The Elf Queen's Masquerade
“Hoo...”
“Why the sigh? Got something on your mind?”
“That's what being an adult is like. Endless worries.”
“Hng. Being an adult sounds tough.”
Two days after the incident at the World Tree.
Carpe's mind was a whirlwind of complicated thoughts.
The moment he checked inside the stone coffin, he instantly grasped how this story was unfolding.
It wasn't 100% perfect, but it matched at least 90%.
That was the result of his diligent investigations over the past two days.
Beside Carpe, a young elf girl was hopping around playfully.
She looked about six or seven in human years.
They'd grown close while doing various quests around the village. Her name was Jenia.
At first, she'd approached him with half curiosity and half fear toward this strange human, but now she grinned ear to ear even when he patted her head.
“Jenia.”
“Yeah?”
“Did you know the queen uses ice magic?”
“Yup! I know! That's why it's cool in summer. Oh, Mom said that way back in the ancient days, the queen couldn't use ice magic at all! She must've studied super hard to learn it.”
“...I see.”
She couldn't use it in the past, huh.
Carpe gave a wry smile. His suspicions seemed spot on.
-Why the bitter look? Just follow the scenario as is.
'It's 'cause I can predict the ending. It won't be a happy one for the elves.'
It wouldn't be a bad end either... but the situation felt oddly nuanced.
Carpe gently stroked Jenia's head and asked,
“Do you like the queen?”
“Yeah! A ton! She saved me when I got lost in the forest! But turns out she was lost too, so Saiers ended up rescuing us both!”
“Really? When was that?”
“Um... about 40 years ago?”
“...40 years?”
Carpe's hand froze mid-pet.
“Jenia, how old are you, by the way?”
“Me? 56.”
“...You're my noona. Sorry about that.”
He'd been patting the head of a woman more than twice his age. So rude.
'Wait, but elves live about ten times longer than humans, so in human terms, she's like five or six...'
-What kinda Einstein forehead-slap nonsense is that? Time's relative? 56 is 56. Human age my ass.
'...Yeah, you're right. I was just saying it.'
-And she's an NPC anyway. Age doesn't matter. Stop overimmersing and get ready already.
'Right.'
He'd been grinding the game non-stop.
Quests, dungeons, gathering... he'd leveled up as efficiently as possible, and now it was time to reap the rewards.
“Quest window.”
1 hour 37 seconds until Rudram's fruit fully ripens.
37 seconds later, exactly one hour until the fruit fully ripened.
Fragment Assault Begins!
Dong! Dong!
“Emergency! Emergency! Monsters are invading!”
“Hurry! Gather the children in one spot and guard them tightly!”
“Rudram, grant us your blessing!”
Rumble rumble rumble.
He could feel it. A massive monster horde charging straight for them.
The monster legion controlled by Servingje had arrived.
* * *
“Everyone, nock arrows! Hold position!”
“Nock! Hold!”
At Defense Captain Croje's command, the elf archers drew their bows.
About 200 strong. For a village with fewer than 500 residents, this was their entire fighting force.
“Hoo.”
But beyond the wooden palisade, the monster horde looked to number over 1,000 at a rough estimate.
From small slime worms to goblins, orcs, and even the occasional rare troll.
Croje clicked her tongue at the sight.
“More than I thought. They've been hiding well all this time.”
Despite years of diligent purges, this many remained.
Servingje's fragment had apparently rallied every wild monster in the forest.
And at the center of that horde.
A blue mantis, sculpted from ice, gleamed with cold eyes.
Its gaze fixed on the red fruit dangling from the World Tree's branch tip.
“...That monster! How dare it!”
Furious at the blatant stare, Croje wanted to charge out, but she couldn't.
The World Tree's protection extended only to the palisade before them.
Stepping beyond meant even elves would fall to Servingje's brainwashing.
“Calm yourself, Croje.”
“...My apologies, Your Majesty. I showed unbecoming conduct.”
“Don't be hasty. This is a battle of defense. No matter what it does, we just need to hold this line.”
Alteer scanned her surroundings after speaking.
Among the elves holding their bows at the ready, two outsiders stood out: a man and woman.
The Magic King's heir. And Tina.
They watched the monsters' movements with utmost seriousness.
Alteer smiled faintly and moved toward them—
“Kieeeek!!”
Servingje's fragment let out a shriek that tore at the ears.
At its signal, savagery filled the dazed monsters' eyes.
“Groooar!”
“Kraaaargh!”
The horde roared and charged the palisade.
Croje reacted instantly.
“Hold the line at all costs! For the village, for our families, for the sacred tree... fire!”
“Hold!”
“Bless us, Rudram!”
The elves loosed their arrows in unison.
Thus, the battle began.
* * *
“Hold them back! Don't let a single one through!”
“Fire!”
The palisade was tall and massive—more a wooden rampart than a mere fence.
The fight naturally turned into a siege.
The elves poured magic and arrows at the climbing monsters, striving to repel them.
“Archers, prioritize flyers! Mages, cast Grease on the walls!”
Croje bellowed orders while scanning the battlefield.
'Why isn't it moving?'
The monsters kept coming, but the strongest force—Servingje's fragment—stood motionless.
It simply stared at the World Tree's fruit with its triangular eyes.
“Tch!”
Croje's temper flared again. She infused her arrow with wind magic.
It probably wouldn't work, but she needed to vent somehow.
Ping!
The wind arrow sliced through the air at terrifying speed.
“...Huh?!”
Croje's eyes widened in disbelief.
Her frustration shot had pierced straight through Servingje's fragment.
Clang!
The ice statue mimicking Servingje shattered under the arrow, scattering in the wind.
“A decoy?! Damn, Your Majesty! ...Huh?”
Croje urgently sought Alteer but froze in shock once more.
Alteer was nowhere on the battlefield.
Nor were the Magic King's heir or Tina.
“What the hell is going on?!”
Croje's bewildered shout echoed across the field.
* * *
“Hoo.”
Having slipped away from the battlefield unnoticed, Alteer stood before the World Tree.
She stroked its trunk, murmuring with complex emotions.
“...Today marks the end.”
She'd come here alone, away from the other elves, for one reason.
The fight about to unfold couldn't be seen by them.
Alteer had seen through it instantly.
The Servingje fragment amid the horde was an ice fake.
A feint east, strike west.
Distract with brainwashed monsters, then sneak to the World Tree. A shallow ploy.
She glared into empty air and spoke.
“Show yourself.”
At her words, Servingje's fragment, blended into the scenery via Ultimate Camouflage, revealed itself.
Carpe and Tina, hidden behind a rock, stepped out too.
“...Huh?”
“...Huh? You didn't call us? We thought you spotted us when you said 'show yourself.'”
“That's what I thought too, my lord.”
“Grr! Why are you here?! Get behind me quick...”
That instant.
Permafrost!
Enraged at the trio's antics right in front of it, Servingje unleashed its strongest skill.
Kraka boom!
As the ice wave surged toward them—
“Hmph!”
Alteer thrust both hands forward. A curtain of flame erupted, clashing fiercely with Permafrost.
Boom!
Flames and ice collided, birthing a cloud of steam.
Astonishingly, she'd blocked a 9-star skill single-handedly.
She seemed slightly singed, but nothing serious.
Frowning, she grumbled,
“Ugh. Still that brutish power. Lucky it's weakened. Otherwise, we'd be frozen solid. Carpe, you alright?”
“Yeah. Fine. But more importantly...”
Amid the scorching heat, Carpe's eyes fixed on her arms.
Incredibly, they had transformed into massive wings wreathed in phoenix-like flames.
Nothing an 'elf' would wield.
“...You really aren't surprised. When did you figure it out?”
“Confirmed it two days ago. When you entered the World Tree, I followed.”
“...I see. You saw me turn into that thing too, then. No wonder.”
Even seeing that hadn't fully clicked at first.
The real giveaway was inside the stone coffin.
Instead of the Magic King's relic, the true Alteer lay in coma, breathing faintly.
What? Is Servingje sealing her and impersonating?
He'd first suspected that, then dismissed it.
No relic.
Relics deactivate if claimed by non-heirs.
If Servingje's doing, it would've shattered.
But the relic quest progressed. The relic was intact.
So why gone?
Only one answer: the relic itself had moved with intent.
Like now.
The Magic King's second relic.
Doppelganger-based homunculus.
Mirage of Illusions.
That was the elf queen Alteer Woodgard's true identity.
“Hints were everywhere, really.”
'Apologies, my lord. The elf forest disrupts mana, making it hard for magical beings like homunculi to navigate.'
Tina's words upon entering explained Alteer's poor sense of direction.
Plus, mastering ice magic she once couldn't.
The once-lazy queen suddenly diligent after the 800-year-old incident.
She'd been impersonating the elf queen for those 800 years, for some reason.
“But why transform into Servingje on the coffin?”
“That's... later. First, the enemy before us.”
Its skill blocked, Servingje showed no concern.
“Never.”
A grating screech assaulted their minds.
Irritated by the block, it radiated murderous aura.
Carpe swallowed involuntarily at the overwhelming malice.
'Can we really win this?'
It felt like facing the patron spirit that possessed the fanatic priest he'd defeated.
His will nearly crumbled under the power gap, but—
“My lord, no need for excessive worry.”
“Huh?”
“Like when I first met you and repelled the divine presence, Mirage still retains her power.”
“Indeed, as Tina says. Magic King's heir... no, Master. Watch from there.”
Vwoooom!
Fierce winds whipped around her.
“The power of the Magic King's doll!”
Mirage enveloped in radiant light.
Doppelgangers are mimic monsters by nature.
They copy foes' forms and memories, using identical skills to sow party chaos.
Mirage shared those base abilities.
But as one of the Magic King's seven masterpieces, she had a unique gift.
Transforming into the opponent's deepest fear.
Shh shh.
The beautiful elf queen's form faded, reshaping into something new.
Taller stature, thick robes replacing flowing queenly garb. A young human man with short blue hair.
Servingje shrieked in agitation at the transformed figure.
It had no choice.
This was the human who'd first instilled true fear of death in it.
The Magic King.
Dretsch Akram.
The first emperor of the Akram Empire, who 800 years ago drove Servingje's fragment to the brink of annihilation.
He grinned.
“Come on, let's end this tiresome grudge, monster.”