episode_0033

The time when the bird, which had been tormenting him by climbing the tree, lost its strength and sat on the ground to sleep.

The time when giant lizards, unable to endure their swaying nests, sat by the riverbank to rest.

The time when the moonlight shone brilliantly over the Garden, deepening the shadows.

As if they didn’t want to enjoy that tranquility in one section, spirits gathered, creating a light more brilliant than the moonlight.

Tiny spirits, small enough to be mistaken for fireflies, gathered around the World Tree, emitting light that resembled a street.

Why had they come here?

A spirit hovering in the air seemed to have come simply out of curiosity about the other spirits gathered there, poking the spirit floating next to it.

As if wondering why so many elves and spirits had gathered.

Then the spirit stared intently at a spot, as if it had been promised.

What was it staring at so intently?

In the direction it was looking, there was a young elf, kneeling towards the World Tree like the human in front of the elf holding a magic-infused spear. However, unlike the human’s calm expression, the elf’s face was contorted as if greatly wronged.

“Ellicia, I never thought you would protect a human. Humans are the root cause of all these phenomena; should I take your actions as a betrayal of the elves?”

“Even so, it’s not right to hunt and kill someone who can’t even see. Moreover, this person, unbelievable as it may seem, came all the way here to heal our Mother.”

The elf, continuing to speak while kneeling, glanced sideways at the human beside them and seemed to complain more with each word.

“Oh… before you got caught, you didn’t trust me at all, but it seems you did trust me in the end, didn’t you?”

“Shut up.”

Perhaps only the spirits could hear that brief banter, as the elf behind them did not intervene.

“Ellicia, I don’t want to hear it. You are to be confined for a while.”

She turned pale at the word ‘confinement,’ but the human, pitifully, seemed to have given up hope for their life, still wearing a faint smile and staring directly with unseen eyes at the elder elf who was reciting this grand judgment.

“And you.”

“Yes, did you call?”

“I don’t know what your intention is, but to claim you can heal the Mother and deceive Ellicia—you must know what a grave matter it is to deceive nature. Albus, imprison this human immediately. I will tell you the detailed disposition tomorrow. For the night is deep.”

With those words, the elder elf picked up the staff beside him and limped out of the assembly hall.

As he left, the hall buzzed confusedly for a moment, but soon the fervor died down, and the elves and spirits vanished into the moonlit shadows.

“What will happen to me?”

“You’ll die. But don’t worry. To kill a life, they’ll need the Mother’s permission, so you’ll be alive until tomorrow.”

“To have a final chance to heal the Mother, I’m truly glad.”

She had been glaring at him with the clear, cool eyes characteristic of elves, but upon hearing his words, she stopped glaring.

Was there any elf who would sacrifice their own life to heal the Mother?

From what Ellicia had observed, this human, Rapier, was someone who cherished and loved nature, far from hating it.

Someone who genuinely knew that something was wrong with the Mother and came here to help, researching healing methods.

A determination to heal the Mother, even if it meant dying at the hands of the elves.

Even if that didn’t work, the spirit that believed his life could serve as a stepping stone to find more healing methods.

The information she had gained from him during the past two days, while protecting him from other elves, was somehow leading to trust in him.

“Haaah………”

She sighed and simply gazed at the moon high in the sky.

Two days ago

“You say you’ll heal the Mother?”

“Yes, it’s the result of my studies in the Empire. It will definitely work. It’s not true that the Mother can only be healed with things found in the Garden.”

The Mother is absolute to the elves.

Therefore, no matter if there was an elf who sensed something strange about the Mother’s commands and her magic, they would not outwardly show it.

Unless it was an elf who had disagreements with both the elves’ opinions and the Mother’s opinions from the start.

What about the elf in front of me?

It would be even better to read her emotions through the flow of her magic, but it was by no means easy to read the emotions of an elf whose magic emanated in a way that made it confusing with the nearby trees.

It might be possible if I gathered all the magic I was currently deploying and sensed her with high density, but this elf was sensitive to magic, and it was possible she might shoot the arrow in her hand at my actions, so I didn’t bother trying.

In that case, shouldn’t I kill this life?

I should kill her without a sound and find another elf to guide me to the World Tree.

Isn’t that troublesome and difficult?

I raised my head and looked at where the elf was, trying my best not to disturb her magic.

She didn’t suddenly raise her bow.

Moreover, she put down her bow after I said I would heal their Mother, so perhaps she’s an elf I can reason with?

I had hope.

“There must have been many children of the Garden around, but you came all the way to this deep place alone?”

“It seems my luck is good today.”

Her voice was still suspicious, but her hand was already moving towards her back.

From the circumstances, it seemed she had slung her bow onto her back.

“It seems your good luck isn’t limited to just not being attacked by the children of the Garden. You met me, of all other elves.”

“Are other elves really that hostile to humans?”

“It’s a mercy if they only threaten and shoot arrows. You might go to hell without even knowing why you died.”

“Then, can you take me to the Mother?”

“I don’t know what you might do to the Mother, so I can’t easily take you there.”

“Well, it was nice meeting you. I suppose I’ll have to keep going towards the Mother… Why are you stopping me?”

I hadn’t thought that a mere elf who ventures into the Garden would possess knowledge of the World Tree’s location or the authority to enter it.

So I had intended to find another elf and either threaten them or seek their help to proceed there, but the elf in front of me was blocking my way.

“What have you been hearing me say so far? You’ll die if you go even a little outside this area.”

“But there’s an extremely small chance I could reach the Mother and offer help, right?”

Her deep sigh was clearly audible, even without sensing it through my magic.

“Haa… it’s just that I’m not an elf who can simply pass by a creature walking into its death… If you’re lost, rest a while at my base and then go back.”

“Is that base close to the Mother?”

“No, is there some kind of illness you’ll get if you don’t heal the Mother? Why are you so obsessed?”

Complaining, she shook her head and continued speaking.

Although I couldn’t see her expression exactly, I could guess that it was a mix of pity and annoyance.

For the emotions of living beings are not expressed solely through the flow of magic.

Now, let’s think.

Would her proposal be helpful to me?

I came here to advance the story as quickly as possible and resolve the Garden Erosion.

If this first needle is threaded well, then the other needles will also be threaded well.

While I shouldn’t waste time like this, isn’t it fine?

To forge a connection in the Garden.

“Follow me. It will take a few days to drive the children of the Garden to the outskirts, so other elves won’t come to my area. You won’t die here.”

I smiled and replied to her goodwill.

“Thank you for your kindness.”

She sighed once more and moved forward, stepping on leaves.

I stumbled along, following her, so as not to lose track of her figure; it was a comical sight.

Thud thud.

As I continued to follow her, the vast shadows of leaves that had covered our surroundings began to thin.

Beside us, the sound of flowing water, which I hadn’t heard in a long time, became audible, and the heat of the sunlight began to strike my skin.

The pure magic, lessened as the trees decreased, allowed me to perceive her figure and the base more clearly.

Hair as bright and clear green as the topmost leaves of the World Tree.

Unrealistic beauty and body, which is also a characteristic of elves.

I felt like I understood why elves were revered among people, even though they didn’t get along well with humans.

Where she pointed, there was a small house made of branches.

Trees formed the pillars, and giant leaves served as the roof.

“It’s temporary, but two people can still stay here. There are a few other areas besides the one I manage on the way back to the village, so it would be better to go after they’ve driven out the children of the Garden. Well, you can go before that if you don’t mind.”

She sat down in the temporary house, turned to me, and continued speaking.

“Even given the relationship between humans and elves, we should at least introduce ourselves. I’m Ellicia. What’s your name?”

“I am Longinus Rapier.”

Later, I learned that it would be cleaner and easier to simply kill all the elves and enter the World Tree instead of staying at the base,

but that action was too inhumane towards the connection, so I couldn’t carry it out.