Chapter 112

Wendigo’s ice sword exuded a cold chill and dominated the space.

The two old warriors guarding Elhemina, centurions of the Elvenhome Republic, swallowed dryly and placed their hands on their weapons.

They instinctively moved their hands due to a tension that felt like fainting, which they had never experienced even when facing blessed beasts, monsters, or even other elves.

Dario frowned and pointed at the two, shouting at Elhemina:

“Elhemina, these two don’t seem to understand the current situation. How dare they look straight at the king and put their hands on their weapons!”

“Well, that’s…”

“?”

When Elhemina couldn’t answer and just looked at the ground at Dario’s shout, Wendigo noticed something strange.

Elhemina was unnecessarily honest and not very skilled with words.

‘Come to think of it, she provided more information than I asked for.’

It was strange.

Regardless of the era, religious people are often good with words.

This isn’t because religious people are special, but because their social role requires verbal skills.

It’s harder than one might think to mention the words of gods to people and convey the meaning contained within in a form necessary for the other party.

Wendigo quietly looked at Elhemina, who couldn’t raise her head.

She trembled like an aspen leaf and couldn’t move as if she had become one with the ground.

Above all, the scent flowing from her strongly conveyed extreme fear, sadness, and a longing for survival.

‘… It seems I was mistaken.’

Seeing the soldiers following orders, he thought Elhemina held a high position, but it seemed he had made a big mistake.

It was impossible for such a timid woman to shoulder the lives of dozens.

“Elhemina. Raise your head.”

“……”

At Wendigo’s command, Elhemina raised her head.

Her face was haggard due to tears and cold sweat.

Her blue-tinged lips repeatedly opened and closed as if about to scream at any moment.

“… It seems I misunderstood.”

“!”

After a brief deliberation, Wendigo let go of the ice sword. The ice sword shattered into dozens of sparkling pieces and flew away with the wind.

Elhemina watched with surprised eyes as the ice sword disappeared, leaving a beautiful afterimage.

“I apologize for making the atmosphere tense. If it’s alright, could you stand up? You seem to have more delicate skin than them.”

“Ah…”

Perhaps the pressure of having everyone’s lives depending on her weighed down her body.

Elhemina realized that her knees and palms had been scraped and torn by the gravel and sand.

Elhemina, coming to her senses from the stinging pain, stood up, and Wendigo wiggled his claw as if telling her to come closer.

Elhemina hesitated for a moment but slowly approached Wendigo.

Wendigo clicked his tongue as he looked at Elhemina’s tear-stained face.

“Your pretty face is a mess. I apologize. I’ve been dealing with fearless individuals lately, so my actions became rough.”

“Eh?”

Wendigo wiped away her tears with his claw. Though fine movements were difficult, he had become quite skilled at this thanks to spending time with Skadi.

Elhemina was flustered, not understanding the situation… and then, as the tension released, she started crying profusely.

Wendigo gestured to Dario and asked:

“Didn’t Geron give you some berries?”

“Yes… I received them. Thanks to that, my mind was clear even while working.”

Dario grumbled as he took out a pouch from his breast. When he opened the pouch, a pungent aroma burst out.

Dario checked the contents of the pouch, then frowned and tied it tightly shut again.

Freyja rested her chin on Dario’s shoulder curiously and asked:

“What’s that? Did you bring some suspicious drug without Wendigo knowing?”

“What… It’s not the berries Elder Geron gave me. If Elhemina, who has no tolerance, eats this, it’s obvious her whole body will go limp.”

“… What kind of things do you guys eat?”

When Freyja looked at him in bewilderment, Dario pouted his lips and looked at Wendigo.

It’s not like they want to eat such things. They eat these because there are so many infuriating things happening.

Feeling Dario’s gaze, Wendigo cleared his throat in an uncharacteristic manner.

“Stop chatting and take out the berries.”

“Yeah, why did you suddenly draw your swo… Of course. The king bears the fate of this forest on his shoulders, so he can’t easily overlook such matters.”

Dario, who had been grumbling, adopted a polite attitude and presented the berries when his eyes met Wendigo’s.

Wendigo received the berries and offered them to Elhemina.

“Eat. It will help calm your mind.”

“Th-thank you. But why do you carry such things around?”

Elhemina, having composed herself, asked while pushing the berries into her mouth one by one.

As the tension suddenly released, her mouth asked questions on its own.

At the sudden question, while Wendigo and Dario stared at each other, Freyja approached Elhemina with a mischievous smile.

“Everyone gets scared when they first meet Wendigo. So his subordinates carry such berries around and give them to people who are surprised!”

“I see…”

“L-Lady Elhemina. Logically, one doesn’t say the king is scary.”

When Elhemina nodded with an innocent face, the centurions hurriedly corrected her common sense.

However, it seemed they were also intrigued, as they glanced at Wendigo and observed the situation.

Indeed, for such an intimidating being, for the sake of smooth daily life…

“……”

Wendigo was dumbfounded but refrained from speaking. Honestly, even the reason for eating the berries could be interpreted as fear, depending on how one heard it.

If he had to be an object of fear anyway, he wanted to attribute it to his appearance.

---

As the atmosphere eased, Elhemina belatedly realized her mistake.

From their perspective, the World Tree sapling was nothing short of a priceless treasure, so she had mistakenly assumed it would be the same for other races.

This wasn’t a mistake Elhemina made because she was young(?). To be precise, it was closer to the ignorance about other races shared by all elves.

How could they know how planting a World Tree would be perceived by other races when they had lived their entire lives on an island with only elves?

Elhemina bowed her head deeply and apologized politely to Wendigo:

“Our ignorance has caused us to commit an unforgivable rudeness to the king. We truly have no words to offer.”

“We old ones are greatly at fault too. Even though she’s a priest, Elhemina is still young… We should have thought and spoken first.”

The two centurions bowed their heads following Elhemina.

Though soldiers follow procedures, they thought it was their fault to entrust all command authority to Elhemina, who had been at the bottom of the priest order.

“I also overreacted due to misunderstanding. I hope you understand that it was unavoidable as a ruler with the duty to protect this land.”

“Of course.”

The centurions nodded at Wendigo’s understanding.

To them, who had served as soldiers of the republic for their entire lives, Wendigo’s attitude was not strange.

It was obvious they would have attacked with killing intent if another race appeared in Elvenhome and acted strangely.

Rather, Wendigo seemed generous for not immediately swinging his ice sword after drawing it and waiting for a final plea.

Wendigo decided to examine the issues step by step once the situation was sufficiently settled.

“First… I’ll allow you to stay here until you return to the republic. However, a price is needed.”

“O-Of course. But we don’t have many supplies due to most of our ships being wrecked. I wonder if we can pay a price that will satisfy the king…”

“Lady Elhemina, we can receive support from the republic if we request that much.”

“If the administrator and elders aren’t fools, they’ll support us even if it’s just for the sake of one soldier.”

When Elhemina showed a dark expression and worried, the two centurions reassured her.

Dario noticed something strange in their words and asked a question:

“From what I hear, it seems the republic currently needs many soldiers?”

“Ah, that’s right. Though Lady Elhemina said the republic found peace… the truth is, it hasn’t regained its former state.”

“We had just cleaned up the mess when the country was about to split in half, and now there’s trouble in the provinces.”

The two centurions gritted their teeth as they recalled the hateful separatists.

Many soldiers lost their lives in the process of suppressing the rebellion.

Moreover, citizens were sick of war, so the number of volunteers had decreased incomparably to before.

As a result, the government’s control had also diminished, and in the provinces, subversive forces were multiplying like poisonous mushrooms.

Thanks to that, soldiers had become scarce, so they might receive support… but the centurions, whose lives were no different from dedication to the country, weren’t pleased with this situation.

“It’s sad to say this as a soldier, but… the current Elvenhome Republic doesn’t have the capacity to send troops abroad.”

“Hmm… Huh?”

Wendigo, who had been mentally calculating while listening to the story, extended his head towards Dario when he tapped him.

Dario covered his mouth and whispered to Wendigo in a very small voice:

“It seems they really came to find a way back to the republic. From what I hear, it seems they sent people abroad to show that their strength is intact.”

“At least they’re not lying. If so, it means this group is speaking sincerely…”

“Look at Elhemina. I’ve met many bad people, so I know, but she’s absolutely not someone who can make sinister plans.”

Dario’s assertion was quite reasonable.

If they wanted to establish a colony, there was no reason to come to such a cold and barren land.

Objectively thinking, wouldn’t it have been easier to move forward by occupying the warm, ownerless southern lands as originally planned?

Above all, Elhemina’s attitude was incredibly naive.

If they really wanted to lay the foundation for colonial construction, they would have filled even the priest position with people with political insight, not an innocent woman like Elhemina.

‘… It wouldn’t hurt to show goodwill.’

Whatever else, there was no benefit in antagonizing the Elvenhome Republic.

They had the strength to maintain their country for thousands of years… and above all, what reason would they have to covet this freezing land?

Though the area near the forest was surprisingly fertile, the elves clearly lived in a land blessed by the World Tree, so it wouldn’t be enough to turn their heads.

“I’ll send carpenters and shipwrights. If you pay, I’ll also provide food and clothing.”

“Can we pay in silver and gold?”

“I’ve heard elves build buildings with wood… is that right? I’m thinking of asking for quite a large one.”

At Wendigo’s question, Elhemina nodded with a bright face.

As a priest serving the World Tree, she took pride in the elven magic of shaping wood.

“If there’s enough World Tree sap, building with wood is easy. However, we currently don’t have much sap, so it’s impossible right away.”

The battle markings on the warriors’ bodies, as well as the weapons and armor they used, all required sap.

Wendigo hadn’t particularly expected them to build right away.

He had anticipated that controlling trees to build buildings wouldn’t be easy.

Wendigo signaled with his eyes to Dario, asking if there was anything else they should discuss.

Dario thought for a moment, then took out a blank sheet of paper from his breast and handed it to Elhemina.

“What’s this?”

“It would be good if everything ends well, but we don’t know if the republic can confirm this. So I’d like to write a simple memorandum.”

“Dario. We are mere soldiers, and Lady Elhemina isn’t such a high-ranking priest.”

One of the centurions expressed his refusal to Dario with a disgruntled expression.

It was truly dangerous to carelessly write a memorandum that transcended races.

Especially writing a memorandum without proper legal professionals…

“Do you think we’d write a complex memorandum? I’m just saying we should make even a primitive non-aggression treaty.”

“Hmm…”

“Centurion, honestly, aren’t you uneasy too? Even if the king welcomes you, we don’t know if his subjects will do the same.”

Dario’s persuasion tickled not only the centurions’ hearts but also Elhemina’s.

Overheated loyalty competitions were more common in the republic than on the continent.

It was like a festival in the republic for those associated with families to cause trouble, doing things their masters didn’t even want, and end up in court.

“Think about it. From the republic’s perspective, is there any reason to be hostile to the Forest King? Even if they decide to interact with the continent, would they really be interested in this cold land?”

“… We’re really just making a non-aggression pact. If there are other clauses, this memorandum is void.”

“Of course. Ah, but I’ll add content related to trade. This building isn’t just any small thing. It’s a university…”

“We have universities in the republic too. I enrolled and learned various disciplines… It’s certainly not an ordinary size.”

It would be strange if the Elvenhome Republic, boasting thousands of years of history, didn’t have something that even human empires maintaining for just a few hundred years had.

Elhemina responded to Dario’s words, recalling her memories.

Thanks to this, Dario didn’t need to explain and smiled as he added items related to university construction to the memorandum.

A paper containing brief and simple content about not infringing on each other’s rights and being in charge of university construction in exchange for supporting safe return.

Elhemina and the centurions read the paper and lightly wrote their positions and names on it.

Wendigo didn’t show it, but he marveled at Dario’s actions naturally inflating the price.

‘He plans to call elves every time we build university-related buildings in the future…’

The non-aggression treaty was just bait to ease the other party’s tension. Non-aggression treaties sound good, but they can be broken even by forcibly creating a pretext.

What Dario truly aimed for was the construction of the university.

The part in the memorandum that said “In return for support, Elvenhome will be in charge of university construction” could be widely interpreted depending on the interpretation.

To put it bluntly, even after the university establishment is complete, they could push additional construction onto the elves by citing the memorandum.

‘If it’s a very difficult task, they might object… but it doesn’t seem likely.’

If Elhemina herself boasted that it’s possible as long as there’s enough sap, it meant it was something that could be permitted at an individual’s discretion.

From the Elvenhome Republic’s perspective, they might be satisfied and agree to it as a way to create a connection with the outside world, even if it’s a bit troublesome.

Dario smiled slyly as he carefully stored the memorandum in his ledger and winked at Wendigo.

“Let’s end the meeting here. Though there was some friction in our first meeting, I hope we maintain good relations from now on.”

Wendigo extended his hand towards Elhemina. He held out one claw, and Elhemina realized it was a request for a handshake and smiled.

“Yes! When we return to our country, we’ll tell them how benevolent the Forest King is…”

[ Wait. ]

Just as Elhemina’s hand was about to grasp the claw, without any warning, an unidentifiable woman’s voice resonated around them.

The warriors drew their weapons in surprise, and Wendigo reached towards the ground…

Crack!

“What!”

“Aaaagh!?”

Pure white roots wriggled and burst out from Elhemina’s bosom.

Wendigo, realizing that the identity of those roots was the World Tree sapling, immediately drew an ice sword from the ground.

It seemed that things resolving so peacefully wasn’t the World Tree’s intention.

As expected of a ferocious tree that even uses spirits as fertilizer…

[ Spirit. Plant me in this land. ]

“… What?”

The wriggling roots formed a sphere in the air.

The sphere cracked open like a germinating seed…

“A child?”

What appeared there was a small child.

A small child with golden hair and pure white tree bark growing like scales around their arms, legs, and cheeks looked at him with utterly empty eyes.

[ Calling me a child is too much. If we’re counting years, I’ve lived longer than even the first god. ]

The small child, no, the World Tree, puffed up its cheeks with an expressionless face and held out both hands to Wendigo.

[ Let me grow in this land. If you allow it, I’ll make your land healthy and a good place to live. ]

Wendigo hesitated at the sudden situation. At least he didn’t feel hostility from the World Tree…

But it would also be strange to readily accept the offer.

At times like this, it’s good to get help from an expert.

Wendigo looked at Elhemina, presumed to be an expert on the World Tree, and asked:

“Elhemina. What’s going on here…”

Thud.

Elhemina rolled her eyes and fell backwards.

With dozens of roots bursting from her chest, it was impossible not to faint with ordinary courage.

“……”

[ Spirit. I’d like you to answer. ]

Not realizing its devotee had fainted because of it, the World Tree demanded an answer with an expressionless face.

Wendigo looked down at the World Tree and thought deeply.

‘Should I just strike it down with the ice sword?’

The thought of resolving the problem with one swing strongly tempted him.