"Want me to help you?"
The moment he heard those words, Isaac first wondered if he'd fallen under a spell cast by the Transcendents.
It simply didn't make sense.
The character, the situation, the dialogue—
None of it was reasonable. But no matter how many times he blinked, Sharen's bright and innocent smile remained the same.
"..."
"Uwaph?"
Isaac grabbed Sharen's cheeks and pulled them out to both sides. As expected from someone from Helmut, even her cheeks had top-tier elasticity.
Her cheeks stretched out as her words turned into a messy mumble.
"Eh hwuhohnghe?!"
(Why are you doing this?!)
"…It really is Sharen."
The way she instantly got annoyed and grumbled was unmistakably Sharen.
Isaac glanced around and then quietly led Sharen away from the crowd.
"You… how did you know?"
"Know what?"
"The regression. I mean the regression."
"Ahhh—"
Sharen beamed as she put her hands on her hips.
"I heard you and the Grandmaster talking!"
"..."
"Remember? Back at Baron Volten's mansion! You talked about it then! I was actually awake that time!"
Sharen puffed her chest proudly, her nose raised high.
It was absurd, but Isaac felt somewhat relieved that it was just a mistake on his and the Grandmaster's part.
If Sharen had been someone truly involved in regression or sorcery, he would've lost trust in people entirely.
Because Sharen just didn't fit that kind of role at all.
'Sharen is only Sharen when she's acting like Sharen.'
She'd probably get annoyed if she heard that, but who cared? Isaac was relieved either way.
On the other hand, Sharen's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked,
"Then, Isaac. If you came from the past, you must've seen the future me, right? How was I? Was I more curvy than my sister?!"
"..."
"I bet I was, right? Right?"
Sharen struck a sexy pose she must have seen somewhere. Isaac scratched his cheek, clearly embarrassed.
"I left Helmut not long after, so I never saw you again."
"Eh…? Really? Too bad."
"But still. If you knew, why didn't you say anything until now?"
"Huh?"
Sharen looked flustered.
Her eyes darted left and right in panic.
'What's this about?'
"W-Well, you see?! I was awake and did hear it, but I thought you and the Grandmaster were just talking nonsense!"
"..."
"I didn't even hear the whole thing! I woke up halfway! That's why! But don't worry! I haven't told anyone!"
"Sharen?"
"I—I gotta go!"
As Sharen tried to flee, Isaac grabbed her wrist, but he couldn't overpower Helmut's strength and let go.
Instead, his body tilted forward, almost getting dragged along with her.
'What the hell?'
Something's off.
Sharen's urgency wasn't just surprise—it felt like she had something she desperately wanted to keep hidden.
But he didn't have time to dwell on it.
The Transcendents were now bustling around Liana.
It was time to enter the Primordial Lands.
Isaac joined the formation where the northern soldiers were gathered.
He wrapped a rope around his wrist to play his part as the "sacrifice."
Silverna, who was bound to him with the same rope, let out a small chuckle and gave it a light tug.
"Wha—?!"
His body tilted forward and he naturally fell into Silverna's embrace.
Sharen's talk about curves seemed to have found its real-life reference right here.
"Heh."
With a smug grin, Silverna looked down at Isaac whose face was buried in her chest.
Isaac calmly straightened up, unmoved.
He must not waver here.
Gulp.
Because he could feel the Guardian of the North glaring from behind.
No matter how he responded, it was clear he'd get angry, so he decided to just let it pass without reacting.
"Don't mess around."
"You're really like a block of wood."
"Is this how all handsome guys are?"
Even Anna, who had been watching from the side, joined in. Usually, she was the one leading these kinds of antics, so she had probably given advice this time too.
At that moment, the Nureum-dol who had been talking to Sharen walked over. He looked gloomy.
"Sigh, I really don't want to go in."
He seemed genuinely distressed.
The surrounding gazes turned toward the large boulder.
"Why don't you want to go in so badly?"
Isaac's question wasn't just out of concern for the Nureumdol. He thought that if he could understand why he hated it so much, it might be helpful later.
The Nureum-dol's voice was noticeably weaker, like he had shrunk into himself.
"You humans might not know… but to us, the land of origin is—"
The Nureumdol looked like he was on the verge of tears, as if even putting it into words was hard. He looked like he might actually cry, so they didn't press him further.
As they approached the stone wall, they realized why he hadn't wanted to come and why he was about to cry.
Crack!
The stone wall opened its eye.
To be exact, one of the bricks opened its eye.
"Nureumdol, is that you?"
It spoke.
A chill ran down their spines like they'd seen a ghost, but the Nureum-dol replied in a gloomy voice, as if this were familiar.
"That voice…Pyeong-dol-i? So you're here too."
[TL Note: The literal meaning of Nureum-dol is pressing stone" or "stone used to weigh something down". It's a stone placed on top to hold something in place (e.g., in traditional Korean kimchi jars or old construction).
And Pyeong-dol-i literally means "Flat Stone" or "Flatty"]
"Yeah, I rolled around outside and accidentally stepped on a transcendent and killed them."
"Oh no. That's a big accident. It's a relief you're still alive."
"Are you becoming a brick too?"
"Ah, no! Not me!"
A brick?
Isaac suddenly recalled his first meeting with the Nureum-dol.
Please save me! I beg you! I-I wasn't trying to mess around on purpose! I don't want to become a brick! I'm not as firm as the others! I'm not fit to be used as a wall!
He had mistaken Liana and Sharen for transcendent beings, and now it made sense why he had been so terrified of sorcery.
Piece by piece, all the overly dramatic displays of fear started to make sense.
"So… all of them… are like this?"
Silverna murmured, and one of the eyes in the wall glanced at her.
"A human. That's rare."
"R-right? They say she was brought here as a sacrifice."
"Just like us, then."
There wasn't even a trace of emotion in the voice.
That tone matched the image of the stone wall so well.
But the group had seen just how expressive the Nureum-dol could be.
Now, seeing these beings stripped not just of their arms and legs but even their emotions, a complex feeling welled up inside them.
"Why would someone do this to you?!"
Silverna snapped, clearly frustrated.
Had her outburst awakened the other bricks?
Eyes began to open here and there, all staring down at her.
But no one said a word.
It was as if they'd forgotten how to speak.
"…Because it's efficient."
Nureum-dol answered on their behalf.
"There are lots of beasts, but only a few transcendents. S-stone walls can alert others to danger and deal with small beasts."
"Hah… so that's why they did this?"
"As long as we don't break, we can serve as eternal barriers."
The bricks that hadn't opened their eyes—were they the ones who had lost even the will to resist?
Thinking about it that way, it felt like a kind of gravestone.
Not the death of the body, but the loss of self—a tomb made of stone.
Apparently, things were going well up front, because the group began entering.
Even as they passed through the gate, Silverna's gaze remained fixed on the stone wall.
Were they making eye contact?
Isaac didn't ask.
Once inside, the interior was even more unique.
Rows of uniquely-shaped houses like those in Belheim village stretched out, and though stone fences hid them, they weren't very tall.
A place where grace and music might flow.
Transcendents walking down the streets glanced at them, then clicked their tongues and glared.
"A human?"
"Tch, filthy things we should fry."
"A prisoner? That's perfect."
"It'd be great if we could sell them as slaves."
"You got money to buy one?"
"If they're sold, should we all chip in and buy one to use together?"
"Those merchants must be making a killing."
Disturbing conversations passed back and forth.
These were the kind of talks you'd expect when selling horses or sheep, yet they were being directed at people, so none of them looked very happy.
The group was headed into a more and more deserted alley.
Rankellon had confidently declared that he knew someone and said they could stay there for a while.
"Hehehe, I really want to hurry and visit the human world. I'm so excited."
He stuck close to Liana, constantly chattering.
He seemed truly thrilled about ruining the human world, not stopping for even a moment.
"If we strip the land of all its grass and trees, they'll surely come to realize it. That these things are what push us into conflict and make us weak."
"...."
"Don't you agree? This is how we'll achieve true peace. If there's no reason to fight, then there won't be any fights. And evolution of the species will naturally stabilize."
Rankellon had grown used to Liana's expressionless face. But Isaac could tell there was irritation behind that blank look.
"Ah, I'll go ahead and talk with my contact."
Right before they entered deeper into the alley,
Rankellon said he would go ahead and speak with his acquaintance, then walked inward.
A brief break.
The other transcendents, pretending to be traveling merchants, naturally dispersed toward the market.
They would begin to move once they received the signal.
Thinking it was a good opportunity, Isaac stared intently at Liana.
She tilted her head curiously and approached.
"What's the matter?"
She immediately sensed he had something to say.
Silverna, who was tied up alongside them, stared blankly, but Isaac cleared his throat and glanced toward Sharen.
Sharen was sniffing the air, looking around—probably catching a sweet scent from somewhere.
"Has Sharen… seemed strange to you lately?"
"Sharen?"
Liana tilted her head, then followed Isaac's gaze to look at Sharen.
Sharen was leaning forward.
She seemed oddly like a puppy that might suddenly dart off following a scent, which made Isaac feel uneasy.
"Like, anything unusual. A change in behavior. Or just… a different feeling?"
"...."
Liana fell silent, deep in thought for a moment.
"Not really."
But it wasn't the answer Isaac was hoping for.
Silverna, who had been listening, looked puzzled.
"Why? Is something wrong with Sharen?"
"No, it's just—"
Now that he was asked, Isaac didn't know how to explain it.
He let out a sigh and was about to say it was nothing, when—
"Hm, there is one thing I thought of recently."
Liana, wanting to be of some help, managed to squeeze something out.
"I think we need to teach her a bit."
"Teach her?"
Silverna tilted her head.
Isaac also looked confused.
"She doesn't seem to know certain words very well… Like last time, she asked me what 'regression' meant."
"...!"
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[TL Note]
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