Ch.298White Spectacle. Pale Forest (1)

“Ooooh…”

Victor’s mouth opens involuntarily.

The white trees gradually begin to mix with the colorful ones.

Soon, the white trees increase in number, while the colored trees wither away until they become extinct.

All that remains now are pale white trees and a silent earth with an ashen hue.

“The Pale Forest… I’ve finally arrived at the place I’ve longed for so much…”

Victor closes his mouth again as he gazes at the distant pale World Tree.

For him, the Pale Forest was a place of profound significance.

Of course, he had never visited before, but during his bookworm days at Parcival’s city library, he had nurtured his sense of adventure by reading about the 52 Wonders of the World whenever he had the chance.

And at the pinnacle of those wonders was the Pale Forest.

Having worked on a farm, he had a general idea of what forests looked like, but never having seen one directly in those days, he had exercised his imagination about the beauty of the Pale Forest.

The pale World Tree exuded a strange atmosphere as if condensed fog, and inside the forest, tourists—the only ones with color—were taking pictures and drawing, fully enjoying the surreal yet hyperreal atmosphere.

“Ugh… It’s beautiful, but somehow gives me goosebumps. It would have been perfect if it had a beautiful history.”

Lucia said this while rubbing her arms.

After all, this place has its roots in a tragic history. Perhaps elves, with their spiritual senses superior to humans, feel some kind of chill.

“Still, it’s beautiful enough to wash away those goosebumps, isn’t it?”

“…Yes. I can’t deny that.”

But setting that aside, the scenery here was incredibly beautiful.

What differentiated this place’s beauty from other famous sites was “separation.”

Not the glass used in windows, but the meaning of “separation” as in being detached from something.

While other tourist destinations pursue harmony between nature and people, this place thoroughly separates nature and humans. People with their various colors feel detached in this pale world, and that’s where they find its charm.

It’s like being dropped into a blank canvas.

The mysterious feeling of having entered another world, combined with a somehow melancholic atmosphere, was instrumental in establishing the Pale Forest as one of the 52 Wonders of the World.

“I should be able to get some good rest here. I feel so tired even though I haven’t done anything!”

“Haha. If building an entire pristine city counts as doing nothing, then all the world’s rulers and nobles would be unemployed. You mean you want to rest after working for months, right?”

“That’s right. It might not be exactly a resort… but at least the scenery is spectacular.”

At Victor’s words, all party members nodded in agreement.

In the endlessly sprawling Pale Forest, everything appeared both transparent and hazy.

The Sun God had arrived at the forest of elves and spirits who sacrificed their lives to wash away the indelible wounds of the past.

*

“Are… are you going to do that here too?”

When Lucia’s blunt question flew in, Victor looked at her pitifully and opened his mouth.

“What are you trying to ask?”

As Victor blocked her question with another question, Lucia hurriedly pointed to her head and mumbled a response.

“No, I mean… that thing… you know…”

“The loyalty oath.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Kasia spoke up in place of her sister, and Lucia, robbed of her words, could only nod.

“Loyalty oath?”

“Yeah. Lately, you’ve been taking those everywhere we go. Making apostles into vassals and all that… something about the empire…”

“There’s no need for that here. The Pale Forest is, how should I put it… a kind of neutral territory.”

“Why?”

“Geez. You weren’t listening to Simon’s explanation, were you?”

Victor grabbed his wife’s cheek, switching her to strict mode, and then explained to Lucia once more.

“Listen carefully. This Pale Forest is where an enormous amount of chemical and biological weapons were deployed during the Age of the Solar Eclipse. Naturally, trees, grass, and soil all began to wither and die, and the Wood Elves cared for them until their skin peeled off and their eyeballs rotted away. As a result, with the help of spirits, the dead forest transformed into the Pale Forest. Got it?”

At Victor’s explanation, Lucia nodded like a fish flapping its fins.

“Lucia, I’m saying this for your own good, but acquiring some basic knowledge would be beneficial for you. Even if you get official positions because of my influence, you need to know at least something to avoid being looked down upon. I won’t stop you if you want to live as adventurers your whole lives, but if you want to enjoy the good life thanks to me, you need to fill that stomach that will receive delicious food.”

“…I understand.”

“Good.”

Having heard Lucia’s answer, Victor firmly pressed his wife’s cheek, switching her to dutiful wife mode.

Acquiring knowledge is difficult, but his companions were elves and dwarves, and Victor, a human (or more precisely, formerly human), had now become a god, and his wife was immortal as the Moon’s Apostle. Add to that Simon, who became immortal by consuming the elixir, and essentially only the dwarves remained mortal.

However, considering that dwarves live for hundreds of years, and that they could easily obtain elixirs through Victor’s power, they could practically be considered an immortal party.

If humans can complete everything from elementary education to university education in just 10-20 years, it wouldn’t take elves that long to build up their culture and knowledge.

At most, about the time it takes for a newborn baby to grow into a robust adult?

“My lord, we will be landing soon.”

“Ah, yes. Were there any messages?”

“The Wood Elf Council of Elders wishes to meet with you, my lord. What shall we do?”

“Council of Elders…?”

Unlike other elves who live mixed in with human society, Wood Elves are governed by a system that combines the will of “Elders”—ancient elves who are at least 10,000 years old.

And if they were born 10,000 years ago and have lived until now, they would have witnessed the Age of the Solar Eclipse with their own eyes, so they might have a paranoid reaction to the word “Empire.”

Whether that’s good or bad.

“Very well. Invite them aboard the ship. I will meet with them personally.”

“Understood, my lord. I will convey your message.”

*

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“About the Sun God. One on earth, one in space… I wonder if Maria might melt down soon.”

The Wood Elf Council of Elders.

Born in the Pale Forest, they had pale skin rather than the green skin of other Wood Elves, and they headed toward the Sky Warden with their attendants.

The attendants occasionally exchanged jokes with the elders to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t particularly effective.

“Ha. That’s quite a funny remark. But don’t say such things in front of… that person.”

“I have a brain too. I have the ability to think.”

“And we’ve lived with that brain for over ten thousand years. Let’s go now. That person must be waiting.”

“Yes.”

Wood Elves face all kinds of misunderstandings because of their unique skin color, and surprisingly, the Wood Elves of the Pale Forest were no exception.

If it were just a matter of having fair skin, it might be envied by many, but skin so pale that it shows no hint of blood—like a stark white A4 paper—was a “non-human” color that no one envied.

Most elves didn’t enjoy adventure and travel, so not many had experienced discrimination firsthand, but only those who had directly experienced such discrimination could become elders.

Even if one had spent 10,000 years solely in the Pale Forest, it would be difficult to avoid the contemptuous and disdainful gazes from tourists.

And sadly, the pale Wood Elves were isolated from the world to the extent that even other Wood Elves insulted them as albinos who painted their bodies.

It’s not particularly strange. Only Wood Elves born in the Pale Forest—the only place in the world—are born with such skin color.

“The lord is waiting, Wood Elves. Treat him with respect.”

“We shall do so.”

“The elf elders have arrived. Open the door.”

-Confirmed. Please wait a moment.-

Soon, guided by soldiers equipped with the typical arrogance of those who follow a deity, the Council of Elders entered the Sky Warden.

This ship, filled with soldiers and weapons, seemed quite greedy; it was armed enough to wipe out a decent-sized city in an hour.

The elders prayed that these weapons had never been used to erase cities, and soon a sage came out to greet them.