Chapter 336: It's Not Your Fault

The night was deep, and the campfire crackled in the camp.

“Actually...” Altina sighed softly, “I'm not that fragile. You don't have to worry about me so much.”

“Hmm?” Vera set down her roasted meat and looked at her with puffed cheeks.

“Five hundred years ago, that monsterization calamity broke out in my hometown. Since then, I've been searching for a way to save my people.”

Altina's gaze fell on the dancing flames, her tone calm. “For so many years, countless days and nights, I have traveled back and forth between Elune and this chaotic continent. I've already been through so much.”

She raised her eyes, looking toward a twisted, withered tree by the roadside.

Under the dark red night canopy, the withered tree stretched out its charred branches, looking like a skeleton nailed to the earth.

“Before I was born, Aiseweida had already been in a state of continuous decline. You could say I grew up watching our god and the elven kingdom wither away step by step.”

Not only her, but many of her people harbored pessimistic thoughts in their hearts... Perhaps gods really could fall.

After all, during the war that ended the Second Era, so many deities had fallen.

Altina withdrew her gaze. “So, I was actually prepared for this. Just now... I was only thinking.”

“Thinking?” Vera asked, finishing the roasted meat in her hand.

Ansu handed a freshly grilled skewer to Vera.

“Yes. I was wondering, if we lose our god's protection, where will our people go in the future?” Altina said softly.

Ansu looked at her too.

The leaping firelight of the campfire reflected on the elf's face. Even though she claimed she was fine, the expression that inadvertently slipped from her eyes still carried a faint, lingering sorrow.

A truly melancholic elf.

Ansu, who knew the plot well, actually understood Altina very well.

She was like an investigator in a Lovecraftian tale. Every time she drew close to hope, she was met with even deeper terror and despair. The fact that she could persist in her investigation for hundreds of years without going mad proved her Sanity was exceptionally high...

“Do you want to add some chili?” Ansu suddenly asked.

“Huh? What?” Altina blinked, looking at him blankly.

“Yes!” Vera, finding herself quite fond of this exciting flavor, nodded eagerly.

Hearing this, Ansu carefully brushed a layer of chili sauce onto her meat.

Altina blinked, temporarily putting her thoughts aside as her gaze involuntarily drifted to the sizzling, greasy skewers on the grill.

The rich, charred aroma of melting fat drifted around the campfire. Paired with the bright red chili sauce, it looked and smelled incredibly enticing.

It seemed she hadn't eaten a single thing all day.

A second later, Altina's stomach betrayed her with a loud rumble.

In the quiet night, the sound was clear to both people sitting beside her.

Ansu and Vera looked at her at the exact same time.

Altina's cheeks instantly burned. She quickly lowered her head, pulling her hood down to hide her flushed face in utter embarrassment.

Ansu picked up a freshly grilled skewer and held it out to her.

“Here.”

Altina stared at the steaming skewer, hesitating for a moment.

“Go ahead and eat,” Ansu said, pressing the skewer directly into her hand before smiling. “Besides, there's no point in overthinking these things. If a god dies, they die. There are countless gods in this world. If all else fails, you elves can always convert! Join us humans in worshiping the Goddess of Holy Light or something...”

Though he said it casually, if the Goddess of Holy Light ever found out he was trying to convert the entire elven race, she would probably be thrilled.

Talk about hitting your performance targets...

“Besides...” he paused, continuing, “this kind of thing isn't something you can carry alone. It's not your responsibility, and you shouldn't have to bear it by yourself. I suggest you just let things slide!”

“Let things slide?” Altina blinked. The concept was clearly foreign to her.

“Just let it rot!” Ansu explained simply. “Anyway, if the sky falls, we'll be the ones holding it up. You're not the savior. The tragedy of your people and your homeland was never your fault. Alright, alright, don't think so much. Just eat!”

Vera nodded in agreement beside him. “Yeah, eat up! It'll get cold if you wait!”

“Can I really do that...?” Altina murmured.

Ansu's tone grew a bit more serious. “Nothing is more important than the life right in front of you. At the very least, you're hungry right now, aren't you?”

Altina lowered her head in silence. She took a small, polite bite, chewing slowly.

Then she took a second bite, and a third...

After that, it seemed she really was starving. She ate faster and faster, silently accepting every skewer Ansu and Vera handed her. In the blink of an eye, nothing remained but a pile of empty skewers.

Ansu and Vera exchanged a glance.

They hadn't expected this seemingly cold and reserved elf lady to have such an appetite.

Ansu figured her true nature was probably quite lively, but she had simply been weighed down by her mission and obsession for far too long.

The two continued to watch her in silent agreement.

The elf lady was currently working on her fifth skewer when her eyes suddenly welled up with red, as if she had just remembered something.

A moment later, tears spilled from her eyes, streaming down her pale cheeks. She hurriedly tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand, but they only flowed faster, completely unstoppable.

Just like that, Altina began to sob uncontrollably while stuffing her face.

Vera stared blankly, her skewer frozen mid-air, completely at a loss.

She instinctively looked at her brother. “...Did you put too much chili?”

Ansu looked down at the mostly empty seasoning jar and fell silent for a moment. “It seems I did put quite a bit.”

“I-I'm sorry...” Altina's shoulders trembled slightly as she repeatedly wiped her eyes, choking out to Ansu, “I'm not sad, and I didn't want to cry... I just...”

Vera quickly pulled out her handkerchief and handed it to her.

Altina took the handkerchief, only to feel even more embarrassed. She covered her face, her muffled voice sounding from beneath the cloth.

“It's been five hundred years... Everyone kept telling me that I had to save them, that I would surely find a way for our sake! That I was their last hope...”

But...

Not a single person had ever told her that she could just let things slide, or that she was allowed to simply live in the moment.

No one had ever told her that none of this was her fault.

Only this boy before her... had casually spoken the words she had been unable to say to herself for hundreds of years.

And...

The meat was incredibly spicy, but it was so, so delicious.

Vera silently reached out and patted Altina's back, offering what clumsy comfort she could to this elf lady who had left her homeland behind and carried such a heavy burden alone for far too long.

After a long while, Altina finally managed to stop her tears. She looked up, her eyes still red and puffy.

“But...”

She sniffed and looked at Ansu earnestly. “I still can't give up. Those responsibilities have shaped who I am. Even if someone tells me today that I can let them go, I will still continue to pursue my mission until death stops this heart from beating.”

Having been busy grilling all this time, Ansu was finally able to eat. He took a bite of his own skewer, listened to her words, and nodded.

“Then do it. Just do your best so you won't have any regrets.”

Altina smiled through her tears, her gaze slowly turning toward Vera.

A long-lost light danced in her emerald eyes, and her voice sounded much lighter than before. “Thank you all so much... for everything lately.”

“You're all so kind, such wonderful people. Being here... I've felt a warmth I haven't experienced in a very long time.”

Altina could no longer remember how many years it had been since she last smiled with such ease.

Ansu didn't try to lecture her with any more profound wisdom. He simply picked up the seasoning jar and asked, “By the way, do you like grilled fish?”

Altina paused. “Huh? Oh... it's alright.”

“I love it!” Vera's eyes lit up as she raised her hand.

“Don't you hate fish?” Ansu looked at her, confused. “You said you despised the smell of the fish stalls scattered all over the streets of Benalu City...”

“I want to try it prepared like this!” Vera stared at the grill, her eyes full of anticipation. “And you have to put lots of chili, big brother!”

“Alright, then...” Ansu shook his head helplessly.

Watching the two siblings, a bright, beautiful smile bloomed on Altina's face.

It was as if a corner of the melancholy that had weighed on her brow for centuries had finally been gently lifted away.

She stood up and turned toward her tent. “Remember to save some for me. My face is a mess. I'm going to wash up and I'll be right back.”

Vera waved with a smile. “We'll be waiting~”

...