Ch.111Chapter 111

The introduction of a seedling that devours even Djin shattered the childlike wonder Wendigo had been harboring in his heart.

He had thought that a being called The World Tree would be something more… loving of nature and cherishing of life.

‘I’d already lowered my expectations halfway when I found out Djin were all lunatics, but it still hurts my heart nonetheless.’

While Wendigo was staring at the seedling with strange disappointment, he heard the sound of breaking branches from beside him.

Wendigo reflexively turned his head to the side.

It was where Dario was…

“… Aren’t you being too scared?”

“A seedling that devours even Djin—how dangerous must it be for an ordinary person like me! I don’t want to approach such a terrifying object!”

Dario was backing away behind Wendigo with an extremely disgusted expression.

His words were quite sensible, but Wendigo stared at him blankly as if dumbfounded.

No matter what, it wasn’t normal to put the lord one serves in front.

Freya seemed to think the same, as she giggled and pointed at Dario.

“My, my! Among those acknowledged by Wendigo, this is the first time I’ve seen someone so cowardly and disrespectful!”

“What the King expected from me wasn’t courage or strength, you know? People like me who use their brains ensure their own safety while offering wisdom to their master!”

Dario boldly declared his conviction.

Even nonsense can appear different depending on how it’s delivered.

His voice was unwavering and his eyes showed no shame, so Elhemina and the elves guarding her nodded their heads with convinced expressions.

Of course, this didn’t work at all on Wendigo. He dismissed Dario’s claim with exasperation.

“Shut up and come over here. If The World Tree had intended to attack, it would have done so already.”

“But…”

“Shall I go back and tell the warriors what you did?”

When Wendigo asked while pointing behind him, Dario’s head turned stiffly.

Those men had been willing to risk their lives to subjugate elves just for a chance to speak directly with the king, so if they found out he had hidden behind the king…

“Ahem, actually I was just joking. Having a conversation in such a dark atmosphere can negatively affect negotiations…”

“Wow… truly garbage.”

Freya, who was second to none(?) when it came to character, marveled at how easily Dario changed his attitude, like flipping a palm.

Wendigo, on the other hand, wasn’t very surprised, as he had appointed Dario knowing what kind of person he was.

Rather, it was the elves who were greatly surprised. In their minds, Dario had been quite a… solid young man.

“Um… Are you perhaps not Dario of the Kaffustin family? Perhaps a twin born from the same womb?”

“If not that, are you perhaps a relative? The human Dario I saw was… quite honorable.”

“……”

Even a con artist can’t help feeling embarrassed when his true nature is exposed.

Elhemina sent him a cold gaze, but Dario avoided answering and stared into empty space.

Wendigo looked at Dario with displeasure before addressing Elhemina.

“I’ve heard your story well, but something seems strange. As far as I know, your homeland is further north than the Empire… Why did you cross through Kaffustin family territory?”

“That’s…”

Elhemina showed reluctance at Wendigo’s question. To explain the reason would inevitably make the story longer.

Freya, seeming to sense something from Elhemina’s reaction, stroked her legs and whined to Wendigo.

“Honey~ It looks like this story is going to be long, can’t we sit down to talk? A beauty has delicate legs, you know.”

“It’s creepy, so don’t call me ‘honey.’ And what nonsense about a Djin having leg pain…”

Twitch.

When Wendigo scolded Freya, Elhemina’s ears, which had been watching cautiously, twitched.

Wendigo’s head turned sharply as he caught that movement, and when his empty eye sockets glared at her, Elhemina’s pupils trembled.

“I-I’m sorry. I just thought it would be impolite to make you listen to a long story while standing, as that person said…”

“My goodness! How sweet of the elf to listen to me! Wendigo~ Don’t be like that, let’s sit down and talk. They must have chairs in their village!”

Freya calmly suggested walking into enemy territory.

Dario pointed at Freya in disbelief and shouted.

“Wait, wait wait! Are you suggesting we go into the elves’ den?!”

No matter how submissive the other party seemed, people’s attitudes can change when situations change.

Dario looked into Wendigo’s eyes and offered sincere advice.

“Following people who just revealed they have a seedling that devours even Djin is absurd! If you’re tired, we could have the warriors bring chairs…”

“Enough.”

Wendigo raised his nail and brought it to the corner of his mouth.

At this firm expression to be silent, Dario moved his lips anxiously.

He was so reluctant to follow that he expressed his emotions with his entire body, fidgeting his fingers and waving his arms, but…

“Stop it~ If there was someone strong enough to kill Wendigo, your fate would have ended here anyway?”

“Dario of the Kaffustin family. You seemed brave when I saw you in your family’s territory… but you’re more cowardly than I thought.”

At the words of the two beautiful women, Freya and Elhemina, Dario felt irritation rather than defiance.

Strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with what Freya said, but sometimes the truth can be sharper depending on the situation.

He wanted to shout and vent his frustration, but he could only silently scream.

Wendigo’s nail was still signaling him to remain silent.

Sometimes, mastery of social skills can torment its owner.

* * *

The elven village was utterly desolate.

Apart from communal housing made by combining and transforming a few trees, there was nothing but chickens and pigs being raised in the open.

Above all, it seemed far from the rumor widely known across the continent about a race that loves peace…

“Are all the elves here warriors? There are many with battle markings on their bare bodies.”

Wendigo asked, looking around at the elves who were glaring at him.

They were very different from the image he had imagined—regardless of gender, they all had trained bodies and seemed to have no qualms about exposing their bodies except for vital areas.

The battle markings were quite unique; drawn with thick golden liquid, they seemed to function as a kind of spell.

Above all, they didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding their fighting spirit, as their eyes were full of it.

Elhemina looked at them, sighed deeply, and bowed her head to Wendigo in apology.

“I’m sorry. Originally, there were others besides soldiers, but… for certain reasons, we became separated from them.”

“No need to apologize. Unless they draw their weapons recklessly… they seem like warriors who can temper their hot fighting spirit with cool reason.”

Elhemina had worried that the warriors’ fighting spirit might provoke Wendigo, but he actually showed goodwill toward the elven warriors.

The tenacity to recognize the opponent’s strength yet not abandon duty, and the coolness to not be swayed by emotions, were worthy of respect in themselves.

When Wendigo favorably evaluated the warriors, Elhemina inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, as rumored, the King of the Forest was a gentle Djin who didn’t anger easily, unlike ordinary Djin.

Elhemina glanced at Wendigo while asking the older elves escorting her to bring chairs…

“I don’t need a chair, it’s fine. It would be a chore to bring a chair that fits this size, so I’ll make one myself.”

Noticing Elhemina’s concern, Wendigo waved his hand as if to say not to worry, then shaped an ice throne and sat on it.

Shortly after, Dario, Freya, Elhemina, and two elderly elves sat on chairs facing each other around Wendigo’s throne.

“Now, tell me. Why you came up from the south, what you intended to do with the seedling, and what you plan to do from now on.”

At Wendigo’s question, Elhemina composed herself and began to speak.

* * *

The founding principle of the Republic of Elvenheim was the unification of the Great Forest, and the patron of that principle was The World Tree.

With The World Tree behind it, the Republic of Elvenheim boasted a strength that no one in the Great Forest dared to challenge.

The Senate and successive consuls, concerned about gods and Djin, worked to protect citizens by planting The World Tree’s seedlings from the outskirts inward.

Thanks to this, the Republic of Elvenheim slowly expanded The World Tree’s sphere of influence and achieved peace…

“Having no enemies to be wary of sometimes became poison. The Republic fell into civil war, unable to endure peace.”

The perfectly isolated Republic achieved culture and growth in peace, but also headed down the path of pleasure and corruption.

Naturally, the citizens of the Republic were angry and denounced the corruption of the leadership, and the leadership, immersed in pleasure, tried to suppress the citizens with force.

The problem was that all citizens of the Republic were elves, elves could live over 300 years, and most elves had experience serving as soldiers of the Republic.

“That’s absurd, in the north, life is so harsh that there are many who become raiders, but not everyone becomes a warrior. Even in places like the Empire where life is decent, most live as farmers…”

“That’s because you don’t know much about elves.”

For young elves of the Republic, serving as soldiers was almost a form of entertainment.

Beasts were also affected by The World Tree, and beasts that accumulated blessings became as strong as magical beasts.

Naturally, the Republic didn’t want these beasts to increase. They regularly hunted them using soldiers…

“For elves, that’s an irresistible stimulation. Especially for young ones with hot blood.”

“Most serve for about 30 years. By then, they’ve experienced most of what the military has to offer… so they start to lose interest and look for new stimulation.”

“It wouldn’t be easy for the military to suppress those who have rotted in the military for 30 years.”

Elhemina nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t particularly difficult for citizens who had served as soldiers to procure weapons and armor.

They could bring wood influenced by The World Tree to woodcrafters… known as sculptors, who could make weapons and armor.

Thus, the citizens, who had overwhelmingly defeated those barely over 60 years old, brought down the leadership and found peace again, but…

“The problem was that citizens began to stage armed uprisings as easily as eating meals whenever they were displeased. Even the leadership was the same.”

If they implemented policies that were disliked: rebellion.

If an elder they supported didn’t become consul: rebellion.

If they didn’t like an elder walking down the street that day: rebellion…

“After repeating civil wars for many years, the Republic came to its senses when the gods began to show themselves again.”

“Of course, much credit goes to the outstanding consul and the representative of the Senate.”

“Honestly, doesn’t something seem off about the consul? The way he controls the youngsters…”

“Have you forgotten how he destroyed those who plotted civil war? The country was in shambles, so it’s inevitable that the youngsters would admire a hero.”

Thus, the consul and the Senate representative, whose abilities were recognized, began to implement various policies to maintain the Republic’s peace.

Among these was redirecting citizens’ attention outward.

They decided to send those who wished to leave the Great Forest to the outside.

“The expedition’s destination was ownerless land in the southeast of the continent. An elder to lead the expedition, a commander to coordinate the soldiers, and various technicians departed together. But…”

“Someone with a grudge against the elder staged a mutiny on the ship. Moreover, we faced a storm during that time, causing everyone to scatter.”

The soldiers, having lost their leader, had no choice but to follow Elhemina, a priestess who was closest to the leadership.

With no way to reach their original destination, Elhemina planned to establish a base in the safest possible place and request help from the Republic.

While gathering information, they headed north, which was relatively peaceful and geographically close to the Great Forest.

“Hiding at the End of the World was an unavoidable choice, as we might be attacked just for being elves.”

“Hmm…”

Wendigo, who had been quietly listening to the story, briefly summarized Elhemina’s tale.

So the leadership, having learned firsthand that stagnant water rots, decided to redirect citizens’ attention outward to suppress discontent…

“Are you saying you want to establish a colony outside to resolve that discontent? Since you couldn’t reach your original destination, it sounds like you’re planning to operate secretly in this land.”

“What?”

At Wendigo’s question, Elhemina stared at him with a blank expression.

Wendigo rose from his throne and urged her to answer in an ice-cold voice.

“If you’re confessing your sins because you want a clean death, I can cut your neck without giving you time to feel pain…”

“W-wait a moment, please! We have absolutely no intention of establishing a colony in the north!”

With a face that had turned pale at the threatening gesture, Elhemina answered.

She had no ambition whatsoever to establish a colony to contribute to the Republic.

Sensing the sincerity in her voice, Wendigo pointed at her bosom with confusion and asked.

“Then why did you show the seedling? Weren’t you planning to plant it?”

“That’s true, but… wait, wait! Please listen to my explanation!”

As soon as Elhemina answered, Wendigo drew his ice sword from the ground.

As the ice sword, sharp enough to sever her neck at any moment, appeared, Elhemina knelt down from her chair with a tearful expression.

At the age of 110, it would be too unfair to die in a foreign land in the prime of her life.