Chapter 110

How vicious must her deeds have been for her existence to be passed down for 1000 years without being forgotten?

Wendigo sighed deeply and held his head.

“It’s my fault for trusting such a person.”

“Isn’t that too harsh? To believe so easily what those you’ve just met today said!”

When Wendigo looked at her as if she were pathetic, Freyja flapped her arms in a fuss, saying it wasn’t that bad.

It was true that Freyja had persistently tried to seduce elves due to some strange stubbornness, but strictly speaking, the elves’ long lifespan also had a big influence.

Freyja pointed at the old elf with fierce eyes:

“Even going back to just that grandpa’s grandfather would be about 1000 years! For humans, 1000 years might be incredibly long, but for elves, it’s just that much.”

“Hmm…”

Wendigo and Dario made meaningful sounds and stared intently at Freyja.

Indeed, since elves have long lifespans, their perception of time’s flow could be different from humans.

What for humans is the time from birth to grave, for elves is no different from the time it takes to reach the starting point of their prime.

“That doesn’t seem to explain the expressions of that old man and Elhemina. Their expressions are like they’re seeing their mortal enemy.”

Dario pointed at the elves and complained to Freyja.

Their expressions were so grave, as if facing some calamity.

It was fortunate they realized the overwhelming difference in strength; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been strange if they had immediately returned to the village and called for a fight to the death.

Freyja folded her arms and snorted.

“Then what do you want me to do? And you could just go with Wendigo and leave me behind. They may not have discerning eyes, but they’re not stupid.”

Freyja didn’t particularly have anything to lose.

What Syr had asked was for her to follow Wendigo and solve the problem, but in the end, if Wendigo solved it, everything would be over.

It was natural for her to lack motivation, having been dragged out while she was enjoying herself.

‘It’s not wrong, but I refuse to not use her after bringing her here with such difficulty.’

Wendigo wiggled his finger towards Dario. Dario approached Wendigo on horseback, puzzled.

“Dario, go to the elves and persuade them that Freyja is not dangerous.”

“What? No way! Look at their eyes. They’re looking at her like she’s a monster!”

Dario refused Wendigo’s order in horror. That’s how fierce the elves’ gazes were.

It was painful enough just watching from afar, but to go there and persuade them she wasn’t dangerous…

To begin with, she really was dangerous, so persuasion wouldn’t be easy.

“You have a connection with them. And without Freyja, we might misunderstand elven customs or etiquette and make mistakes.”

“Can’t we just subjugate them by force? They’re criminals who trespassed on the king’s land in the first place…”

Some of the warriors nodded in agreement with Dario’s opinion.

By their common sense, those who trespassed on others’ land deserved to die by the sword.

It was quite a violent solution, but in this world, it was one of the cleanest methods.

However…

“If the elves were common raiders, we would. But I don’t want to stain our first greeting with blood to a party we might not only build a university with, but continue good trade with in the future.”

If solved that way, all that would remain would be inedible corpses and ruined weapons and armor.

On the other hand, if we establish a good relationship with the elves, we might not only get help with construction but also obtain something unique that only elves possess.

There was no reason to give up on potentially great gains just to avoid a little trouble.

‘… Father was suspicious but stupid, so he was easy to deceive.’

Dario knew this fact too. Though his actions were frivolous and he was obsessed with self-preservation, his mind worked quickly.

As Wendigo maintained a firm attitude, Dario turned his horse towards the elves with slumped shoulders.

Seeing his pitiful appearance, the chieftains glanced at Wendigo with worried faces.

“Don’t worry too much. Dario is better at social maneuvering than you think.”

“We- we’re sorry. We were just worried that he might not live up to the king’s expectations.”

It was natural for the chieftains to worry, as a young man with no visible confidence headed towards the enemies.

If Dario provoked the elves and a battle broke out, the chieftains and their warriors would be the ones to suffer the damage.

Indeed, when Dario returned and opened his mouth, the elves frowned and placed their hands on their weapons…

‘What a diverse range of expressions this guy has.’

Dario faced the elves with a terrified expression, as if reading their psychology. He wasn’t really scared.

If he had been, the horse carrying Dario would have sensed its rider’s anxiety and become excited, but the horse was so calm it was even fidgeting.

That scared expression was clearly an act to give the other party a sense of security and trust.

As if to prove this, Dario returned with a triumphant expression.

“I persuaded them. I told them Freyja attacked the king without knowing her place, was immediately subdued, and is now working to atone for her crimes… Uwaaaagh!?”

“You little brat! You said I submitted to such a young spirit!?”

Freyja, who had been humming and fixing her hair, pounced on Dario and grabbed his neck as soon as the false rumor burst from his mouth.

The way she grabbed his neck and shook him was quite skillful… perhaps the memory of being treated that way by Syr had helped.

“Separate them.”

“Ah… Yes! Both of you, please calm down!”

The warriors tried to separate Freyja and Dario at Wendigo’s order.

Though Freyja appeared as a pretty young woman, her essence was still that of a spirit, so her strength was greater than expected.

Freyja wore five or six warriors like accessories and didn’t release Dario’s neck until he was foaming at the mouth.

---

Fortunately, Dario, who had been foaming like a salt-sprinkled slug, didn’t die.

Wendigo punished Freyja with one forehead flick and approached the elves with the two of them.

The elves swallowed dryly as they glared at the slowly approaching group. Clear fear rippled in their eyes.

Watching this, Wendigo scolded Freyja:

“What terrible things did you do in the past for them to fear you this much?”

“This is too much. Even though I’m a spirit, I still observed certain lines, you know?”

Most spirits are famous for having broken personalities and no conscience, but spirits also have their own values.

Especially long-lived spirits like Freyja mostly have firm values.

Freyja’s values were clear enough to be understood through her actions:

Not harming beautiful things and living as pleasurably as possible.

“I don’t particularly like elves, but beautiful beings have value just by existing. No matter how angry I got, I never did anything terrible to elves.”

“That must be a lie. Do you know how much I sweated trying to persuade them? You must have coveted elven blood and sucked out their essence.”

Dario glared at Freyja with suspicious eyes as he spoke.

Wendigo, knowing Freyja was telling the truth, chuckled.

At least it was true she had never done anything terrible…

“N-No! I just had fun with pretty girls, that’s all!”

Freyja hurriedly made excuses, as if something was pricking her conscience.

Wendigo was dumbfounded.

Coveting blood could be considered a terrible act, so there was only one reason Freyja had blurted out an excuse.

“Don’t tell me you violated elf women?”

“No! We just whispered love to each other, intoxicated by the beautiful moonlight in the night sky! If anything, it was mutual…”

“……”

Wendigo looked at Freyja with contemptuous eyes.

He could understand why the elves were so wary.

If Freyja had deliberately enchanted them, wouldn’t problems like lovesickness or confusion about sexual identity have arisen?

… Still, since he brought her, he had to make her work to make it worthwhile.

Wendigo’s group stopped about ten paces away from the elves.

It was a sufficiently distant range, but the elves guarding the woman’s side gripped their weapon handles, showing extreme caution.

“Forest King, forgive our rudeness. These old ones have a duty to protect Lady Elhemina.”

“Don’t worry. Freyja won’t try anything with Elhemina.”

“Well…”

They looked at Wendigo with troubled expressions.

When Wendigo looked puzzled at their gaze, Elhemina carefully corrected his misunderstanding:

“The two elders are wary not of that spirit… but of you, King.”

“……”

Wendigo was so taken aback he was at a loss for words.

However, thinking about it a little, it wasn’t that strange.

An incredibly dangerous spirit that had been passed down since their great-great-grandfather’s time appeared before their eyes, but it turned out an even stronger spirit that had subdued that spirit was standing right in front of them.

From the elves’ perspective, it was a case of out of the frying pan into the fire… and being wary of the strongest opponent is a basic quality of a warrior.

“Pfft!”

Freyja covered her mouth and sneered at Wendigo.

Wendigo felt annoyed and wanted to flick her forehead, but he tried to find inner peace.

It wasn’t a good judgment to show violent behavior when the other party was already scared.

Vowing to definitely flick her forehead when they returned, Wendigo generously understood the elves’ position:

“I won’t think it strange. Our relationship started with discord, and I also provoked you with force.”

“You are truly broad-minded, as the rumors in the north say. There’s no way I could…”

“You can call her an evil, petty spirit who covets women if you like.”

“Ah, no. Not to that extent…”

When Wendigo suddenly criticized Freyja, Elhemina shook her head in bewilderment.

Wendigo inwardly clicked his tongue in disappointment. To think such a good opportunity to get back at Freyja had passed so fruitlessly.

Still, the elves’ wariness seemed to have eased a bit, perhaps thanks to sacrificing(?) Freyja.

“Elhemina of the Blue Leaf tribe. I heard you have a connection with Dario, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. However, the expression ‘Blue Leaf tribe’ is just a way to make it easier for humans to understand…”

“Huh?”

Wendigo looked at Freyja in puzzlement.

Under the unspoken pressure to explain quickly, Freyja sighed and explained about elves:

“Elven society is more complex than humans’.”

The proper name for the huge island that humans call the Great Forest was Elvenhome.

Elvenhome, meaning the land of elves, was unified around the World Tree as its center point and had maintained a kind of republic system for a long time.

“So you’re saying it’s not a tribe but a surname?”

Freyja shook her head. Blue Leaf wasn’t Elhemina’s surname, but the name of the group she belonged to.

“Elven names are super complicated. They have their own name and surname as basics, then add nicknames or titles after that, and the most important part is the group name.”

The elders ruling the republic in the council of elders use the name of the council.

Blacksmiths, bakers, and various craftsmen use the names of their workshops or guilds.

Priests use the names of the World Trees they serve.

“Judging by the name Blue Leaf, this elf must be a priest…”

“Wait, what do you mean by the name of the World Tree? Don’t tell me there’s more than one World Tree?”

Wendigo, who had been listening, asked Freyja in bewilderment. He had sensed something off in Freyja’s explanation.

The World Tree they each serve? It sounded like there was more than one World Tree.

Freyja answered as if it were no big deal:

“The spirit of the World Tree is one, but it has multiple bodies. It’s like a doppelganger, to use an analogy.”

Unlike spirits, the World Tree was clearly a living organism that had taken root in this world from birth.

Isn’t it a natural instinct for living things to reproduce and maintain their species?

Following this instinct, when the appropriate time came, the World Tree would give a sapling to the elves and order them to plant it…

Elhemina was a priest chosen as the right person for this honorable task.

Sensing that she couldn’t hide her identity, Elhemina opened her mouth with a resigned expression:

“… That spirit’s words are correct. Blue Leaf is the name of the World Tree I am to serve. To be precise, it’s still just a sapling.”

“Lady Elhemina!”

When Elhemina readily admitted the truth, those assisting her shouted loudly.

“This spirit knows a lot about us. We couldn’t hide our purpose from her in the first place.”

“Ngggh…”

Elhemina calmed them down and took out a bundle she had been carefully hiding in her bosom.

What was wrapped in beautiful silk contained such powerful mystery that it could be felt even without opening spirit vision.

When the silk was removed, a pure white sapling was revealed.

Though it was so small it was hard to call a sapling, considering the size of the mystery it contained, it wasn’t strange to call it a sapling.

The moment that sapling was planted in the ground, regardless of its size, mystery would burst forth and take root.

“… So that’s the World Tree sapling.”

“Yes. It’s a sapling named Blue Leaf by the Mother of All World Trees, the center of Elvenhome and the Primordial World Tree.”

“Is it alright to show me such an amazing thing?”

Wendigo asked Elhemina in puzzlement. The mystery emanating from it was so great that it was clearly an object many would covet.

If he had evil intentions, it wouldn’t have been strange to slaughter them immediately and take the sapling.

To Wendigo’s question, Elhemina answered as if it were no big deal:

“It’s fine. All World Trees are ultimately connected by one spirit. This sapling is no exception.”

“Don’t try to mess with it~ Long ago, someone who coveted it attacked the elves, but as soon as they touched it, the sapling burrowed into their body and used them as nutrients.”

“……”

Wendigo closed his mouth at this incredibly cruel measure for something called a World Tree.