Ch.143142. Luna Crystal (2)

# 142. Luna Crystal (2)

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Luna said, the ordinary-looking tree that appeared normal to the eye must have an illusion spell cast on it.

Perhaps that’s why the aura emanating from that tree felt so alien.

I could also sense a strong compelling force, as if it were shouting at us to leave this place immediately.

‘Was it always this intense? It seems they’ve cast it too strongly…’

The magic was far too powerful to be merely for concealment purposes.

Something must have happened related to this.

And as we approached the tree, figures appeared as if they had been waiting for us.

Two elves armed with high-quality weapons.

They looked back and forth between Luna and us.

“Princess, those people are…”

“It seems they haven’t been told much yet, but it’s fine. They are quite distinguished guests, so please maintain your dignity.”

Luna continued speaking while gazing at the endless forest vista behind us.

“And other humans will be visiting tomorrow, so if they come, please guide them to the palace.”

“Yes…”

Despite hearing Luna’s words, the two still glared at us with expressions full of discontent.

It felt somewhat unpleasant, but it couldn’t be helped.

We couldn’t contact them beforehand, and we were unexpected guests. Besides, we were humans, not elves or dwarves.

Still, I was grateful that Luna didn’t dislike humans.

“Let’s go in now.”

After saying that, Luna slowly approached the tree.

She walked toward it as if nothing were there, and soon passed through the tree, disappearing inside.

“Wow…”

She, who had been staring blankly at the tree, finally let out a small exclamation of wonder.

Even for someone like her, that sight must have been truly fascinating.

Of course, what she saw and what I saw would be different.

“It’s enormous…”

“It probably looks different to you, noona.”

For her, who was unaffected by illusion magic, the tree’s true form would be visible.

Not the small tree currently in my sight, but a massive tree that seemed straight out of a fairy tale.

“How does it look to Albert?”

“Just a tiny little tree.”

“That’s fascinating…”

“Let’s go in now.”

After that conversation, I slowly walked toward the tree just as Luna had done, and she followed behind me.

When we reached the tree, the surroundings and atmosphere changed instantly, as if we had entered a dungeon.

A massive tree appeared in that moment.

It was truly a wondrous space, no matter how many times I saw it.

“So this is how it is?”

“It’s amazing.”

We marveled like country folk visiting a city for the first time, while Luna watched us with a pleased expression.

Then, looking at the uniquely structured village that came into our view, she said:

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Persia.”

Their kingdom, though not enormous, had its own exotic charm.

It possessed a different appeal from the cities of our country.

The vines of that massive tree served as the ground they walked on and as staircases, and they had built homes of various designs to live in.

Among those diverse structures, one building particularly stood out, and she pointed to it, asking:

“Is that the palace?”

“Yes, isn’t it splendid?”

“It certainly is impressive.”

A structure with nothing particularly special about it.

Compared to other buildings, it was visually just a bit larger, but the feeling it gave off was distinctly different.

The immense magical energy emanating from that place.

That energy was how I could tell it was the palace.

“What could possibly be there… to emit such a powerful aura?”

“Nothing special, just a slightly large magic stone.”

Luna’s words, which seemed to tell me not to expect much, made me chuckle involuntarily.

‘Slightly large?’

The magic stone, the source of that energy, was not just “slightly large” as Luna had said.

It was enormous, being the source of the magical power sustaining this space.

It was on a completely different scale from the magic stones we could normally obtain.

“Saying it’s nothing special makes me even more curious.”

“Don’t expect too much. It’s not that big since we have to replace it frequently.”

Maintaining this space, concealing it, and preventing dungeons from appearing within it—all these tasks constantly consumed an enormous amount of magical power.

Therefore, they couldn’t rely on a single magic stone for a long time and had to replace it often, but even so, it would still be impressive enough to draw admiration.

“So, are we going to the palace now?”

“Yes, of course. You’re honored guests.”

“Does His Majesty already know about us?”

“Yes, naturally. Almost everyone in the palace knows.”

It seemed the news of our arrival had already spread.

And judging by the lack of any incidents so far, it appeared that no one had any objections.

“I’ll lead the way, so please follow me.”

Luna, with an excited expression, guided us to the palace, and we followed her.

Along the way, we admired the surrounding scenery and chatted with Luna about various things.

‘But they don’t seem particularly concerned.’

Perhaps because elves are less emotionally volatile, no one said anything even though we were walking around so openly. At most, we received occasional glares.

It could be because Luna was with us, or perhaps the king had already mentioned us, but that was the extent of it.

It was a markedly different reaction from what humans would show.

‘It would be different if it were the opposite.’

If Luna had come to Lucerne, it would have caused a tremendous sensation, and many people would have rushed to speak with her.

Even in Gloria’s case, though it’s different now, it was a big issue at first.

We found this fact itself quite fascinating.

Then Luna said something as if she had read our thoughts.

“The people here are all busy with their own affairs. Is it different where you’re from?”

“Quite different. If the princess were to go there, it would probably cause a commotion.”

“Really?”

I nodded in response to her question.

And Luna, seemingly surprised by this fact, asked me another question.

“In the case of humans, is there any… hatred toward other races?”

“That varies from person to person.”

In that regard, elves and humans were quite similar.

Just as there are elves who discriminate against other races and those who don’t, humans are the same.

“That’s just like us.”

“But there aren’t many people who dislike elves. They don’t have a particularly negative social image.”

“Many people actually like them.”

As she said, there were quite a few people who were crazy about elves.

There were even party members who came to mind when thinking of such people.

“I didn’t know that… I thought many people would dislike us…”

“Well, it’s not like there aren’t any.”

“There are certainly fewer.”

“Then what about you two?”

Upon receiving that question, we glanced at each other, and she answered first.

“I don’t particularly care either way.”

“Me neither.”

I didn’t particularly care except in special cases like demons.

And she was probably the same as me.

Luna seemed relieved by this fact, and by then, we had conveniently arrived at our destination.

“That’s good to hear, and we’ve arrived.”

A somewhat modest design for what was called a palace.

However, the soft and luxurious aura transmitted by the magical energy enhanced the palace’s mysterious atmosphere.

And as we arrived, people who seemed to have come out to greet us came into view, and Luna introduced us to them.

“Oh? You’re already out here. These are the people Mother mentioned before.”

The most prominent person among them.

The current monarch of the Kingdom of Persia and Luna’s mother.

Diabolica Crystal.

Having heard Luna’s words, the monarch looked at me and her, and began to speak.

“First, I apologize for not coming to greet you earlier. I am Diabolica Crystal, the monarch of the Kingdom of Persia.”

“I am Elizabeth Michael, Imperial Princess of the Kainis Empire.”

“I’m Albert Veros.”

After the brief introductions, we followed them into the palace.

The monarch entered a room with a large table and numerous chairs, and we followed Diabolica.

“I would ask everyone except these two and Luna to wait outside.”

Those who heard the monarch’s command promptly left the room, and we chose one of the many chairs to sit in.

The largest chair at the center of the table.

Seated in that chair, the monarch spoke first.

“First, I want to say thank you for the trouble of coming all this way.”