I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 163

CHAPTER 163

How much did I cry?

I pressed the knuckles of my hand against my eyelids. 

I wanted to take out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears, but it was already damp.

“Here.”

My mother handed me a handkerchief.

Seems like she should be the one using it.

“Thank you.”

I quietly accepted the handkerchief, wanting it somehow, and wiped away my tears.

After spending a moment suppressing emotions, my mother spoke first.

“So, you’ve come all the way here because of the World Tree.”

She looked at me with reddened eyes, pressing down firmly.

“If it’s because of the World Tree, I’m truly sorry, but there’s nothing I can give you.”

She pressed her eyes again. Unlike before, there were wrinkles on her forehead.

“I already met your father when I was young and had you. That’s enough to disappoint all the High Elves. I can’t afford to disappoint them further.”

Her face seemed to convey the pain of having to tell me such things.

“I am your mother, but I am also the leader who must protect them.”

Yet, despite the anguish in her words, there was no wavering.

Her face showed determination, believing in the path she was taking. 

I stared at her face for a moment, then nodded.

“A World Tree is a World Tree, but I’ve come here for other reasons.”

Honestly, it would be nice to obtain fruits or leaves from the World Tree.

But that wasn’t my main purpose.

“I’m searching for a way to the Divine Realm.”

“The Divine Realm?”

Her face stiffened.

“Why do you want to go there? No, how did you even find out about it in the first place?”

My mother rubbed her forehead, looking perplexed.

There must have been numerous questions flooding her mind.

From how I discovered I’m a wanderer to how I found out I’m a half-elf, and even how I knew the World Tree is connected to the Divine Realm.

Discovering the High Elf village would have been so complex and confusing that nothing else would have mattered.

“Memories came back to me.”

I said slowly as I took a sip of tea.

“There were several times when I almost died, and each time, a fragmented memory resurfaced.”

“What memory is that?”

“The memory of the day when the Titans attacked.”

I turned my head to look at the village.

Now, the peaceful village was engulfed in flames in my memory.

“I cried while looking for you, and you carried me into this temple. And then you met someone. I remembered you talking to that person.”

“That can’t be.”

My mother looked bewildered.

“That’s impossible.”

“Why are you so sure it’s impossible?”

I tightly held her hand.

“And why did you send me to the human realm?”

It had been a question I’d had for a long time.

At first glance, it seemed like I was sent away to protect myself from the Titan attack, but that wasn’t the truth.

If it were such a simple reason, all the other High Elves would have left and then returned.

‘You even said it would be better for me to leave during your conversation.’

It’s not entirely accurate, but didn’t my mom’s friend and Elam’s former contractor say something like that? 

And from the feeling of it, it seemed like the reason why Mom was so certain that I couldn’t recover my memories was there.

“You chose that method to save me. But was there no other way?”

“There wasn’t.”

Her tone was even firmer than before.

“There was no other way to save you except to leave this place.”

“…….”

“… You know, children with mixed blood from two races tend to be weaker.”

Most children with mixed blood from two races were not in good health. 

Of course, there were a few who surpassed expectations and inherited the advantages of both races, but they were the minority.

“But you were particularly unhealthy.”

Even a slight cough would make me cough up blood, and there were days when my fever was so high that I couldn’t even open my eyes.

There were many days when I couldn’t sleep, not knowing when I would die, and she sat by my bedside, sleepless, staring blankly at me.

I naturally grew slower.

While other children walked, ran, shouted, and played, I, the same age as them, just sat on the ground, staring blankly at them.

“I felt nothing but guilt.”

Why was I in such pain because she’s a High Elf? 

Why couldn’t I enjoy what others enjoyed?

Wouldn’t it have been better if I were human? 

Wouldn’t her daughter have been a little better off then?

She pondered and regretted things that couldn’t be changed.

“I kept looking for ways to make you feel better.”

Although rejected by others, she was the successor to the leadership. 

Thanks to that, she knew many High Elves, had access to a lot of information, and even searched for the Wanderer who found the race’s remedy.

“But I couldn’t find it. There was only one way.”

She chuckled.

“To send you out beyond the World Tree.”

“…”

“As you may know, all High Elves live only near the World Tree. Do you know why?”

“I don’t know.”

I slowly shook my head.

“Because we can’t survive without the protection of the World Tree.”

She smiled bitterly and poured me tea into my empty cup.

“It’s said that if we stay away from the World Tree for too long, even breathing becomes difficult. So if we don’t return, we gradually weaken and die.”

Hmm, so that’s why I never saw any High Elves. 

Even though others often prevented them, occasionally a rogue like me would emerge.

But even after traveling to various places for a long time, I never met a High Elf, and I wondered why.

‘So there was a reason for that.’

“I was one of those who received strong protection. So I was okay being away for a long time. That’s why I traveled around before becoming the leader and met your father.”

As the conversation veered off, she lightly shook her head as if to say that wasn’t the point.

“Anyway, you also thought so. That you couldn’t survive without the protection of the World Tree.”

“…”

“But that wasn’t true. The pure energy of the World Tree was suffocating you.”

Mother’s eyes, as she recounted the tale from long ago, seemed empty.

“I had to make a choice. Whether to give up the protection of the World Tree and send you away or to keep you here and continue to search for a cure.”

It felt like she had the same look in her eyes when she made that choice.

“If I sent you away, you would live, but you would lose all your memories.”

She sighed heavily, leaning back against the chair’s backrest as if exhausted. 

Then she chuckled.

“It wasn’t something to ponder over, but I did. Am I a bad mother?”

I slowly shook my head.

“It meant losing family.”

“…Thank you for understanding.”

Her face, as dry as the desert, continued with her words.

“So when you said you found your memories, I was surprised. Typically, memories that can’t be found due to shock.”

“Uh, um, yeah, about that.”

I couldn’t bring myself to be honest with my worried mother about what I had experienced.

How could I tell her that I nearly died trying to purify the successor to the Spirit King, only to become corrupted myself?

“That’s what happened!”

“…I see.”

Thankfully, she just let it pass.

Was it okay?

“So you found your memories like that. But why do you want to go to the Divine Realm?”

“Um, about that.”

Should I beat around the bush, or should I just make up a reason?

After a moment of contemplation, I decided to be honest.

Since I had to tell her about the intentions of the Lord and the evil god too.

I started my story slowly.

Even though I had already trimmed it down considerably, it was such a long story that by the time it ended, a lot of time had passed.

“I see.”

Mother’s face, having heard all the stories, was dark.

“So the Titans attacked our village.”

“Do…you believe me?”

Ethaniel had also doubted at first. 

I was surprised when he believed me outright.

“It’s a little surprising, but there’s no reason not to believe you.”

Mother nodded. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

“There’s no other race that knows the arrogance of the gods as well as we do.”

Ah, that’s true.

There were still living beings who had witnessed the arrogance of the gods firsthand, as our race lived for so long.

“And it’s not the first time the gods have targeted the World Tree.”

“Really?”

This time, I was truly astonished. My eyes widened.

“There have been a few times in the past when the World Tree was targeted. They didn’t find it, so only unnecessary places suffered.”

“Why do they keep targeting it?”

“They probably just don’t like the idea of other races besides themselves ascending to the Divine Realm.”

This time, Mother openly sneered.

“It’s a thought typical of races that have an aversion to being in the same space as beings other than the gods.”

Wow, that’s harsh.

But I agree.

Having directly experienced and still experiencing the tyranny of the gods, I nodded.

“So, if things aren’t properly handled at the temple of the Lord this time, I plan to ascend to the Divine Realm. It’s a kind of insurance.”

“Whether things are handled properly or not, you seem like you’re going to ascend to the Divine Realm anyway.”

…Is it because she’s my mother that she can see through me like this?

As I glanced at my mother nervously, she chuckled lightly.

“To be honest, if I were you, I would do the same. It’s been a long-time dream to outsmart the gods, you know.”

“…”

So, this is what they call genetics.

“Yeah, then let’s convene the council first. It’s not something I can decide alone.”

I nodded.

Anyway, I had to visit the temple of the Lord, so there was enough time.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Sure.”

Mother nodded lightly.

“The elders are those who have witnessed the arrogance of the gods firsthand, so it shouldn’t be difficult to convince them. Some of them even saw the gods searching for the World Tree when they were young.”

There seemed to be some divine messengers of the Dragon-class caliber among them.

Well, that suits me fine.

There’s a difference between just hearing about something and experiencing it firsthand.

I got up. It was time to go.

No matter how sophisticated Lionel’s illusion was, I couldn’t deceive Betty, who had been with me for so long.

“Can I ask you one thing?”

My mother, who also got up, asked.

“Dear, am I your mother?”

It was a question that contained many questions.

Whether, as a Wanderer, I would consider her like a mother.

Whether there was any resentment for being sent to the human realm alone at a young age and raised without a mother.

Well, a question full of such questions.

“Yes, of course.”

I smiled broadly.

“Mom will always be my mom.”