Ch.173Chapter 173

The World Tree reached out her hand to Wendigo’s finger with a serene expression.

“Come here.”

“Squeak squeak?”

Quick blinked, looking at Wendigo with a troubled expression.

Though he liked the woman’s subtle fragrance, it wouldn’t be proper to go over without his master’s permission.

When Wendigo nodded, giving permission to cross over, Quick made a clear squeaking sound and climbed up the World Tree’s hand onto her shoulder.

The World Tree stroked Quick while observing the mystery he carried.

“So you’re the one who planted mystery in this child. I’ve seen many who did similar things with wolves or deer, but this is my first time seeing it with a mouse.”

“I have wolves too, but personally, I find Quick more useful than that one.”

Oneton might have felt a bit wronged if he’d heard this, but in reality, Quick was more useful during peaceful times.

After all, Quick was the guardian of hygiene, eliminating pests and fending off savage(?) mice.

The World Tree moved her arms around, watching the mice’s antics. She asked Wendigo:

“But how are these children supposed to solve my problem? Even with mystery inside them, fragile children remain fragile.”

The World Tree’s assessment was accurate. Though smarter and stronger than ordinary mice, Quick and his companions had clear inherent limitations.

Wendigo didn’t expect Quick to completely solve the problem either.

When Wendigo extended his finger again, the mice returned with Quick in the lead, climbing onto Wendigo’s shoulder.

While tickling Quick’s head with his fingernail, Wendigo answered:

“These fellows can’t completely solve the problem. But there are no creatures more efficient at finding the cause of the problem in this land.”

“Why is that?”

“Because no one is better at digging than these guys.”

Though the exchange was brief, the World Tree immediately understood what Wendigo meant.

Indeed, no beings were better at moving underground than animals like mice or moles.

And since these were mice carrying mystery, they would surely identify the problem’s cause at an exceptional speed.

“So you’re saying these children will dig around the roots to find the cause.”

“Yes. It might take some time, but identifying the problem shouldn’t be difficult.”

The time requirement was unavoidable. Unlike the trees scattered across the mountains, the World Tree was as large as a castle.

Still, with their excellent digging skills, it would take two or three days…

“Don’t worry. I’ve thought of a good way to shorten the time.”

“Hmm?”

With a faint smile, the World Tree pointed to herself and said:

“Put them inside my body.”

“…I knew you had a bad way with words, but this time it’s truly awful.”

Wondering if he was the only one who found this absurd, Wendigo turned his head to look at those around him.

Elhemina was blushing while covering Dario’s ears. Being (quite a bit) older, she apparently wanted to protect Dario from indecent talk.

Dario himself was lost in thought, blushing at the weight he felt on his head.

Next, Wendigo looked at Messina, who was also flustered but relatively composed.

“You’re more composed than I expected.”

“Ah… yes. According to records, since the World Tree responds to tens of thousands of prayers, she often delivers revelations concisely.”

Hearing Messina’s answer, Wendigo marveled at the elven priests’ devotion.

How deep must their faith be to sanctify such crude speech?

Wondering if it might actually be true, Wendigo quietly asked the World Tree:

“Is what that priest said correct?”

“Is there something wrong with what I said?”

When the World Tree asked with genuine confusion, Wendigo was about to nod. But after brief consideration, he shook his head.

There were few things more useless than bringing up a controversial topic when two parties couldn’t understand each other.

“?”

Until the very end, the World Tree couldn’t understand what was wrong with her words.

* * *

Of course, the body the World Tree mentioned wasn’t her manifested form. The problem occurred in her real body—what could be done with a created body?

The World Tree led Wendigo to the inner part of the temple, specifically to the center of the World Tree.

Dario marveled, feeling the vivid mystery that made his skin tingle.

“I thought no one could rival His Highness in this world, but the world truly is vast. It feels like I’ve entered a river—my body feels heavy.”

“That’s probably because Dario can sense mystery more clearly after embracing it. Usually, people feel comfort rather than pressure.”

Pleased that Dario recognized the World Tree’s greatness, Elhemina chattered excitedly with raised shoulders.

However, Wendigo looked at Elhemina with a skeptical gaze. This intense wave of mystery couldn’t possibly have emerged from planting a mere sapling.

‘If we’re being honest, isn’t this mystery created by absorbing my mystery?’

Of course, as the World Tree said, her mystery was immeasurable, so he wasn’t going to make a fuss about her absorbing a little…

When the World Tree reached the center of her body, she stopped walking. She looked around, selecting a suitable position.

As the World Tree’s hand pointed to a specific spot, a hole began to form with the sound of wood being torn away.

The hole deepened gradually, becoming a narrow, dark passage. The World Tree pointed to the passage and said to Wendigo:

“Put the mice in there. There’s only one passage, so they’ll be able to go straight underground.”

Wendigo carefully extended his hand toward the hole. As they got closer to the ground, Quick’s reconnaissance team quickly descended and examined the hole.

Quick made a bright squeaking sound, as if ready.

“This time I won’t need to do anything directly, I’ll just connect with your eyes and ears.”

“Squeak squeak!”

Sitting down, Wendigo concentrated on connecting with Quick’s senses, and instantly experienced the strange sensation of his viewpoint lowering as he secured Quick’s senses.

The World Tree confirmed the mystery flowing between Wendigo and Quick, then gestured to Quick.

“Go in and find the cause. If you discover the cause, you can expect a reward.”

“Squeak!”

Saluting, Quick threw himself into the passage. Even for dangerous missions, he took the lead, just like his master.

As Quick and the mice descended, the World Tree leaned back in her chair and said to Messina:

“Moving in this body is uncomfortable. I’m going to disconnect for a while, so please take care of this body.”

“I will follow your command even at the cost of my life.”

“That’s not necessary, but if that’s what you want, I won’t stop you.”

With a languid voice, the World Tree closed her eyes and her breathing stopped. Watching this, Messina called the temple people and ordered:

“Guard this place until the World Tree awakens. Everyone get your weapons, and bring some evening provisions just in case—”

“I thought warriors weren’t allowed in the temple…?”

Dario, who had been quietly observing, asked Elhemina with confusion. She laughed awkwardly and avoided his gaze.

In place of the troubled Elhemina, Messina answered while drawing the sword at his waist:

“It’s hard to find an elf who can’t protect themselves. We all have military training, so it’s not strange to have a weapon in our rooms.”

Being from the north, Dario wasn’t surprised by the mention of people keeping weapons in their rooms.

Northerners also tended to keep a weapon or two for self-defense.

However, he was quite taken aback when the elves returned with their weapons. They looked quite different from what he had imagined.

‘Aren’t self-defense weapons usually short swords or daggers?’

The attendants mostly had kind expressions, befitting people working in a temple. At least, they would have if not for the battle axes and longswords they were holding.

Once armed, the elves instantly transformed into soldiers. Despite their appearances, they spoke with casual attitudes…

“Will you take the north?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Don’t you know the south offers a better view of the World Tree’s face?”

“Come on, elders, let’s just draw lots—”

“Stay out of this, youngster who hasn’t even lived two hundred years!”

Dario sensed a familiar northern atmosphere from these unfamiliar elves.

The heartwarming(?) sight of old-timers dismissing young warriors and competing for comfortable, desirable duties.

As Dario stared blankly at the scene, Messina sighed and approached the warriors—no, the elves.

“I understand your enthusiasm, but I cannot tolerate such unseemly behavior before the World Tree.”

“But Priest… hup!”

People who usually smile a lot can be frightening when their expressions harden.

Messina erased her eye-smile and stared at the elf who had talked back with dry eyes. He saluted as if returning to his military days.

Messina tilted her head and asked him:

“Did you just talk back to me?”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Good. Does anyone else have something to say?”

Messina asked with a smile again, but the elves shook their heads with sealed lips. Following Messina’s instructions, they formed a defensive formation around the World Tree’s body.

Watching this, Dario muttered to himself:

‘If warriors aren’t allowed in, shouldn’t elves be banned from entering in the first place?’

Dario seriously wondered if he had visited a military barracks rather than a temple.

* * *

Unaware that hardened veterans who had spent 30 years in the military were surrounding his body, Wendigo was observing through Quick’s eyes.

‘Quite narrow. Did they adjust the width deliberately to connect to the deep underground?’

There wasn’t much to see. Looking around, all that was visible was wood grain.

Still, thanks to Quick’s agile body, there was enough speed to enjoy the sensation.

Emptying his mind and watching Quick race through the narrow passage, Wendigo regained focus when the end of the tunnel came into view.

“Squeak squeak!”

“Squeak!”

Despite having run through the World Tree’s body for quite some time and being excited, Quick acted calmly. Stopping at the edge, Quick first checked the scent with his nose.

After confirming there was nothing unusual except the earthy smell and the World Tree’s subtle fragrance, Quick carefully poked his head out of the passage.

Confirming there was no one around, Quick jumped out of the tunnel.

The mice followed Quick out, and Quick touched the ground with confusion. Something about the soil felt strange.

Quick tapped the floor and asked a companion who had talent for digging tunnels:

“Squeak squeak?”

“Squeak, squeak squeak squeak.”

The companion shook his head, denying Quick’s question.

The floor was too uneven and the surrounding soil not firm enough to be a tunnel made by someone. A tunnel made like this would collapse before long. Besides, what kind of tunnel has no entrance or exit?

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

“!”

Just then, one of the mice investigating the tunnel noticed something strange and called Quick.

The mouse pressed its head against the floor and beckoned to Quick.

Quick was puzzled. His companion mouse said he could hear singing from below. There was no reason for singing to be heard in this underground…

However, Quick wasn’t arrogant enough to ignore his companion’s words without checking. Following his companion’s lead, Quick pressed his ear firmly against the ground to listen.

And indeed, singing could be heard. A husky, boisterous voice continued to resound.

As if that wasn’t strange enough, Quick realized he could hear a familiar noise between the songs.

The sound of rocks breaking, a common noise when digging tunnels…

Rumble rumble!

“Squeak!? Squeak squeak!”

Quick, who had been listening, jumped up when the floor shook and pointed toward the World Tree’s roots. The mice quickly returned to the passage following Quick’s direction.

But not all mice made it. The mouse who had alerted Quick to the sound was staggering, unable to steady himself as the floor shook.

Just then, a companion came running to take Quick back… but Quick, steeling himself, grabbed the staggering mouse’s arm and threw him in that direction.

Naturally, Quick’s posture collapsed from the recoil, and he couldn’t return to the passage.

Quick fell into the deep underground along with the collapsing floor…

Thud!

After a brief sensation of floating, Quick bounced off something soft and flew away.

“Argh! I told you not to swing your pickaxe like that. Dirt falls from above!”

“A dwarf making such a fuss about eating a little dirt… Someone might think a rock fell.”

“I don’t know about rocks, but it seems like a stone did fall… huh?”

“Squeak?”

Having suffered no major impact, Quick was gathering himself when he met eyes with a dwarf.

With a height about waist-high to an average human, a sturdy-looking body, bushy beard, and intense eyes.

Five dwarves discovered Quick and were looking at him with curiosity. One dwarf burst into laughter, pointing at the dirt-covered dwarf.

“Hahaha! Looks like you caused this cutie’s home to collapse. You should build him a new one before we leave!”

“How is that my fault?! Bolba, it’s because that strong but stupid fellow handles his pickaxe terribly!”

“Still, this is strange. Mice are usually found in higher places, aren’t they?”

Fortunately, the dwarves who discovered Quick weren’t hostile to the mouse. Rather, from their conversation, they seemed quite friendly toward mice.

One dwarf muttered, licking his lips:

“Now that a mouse has appeared, if we’re lucky, maybe we can taste some wood too.”

“What ambitious dreams. There’s no way we could find something so precious in such a low place… huh?”

The dwarf who was about to tease his friend looked up at the hole Quick had fallen through and discovered something strange.

What he discovered were about ten mice and… the World Tree’s roots. The startled dwarf pointed upward and shouted:

“T-tree! There’s a tree!!!”

“What?!”

“It’s true! Shovel, bring a shovel!”

“You idiot. Don’t think about climbing up—quickly grab shovels and make a path!!!”

The dwarves, seemingly forgetting Quick’s existence, began digging the ground with shovels while making a commotion. They created makeshift stairs as they headed upward.

Quick stared at the scene in bewilderment.

‘…Could these possibly be the dwarves of this world?’

Wendigo also stared at the scene in astonishment.