The Druid of the Golden Rule

And so everyone gathered before the World Tree.

Yet those who had assembled could not help but find it strange.

"Isn't this far too many?"

"There must be nearly a hundred of us…"

They had been told that only seven people would meet the High Druid. But the actual number who had gathered was closer to a hundred.

"All of you will be divided into seven teams of thirteen and enter the World Tree's dungeon."

The moment I revealed myself, I casually dispelled their doubts.

The reason so many more had been gathered was simple. The rules had changed.

The instant I revived the Knights of the Round Table—

The founding of the Knights of the Round Table, and the evolution of the Druid trait!

Those two factors, combined, had almost certainly rewritten the conditions.

Not that it mattered either way. The more entrants—the more competitors—the greater the rewards. That single line had seized me completely. If the rewards of a Primal-grade dungeon could grow even larger, I could not begin to imagine what waited at the end.

"Those assembled here are the top ninety-one who proved their Qualification of Honor and passed. All of you shall share the glory of entering the World Tree's dungeon at my side."

"…The High Druid is human?"

In that moment, the Elf Queen spoke, stunned.

Dare not doubt.

There had originally been only one World Tree.

The Primeval Forest. The first of the floating lands of the sky to rise, a sacred and inviolable domain ruled by the elves—and within it, only a single tree had ever stood.

The advantages the elves had gained from it were beyond counting. Treated as holy ground by every race, they were never invaded; their land was so rich in resources and vital energy that they had no need to covet any other territory. And under the World Tree's protection, the elves had flourished.

…Until a mere five years ago, that is.

From a certain point onward, the World Tree began to wither. Its leaves wilted; its branches scarcely grew. The elves who lived in dependence upon it could not help but suffer the same decline. And into that opening the dark elves had forced their way.

To wage war in a sacred domain where the World Tree still stood—and to commit abductions on top of it. The dark elves had gone too far. All of it because the World Tree and the elves had grown weak.

And so the Elf Queen had desperately sought a High Druid.

No—more precisely: Elder Aruwen said she had found one.

…Elder Aruwen. She had claimed that the human who cleared the Rift Tower—the Lord of Verdure—was a Druid. That he had forced Auryll's laurel tree into explosive growth. He was a Druid without question. And not merely a Druid, but a High Druid.

She had even heard his name.

Randolph.

Randolph! In the desert tongue it meant "Great Wolf." How had he come to bear a name handed down from distant ages—a name so diluted by time that most no longer even knew its true meaning?

What was certain was this: he was human, and yet not human.

The Randolph Auryll had described was a truly bizarre existence. Lord of Verdure. A figure so great that the Dragon God Ainharthar himself came seeking him. Strong enough to slay the Demon of Jealousy, and thereby recognized by Martial God Karas.

He was beyond humanity. A Transcendent who had cast off the limits of the human condition, without a doubt. In all her life, the Elf Queen had never once heard of the Dragon God Ainharthar seeking someone out in person. And that was not all—Ainharthar, having found Randolph, had reclaimed his full stature as a Dragon God. Martial God Karas likewise. Just as the name promised: a Great Wolf.

But the Elf Queen had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been unable to seek Randolph out. The dark elves had begun their full-scale assault. And Elder Aruwen, who had gathered all that knowledge of Randolph, was now of uncertain fate—alive or dead, no one could say for certain.

Then, in that very moment, a second World Tree had appeared.

A matter more urgent even than finding a Druid. That was why the Elf Queen had come in person.

And now they said a High Druid was here. So she had waited, holding her breath. Not only she—everyone gathered in this place.

—Is he truly so remarkable that he could gather all of us?

—Every new star has assembled as one. If he is worthless, I will crush him at once.

—Just how honorable must he be?

They watched with unprecedented attention. From the Evil-Destroying Giant who guarded the Mother Star, to the Ancient Phoenix called the Mother of Fire, to the Royal Guardian—the Guardian of Light—who had long withdrawn from the world. And the White King? Figures who had kept themselves hidden for so long had emerged in force. Sacred titans even an Elf Queen could not casually approach!

For the masters of the sacred domains—not of darkness or the Abyss—to gather in a single place like this was historically without precedent.

The master of the second World Tree is human?

…And yet.

The High Druid who finally appeared was, once again, human. That one was not Randolph. How, then, could every High Druid be human?

"He is not a High Druid, Elf Queen. His Grace is the Druid of the Golden Rule. The greatest of all Druids, and the true master of the World Tree."

Albino, Great Chief of the Druids, corrected her. Not a Druid, not a High Druid—the Druid of the Golden Rule.

"The Druid of the Golden Rule…? Is that different from a High Druid?"

But even the Elf Queen had never heard of a Druid of the Golden Rule. She was learning of such a Druid for the first time now.

Albino nodded and explained.

"A High Druid means the king of the Druids."

"Then what is a Druid of the Golden Rule?"

"A god."

"…A god?"

"The god of the Druids."

Albino and the other Druids alike gazed upon the human with faces flushed with fervor. Which meant—their god had descended upon this place.

He wore a human form, but if he was a god, the shell meant nothing. There was nothing to do but kneel, revere, and exalt him. And the Druids were a race that composed nature itself. A god of nature was, by rights, a god of the elves as well. Ordinary elves, High Elves—even an Elf Queen—could not dare lift their heads freely before a god of nature.

If Great Chief Albino said so, it could not be a lie.

And yet… she could scarcely accept it.

The size of his desire…

…was simply too vast. Beyond imagination.

Elves possessed eyes that could see the desire of a being. Given that nothing in existence was as greedy and covetous as nature itself, it was only natural.

"Th-that can't be…"

In that moment, Auryll's eyes flew wide, as if she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could not believe what she saw. Auryll, who had grown strong enough now to rival a High Elf. The sole reason she had been brought here was her ability.

And yet Auryll stared at the Druid of the Golden Rule, her eyes trembling finely.

"What is it, Auryll?"

When the Elf Queen asked, Auryll hurriedly shook her head.

"N-nothing, Your Majesty. Nothing at all."

"Is that so…?"

"Yes. Pay it no mind."

She answered with a carefully blank face, and the Elf Queen asked no further. There were far more important matters at hand than Auryll.

"Anyone who doubts our god, I shall take as doubting us Druids."

Albino declared it with a rigid face. Harbor no suspicion whatsoever.

At the same time—

"…"

"…"

Every mouth closed.

The Druids were the race that laid the foundation of nature; no race in this world wished to make enemies of them. No living thing could exist without nature. And Great Chief Albino was a Legendary Druid—a monster who, even measured against every soul gathered here, lacked nothing. A being who had survived since before the age of Ruin, and who deserved every measure of respect.

"I have never heard of a dungeon within a World Tree. An explanation seems in order."

After the silence, the Evil-Destroying Giant spoke with carefully measured courtesy. Another race's god, after all—he would do his utmost not to give offense.

…Their curiosity was only natural. Being suddenly told to enter a dungeon was strange enough on its own.

I nodded and answered.

"It is a Primal-grade dungeon."

"Hm…?"

"Primal?!"

"What is Primal?"

The reactions of those who knew and those who did not were poles apart. But those who understood looked at me trembling, struck with awe.

"'Primal' is the first of all names."

"Then a 'Primal-grade dungeon' means… the first dungeon?"

"The definition of 'first' differs for each, so I will not call it the first dungeon as such. But it is without question a dungeon that was born alongside the origin of the World Tree."

"Alongside the origin of the World Tree…!"

Only then did every eye go wide with understanding. A dungeon that had appeared with the World Tree. The World Tree itself had arisen with the birth of the world—to speak of that origin would take more breath than anyone had.

I shrugged.

"The dungeon's rewards will be without precedent among all dungeons. You might even become the master of this World Tree."

"…!!!"

"…?!"

Everyone was stunned to the limits of their strength. The god of the Druids had personally stated that he might transfer the right to master the World Tree to another race. Naturally, Albino and the Druids could not help but be thrown into confusion.

But this was to stoke their desire.

The Forgotten Dungeon of Honor. That only the honorable could enter meant they were to fight with honor on the line. That did not mean, however, that I intended to compete on equal footing.

"The entry condition is this: those I recognize, and those who are wholly honorable. Among those gathered here, the six I name will serve as chiefs—or captains—and form teams with twelve others each."

I added more, driving it firmly into their minds. Of all of them, I would recognize only six. Anyone who failed to earn my recognition was not even worth competing against.

"Who are those six?"

The Elf Queen asked. Of course everyone wanted the captain's seat.

"First… the Evil-Destroying Giant."

I spoke with a faint smile.

"…I am grateful for the recognition."

The Evil-Destroying Giant bowed his head. When I had met him as Randolph he had been arrogance itself—if I had recognized him as Randolph, he would have snorted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in contempt. Rank, it seemed, truly was everything.

"…"

Every gaze converged. Of course. To be named by me now was to stand on the same level as the Evil-Destroying Giant. How could they not be curious?

I opened my mouth slowly.

"White King."

"…The Druid of the Golden Rule has a rather fine eye."

The White King stepped forward with his usual arrogance. Still the same insufferable bastard. He had nearly clashed with the Evil-Destroying Giant once while hunting the King of the Dead in Kramdel; if I had not named him, his pride would have taken a serious blow.

That made two. Four remained.

"Ancient Phoenix. What is your name?"

A monster I had never once seen. A being of the deep sea who had never even appeared before. And yet every phoenix in existence venerated this one. The problem was that I had been unable to learn the name. Albino did not know it. Neither did the other Druids—even the World Tree itself would not reveal it. That was how sacred this existence ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was. Unless it spoke the name of its own will, no one could ever learn it.

A voice resonating through my mind. Al Raum, was it.

I nodded. Aside from me, it clearly did not wish its name known to anyone else.

"We'll move on."

"Next… Kasim, the Radiant Transcendent."

Kasim, the Radiant Transcendent, was human. Among the humans whose qualifications the World Tree had verified, he held the highest honor save for Serengeti alone. He was a legendary Transcendent—the one who had single-handedly annihilated an empire of evil. In the early days after the continent rose into the sky, in that age of chaos, he had been the foremost and the strongest, his name ringing across the world. Legend held that after the Empire of Evil fell, he vanished.

I'd seen the name occasionally in quests, but I never imagined he was still alive.

Kasim's name was considerably famous even among players. That was how legendary a figure he was.

The Evil-Destroying Giant. The White King. The Ancient Phoenix Al Raum. Kasim, the Radiant Transcendent!

Only two seats remained.