Translator: CinderTL
"Roland..."
Galvis lay on his back on the soft velvet bed, staring blankly at the stone ceiling carved with intricate vine patterns. He murmured to himself, his eyes vacant.
"When are you coming...?"
The space he now occupied stood in stark contrast to the dark dungeon where he had been imprisoned.
The spacious room was well-ventilated, carrying a faint, fresh scent of grass and wood.
The walls were constructed of polished white stone, adorned with exquisitely woven tapestries depicting the mythological epics of the elf race.
Soft light streamed from mana storage crystals embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the elegant wooden furniture, the long benches covered in soft animal hides, and the incomparably comfortable bed beneath him.
Yet this sudden "courtesy" brought him no comfort; instead, it deepened his inner anxiety and restlessness.
Galvis paced to the room's single narrow window and peered through its intricately carved iron bars.
Outside, two fully armed elf warriors stood like statues, their postures vigilant and unyielding.
Since that day Tula had brought him out of the dungeon under the pretext of a summons from the Council of Elders, he had been confined to this opulent chamber, completely cut off from the outside world.
Time seemed to have lost all meaning here; he had no idea how long he had been here.
Though the food and treatment were a world apart from the dungeon, the absolute solitude, the lack of conversation, was driving the bard, a man who lived for fables and stories, nearly mad.
"Sigh..."
He sighed softly, turned from the window, and sat down at the desk by the window. From his breast pocket, he withdrew a thick, leather-bound notebook, its cover of fine, thick leather, and carefully laid it flat on the polished surface of the desk.
Picking up a quill, he dipped it in ink and began to write, the tip scratching softly against the paper. As he wrote, he murmured to himself, as if conversing with himself, to banish the suffocating silence.
"...The chapter on the Kingdom of Golden Valley is finally complete, both the research and the initial draft. All that remains is some minor proofreading and refinement..."
His pen tip paused, and he looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the wall and travel to some distant place. His voice was tinged with deep regret and curiosity.
"I wonder what kind of adventures Roland experienced in the Stone Kingdom... grey dwarves, mind flayers, and that legendary shell ship... By the gods, these should have been perfect material for an epic!"
He set down his pen and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Good heavens, why was I in such a hurry to return to Eversong Forest?"
After briefly dispelling his frustration, Galvis's thoughts inevitably drifted to another matter that had been gnawing at him.
He put down his quill and tapped his fingers absently on the table.
"Roland said he's... Rudolph? That legendary hero from the Crystal Era? That was at least... a thousand years ago?"
The bard shook his head, finding the idea itself absurd.
Yet, recalling Roland's consistently steady and never-boastful nature, Galvis's confusion only deepened.
"But what if... what if it's true?"
Once the thought arose, it became impossible to suppress.
"So, what exactly happened during those long millennia?"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Right! Teacher Vesna! She must know something! She taught me for nearly a century, her knowledge as vast as the sea..."
But at the thought of his enigmatic mentor, the spark of hope that had just ignited in Galvis's heart quickly dimmed.
"But... Teacher Vesna has always been taciturn. Apart from the art of bardcraft and ancient lore, she rarely revealed any personal matters or secrets. Even if I asked, would she really answer?"
He sighed, temporarily suppressing the thoughts of his mentor and the thousand-year mystery.
"Never mind..."
The bard turned his gaze back to the guarded door.
"It's too early to dwell on that now. The priority is to figure out how to escape this gilded prison."
Just as Galvis was lost in thought, the previously silent corridor outside began to fill with the sound of steady, rhythmic footsteps, growing steadily closer.
At the sound of footsteps, Galvis immediately tensed, like a startled leopard. He swiftly gathered the manuscripts spread across the table, tucked them into his tunic, and his face took on a wary expression. The entire movement was fluid and swift.
Though he'd only heard the footsteps, the perceptive bard instantly recognized the visitor's identity: Tula. After all, he'd never heard such precise, unwavering steps from anyone but this elf, whose every gesture was eternally elegant and proper, as if even his footsteps had been meticulously designed.
As expected, the footsteps stopped precisely outside the door. With a soft click, the door slowly swung open, revealing Tula's breathtakingly beautiful face at the threshold, flanked by his two silent elf guards.
Tula inclined his head in a flawless bow, his face wearing a perfectly calibrated smile. "Mr. Galvis, I hope the accommodations I arranged for you are comfortable. Have you been resting well these past few days?"
"Thanks to you, I've been eating well and sleeping soundly. Couldn't be better," Galvis replied.
Galvis replied calmly, his gaze fixed on Tula. "Then, Lord Tula, what brings you here this time? And what have you done with Avril?"
Galvis had already figured it out. Since he was being held captive here, Avril's earlier claim about being summoned by the Council of Elders must have been a lie.
Tula didn't answer Galvis's questions directly, merely shaking his head with a hint of resignation. "Miss Avril... is simply too stubborn," he said softly, his tone still gentle as he turned his gaze back to Galvis. "However, Mr. Galvis, I suspect you won't be so obstinate."
With that, he gestured for Galvis to follow.
Seeing the fully armed, solemn-faced elf warriors behind Tula, Galvis knew he had no choice but to follow silently.
They didn't head outside, however, but instead proceeded down a wide, dimly lit corridor before turning into a spiral staircase that descended into the earth.
The stone steps were polished to a mirror-like smoothness, and the light-guiding crystals embedded in the walls emitted a steady, faint glow, stretching the shadows of the group across the cold stone walls, flickering with each step.
During this silent descent, Galvis's mind raced.
Tula's words... they imply there's something he wants from both Avril and me. But what could we possibly have in common?
He pondered inwardly.
Avril was a renowned valkyrie of the Silver Moon Guard, a formidable warrior. He, on the other hand, was merely a bard, skilled in composing poems and playing music.
If not for Roland, their paths would likely never have crossed.
So, what could it be?
As they entered a deeper underground area of the structure, where flickering flames began to illuminate the walls, Galvis's mind suddenly jolted, a thought striking him like lightning.
He recalled their conversation in the dungeon earlier.
Chosen one...
Galvis's steps faltered almost imperceptibly.
Avril and I... we're both chosen ones!
At that moment, Tula stopped before an ancient, heavy wooden door.
Galvis also halted, seizing the opportunity to carefully observe his surroundings.
This place was utterly different from the areas he had passed through earlier.
The air was filled with a mixture of old wood, dried herbs, and a...
indescribable, metallic-like, cold fragrance.
The walls no longer bore mana storage crystals; instead, silver lamps hung from them, their flickering flames casting dancing shadows across the exceptionally smooth stone floor.
An atmosphere of solemnity and reverence, even carrying a sacred weight, permeated the air, silently speaking of this place's extraordinary nature.
Tula waved to the elf warriors behind him, signaling them to remain outside and maintain vigilance. Then, he extended his long, slender fingers and slowly pushed open the heavy door.
He turned sideways, gesturing for Galvis to enter with a "please" motion, his voice remaining steady.
"Please, come in."
With that, he stepped into the darkness beyond the door.
An indescribable, cold, and viscous aura rushed out from within, making Galvis's scalp tingle as if countless tiny ice needles were pricking his skin.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and stepped across the threshold.
The space inside was far more spacious than he had imagined, dimly lit by only a few faint lamps placed in the corners.
His eyes adjusted after a moment, allowing him to discern the scene within.
On either side of the room stood rows of meticulously crafted wooden statues, each so lifelike it seemed to breathe.
Drawing upon his bardic knowledge, Galvis instantly recognized the deities they represented:
Lebeiras Innori, god of the forest and hunting.
Lebeiras Nerifien, master of fate and death.
Shuni, goddess of beauty and love.
Didri, god of artisans and forging...
Each statue depicted a revered deity from the elven pantheon.
Yet as Galvis's gaze moved past these familiar figures, it involuntarily focused on the very center of the room, at the deepest point.
His breath caught in his throat.
There stood another wooden statue, slightly taller than the others, occupying the most honored position.
Its features were carved with exquisite detail, radiating an otherworldly gentleness and compassion, a perfectly measured smile gracing its lips.
That face...
Galvis whipped his head around, staring at Tula, who stood quietly beside him with the same gentle smile on his face.
The face of the statue was identical to Tula's.
(End of the Chapter)
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