The Forest That Cannot Protect
Strange.
Truly strange.
I stood looking at the fallen tree of Elvenheim, turning the thought over in my mind. The trees of Elvenheim are especially touched by the World Tree's influence. Being closest to it, the Protection of the World Tree applied here with particular force. They would not collapse merely because something was a little heavy.
The elves protected the forest, and the forest protected the elves — that was Elvenheim's greatest defining trait. Yet right now, the forest was failing in its duty to shield them. This was not a normal situation.
"Hmm."
I picked up a broken shard of wood and examined it. I had been carrying this doubt since the moment we entered Elvenheim. The force of nature here was in disarray.
Elvenheim ought to have been the most abundant wellspring of natural power in the world, and yet that power was scattered, disordered. Not diminished, exactly — it was still plentiful, without question. It was simply too little, and too chaotic, for a place that bore the name Elvenheim.
At this point, it's no longer a hypothesis.
Something had gone wrong with the World Tree.
The reasonable conclusion was that Titania had not given us the World Tree Sap not because she refused, but because she could not. The trouble was that the World Tree was a sacred tree of nature, called a gift bestowed by the Goddess. If something had gone wrong with a tree like that, it would not be easily mended. When a tree that gathered every kind of natural power developed a problem, I could not even begin to imagine what that problem might be.
I turned my head and looked at the World Tree.
The trees here were enormous compared to those of any other forest. And even among those giants, the World Tree rose as if it might touch the heavens, radiating a holiness so complete it felt almost sacred.
It doesn't look like there's anything wrong with it from the outside. But unseen problems being the more serious ones — that's common enough.
Equating people and trees might not have been the most appropriate comparison, but looking fine on the outside was no guarantee that nothing was wrong. On the contrary, when something hid on the inside, you often could not even tell it was there. And by the time you realized it, the situation had already become irreversible. That happened more often than not.
I took out my pocket watch and checked the time.
Olivia and Sylphy said they were going to the training ground.
I was a little worried about Olivia's condition, but she was not so foolish that she could not assess her own body. She would stop if it got to be too much. And besides, I had to wonder whether there was anyone in Elvenheim who could even make Olivia break a sweat or put her on edge. Well — her condition was poor right now, so perhaps there was.
I wanted to try burning one of the trees as a test, but if I did that, I would not be laughing afterward. These trees, under the Protection of the World Tree, should not burn. And if they did, that would prove something was wrong with the World Tree. But it was far too extreme a method, and if they did not burn, I would be in real trouble. Above all, setting fire to the trees of elves who loved their forest would cause a massive problem no matter how you looked at it.
Going to the World Tree directly would be the fastest way, but there's a barrier, so I can't get close.
If there were no barrier, sneaking over at night would have been an option. It was a very Olivia-like approach, and if I did not get caught it might have been fine — but with the barrier in place, forcing my way through would guarantee I would be discovered. The World Tree existed in the realm of faith. Getting caught would not be something I could laugh off.
Even Sylphy, a half-elf, would say that's a bit much — that was how deeply they felt about the World Tree. It seemed less like the product of education and more like something they were simply born with.
"Hey, how long are you going to keep wandering around?"
The speaker appeared to be an elf from the guard. For an elf, his tone was rather flippant, and his expression made it clear he had a grievance. There was nothing about me to take issue with, so was it Olivia or Sylphy they had a problem with? We had saved their children, though. They could at least try to be a little nicer about it. Elves lived in the forest, and every so often you would run into ones so socially inept you would wonder if they really were as old as they claimed.
"What are you trying to do in Elvenheim, bringing the Hero and a half-blood with you?"
"Yeah, you're a nuisance. Get lost already."
"Is this the first time a tree has fallen like this?"
When I asked, their faces flushed with anger.
"You bastard!"
"That's enough!"
From behind the agitated elves, a somewhat more earnest-looking one stepped in.
"What kind of attitude is that toward the benefactor who saved our children? And you call yourselves the guards who protect Elvenheim?"
"B-but—!"
"That's enough. Get back to your patrol."
He looked young, but there was a sense of years about him. It was just a hunch, but he was surely an elf of considerable age. Elves barely aged after a certain point, only to age suddenly near death, so they spent most of their lives looking young. In other words, telling their age from appearance was impossible. Elves could roughly tell each other apart, but to my human eyes they all looked about twenty. Some even looked like teenagers.
"I apologize for their rudeness. They're still young and don't know proper conduct. Please forgive them."
Young, he says. They were still far older than me, surely. But I generally did not get too angry when children acted out. If the parents acted shamelessly after their kids ran wild, that annoyed me. If the parents looked properly embarrassed and helpless about it, that was fine. Kids could get away with that. Adults could not. I had that kind of mindset.
"It's all right. If you don't mind, may I ask a few questions?"
The elf considered for a moment, then spoke.
"Go ahead."
"Is this the first time a tree has fallen like this?"
"Living in the trees as we do, it does happen from time to time. But a building collapsing outright along with the branch like this — this is the first."
"I see. Has anything strange happened in the forest recently? Anything that seemed different from usual?"
"Well... I'm not sure."
It did not seem like a lie. So there were no visible changes yet. Perhaps the visible changes were happening in real time, right now. If what had been rotting on the inside was now beginning to show on the outside, then the real danger might be just beginning.
"Would there be a way to see the World Tree?"
For just a brief moment, the elf frowned. I understood it was a somewhat rude question. He seemed to feel a flicker of displeasure, but immediately straightened his posture and answered with earnestness.
"Only Titania can grant permission to approach the World Tree. Without that, the World Tree's barrier will welcome no one."
"I see. So without Titania's permission, no one can enter."
"We're grateful that you saved the village children, but we'd prefer you didn't involve yourself too deeply in Elvenheim's affairs."
"If those affairs belong to Elvenheim alone, then I have no intention of involving myself either."
So there was a slightly isolationist atmosphere after all. Still, he was not someone who did not know proper conduct. Even if he personally did not like it, he observed propriety, and he had answered my questions earnestly.
I placed my hand on the tree's bark and quietly focused. The force of nature gathered at my fingertips and answered the wood. Abundant natural power — power worthy of a nation of nature — and yet it felt faintly interrupted. The power that had always been supplied seemed to have hit some kind of snag, and in that moment of interruption, the branch could no longer bear the weight, and the house had come down with it.
Knowing this much, I have enough to open negotiations with Titania.
The problem was that I still did not know what the actual issue was. If it were a simple problem, I could manage it somehow with my power as a Spiritist. But if the issue was on the inside, even I would not be able to do anything about it. Titania would have known I was a Spiritist, so the fact that she had not told me outright might mean it was already a problem beyond a Spiritist's hands.
Either way, I needed to hear the full story from Titania. And if I could help solve the problem in exchange for the sap, that would be the best possible outcome.
Getting Olivia out safely is the most important thing. I should avoid taking risks as much as possible.
Above all, Titania — who could wield all manner of sorcery — was not someone I wanted as an enemy. She had not earned the title of hero in that long war, nor survived in the position of Titania all this time, for nothing. From the moment I met her, I had instinctively felt that making an enemy of Titania would do me no good.
It was an odd thing to say, but I had sensed something close to venom in her — something that reminded me of Olivia in the past. That venom, the sense that touching her would immediately cause a problem, was so sharp it was hard even to approach. In my experience, people like that were usually broken somewhere, their minds unmoored by too many emotions.
"...Hmm."
Had that elf already left? Well, nothing I could do about it. I had wanted to ask more, but I had gathered enough information. I would try persuading Titania again tomorrow. Tomorrow, I might have to do some talking of my own.
"Diligent, aren't you. And quite capable as a Spiritist, besides."
"...Huh?"
I was startled. An elf who looked like a young girl was looking this way as she spoke.
"That body of yours does not appear ordinary."
I was surprised. This was the first person who had figured it out just by looking. There had been people who felt something off after watching me fight, but no one had ever discerned it from observation alone. And that was more than enough for me to know who she was.
"What are you doing, Titania?"
"The seat of a monarch is surprisingly dull. I only came down for a walk, and everyone salutes and tenses up. I suppose it cannot be helped, given my station."
So she deliberately pretended to be a child so she could wander around at ease.
"Lois, was it?"
"That's right."
"Would you speak with me a while? The Hero and my grandson do not seem to be around, as it happens. ...I shall say this in advance: it is an offer. You are free to refuse."
I fell silent for a moment at Titania's proposal. A chance to speak one-on-one? And she seemed oddly sentimental, somehow. If it was now, I might hear information I had not been able to get earlier. I wanted to raise the odds of treating Olivia, even a little.
"Very well. If you're offering me the chance to speak with the head of a nation, it would be my honor."
"Have you eaten?"
"No. Come to think of it, I haven't yet."
I had started investigating before eating, and had naturally skipped a meal. Titania hummed in thought, then spoke.
"That will not do. Skipping meals at an age when you ought to be eating well."
Hearing her suddenly talk like a neighborhood grandmother was a bit much. Besides, I was fairly certain I had already passed the age of eating well. Titania considered for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Come. I shall show you a fine restaurant."
"Ah... yes."
More importantly — was she planning to go looking like that?