Episode 84
I spent about three days with the queen at the World Tree.
During that time, I really just relaxed reading books and ate the meals she provided.
While I was spending my time like that, Aron and Kyla periodically went sightseeing around the village and the World Tree.
Today as well, Kyla, having finished her sightseeing, came up beside me.
She checked the interior with her golden eyes and then spoke quietly to me.
"Doesn't the World Tree seem a bit strange?"
"Even if you suddenly come and say that, I have no idea what you mean. So what exactly is the problem this time that makes you ask that?"
"Since it's the World Tree, there should be at least some kind of energy, but I don't see it."
"You mean it's not visible to those strange eyes of yours?"
Whenever Kyla's golden eyes sparkled like that, she usually saw something unusual.
She said it was an ability to perceive the essence of things, but honestly, I don't really understand what that means.
Anyway, the important thing is that she sees something different.
"They're not strange eyes, they're a blessing. And I told you, it's about seeing the essence."
"Even if you say that, I still don't get it, so let's just move on. So what exactly is the problem?"
"I think the World Tree is sick."
"What makes it look that way?"
Kyla stared intently at the tree before answering.
"It's completely hollow inside. For a World Tree, it's similar to an ordinary tree... no, it's even more hollow than an ordinary tree. If this continues, the World Tree might die at any moment."
"Then you should tell the queen, not me. All I can do is break things?"
"...I don't trust that queen."
Startled by her sudden statement, I closed my book and looked at Kyla.
"Suddenly? She's been treating us kindly all this time."
"Not everyone who's kind is a good person. First of all, the fact that Eri couldn't come here makes no sense. She handles spirits—she disappeared along the way? It really doesn't make sense. Even when we went to capture the Demon King back in the day, she never got lost."
"Is there really a reason to be that certain and suspicious? Then..."
I've looked around various parts of the World Tree, but there are still two places I haven't been.
One is underground, the other is the queen's room.
"Let's go into the rooms we haven't entered yet. If there's a secret, it would be in one of those two, right?"
"Do we really have to go in?"
After staring at each other for a moment, we both nodded.
"Whatever, let's just go in and see. We'll check it out later. You're coming too, right?"
"Of course I'm coming. If I let you go alone and you disappear too, what would I do?"
"Then let's go check it out right now."
"Yeah, she never actually told us not to go in anyway. She didn't exactly give permission either."
I guess you could say we got permission in our own way.
After all, silence implies consent.
*
We immediately went down the stairs.
Though we'd mentally justified it to ourselves, we weren't crazy enough to just barge in where the queen was, so we were being somewhat conscientious.
As we clomped down the wooden stairs, Kyla muttered.
"But the more I think about it, the stranger it is. What exactly did Aron and the Elf Queen disappear to do? They said they went to talk, but they haven't come back for a long time."
"Important conversation, maybe? Surely not... that, right?"
"Probably not. No matter how much of a womanizer Aron is, now isn't the time for that."
"Well, that's a relief then."
After that, we exchanged various conversations.
Most of them were uneasy talks that couldn't reach any conclusion though.
"We've arrived now. Then if we just open this door..."
Just as I was about to open the door beside us.
Boom! Krgrgrboom...
A noise echoed along with a shock that shook the interior of the World Tree.
We hurriedly rushed outside the World Tree.
"What is it? Are we under attack or something?"
"Is there an enemy that can come all the way here? Even the Empire couldn't conquer this place."
"Then..."
The only ones left are Aron and the queen.
As if confirming that expectation wasn't wrong, repeated shocks were felt from high up in the World Tree.
"...It's frustrating not knowing what's happening."
"Should we run up?"
"Let's wait first. If we go up carelessly and it collapses, we'll get buried and die."
We stepped back a bit and looked up at the World Tree to assess the situation.
Then an elf approached us from the side.
"What's all this commotion? I felt a sudden shock and came running, but I don't know what's happening. Surely the queen isn't fighting, is she? Haha. Of course, that couldn't be the case."
It was that talkative elf.
But his atmosphere and feeling were different from before.
I could see a sticky, unpleasant energy covering him.
"Kyla. Something's strange, isn't it?"
"...It's mental magic. I'll dispel it right away."
The magic that hadn't been visible until now began to be felt.
That meant the caster of this magic was unstable.
"Ugh, ughh..."
As Kyla forcibly dispelled the elf's mental magic with divine power, he groaned and looked at us as if seeing us for the first time.
"Who are you?"
His question was ridiculous, but I decided to let it go.
"We came to look for a dark elf. Have you seen one by any chance?"
"Dark elf? Ah! Aah! I remember now! That arrogant dark elf who entered the forest months ago! The one who had a private audience with the queen and then went to prison. What did she say to us? She said the queen was cooperating with some strange religious group."
The Cult of the End.
"Anyway, that couldn't possibly be true. No matter how desperate the queen might be. Joining hands with mere humans? Maybe if it were those arrogant dragons, but otherwise no. Anyway, she spouted such nonsense that... what happened after that?"
It seemed his memory was erased at the same time as that report.
I immediately activated the ring.
Aron appeared in front of us in an instant.
"Huh? This place..."
Aron, who had been explosively releasing mana, saw us and calmed down.
"Aron. You found out about the queen first, right?"
"I found out while talking with her. Actually, she revealed it herself first? She asked me not to stop them."
Aron shrugged his shoulders and slowly looked around.
Following his gaze, I also checked our surroundings.
There were hundreds of eyes directed at us.
'Elves basically handle spirits and know how to hunt. I remember their average level being around level 50 or so.'
At level 50, one could even serve as a knight commander in a small family.
But that's not all, which makes it even more problematic.
"How many people here have strength equivalent to a knight commander? About ten?"
"Probably not even ten. I heard four died in the Forest of Temptation, so about six remain. Can the three of us win against that force?"
In response to my question, Aron chuckled.
"I could do it alone. Except for that one person."
Aron looked at the World Tree.
From the small house built on the thickest branch of the World Tree, an elf was looking down at us.
Her energy was definitely different from the other elves.
Even from a distance, her ominous energy felt like it was pricking my skin.
And that's just from her mana alone.
'Is she about the same level as Karen unni? Considering various factors, she's obviously stronger than Karen unni though.'
There's such a thing as a character's origin, so even at the same level, strength varies tremendously depending on origin.
So you can't simply measure strength by total mana or aura.
Even elves have spirits that are unrelated to those things.
"Q-Queen?"
The woman called the queen summoned several spirits that appeared to be high-level spirits and pointed at us.
Seeing this, the elves immediately picked up their bows and aimed at us.
The elf whose mental magic had been dispelled seemed flustered.
"Why don't you run away? It seems like we're going to fight."
I patted the elf's back and emitted my aura.
At the same time, Kyla and Aron also began to spread their energy in all directions.
Grrboom.
Intense energies expanded their range to press down on the surrounding air and dominate the atmosphere.
Crackle! Fizzle!
Among them, Aron and the queen's powers collided as if trying to devour each other.
Aron smiled as if enjoying himself.
"Shall we clean up the surroundings first? In the end, let's clean up that rotten World Tree together too. I checked over the past three days and it's full of parasites."
Kyla pushed Aron's back.
"Leave this place to us and go deal with the Elf Queen. Leaving her like that is hopeless."
Kyla's black eyes turned golden like I'd seen before, glowing faintly.
She scanned the surroundings with those eyes and then chuckled.
"This won't even serve as a warm-up. There are some annoying ones mixed in, but the wolf will take care of them. You can handle that much, right?"
"Annoying ones? You mean the elves over there?"
Among the elves, there were exceptionally strong energies mixed in.
About five at knight commander level, and about ten slightly weaker than that.
Honestly, it's tough.
I'm not even sure if we can win.
But I answered confidently.
"Of course we can win. This is a good opportunity to properly use both spirit and beastkin power."
I opened my palm and carefully called out.
"Help me."
Then spirits emitting a faint green light gathered from the air.
A cool wind condensed in my hand and then spread through my body in an instant.
'My body feels much lighter.'
It seemed they gave me the power I needed most on their own.
The elves were astonished at the sight.
"Wh-what! How is that human handling spirits? Did the World Tree bestow its grace upon her?"
"The only humans who can handle spirits are half-elves!"
"Then we would know! It's obviously a trick no matter how you look at it!"
The elves began to murmur among themselves.
It seemed handling spirits was rarer than I thought.
"Come back safely, Aron. I'll use this opportunity to properly use my beastkin power too, so you fight seriously as well."
Aron looked at me and Kyla for a moment before nodding.
He summoned a giant sword, kicked off the ground, and charged.
Crash!
The ground turned to powder and shattered under his power, and his figure disappeared in an instant.
"Shall we start too then?"
"I'm counting on you, wolf? You're Aron's female, so you can handle this easily, right?"
Along with her words, countless arrows poured down.
