Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Alfheim
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Time rewinds to the morning of the third day.
Before joining the elves, we first headed to the blacksmith. The smith had said it would take two days at the shortest, so I'd checked in the day before, just in case. He'd asked for one more day, so I returned exactly twenty-four hours later.
"Hey, mister, you still alive~?"
I didn't see him inside the shop, so I called out loudly. Just then, the smith emerged from a door behind the counter. It seemed he'd been hammering away until just a moment ago; the heat pouring from the open doorway reached all the way to where I stood.
"...Phew. It's you."
"I came right on time. How did it go?"
"I don't know what kind of monster this material came from, but it was so damn hard it took a while to make."
For someone complaining about how hard it was, the smith looked rather refreshed. At the same time, he placed two leather sheaths and two daggers, their blades wrapped in cloth, onto the counter.
"Check them out."
At the smith's confident words, Luna picked up one of the daggers and unwrapped the cloth from its blade. The revealed blade was a distinct green, unlike before it was forged, and the wave-like pattern across its surface was impressive.
While Luna tested the dagger's grip and sharpness beside me, I picked up the remaining one. As expected, an information window popped up before my eyes.
◈ Item Information
Name: None
Grade: A
Description: A dagger crafted by the imperial blacksmith, Smith. Made from the shell of the marine monster, the Green Iron Turtle. Characterized by its hardness and beauty.
I guess the name is 'None' because I haven't set one yet. I don't know what a Green Iron Turtle is, but for the grade to be A, I'm guessing it must have come from an A-rank monster at the very least.
"How is it?"
"...It's amazing."
Yeah, it looks that way. Her tail and ears were twitching restlessly, so she must be satisfied. Now that she has a weapon, there's no way Luna will be useless in the upcoming World Tree event. I paid the smith the remaining balance. The smith took the gold coins I handed him and spoke.
"So. When are you planning to change your weapon?"
"Actually, I was planning to leave today to get materials for a new weapon."
"You know you'll need at least B-rank materials for your own weapon, right?"
"Don't worry. I'll bring you a rare material you've never even touched before."
I'll bring you the severed arm of a being that is a god to some.
"Hehehe..."
"...?"
***
After leaving the blacksmith, we left the empire and headed to the location the elves had told us about beforehand. The elves who had arrived earlier were waiting for us there.
"You're early?"
"We had... preparations to make."
Her ears, as she spoke to me coyly, were still green.
Was it the first evening? One of the minion elves snuck out and got only his own ears fixed, but I caught him red-handed, and he became a Peeled-elf again. How dare he get his fixed all by himself, the little punk. As long as I'm alive and kicking, I won't stand by and watch a Peeled-elf turn back into a knife-ear.
"What kind of preparations?"
"For the teleport."
As she spoke, I could see two of her minions diligently drawing something on the ground over her shoulder. It was in the shape of a magic circle, and it looked similar to the teleportation circle I'd seen at the academy before.
'I was wondering how they got this far. They must have used teleportation.'
It makes sense. Traveling by carriage would be an incredibly long journey, taking over a month at least. There's no way elves, who don't leave the forest, would travel by carriage.
"When will it be ready?"
"In about ten minutes."
"What happened to not having any time? Why are you so relaxed now?"
These were the same people who'd made excuses about not having time for my banter, how the fate of the world was at stake, and how we had to move as quickly as possible, all while trying to chop off my limbs and drag me along. Why were they so laid-back today?
"It is because there are others who have not yet arrived."
"Others who haven't arrived?"
There are more people coming? Who the hell are they to not show up when it's already the meeting time? This is why it doesn't pay to be a good person. Why are you telling me now that there are others? If I'd known, I would've slept in and just woken up now, for fuck's sake.
I was starting to get pissed off, and just before my anger could explode, as if on cue, three elves and their party appeared, walking toward us from a distance.
The male elf in the lead, who seemed to be their captain, glanced at the female elf behind me, and his eyes went wide as saucers. He rushed over, panting, and made a fuss, asking what had happened.
"Evangeline...? What happened to your ears?!"
"...It is nothing."
"How can it be nothing when you, a Great Warrior, look like this!"
They seemed to have a lot to say after being reunited for the first time in three days, so we gave them some space. And that's when someone else came into view.
"W-Why are you here?!"
"That's what I'd like to ask you."
The guy who should have been captured by the imperial family a few days ago was standing confidently before me, apparently already released. With a heroine in tow, as always.
"A thief and a terrorist, walking around like nothing happened. What a grim world we live in."
"Th-That wasn't me! It was an impersonator!"
Yeah, I know. Because I'm the one who did it.
"Why are you involved this time, too?!"
"Dunno."
Honestly, I don't know either. Is this a trap, like that designated quest before? Or is it some kind of insurance? Like a high school graduate applying to multiple universities, an insurance policy in case one person refuses. But then again, they threw a fit about chopping off my limbs to bring me along. No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure it out.
"Come to think of it... if you're here, that must mean Liche is here too, right?"
As he spoke, the toilet's eyes darted to the side, and soon, Liche, who was talking with Tia, came into his view. Even after getting his ass handed to him, he still hasn't given up. He's so clingy, like a pathetic ex-boyfriend, no wonder his favorability rating is in the gutter.
Just as the toilet was about to head toward Liche, the elf who had arrived first spoke to us.
"Preparations for departure are complete."
"You hear that? Oh dear, what a shame~"
"...Why now, of all times."
And so, we stepped onto the giant magic circle and teleported to Alfheim.
***
Immediately after the teleport, the elves were panting. Even with six of them powering the teleportation, they still looked like that. It was a testament to just how poor the fuel efficiency of teleportation was. And it made me realize once again just how incredible Lucia was for activating it several times all by herself.
But the place we teleported to, with such poor efficiency, was the middle of a forest. They said every second counted, so it wouldn't have been enough to teleport into the middle of the town, yet why did they teleport us to a place like this? I shot her a glare.
"Hey. I thought you said we were teleporting."
"W-Well... because of Lord Yggdrasil's barrier, we cannot teleport near Alfheim."
"Useless."
"......"
Anyway, it meant we had to walk from here. To have to walk even after using teleportation... It was the very definition of absurdity.
Still, the walk was boring, so I looked around for anything interesting to see. Not that there's much to see in a forest, but perhaps due to the barrier's influence, there wasn't even a breeze. There were no goblins, the usual forest regulars, nor any wild animals like boars or squirrels. It seemed humans weren't the only ones who got lost here.
We walked through the forest like that for twenty minutes. Then, the elves leading the way came to a sudden halt at some kind of boundary.
"Everyone, please hold hands. From here on, you must be connected to us to enter."
At the elf's command, I took the female elf's hand, the toilet took the male elf's hand, and with our free hands, we each held onto our companions. Then, things we couldn't see before appeared before our eyes. The forest, which was already green, grew even brighter, and before we knew it, a village had materialized before us.
Behind it stood a single, massive tree. Needless to say, it was the divine tree the elves worshipped as a god, the World Tree. Its size was, without a doubt, immense. So immense that it reached the clouds. A tree of that size should have been visible from anywhere in the forest, so the reason we couldn't see it must have been the barrier.
"Whoa..."
Yui gasped in awe. Luna and Liche didn't make a sound, but they must have been marveling inwardly as well. The buildings were built in the trees, a style not seen in human lands, and Alfheim itself wasn't a place just anyone could enter and see. Even for me, seeing in reality what I had only ever seen as graphics on a monitor was a strange feeling.
"Greetings, Great Warrior Evangeline and Great Warrior Pal-leun!"
As we walked to the entrance while looking around the village, the elves guarding the gate saluted.
"Anything to report?"
"Nothing to report, sir!"
"Where is he and what is he doing?"
"He went out this morning to investigate the seal and has not yet returned!"
"Haaah... Again. I told him not to train near the seal so many times. Understood."
The elf called Pal-leun let out a weary sigh. When they say 'he', they must be talking about the Weapon Master. I was curious what he looked like, but unfortunately, it seems he's not in the village right now.
"The humans behind you are..."
Just then, one of the guards questioned our presence as we were all huddled together. He was staring particularly hard at me, so I flipped him the bird. Somehow, he recognized the human gesture and scowled. Elves, humans... we just look a little different. There's nothing that special about us, yet he's staring like we're some kind of curiosity.
"These are the humans Lord Yggdrasil spoke of."
"Those people..."
"We are now going to have an audience with Lord Yggdrasil."
"Understood. We will process your return from the mission."
After the brief conversation, we followed the elves into the village. Once inside, I could finally see other elves, and my gaze kept drifting toward them. Elves, who are impossible to find elsewhere no matter how hard you look, were everywhere here. I couldn't help but stare. Besides, all the elves were good-looking, so it was a feast for the eyes.
Following the elves ahead, we arrived at the great tree we had seen from the entrance. We were before the World Tree. Beside the World Tree was a spiral staircase leading up. The elf standing before it warned us.
"You are outsiders, and since you were personally invited by Lord Yggdrasil, I will not force etiquette upon you. However, mind your words and actions so as not to cause any offense."
Sorry, but I came here today with the full intention of causing offense. I deliberately said nothing and climbed the stairs for a long time. At the point where the stairs ended, there was a large, three-meter-tall door. Judging by its location, it seemed a building had been constructed inside the World Tree itself.
"So you built the place to meet your god by carving out its flesh?"
I muttered it to myself, but their hearing must be excellent because one of them heard and even replied.
"Lord Yggdrasil created this himself."
"Hoh..."
For a moment, words like self-harm, masochist, and schizophrenia flashed through my mind, but I quickly erased them. He must have carved out his own flesh because it wasn't a problem.
'Then he probably won't say anything if I break off a few branches later.'
As I was lost in thought, wondering what I should take, the two elves kneeling before the large door spoke.
"Great Warriors Evangeline and Pal-leun. We have returned from our mission with the humans. We seek an audience with the great Lord Yggdrasil to report on our mission."
A brief silence followed. After a short while in that state, the two elves abruptly stood up, each taking one side of the door and pushing. There had clearly been no reply from within. So this is a god, acting all high and mighty━ Just as I had that thought and followed the elves inside...
[Welcome, strangers.]
A voice echoed in my head.