Chapter 102: Carving Strength
The journey home was much quieter than before. Neither Gordon nor Andrew spoke much.
Perhaps it was the approaching Eternal Night.
Or perhaps it was the strange expression that had remained on Edgar’s face ever since he had looked through the Guardian’s eyes.
The Headless Soul Knight silently followed behind them as always.
...
Not long afterward, the massive Fortress gates closed behind them with a loud rumble.
The familiar warmth of the Unbroken Fire immediately washed over Edgar.
Without stopping to greet anyone, he headed straight toward his house.
---
Inside the main hall, a single oil lamp flickered quietly upon the wooden table.
Edgar sat down and spread several blank sheets of parchment before him.
He dipped the quill into the ink and closed his eyes.
He replayed the memory of what he had seen earlier.
The quill slowly scratched across the parchment.
One by one, strange symbols began appearing.
Each rune possessed dozens of tiny lines branching away from a central point.
A few appeared almost impossible to draw, their curves twisting together in ways that made his eyes uncomfortable.
Nearly half an hour passed before Edgar finally put the quill down.
"...Done."
He leaned back and examined the parchments spread across the table.
More than twenty different runes stared back at him.
"....."
Unfortunately, they meant absolutely nothing to him.
"I can’t even begin to understand where to start." Edgar rubbed his temples.
Runes clearly weren’t just decorative carvings hanging on the door.
The enormous stone doors had remained active for who knew how many centuries.
That alone proved they still possessed power.
’Maybe they’re some kind of language, or perhaps each rune has a completely different meaning.’
He thought about Semele for a brief moment.
If anyone nearby might recognize them, it would probably be her.
But Edgar quickly shook his head.
’Not yet.’
Showing her these runes would only reveal that he had discovered something ancient.
Until he understood more himself, he preferred to keep the cave a secret.
He carefully rolled the parchments together before placing them inside a wooden drawer.
"I’ll deal with this later."
There were more immediate concerns.
Edgar took out ten white Nightmare Stones that he had asked for earlier.
The pale crystals rolled across the tabletop with soft clicks.
Without hesitation, he picked up the first one.
The familiar warmth immediately entered his body. The stone crumbled into fine grey dust.
His Solar Heart greedily absorbed every trace of Nightmare Energy after refining it.
One by one, the white stones turned dull before collapsing into ash.
Soon, all ten had disappeared.
Edgar slowly exhaled.
The warmth spreading through his body was noticeably stronger than before.
His muscles felt lighter, and his mind felt clearer, like he had taken a long, restful nap.
Normally, this was where he would stop, but Edgar felt like the speed of his growth wasn’t enough.
’I am going to deal with things that are beyond my understanding... and I don’t want to feel helpless like I was in front of the Bell Demon.’
His eyes drifted toward the window. Beyond it, the Eternal Night had fully descended.
"..."
Edgar silently asked one of the Soul Guardians to bring him more Nightmare Stones.
Soon, one of them brought him twenty more white Nightmare Stones and placed them on the table.
"...Just this once."
Edgar mumbled to himself, hoping it wouldn’t have an adverse effect on his body.
He really wanted every bit of strength he could obtain.
One after another, the stones shattered inside his hands.
Warm currents flowed through his veins without pause.
The Solar Heart within his chest beat faster.
Thump.
Thump.
The refined energy poured into every corner of his body.
His breathing gradually became heavier. Tiny beads of sweat appeared across his forehead.
By the time the thirtieth stone had turned to dust...
Edgar finally stopped.
"...Huff..."
He leaned back on his sofa and closed his eyes.
His entire body felt strangely hot. It was not painful, but it was far from comfortable.
It was as though something inside him had reached its limit and refused to accept any more.
"...Looks like this is enough."
He didn’t dare absorb another stone.
Taking a deep breath, Edgar stretched his body and walked out of the house.
’Man, I need to build a new house...’
His main house was still being used by Hera and Maid Reeba for now.
Musing to himself, Edgar walked around the Fortress to calm himself down.
He looked around and found the youngest soldier, Wavin, patrolling.
"Wavin."
Edgar called the boy, making him pause.
"How is your health?"
"Better than before—Cough!"
The young boy coughed lightly.
"I’m still healing."
Edgar touched his forehead, which was still warm, though not excessively so.
"Don’t put too much strain on your body," he advised. "And make sure to get some good sleep."
The young boy nodded gratefully.
"I will keep that in mind, my lord."
Edgar let the boy go and turned his gaze toward the Unbroken Fire.
Beside it sat the woman who kept staring at him.
"...."
The blond boy quietly walked toward her with an expressionless look on his face.
"It’s uncommon for someone to catch a cold during this season." Semele said as soon as he came close. "People usually don’t get sick easily."
"I suppose so," he mumbled, sitting on one of the chairs placed around the fire. "By the way, you still haven’t paid your rent."
A small smile bloomed on her face, making Edgar uncomfortable.
"I will pay you," she replied gently. "If I can’t, then I have other ways to repay you."
Edgar didn’t dare ask what she meant.
’If she is referring to her body, then I would gladly take the offer.’
Despite his caution around her, Edgar couldn’t deny the fact that she was beautiful.
Semele kept looking at him, her chin resting on her hand.
"Is there something you want to ask?"
Edgar remained silent for a few seconds, debating inwardly before he finally gave in.
"Do you know what happened to the elves?"
Semele blinked before smiling.
"They are all extinct."