Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Preparations
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The corpse looked as if it had been brutally hacked apart by something sharp. Wounds covered its entire body, one eye was missing, and fingers and toes were scattered nearby. It was a truly gruesome sight. I didn't know who the culprit was, but they clearly had a deviant taste for gore.
The corpse before me, so graphic it would get this scene censored, was probably the elf who had been guarding the seal last night. Gideon, who had joined us late after checking the seal, stared at the body with a grim expression.
"What a sick hobby."
"I agree."
*Tch, that's not how you deal with a pointy-ear.* You're not supposed to kill arrogant pointy-ears right away. You have to crush every last shred of their pride, just like I did. In that sense, the culprit would make a terrible undertaker.
"You two seem surprisingly calm, though. It's rare for adventurers to see a body like this."
Adventurers might see their share of dead bodies, but not one so brutally dismembered.
"Not really. In fact, it's pretty common."
"Is that so...?"
"For some strange reason, people always seem to pick fights with me."
Honestly, since coming to this world, I've fought more people than monsters. I don't know why, but trouble just seems to find me. Do I look that much like a pushover?
"In any case, it seems we have to turn right back around."
"What a pain..."
Grumbling about the hassle, we had no choice but to return to Alfheim. We had made a pointless trip back and forth just to tell the World Tree that the stele showed signs of an attack. And so we arrived back in Alfheim. But this wasn't the only incident.
Our elven guide, Evangeline, was waiting at the entrance and approached us as soon as she saw us.
"Ah. You're all together."
She spoke as if we'd saved her some trouble, looking rushed.
"Lady Yggdrasil has summoned you."
"Perfect timing. We had business with her as well."
"And... Sir Luke, behind you, as well."
We had to go anyway, and she was looking for us. I didn't know what it was about, but I followed obediently. All the while, I mentally tallied up the rewards I'd be getting later. When we arrived at the audience chamber, Evangeline immediately withdrew, and the World Tree greeted us.
[Thank you for coming.]
The voice that echoed in my head was not the gentle one from our first meeting. Its submerged, sunken tone spoke volumes about her mood.
"I heard the old hag summoned us. What's wrong?"
[First, would you look at this?]
The World Tree indicated a wooden coffin on the table. I glanced down, wondering if it held some treasure, but it contained the corpse of an elf. *Well, it's a coffin. What else would be in it?* I guess I've been watching too much anime. The corpse was missing an arm, and its organs, spilling from a long laceration, created a grotesque scene.
[This morning, a child on patrol outside the village found this body. It was collapsed in the middle of the forest.]
"So there was more than one death..."
Gideon swallowed hard. It made sense. Who would guard a ticking time bomb alone, especially at night? There should have been at least two guards, so it had been strange to find only one body near the seal. The World Tree questioned Gideon's meaningful remark.
[What do you mean?]
"Actually, we were on our way to see you, old hag. Luke, could you take that out?"
"Ah, you mean the housewarming gift?"
"...That's not what it is."
I took the 'housewarming gift' from my inventory and placed it on the coffin.
[......]
"We just came from the seal. There were signs of an attack."
[I see...]
"You're quite calm, considering one of your precious children is dead."
[I am in a position of command right now... I cannot afford to act on emotion.]
But the World Tree fell silent, trying to control her surging anger. The more we talked, the more the incident spiraled out of control. The fact that two elves had died both created several problems and provided several pieces of information.
First, the culprit was highly skilled. Even a low-ranking elf had the capabilities of a B-rank adventurer. Killing two of them meant there was more than one attacker, or the attacker was A-rank or higher. Second, the culprit's goal was to break the seal. Killing the elves was merely incidental.
The first problem was related to the raid. We were planning to conduct the raid soon, and the death of an elf meant a loss of military strength. For the elves, whose population was already small, every single individual was a valuable asset. The second problem was the attack itself. The seal would need to be guarded in the future, and an attack like today's could happen again. Not only that, but the hidden culprit could launch a surprise attack from behind during the raid.
Amidst the heavy atmosphere, Yui, who seemed to have a question, spoke up in a small voice.
"Um, how did the culprit get inside the barrier?"
"Who knows."
I was curious too, but since they were already in, I hadn't given it much thought. Then, a voice suddenly echoed in my head.
[They cut off an elf's arm to enter. Did you not also hold an elf's hand when you first came to Alfheim?]
The World Tree said, looking at the armless elf with a distant gaze. Just as she said, we had held an elf's hand to enter. I didn't know the principle behind it, but they'd told us that was the only way in.
[The barrier I have cast over the forest is a dual barrier of cognitive inhibition and consciousness alteration. It prevents those trying to enter Alfheim from perceiving it and unconsciously instills in them the judgment that they should not approach this place, forcing them to turn away.]
A dual barrier. It sounded impressive just by name.
[The barrier's effect grows stronger the closer one gets to Alfheim, but that doesn't mean there is no way in. The easiest method is with the help of an elf, whether by holding their hand, as you did, or by possessing a part of their body.]
A part of their body. Hearing that much, I could guess how they got in. Yesterday, the elf had said the place where the Volcanic Horned Dragon was sealed was outside the World Tree's barrier. With no barrier, anyone could have gone to the location of the seal. That's why the elves were stationed near the seal.
The culprit killed the elf guarding the seal and took a part of their body. With that, they could move freely inside the barrier. And wasn't the corpse missing an arm? The culprit probably has it. I thought no one could get in, but hearing all this, it seems there are quite a few loopholes.
"So the culprit still has the arm?"
[Most likely.]
"But we went to the seal today without an elf's help."
[That is thanks to the tea I served you on the first day. It is a type of mark, one that allows the barrier to remember a visitor.]
Things I thought were meaningless are turning out to have reasons as I dig deeper.
"More importantly, why isn't there a barrier around the seal itself?"
[Because I do not know what would happen if my barrier and the seal were to merge. The seal is also a type of barrier. When two barriers combine, one of them may lose its efficacy. If it were a barrier I created myself, I would have tried, but unfortunately, the one who made that seal was not me, but a human. And that human is no longer in this world.]
*Tsk. How convenient for the plot.* Thanks to that, things are getting complicated.
"Anyway, has the old hag's foresight picked up anything?"
[...Unfortunately, no. I have tried several times, but my eyes see nothing but darkness.]
Haven't you ever played a prank like that on a friend? Showing them a powered-off phone screen and saying, "Hey, that's your future." That's what was happening for real.
'This is why vague abilities are a pain...'
Time-related abilities like foresight are amazing on paper, but they're also prime examples of powers that can be frustratingly vague. For example, with time-stopping, the key is how long you can stop it. What's the use of stopping time if it's only for 0.1 seconds? Or what if using an ability to turn back time shaves off the user's lifespan? An ability like that is worse than having none at all.
The foresight the World Tree was using now was the same. If she looked into the future and only saw elves screaming in the dark and nothing but darkness, then seeing it was meaningless. That must be why the culprit hides during the day and only acts at night. The forest at night, where even the moonlight is blocked by the trees, is the perfect place to hide.
Plus, the fact that she couldn't see only the future she wanted to see played a part. She probably only looked into the future when necessary. That's why she couldn't prepare for an incident like this. Then again, if someone spent all their time looking at the future, the present would be meaningless to them.
"So what's the plan for the guards? Now that we know the target is the seal, you'll have to strengthen security."
[There are a few things I can try, but for now, there is no other option but to increase the number of personnel.]
The World Tree and Gideon began to decide on their future course of action. Beside them, Luna, as if something had occurred to her, asked a question.
"Sir Luke, I'm just asking, but... is this the work of demons, too?"
"Not as far as I know, but judging by their methods, it's either a demon or a demonic human."
Who else besides demons and demonic humans would do something like this? If a beastkin or human did it, it would mean immediate war with the elves, so that was out of the question. At my answer, Luna wore an expression that said, "I thought so."
"If something's going to show up, I hope it's a demon rather than a demonic human."
Weak demonic humans don't give much experience. And demons drop skills, don't they? The more skills, the better.
"What will you do if one actually appears...?"
"You worry too much."
If they show up, I'll just kill them all. My precious experience points.
***
After that, we tried a number of methods. We tried to lure them out by posting elves in the morning and Gideon at night, but unfortunately, it failed. No, it wasn't just Gideon. After the first murder, we couldn't find a single trace of the culprit.
It seemed that after trying to attack the seal and realizing they couldn't break it with their own power, they changed their method to waiting for the raid to begin. But we couldn't just call off the raid. The seal would eventually break even if left alone. Halting the raid here would mean throwing away our chance to strike first. So, the raid would proceed, and if the culprit appeared, Gideon and I would be the ones to face them.
Time passed, and on our fourth day in Alfheim, I also began to move in preparation for the raid. First, I went to find our guide, Evangeline.
"Pardon? A carriage...?"
"Yeah. I have some things to prepare."
"I'm afraid we don't have anything like a carriage."
"Make one."
"...Pardon?"
"I said, make one."