Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Paulo's Resolve and the Elders' Ritual
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Quiet forest.
An elf with a refined face etched by the gentle wrinkles of time sat in the midst of the dense trees.
The elf closed her eyes, gazing intently at the ten arrows laid out before her.
A pleasant rustling sound arose as the wind swayed the branches in harmony.
How much time had passed?
Woooong!
The arrows before the elf floated lightly into the air as if alive.
Thwiiiish!
The ten arrows then shot off in different directions, piercing their targets.
Thud thud thud thud!
Hanging from the pierced targets, the ten arrows returned and gently settled before the elf.
They had struck dead center in ten acorns hidden deep in the forest.
It was archery worthy of being called divine skill, yet the elf frowned delicately, dissatisfied with something.
"...I still haven't fully overcome it."
The tenth arrow, the last one.
The acorn it pierced was aimed just slightly off-center, toward the right edge.
The elf knew why she hadn't hit the final acorn perfectly.
A few years ago.
In the battle against the man known as the sky's shield, the firmest in the world.
His final shout.
—Have you truly lived each day with that resolve?
She still hadn't faced that single question head-on, the one that had shaken her soul.
Yet even with this unsatisfactory result, the elf no longer showed the stubborn arrogance of the past.
At first, not a single one of the ten arrows had hit its mark.
But now, the elf was striving to confront the question that had become her life's koan, no longer turning away from it.
"It's not far off, Bacchus. This time, I'll be the one chasing you."
Though he had been far greener than her in the past, he now clearly stood at a higher peak.
So she would approach him as a humble challenger. No more denying or distorting reality.
"So, what do you think?"
The elf, calmly accepting her results, removed the acorns from the arrows and distributed them to the surrounding squirrels as she asked.
Then, three elves and two humans emerged from behind her.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Indeed, the title of the continent's greatest divine archer is well-deserved. You've deepened even further."
As Jerome clapped and exclaimed in admiration, the elf, Paulo Minerva, snorted derisively.
"Kid. I'm not asking you, the greenhorn. This question is for those who stand on the same level as me."
At Paulo's prickly response, I awkwardly stopped clapping. Her thorny personality hadn't changed.
'Still, she looks much better now.'
I could tell just from her archery. The arrows once filled with stubborn pride had turned as fresh and clear as the great forest of demon beasts.
'If Father faces her again, it won't be as easy to subdue her.'
"Impressive archery. The title of Forest Queen is no mere rumor."
Rampang responded honestly after witnessing Paulo's skill.
"Your assessment is far superior to that kid's."
'What the hell is the difference?'
I stared at Paulo in disbelief, but she ignored my gaze and turned to Millia.
"That kid wouldn't bring a powerhouse like you here for no reason. Has something happened?"
A calm question. Her serene voice revealed she no longer cared to rule as the elves' queen.
"We've uncovered the cause of the World Tree's withering, Mother."
Millia, who had just heard our conversation with the World Tree, didn't hesitate at all.
"Let's get Mother's help."
"Hmm? Is that okay, Millia? Elunheim's governance has only just stabilized."
I hadn't considered involving Paulo in purifying the contaminated World Tree root, but there was a reason I hadn't chosen that path lightly.
From my perspective, it was about avoiding any drain on forces amid the war with the Empire, but for Millia, it was an equally tough choice.
It might give Paulo a pretext to step back to the forefront.
But Millia smiled as if she understood my concern, dispelling my worries.
"I know what Young Master Jerome is worried about, but Mother has truly changed a lot from before. You'll see when you watch her."
This was Paulo's training ground, where we—Ash, Millia, and her escorts Lena and the others—had come. And as Millia boasted, Paulo showed no change in her eyes even after hearing the full story.
"Hmm. So Yggdrasil withered due to such a hidden tale... I wondered why her condition suddenly worsened. That man Karma is impressive. It happened decades ago, yet he met Yggdrasil without my senses detecting it and improved her state. The world is vast indeed."
...Well, her positive change is good, but it'd take time to get used to.
Paulo soon gathered her bow and arrows leaning against a tree and stood.
"Then let's go. To remove the poison from the World Tree."
"Huh? You're deciding this easily? It might be easier for you to convince the elders, Paulo."
The man who injected poison into the World Tree was no weakling.
If he were, he couldn't have corrupted its root and built his domain upon it.
Yet Paulo chose to remove the poison without a hint of hesitation.
But at my question, Paulo smirked.
"Kid. Even after seeing me, you don't grasp the terror of stubbornness and desire?"
Swish!
As she crossed the training forest, Paulo spoke calmly.
"Once desire twists the heart, it never straightens on its own. Not without a massive turning point, anyway."
Seeing her discuss her shameful past so composedly, it seemed Paulo had nearly conquered her heart demon.
But we didn't yet know. Just like Paulo in the past, those gripped by heart demons were making a grave mistake at this very moment.
Elunheim's outskirts, a forbidden zone off-limits to ordinary elves.
At the spot where Ash had brought Jerome and Rampang not long ago, six elders quietly appeared.
"Elder Tristan, are you certain?"
Ivein, the elder who commanded the highest water spirit, asked Tristan uneasily.
As if tired of the repeated questions, Tristan furrowed his brow.
"My companion Jin told me. You've confirmed it with your own spirits, so why keep asking?"
"Ahem, you know that's not what I'm asking. Can we really decide such a grave matter among ourselves...?"
Ivein deemed Tristan's decision too hasty. She too yearned to end their seclusion, but this involved the World Tree's well-being.
For this, she believed they should consult Millia first.
But Tristan scoffed at Ivein's caution.
"Hmph! With our six, even Queen Paulo couldn't handle us lightly. What's there to fear? Had we known this sooner, we wouldn't have secluded ourselves so long. If you're scared, sit it out."
"What? Is that all you've got to say?"
As tensions rose, Elder Lionel intervened.
"Why fight among ourselves? Elder Ivein, we've all agreed. This benefits more than just us. Yggdrasil's recovery is a boon for all elves. Let's follow Elder Tristan now."
"...Tch!"
Ivein clicked her tongue, revealing her displeasure.
'Hmph, cowardly old hag.'
Tristan inwardly tsked at Ivein's demeanor. Seclusion had made even an elder this timid.
Millia, that young princess, was ruining elven society. Mingling with humans and adopting their culture.
Even after being kidnapped by them, how could she lack such judgment?
If another generation passed like this, proud elves would forget their racial traits and culture entirely.
'We absolutely can't let that happen.'
It was up to adults like him and the other elders, with their long lives, to lead the clan rightly. Healing the World Tree would be the starting point.
Crunch!
The elders soon arrived at the World Tree's location and surrounded it as initially planned.
"Everyone, summon your contracted spirits!"
Woooong!
Tristan signaled the elders and summoned Jin, the highest wind spirit.
With Jin as the lead, spirits appeared before the other elders.
—Tristan, must you truly do this? It's not too late to judge more carefully.
Jin gazed sadly at his companion's eyes gleaming with desire, but Tristan could no longer read Jin's heart.
"Jin, this is right for Yggdrasil. To heal the festering wound she's suffered for centuries."
As Tristan didn't yield to Jin's plea, Jin extended a hand toward the World Tree with a resigned expression.
—...I shall respect my old friend's will.
Whiiiiiish!
The auras of the six highest spirits arose from all directions, forcibly summoning the World Tree's true body from the spirit realm back to the mortal plane.
—What madness is this! Stop at once! You can't remove this man's heart-image with your power alone!
Yggdrasil had read the elders' plan upon their arrival and sent constant mental pleas.
But sadly, her voice didn't reach the elders.
They could converse with Yggdrasil only because Rampang had used the seed husk's life force to manifest her will in the mortal realm.
—Stop! Cease this! Jin, Elestra! Clay! Stop! You'll kill your contractors! Is that what you want?!
Yggdrasil shifted targets, crying out to Jin and the other highest spirits.
Unlike the elves who couldn't hear, the spirits in their realm clearly received Yggdrasil's true will.
Yet.
—...A spirit's contract prioritizes the contractor's will above all. You know this.
Indeed.
By spirit contract law, spirits must respect their contractor's intent.
Thus, humans who abused this—seeing spirits as slaves, not friends—couldn't wield them.
Elves were different. They treated spirits as friends and never forced disliked actions. That was why elves could contract them.
But now, that very contract bound the spirits' feet. With the elders so resolute, the spirits had no choice but to honor it.
Even if it led to the elders' deaths.
Booooom!
As the spirits' auras formed a hexagram and materialized, a long, massive World Tree root emerged at its center.
Kuuuung!
The summoned root finally revealed itself in the mortal world.
Though just one small root, as a World Tree branch, its size rivaled a large monster.
What should have brimmed with vast natural life force was blackened, exuding gloomy energy.
Thump!
Like a living heartbeat, the black root pulsed, then gradually shrank and transformed.
Yes.
Just as Yggdrasil's will had personified as a girl.
Shhhh!
The shrinking root began taking human form.
"What are you waiting for? Attack!"
There was no greater folly than waiting for the enemy to fully prepare.
At Tristan's shout, aura-infused arrows from the six elders and the highest spirits' natural forces poured toward the root.
Kaboom!
Nature's powers and aura arrows combined into a devastating assault, shredding the defenseless root.
Even Paulo, their queen, couldn't take this lightly.
Kuuuung!
As the explosion and dust settled, the elders were certain the contaminated root had vanished without trace.
But contrary to their expectations.
Where the root had been, a silver orb now lay.
Shuru ru ru!
Like a coiled snake uncoiling, the sphere unfurled, and the man within stretched lazily.
"Well, well. It's common courtesy in this business to let your foes prepare fully before striking. Guess modern elves have no manners."