Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Dream Interpretation is Better Than Dreaming (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hmm..."
Ting-a-ling -
"Mm..."
Nothing.
No matter how much I looked, there was nothing.
This tree, called the body of the World Tree, was practically empty.
Except for the elf souls sitting on its branches, it was an empty house.
"No one's here...?"
I subtly checked Lomenel's reaction.
Telling the elves, who believed the World Tree resided here, that the place was actually empty inside would inevitably anger them.
But what could I do...
I truly couldn't sense any god.
"It definitely felt like there was something before..."
Last time, when I was fighting the evil spirit, I had definitely sensed it.
If only briefly, the god that had possessed me was not the one that usually dwelt in my body, but someone else.
And since the branches had shaken following the rattle, that god could be presumed to be the World Tree.
"It might have gone somewhere for a bit..."
I checked Lomenel and the other elves' reactions once more.
As fellow servants of the gods, I couldn't help but watch their reactions closely.
But the elves' responses were consistent.
"I see."
They all wore gentle smiles.
There was no sign of anger.
Only Lomenel showed a hint of worry.
Probably concern about that dark thing that had been inside the tree.
"If you're worried about something like that evil spirit taking hold again... I have a way."
"A way?"
"Something to keep impure energies from approaching... um... like a kind of defensive spell...?"
Old Man Closel jumped in eagerly, his eyes sparkling.
"Do it right now."
"No, I was just speaking figuratively; it's not actually magic..."
"Whatever it is, it'll surely shake up the world of magic academia. What a treat in my old age."
I had no idea how many times that damn magic academia had been shaken up by now.
It wobbled at every little thing.
Lomenel shook her head.
"We can't impose on Chris any further. The World Tree is fundamentally the one we elves serve. From now on, it's our responsibility."
"It's not really an imposition..."
It wasn't that difficult anyway.
And for me, it was something that had been nagging at my mind anyway.
I saw our old men exchanging meaningful glances.
Old Man Closel approached Lomenel with a sly grin.
"Since we've saved the World Tree, Chris here is an unprecedented benefactor to the elves."
His expression was so sly that even the dignified Lomenel flinched visibly.
"Our Chris is a bit frail physically... Don't the elves have 'that' thing?"
Old Man Parmon chimed in as well.
"I'm not saying this because he's one of my companions... No one but Chris can do something like this."
"Ramon's right. Even mages can't do this."
"...."
The old men's lukewarm gazes turned toward me.
I wished they wouldn't look at me like that.
Especially not Lomenel.
"Lomenel...?"
I was wrong.
Lomenel's gaze was even hotter than the old men's.
"Very well. Then, we'll formally commission Chris."
"...??"
"Perfect."
"Accept it quickly."
Their faces said, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and accept Lomenel's request.
But there was something I needed to clarify first.
"That thing the old men mentioned... how much is it?"
"...."
"...."
After a brief silence, the old men started chuckling.
"It's priceless."
"You're the first to put a price on something like that."
Then it's something I can't accept.
As a shaman, the rewards I can receive for my work are limited.
I can't accept it even if I want to.
As I opened my mouth to speak, the two old men grabbed Lomenel's hands first.
"From your expression, it looks like you'll accept."
"We understand each other without words. Let's proceed right away."
Facing the old men's expressions, it was hard to flatly refuse.
It was like the face of grandparents wanting to sneak an extra rice cake to their grandchild.
If it's something I can't accept anyway, they'll handle it themselves...
By then, the old men won't be able to say much.
"Alright, let's get started. But I need a few preparations first..."
As I listed what was needed, I saw the elves, who had been listening intently from afar, spring into action.
The preparations were ready in an instant.
"Those plant stems need to be dry ones only."
I had asked for something as similar as possible to straw since there was none.
They looked like they could make ropes, but in that moist state, they'd rot quickly.
"Just dry them?"
"Yes. The drier, the better."
The elf who asked handed me the plant stems while staring at them, then summoned a spirit.
"Casa."
Whoosh -
Fire spirits are described in various forms by the locals here.
The low-grade fire spirit called Casa was said to take the form of a bird, but seeing it in person, it was just a small child's shape.
About the size of a gnome.
Whoosh -
Flicker -
Casa, shaking its flames, alternated glances between the elf and me before approaching me.
Blankly.
It looked at the World Tree, then at me.
Me, then the World Tree.
With a puzzled face, alternating between us, Casa soon seemed to understand something and bowed toward the World Tree.
Then it bowed to me once more.
I had no idea why it always bowed to me...
"Lomenel, do you know why the spirits are bowing?"
Lomenel was already looking at me and Casa with a surprised expression.
Her reaction was no different from Casa's.
Alternating between me and the World Tree, Lomenel nodded as if accepting something.
"Long ago, I heard a story that spirits bowed to high elves. I thought it was just a fairy tale since we can't see them anymore, but..."
Watching Casa dry the plants, Lomenel continued.
"With you, Chris, it makes sense. You even seem closer to it than I am..."
Lomenel's blood was shared from the World Tree's body.
If even that divine blood felt I was closer...
Interrupting my thoughts, an elf held out the thoroughly dried plant stems.
"Is this good enough?"
"Yes. Perfect."
I also saw elves coming from afar with colorful cloths.
Everything seemed prepared.
After performing the shrine ritual, it wouldn't be easy for an evil spirit to take hold like this time.
Sacred cord.
A cord used to bar the entry of malevolent entities.
With talismans infused with plenty of spiritual energy tied at intervals, its effect should be decent.
"Is this sufficient?"
I nodded confidently at Lomenel's question.
It might be the first time here, but the method's efficacy was already proven.
"It'll block most things. And since the tree itself is sacred, no need to worry."
Right now, the World Tree's trunk was wrapped in dangling sacred cords.
The thickest stems had colorful cloths wrapped around them, fluttering in the wind, and elves were adding even more.
"No, don't add more there. The branches will droop."
The shrine tree's branches must point toward the sky.
Toward the heavens, or it's not a shrine tree. If branches point down, it becomes something entirely different.
"If that goes down, it'll attract stray spirits..."
The more branches point downward, the better the environment for stray spirits to settle.
The major branches all pointed skyward, so no issue, but better safe than sorry.
Especially since an evil spirit had already settled once...
"Let's see... Sacred cords placed well... Talismans positioned nicely..."
It made for quite the impressive sight.
"These cords need replacing when the time comes. For now, let's perform the shrine ritual."
A ritual praying for abundance and peace to the shrine deity.
Perfect for the World Tree.
I fiddled with the sacred cord and took a step.
Step.
Step.
"Please take good care of the elves..."
Step.
"And the elf village as well..."
Ting-a-ling -
"Hm...?"
I turned my head and looked at my hand.
Ting-a-ling -
I hadn't shaken the rattle.
And the sound I heard now wasn't from my hand.
It rang directly in my mind.
Snap -
Something snapped.
Thud -
The source of the sound was the sacred cord.
Thud -
The fallen sacred cord struck the top of my foot.
"The sacred cord broke...?"
No impure energy was felt.
Just a single strand had snapped.
"...."
Ting-a-ling -
The rattle sounded in my mind once more.
"What is this..."
Something dark loomed.
A great calamity.
At the same time, ill omens that shouldn't intertwine pressed from all directions.
Centered on the elves.
"Corpse constellation...?"
In simple terms, the fortune of death.
Darkness stained the area around the elves.
"The formation of corpses piling up."
With the sacred cord on the shrine tree snapping, this could be seen as a warning.
Such a sudden corpse constellation?
Something was terribly wrong.
Ting-a-ling -
The rattle sound came from the tree's center.
"The shrine tree..."
I cautiously placed my hand on the tree.
"....!!!"
A scream echoed in my mind.
A tearing pain near my right ear as well.
The World Tree was conveying something to me.
No, this was clearly a descent of divine possession.
Injured elves flashed through my mind.
Their bodies drenched in blood, endlessly vomiting despair.
Screams that harmonious elves could never utter.
"Haa..."
A sigh escaped involuntarily from the pity.
The World Tree was currently feeling immense sorrow.
While watching over those elves.
"No wonder the tree is empty."
As soon as I removed my hand, the rattle sounded again.
Similar to the scenes I'd seen when first meeting Irene.
My mouth moved on its own, spitting out divinations.
"You've loosened your body and opened your eyes, and now you finally see."
Similar to the divinations I'd spat at Irene.
And once more, my mouth opened.
Uttering unchanged divinations.
"So many will die."