Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: A Private Audience
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The voice echoing in my head was that of a beautiful woman. Everyone was startled by the sudden voice in their minds and visibly tensed up.
Meanwhile, the two elves knelt before the woman in front of them, bowing their heads.
In the direction the elves were bowing, a green-haired woman sat on a wooden throne, one step higher than the floor.
Dressed in a gown and holding a staff that seemed woven from tree roots, she was so beautiful it was hard to believe she was human. Then again, she wasn't human; she was a tree.
“Great Warrior Pal-leun. I greet you, Lady Yggdrasil.”
“Great Warrior Evangeline. I greet you, Lady Yggdrasil.”
So much formality. Isn't it tiring to live like that? As I yawned at the dull scene, *thud*. With the sound of her staff hitting the ground, the World Tree rose from her chair.
[Evangeline. You did not heed my warning.]
At the World Tree's chiding words, the female elf flinched. The World Tree walked forward with her eyes closed, her voice echoing without her lips moving, adding to the pressure.
[I believe I told you clearly to escort them politely. And that if any trouble arose, you were to avoid confrontation and retreat.]
With every word from the World Tree, the once-arrogant elf flinched repeatedly, looking utterly lost.
Come to think of it, the World Tree, with her foresight, must have seen me confronting the elves. And the scene where they were miserably beaten.
Listening to the World Tree now, it seems she had warned them beforehand. To know that and still pick a fight, only to get beaten down... This one calls herself a Great Warrior, but she's a total screw-up.
“...I have nothing to say.”
[Of course you have nothing to say. Seeing you now, I imagine you threatened to cut off their limbs, just as I foresaw.]
“......”
The World Tree snapped at her and moved, approaching the battered elf. Was she going to behead her for insubordination?! How exciting!
But what I imagined didn't happen. She touched the battered elf with her staff, and with a shimmering effect, the goblin ear fell off and new flesh grew in its place.
“Aww, no fun!”
““......?””
My jeer drew the gazes of the entire party. And the one who took offense was the male elf who had been bowing his head all this time.
“You bastard!”
What are you going to do about it? Start a sword fight in front of your god? I don't mind. Go ahead if you've got the guts. As the murderous-looking elf was about to draw his sword...
[Enough.]
The cool voice pierced directly into our minds, and the elf’s face went pale as he immediately sheathed his sword.
[I will apologize on their behalf for their mistakes. Could you not find it in your heart to show mercy just this once?]
“With just words?”
[I thought as much, so I have prepared something in advance.]
She tapped the floor with her staff. Despite it being wood on wood, a clear, resonant *thump* echoed. Then, roots sprouted from the wooden floor as if growing upside down, weaving together until they formed a branch.
[It is a branch of my own. You may craft it into a weapon or use it as medicine. Will this satisfy you?]
Foresight is the best! She knew exactly what I'd like and had it all prepared! Naturally, I took the World Tree's branch and put it in my inventory.
But did she think I'd be satisfied with just this? This is just the compensation I was going to get anyway. An apology needs its own separate token. If the World Tree can use foresight, she should know what I'm going to say next without me even having to open my mouth, right?
[Of course, a gesture of this level would not be enough for you.]
This time, the floor didn't rise but sank, forming a hole from which a bundle was pushed up. The bundle was lumpy, as if filled with round objects. The World Tree signaled for me to open it, so I untied the string and checked the contents.
The first item I pulled out was a glass bottle. To be precise, it was the liquid inside. The red-hued liquid was the familiar red medicine from games—a potion.
[You may use them yourself, or you could sell them for a high price.]
For reference, potions in this world were among the rarest of items. The reason adventurers, who hunt every day, didn't carry a single one was because they were too expensive.
And it wasn't just adventurers who had a hard time acquiring potions; nobles did too. It wasn't that nobles lacked money, but that few people possessed the skill to make them, limiting production.
And what about the ingredients? A magical medicine that heals wounds just by drinking or applying it couldn't possibly be made from cheap materials.
The World Tree could just pluck her own leaves to make them, which is why she had so many. Normally, finding potion ingredients would be like searching a mountain for a decades-old wild ginseng.
“Nice. Now *this* is what I call a sincere gesture.”
I tied up the bundle of potions and carefully stored it in my inventory. Seeing this, the World Tree smiled faintly and spoke to the rest of the party.
[My apologies for keeping the rest of you waiting.]
-*Thump*.
Once again, she struck her staff on the ground. This time, the wood on the floor rose up, quickly forming a round table and chairs.
Arthur and his heroines were glancing at each other, wondering if they should really sit, but by then, I was already seated. Following my lead, Luna, Yui, and Liche sat down in order. Only then did Arthur's party begin to take their seats.
[Before we get to the main topic, I will prepare some tea for you.]
*Gurgle*. A thin branch rose from beneath the table, brewed tea in a kettle, and poured the brewed tea into cups, placing them before us. The way the tentacle-like thing fluttered was kind of lewd.
The tea offered by the World Tree had a fragrance I'd never smelled before. If you asked me whether it seemed tasty or not, I'd say it seemed tasty.
Wait, isn't this just brewed from her own leaves? What else could it be in this situation? She's not Anpanman, so I don't know why she keeps tearing off parts of herself and handing them out. At this point, I'm starting to doubt the rarity of materials from the World Tree.
[Is the tea to everyone's liking?]
Leaves on a tree are basically like hair on a person... Tea brewed from someone else's hair tasted more healthy than delicious. To make a rough comparison, it was like green tea.
At the ambiguous taste, the party members could only smack their lips and nod awkwardly.
The World Tree, seated on a chair separate from ours, calmly continued.
[Now, let us get to the main point. The reason I have summoned you all... especially Sir Arthur and Sir Luke. Some of you may already be aware, but the sealed monster near Alfheim, the Volcanic Horned Dragon, is showing signs of awakening. Our objective is its subjugation.]
“Wait a moment. Why us? We're just academy students, aren't we?”
Tia abruptly raised her hand and asked a question. She just tagged along with Arthur, so what's with all the curiosity? She has absolutely no sense.
[I possess an ability called Foresight, which allows me to see the future. I cannot see every scene, but your faces appeared in the scenes I did see, which is why I have brought you here.]
“I don't know what kind of monster it is, but couldn't you handle it yourself, Lady World Tree?”
[Unfortunately, I have no means of attack. Furthermore, I am bound to this place and cannot leave Alfheim.]
The World Tree cannot leave Alfheim. Of course she can't; her main body has its roots planted here. If she wanted to leave, she'd have to carry this giant tree with her.
After that brief explanation, she began to describe the monster, the Volcanic Horned Dragon.
[The Volcanic Horned Dragon is a dangerous monster that wreaked havoc across the continent in the past. Back then, it appeared without warning, and we were only able to resort to sealing it after suffering many sacrifices. This time, however, we intend to prepare thoroughly, break the seal ourselves, and launch a preemptive strike.]
In other words, they're aiming for a spawn kill. Smart.
[We would like you to assist us in raiding the Volcanic Horned Dragon.]
That was the end of the explanation. The World Tree then asked, ‘Are there any questions?’ The one who responded was Stella, from Arthur's party.
I'm sure our group had plenty of questions too, but not a single one was asked, perhaps because they planned to pry the information out of me later.
“Um... when is the raid scheduled to begin?”
[We are aiming for one week from now... but I cannot say for certain, as we do not know what might happen.]
Like all good abilities, Foresight has a screw loose somewhere. In the World Tree's case, she can only see the future; unless a calendar conveniently appears in her vision, she has no way of knowing *when* it will happen.
So, even if she saw a vision of the raid, she can't tell if it's one that starts under her own initiative, like now, or one that is forcibly triggered by someone else.
And the next question also came from Arthur's party—Tia.
“To hunt such a dangerous monster, why is it only the elves and yourself, Lady World Tree? Wouldn't it be better to have help from other races?”
[I tried to do so... but achieving harmony is not so simple.]
If elves are the representative race of pride, then humans are the representative race of egoism. Even with danger right in front of them, they won't cooperate if it doesn't concern them directly. And even if they did, they'd demand a massive reward.
Furthermore, the dwarves hold immense pride in their technology. They probably believe their technologically advanced weapons could defeat an S-rank monster single-handedly, so they wouldn't even consider cooperating.
As for the Beastkin... the Beast King is belligerent, so he'd be more interested in a fight than in cooperation. Even unifying just three kingdoms was a monumental feat achieved only after numerous wars; unifying far more nations is not as easy as it sounds.
[The seal will break in the near future even if left alone, so we no longer have time to open negotiations with other races. Besides, the Volcanic Horned Dragon should be weakened from its long sealing. If not now, its subjugation will be impossible.]
After the World Tree finished answering the question, there were no others.
[Then, we will conclude the general explanation here. We have prepared lodging for you, so please rest until tomorrow. I will provide a more detailed explanation once all preparations are complete.]
And that was the end of it. The World Tree told us to rest at the prepared lodgings and assigned the Great Warrior elf as our guide.
Just as I was thinking I should go take a look at the seal before heading to the lodging...
[One moment.]
The World Tree called out to stop me. My steps halted, but the rest of the party continued outside without a care, so it seemed her words were meant only for me. Seeing me stop so suddenly, Liche thought it was strange and asked what was wrong.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You go on ahead.”
“Is there something else you need to do?”
“I don't know. She called me.”
I jerked my thumb back toward the World Tree, who was still seated. Liche squinted at the World Tree over my shoulder and then spoke.
“Hmm... Can’t I stay with you?”
“If that were the case, she wouldn't have called out only to me.”
“...That's true. Alright. We'll be waiting outside, then.”