Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 18: Who Is Singing?
Almost the very moment the voice echoed in his mind, Marlon already knew who was speaking to him in this utterly inconceivable way.
It was the unknown elf mind sorcerer he had once seen in the treetop house at the top floor of the Light of Eshilia restaurant!
Marlon turned his head and looked around. Sure enough, behind him to the right, beneath a black dead tree that stood incongruously amid the vibrant greenery of the season, he saw the elf man, his black coat collar turned up high.
The warm spring sunlight seemed unable to touch him. He and the dead tree beside him were shrouded in a blackness the same color as death and the unknown.
“Three days from now, come to the Light of Eshilia to find me.”
With that calm tone lingering in Marlon’s mind, the elf of unknown identity turned and walked away.
Then Marlon was astonished to see that as the elf stepped away, the once completely dead black tree visibly began to sprout green shoots!
By the time the elf left the public cemetery, the black tree had fully come back to life, its green leaves rustling in the wind.
Marlon understood then: this was the elf demonstrating his power—
Even here, under the protection of the Earth Goddess and her priests, the elf dared to wield forces of life and death at will, reversing the fate of the dead tree as if it were nothing, and no one had noticed.
“Let me tell you a secret, boy with elven blood flowing in your veins. The one who caused your poor aunt’s death… is actually your compassion for those you call the guilty. Heh, I suppose you’ll want to know why.”
Though the elf had disappeared from Marlon’s sight, his final words remained in Marlon’s mind—a promise that three days later, Marlon would inevitably go to the Light of Eshilia restaurant to meet him.
The sudden words made Marlon’s heart tremble. And just at that moment, the funeral prayer of the Eternal Rest Priest reached its end—
“…Weina Lister, go to the realm of the gods. Your eternal sleep, from which you will no longer awaken, will bring lasting peace to your grieving kin…”
As the priest spoke the low yet powerful words, “lasting peace,” those attending the funeral quietly followed the ritual, murmuring, “eternal rest… lasting peace.”
Though the voices were soft, to Marlon—whose mind had been shaken by the elf’s words—they sounded like thunder striking—BOOM!
The explosive clash of sound in his mind sent him into a brief daze.
Then Marlon felt the cold, mysterious power that had been hovering, trying to merge with him, finally slip into his mind, taking advantage of his momentary distraction.
And then, Marlon felt his brain go numb, darkness overwhelming his vision… and he knew nothing.
…
Darkness. The edge of darkness.
Barefoot, Marlon walked in the borderlands of shadow. He knew he might be in a nightmare, yet his instinctive fear of the dark kept his steps cautious.
By any measure, Marlon was just an ordinary person among countless others. His mind was special, yes, but not yet enough to conquer his fear.
He walked in the darkness for an unknown time, growing weary, when he finally noticed a faint glimmer of starlight ahead.
Summoning his last strength, he ran toward the sparkling light—
With bare feet, gritting his teeth against his exhaustion, Marlon pushed forward. The faint starlight, once distant and unreachable, gradually grew brighter.
Finally, Marlon reached the source of the light.
But it was not a star—it was a white candle, burning with a silver-blue flame.
Carefully, Marlon reached out and took the candle that brought him light.
“Marlon… my nephew… thank you for caring for little Anvi… I will guard you, and illuminate your path…”
Marlon heard the ethereal voice.
Fragile, yet clear—it was the voice of his ill-fated aunt, Weina Lister.
The next moment, the candle flared brightly. Before Marlon stood two towering red doors, sealed tight, from within which faint, chaotic sounds emerged.
Marlon reached out, but the doors did not move.
Listening closely, he discerned voices filled with joy, anger, sorrow, and ecstasy—pain, madness, and fervor. He heard cries, laughter, and songs of passion.
Pressing his ear to the door, the voices grew clearer. Marlon could hear fragments of sentences:
An old yet amusing voice said: “Just kidding—”
An exasperated voice shouted: “I will definitely return!”
But soon, another voice overtook them, chanting in rhythm with a heartbeat: “-m-the-bone-of-my-swor…”
The chanting faded, replaced by a faint, distant female voice: “hello,jk-hnge-my-mi…”
Then a calm, emotionless female voice said: “It has been four years since the Alliance and the Horde joined forces to resist the Burning Legion…”
Then a loud, dazzling female voice sang a joyful song: “Who sings, warming the loneliness, white clouds drift, blue sky still weeps…”
…
Could these… be?!
Marlon vaguely began to piece it together.
The starlight of the candle in his hand flickered once.
As the light shone, the two massive red doors before him creaked, opening a narrow slit.
From the gap, colors of the rainbow streamed out!
Without hesitation, Marlon pressed his eyes to the crack and beheld a fantastical world, with figures strangely familiar to him!
Then came the sounds of many bowing voices, and from the chorus of different voices arose two words, identical in meaning despite different tones, thundering into Marlon’s mind:
“…Master.”
“…Mster.”