The Truth-Seeker noticed the existence of Parvache, but I couldn't snap out of the panic yet. I tried to do it in a daze as my head was still in a mess. It got caught, then what? What the hell, damn it! I didn't know anymore. Evolved and was gone? I couldn't even understand what the Truth-Seeker was saying. If the Truth-Seeker of my dimension were gone, could I just live freely? Was it like that?
My mind was complicated because my thoughts continued to spiral.
=Your presence is so faint that I found you late. Was it because of this Spirit that you knew the language of a distant dimension? Well, good. I've taken a good look at the Channel, so I'll send you back to where you came from.=
It doesn't seem to have any idea what to do with us anymore. I thought it would think that humans and giants' lives were worse than flies' lives because it said they didn't know anything about mortals. I'm glad it was such a weirdo. As it turned out, I just wanted to go home quickly.
'Yes, let's go back. Let's go back to Earth through the Channel I came across.'
Parvache urgently exclaimed at the moment I was about to express my gratitude to the Truth-Seeker.
[…Ah, wait a minute! Please wait a moment!]
What's going on all of a sudden? Parvache had been delivering telepathy so that only I could hear it after coming to this dimension. Still, this time, it sent its will to the entire surrounding space. It was a will that anyone could understand if their Mana circuit had been opened. It was similar to the way the Truth-Seeker talked. Ghur, who hadn't heard my conversation with Parvache until now, noticed the existence of Parvache and looked at my bag with a strange expression.
[Please wait a minute, Truth-Seeker! There is still one request!]
However, it seemed that Parvache's will – that Ghur heard, wasn't delivered to the Truth-Seeker.
=What are you talking about? It's hard to understand. Spirit, can't you make a voice with that doll?=
[…Damn, I feel it again, but this damn totem is really uncomfortable for some reason. Hey, Min-joon. Take me out.]
I took Parvache out of my bag and put him down on the floor. Ghur's eyes widened when he realized that the telepathy he had heard came from this little toy.
=How did you get sealed in such a doll?=
[There are many stories.]
=I think you answered something, but I still can't hear it, Spirit.=
No. Why couldn't telepathy be transmitted when it said it felt Parvache's presence? I asked.
"…Can you really not hear? You said that you sensed its existence…"
=It is impossible for such a faint existence. Just because humans see an ant doesn't mean you can even hear the sound of its footsteps, right?=
Parvache was treated like an ant, but it replied as if there was nothing to refute.
[…As long as my mind is tied to such a cheap totem, my will seems unable to reach a mighty soul like you. It's shameful.]
I conveyed its words in voice, and the Truth-Seeker asked back.
=Why did you choose such a doll?=
[It was not my will, but the will of this human being that tied me together.]
After hearing what it said, the Truth-Seeker replied as if it was ridiculous.
=Is it an authoritative contract? But still, was there no better magic conductor in that dimension better than that material? I don't understand…but it's not my business anyway. Why did you call me Spirit?=
Then Parvache made a request to the Truth-Seeker. Ghur and I, who heard the request before the Truth-Seeker, looked at Parvache with puzzled eyes. I had to ask him back before I transferred it to the Truth-Seeker.
"Isn't that something I don't need anymore? I don't have to hide in the barrier anyway, so we don't have to expand it…"
Then Parvache explained his thoughts to me step by step, and when I heard it all, I had to nod my head. And I delivered every word Parvache told me to deliver without mistake.
"…Thank you for sending us back to our dimension. But before we leave, may I ask a request to the Truth-Seeker who lives in the Silver Forest?"
=What is it?=
I took a deep breath and spoke.
"May I get a little bit of the Enchanted Wood growing in this forest?"
***
The wind blew.
I shrugged off my long-grown and itchy bangs that tickled my eyelids. I was annoyed with these trivial things because my nerves were on edge. After getting out of the Silver Forest and relieving my tension, my heart was full of a mixture of emptiness, depression, anger. So on, it was swirling in a storm of emotions, all colliding and collapsing at once.
What were my last ten years for? Of course, it was relatively recent that the Truth-Seeker disappeared. If I knew he would end like this, I wouldn't have had to start suffering in the first place. Why did the great spirit access Akashic Records say that all crucial information related to Truth-Seekers cannot be accessed? And it is called Purbagios's staff who touched the source of knowledge.
Wouldn't something have changed if Parvache had known more about the Truth-Seeker?
I remembered a time when the Mana concentration exploded while installing the barrier, and my legs literally flew away. I couldn't even faint at that time, thanks to the constant magic training and strengthening of my spirit. While Parvache was taking over the control of my body through a backdoor open in my mind, I was crawling on the floor, feeling as if my brain was boiling, waiting for Parvache to knock me out.
Maybe, I didn't have to go through it in the first place?
I knew I was being irrational. Knowing that it wasn't his fault, I despised myself for blaming Parvache in the back of my mind. I felt like I was getting a bit out of mind. Meanwhile, another strong wind hit my face and passed by. The flapping bangs pricked my eyes again. They were itchy!
'Oh, this is so annoying!'
Yes, I should go to the salon first when I go back to Earth. Now, I won't have to stick to the traditional franchise salon within the barrier. I'll go a little farther. It wouldn't be bad to go to a neighborhood like Myeong-dong or Gangnam, which I have never been to since I came to Seoul. Now I could go anywhere I want to. If I had enough time, there would be no reason why I couldn't go to the head shop in England, where this franchise was first started.
Hold on. I had all the time in the world, right? It wasn't a good idea to go abroad to cut my hair, but what was important was that I could travel now. Yes, I have to go abroad! The neighborhoods I've always seen on TV! Yes, I also want to go to the famous cathedral in Barcelona that I saw in the entertainment program or the beer festival in Germany…
While my thoughts were spreading to this point, I suddenly felt as if I had thrown cold water on my head. That's right, the famous, unfinished cathedral was now banned from entering because it became a Wyvern's nest due to its proximity to the Channel. Germany now had martial law declared throughout the country, making it impossible for travelers to enter the country. Yes, I want to travel even if it isn't Europe, wherever it is.
"…You must have a complicated mind. Yoong."
As I remained silent for a while, Ghur spoke, looking at my face. We were now standing in front of a huge circular light source that was several times my height. It was the same Channel that I passed through a few days ago to come to this world. Clumped on the desolate land, this Channel wasn't far from the Truth-Seeker's Forest. Rumors that Truth-Seeker wouldn't be far from Silver Forest seemed to be true. If I walked in the opposite direction as soon as I left this Channel a few days ago, I could have found the Silver Forest right away.
I responded to this grateful giant who had accompanied me from the Silver Forest to here.
"Oh, I had a lot to think about. I'm sorry."
"I think your feelings are complicated. Isn't that good for you anyway? You don't need to live in hiding anymore."
"But… in the corner of my heart, I can't get rid of the despondency that I've done useless things until now."
"No, that's not true. To hear and judge the story, you and the spirit just did what you could do in that situation, and you did your best. How could you guess that the Truth-Seeker was gone? Even the Truth-Seeker in our world doesn't know why."
[…That's right, Min-joon. We've only been doing what we can and should do.]
Ghur agreed enthusiastically with Parvache's words.
"Yes. Didn't the results come out in a good way for you anyway? Now that you're free."
I sighed loudly as if shaking off the clutter of complex emotions in my head.
"That's right, Ghur. I no longer have to live in hiding. It's right to be happy."
The giant nodded.
"And you're right, Parvache. I agree."
In my head, I understood. We had done what we needed to do so far, and so now. I looked at the huge branches of the Enchanted Wood tree that Ghur was holding with determination. Of course, my mind hadn't been organized in an instant. But for now, I decided to do what I had to do now, leaving this sticky emotional nuance in a corner. Upon receiving my signal, Ghur stuck the Enchanted Wood branch taller than himself on the floor. Thumping vibrations rang under our feet.
"Thank you so much for helping me with this, Ghur."
"…They will be coming soon. Will it take long?"
"I think it will take almost half a day to install the barrier. I think we have to deal with them first, leaving the Enchanted Wood as it is."
After I said that, I focused my mind and slowly expanded the Channel on my chest. It took a few minutes to open the Channel and summon the existence of an alien world. It could be done enough before the Ashpim Giants reach us. This was because we predicted their attack in advance. I began to harmonize the existence and spirit of the alien world by chanting the spells. I thought it would be a little dangerous to completely kill the land surrounding the Channel connected to the Earth, so I decided to call out something other than the Waterbirds.
Anyway, if I had the spare time, the summoning magic was the most effective both in its strength and in dealing with large-scale enemies.
-Wheeing!
The Channel on my chest vibrated, and the blue light began to boil. Yes, I could use all of these magics because Parvache taught me. It made no sense to blame him. I calmed my mind and completed the spell.
The first plan I wanted to implement beyond the Channel was to seek the Enchanted Wood. The second plan was to search for a place within this dimension to create a great barrier as great as the Truth-Seeker one. In the end, I wouldn't use it to expand the barrier in Mok-dong, but now I found the Enchanted Wood. It was also decided to make something different in this dimension, not a barrier to deceive the Truth-Seeker. Both plans had different goals from what we initially thought, but we had achieved it as a result or were about to achieve it in a slightly changed state.
[Finally, it's like carrying out the last third of our plan.]
I couldn't respond due to reciting the spell, but I agreed with Parvache in my heart. Based on the map Elder Kapal gave, the experience of exploring the surroundings for a few days, and the stories I heard from Ghur's party, Parvache and I were able to come to one conclusion.
The number of Ashpim Giants living near the Channel connected to the Earth was far too large. And because they were trying to enslave humanity, they were dangerous. If I leave it to the Korean military, it would be possible to handle it for a while. Still, one day, they may not be able to handle the situation. With no plans to abandon my home right now, it was possible to expect that it would be difficult if that happened. To live freely was to live. I needed to clean up my surroundings.
Originally, I tried to end it with a simple barrier to make it difficult for them to get in and out of this dimension and prevent their constant attempts. But I agreed with Parvache's argument that a stronger barrier might be needed. And it would be helpful to instill some fear in the Ashpim Giants. The fear that if they tried to get to Earth, they would bring a hell of a lot of shit with them.
As soon as the spell was completed, the air fell heavily, and ominous energy began to pour out of my chest.