episode_0052

Daehyeop Kim and Raven were able to reach the border of Elderheim under Celestia’s guidance.

“It’s a boundary. If you cross it, you’ll have a special experience?”

“I’ll go first.”

Raven, who had stepped forward first, immediately crouched down.

One hand on his stomach, the other covering his mouth.

He just stayed still, as if he was in a panic.

He quickly came to his senses and drank the antidote.

“Haa··· Haa···.”

“Are you okay?”

Raven barely nodded in response to Daehyeop Kim’s question.

“Are you sure you’re right? A special experience.”

“I never want to experience something like this again.”

The eyes of the two people who were talking on the other side of the barrier turned towards Daehyeop Kim.

“What are you doing? Come over quickly. Are you scared?”

“···I will go.”

At Celestia’s provocation, Daehyeop Kim took a deep breath and crossed the barrier.

[ Debuff ‘Nature’s Curse’ is applied. ]

My stomach started to churn as soon as the system message appeared before my eyes.

Even though I got the poison debuff, it ended with a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

If you can feel the tremors clearly, it is said to be worse than venom.

[ Debuff ‘Nature’s Curse’ has been deciphered. ]

“What? It doesn’t seem to hurt much?”

“I’m a bit dull in this regard.”

“···It’s dull in other ways too.”

Kim Daehyeop heard Raven’s mutterings, but tried to pretend not to hear.

“Stop. Identify yourself.”

The moment the three people stopped talking and were about to enter Elderheim.

An elf appeared from the other side and drew his bow toward Daehyeop Kim and his group.

“Fowler. It’s me.”

“Stop. Don’t come any closer.”

Fowler. The elf’s condition, as he was called, seemed a bit strange.

Even considering that she was an elf, her complexion was extremely pale.

The hand holding the bowstring was shaking like a person suffering from hydrocephalus.

“Celestia. You don’t even remember my name, do you?”

“···I don’t know.”

Fowler’s gaze was fixed on Daehyeop Kim and Raven.

“The rule is to kill humans who invade Elderheim immediately···”

Fowler let go of the hand that was pulling the bowstring and grabbed my head.

“···Elderheim is currently not in a normal state. So, go back quietly.”

“We came to solve the problem of Elderheim.”

Fowler let out a laugh at Daehyeop Kim’s claim.

“A stranger, and a human at that?”

“Yes. Please believe me.”

Their gazes crossed. Silence followed.

In a tense situation, after a long standoff, it was Fowler who broke the silence first.

“Does it matter?”

dump-

Fowler sat down.

“Elderheim has already been destroyed.”

Unbelievable words came out of his mouth.

“Destroyed? What the···.”

“Follow me.”

Fowler, who had risen to his feet again, stepped forward.

Celestia followed him without hesitation.

Daehyeop Kim, who exchanged glances with Raven, also followed them.

Passing houses made of trees and grass that appear to be the dwellings of elves.

Up to the point where you can see the World Tree, the largest of the large trees located in the center.

“Look over there.”

Fowler pointed to the world tree.

There was something hanging from the World Tree.

It was an elf, but something was different.

Their skin color was tinted a light black.

“The World Tree was twisted and became an object of destruction.”

Elf Guardian, Fowler turned his back and looked at Daehyeop Kim.

“I sealed the fallen compatriots and the twisted world tree with my own hands.”

There was deep regret in his eyes.

“I don’t have much time left, so I’ll ask.”

A desperate situation where destruction is already predicted.

“Stranger, is there any way for you to resolve this situation?”

“···.”

Daehyeop Kim was unable to answer the questions Fowler posed.

***

The overall storyline is based on my journey in another world.

This Elderheim was also a reconstruction of things I actually experienced.

‘When you arrive at Elderheim, you will encounter the elf guardian.’

The Elf Guardians treat the player party, including Celestia, as complete outsiders.

It’s clear that Celestia is an elf, but the elf guardian Fowler doesn’t remember Celestia.

The reason why the Elf Guardians do not call the World Tree, the creator of the species, ‘Mother’.

The reason Celestia, who called herself a freak and a mutant, called the World Tree her mother.

Until the scattered bait is retrieved, no one will notice Celestia’s true identity.

‘Because I was like that too.’

All elves are influenced by the World Tree.

Now that the World Tree has been reduced to a Twisted World Tree.

It will only take time, and all the elves will be converted to the ideas of the World Tree.

Elf Guardian, Fowler.

He is the last elf who resists the ideas of the twisted world tree to the end.

If you agree with the idea of a twisted world tree.

He was reduced to a dark elf, a servant of the Object of Destruction.

Elves who become dark elves lose their intelligence and become monsters.

Fowler, the guardian of the elves, could not bring himself to kill his own kind who had turned into monsters.

What he chose was the delay of destruction, that is, the sealing of Elderheim.

However, this seal could not inevitably last long.

Elf Guardian Fowler was also an elf under the influence of the World Tree.

In the first place, a considerable price was paid to seal the twisted world tree and thousands of dark elves.

His life was like a blazing flame, a blazing ember on the verge of extinction.

“Finally, you make a decision.”

Since ancient times, elven guardians have existed for the elves.

In any era, the most important thing to an elven guardian was his own kind.

Like the ‘warrior’ representing humans or the ‘demon king’ representing the demon race.

The elf guardian was a kind of symbol representing a race.

So the elf guardians were a bit more free from the influence of the World Tree than regular elves.

Due to the nature of the species not being able to escape from the World Tree, it was ultimately destined to face destruction.

So, does that mean we have to face this predetermined destruction?

No. There was definitely a way out of this desperate situation.

As if the elven guardian of a thousand years ago had made his decision before me.

This time, the elf guardian, Fowler, will also make a decision in front of the players.

In order to protect his own kind, he decided to kill the creator of the species.

***

“Celestia is the current successor to the World Tree.”

―――

suddenly?

Ah, spo, f*ck

What does that mean?

What the heck?

I completely understand (I don’t understand)

―――

Currently, Sweet is working on ‘Main Story – Investigation’.

Researching materials to prevent the impending destruction of Elderheim.

The place where Sweet is now is the library of Elderheim.

Celestia and Raven were investigating near the World Tree.

“Guys, if you don’t understand this, how are you going to take history class?”

―――

Looking at the chat window, Korea’s future looks bright

Don’t listen!

What is history lol

I don’t know because I dodge the college entrance exam

Why are you hearing that?

I have to sleep during class

―――

Sweet pointed to the part that described the characteristics of elves.

“Basically, elves tend not to stray far from the World Tree, their creator.”

And then I moved my finger to the ‘Elf Talent’ entry below.

“Elfs have a natural affinity for communicating with spirits since birth, and use bows and swords as their main weapons, but most are born with a talent for archery.”

Celestia.

The girl you meet at the entrance to Elderheim is an elf in appearance only.

Use magic that can manipulate subspace.

Handling artifacts equipped with magical engineering technology.

It also seemed that he was proficient in ‘alchemy’, one of the potion making techniques.

Also, I didn’t use a sword or bow even once while moving to Elderheim.

“They’re just elves in name only.”

―――

That’s why I said it was a mutation

This is discrimination

hmm…

―――

But the viewers were not convinced.

Sweet didn’t give up on persuading.

“Look carefully. The world capital that appeared a thousand years ago···.”

“Sweet, you were here.”

Sweet stopped explaining and turned around when she heard Raven’s voice from behind her.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a problem.”

After spending several steamy nights with Raven.

The two became comfortable with each other.

“Some of the dark elves have been released from their seals.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

Dark elf.

According to records, they were nothing but monsters.

Lost your reasoning, tainted by the thoughts of the twisted world tree.

A monster that indiscriminately shows hostility to living creatures.

That was the dark elf.

“That’s… something’s strange. The dark elves who were released from the seal seemed to be of sound mind.”

“Then the problem is solved?”

To remain sane was to remain intelligent and rational.

The fundamental reason why Fowler had to seal the dark elves was gone.

Rather, shouldn’t we see this as a solution to the problem? I had that doubt.

Raven shook her head and brought up the real issue.

“They are claiming that it was Fowler, the elf guardian, who betrayed the World Tree.”

“···That’s an interesting idea.”

Fowler chose to be sealed because he could not bring himself to kill his own kind.

The dark elves claim that such a Fowler betrayed the World Tree.

According to the information gathered from the library, it is right to unconditionally take Fowler’s side.

– As the story progresses, you will begin to doubt everything.

I remembered what Director Aurora said at the second half update showcase.

“Ugh··· My head hurts.”

Given the circumstances, it would have been foolish to make a judgment based on information gathered from the library.

According to the records, the moment the dark elf was released from the seal.

Because I had to attack Raven and Celestia who were nearby.

“Please guide me. I need to meet you in person.”

“Yeah.”

Sweet moved under Raven’s guidance.

In front of the World Tree, with Celestia as the standard, the Fowlers and the Dark Elves were in conflict.

“Are you here? Things are getting annoying.”

Celestia immediately gave a greeting that represented Sweet’s feelings.

Sweet passed Celestia and headed towards the dark elves.

“Are you a group of outsiders? I am a representative of the Presbyterian Council···.”

“Wait a minute. I have something to ask you first.”

After cutting off the Dark Elf’s words as the representative, Sweet glared at Celestia.

“How does he look to you?”

The dark elves’ gaze followed the direction of Sweet’s fingers.

Looking at Celestia at the end, he answered softly.

“Isn’t he a stranger? Just like you.”

“That’s right. A stranger like me.”

Clearly, Celestia was wearing traditional elven attire.

Even his appearance was unmistakably that of an elf.

But there are also Fowler, who is an elf, and the elder who became a dark elf.

The wandering elf did not recognize Celestia as an elf.

“My first hypothesis is correct···.”

“What hypothesis?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh my, this is ridiculous.”

As if Celestia didn’t care if her identity was revealed.

He conversed with Sweet in a playful voice.

“Then second question.”

Sweet recalled the contents of ‘Memoirs of a Dark Elf’ that was in the library.

“Do you hear a voice in your head right now saying, ‘Kill the human in front of you.’?”

Before being completely captured by the thoughts of the Twisted World Tree.

A statement left by a dark elf with a shred of sanity left for his kind.

– I keep hearing a voice in my head telling me to kill my own people right in front of me.

“What is that sound? There is no reason for such a voice to be heard.”

At that moment, a choice appeared before Sweet’s eyes.

[ Main Story – Faith ]

[ Main Story – Suspicion ]

[ Main Story – Summary Execution ]