Kapitel 3: First Disciple

Ely put the young elf on the ground as she was still not quite sure what had just happened. She went to check on the slime's remains, but it had become like a mess of pitch-black mashed jelly.

It was just a normal mud slime a few seconds ago.

It was just an inexplicable fleeting feeling. But, she felt as if the cursed energy she had just purified was strangely familiar. Her memories of Ruvoid and an army of curse demons came to her mind all of a sudden.

"Desperate cursed creature, huh. And that young elf... Even though her condition was so decomposed and she became this kind of creature, she turned back after the curse was obliterated and her energy stabilized? What should I do?" Ely stored all of the pitch-black jellies in her storage pouch to research it later, then looked at the unconscious young elf.

She still had to explain the situation to that elf with a reasonable story. That way, she could recruit the mentioned reliable subordinate and gain this elf's loyalty.

"U-uhm..." The young elf flinched slightly and opened her sky-blue eyes slowly. Her memory was jumbled, and her vision was still blurry, but the vague figure dressed in red and white was visible in her sight.

"Are you awake?"

The gentle, soul-soothing voice sounded like a clear bell that made the young elf sober and felt peace.

The young elf's vision gradually became clear. She propelled her bare body to sit.

She looked at her dainty hands and checked her body as if she couldn't believe it was real. "Eh? My body... how can that be? I've turned back?"

Ely sat down on a nearby fallen tree trunk. She then opened her mouth to answer the young elf's confusion as of she was a sage. "The curse that befell you has been purified. Now you are free, back to normal."

"Are you the one who saved me? What is the curse?" The young elf looked at her savior with immense gratitude.

Her savior was a graceful girl with long black hair who possessed the appearance of an angel from heaven who could make everyone feel captivated with deep reverence, dressed in a traditional outfit and exuding a faint holy aura.

The angel's gorgeous appearance and features seemed too perfect for this world, but it was present in front of her. Even though her savior belonged to thе ѕаmе gеndеr, ѕhе couldn't help but be awestruck and attracted.

"Yes, that curse, hmm... a cruel curse that was unleashed upon you, the hero's descendant." Ely felt a bit overwhelmed in explaining what she wasn't sure about herself. Nevertheless, she recalled her newly regained memories and could use the so-called Ruvoid for reference.

"Huh?" The young elf blinked her eyes with both confusion and wonder.

"It's natural to be surprised, but you already know that, right? About how you were cursed and what you've been through." Ely responded casually, then opened her grimoire. She prayed to it to show her information about the particular evil demon scheme, demonic cults, demonizations, or something similar.

"Have you ever heard of the heroes who fought the Heavenly Demons and the Demon God of Curse? The folktales and untold mysteries about them... it's all true." Ely found what she was looking for, then looked at the young elf with a resolved gaze. She would recruit this young elf at all costs.

*Gasp*

The young elf gasped and widened her eyes.

"Those ancient Heavenly Demons were capable of inflicting curses on anyone and anything. When the heroes managed to eliminate those demons, an even more terrifying curse struck the heroes who saved the world. The curse impacted the blood of heroes' descendants for generations. That was what turned you into a slime-like mass of rotting flesh." Ely narrowed her eyes slightly as if she felt a bit troubled. Everything she said was a combination of the story given by her grimoire.

She then continued. "However, a group of people distorted history and buried the truth. They turned the descendants of heroes into objects of contempt, something like demonic possession."

"!?" The young elf flinched slightly, feeling everything become clear. She never once doubted her savior's words because she knew one thing was obvious.

So, the heroes received a heavenly curse after saving the world, and their descendants would fall into demonic possession in time. That was the great truth about why she was thrown into the abyss by her tribe. She once witnessed the terror when she slowly turned into a mindless monster.

The young elf grasped her head while shivering from excessive fear. However, a glimmer of light came to her mind upon a realization.

If the heroes failed to deal with the heavenly curse, then what about someone who could eliminate that curse and restore the desperate, pitiful ones like herself back to normal? She was no longer a monster but an elf. She had been saved by this omnipotent saviour!

The story of the heroes who saved the world was known to almost everyone, but no one knew about the cruel truth. The descendants of heroes were scattered all over the world, and she definitely wasn't the only one who suffered the curse for having the blood of heroes.

"And the mastermind behind everything is... I, I can't tell you yet." Ely glanced alternately at her grimoire and the young elf several times. She would use the so-called Heavenly Demon tale and information from her grimoire as a convincing backstory.

"Who are they? Please tell me." The young elf crawled closer, staring at her savior with great determination and a strong thirst for the revelation of truth.

"Then I will tell you. They can come in many shapes, names, and backgrounds. There are many demonic cults in this world. The world is so vast, and they can be anywhere. Although different, they have the same goal. They plan to resurrect the Heavenly Demon God to this world." Ely closed her grimoire, and it flew behind her before mysteriously disappearing into thin air.

"!!!" The young elf gritted her teeth.

"They will not come onto the stage easily. My wish is to stop the evil from the shadows." Ely grasped her hand on her lap, looking at the young elf with the signature look of an omnipotent master.

"Maybe, right... My name is El-, no, my name is Miko, a shrine priestess of the Sacred Mountain." Ely decided to use a stage name because it would be useful for later use.

"Lady Miko?" The young elf looked at the shrine priestess before her with deep reverence as she could see her savior emitting an astonishing holy aura. Her savior was a holy deity!

"This journey may be difficult, but I still have to carry out my duty. O hero's descendant, are you ready to walk that path with me?" Ely stared at the young elf's sky-blue eyes, expressing her intention to recruit the other party.

"This disease, no, this curse... Ever since this curse took over me, I lost everything. If that is your wish, I will dedicate my life to you. Then, put the perpetrators to death." The young elf looked at her hands, then grasped her belief in place.

Ely stretched out her hand and smiled faintly. The young elf then took her hand.

"Our enemies may be powerful ones with strong influence. Many people are controlled by them without knowing the truth, but we can't forgive anyone who gets in our way. We should find other descendants of heroes, then recruit them." The young elf stood up but still grasped her savior's hand. She brought her face closer to burn her savior's angelic face into her memory.

"Eh? Ah, yes." Ely was pleased. This young elf was convinced, and the other party established a promise to serve her. She finally got a reliable subordinate, right?

"While expanding the organization, we also have to create a base. We also have to raise a lot of money." The young elf grasped her savior hand with both hands.

"Yes, but don't overdo it." Ely nodded slightly. She felt a bit overwhelmed because her first subordinate was so ambitious and serious about the story she had told just now.

'Uh-huh? Am I telling the right story earlier? The background story is mixed up a bit between the other world's situation and this world's tale, right? I actually never lie in my life. What should I do? I messed things up...' Ely broke out in a cold sweat.

She then took out a cloak to cover the young elf's bare body. "Then our organization's name is Guardian of Dream. And your name is- Err, do you have a name?"

"I don't have a name. Please grant me a name." The young elf shook her head as she decided to leave her past self.

Ely thought of a name, and something somewhat memorable came to mind. "Then, from now on... your name is Gabriella. My first disciple (subordinate)."

"Gabriella, greet master." Gabriella knelt like a knight before the supreme ruler.