episode_0041

Inside the World Tree

“Ugh… My head… Where am I? Why is it so dark…?”

Ugh… Why does my head hurt so much…? No, my whole body hurts. But where in the world is this? Why is it so dark? Ah… right. I grabbed Commander Alten and jumped into the World Tree’s mouth with Aria, didn’t I? But…

“Aria? Aria! Where are you?”

Hmm… It seems I fell separately. Phew… What if Aria gets anxious again…? No, that’s not it. First, I need to protect myself. If I die, Aria might kill all the elves in the world… and the Alraune too.

“Somewhere… something to light up the surroundings… Ah!”

Now that I think about it, I have ignition stones, don’t I? Perhaps due to the impact of the fall, the ropes binding my body had completely loosened. I immediately pulled out two stones from my pocket. If I attach a light-emitting stone to an ignition stone… there! The fire from the ignition stone transferred to the light-emitting stone, becoming like a bright lantern. This is the rock combination also known as a glowing stone!

“Oh? Well, this is something…”

With light, things that weren’t visible began to appear. Interesting. Even if it’s the World Tree, it should be a tree… but it looks like the inside of a living creature, doesn’t it? That said, the surrounding walls aren’t soft like a living creature’s body. They’re hard, but they resemble the inside of a living organism.

“So this is where Alraune live… That’s it. Anyway, it’s a relief Aria read my thoughts… How did she even read them?”

Actually, I intentionally angered the elves. I thought there might still be living explorers, so I acted in a way that would infuriate the elves, intending to get myself into prison. This would allow me to rescue them and resolve misunderstandings with the elves. However, I don’t know how Aria read my thoughts, but the moment I fell into the World Tree’s mouth, I saw Aria, just like me, grab Veronica and jump inside with all her might. If they hadn’t taken us to prison and instead tried to kill us, Aria would have killed the elves in retaliation… and if that had happened, I would have tried to stop Aria.

“Now… should I investigate and look for Aria? Hmm…”

Even after looking again, the internal structure is astonishing. The walls and ceiling were pale pink, like the inside of a living creature, and the interior was slightly damp. How can creatures live in a place like this? Is it due to the Alraune’s racial characteristics? I don’t know what that is, but…

There are no insects inside either. Usually, when you look inside a tree, there are many insects… The elves wouldn’t have gone crazy about the World Tree and killed all the bugs… Let’s see… Record based on what I remember… Ah.

Oh, right. When I was captured by the elves earlier, I left my backpack in the tent. But no problem. Because…

“Come out, backpack.”

Aria had blessed the backpack so it could be summoned when called, just like my greatsword! When I called my backpack, the backpack that was in the tent was summoned before me. Then, with a joyful heart, I took out my record book from the backpack and began to write down everything I remembered.

In Probellitu, there is the elven village of Proserpina. In Proserpina, a gigantic tree called the World Tree, which the elves hold sacred, is located in the center. And in other old trees, the elves had hollowed out the insides and lived there. They used clotheslines just like humans, and tables and chairs also existed. However, most races have these. Elves have pointed ears like demons, and regardless of gender, they all commonly have yellow hair. Elves seem to wear clothes and combat uniforms made of cloth and leather, and primarily use spears and bows as weapons.

Elves carrying bows were in the trees… and elves carrying spears were on the ground… Should I say their offense and defense are perfect…? But…

They perceive all humans as inferior beings. According to elven testimony, this is because ancient people used to capture elves and sell them as slaves. Therefore, elves still hate and reproach humans to this day. The race that gets along well with elves is the Alraune. According to them, the Alraune eat other creatures and release nutrients into the ground. Furthermore, the Alraune maintain a symbiotic relationship by informing the elves of intruders…

“…What is it?”

While reviewing the notes I had just written, I felt something strange. I stopped my pen and carefully re-examined my records. Something… something seems odd. I feel like there are things that don’t add up… It’s unsettling.

“Phew… For now, should I investigate the World Tree’s interior and then continue writing…? It’s probably best to look into the suspicious parts later…”

The World Tree’s interior is enough to make one mistake it for the inside of a living creature. All the internal shells of the World Tree are the color of pale pink flesh. However, they are not soft like animal meat. They have the hard, rough texture of wood, and with every step, the sound of stepping on tree bark can be heard. But the interior is damp, which gives the feeling of being inside the belly of a giant monster. The exterior of the World Tree looks like a massive tree with abundant leaves, and it does not appear to bear fruit.

“Hmm… Am I crazy for taking notes in a place like this…? I think this is enough for now. By the way, for this to be the inside of a tree… Is this tree really the World Tree?”

According to the elves, the World Tree was the first tree to take root when the world was created. However, there appears to be no physical evidence to prove that legend, and it’s an unknown place even to the outside world, so investigation is needed.

“Alright. Truly done. Now, what I need to do to survive is… find Aria, avoid the Alraune that supposedly live here as much as possible. And what I need to do here is find all the survivors, and… resolve that unsettling feeling I had earlier.”

First, to survive, I need to rendezvous with Aria. I can’t possibly predict what kind of attack I might face in such a dark place. Moreover, Commander Alten, who fell with me because of me, is surely grinding his teeth somewhere, looking for me. He will definitely try to kill me… I need to find Aria quickly before I encounter Commander Alten again.

“Wait a minute… But this is a problem.”

The interior is like a labyrinth… *Sigh*… The saving grace is that it’s damp. I took out bioluminescent spores from a small bottle, which turn sticky when they encounter water, and stuck them to the walls as I continued walking. Thanks to the bioluminescent spores, I won’t have to worry about getting lost… because the glowing spores act as landmarks even in the dark.

“Who knew the spores Kols Uncle gave me would be so helpful… I never had a chance to use them because Aria was always there.”

But there’s only one entrance, so how did I get separated from Aria? If it were Aria, she wouldn’t even faint falling from there… It seems I must have accidentally fallen down a different path, just like this labyrinthine passage. An entrance that leads to branching paths… I can imagine the Alraune trying their best to find the prisoners when the elves throw them in here…?

“Wait. In this labyrinth where even I’m finding my way with the help of bioluminescent spores… how do the Alraune instantly know a prisoner’s location…? Because it’s a symbiotic relationship, they live near the entrance… Th-this… Damn it…!!”

Damn it. If the reason the Alraune find prisoners so well is because they live near the World Tree’s mouth… then I’m in danger right now!! Realizing that fact, the moment I turned to look around, I heard something approaching from another passage.

“Ah… Aria?! Is that you, Aria?!”

“Hahahaha…”

“That laughter…!! Aria! Is that really you?!”

“Here you are? The prisoner the elves threw in.”

“…!!!”

Damn it, it’s not her!! As the creatures in the darkness approached the bioluminescent spores, their forms began to become visible. Female humanoids with floral lower bodies, and human torsos emerging from the center of the flowers… They were Alraune! And not just one! Five individuals emerged from different passages and slowly began to approach me.

“Ah… damn it… I should have realized when I noticed their voices were higher than Aria’s…”

“Didn’t they say there were two prisoners?”

“Yeah. But there’s only one.”

“Well… Can’t be helped… More importantly… doesn’t that human… look delicious…?”

“Indeed… Hehe… He looks delicious… Hey Oppa? Won’t you do something good with us?”

“Wha… what?”

“Let’s have a good time with us, Oppa… So come this way…”

“Don’t worry… When you open your eyes, you’ll be in paradise…”

“So hurry…”

The Alraune gestured to me with seductive movements. Is this how the Alraune hunt their prey…? Strange spores seemed to be coming from the Alraune’s bodies… Certainly… the smell is good, but…

“Aaaaaaaaaah!!! How disgusting!!!”

“Huh?”

To me, an asexual, it was simply disgusting. Honestly, isn’t it gross when spores come out of a human body? Besides, the smell of these spores is good, but… it feels awful. When I screamed, the Alraune became greatly flustered and began to look at each other’s faces.

“Huh… What? Humans have always fallen for our temptation until now…?”

“What?! That was a temptation?!”

“Are you calling that a question, human?! Why aren’t you falling for our temptation?!”

“That’s absurd. There’s no way that was a temptation! I clearly thought you were trying to paralyze my body with poisonous spores and slowly kill me?!”

“What are you talking about?! And if we used poisonous spores, we wouldn’t be able to eat you either?! What kind of human is this?!”

No, was I wrong? More importantly, that was a temptation? Am I strange…? My heart didn’t waver at all. No, it did waver. Because what the Alraune were doing was disgusting…

“Sisters! Let’s just catch him and eat him!!”

“Haa… I thought this would be fun… but I guess we have to…”

Vine-like growths began to emerge from the Alraune’s backs. No… are those tendrils? I see! Those tendrils are how the Alraune hunt their prey! They use them to bind their prey and then… alive…? Hmm?

“Are you planning to eat me!!!”

“You’re only realizing that now?! What a slow human you are?!”

“Ha… In that case, it can’t be helped. If that’s your weapon… I should probably take out mine too, right!?”

“Puhahaha! That human is funny, sister! Is that backpack your weapon?”

“No. My weapon is separate. Come out, greatsword!”

“…!! It’s… it’s a summoning ability!! Be careful!!”

“What!?”

“Kyaaaahk!!”

Yes. It’s the greatsword with that summoning ability! I called my greatsword with all my might. The Alraune screamed and quickly turned their bodies. But… nothing happened.

“…? Why is it… Ah.”

Oh, right. It’s broken, isn’t it? Aria completely shattered it, and I stuck it next to Rascal’s grave. Since the backpack could be summoned too, I momentarily forgot. Or perhaps I blanked out for a moment due to the elves’ outrageous arrogance…?

“Huh…? Why is nothing happening…?”

“It… it must have been a lie, sisters!”

“Tha… that hu…? Uh… uh oh?!”

“Damn it.”

I sprinted at full speed down a passage where there were no Alraune. The Alraune quickly turned and started chasing me, furiously.

“Th-that huumaaan!! I’ll rip him apart and eat him!!!”

“How dare he lie!!!”

“Aaaaaaaaaah!! I must be crazy! Why did I forget that my greatsword was broken?!”

First, I need to survive. There are times I’d sacrifice my life… but if I live, I’ll be happy, and everyone else can be happy too, right!!! I ran away from the Alraune at full speed. At that same time, Veronica, who had fallen into the World Tree’s interior, clutched her head and got up, reeling from the impact of the fall.

“He-here is…”

“Hmm… Zeke-nim would really like this if he knew. The World Tree’s interior is more incredible than imagined.”

“Th-that voice… Why… why is it so dark? L-light…”

“Oh? It seems you’ve woken up?”

“You… you’re a prisoner, aren’t you? That black-haired prisoner…!!”

“Yes~ Zeke-nim gave me a hint to grab an elf and fall together, so I fell with you~”

“What?! You wretched human…!! How dare you do such a thing to me, a high-ranking species…!! I am not a prisoner!!”

“Hmm… I remember all the elves who kicked Zeke-nim. And you, who made the merciful Zeke-nim worry, are naturally etched in my memory too.”

“What…? Zeke… You mean that yellow-haired human?”

“Yes. You all. I will. not. forgive. you.”

“Ha… Haha… A human dares to kill elves, a high-ranking species? Listen carefully. Elves are a sacred race born from trees. Thanks to nature’s bounty, we can live by eating fruits and vegetables without necessarily harming other animals.”

“And so?”

“You are barbaric! Killing even animals that don’t need to be killed, living off meat…”

“Your standards are truly arrogant. And pathetic, too.”

“What…?”

“You’ve never interacted with outside races, have you? That’s understandable. You’re deeply mistaken in thinking you’re the most sacred beings just because you were born from nature. What would you, steeped in vain superiority and arrogance, be able to judge?”

As Aria’s provocations grew, Veronica ground her teeth, tightly gripped the spear beside her hand, and stood up. But it was too dark to see anything. Aria’s voice echoed within the World Tree, making it impossible to tell exactly where she was. And at that moment.

“Zeke-nim provoked you just in case there were any surviving explorers. That’s why you kicked Zeke-nim. Thanks to that, the ropes binding Zeke-nim loosened a bit, and he fell with an elf named Alten or whatever. But Zeke-nim, having lost consciousness from hitting the wall during the fall, landed in a different place.”

“That’s a relief… Commander Alten will tear that human apart…! And soon, the Alraune will attack you and that human… You won’t survive us!”

“You. Do you think you are inherently stronger than humans?”

“What? Isn’t that obvious? Our race, which lives longer than you and can accumulate much knowledge and train for a long time, would never lose to humans… Uh…?”

The moment Veronica spoke confidently, light began to emanate from Aria’s staff. And at the sight revealed by that light, Veronica’s spine chilled, and her face and body froze. About twenty Alraune bodies lay scattered on the ground, brutally torn apart. As Veronica was greatly shocked by the sight, Aria slowly approached her.

“Where’s all that confidence from before?”

“H-how… how…?”

“Were you overconfident because so many explorers have fallen victim to you until now?”

“Ah… Aah…”

“I want to tear all of you apart like this. But I won’t.”

“What…?”

“Because Zeke-nim doesn’t want that. Zeke-nim clearly told me not to kill the elves. That’s why I’m keeping you alive right now. But as I said before, even if Zeke-nim was acting, I won’t forget your atrocities against him. By the way, you seem to like judgment… Shall I deliver it to you?”

“….. Ah… Aaaah!!”

Overwhelmed by intense fear, Veronica, unable to speak, dropped her spear. Her legs seemed to give out, and she slumped to the ground. Then Aria closed her eyes and began to take a deep breath. She then felt something, and said with a smile.

“Hehe… I want to see Zeke-nim quickly… I really don’t want to be separated from him for even a second… Come on, get up.”

“Eh…?”

“You have to come too, don’t you? Zeke-nim is an explorer… so you’ll surely be able to give him various information. Right?”

“Ah… Ahaha… Yes… Yes… I understand…”

Veronica laughed hysterically, clutching her trembling legs, and carefully followed behind Aria, who was moving towards Zeke. This was accompanied by the fear that the staff might suddenly fly at her.