Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Irregular Existence (5)
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'No way. The real World Tree...? Its will or a spirit or something.'
Rishir stared at the massive tree before him.
His eyes trembled with considerable shock.
It wasn't solely because his grandmaster had referred to it as the extraordinary entity known as the World Tree.
The aura emanating from the giant tree.
Rishir's shock stemmed from that.
How vast and dense that aura was—
Even within the forest space shaped by his grandmaster's will, it asserted a sharp presence, steadfastly maintaining its inherent existence.
Rishir sensed it instinctively.
This being might possess a stature equal to his grandmaster's.
Soon after.
It shattered the long, abrupt silence and spoke once more.
"Forest's Night. What nonsense is this? Do you think I can't distinguish humans from other races? Those things there are unmistakably humans."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Infuriating. Do you think I'm humoring your drivel because I enjoy it? I'm merely playing along to wrap up your nonsense quickly."
"What did I even say?"
"I said there's only one human among them."
"…"
Ah.
Labela nodded gently, as if in understanding.
"So that's how you interpreted it. There are several people here, but only one of them is human."
Labela's confusion toward the giant tree lasted only a moment.
She glanced at Rishir once. Having grasped the situation, she formed a seductive smile with her characteristic languid silver eyes, visibly pleased.
"Enough, Forest's Night. I didn't answer your summons to trade wordplay with you. I came to atone for the foolishly horrific mistake I committed in the past and to end our exhausting entanglement."
"I can't help but protest my innocence here. Caroer. Have you forgotten my initial words? Knowing you loathe prolonged conversations with me, I cut straight to the point. Yet who's the one veering off-topic and dithering now? And pinning the blame on me, no less?"
"Can you take responsibility for those words right now?"
The voice spat the words in a tone as if its patience had reached its breaking point.
"This isn't progressing, so I'll follow your suggestion. What do you want to do?"
"…So that's it. You seem dead set on luring me into your wretched forest. Fine. I'll indulge you. But mark this well. If I go there and find even the slightest deviation from your words, I'll depart the forest at once. And I'll settle every past obligation tied to you in full."
"Oh my. Wiping all our debts clean over something so trivial?"
"That's the cost of attempting to deceive me with such despicable ploys."
"Then what about the reverse?"
"The reverse?"
"Yes. If my words hold true without a single discrepancy? If you jumped to conclusions and got worked up on your own? In that case, it wouldn't be amiss to say you owe me yet another debt, right?"
The giant tree responded through action instead.
Its branches and leaves intertwined, forming a silhouette.
A towering figure with surreal proportions evoking his master and grandmaster.
Pointed, protruding ears.
From the core of that elf-like plant structure, an intensely blinding light erupted.
"Ugh—"
Rishir reflexively shielded his eyes.
A moment later.
As the light faded and he looked again, what met his gaze was—
A nude woman, her body fully exposed.
'Elf? No, this is—'
Long golden hair cascading like a stream down to her knees.
Skin that truly glowed faintly, radiating luster—not mere fancy.
Her otherworldly appearance and aura inspired not 'beauty,' but a sense of 'alien species.'
'High Elf...?'
Rishir recalled Rapita, the High Elf who once owned Perin, thinking of the elf princess he had seen before.
"…"
The High Elf—
Caroer's eyes, which had stared vacantly into space, gradually focused.
After a brief interval.
Her green eyes locked onto the man directly ahead—Rishir.
An utterly aloof aura and gaze.
Facing it head-on, Rishir felt, for an instant, like a leaf tumbling across the ground.
But only for a moment.
"…"
A massive ripple surged through those aloof green eyes.
It was the instant when the myriad humans her qi sense had conjured in her mind converged into one before her.
"What is this..."
The High Elf's voice quivered.
And then.
The dark elf, who had observed the entire sequence, let out a bewitching laugh.
"Hehe. What did I tell you, Caroer."
"…"
The High Elf's expression bypassed humiliation, instantly clouding with displeasure.
She glared sharply at the dark elf.
"Forest's Night. What have you done this time?"
The dark elf was genuinely amused by the High Elf's reaction.
The forest echoed with a seductive laughter in unison with her.
"Surprising, Caroer. To think you hold me in such high regard? Do you truly believe that I—"
The dark elf gestured toward the human, then affectionately stroked his head.
"—could fabricate this child's existence with my power?"
"…"
The High Elf glanced briefly at the human, then nodded slightly in acceptance.
And then.
She revealed her displeasure at the entire situation.
A mere human had slipped her perception—
And the dark elf had witnessed her unseemly shock in full.
"State your demand."
The High Elf spoke, her wrinkle-free face betraying exhaustion despite furrowed brows.
"How many times must I repeat myself, Caroer? I simply wish for you to plant the seed of nature in this child."
"Labela. Surely you remember what transpired when you stole our elves' power?"
"Stole? That's odd phrasing. After all, I merely wielded a naturally occurring force. Just like you elves. By that logic, you elves would be thieves too—is that acceptable?"
"Because of you, this revered force of nature became an object of fear and disdain."
"By that logic, should Night of the Sword abolish every blade in the world?"
Rishir unwittingly retreated several steps.
The tension crackling between the two elves.
And the clash of their auras.
The repercussions were far too potent to attribute to mere bickering.
'So this is how a shrimp's back bursts.'
Rishir prayed the two transcendent beings wouldn't resort to hair-pulling right there.
Even his grandmaster seemed unlikely to emerge unscathed and victorious against that High Elf.
Fortunately.
The tension soon began to ebb.
Labela diffused it with her signature languid smile, exuding composure.
"Above all, Caroer. You lost the wager again, didn't you? Honor the promise. Surely the elves' elder and World Tree guardian wouldn't renege?"
The strongest reaction to the dark elf's words came not from the High Elf, but the human.
'Elves' elder? World Tree guardian?'
He had anticipated an extraordinary figure, but not one of such lofty status?
Rishir couldn't conceal his shock at the nude High Elf's sudden revelation.
"…"
Hoo.
The High Elf soon quelled her ire with a deep breath.
"Better that than endless pointless squabbling with you."
Thus, she averted her gaze from the loathsome dark elf and turned to the human.
"…"
Rishir found the High Elf's expression profoundly enigmatic.
Contempt toward her own curiosity about a mere human, perhaps?
The displeasure etched on her face peaked.
Unable to suppress her intrigue toward the human, the High Elf finally spoke.
"How did you manage it?"
"Pardon? Manage what, ma'am?"
"Deceiving my perception. That keen aura. I was certain a swordsman was present here."
"Ah, truth be told, I do handle the sword somewhat."
"I'm not referring to such trifles. I'm seeing you with my eyes now, but previously, I assessed this place through a far more precise and fundamental means. I perceived a mage, a swordsman, a shaman—even a black mage and priest."
Labela felt considerable fascination observing Caroer.
Caroer now regarded Rishir with antipathy—but that was rare indeed.
For that arrogant, noble entity of elevated standing even among High Elves, humans held no value warranting individual disdain.
In short.
The antipathy Caroer displayed signified Rishir transcended 'mere human' in her eyes.
'Drawing this level of interest from Caroer upon first encounter...'
As World Tree guardian, Caroer surveilled all intruders into elven domains via qi sense, wielding transcendent perception spanning city-sized expanses.
To elude such a Caroer's senses.
Labela knew Rishir's versatility well, yet hadn't imagined he possessed such prowess.
Ere long, Labela too gazed at Rishir with curiosity brimming in her eyes.
"I, Caroer, acknowledge your prowess. It was an exquisite talent unlike any I've encountered. Reveal its secret, and I'll grant you the honor of the seed of nature."
The two transcendents' focus converged on one human.
He pondered briefly, then replied in bewilderment.
"You perceived a swordsman here not because I know swordsmanship?"
"Reluctant to divulge the secret, are you? Very well, suppose your swordsman facet revealed itself to me. Then explain the shaman, black mage, and priest I saw?"
"Ah, actually, I dabbled in those a bit too."
"?"
Mad human?
Bewilderment finally surfaced on Caroer's face, unmasked by displeasure.
Witnessing the High Elf's perfectly normal reaction, Rishir felt a peculiar relief.
After all, a witness to validate his claims stood present.
"Lady Bella would understand what I mean."
Rishir cautiously indicated her.
"?"
The dark elf, wearing an expression akin to Caroer's.
"Lady Bella?"
"Girl. Besides magic and black magic, what else do you claim proficiency in?"
"Eh, didn't I mention it?"
"Hold on. Human. Then finally, explain the hero's aura I perceived last."
"Hero?"
"Hero? Out of nowhere?"
Labela blinked at the utterly abrupt invocation.
Even Caroer appeared perplexed by her own words.
"Perhaps imagination. But I sensed the hero's aura I'd encountered before, right here."
By now, Labela sensed something amiss.
"Caroer. Something off? Mage and black mage I can accept, but a hero suddenly?"
"…Why accept the black mage?"
At that instant.
Rishir timidly raised his hand.
"W-Well, I do possess a holy sword."
"…"
"…"
The two transcendents stared fixedly at the human.
An odd silence descended upon the area.
Feeling the awkwardness of idling, Rishir demonstrated Blue Breathing.
He conjured black flames. His body glowed. And—
"Enough."
The High Elf squeezed her eyes shut, halting him.
The two transcendents stood rigidly motionless, like lifeless statues, for some time.
Thereafter.
Rishir returned to Labela's cabin alongside the two elves.
"Uh, Lady Caroer? Need something to cover yourself?"
"No need. Garments from you or Forest's Night would be impure—better bare than that."
"…"
Did she feel no shame exposing herself to a human?
The High Elf silently commenced preparations for imparting nature magic, her nude form aglow.
A short while later.
The High Elf tore a rift within the dark elf's forest.
The rift led to elven lands.
"If prepared, proceed."
The High Elf advanced through the rift first.
"…"
As Rishir stepped forth—
He realized he was genuinely tense.
'Really...'
Now, he would learn.
Nature magic.
The power foundational to his master.
From his master's—
Master.
"Wait."
Tension creased Rishir's eyes.
The moment his grandmaster's tutelage surpassed a week's cumulative—
Exceeding in totality the teachings from his master.
In that event—
'What becomes of the lineage?'
At the same hour.
A dark elf confronted a band of humans.
"Witch!!! We know your vile reputation all too well!!! How dare you, in that accursed dark elf husk, covet the great heroes' legacy! Think the Brof descendants, we Sordan, will stand by idly!"
The shouting human's face brimmed with smug ease.
Conversely, anxiety heavily clouded the dark elf's expression.
A skirmish had already unfolded once.
It had laid bare the stark disparity in strength.
The dark elf was thoroughly cornered.
Few options remained to her.
"You said it~ Truly vexing. I'm merely asserting my legitimate rights, yet treated like the villain. Why?"
Forest Witch Pamon.
Her gaze fixed intently on one figure amid the group.
A hooded swordsman.
Her pursuit by this hunting party stemmed wholly from that man's superhuman presence.
"True. The issue is that villain label drew such a monstrous expert. Better to face the rest combined than him alone."
"Hmm~ Would my wiles sway him?"
At the named figure, Pamon smiled wryly.
"And only that child Rishir would heed a dark elf's words."
As the cornered dark elf and grimoire conversed in resigned tones.
"…"
The hooded man's ears twitched alertly.
His superhuman qi sense had detected their covert exchange.
"Dark Elf. That Rishir—is he perhaps of the Gray Tower?"
The man called out to the dark elf.
As he unilaterally engaged her, the Sordan—hired heroic descendants—startled, attempted to restrain him.
Yet the man advanced undeterred.
"If it's Gray Tower's Rishir—Dark Elf. What's your connection to him?"
"…"
Pamon eyed him steadily, then ventured cautiously.
"And you? What's your tie to Rishir?"
"As for me—"
He doffed his hood, revealing flowing silver tresses.
"—a recipient of the same master's guidance as Rishir. His senior brother, one might say."
One of the continent's seven Swordmasters.
The bearer of the Outer Sword moniker.
Long nauseated by the mobbing of one, he broke into a pleasant smile at the mention of that name.
"Recipient of the same master's guidance as Rishir... senior brother?"
As Pamon sorted her thoughts, a voice interjected.
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
The dark elf and Swordmaster regarded each other.
Who might you be?