I Wouldn't Know

"An intruder!"

An intruder had actually come in!

The spirit reached out its hands to bind the being that had dared trespass into its space.

Kwadeudeudeuk!!

The tree trunks that formed the chamber came alive, twisting and thrashing.

An authority the World Tree had granted its spirits long ago. A part of the World Tree itself coiled around the two intruders and cinched tight.

"That's sturdy."

"Wha...?"

Crack-crack-snap!

A pristine white light unraveled the tree trunks as though they were nothing but rope.

The intruder casually brushed off her clothes.

"...Not as much as I expected, but still."

"Wh-who are you!"

"Ah, I'm Lily Elbrit. I'm looking for someone. A person, or well, an elf."

I started rummaging through my subspace, trying to pull out a photograph.

But before I could get it out, I had to stumble backward.

Kudeudeudeuk!

The tree trunks surged violently and swept through the spot where I'd been standing.

"You broke into the World Tree's domain for something as petty as that? A lowly lesser species, daring this?!"

"I didn't break in, though."

"Yes you did!"

"I knocked."

I had, in fact, knocked three separate times. It was only because the door refused to open even after knocking that I added a little 'force' to my knocking.

"...Most people wouldn't call that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knocking."

"Hmm... fair point."

I conceded to Elisa, whose face was frozen in disbelief.

Fair enough, really.

"But I have to find the person, don't I? It couldn't be helped."

Truly regrettable, but it was an urgent matter, and so the door simply had to be opened.

What a shame, truly.

"A lesser species, of all things..."

Kwaaang!!

"Hooow dare ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yooou!!"

The green antlers flared with light, and the World Tree's wrath came pouring down on us.

Could you maybe go a bit easy...

"Yap."

KWAAAAAAAAAANG!!!

"Oops."

The deer went down.

It's not dead, right?

"I'm sowwy..."

In the end, the deer had taken one hit and raised the white flag.

It's not that I planned to... well, no, it's not that I didn't plan this either, but things would have gone more smoothly if we'd settled it nicely, one way or another. A little regrettable, that's all.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I've treated your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wounds too, so get up now."

"Y-yes ma'am..."

Next to me?

I glanced over and found Elisa staring at me with a completely dumbfounded expression.

"...Is this really okay?"

"I have no intention of harming anyone. Besides, all I'm asking for is a location."

The sole reason I'd stormed into the chamber and subdued the spirit was to find the Child of the World Tree. Whether the spirit sneered at us as a 'lesser' species, or whether it dismissively tried to kill us with real killing intent—none of that warranted execution.

Something like that wasn't enough to put someone on my list.

'This much is them getting off easy, honestly.'

If I had executed every minor offense one by one, the path behind me would have been paved wall to wall with blood and corpses. Creatures with that kind of mindset were a dime a dozen.

"Now then... Spirit?"

"A mon...ster?"

"Have you seen this elf?"

I held up a photograph of Asuka Elfosis, the Child of the World Tree.

The spirit's green antlers flickered as it tilted its head, then before long it shook it side to side.

"How would I know every single elf down there. The lesser..."

"...Hmm?"

"I mean, the elves. Um. I don't know."

"Then what about the Child of the World Tree?"

"...I wouldn't know that either. All I know is that she's disappeared. I have no intention of going out of my way to look for... Eep!"

"You're connected to the World Tree, aren't you?"

"Uh... yes? But what does that have to..."

"Switch it over, please."

Let me have a word.

"...Pardon?"

The spirits were connected to the World Tree. Since the spirit was right here beside me, there was no need to go all the way to the heart of the World Tree to communicate with it.

Of course, I'd have to make the trip eventually, but it was only polite to give notice first so nobody would be startled.

"I'm already startled, though?"

"That's why I knocked."

Just a little hard, is all.

"......"

"Ready?"

"...She's not going to pick up."

"You never know until you try."

I gave a nod, and the anxious spirit began moving its fingertips. Life mana drifted softly through the air, weaving itself into a screen—nothing but a black, empty pane.

"Is it calling?"

"She never picks up as it is. If you wait a bit, she might come to...?"

"Hmm..."

"N-no! She'll pick up! Any second now!"

The spirit stared desperately at the screen, wringing its hands. Please pick up. Please say something, it prayed—but...

"She's not picking up."

More than ten minutes passed, and the World Tree never answered.

"Looks like we'll have to go find her in person..."

I threw a sidelong glance its way, and the spirit began to tremble, asking in a voice full of dread.

"...You're not about to tell me to escort you there, are yooou?"

"Correct?"

"No, no! If you make me do that, I'll really die!"

"It's fine. I'll talk us through it nicely."

I was confident I could smooth things over with the World Tree. Surely it wouldn't kill its own child's spirit just for showing someone the way.

"Yes it would!"

The spirit fell deep into thought. If things went on like this, pleasant words were off the table either way. It had been genuinely delighted to see living beings after so long, but if it sent up someone this unreasonable—someone who could threaten the World Tree herself...

...Send her up, it would.

"Then let's be off."

"I can't go!"

"If you'd just guide me..."

"No! Anything past the halfway point is out of my domain."

The spirit swiftly drew mana through the air, sketching out the World Tree in miniature. Having rendered the picture with surprising polish, it split the tree into thirds and jabbed a finger at the bottommost section.

"My domain ends here. Everything beyond that is neither my jurisdiction, nor something I'm free to rearrange as I please!"

Fine. If it had to hand something over anyway...

"I'll give you a map from here to the very ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠top. If you run into trouble along the way, simply find the spirit of that section and request aid. For what it's worth, my jurisdiction has already been opened up nice and wide for you, so no worries there."

"......"

The deer spirit, having spat its words out in a rapid-fire burst, looked up at me with pleading eyes.

It really, really didn't want to come along, apparently.

I took the map. Scribbled out in a rush, sure, but every marker was in place.

"...Understood. We'll take the map and go on our own."

"Thank youu!"

"The thanks is all mine."

After all, once this business was over, everything would come out in the open anyway.

"Phew... they're finally gone."

Tidying up the aftermath of the storm that had torn through its chamber, the spirit slumped flat onto the floor.

Exhausting. At first it had been purely delighted—then some monster had shown up, wrecked the place, and made off with its information besides. Whatever vague hope it had of watching them and having a bit of fun had been thoroughly trampled.

Time for a rest, it decided, and for once let its eyes drift shut.

Seugagagagak!!

Kugugugung!!

"What now?!"

The barrier split apart under something like a blade, and through the gap came two mysterious figures.

"Oppa! Let's go together!"

"Who's your oppa? Stay out of my way."

A human woman sprinting in on a swirl of starlight, and a black-haired human man radiating a chilling violet aura.

And now, what in the world was this...

Having received no fewer than four intruders in a single night, the spirit was hovering on the very edge of losing its mind.

As if by prior arrangement, the man produced the exact same photograph from before.

"Have you seen this person."

"How would I know?"

"Then you should die..."

"Ha... It seems I've been taken far too lightly."

This body was a spirit of the great World Tree. There was no way it would lose to a mere human...!

"Hm?"

A violet blade came falling down on the spirit's head.

Wait, this felt awfully familiar...

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

"...I believe this is the middle section."

Elisa pressed her palm to the ground and read the currents beneath it. She was right—the flow of mana was different here. Unlike the lower section, where it had meandered freely, from the middle section onward the mana moved with mechanical precision.

As though someone were deliberately channeling it by hand.

"Let's head to the spirit's chamber first."

"Understood."

Following the map and the flow of mana, Elisa and I arrived at the middle section's spirit chamber. A barrier far more formidable than the last one blocked our way.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Anybody home?"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Nobody home?"

Hm. No answer. Left with no alternative, I squared my stance, and Elisa—apparently used to this by now—stepped back without a word.

And then.

KAAAAAANG!

"...?"

"Huh?"

The barrier didn't break.

The hammer, robbed of its destruction, let out a low, indignant hum. I swung it back around and caught the grip.

"...Guess I'll have to put some real force into it."

Pristine white divinity coiled around my body, and the hammer, saturated to bursting with the divine, drew back for a single overwhelming strike.

Just before the divine hammer could smash the barrier to pieces—

Hwaaaaak!!!

'...What?'

"Lady Lily!"

The dungeon dragged me in.

'Rise...'

So sleepy. Why on earth was I this tired today, of all days...

'You must wake up...'

Just a little longer...

"My lady!"

"...???"

"How long do you intend to sleep? If you don't get up now, you'll be late for the Academy!"

"...What?"

"Come on, come on! If you're late, the madam will have your head!"

An elf fussed and flapped around me, trying to shake me awake.

I ignored her entirely and scanned my surroundings. A lavishly decorated chamber arranged like a princess's quarters, plump, pillowy pink blankets, an elf maidservant attending to me, and the silk nightgown I was somehow already wearing.

"...Lady Ria? Are you feeling unwell?"

'You are...'

"No, no, I'm fine. I'll get ready."

I pushed myself up and looked at the mirror behind the bed.

"...Just the ears changed."

My original face, with nothing but the ears grown pointed.

It actually suited me rather well, I had to admit.