A Great Being (1)

Great heroes. The ones I remember were literally heroes who jumped out of fictional works, but as I grew older, I began to see more realistic aspects.

They too were ultimately those who were forcibly dragged into the Tower and had no choice but to fight.

Of course, they were still worthy of being called heroes because they proved themselves and shone even in such situations.

The woman called the Saint, who inherited that power, was no exception.

“It’s amazing. To think that the healing power known as the Saint’s power all this time was actually the power of purification.”

“Parma’s power is a supreme power created specifically for the magical beasts of the Tower. But with the collapse of the Tower and those magical beasts scattered and diluted over 10,000 years, there would have been no chance for that power to properly manifest.”

When Lina showed interest, widening her eyes at this fascinating fact, I felt my pride swell unnecessarily.

This wasn’t some strangely distorted and twisted myth, but knowledge that only I knew and could properly convey.

“Healing powers were common, but Parma’s power was granted only to that woman. If there was a ‘real’ Saint, she would have been born with Parma’s power, not just simple healing power.”

After hearing the details, it turns out that many of those who have been hailed as Saints so far were just born with healing powers.

Of course, Parma’s power with its strong purification ability could also be called healing… but the Parma’s power I knew wasn’t a priest healing from behind, but a powerful warrior’s strength that smashed enemy heads on the front lines.

Just like that ‘first Saint’ so revered by the Order of Light.

‘So if they’re given a corrupted artifact, there’s bound to be a reaction.’

What I instructed Ethan was to give corrupted artifacts to those suspected of being Saints. If a Saint with Parma’s power passed down from 10,000 years ago really appeared, she would surely react to an artifact that even I could purify.

“I’ll leave that work to you now.”

At the point where we had to part, I made Lina double-check the note I was sending to Ethan. I’m going to the elves like this, and the rest are returning to Suan.

“Yes, I’ll be waiting.”

Lina nodded with a determined expression. My connection with her, who started as a mere maid, has come this far.

Although she’s an ordinary maid, her loyalty was real. I thought it would be a waste to just keep such a faithful person around.

“Let’s go now too.”

After watching them disappear to take the spatial jump, I turned to look at Arisa. Preciously holding the revived World Tree seed in her arms, she nodded at my words.

“I’ve prepared a different path. Since the official entrance revealed through the delegation has been exposed to enemies, we needed a new route to move more discreetly.”

“That’s very good.”

Although I knew in advance and countered it, those terrorists had already traced the information revealed by the delegation itself and ambushed the path used by the elves.

We prevented it without much damage, and now a fierce investigation of treason is taking place within the Narian Kingdom, with other factions that have found excuses getting involved, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

* * *

“Everyone, come out! The High Elf has returned!”

There’s no need to hide my identity in the Elf village. With my hood and headband removed, I looked at the elves rushing out to greet us with a much lighter face.

The elders, and of course Ellua who had arrived earlier, all had excited faces.

“This is the revived seed of the World Tree! Look. It’s no longer a withered, twisted seed. It’s a seed waiting to awaken and live.”

They had good reason to be. We had already told them about the World Tree. When Arisa took out the seed that had regained its original shape and vitality from her bosom, the elves with widened eyes let out a unanimous cheer.

Even some of the elders couldn’t contain their excitement and jumped around or shouted. It was a problem that even the long-lived elders couldn’t find an answer to, now solved after thousands of years.

“Ca-calm down, everyone. It’s not over yet. Even if the World Tree starts growing again, protecting it is also our eternal duty.”

Elnar finally stepped forward to calm the elves. Of course, that didn’t mean they took their eyes off me.

“High Elf, please help the World Tree sprout again.”

“I have to do that anyway. The seed is telling me now. It’s asking me to plant it in its favorite place.”

I took the seed from Arisa’s hand with a bitter smile at Elnar’s words. I could hear the will of the World Tree that other elves couldn’t hear.

This cheeky one had a lot of demands. Even spirits pale in comparison. After all, the World Tree is fundamentally a spirit too.

“Do you have any pre-selected candidate sites?”

“Yes. While you were busy with external affairs, High Elf, we pre-selected a site through our Grand Council.”

Fortunately, the elves had carried out the task I left them well. The task of making decisions by coordinating opinions of all clans through the Grand Council.

Although there was a possibility that the World Tree might reject it, they had selected the best candidate site according to old literature and traditions. The location is in the middle of a great forest, hard to say it’s in any clan’s sphere of influence. It was a perfect location for the Grand Council forces recruited from each clan to guard.

“Is this the place?”

Arriving there, I looked around and considered the conditions. Even the spirits were delighted, saying the energy here was so good they felt like flying. It was such a perfect center of nature.

Clearly a place where a divine tree symbolizing nature and its vitality could grow.

“Dig the ground.”

I instructed the earth spirits to turn over the soil and dig a hole. This forest clearing is currently about the size of a small playground, but as the World Tree continues to grow, the size of that clearing will likely expand enormously.

The World Tree, becoming one with the life forms growing in that place, will only then become a true divine tree.

“I’m planting the World Tree now. It says it likes the site you’ve chosen and wants me to convey that.”

“Ah…”

As I slowly lowered the seed into the hole, the moved elves all fell to their knees at once.

In fact, the seed, which was like a child not even at the level of spirits, didn’t actually say anything to praise the elves’ efforts, but it’s a definite fact that the seed likes it.

“Um, is it possible to know when the sprout will grow?”

“From here on, it’s the seed’s role, so I don’t know either.”

I planted the seed and covered it with soil again. The elves who can’t communicate with the seed seem anxious, but my words that I don’t know what will happen are true.

The seed is now busy making its body grow. It’s obvious that it won’t be able to answer even if I speak to it first before the huge sprout it’s pushing out emerges from the soil.

‘Looks like I’ll have to stay here for a while.’

I glanced around and broke out in a cold sweat. The gathering of numerous elf clans was waiting solely for the World Tree.

If I leave my post and it fails somehow, I’ll be the one to face all the shame. Since it’s my job to do, I had to stay here.

“Has your meat cooking skill improved?”

I casually asked Arisa. Although I denied the custom that I should only eat vegetarian, in fact, elves preferred vegetarian diets even without such customs.

“We’ve brought many diverse things from the outside world through the delegation, so it should be fine.”

“Come to think of it, there were also things the delegation brought.”

The delegation’s luggage, a mix of trade goods and gifts, had already been unpacked by the elves. One thing different from the past is that those who used to show hostility towards human objects and civilization now accept them familiarly.

It seems that with many changes starting from my appearance to the establishment of the Grand Council, they’ve completely given in.

“Even if the World Tree grows to just a sapling level, it will have the power to resist minor erosion. That area will become a safe zone. If it gets stronger, it will grow faster.”

“You have already given us so much, Lady Isilia. Now that even the World Tree has been revived, do you really intend to leave?”

“It’s not a problem that can be solved by being stuck in some corner. You’ve gotten used to it too, haven’t you, Arisa? Going out and about.”

“Ahem…”

Arisa cleared her throat at my words.

Clearly, the awkwardness and stiffness I saw when I first met her were gone.

When she was hurt by betrayal from a low-quality human companion, she wasn’t much different from other elves, but it seems her thoughts have changed as she experienced more. The elf warrior who reluctantly set out on a journey now wanted to go outside to see a wider world and more things.