The World Tree
"Do you want to know where our guardian is right now?"
Eourina's forehead creased deeper, her blue eyes sharpening like blades.
"Why?"
"There's something I need to tell her in person. Just in case my hunch is wrong."
"Your hunch being wrong means those demon worshippers won't show? You seemed pretty confident back at the council."
"A different possibility occurred to me a bit late. Since I'm here, they might strike somewhere other than Elvenheim."
"Hoo...."
Even as Eourina's gaze grew keener, Tiny met it calmly.
Everyone makes mistakes. But if you realize your judgment might be off, you prepare for that possibility. Once you recognize your own error, it's better to admit it quickly and find a better path than to stubbornly dig in. That's one of the essentials for living honorably.
"...A human with that kind of talent at your age must be pretty stubborn."
Fortunately, his attitude seemed to soften Eourina's expression a touch.
But then.
"I don't know the guardian's current position either. The other elders probably don't, for that matter."
"Pardon?"
"The monster wave operations are entirely under the guardian's command. Only the frontline Elven Knights would know where she is or what monsters she's facing."
"Ha...."
A sigh escaped Tiny's lips unbidden.
'We're screwed.'
The Great Forest's longitudinal span defined the monster wave's defense perimeter—and it was no shorter than the north-south length of the Aslan Empire. It felt utterly daunting.
But Eourina wasn't finished.
"Mother World Tree probably knows, but we can't let outsiders into her presence...."
She trailed off, eyeing Tiny with a strange glint of expectation in her aged elven gaze.
"...What should I do?"
"No, I wasn't saying that expecting you to do anything. If you're truly the hero the world speaks of, Mother World Tree might reveal herself. Otherwise, all fourteen elders and the guardian must agree to allow an outsider."
"...."
Tiny felt even more at a loss.
"If Mother World Tree shows herself, it'd be a once-in-centuries event for our kind—a blessing, even. You could hope for it, no harm in that."
No, at least give me some practical advice....
'Reveal herself to some hero?'
It was absurd.
"I'll pass your words to the elder council. In the meantime, prove your worth."
With Eourina putting it that way, Tiny couldn't press further....
As he thought that.
"You can summon your spirit anywhere in Elvenheim—it'll be fine. Spirits love it here. Preferably somewhere high up."
Tiny's face lit up at those parting words from the elder elf who'd clashed with him nonstop.
* * *
Wolrang bounded joyfully along the massive tree branches of Elvenheim, bathed in cascading moonlight, before settling on the highest limb and gazing skyward.
It differed greatly from the forest of his living days back home, but the thick scent of woods made the moonlight shower all the more delightful.
"Feels good?"
"Woof!"
Wolrang barked fervent affirmation at his contractor's apologetic voice, accompanied by a scratch behind the ears.
"Sorry. Haven't given you much freedom."
"Woof! Woof!"
It's fine. Staring at the full moon dominating the sky, Wolrang let his elation pour out.
"Awooooooo!"
A wolf howling from Elvenheim's tallest branch. In a human city, guards would swarm instantly—but here, elves watched with admiring eyes.
"♪♬~?"
"♪♪♬!?"
"♬♬♬!"
With most spirit mages away fighting the monster wave, elves gathered, drawn to the rare sight of a spirit—especially an animal one.
And as their exclamations rang out like song under the full moon.
Tiny heard the melody echoing in his mind.
More precisely, the soul song directed at Wolrang, not him.
- Aaaaaah♪!
It sounded vaguely elven, yet Tiny grasped its meaning instinctively.
'Welcome?'
A greeting from the mythic fragment that enabled spirits in this world, sent to the unfamiliar spirit.
"...So that's the World Tree."
Like a grandmother greeting her grown grandchild for the first time.
- Welcome, little one.
The warm melody toward Wolrang felt utterly comforting.
"Woof!"
Sensing it, Wolrang joyfully howled skyward in response.
Only then did Tiny realize why his peerless mana sensitivity hadn't detected the World Tree or the relic's barrier waves until now.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Got it. In the sky, of all places. Never crossed my mind."
The source sustaining the Great Forest. On a grander scale, the root of the continent's woods, ancestor of elves, foundation of spirits.
The mythic being dubbed the 'Tree' that seeded life in this world floated above Elvenheim.
Woooong.
Shrouded in a perfect concealment field merging the relic's barrier with its own presence-obscuring power.
Without the spirit waves reaching him through Wolrang, Tiny wouldn't have even thought to search such heights.
- Aaaaaah♬!
"Sounds like she's calling us?"
"Woof!"
"Right, let's go!"
The moment resolve hardened, wolf and rider dashed skyward, stepping on air.
As they ascended twice the height of Elvenheim's tallest tree.
Tiny felt them pass an invisible barrier.
And soon.
Swooooosh.
"Ugh!?"
Amid mana and life's fragrance so intense it dizzied, he faced the mythic being.
Immense.
That was the first thought upon seeing the World Tree.
A tree so vast from roots to trunk that it defied a single glance. In the dark night sky, he had to crane his neck to glimpse distant branches and leaves.
How such a colossus hid behind a barrier was astonishing.
The second sensation was raw vitality prickling his skin.
Its overflowing life force was so overwhelming that the massive crystal relic, Iustitia, atop the roots registered only belatedly.
Making it all the more baffling.
'Unless my past self swung Nocturne at full power.'
Its vitality seemed poised to regenerate instantly even if forcibly destroyed now.
'And this burned?'
What had the demon worshippers done in his previous life to ignite such a being?
One possibility surfaced immediately.
No demon worshipper surpassed his past self's strength.
'Thunderbolts. Probably dumped ten times what hit the palace.'
Mythic or not, its ego felt faint. It likely couldn't wield the vast life force and mana for aura barriers, spatial blocks, or severing powers.
As Tiny pondered warning the elves about thunderbolts and urging precautions.
Wolrang, padding air toward the World Tree, rubbed his cheek against its roots.
Inflated to max size for presence—shoulder height 2.5m, body length 5m—the massive beast's nuzzling seemed oddly cute against the tree's scale.
"...You said you hated playing cute."
"...Woof!?"
At Tiny's words, Wolrang startled, pulling away in embarrassment over his own action.
And then.
"Grrr."
Trying to scowl.
- Saaaah♪
Under the fresh spirit wave, Wolrang grinned unwittingly and resumed cheek-rubbing.
No enchantment or magic. Tiny saw an incomprehensible energy from the World Tree seep into Wolrang's soul via spirit waves—harmless, beneficial even.
It clicked immediately. Likely the customary blessing elf spirits received.
"The World Tree's blessing?"
- Aaaah♬.
The affirming wave resonated.
Through Wolrang's uplifted soul, Tiny felt natural serenity and a smile creep on.
Now that he thought, mana drain from air-stepping inside the barrier had been minimal.
All thanks to ambient mana naturally emanating from the World Tree into Wolrang.
Whatever extra power bolstered Wolrang's soul, it confirmed the World Tree's goodwill.
"...Thank you for your many considerations, World Tree."
He wondered if human speech worked.
- Woooong♪.
A prompt affirmative returned. Seizing the chance, Tiny elaborated.
"But if I may ask one more presumptuous thing. Could you tell me the current position of the guardian, Lady Estina? It's urgent."
Not trusting words alone, he pressed a hand to the root, pouring thoughts.
Too much? As silence stretched and disappointment set in, hand lifting.
Wung.
"Woof!?"
Info flowed through Wolrang's soul, still cheek-rubbing the root.
A blurry but vivid image: Estina at the Great Forest's western edge, unleashing ceaseless aura arrows at hordes of monsters.
"...Thank you!"
What else to say? Simple gratitude sufficed after brief deliberation.
He added, hesitating if it suited a tree.
"...Please be careful. Especially small orb-like objects approaching suddenly."
Hand to root again, he visualized thunderbolts.
Would it understand?
- Aaaah♪?
A questioning vibe, imprecise but clear.
"Just a precaution. Keep it in mind."
He conveyed it like advising an unfamiliar elder.
Then.
Shara-la-lang♬.
A warm breeze swirled, a brief light illuminating the dark night.
No overt power, but the refreshing scent uplifted his soul with fulfillment, drawing a smile.
A tinge of reluctance at the short encounter.
Glancing at last at Iustitia on the root.
Tempting to take, but.
'This concealment is the World Tree's power fused with the relic barrier.'
Better left.
"Then we'll take our leave."
"Woof!"
- Aaaah♬!
The farewell echoed back reluctantly. Tiny and Wolrang crossed the aerial barrier, bursting into Elvenheim's skies.
Amid elves gazing song-like.
"...Straight to Ma-yeok."
Wolf and rider unhesitatingly air-stepped westward.