"Co on, lead the way!"
"Hmph."
The leader of the Elf Guards, the white-haired elf, walked beside with a displeased expression.
I stuck close to him, holding Astaroth in my hand to keep an eye on him.
The rest of the Elf Guards had returned to their duties. I had instructed them to do so.
Now, it was just , Chris, and the white-haired elf, who seed to be the head of the elves, guiding us through the forest.
"Growl!"
I heard the sound of a beast nearby.
I glanced behind .
"Huff, huff!"
Chris was growling, her breath steaming in the cold air, her body tense. The ominous onmyoji beads swirling around her indicated that if the elf next to made any sudden moves, she was more than ready to put a hole in his gut.
"Hey, Sis, I think it’s okay. You know I’m strong, right?"
"But he’s handso!"
"Huh...?"
What does that have to do with anything? Since when is being good-looking a reason to be cautious?
The white-haired elf looked uncomfortable too, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he made a request.
"I apologize for attacking first, but could you ask her to calm down a little?"
"Sis, he says to calm down."
"Tell him to say it to my face!"
"Uh, she says you should tell her directly."
I puffed out my cheeks in frustration. Why am I stuck playing diator between them when they can hear each other just fine?
I slapped my palm against my thigh, deciding to ask the elf sothing important. Proper introductions are key.
"What's your na?"
"...Palman."
Palman, a strong-sounding na.
Unlike the other Elf Guards, who appeared slender and delicate, he had a solid, muscular build.
"Oh, Palman it is. I’m Rain, and my sister here is Chris."
"Could you drop the 'mister'?"
I shook my head.
"A mister is a mister."
---
[Elf Kingdom Favorability: 0]
After the fight with the Elf Guards, the favorability rating with the Elf Kingdom reset from negative. This was because I hadn’t killed any of the elves.
Thanks to that, Palman was willing to share his na.
"Thank you for not harming the elves. The Elf Kingdom is in a difficult situation right now, so I hope you can understand. Our protocol is to subdue any visitors who break through the magical fog surrounding our territory."
"Hmm, is that so?"
I clicked my tongue.
When we visited the Dwarven village, I had an advantage thanks to my connection with Ain, but it seed like I wasn’t getting any special treatnt in the Elf Kingdom.
I had a lot of questions, but the conversation didn’t go any further.
Blocking our view were towering trees with thick branches and dark green leaves. And then, sothing overwhelmingly large began to fill the horizon.
"What... what is that?"
Chris stared in awe at *it*.
Her gaze moved from left to right, then upwards. It looked like her neck was about to snap from craning so far back.
I chuckled.
"Sis, your neck’s going to hurt."
"Huh? Aren’t you surprised, Rain? Is this really the world of *Astria Online*? It’s incredible."
"Yeah, it’s amazing."
I hadn’t seen it before either, but I knew what *that* was.
It resembled a towering skyscraper stretching to the sky.
But no, it wasn’t artificial. It was natural.
What stood before us was an enormous tree of staggering proportions.
I whispered softly.
"The World Tree."
Palman nodded.
I had never seen it in the past.
I stood still, quietly gazing at the World Tree.
---
The World Tree was an awe-inspiring sight, its sheer size defying comprehension as it seed to stretch up to the heavens.
Its highest branches pierced through the clouds and continued rising, appearing as a massive pillar connecting the sky and the earth.
Its countless branches spread across the entire sky. No matter where you looked, it was all branches.
Walking around the World Tree in its entirety seed impossible. Its girth alone was wider than the largest stadiums on Earth.
Standing before it, I felt as though ti itself had stopped.
This was the origin of the world.
The foundation of the Astria continent.
Where could the invisible roots of the World Tree extend to? Surely, they spread beneath the land far beyond the size of any empire’s capital.
The roots weren’t only buried deep in the ground—they also rose high above the surface.
Nestled among the roots were the intricately crafted hos of the elves. It was as if the elves' dwellings had beco one with the roots, entwined naturally into the tree.
This was the Elf Kingdom.
A society built around the World Tree.
Considering the low population of the elves, it could certainly be called a kingdom.
The boundary between the forest and the elves' hos was faint, as if there was no clear division. Their hos seed to blend seamlessly into the natural surroundings.
For a mont, I was lost in the breathtaking beauty of this dreamlike, natural world.
But sothing caught my attention.
"This World Tree... sothing’s wrong with it."
I noticed that the World Tree didn’t seem to be in a normal state.
Its life force felt faint.
Of course, I had never seen a World Tree before.
But in most fantasy settings, shouldn’t a World Tree be more vibrant and glowing, its leaves imbued with healing powers or sothing?
Palman seed surprised at my words.
"You noticed? You have a sharp sense. As you said, the World Tree is not in a healthy state. Right now, it’s only able to barely protect the surrounding environnt and the elves from the extre cold."
"Hmm..."
"What’s going on? What’s wrong?" Chris asked, approaching with curiosity.
"I don’t know the details yet. We’ll have to listen to what they have to say."
Deep in thought, I continued walking between the massive roots, heading toward the heart of the Elf Kingdom, the core of the World Tree.
---
As we walked, more elves appeared from between the roots of the World Tree.
They watched us with a mix of curiosity and fear. Their reactions made it clear that this elf society had been living in isolation for a long ti.
Was it their first ti seeing outsiders?
Or perhaps they had never seen any before in their lives.
At so point, we found ourselves walking along the thick roots of the World Tree.
We soon arrived at a space within the tangled trunks, an area that looked like a chamber carved out of the roots.
In the center of this chamber, a formation of roots created a table and chairs, all seemingly arranged naturally without any visible carving tools.
It was as if the World Tree had crafted this eting space specifically for the elves.
"Oh."
It was like a full-on eting room.
Palman sat down on one of the roots and began to speak.
"This is the first ti we have allowed outsiders into the Elf Kingdom. Travelers who lose their way in the magical fog cannot enter. Even those who make it through peacefully are subdued and expelled by the Elf Guards."
"Hmm...? So if we had been subdued, we would’ve been kicked out too?"
"That’s how it has been. But recently, things have changed."
Palman’s eyes glead sharply.
"Adventurers from the stars, news of you has reached us through elves who have ventured beyond the kingdom. Beings from another world have begun to fight against the forces of darkness. I assu you are among them?"
I nodded.
Chris, following my lead, also nodded.
Palman straightened his posture and bowed his head.
"I have a request. Please save the World Tree."
That’s... sudden.
---
Thud, thud.
I followed Palman deeper into the World Tree. Chris was now walking close beside , clearly excited.
"It feels like a world straight out of a fairy tale! We’ve been fighting for so long, but adventures like this are what make the fantasy world fun!"
"Hehe, Sis, you’re acting like a kid."
"Am I? Aren’t you enjoying this too, Rain?"
I gave a small laugh and nodded.
But I couldn’t fully enjoy it.
Why?
Thump, thump.
The closer we got to the core of the World Tree, the more my heart raced.
"By the way, Palman, are you so kind of elder? I thought you were just the head of the Elf Guards."
"There is no hierarchy among the elves. We are all equals. I am simply the strongest among the Elf Guards. In the past, the World Tree used to grant wisdom to the elves, but now we must solve problems amongst ourselves."
Democracy? I guess it’s a bit different since they don’t elect representatives.
Anyway, it's an interesting society.
Palman stopped in front of a mass of tangled roots.
The roots were twisted and interwoven, forming a barrier in front of us.
It resembled a massive door.
Palman turned to face us.
"It has been nearly a thousand years since the connection between the World Tree and the elves was severed. During that ti, the elves have grown weaker. We’ve concluded that we can no longer fend off external threats on our own."
"And so you turned to adventurers from the stars."
He nodded, running his hand over the massive root-made door.
"For generations, only one elf could enter the innermost part of the World Tree. That elf was the only one capable of communicating with the World Tree. But the line of those elves was lost a thousand years ago. So force even erased their nas from mory."
"The Priestess of the World Tree."
Palman’s eyes widened.
His shock was palpable.
With a trembling voice, he managed to
speak.
"How...?"
I let go of Chris’s hand and stepped forward.
Thump, thump.
I clutched my chest as my heart raced.
"Rain...?"
Chris’s voice sounded distant.
Step, step.
The dwarves, the humans, the elves—they had all lost their histories.
Even the nas of my forr comrades were forgotten.
Was it the will of so supre being that had shaped this world into a ga? No, that being had been benevolent.
This was clearly the work of malice.
Little by little, I was beginning to see the fragnts of the evil I needed to defeat.
Step, step.
I rembered sothing the elf who had been part of the hero’s party had once told .
---
Rain, when the Priestess of the World Tree dies, she becos a spirit of the World Tree.
For a Priestess to share her na with soone ans that one day, she wishes to invite them to our sacred space.
When everything is over, would you visit that place with ?
---
Standing before the door, I ran my hand across its surface and said her na.
"Igraine."
The World Tree opened its path.
Reviews
All reviews (0)