My Servant Is An Elf Knight From Another World

Chapter 467 - Soul Loophole

Five minutes came and whizzed on by in the blink of an eye. I returned the duffel bag back into its place of rest, accumulating dust and cobwebs for all eternity and beyond. 

Another five minutes went by, and I even had time to poke and prod at a few of my toy figures just for old time's sake. I had an elf figurine stashed all the way at the back of everyone else. It never was much of a favorite in the past, but y'know, after experiencing some life-altering events, growing as a person, I think it's more than safe to say that little elfy here deserved her own spot at the front lineup next to Gandalf and Master Chief.

Surprise, surprise, another idle moment of five adds up to fifteen minutes, and that's when I had the ingenious idea to knock on mom's door and politely ask exactly how long five minutes is in Demon Standard Time. 

"However long it needs to be!" chimed her muffled voice from behind her locked bedroom door. I think I also heard some drunk Ash's noises on top of it, she sounded like a frightened mouse, but it was a little hard to hear over mom's sinister chuckle faintly sounding as well. 

Should I be concerned? Maybe. But like hell I was gonna barge in there and risk a special spot for my name in some sexual offender registry. 

Welp, guess I'm waiting outside, then. 

I decided to take a walk while I loitered, but to where was a whole 'nother question. My feet just move, I let them guide me, allowing aimless wander to choose my destination, which, after a minute of it, turned out to be somewhere closer than I thought - the barn.

It seems as if my subconscious really was that keen to overwork itself to death if this is all it could think about.

Both barn doors were already slightly parted open, both rusted chain and lock hanging loose over one of the handles. Before I even went inside, I could already hear noise from within - hush rustling, metal clanking, grunts, and heaving - slowly, I swung the doors wider, letting the sunlight bleed inwards and unveil a bulky, lumbering silhouette clearing out an empty stable to the side. 

Dad's stark blue eyes whirled at me briefly, and grunted once in greeting before quickly returning back to his work, rustling and clanking all the way.

I grunted a 'hello' back, before steeping deeper in. The barn was a whole lot cleaner than before, less clutter, no random tools strewn about, everything had a more organized feel to it. 

The deeper I headed, the more distinct it became, that sound, that breathing - heavy, labored breathing 

- this particular section here had no organization to it. Straws of hay were all over the place, the ground was a bit damp, sticky, smelled like orange too, and then there's that breathing, that struggling…

Harry was lying on his side facing towards me. He was still asleep, but it was abundantly clear that it was not a peaceful sleep one bit. Teeth-baring, eyes straining, there were tears at his clothes, his shirt, little crude slits exposing parts of his bare chest like someone had been clawing away at it… like he was….

"If you are concerned, try not to be," the noises momentarily ceased, and Dad's blue eyes found mine once more. "This is good." 

"Is it now…" I muttered, eyeing the agony on Harry's expression and feeling just a little bit dubious. "So what is happening?" 

"You placed a ward, didn't you? It's working." 

"He's in pain…"

"A lot of pain," He said, and the noises continued, business as usual. "It'll settle in a few hours."

"But why?"

"Foreign entities," He explained through grunts. "First a parasite, now a ward, the human soul does not take well to being invaded. It's a delicate thing. Painful when disturbed. You've heard of Subjugation? Same principle."

If sympathy was calculable, something you could accurately, then I think the amount I garnered for this man would have fried even a quantum supercomputer.

Going through so much pain, so much anguish, and he hasn't even the faintest idea why or what for? Even if I did save him, what's next for him? That mental toll isn't just gonna disappear…

"There's nothing you can do for him now," Dad said, seemingly peering into my thoughts. "If you're that worried, consider the fact that he even lasted this long, even with help, that is already a remarkable feat in and of itself."

I continued my streak of short questions, "How so?"

"As with everything else, you need to have the will, the resolve," He looked up at his work, nudging his chin at the unconscious, writhing Harry. "All that pain, a parasite leeching your very essence for days, the trauma, the stress… and he's still lasting, he's still fighting. Anybody else - and we wouldn't even be here talking about this. He's strong, he'll stay strong… because clearly he has something in life worth staying this strong for."

Nick and Hayley both flashed in my mind, and I felt my own resolve strengthen even more.

"But rest is just as important as resolve," came his voice, and immediately I sensed the beginning of a lecture. "Now you have plenty of the latter, but barely any of the former. Take a few hours, for your own good, both of yours. Go sleep, go eat, go do anything. The barrier is not going anywhere." 

I know that tone, that deep bass in his voice was all too familiar. Y'know the voice, the dad voice. The kind of voice you didn't dare argue against.

And yet still my gaze wouldn't stray from Harry, my subconscious really has a death wish, doesn't it?

"Just… one last thing, I just wanna know one more thing," I said, then hearing a sudden pause in the noises took that as a sign to go on. "When that barrier goes down, what happens next? He'll be saved, but how exactly will be saved?"

For the next few seconds, I heard only Harry's continued grunts and gasping. Dad had a face on, that faraway gaze like he needed a few moments to ponder on about it. 

Then…

"I said it before, didn't I? There is no getting rid of the parasite. It is a fragment of another soul, it can be tampered with, but there is no destroying it. To completely be rid of a soul in its entirety, only the Lady Enstar possesses the means of doing so."

"But Mom - "

"Can't," He interjected. "Even Gods, even her, must adhere to the limits of their capabilities."

I was… confused. This wasn't making sense to me.

"Then, what is - you're saying Mom lied to me?"

"No, she meant what she said," He immediately replied. "She's so proud that you've become so noble and kind. Last night before bed, she kept going on and on to me about it. Your mother wouldn't dare let your efforts go unrewarded. She will keep her promise, she will help you."

And suddenly, we're back again at square one with me asking once more, "Help me how?"

"As I said, there is no completely destroying a soul," He said. "But there is displacing it."

I blinked at him. "Meaning?"

"The parasite feeds on the soul, fusing together, to become one and whole. But if it is instead offered and given another vessel, a stronger soul, a more powerful host… in order to save this man, your mother intends to bond with the parasite in his place, and it will feed and fuse with her soul instead."

At once, I could hear the alarms ringing in my head, see the giant red flags fluttering before my eyes.

"And what happens when that happens?" I asked.

"Typically, the new host would be the one consumed instead. A sacrifice in the victim's place."

I turned towards him, and there he was staring back so blunt, so casual, like we're talking about the weather or something. Well, there's a reason for that, I suppose.

"And we're not worried about that particular aspect because obviously, that wouldn't happen to her, right? Considering who exactly it is we are talking about here."

"I don't know, I have no idea what will happen. It's never been done before," came his ever as blunt reply, then seeing the look I gave him, added. "But she's not worried, and so neither am I."

Meaning to imply that I shouldn't be either…

"If she knew she couldn't, she wouldn't," Dad said, diving his head back down into the stable, rifling through scraps. "If the Divines and their champion themselves couldn't do it, then what measly little parasite stands a chance?"

"Knock on wood…" I muttered. 

He continued to grunt, heave. "If you're that worried, ask her yourself. Now if there's really nothing else, I would really like you to rest. Sleep, eat, go, shoo."

Yeah, I suppose I have dawdled around for long enough already. Time to go. Harry grunted again, and I gave him one last glance - a quick silent prayer - and retraced my steps back to the entrance. 

Once there, Dad called out again. "So what are you going to do? I really recommend sleep, because - "

"I'm going to the lake," I said. 

A pause. "That works too."

"Yeah, with Ash and - " then before I could even drop Adalia's name into the sentence, Dad's head popped back up over the stable fence, his stare going rigid. I did a do-over, raising a brow at him. "With Ash and Adalia…"

"To swim?" He asked.

I gave a scoff. "Wow, how'd you guess? I was thinking skydiving." 

He didn't share my amusement, but he rarely ever does anyway. Humor's just a lost cause for him. 

His lips move, twisting, contorting into all shapes and sizes like he was trying to say something but just didn't know how words are formed anymore. Until finally, he let out a breath.

"Um, I don't know if you notice, but… your El - Eshlywn is - Ash is, um, she's currently going through a - " 

"A phase?" I suggested.

"A sexy phase." 

Oh, I guess the humor didn't die, after all.

"I know," I said, nodding, smiling. "But how did you know? Can you sense it too, like Mom does?" 

"No, I just guessed, and I was right." 

I tilted my head. "Guessed how?"

"You're not going to make me repeat my whole life story again, are you?" He asked, making another surprising funny. "I know Elves. More than most. They convey a lot with their eyes, their ears, more than their lips sometimes… a single glance at their faces, and I'll know exactly what I'm up against." 

"That so?" I quizzed, crossing my arms at him. "So tell me, then - what exactly am I up against?" 

"A very interesting afternoon," He mused, then dove back into his work. 

"Right…" I muttered, then turned away. "Be back soon." 

"Yes," He said back. "Be safe, understand?" 

I had to chuckle at that. "Safe? Who do you think is going to drown?" 

"Not that kind of safe." 

What? What does he mean not that kind of - oh… okay, then…

I didn't chuckle at that.. "Understood."