7. The Butterfly Dream (胡蝶之夢) - 10
7. The Butterfly Dream (胡蝶之夢) - 10
"...A truly magnificent sight."
Guided by the elf through the mist-wreathed forest, what first met the eyes of Iris and Aria was a tree so colossal it seemed to hold up the heavens themselves, rooted in the heart of the woods. Its height was such that, not content with piercing the firmament, it wore the distant clouds as a garment—a spectacle that drew an involuntary exclamation of awe from all who beheld it.
"Indeed. So this is the World Tree I have only ever heard spoken of."
A divine tree, said to extend nine boughs to preserve the world's balance. A symbol that the four goddesses who govern the seasons—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter—have bestowed their mercy upon every living thing on this land. A crystallization of divinity, spoken of as having already existed across all time and space in every age: past, present, and future.
And at the base of this tree, vast beyond any human measure, a woman sat silently with her eyes closed.
If one had to sum her up in a word, she was beautiful. The long, pointed ears characteristic of elves; lustrous green hair that fell to her waist; a face whose beauty rivaled even the foremost among a race already called the fairest. Even a woman looking upon another woman could not help but lose herself in admiration—such was the quality of her face, and from her entire being, a mysterious spiritual energy radiated.
And that was not all. She bore the epithet Divine Bow, earned through the continent's finest archery—able to pierce an enemy with pinpoint accuracy from kilometers away, even blindfolded—and, wielding that formidable might as her foundation, she had guarded the World Tree for hundreds of years, ranking her among the continent's supreme powers.
A walking tome of history, so ancient that the blessings granted by the World Tree had carried her far beyond her race's natural lifespan, making it impossible to determine how many years she had lived.
The Guardian of the World Tree, Kirie El Denaris—that was the woman's identity.
"Rein, you have done well to guide them here. I will receive them now; you may withdraw."
When Kirie spoke those words to the male elf, her face like an angel's, he bowed his head at once, his expression deeply moved.
"You speak of toil, but this is merely the duty entrusted to me. Please, do not say such things, Guardian."
With those words, the male elf inclined his head once more toward Kirie with flawless courtesy, then withdrew quietly, maintaining an attitude of the utmost deference. Watching him, Iris could not shake the thought that the elf's manner toward Kirie was little different from how nobles behaved toward the Emperor.
"It has been some time, Imperial Princess of the Empire. Iris El Debhart."
Once the male elf had departed and only Kirie, Iris, and Aria remained, Kirie smiled brightly and greeted Iris.
"Some time, you say. You speak as though we have met before. Kirie El Denaris."
To Iris's flat reply, Kirie merely gave a soft laugh.
"How disappointing, Iris. Do you mean to tell me that the year we spent together meant nothing to you? Should I interpret it as time so worthless that you wish to deny the journey itself?"
Iris's brow furrowed slightly. Memories spent with Kirie she would gladly toss into the nearest trash heap, but she could not reject the shining memories shared with Kain in the same wholesale lot.
"...No, I can never agree to that. The time I spent with him was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. You are as cunning as ever, Kirie. Does living through such long ages, as you have, bestow a serpent's tongue?"
Even under the sting of Iris's barb, Kirie's expression showed no flicker of change—only an untroubled smile.
"Well, consider it the fruit of many years. In any case, Iris, you are so very young. To bristle at such simple wordplay."
"Compared to you, how many people in this world are not young?"
Muttering this, Iris suddenly scowled, as if something had just occurred to her.
"Still, I suppose you, Kirie, are far better than that wench Ariel Tiere. In cunning, you are much the same, but at least you do not play coy."
"Ariel Tiere? Why does her name arise here, of all places?"
When Kirie echoed the name, clearly puzzled, Iris's face settled into undisguised displeasure. To her, the woman called Ariel was nothing more than a damned wench whose very face, conjured in memory, brought irritation.
"That wench feigned ignorance before me to the bitter end. To style herself a Saintess and yet lie without the slightest compunction and act so insidiously—is that not behavior of the most contemptible sort?"
"Ariel has always been of a rather bashful disposition. Or, if it was not that, perhaps she acted so because she is still young. If I remember correctly, Ariel is a year younger than you."
As if returning the previous attack in kind, Kirie brought up Iris's age, and Iris's face twisted further. Kirie, whose age surpassed the combined years of every human in the expedition, spouting such nonsense—it was beyond endurance.
"Hah. Perhaps because your years are so exceedingly vast, you are utterly uninhibited with your tongue. Is it because anyone capable of teaching you has long since been nailed into a coffin?"
At Iris's words, a small crack appeared on Kirie's gently smiling face. She did not let it show outwardly, but no woman anywhere in the world enjoys having her age bandied about. Especially in front of a rival.
"...Hah. Such a bold tongue on a green girl who has lived a mere thirty-odd years. Ah, now that I see it, your face looks considerably younger, doesn't it? Much younger than it will be ten years from now. Is that why you're prancing about so arrogantly?"
"Hmph, and does the one who has racked up hundreds of years without a single wrinkle never pause to consider that she might be the monster?"
"I consider it a hundred times better than having one's face grow ugly after a mere few decades. Ah, but you have awakened your Aura, so you will last longer than ordinary human women. Though you will still not match those younger and lovelier than yourself. For example, Ariel Tiere, who is a year your junior."
At Kirie's beaming provocation, killing intent began to leak from Iris's body. When all was said and done, no woman was so indifferent as not to care about the waning of her beauty with the passing of the years.
"...Truly, I do not like you. It seems that neither then nor now are you and I a good match."
"Oh my, Iris. On that one point, we are in accord. I, too, am not particularly fond of the other human women who belonged to the expedition. In particular, I find I care even less for women like you, who rely on nothing but their bloodline and grow overbearing."
As Iris and Kirie were thus overjoyed—to the point of not knowing what to do with themselves—at the sight of one another, Aria, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward. She did not know precisely what had passed between those two, but she had a foreboding sense that they would never reach the main topic before the night was through.
"...Imperial Princess, I apologize for interrupting, but might we now come to the matter at hand?"
When Aria whispered that softly to Iris, a glint of interest flickered in Kirie's eyes, which had only just registered Aria's presence.
"...Iris. Might I ask you to introduce your companion?"
Gazing at Aria's face, Kirie posed the question in a solemn tone, and Iris, despite herself, let out a short laugh. The elf who had been comporting herself as if she feared nothing in the world now seemed unable to hide her agitation.
"Her name is Aria. A vassal whom Kain personally took in, and a member of my party."
"...Aria."
The moment she heard the name from Iris, a bitter smile bloomed on Kirie's lips.
"How strange. So strange that I cannot be sure whether this is coincidence or fate."
"What?"
At Kirie's words, Iris registered bewilderment, but Kirie quickly changed tack—as if she no longer wished to discuss the topic.
"...It is nothing. A momentary misconception. In any case, I would like to move to the main point soon. Namely, what is the reason you have come to visit me, who resides deep within the Great Forest, together with her?"
At such an attitude from Kirie, Iris unconsciously narrowed her eyes, but soon resolved to go along with the elf's ploy. The matter at hand was of far greater importance than such trifling curiosity.
"...Hmph. Very well. Let us move to the main point, as you wish. The reason I sought you in the Great Forest is simple. While chasing the trail of Bianca del Castana, I confirmed that she stopped here. So I will ask you directly: did Bianca del Castana come here? And did you come face-to-face with her?"
To Iris's question, Kirie nodded without hesitation.
"Yes. She has indeed visited the Great Forest. It is also true that I came face-to-face with her."
When such an unexpectedly straightforward answer flowed from Kirie, Iris's eyes flared wide. At last, she had caught the trail of Bianca, who had vanished from the Estel Ducal House without a word and had left no trace anywhere!
"What business did Bianca del Castana have here?"
When Iris asked the question in an urgent tone, Kirie shook her head slightly as she answered.
"That is a secret."
"Then what did she do while she was here?"
"That is a secret."
"...What questions are you able to answer without calling them secrets?"
"That, too, is a secret. I am sorry."
At this point, a vein bulged at Iris's temple.
"...Kirie El Denaris. Are you playing games with me?"
"I apologize, but I am entirely in earnest. She and I exchanged a Mana's Covenant sworn upon the World Tree. I have no desire for my heart to burst here and now, so I am obliged to keep the secret."
Iris frowned at Kirie's answer. If she took those words at face value, it meant that Kirie El Denaris was utterly useless to her here and now.
But neither could she simply nod and withdraw. This was Bianca's trail, finally seized after so many near-misses. If she gained no clue whatsoever here, she might never learn where Bianca and Kain had hidden themselves.
"...Even in a situation where that wench, Bianca del Castana, may have abducted Kain?"
At Iris's words, Kirie tilted her head.
"Abducted? Bianca del Castana, abducted Kain?"
"Yes."
At Iris's answer, Kirie only bore a look of deepening incomprehension.
"But what of it? The Bianca del Castana I know harbored affection for Kain. Even if she did abduct him, is it not safe to assume there is no possibility she would harm him?"
At Kirie's astonishingly daft answer, Iris could only feel frustration. That elf had lived through ages many times longer than a human—so why was she being so stupid? Could she truly be entertaining the naive fantasy that a man and a woman in their prime, pressed close together in one space, would return with nothing having happened?
"...Haah, must I truly spell it out? That is to say, no one knows what underhanded tricks that insidious, half-crazed woman might get up to while she has Kain..."
"Ahh, I see."
Kirie waved a hand dismissively and nodded as if the meaning had finally clicked into place.
"Iris. You are currently worried about this: that while Bianca del Castana is staying with Kain, she might work some strange trick on him."
"Yes. I am relieved you understand, even now. So we must find that wench's whereabouts without a moment's delay..."
"No. I do not understand at all."
It was then that Kirie cut Iris off and spoke these words:
"Why must we search for them?"
And then she uttered something so insane it was beyond Iris's comprehension.
"This is merely my personal opinion, but—could we not simply 'lend' Kain to that pitiable woman, just this once?"