“So, while I’m speaking kindly, please tell . Where is Miss Eve?”
The banquet hall was engulfed in shock at Jonah’s words as he sat on a throne made on the spot.
Not only the old elves who rembered the days when Eve reigned, but also the young elves who did not.
After all, it was none other than the power of the World Tree that had reappeared in the world.
Moreover, the power of the World Tree was buried in the first floor, which was known to contain no Floor Guardian, so even traces of it could not be found.
Eve, the last daughter and final queen of the World Tree, born with two formidable powers. And the half-remaining power left in so ancient artifacts, the only traces left by the World Tree…
That was what they thought, up until now.
“Wh-what…?”
A dazed voice flowed from Rosemary’s mouth.
All the elves must have been surprised, but among them, the most surprised was undoubtedly Rosemary.
She was one of the few elves who still served the World Tree with a sincere heart at the current age, but the greater reason was the dissonance felt because the master of that power was Jonah.
Who could have imagined that a boy, who was simply thought to be a crazy psychopath rattlesnake, would wield the power of the World Tree….
However, Rosemary could not deny the fact that the boy before her harbored the power of the World Tree.
No, any elf would be the sa.
Even if their minds deny reality, the genes of the elves who had long served the World Tree in the Great Forest were screaming.
God has returned.
Every single cell trembled, and their souls rejoiced.
How could one deny it when rough breaths flow naturally from the worship engraved on their instincts?
Even the Powers that Jonah unleashed were not ordinary abilities.
The ability to control the surrounding plants and make them grow at will. And a crown of thorns placed above a proud expression.
“Basilieus….”
The abilities obtained by the First King in the elven founding myth who overca the trials of the World Tree.
That ability to grow plants at will in the middle of the Great Forest was akin to the power that governs all things.
How many elven rulers challenged the trials and lost their lives to obtain that power nad after the First King, Basilieus.
Basilieus’s is both the most powerful ability of the World Tree and the power symbolizing the royal authority of the Elven Forest.
And that ability was now bestowed upon the head of a human boy, and not an elf.
Most of them, following their instincts, bowed their heads in respect.
Even the water spirits who maintained the banquet hall’s waterways felt Jonah’s power that engulfed the entire hall, and even went to the extent of bowing before the throne.
However, it has been too long since the elves lost the World Tree. Also, it has been too long since they chased gold rather than gods.
It wouldn’t be strange for soone to ignore the instinctual cry to bow their heads imdiately.
“I, I cannot accept it! A human cannot beco the king of the elves!”
Clang!
A male elf threw the cup he was holding as he said that.
Struggling to steady his trembling legs, he shouted with a confident posture; he was a capable elf who, despite being only 20 years older than Rosemary, commanded a vast upper echelon at a young age.
He took great pride in his abilities, and his ambitions were equally vast, always looking upwards.
He was also a ruthless businessman who threw all competitors who underestimated him for being a man into the mud.
He was an elf who, while got along well with Rosemary’s circle, was recognized as one of the ‘filthy annoying guests’ to be wary of. However.
“No, who said I was going to play king? If you know where Miss Eve is, speak up!”
Jonah retorted angrily. At the sa ti, thick roots erged by piercing through the soft soil, grabbing the foot of the person who was rebelling and lifting him upside down.
“Ugh!”
The hem that was naturally flipped over by gravity flowed down. Thus, the proud man’s belly was fully exposed to everyone present.
“D-don’t look!”
Startled, the elf grabbed his hem and hugged his belly, as his confident deanor disappeared.
Seeing the challenger being imdiately hanged without pardon, Rosemary realized that her judgnt was not mistaken.
‘Ah! In fact, it wasn’t that he wasn’t a crazy psychopath rattlesnake, but that he received the Power of the World Tree while still being a crazy psychopath rattlesnake!’
Amidst the silence mixed with fear and awe, Rosemary once again looked at Jonah.
Accompanied by a knight and a mage on both sides, the human boy who sat on the throne with his chin resting on his hand was…small and beautiful, but a more ferocious tyrant than anyone else.
“Why is everyone so quiet?”
“……”
“……”
“……”
There was soone babbling nonsense, so I just subdued them, but now the atmosphere feels weird.
“Geez. Did I say sothing too complicated? …No. You are all just startled when I suddenly asked where Miss Eve was, right? Alright. Then let explain from the beginning.”
After making a wooden cup with Basilieus, I manipulated another branch to pour a glass of sparkling wine and bring it to .
Tak.
“Alcohol is for after you beco an adult.”
“Hmph.”
Although it was imdiately taken by Lydia.
In the end, this ti, I poured a sweet drink with honey mixed into strawberry juice, took a sip, and opened my mouth.
“I made a small mistake with Miss Eve, so I wanted to apologize and prepared various things as a gift, but then, well, she suddenly disappeared one day? So I even started rumors that would definitely make her react, but there was no contact for several days.”
“By rumor, surely not…”
“A new king searching for the youngest daughter of the World Tree to welco as his consort…?”
“But didn’t you just say you had no intention of being a king?”
I chuckled softly in response to the murmuring voice and replied.
“ not planning to act as a king, ans I don’t intend to run the Elven Forest, but I do want to receive treatnt comparable to that of a king.”
“Reckless pleasure…”
“Complete trash…”
“Why, oh World Tree…”
A heightened murmur layered. It seed that sorrow was seeping through from ti to ti, but it wasn’t a particularly important matter.
That sorrow does not signify a refusal to acknowledge or an intention to oust from this place, but rather stems from the reality and shock of them having to treat like that.
After waiting for them to chat away with chuckles, I continued speaking.
“anwhile, my friend has told that those who attended this banquet would know of Miss Eve’s location.”
As I nodded towards Rosemary, the surrounding gazes focused on her.
Rosemary, with her complexion turning pale as if startled by that gaze, shook her body violently, but she would surely be grateful later.
With a contented feeling, I tilted my head and gave her a smile with her eyes.
Like Eve, I put on a show of being alone, and struck a pose while displaying shadowy moves.
With narrow eyes twisted, a subtle smirk playing on my lips, and a voice exuding a confidence that seed to know everything.
However, it’s not just about being mysterious. The sharp, critical aspect is also an important factor.
I lifted one corner of my mouth high, as if to show how much I liked this chaos.
“So? Does anyone know about Miss Eve? If you speak now, everything will end with words, just like I first said without any trouble.”
At this point, they should have felt sothing similar to Eve, right?
I’ve already demonstrated power and symbolism. With this, it should be enough to show that Eve and I are close.
Now, what’s left is for soone with quick situational judgnt to provide information about Eve….
While waiting for a mont, a middle-aged woman stepped in front of .
“Excuse , may I have a mont to speak?”
“That’s fine, but…who are you?”
“I am the host of this gathering and Rosemary’s mother, whom you refer to as your friend, Sir Jonah.”
“Aha? Are you the President of the Cradle Trading Company?”
“Yes, I am called that as well. However, you may comfortably call Tuberose.”
Polite but with not the slightest hint of wavering in behavior.
Unlike the clumsy Rosemary, she exudes a coldness that seems like not even a drop of blood would co out even if pricked with a needle.
“Alright, Tuberose. Please go ahead.”
“Thank you. First, I greet the son of the New World Tree. Even though your race is different, the fact that you have shown us those cherished traces that we thought we had lost long ago remains unchanged.”
“Yes, yes. I’m glad to see you too.”
“The next is about the traces of Eve that you desired… To be honest, there is probably no one among us who knows this accurately.”
“Why is that?”
“She has been revealing her presence here and there to receive help from other elves, and it is true that the last place she went was our Cradle Exchange. Through the items she prepared, we could also tell that she was preparing for a long journey… However, we did not dare to ask where her destination was, so we cannot give you an answer. We can only speculate that it might be the Elven Forest.”
“Hmm.”
So basically, Eve seems to have headed towards Elven Forest, where she left her spot vacant, but she doesn’t know exactly where she is right now?
Well, if that’s the case, we can just send a ssage to the Elven Forest to get in touch in advance.
It was a mont when I sighed inwardly at the unexpectedly disappointing conclusion.
For so reason, the flat chests that were lying flat at my feet like young spirits…no, what Lemon and Apple frantically shouted was:
“Don’t be fooled, Sir Jonah!”
“That’s a lie! Our parents said sothing similar back then too!”
“Hmm?”
Co to think of it, the reason Lemon and Apple were ostracized in the elven society was because their parents were major criminals. Naturally, those parents were executed.
Given that they had always been disgusted by the Cradle Trading Company, I couldn’t completely ignore their reaction and took another careful look at Tuberose.
“Sir Jonah. Now that the Queen has left, the person who will lead the elves of Pangrave must not be swayed by the words of such petty criminals.”
Tuberose appealed politely but firmly, expressing her displeasure and innocence.
However, there was a strange discordance in her deanor as she spoke.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible to notice, and even now, with Basilieus unfolded and my senses expanded to an almost omnipotent state, the discordance was not easily detectable.
If Lemon and Apple had been frantically shouting and I hadn’t been paying close attention, this small anomaly might have simply passed unnoticed.
The mont I realized this, I felt a chilling sensation as if ice had been poured down my spine.
The feeling of scattered puzzle pieces in my mind perfectly fitting together was an added bonus.
I glared into Tuberose’s eyes, which confidently pleaded for my trust, and began to speak.
“You, you bastard. Where did you get those eyes?”
“……”
The color of her eyes was different from Eve’s, and there were no signs of them being attached from soone else… Yet, in Tuberose’s eyes, one could faintly sense a power akin to Eve’s Eye of Truth.
Not retracting her question and continuing to glare, Tuberose let out a deep sigh.
Then, she spoke towards Rosemary, who was seated relatively close to .
“There is no choice. It’s a bit early, but we have no alternative but to advance the plan. My daughter, co here… Otherwise, you might get involved too.”
Snap!
When Tuberose snapped her fingers, as if they had been waiting, five suspiciously robed n and won entered the banquet hall through the door.
Starting from the entrance, an uncomfortable yet familiar force enveloped the entire banquet hall.
“Distorted Divine Power…?”
Those who bear bright shining red hearts fixed their blazing incantations towards and spoke.
“We are reclaiming the Power. All is for the Goddess.”
“All is for the Goddess.”
“All is for the Goddess.”
“All is for the Goddess.”
At the truly chilling repetition, I reflexively drew my Unicorn Dagger first.
“Have you joined hands with the One Who Devours the Twilight?!”
After all, it seems Lemon and Apple’s words were correct.
Tuberose was clearly ho-educated in an odd way.
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