Chapter 58: War Clouds
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: War Clouds
I'd spent nearly the entire day in bed, but Iris's insistence finally forced me to get up.
If it were up to me, I would have loved to spend another three days or so enjoying the same leisure as yesterday, but it was an undeniable fact that we were short on time.
I had no choice but to wash up by the lake, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep.
I should start carrying a portable shower stall or something.
Even though I could heat the water with magic, washing by the lake itself was more inconvenient than I'd expected.
Still, I couldn't complain much; just being able to wash with Iris was enough. She, however, was too shy and leaned her back against my chest, refusing to face me. But didn't she know that was even more of a turn-on?
The provocative line of her body, from her neck down to her ass, made me throb. I ended up coming inside her three times in a row while we were still washing before I could finally get dressed.
Of course, I didn't ask Iris to wear a tank top and dolphin shorts. By my standards, they were casual clothes, but to her, they were probably like a daring special event outfit a girlfriend would wear for an anniversary.
I took out a few nice dresses and shirts and let Iris pick whatever she liked.
“Hyun-woo, what do you think? Does it look good on me?”
The moment I saw Iris, dressed in a white open-shoulder shirt and a black high-waisted skirt, elegantly spinning around, applause burst out of me automatically.
“Huhu, thank you.”
Her refreshing smile made my lower body throb again without me realizing it, but I didn't want to ruin the mood, so I held back with superhuman patience.
There was no need to be impatient in the first place.
As long as the 'Another World Dating App' didn't disappear, I would keep making memories with Iris for as long as my lifespan allowed.
As long as the Another World Dating App doesn't disappear...
I wasn't too worried about my lifespan.
As one's realm advanced, their lifespan automatically increased. Even now, I could easily live to be 120.
If I raised my realm while also taking elixirs, living to 200 seemed possible. There were many other ways to extend one's life, but what if this app I'd suddenly acquired just vanished overnight?
That alone planted a seed of anxiety in a corner of my heart.
“Hyun-woo?”
While I was lost in thought, Iris had come right up to me, her eyes filled with worry.
“Is something wrong?”
“...No, it's nothing.”
Iris's concern made me pull myself together.
Right, let's not worry about things that haven't happened yet.
Let's not waste time clinging to a conclusion that won't come even after a hundred days of worrying.
What's important is the time I'm spending with Iris right now.
And just like that, the seed of anxiety vanished before it could even sprout.
We held hands and returned to the temple.
The moment we set foot inside, the golden tree, which had seemed a bit withered just yesterday, began to radiate a brilliant light once more.
At the same time, I could feel a slight shift in the surrounding air.
[You have come?]
“Mother!”
At the message that seemed to hammer directly into my brain, Iris scurried over to the golden tree.
I looked at my now-empty right hand and felt a strange pang of jealousy, but I quickly let it go.
Right, it's weird to be jealous of your girlfriend and her mother.
In fact, thinking of her as my future mother-in-law made me feel a surge of faith I never knew I had.
However, judging by Iris's excited voice and expression, it didn't seem like their conversation would end anytime soon.
I had no choice but to kill some time by reviewing what I'd learned yesterday.
In truth, a single day was a very short time to learn anything significant.
All I'd really learned were a few new fire element spells.
Iris wasn't a fire element mage in the first place. She tended to use earth and wind elements based on spirit magic.
And if you were to ask if I had an aptitude for earth and wind, the answer was no.
My aptitude was strictly for fire and lightning.
I hadn't even been using lightning because I couldn't control it properly.
Among the elements, lightning possessed the most monstrous power, but it was just as difficult to control. A single mistake could easily wreck my magic circuits.
Still, I kept practicing.
Iris had advised me that repeated practice was the only way to master the lightning element.
I quietly closed my eyes and focused the lightning element in both hands.
Crackle—
Before long, rough sparks began to fly, but that was as far as it went.
Even with my strengthened magic circuits, handling any more output was difficult. Still, if I pushed myself, I felt I could probably cast a high-powered lightning spell once or twice.
Compared to before, I could definitely feel that I had grown.
I was feeling a sense of accomplishment, confident that at this rate, I'd be able to wield even stronger lightning in the not-too-distant future. But that feeling was short-lived.
[Kang Hyun-woo.]
A familiar message came through.
[I cannot help but admire your deeds. I never imagined you would defeat the gatekeeper of the first floor and return with the key.]
The will of the World Tree turned toward Kang Hyun-woo.
The tree clearly had no eyes, yet Kang Hyun-woo felt as if he were being watched by it.
[To be honest, I did not hold even a sliver of expectation for you.]
“M-Mother?”
Iris was startled by her mother's harsh words toward the boyfriend she'd brought home to marry.
[However, it seems I can no longer doubt you.]
The World Tree's golden branches extended toward me. A small fruit grew at the tip of one branch.
“What's this?”
[This is the last fruit this tree can bear.]
Iris could only stare at the sight in astonishment.
The fruit of the World Tree, which radiated immense divine power, was one of the world's greatest elixirs, comparable to a holy relic.
Of course, since it grew from a symbolic entity with weakened authority, its efficacy was somewhat diminished.
Nevertheless, it was certain to be a supreme boon for Kang Hyun-woo's growth.
Unaware of this, Kang Hyun-woo just guessed it was some kind of elixir.
And an elixir bestowed by a god, no less.
It would be better than anything available on the market, and certainly not worse. Confident in this, the corners of my mouth crept up.
After a quick glance at Iris, I popped the fruit into my mouth in one go.
It tasted better than I expected.
It wasn't as good as the high-end fruit sold on Earth, but then again, who drinks herbal medicine because it tastes good?
You take it because it's good for you.
I chewed it a bit and swallowed.
“...Huh?”
The problem started after that.
Suddenly, my vision blurred, and a ringing filled my ears.
Thud—
My memory ends there.
*
The World Tree looked down at the collapsed Kang Hyun-woo.
More precisely, it saw through to his inner self, his essence.
But even to a god's gaze, the 'Another World Dating App' that Kang Hyun-woo possessed remained completely hidden. Therefore, the World Tree could only conclude that he was a genius to have grown so much in such a short time.
Although it felt uneasy that he was a human and not an elf, finding someone more suitable in the current situation was a remote possibility, so it had no choice but to compromise with reality.
[My child.]
“...Yes, Mother.”
Iris laid the collapsed Kang Hyun-woo's head on her lap, her expression full of worry.
Seeing her child's sincere concern, the World Tree was able to erase some of its anxiety about Kang Hyun-woo being human.
[Do you love him?]
“Yes.”
The World Tree hummed thoughtfully at the unhesitating reply.
[Does he love you as well?]
Knowing this was no simple question, Iris couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.
But as she recalled the man who had appeared before her, breaking through 200 years of loneliness to show her a new future and teach her the warmth of love, her resolve hardened.
Even if he didn't truly love her, she was confident she could win his heart through her own efforts.
“Yes!”
The World Tree was satisfied with its most precious child's forceful answer.
It still wasn't certain whether its decision would be able to save all the elves.
Even a god was not omnipotent.
Thus, believing that trusting its child was the best it could do, it squeezed out all the authority it could exert on the surface world.
Once again, a golden wave surged through the temple in the underground cavern.
*
Tiring—
[Fruit of Nine Branches: Mana has been consumed.]
[Magic circuits are extremely activated.]
[Mana circles are extremely activated.]
[The body detects the change and prepares for a new transformation.]
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“...Where am I?”
Frowning at a slight headache, I swiped away the screen that was densely packed with text before my heavy eyelids.
Then I closed my eyes again.
The headache seemed to lessen a bit with my eyes closed.
Besides, the pillow I was lying on felt so good that I started stroking and feeling it all over.
...Why is it warm?
Feeling a firm, springy texture that a pillow shouldn't have, I felt it more assertively.
After feeling it this way and that, I concluded that this was undoubtedly Iris's national-treasure-class thigh.
This naturally led to the question of why I was in this position. I cautiously opened my eyes again and turned my head.
“You are awake?”
“Huh?”
My eyes met Iris's.
But in the gaze of the Iris who met my eyes, I could glimpse something I'd never seen before.
“Iris...?”
A sense of wrongness and unfamiliarity pricked at my instincts.
Instead of her usual vibrant green eyes, brilliantly glowing golden eyes fueled my suspicion.
Just then, a hypothesis flashed through my mind.
“Don't tell me... Lady World Tree?”
Iris—no, the World Tree—gave a short nod.
Only then did I shoot up from my spot.
“This is the first time we have met from a human's perspective.”
I felt an indescribable pressure from the World Tree wearing Iris's form as it dusted off its knees and stood up.
A distant divinity, a being humanity calls a god, had descended to this land by borrowing the body of a believer.
The golden tree in the center of the temple was not just withered but had completely rotted away.
“I have something to tell you, so I have borrowed this child's body for a time.”
“Uh... was that really necessary? Couldn't you have just told me normally?”
The World Tree shook its head.
“The golden tree, though weak, is also a symbolic entity of mine. To intervene on the surface requires a great deal of my authority. In contrast, by borrowing the body of this child, who is strongly connected to me, I can minimize the consumption of that authority.”
I understood why it had borrowed Iris's body, but what on earth did it want to say that required it to descend into a believer's body just to minimize the use of its power?
“I believe you are the hero who will save all the elves.”
“...Hero?”