Finally, after a long silence, Roubaul spoke.
"Four hundred years ago, it was an age of war.
The arrogant Nirvits Tribe wanted to stop the conflicts across the world. To forcibly create peace, we created the ultimate magic that can invert good and evil—Nirvana.
It was a sacred light that, in an instant, could completely purge the malice from the hearts of all the wicked in an entire city."
Roubaul lifted his head toward the blue sky, his gaze filled with remembrance, as if he had truly lived through that era.
"As a symbol of peace for our nation, Nirvana truly opened a new age. For a time, disputes vanished. Killing stopped. The world seemed to welcome a grand harmony.
"But… good times never last."
The old man's voice dropped, heavy with helplessness.
"Great power will inevitably produce an opposite counterforce. That is the truth of this world.
As Nirvana forcibly turned immense darkness into light, it itself… was eroded by that endless darkness."
"To maintain balance, Nirvana cannot transform a human soul into light forever. Because darkness will give birth to light—yet excessive light… will inevitably breed an even deeper darkness."
Roubaul paused.
Listening from the side, Shane frowned in confusion.
Thinking back to what he'd seen—whether it was Ultear or that boar—both had been forcibly flipped from "good" or "neutral" into "evil."
He rubbed his chin, then reconsidered.
Maybe that was normal. In a forest that vast, it couldn't be only one boar that had wandered near Nirvana's cavern.
Roubaul continued.
"And so, the darkness that was stripped away… latched onto us, the creators of Nirvana."
His voice began to tremble.
"It was a hell that cannot be described in words.
Overnight, the tribesmen who once took pride in our creation changed completely.
Greed. Violence. Cruelty…
We began slaughtering one another. Blood drowned our homeland, and our brilliant civilization collapsed in an instant."
"In the end, the entire tribe was wiped out."
Roubaul closed his eyes.
"Only a single surviving branch remained. They sealed Nirvana with their lives, and swore that for generation after generation, we would guard this sinful root."
"Deception—… that is the story of the Nirvits Tribe."
He looked again at Ultear, who had fallen into thought, and asked softly,
"Does that answer your question, little girl?"
The wind brushed through the dead ruins, stirring fallen leaves.
Ultear lowered her head and didn't speak for a long time. Strands of hair fell over her eyes, hiding her expression.
At last…
She lifted her head. The sharpness from before was gone, replaced by the calm of someone who had fully understood.
She bowed to Roubaul, solemn and respectful.
"I understand. Thank you for explaining."
And without lingering even a second, she turned and started walking out of the village.
Shane hurried after her, utterly baffled.
"Hey! You're really not going to say what you understood?! Do you know how annoying it is to stop halfway like that?!"
He was the type who couldn't keep things bottled up—especially not when Ultear was acting all profound and mysterious.
She ignored his shouting until they passed through the village's broken gate. Only then did she stop.
"I understand…"
She looked out at the open world and spoke, her voice clear and cool like a spring.
"How dangerous it is for weak humans to touch powerful things they can't understand—things they can't control.
Trying to use unstable power to fulfill a wish is doomed to bring destruction and failure. Just like the Nirvits Tribe."
Shane blinked.
He'd expected some moral sermon—be a good person, don't play with hearts—something like that.
Instead, that was her conclusion?
"So you…" Shane raised a brow. "You're giving up on your wish?"
"No."
Ultear turned back. The last light of sunset painted her profile in gold and red, making her usually cold eyes blaze with color.
"So I've decided."
"To fulfill my wish—without being consumed by power—I'll become strong. Stronger and stronger."
"Only the strong have the right to control taboo power, instead of being toyed with by it."
"Huh?"
Shane laughed and poured cold water straight on her.
"You can't even beat me right now. And there are plenty of people in this world stronger than me. How strong do you plan to get?"
Ultear didn't get angry.
She lifted a slender, pale hand and gently tucked her wind-tossed black hair behind her ear.
The motion was so effortless and elegant that Shane couldn't help thinking she'd been looking more… womanly lately.
"A weak person becoming strong doesn't have to rely only on improving their own skills," she said.
She stepped forward, closing the distance.
In her sunset-lit eyes, Shane's reflection was perfectly clear.
"They can attach themselves to the strong. Befriend the strong. Or even personally select and cultivate the strong.
As long as it's power I can use, then it becomes my strength."
Shane burst into shameless laughter.
"If you've got that kind of resolve, then isn't the strongest option right here? Me? I'm not exactly feeling the 'good attitude' from you."
"With a personality as cold as yours, you're talking about 'attaching' and 'befriending'?"
Ultear paused.
She didn't argue—she only turned her head slightly.
And for the briefest moment, a faint smile crossed her face, like ice beginning to melt.
It vanished so quickly that Shane almost thought the sunset had tricked his eyes.
Before he could react, she'd already composed herself again and walked forward.
All that remained was the clean, beautiful silhouette of her slender back.
"Hey?"
Shane's mouth twitched. Again with the half-said nonsense? Can all you riddle-speakers please get out of Ishgar?!
Annoyed, he pinched his cheek and didn't follow.
Instead, he leaned against a broken wall with arms crossed, calmly watching her disappear into the distance.
Worth Woodsea was absurdly huge, with complex terrain and endless ancient trees that all looked the same.
He wanted to see whether this girl, who'd just delivered a whole "strong people theory" speech, could actually walk out of this labyrinth on her own.
Sure enough, not long later, that familiar figure came back.
This time, though, her once-composed steps had lost their elegance and looked… stiff.
Shane studied her with great interest, waiting to see how she'd react.
Ultear walked to his side with a stone-cold expression and stopped.
Her chest—still developing—rose and fell slightly with suppressed anger and embarrassment.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself not to speak, as if nothing had happened.
Seeing her eat humble pie, Shane nodded to himself. Finally, he felt satisfied.
Yeah. This expression was the Ultear he was used to.
So you like acting deep and talking in riddles, huh?
You like leaving people hanging while you try to look cool, huh?
Then have the guts to not come back and ask me for a lift!
~~~
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