Chapter 108
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: World Tree (2)
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3.
The rest of the party, excluding Karron, had gone with Orion to see the temple, leaving Karron to walk alone with the Regent in the temple garden.
You dont seem very surprised, Karron Leston.
The Regent spoke, looking at Karron with a bright expression.
I thought you might be a little shocked.
Youre not the first to recognize my reincarnation, Regent.
The Demon King of Slaughter. He recognized you, didnt he?
Yes.
As Karron had expected, she knew he had been reincarnated.
But it wasnt as surprising as it had been with the Demon King of Slaughter.
Anything is jarring the first time. Besides, the noble aura emanating from her made the entire situation feel quite natural.
At this rate, I wonder if my grandfather will find out too.
You havent been honest with Duke Halo yet.
Lets just say its a mischievous prank between friends. But if you dont mind my asking, how did you know?
At Karrons question, the Regent smiled beautifully and nodded.
My mother told me.
I see.
Did you find Galad to your liking?
Yes. It was quite different from what I expected, but it seems to be a very impressive city.
Meeow.
The black cat perched on Karrons shoulder let out a pleased cry.
Karron stroked its back once before asking the Regent.
Do you know much about this spirit, Regent?
It is a spirit born from the darkness that descends upon the world.
I was wondering if it was a bad one.
In the first place, its meaningless to classify spirits as good or evil.
She reached out and gently stroked the cats head.
The spirit, which had rejected Orions touch, surprisingly accepted the Regents hand without resistance.
Living beings are always bound to fear the dark. That is also true for the elves. It is only natural that they fear a spirit born of darkness.
Darkness obscures ones vision.
Any living being is bound to fear what it cannot see, for it cannot know what lurks beyond.
The fear of the unknown. Thus, darkness begets fear.
But light awakens life, and darkness offers it rest. That is why darkness is one of the most important elements in the worlds cycle. It simply possesses a dual nature.
The Regent quietly looked at Karrons face.
The same is true for you.
A blue light swirled in her eyes.
Is it not, Karron Leston?
Karron quietly met her gaze.
It felt as though the Regents stare was piercing into his very soul.
What, exactly, was she seeing?
Your past life bestowed upon you a darkness like an abyss. In my eyes, I can still see the shadow that hangs over you.
It was unpleasant.
But Karron had no choice but to silently admit she was right.
He was, after all, still recalling memories of his past life.
If I may say one thing, the Spirits Medal cannot actually summon a spirit of darkness. That spirit is one of the primordial spirits that has existed since the beginning of time. It slumbers within my mothers embrace, but it does not belong to her.
But Im certain I used the Spirits Medal to
Because the spirit of darkness chose you.
She said, slowly taking a step forward.
Karron quietly followed behind her.
Before long, they had reached the end of the garden.
Ah.
A colossal tree stood before them.
The being that had created a vast forest, the being that breathed infinite life into this land.
It was the World Tree.
But Karron could immediately tell that something was wrong with its condition.
Crumble.
As the wind blew, the bark of the World Tree crumbled away with startling ease.
And it wasnt just the bark.
The leaves were withered, and the roots were shriveled and dry.
The World Tree was
Dying.
It was clearly dying.
At Karrons words, the Regent gave a bitter smile and nodded.
Thats right.
But the forest seemed fine. And the mana it was abundant.
My mother spares nothing for her children. She is one who always puts her children before herself.
She was saying that the World Tree was sharing even the mana it needed to sustain its own life.
Karron let out a long, low breath.
How long has it been like this?
About fifty years ago, the Demon King of Atrocity appeared in the Southern Great Forest.
That timing
Correct. It was the same time the Orias Empire nearly fell into the hands of the Evil Emperor. We were able to stop them through the sacrifice of countless elves and my mother, but we lost far too much.
The Regent slowly reached out, infusing her mana into the lifeless bark.
But nothing changed.
The only thing I could do here was watch my mother die.
She turned her head to look at Karron.
The one you are searching for is staying where the Southern Sea meets the forest.
It was the information he wanted.
Despite that, Karron let out a breath and looked at the Regent.
He recalled the faces of the elves he had seen that morning. And he soon came to a single conclusion.
The other elves dont know the World Tree is dying.
Otherwise, their bright expressions couldnt be explained.
If the World Tree was dying, could the elves truly wear such smiles?
No, that was impossible.
If the World Tree disappeared, the Southern Great Forest would vanish with it. And that would mean the extinction of the elven race.
Why are you telling me a secret youve hidden even from your own kind?
To that, the Regent replied with a sad smile.
Because you must know, mustnt you?
Why?
Because my mother was involved in your reincarnation.
In that moment, Karrons expression froze.
4.
Silence followed.
Karron looked back and forth between the Regent and the World Tree without a word.
How much time passed like that?
Finally, Karron slowly opened his mouth.
So, youre saying if I want to know the reason for my reincarnation, I should help save the World Tree. Is that it?
I wont deny it.
His mind was a mess.
Reincarnation.
This supernatural phenomenon must have involved the power of a transcendent being.
But he had never imagined the World Tree would be involved.
After all, his past life had no particular connection to it.
Karron mulled over his questions for a long time. Then, in a low voice, he asked her.
Why me, of all people?
Because it is something only you can do.
Destiny, is it something like that?
Yes.
The Regent looked at Karron with a bitter expression.
He looked displeased.
She could understand him.
The weight of destiny was too much for a human to bear. Even for someone who had experienced reincarnation, to suddenly be burdened with such a heavy load
The pressure must be immense.
A reaction like that was only natural.
But a moment later, the words that came out of Karrons mouth left her stunned for a long while.
You said that saving the World Tree is something only I can do. Is that correct?
Something about the atmosphere was starting to feel strange.
Regent.
Yes, Karron Leston.
I am curious about why I was reincarnated, but honestly, its fine if I never find out. Rather than the reason for being reincarnated isnt a forward-looking mindset, like what Ill do now that I have been, more important?
Karrons eyes began to sparkle.
If you think about it, this is a request, isnt it? A request to save the World Tree. Am I wrong?
Im sure youre curious about your reincarnation
I mean, I am curious, but couldnt I just find out later after I beat up those demon kings? Or I could ask my familys guardian dragon in the North Sea. There are plenty of ways.
The Regents expression grew troubled at Karrons sudden change in attitude.
Had the pressure driven him mad?
But if that were the case
His eyes are shining far too brightly.
She could even feel a sense of shrewdness from Karron.
You might not know since youre not human, but appealing to emotions wont change anything in a situation like this. Instead of emotions shall we say, its better to appeal to reason. We call this a request.
A request you mean? Are you asking for a promise of payment?
Indeed, Regent. You catch on quickly.
At that, the Regent let out a small sigh. Then she asked in a low voice.
Tell me what you want.
Hmm, before we discuss payment, we need to assess the difficulty of the request. What do I need to do to save the World Tree?
The Ice Crystal of the North Sea, the Water Source of the Alli Oasis, and finally, the Spirit of Life from the Eastern Great Forest. These three things.
The Alli Oasis, you mean in the Pajar Sultanate?
Yes, that is correct.
All three can only be found in treacherous places. Ah, this raises the difficulty quite a bit.
Karron quickly finished his calculations.
I have to visit the North Sea for my coming-of-age ceremony anyway.
The Ice Crystal.
A pure crystal of ice found only in the glaciers of the North Sea.
Halo had told him about it in his past life. But not only was the crystal difficult to obtain, it was also impossible to bring all the way here to the Southern Great Forest.
It had the property of melting once it left the North Sea.
There is a container imbued with my mothers power. If you place the Ice Crystal inside it, it will not melt.
The Regent explained simply, as if she had read Karrons thoughts.
Then lets move on from that The Water Source of the Oasis, the Spirit of Life from the Eastern Great Forest. For those two I could actually die, you know?
The relationship between the Pajar Sultanate and the Empire was about as bad as it could get.
Was that all?
The Eastern Great Forest was a place that could only be reached by crossing the Pajar Sultanate.
Like the Southern Great Forest, it was a forbidden zone for humans.
I heard elves live in the Eastern Great Forest too. If we asked them
They are ones who broke away from us long ago. It is too long a story to tell.
Hmm.
It seemed there was a complicated, unspoken history there.
Karron narrowed his eyes slightly, gauging the difficulty of this request.
This is the worst kind of request.
A mission where two lives wouldn't be enough.
Therefore, the payment should be
Ah, this might be a little difficult.
It seemed he could name his price.
There must be a good reason why the elves couldnt act themselves.
And at this rate, it seemed it was only a matter of time before the elves collapsed.
He didnt know how long the World Tree would last in this state, but what was certain was that it had to be saved.
In the future war against the demons, the elves would surely be a great help.
But this was clearly a path of hardship, and he couldnt just volunteer his services, could he?
I should at least get a hefty reward.
He had to get what he was owed.
That was Karrons conclusion.
Having made up his mind, Karron looked at the Regent and beamed.
I happen to have a rather high price tag.
At his words, the Regent showed her disapproval.
Are you perhaps hoping for riches like gold or silver? The elven economy is entirely different from that of humans
Im not asking for gold or silver from you, Regent. I may not look it, but I have quite a lot of money.
Gold and jewels?
He had no interest in such things from the start.
There was only one thing Karron had been interested in all along.
A specialty item that could only be obtained from the elves.
I would like the Dew of the World Tree.
That is
Its a dangerous request, so preferably upfront. If I become stronger, the success rate of the request will also increase.
The ultimate elixir, capable of healing even severe injuries and strengthening his comrades.
The Dew of the World Tree.
At Karrons proposal, the Regent took a deep breath. Then she slowly nodded.
I can give you one drop
Five drops.
Karron Leston.
Didnt you say Im the only one who can do it? Five drops.
An unyielding, stubborn attitude.
Faced with Karrons stance, the Regent lightly clenched her fist and bit her lip.
Mother, are you truly certain you chose this human?
A robber was smiling at her.