen anytime, he leaves behind a force to suppress them—that’s the Administrator’s direct force.”  

“And that’s the undead monsters?”  

“If it’s an undead army, then most likely. But I can’t say for sure unless we see it ourselves. Honestly, I’ve heard the Administrator’s forces vary greatly in type and number. For example, the planet Gigamerxi, where I stayed, supposedly had twelve Liches as its direct force.”  

“I’ve heard of that too. Somewhere, there’s a dragonkin army serving as the Administrator’s forces.”  

“There are also giants and vampire legions, but only the Administrator knows the full truth.”  

Listening to Veronica and Rakun, Seo Do-jun couldn’t help but think Barhaut had been very thorough in his preparations—and very secretive about it.  

“You knew all this and still talked nonsense about storming the planet to capture the Emperor?”  

At Choi Kang-soo’s words, even Kusak had nothing to say this time. He coughed awkwardly and turned his head away.  

“The planet is stronger than I expected, so Kusak’s plan of a direct assault won’t work.”  

“But Kaasal, couldn’t you still pull it off?”  

He could. If he really wanted to, Seo Do-jun was confident he could take down the Emperor, his Masters, and even the Administrator’s army.  

But—  

“Relying solely on my strength isn’t the right approach, even for our ultimate goal.”  

Seo Do-jun was right. If there were absolutely no other options, it might be different, but solving everything through brute force wasn’t the best solution.  

If that were the case, he wouldn’t have brought the assault team in the first place.  

“So, is there another way?”  

At Veronica’s question, Seo Do-jun said he’d need to think about it. For now, even he didn’t have a clear plan to capture the Emperor.  

Then, Eliana made a suggestion.  

“What if you use me?”  

“Use you?”  

Choi Kang-soo frowned immediately. He already pitied her for being called a ‘corrupted elf’, and the word ‘use’ rubbed him the wrong way.  

“The Emperor requires elves—especially pure maidens—as sacrifices for his rituals. Their value is said to be very high.”  

Choi Kang-soo opened and closed his mouth like a fish at the words ‘pure maiden’.  

Seo Do-jun nodded for her to continue.  

“You could capture us and take us to the imperial capital. Then, if you hand me over to the Emperor… you might get a chance to meet him.”  

Veronica burst out laughing.  

“Oh, how naive. Do you really think the Emperor would be so easy to reach? You’d probably be intercepted long before then. Who knows—you might even be snatched away by someone else before you even get to him.”  

Eliana’s face turned red. She hadn’t considered that possibility.  

Surprisingly, though, Seo Do-jun thought her idea had merit.  

“Meeting the Emperor won’t be easy, but at the very least, this is a way to get into the imperial palace without bloodshed.”  

Seeing the leader-like Seo Do-jun respond positively, Eliana let out a relieved sigh.  

“How is that any different from what I suggested?”  

Kusak grumbled. In the end, it was just a way to walk into the palace without trouble—after that, Seo Do-jun would still have to use force to subdue obstacles and capture the Emperor.  

The only difference was whether the approach was slightly more convenient or slightly less.  

Kusak muttered that it was still his plan in the end, but—  

“Only me, Choi Kang-soo, Shinjo, and Hyun Joo-yeon will enter the palace.”  

“What?”  

Everyone looked at Seo Do-jun, demanding an explanation.  

Calmly, he began to explain his thoughts.  

***  

Hyun Joo-yeon glanced behind her.  

Eliana was walking with her hands bound by rope. Choi Kang-soo held the other end, tied around his wrist as if to prevent her from escaping—but his expression was something else.  

He looked restless, like someone doing something he shouldn’t, and kept asking Eliana if she was in pain or uncomfortable.  

“It’s not too tight, is it?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon worried that the ropes might be digging into Eliana’s skin.  

“Don’t worry. I tied it loosely.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s words, Hyun Joo-yeon nodded but kept glancing at Eliana.  

After a while, she cautiously spoke up.  

“There’s something I’ve been wondering about.”  

“What?”  

“You said the elves live as slaves. I can understand them being captured because they’re weak, but… how can they endure such a life, even accepting humiliation and being called ‘corrupted’, when they could just end it?”  

At first, she thought maybe elves, like humans, had a strong attachment to life. But recalling Eliana’s words, that didn’t seem to be the case.  

“Filthy opportunists! Stop shaming us—just kill us cleanly!”  

Eliana’s plea to be killed cleanly, and the other elves’ similar attitudes, stuck in Hyun Joo-yeon’s mind.  

From what she saw, there was no sign of attachment to life.  

Of course, just like humans, elves could have different personalities. But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t imagine elves enduring such miserable lives solely out of a desperate will to live—especially not to the point of degrading their entire race.  

Shinjo also nodded in agreement with Hyun Joo-yeon’s words.  

“Hyun Joo-yeon, what would you have done in their place?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon answered immediately, as if the answer was obvious.  

“I would’ve killed myself.”  

Better to die than live such a wretched life. To her, it wasn’t even a question worth considering.  

“Shinjo, you’d think the same, right?”  

“Yes. While living allows for revenge, they have no hope left. And more than anything… enduring such treatment is just…”  

Shinjo furrowed his brows. Thinking about it made him realize once again how horrifying their ancestors’ crimes had been.  

“You’re right. Enduring such suffering for the sake of revenge isn’t easy. It’s something only those with extraordinary mental fortitude could withstand. And from what I know, elves aren’t a race so extreme that they’d willingly sacrifice themselves for vengeance.”  

“Then why do they keep living like that?”  

“From what I know, elves never take their own lives. No matter the circumstances.”  

“Why not?”  

“Because it goes against the laws of nature. Elves believe all life must follow the natural order—birth and death. They see it as the way of the world. But taking one’s own life? That’s rejecting nature’s laws. They consider it the greatest sin. Worse, they believe those who choose suicide cannot return to the embrace of the World Tree.”  

Seo Do-jun paused, watching Eliana exchange faint smiles with Choi Kang-soo as they walked.  

“No matter how miserable their lives, no matter how much shame and humiliation they endure, they accept it as fate. They believe that, in death, they’ll be freed from all suffering and return to the World Tree, where their souls will find peace.”  

That’s why they endure.  

Because the thought of cutting their own lives short and being denied the World Tree’s embrace is their greatest fear.  

“All for just that reason…?”  

“Just that reason? To them, is it really so trivial?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s retort, Hyun Joo-yeon fell silent. Shinjo, too, walked with a deeply troubled expression.  

“If… even that was calculated to torment them… then Barhaut is truly terrifying.”  

“He is.”  

And it was to face that terrifying being that they were doing all this.  

Hyun Joo-yeon clenched her fists, her resolve hardening.  

“I can see the city now.”  

On the distant horizon, the outline of a city came into view.  

It wasn’t the imperial capital, but since every city had a portal, their plan would begin the moment they entered.  

“Everyone, stay sharp. This isn’t Earth or the world we knew. Don’t act shocked, but don’t let your guard down either. Just act indifferent—completely uninterested.”  

Seo Do-jun gave the same warning to Choi Kang-soo, and a few hours later, they set foot in the first city of Valitao.