The Serving Lord's Camouflage
The moment they stepped inside the World Tree, a notification window popped up as if it had been waiting.
You are the first player to enter the World Tree.
Reward: Title "World Tree's Blessing" granted.
◈ Stamina +2, Mana +2
◈ Stamina and Mana recovery speed increased by 20%.
"Huh?"
-Oh yeah, this was a thing. Pretty nice little perk.
Normally, the elves wouldn't show up for another year, so even Cheonma had tucked this title away in the corner of his memory.
"Kuh. Good call coming in here. Even handing out gifts like this."
Indeed, those who moved on their own reaped the rewards.
"But the inside of the World Tree doesn't seem all that special. I was kinda looking forward to something more."
The interior of the World Tree wasn't all that different from the dungeons Carpe had explored so far.
If he had to pick one difference, it was that unlike the usual dank, oppressive dungeons, this one had a cozy, comforting vibe?
-Who cares about the layout? We're not here for a maze crawl. Simple is good.
"Sure, but still..."
Disappointment colored Carpe's voice.
The elves' World Tree was the epitome of mystery and romance in any fantasy world.
Yet this mystical space turned out to be so plain...
"It's like hearing about this legendary food spot and going there only to find the food's bland. That's exactly my mood right now."
-Yeah. Seeing you start your usual bitching means you're in top form today. Excellent.
"By the way, no sign of Alteer."
She'd entered the World Tree, and he'd followed right after, but there was no trace of her.
-Must've gone that way?
Cheonma pointed to where three paths branched off.
Excluding the entrance they'd come from, that was the only route forward.
"Gotta pick one of the three?"
But Carpe's worries vanished the moment he approached the paths.
Only the center path had faint footprints leading ahead.
The other two showed no signs of anyone passing through.
"Feels kinda thrilling, like I'm in a stealth action game."
-It's not like the World Tree interior is off-limits or anything.
"Still."
It felt like he was a spy. Carpe cautiously stepped toward the center path.
How long had it been?
"Huh?"
As he walked along the path, the air suddenly grew chilly.
No, it was beyond chilly—it sent shivers down his spine, a bone-deep cold.
"...This is it. Like in the slime worm cave."
The intense chill he'd felt in the final boss room when he encountered the Serving Lord's fragment.
There was no fog like in the slime worm cave, but the cold itself was eerily similar.
"..."
Carpe had completed countless quests in the elf village by now.
There were plenty of simple ones clearable in the village, but quite a few collection or extermination quests required venturing outside.
And during one of those outings... he'd revisited the slime worm cave.
Obviously to scout the Serving Lord's fragment's status.
"But it was gone."
-Yeah. Gone.
The slime worm cave on his return visit was completely different.
With the mind control lifted, he'd fought off charging beetles all the way to the boss room, only to find it empty.
No cold, no fog, no Serving Lord's fragment.
After that, he'd searched the forest whenever he could, but found no trace...
"And now its trace shows up in the worst possible place. What the hell is going on...?"
Carpe furrowed his brow. No joke—he was utterly clueless.
"Did that thing sneak into the elf village?"
-We'll find out starting now. Hurry. This ain't ending with just finding the queen.
Carpe nodded at Cheonma's words and pressed on.
After pushing through the cold for about ten minutes along the path...
Fortunately, he easily spotted his target, Alteer.
A vast cavern deeper inside the World Tree.
She lay demurely atop a massive stone sarcophagus in the center.
Instead of approaching, Carpe observed from afar.
"That sarcophagus looks familiar..."
-Same as the one Tina was in. Second relic's probably inside.
"But what's she doing lying on top?"
She wasn't napping here instead of a comfy bed, so maybe some special elf ritual?
"No sign of the fragment... but that must be the source of the cold."
Surprisingly, the cold emanated faintly from the sarcophagus where Alteer lay.
It was a bit weaker than the slime worm cave chill, but steadily seeping out.
"Phew. False alarm."
When he'd first felt the cold, he'd really thought the Serving Lord's fragment had infiltrated the World Tree. Looked like just his imagination.
-Yeah. No immediate danger. What's the play?
"Hm. Let's watch for now."
Carpe decided to wait until this inexplicable ritual ended.
She couldn't stay like that all day, right?
* * *
"..."
-Yawn. Boring. Should I go decorate the Room like Tina or Fragrance? Feels more productive.
"...Just a bit longer."
Contrary to expectations, a long time passed with no movement from her.
"Feels like an hour's gone by."
Was she frostbitten from lying on the cold stone? Nah, impossible.
"Whoa, bro, check that out."
It was then.
Just as Carpe considered waking her...
Woooong.
A blue glow enveloped Alteer's body, and a faint magic circle appeared beneath the sarcophagus.
The blue light swept over the sarcophagus once before sinking into the circle.
Woooong!
The circle vanished after absorbing it.
"...Done?"
As Carpe moved to approach...
The real shock began.
Alteer on the sarcophagus suddenly started melting.
Like an ice statue thawing.
"...What?"
-Hide first. Something's off.
Caught off guard, Carpe ducked behind a rock.
Peeking out, he looked at the sarcophagus.
'...What the hell?'
Alteer was gone. In her place stood a blue mantis.
The Serving Lord's fragment.
A piece of the Four Calamities had appeared out of nowhere.
'This is insane. What's happening? Where's Alteer, and why's this monster here?'
-...While you were hiding, I saw it. The queen didn't vanish.
'Then?'
-She transformed. Into the Serving Lord's fragment. Melted completely and reformed like that.
'What? That doesn't make any... Huh?'
As he tried to deny Cheonma's words, a skill flashed in Carpe's mind.
One from when he'd first encountered the Serving Lord's fragment.
Camouflage.
It meant "disguise." In other words...
'It used camouflage to mimic Alteer and infiltrate the village?'
-...
Who would've thought the thing after the World Tree's fruit had nested in its roots.
Hard to believe even seeing it.
'F-Fight it?'
-You wanna get frozen solid in one shot? Stay hidden, kill your presence. One slip and you're an ice statue.
'This scenario's nuts.'
Thankfully, the Serving Lord's fragment hadn't noticed Carpe.
It kept exhaling cold, which got sucked straight into the sarcophagus.
'Damn, bro, don't stop me! That's thing's trying to smash the sarcophagus!'
Like the fanatic priestess Mainades, event bosses in the Magic King job scenario were programmed to destroy relics.
The Serving Lord's fragment wasn't tied to a Patron Spirit, but it had fought the ancient Magic King and his relics long ago.
So it sensed it.
Its ancient enemy slumbered inside that sarcophagus.
'Can't let that happen!'
This whole journey was for the Magic King's relic. Letting it get destroyed would be missing the forest for the trees.
He had to fight, even if it killed him...
'Huh?'
But Carpe never engaged.
The fragment, mid-exhalation into the sarcophagus, stopped and transformed back into Alteer.
"Hoo... Not much time left."
She let out a deep sigh, gazed warmly at the sarcophagus, then inspected it closely.
Satisfied, she staggered to her feet...
Toward where Carpe was hiding.
'Ugh.'
-Hold your breath. Don't breathe!
Carpe suppressed his presence as best he could.
Alteer passed the rock he hid behind without a glance and headed for the entrance.
Even long after she vanished from sight...
"..."
-Gone. Breathe.
"Haaaaah."
Carpe exhaled the breath he'd held.
"Whoa, thought I was dead."
This tension in an RPG? Even horror games might not hit this hard.
-Gotta sort this mess out. Or not. What even is this situation?
"Tell me about it."
Carpe stood and approached the sarcophagus.
The intensifying chill as he neared drove home that the fragment had been there moments ago.
"What the hell?"
Alteer—no, the Serving Lord's fragment—had tried to destroy it, then suddenly switched back and left.
"'Not much time left'—what's that mean?"
Why stop midway?
Carpe examined the sarcophagus closely but found no damage.
If anything, it looked meticulously maintained.
"Ah."
A peculiar groove in the center.
Like the keyhole on Tina's sarcophagus.
Slotting in the Arkram token would open it.
"Hmm."
For Tina, the graveyard keeper had the token.
Likewise, Alteer must have this one's.
No opening without her permission.
But.
-Open it. Peeking inside should clear things up.
"Was just thinking the same."
When it came to "opening" things, Carpe outranked even the Magic King.
Carpe extended his right hand over the sarcophagus.
"Unlock."
Unlock triggered.
Grgrgrgrk!
With a brief flash, the sarcophagus lid slid open.
"...Huh?!"
-...Holy shit. What the...?
Peering inside, the two men were more shocked than by anything else that day.