Chapter 17 - Another World (7)
“Another labyrinth appeared? Ha, but the mana beast ant nest...”
“That is the law of nature. In the end, the survivors are those who triumph in competition, so we cannot avoid the fight.”
Serenian first informed the young elves that the World Tree had detected yet another underground world. It was certain that monsters would emerge from there once more, targeting the World Tree. Thus, she warned even the children.
“Do not fear battle, my dears. Even after the Demon King—whom they called absolute evil—vanished, this is something we who live in this world can never escape. I realized it far too late.”
With a sigh, she revealed the harsh reality to them, her expression bitter. She had grown up at around their age, hearing only bright and hopeful tales. Stories of how great and noble the elf race was. Sneering at humans for their infighting and exploitation, calling them barbaric—that had been part of it too. But those were outdated mindsets that blinded them to reality. Elves were no more noble or great than any other race. They were all the same. Regardless of race or origin, mere creatures struggling to survive. That was now Serenian's conviction as the leader of this new tribe numbering only three.
“We'll keep that in mind.”
The children, who had lost their parents in the civil war, understood what she meant. To protect what mattered, one had to grow strong—that was the basic premise. Fail to do so, and it would be taken away even more cruelly.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Ren, come with me to rebuild the palisade. Lea, keep processing the materials like I taught you last time.”
Handing the young girl scissors capable of cutting cloth for the altar cloth, she took the elf boy called Ren and headed to the front lines. Her intent was to repair the previously collapsed palisade and prepare to erect the walls again.
'Keep praying to the spirit. Share it with me too. I'll convey it to the spirit.'
Dragging a wooden stake made from a toothpick, strung with string she'd made herself, she recalled the words of the mysterious human she'd just met. The spirit was always watching over her. And it wanted to help her. In the past, she might not have believed it. Back then, the World Tree had been everything to her. But now, having received so much aid—even the young World Tree had been helped by that spirit—she truly believed in and relied on the heavenly spirit.
The moment the World Tree, which had been corrupted by enemies due to her own shortcomings, recovered with the spirit's help—that was a moment she'd never forget for the rest of her life.
“Grab there. When I pull, you push from below.”
“Yes.”
Soon, grunting as they dragged the timber into position, she caught her breath and adjusted the rope tied to it. The plan was to dig into the ground, fix the base, and then yank it upright with all her strength.
“Push!”
Of course, even for her—who had grown far stronger upon becoming a complete high elf—this was grueling work. Doing it alone, she'd have toiled until exhaustion just to make slow progress. Moreover, the still-immature boy Ren wasn't much help with the heavy lifting.
“Haa... haa...”
“Rest if you're tired. I'll fetch the rest.”
They'd only erected one pillar. It was a thick log far taller than they were, but to build a proper palisade as planned, they'd need dozens more.
“It's impossible with just us two. We need more help, Clan Leader. You know that.”
As she paused to catch her breath, sitting on the ground while Ren panted in exhaustion, she rose to get more timber—but Ren bit his lip and spoke up, his words sharp from frustration. He was angry at himself for being more enthusiasm than help, and fed up with the situation itself.
“Can't we go back to the village? If we persuade them well, surely others will believe this is a good place to live.”
“We're still too weak. And compared to our homeland, this isn't truly a better place yet.”
Looking into Ren's upturned blue eyes, Serenian shook her head gravely.
“They entrusted you to me out of fear of reprisal, and that angers me, but I understand our people. Leaving their home for this world... it's still too incomplete. They won't come, even if persuaded.”
Her face darkened as she thought of her fellow clansmen—her own kin from her home village—being threatened simply for her sake. Helping her would mean risking their lives. Even if she convinced them, she judged this land still too lacking to shelter many elves. Many hands were needed for stability, yet paradoxically, stability was needed to draw those hands.
“So we really have to do it all ourselves?”
“No, you're not wrong, Ren. It's shameless, but I must pray to the heavens again. The one who granted us a home, materials, tools... We have no way to repay that grace save devoted service, but now we have no choice. All we can do is beg for aid.”
With a wry smile, she murmured skyward. She knew constant reliance wasn't right, but she had much to protect now.
'Well, palisades do have their limits. Earthen walls even more so.'
Sensing the limits while struggling to build a sturdier, taller palisade than before, Serenian offered a prayer. To me.
[Elf's Prayer - Blessing Invocation]
I couldn't tell exactly what she wanted from such a prayer. The phrases reaching me in that format were too concise and abstract.
“You need to build a palisade but lack the strength, right?”
“Indeed. If only the spirit would send another divine beast to aid us.”
Now, however, I could properly discern her intent. Crossing from the rift in the corner to the Herb Pot, where I posed as the spirit's priest, Serenian confided what she'd prayed for.
“I guarantee the spirit will help soon.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
“Um, but there might be a condition.”
At that moment, I cautiously broached the issue I'd agonized over all night. She, about to leave, froze mid-step and turned back, eyes wide.
“Y-you know, right? The spirit doesn't dig up graves for a living.”
“What does it desire? We'll repay it with utmost devotion, of course. But we're worried since we have almost nothing to offer.”
“You don't need to do anything. Just that heartfelt intent to repay... is enough, it says.”
Feeling a pang of guilt, I averted my eyes and bluffed. What I wanted from the elves was permission to film them. Of course, she didn't know what a video was or what platforms existed. Even bringing it up like this was my final check on my conscience about profiting off them.
“Whatever the spirit asks, it matters not. There are no one-sided bonds in this world. If it helps even that way, I'll gladly offer my body.”
“The words are a bit heavy, but alright. Nothing bad will happen, so don't worry.”
I'd gotten permission somehow. Actually doing it would require steeling myself again. Watching her leave, I reverted to normal size and returned to the living room.
'Need sturdy workers, huh.'
First, tackle the urgent matter. I'd boasted boldly; failing to deliver would be bad. But no easy solution came to mind. The divine beasts she wanted—Battle Bot 001 or drones—were machines, but after scouring miniature sites for days, I'd realized hardly any micro-scale devices could move independently. Sending real-world heavy equipment with scale adjustment was even more impossible. You couldn't bring such things into the pots to begin with.
'Try another approach.'
In the end, I had to pivot slightly. Help her not with machines, but another way.
“Hmm.”
Browsing miniature product sites with that mindset, my eyes caught a kit for making miniatures yourself. Specifically, the materials included. The clay in that kit softened with just water and hardened rock-solid. In that tiny world, using it right could make building far easier.