Chapter 426: Baron Bipolun
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 426: Baron Bipolun
In the distant past.
After the war of the gods ended, they vanished from this land one by one.
After Florea, who revived the continent, and Solarion, who tore away his own flesh to create the sun, the World Tree became the last god remaining in this world.
“...World Tree?”
Along with a clear voice, like the rolling of jade beads, a sacred divinity gently enveloped my entire body.
For a moment, I even had the illusion that the shabby chapel had transformed into a sanctuary.
- It has been a long time.
“...Yes, it truly has been a long time. Have you been well?”
To be honest, it hadn't been that long. Not even half a year had passed since I parted with the World Tree in the underground labyrinth.
Besides, she was a god who lived for eternity.
So, saying it had been a "long time" didn't quite make sense.
Nevertheless, I affirmed her words. The moment I heard her voice, an inexplicable longing washed over me like a wave.
It was a sensation as if she and I were deeply connected.
- A human child grows in the blink of an eye. Even so, your growth is nothing short of astonishing.
“I still have a long way to go. I’ll have to train harder to be worthy of calling myself the World Tree’s hero.”
The World Tree’s voice sounded somewhat dark and heavy, so I continued with a playful smile.
My efforts seemed to pay off, as a small laugh soon echoed in my mind.
- Hehe... There isn't another reason, is there?
“Pardon? What do you mean—”
- Come to think of it, I forgot to ask last time.
A subtle playfulness was woven into the World Tree’s voice.
- Will you tell me which you prefer, a son or a daughter?
“...Ah.”
In that instant, I remembered the promise I had made with the World Tree in the underground labyrinth.
She wanted me to save Peledeia, and by extension, the elves. In return, she had promised to bear my child.
- You may look forward to it. That time, I will not be borrowing another child’s body, but will greet you in my own incarnate body.
“...”
The giant tree soaring high in the Great Forest is the World Tree’s true body, personally crafted by Florea.
Her incarnate body, on the other hand, is a second body that the World Tree personally crafted in human form.
Simply put, you could consider it a higher concept than the polymorph magic of the dragonfolk. Of course, it’s less like magic and more akin to a divine power.
For reference, Lucifer was an incarnate body.
Her consciousness was trapped in that body and sealed underground, while her true body was said to be confined somewhere in the Tower.
“...I will look forward to it.”
I forced down the corners of my mouth, which kept trying to curl into a smile.
Some might call it blasphemy, but frankly, as a man, it would be stranger not to be excited.
It’s not like I’m gay.
- Hehe, I too am greatly looking forward to it.
At that moment, I had the strange illusion of seeing the World Tree gazing at her own stomach with an affectionate look, stroking it.
- So, why did you attempt to commune with me? I doubt you would visit the Goddess Church simply to say hello amidst your busy schedule.
“Ah, I contacted you to ask about the current situation in Peledeia. It’s difficult to get information from the outside, perhaps because of the Great Forest’s isolated geography.”
- The situation...
The World Tree swallowed a breath.
That brief silence seemed to amplify the anxiety in a corner of my heart.
- I am sorry, but I do not have the luxury to turn my eyes to the outside world, so it is difficult for me to know the situation out there.
“...Is there a problem?”
Until now, it had only been Iris’s speculation, but through Lavinia, it became an established fact that Malefis had cooperated with Resilia’s rebellion.
And I had also learned that Malefis’s target was the World Tree.
It was only natural for ominous hypotheses to fill my mind.
- It is nothing of the sort, so you need not worry.
The World Tree continued in a gentle voice, as if to reassure me.
But the more she did, the more anxious I became.
- You are doing well as you are, so do not whip yourself so hard. Are you not still young?
“...I’m a full-fledged adult, you know.”
- Hehe, elves are considered adults from the age of 50, and High Elves who inherit the royal bloodline are considered adults from 100. In my eyes, you are still just a child.
“And yet you appointed me as your hero and offered to bear my child?”
Was it because of the World Tree’s attitude, constantly trying to hide her situation? In that moment, sharp words escaped my lips before I knew it.
- ...I am sorry about that.
“I’m not trying to blame you, so you don’t have to apologize.”
Thump—
I relaxed my posture and sat down in a chair.
I could feel my connection with the World Tree growing stronger as time passed.
“Instead, from now on, if you need help, please just tell me. I have no intention of turning away or feeling burdened.”
- ...
As long as Iris called the World Tree her mother, she was no different from a mother-in-law to me.
So I had no intention of letting those Malefis bastards get away with their schemes.
In the first place, the moment I killed Lavinia, I had already become their sworn enemy.
“...My apologies. That was a bit arrogant of me.”
I bowed my head respectfully.
No matter how much favor the World Tree showed me, she was a god. Her very station was different from that of a human like me.
‘...Then again, Lucifer is a god too.’
Recalling Lucifer, who’d flap her wings and puff out her cheeks whenever I looked at another woman, my fantasy about the existence of gods suddenly crumbled a little.
- Oh, how troublesome...
While I was lost in thought, the World Tree broke the short silence and spoke again.
But for some reason, her voice was trembling faintly.
- I-I may have said I would bear your child, but I never gave you permission to court me so passionately...
“...Pardon?”
- I-It’s not that I dislike it...! It’s just that, given our age difference...
“...”
...She really is going to be my mother-in-law, isn't she?
*
After that, I spent about an hour talking with the World Tree about various things before quietly leaving the chapel.
I stayed longer than expected, but I was so busy trying to calm down the flustered World Tree that I barely remembered any of our conversation.
Even so, the last words I heard from her kept echoing in my mind.
- ...I do not wish to rush you, but could you hurry, just a little...?
At the World Tree’s carefully worded plea, I finally realized I had less time than I thought.
Thinking back, Lavinia had said the World Tree was needed for an experiment Malefis was conducting.
That meant those bastards had been scheming against the World Tree for at least 200 years. No, perhaps even longer.
As proof, the World Tree did nothing when Iris was dethroned and imprisoned.
To simply dismiss it as a god not interfering in the affairs of the mortal world left several points of suspicion.
Iris sometimes liked to tell me old stories related to the World Tree, and the common thread in all of them was that whenever an irresistible disaster befell Peledeia, and by extension the elves, the World Tree would always act.
But when Resilia joined hands with the evil god worshipers and started a rebellion, the World Tree did not move.
Most importantly, she remained still even now, with the Eustaff Empire’s declaration of war bringing the nation to the brink of collapse.
‘Another traitor...’
I hadn't anticipated Resilia’s betrayal, but Iris had long suspected the existence of traitors among the nobility.
However, the investigation made little progress as they repeatedly covered their tracks.
Just when she thought she had finally found a clue, Resilia launched her rebellion.
‘...Whatever the case, the fact that I need to hurry as much as possible remains unchanged.’
Even for a god, judging by her condition and reaction, the World Tree seemed to have already reached her limit.
If left alone, the situation would spiral out of control.
Therefore, the choice I had to make was practically set in stone.
‘End the war with a swift victory and cross the Sutra Great Desert.’
In truth, the way to end the war was simple.
If all the commanders die, the army cannot function. It was a simple principle that even a child could understand.
Now, with the rebel army gathering for the capital siege, was the perfect opportunity to take all the rebel generals’ heads at once.
But there was one variable: the Eustaff Empire.
According to Lavinia’s memories, the Eustaff Empire was involved in this rebellion, and there were two powerful individuals on the rebel side.
Dermier von Edramond, the vice-captain of the Dragonia Knights, and Birellion Rix Belmort, the vice-captain of the Empire's Magic Special Task Force and a 6th Circle Mage.
Of the two, the one to be wary of was undoubtedly Dermier.
High-level Aura Master.
There might be a slight margin of error, but it was safe to assume he was somewhere between the initial and master stages of the Flower Realm.
Infiltrate the enemy camp alone, kill him, and escape safely?
Normally, it would be nigh impossible, but the story changes if the opponent is an executive of Malefis and a demon's contractor.
“Oh? Are you finished already?”
As I was loitering in front of the chapel, the nun who had tried to half-force me to stamp the membership application approached me.
“Ah, yes. I don’t have much time, so I came out a little early...”
The nun was holding a laundry basket stacked so high it reached her face. It seemed like far too much for just two people.
“Um... are there other people at the church?”
“Pardon? No. It’s just the head nun and me.”
“Then that laundry is...?”
“Ah, this is a side job.”
“A side job?”
“Yes, it’s laundry we take in from other religious orders. They pay one silver coin per basket. It’s one of our precious, steady sources of income.”
“Ah.”
I suddenly felt solemn.
The other religious orders had splendid buildings and seemed to be living well, but the Goddess Church was stuck in a shabby building with no followers, and even the nuns’ habits were frayed.
‘...This is kind of pathetic.’
It wasn't that I felt any romantic feelings for the nun in front of me.
If I had to describe it, it was more like looking at a neighbor in need.
“N-No, you can’t!”
“?”
As I stared at her, the nun took a hasty step back, as if she had some strange misunderstanding.
I was suddenly on the verge of being mistaken for someone harassing a nun.
“No matter how early you came out, I can’t refund the chapel usage fee!”
Oh, that’s what she meant?
A dry laugh escaped me.
Toss—
“Huh?”
“I’ll be on my way now. May the blessings of the earth be with you.”
I placed a pouch full of donations on top of the laundry basket and leisurely walked out of the building.
I heard the sound of a sharp intake of breath from behind me, but I didn't bother to look back.
*
Afterward, I wandered the streets for a bit before returning to the mansion, where I met the eyes of the butler who was waiting for me at the main gate.
He informed me that Baron Bipolun had already returned and guided me to the office.
Thinking I could meet the baron sooner than expected, I revised my plan slightly and turned the doorknob.
Creek—
“Princess!”
As I opened the office door, the back of a middle-aged man’s head came into view as he was prostrating himself fully before Amelia.
“U-Uncle...”
“...”
Squeak—
Glancing around furtively, I quietly closed the door.
As a fellow man, I had a duty to protect the baron’s pride.
It definitely wasn't because the sight of the baron bowing his head to Amelia, who was young enough to be his daughter, was unsightly.
...Probably.