episode_0093

It’s been a while.

The branches of the world tree that cover the sky.

The earthy scent that fills the air in all directions.

I used to feel suffocated and gloomy every time I came here, as if I had come to a rural village. But now, it feels as light as visiting a friend’s house.

“What’s your relationship?”

“My wife and daughter.”

“Hmm… Would you like to take off your hood?”

“I’m sorry. My wife has a skin condition and shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight.”

“I understand. Welcome to Elvengard.”

Of course, the immigration inspection went smoothly.

Tran Silvia’s originally intimidating and fierce impression softened significantly with just a light touch of makeup.

“Darn it. I’ll never do it again.”

“Will you have to do it again when you leave?”

“I’d rather die than do it again! I’ll sneak out when I leave!”

Tran Silvia immediately wiped off her makeup.

She was quite beautiful.

It’s a shame.

They say handsome guys look prettier in women’s clothing, and it seems to be true.

“Your accommodation is here.”

“…”

However, the excitement faded as soon as we arrived at the hotel.

Last time, we were guided to a stylish room in the human style, but this time, all we had was a nest made of tree vines with a single hammock hanging.

“Oh right. They were always like this…”

I had forgotten.

Elves are all closed-minded due to genetic racial discrimination imprinted on them.

The last visit was special.

We prevented the destruction of Elvengard as soon as we arrived, so they couldn’t treat us poorly today.

I returned to the gloomy feeling of visiting a rural village.

“Ah. I wonder if the Water Spirit will cause a flood.”

“Why are you suddenly talking nonsense?”

“I want to upgrade my room.”

“…?”

I wonder if another Spirit will cause trouble and lead Elvengard to destruction.

I shouldn’t have any false hopes, but I do.

I unpacked my things quickly.

I’ll be training all day anyway and only coming here to sleep.

When your body is tired, you can fall asleep on a stone floor.

The food here is quite luxurious.

I decided to think positively like that.

“I should meet the Goddess first.”

“You sneaked into the country, how do you plan to contact the Goddess? Outsiders can’t even see the hem of her clothes, let alone meet her.”

“You can find her with the eyes of the world tree.”

“Hmm… Elvengard is really going downhill. Sneaking a man into the most important facility of the country to meet the Goddess.”

It does sound a bit suspicious when you put it that way.

But Mia isn’t a fool who would give away the country’s secrets to a man just because she’s infatuated with him.

I’m a little worried about the lack of awareness, but it should be fine.

“Let’s go together.”

“You can’t come. The world tree will see you as an intruder and stop you.”

“…What.”

“Hahaha! Let’s have a chat between vampires. Is your weapon a club? Let’s clash weapons!”

“…What.”

I tried to follow naturally, but when I reached out, Mia stiffened and froze with wide eyes.

But soon, she was grabbed by Tran Silvia and dragged along.

Although they don’t seem to get along, they’re both vampires, so there shouldn’t be any trouble.

It would be helpful if Mia could improve her close combat skills a bit.

Even though she looks like that, Tran Silvia’s skills are solid.

“…Yujin. Yu, Yujin. Eugene.”

Ignoring Mia’s desperate call.

I left the shabby accommodation and headed towards the world tree.

Elvengard had already come several times and memorized the way.

Walking on the familiar path towards the Eye of the World Tree…

“Huh.”

The path was blocked.

The tunnel leading to the Eye of the World Tree was already blocked with fallen earth.

Come to think of it, it was probably damaged last time when Cali got into a fight…

How am I going to meet Mia then?

As I pondered, suddenly…

“Ah.”

A good idea came to mind.

***

“This is not good… Not good at all…”

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

The sound of tapping on the tip of the toes echoed from the Eye of the World Tree.

It was definitely a disrespectful act towards the World Tree, but Mia, the priestess, was too anxious to notice.

“Why do strange things keep happening one after another…”

Elvengard was a particularly quiet city even among the rural neighborhoods.

Due to its extreme isolation, there were hardly any diplomatic disturbances.

But after the Great Fire of Elvengard.

More precisely, after Eugene’s visit, strange things began to happen.

First, the former priestess, Julia Pentenburg, revisiting Elvengard was somewhat understandable.

She seemed to have a deep connection with Eugene.

Although she stubbornly insisted on finding Eugene and taking her back due to some unpleasant reason, I managed to drive her away.

I still remember the moment when Julia turned around with a disgusted look on her face.

The sudden visit of the Frost Lord was also unexpected, but it was fine.

Although the atmosphere became tense due to the elders pretending not to know Alicia, who accompanied the Frost Lord.

I managed to get through it somehow.

It seemed that Alicia’s visit to Eugene and Elvengard was an escapade without the Frost Lord’s knowledge.

The internal discord in Palana would be resolved by themselves.

Mia had nothing to worry about.

But the real problem started right after that.

An unprecedented number of prophecies, three in a row, were revealed in a year.

The first prophecy.

– Darkness will fall on Basel.

Various speculations arose from the vague wording.

But just yesterday.

A large barrier appeared in Basel, revealing the darkness mentioned in the prophecy.

“This is not the output that a human mage can produce!”

“Are you trying to say it’s a supernatural phenomenon?”

“Perhaps the work of a being from another dimension, from the otherworld…”

The being that brought dungeons into this world.

Although we didn’t know who it was, this being from beyond the dimensional wall.

He began to launch open attacks.

After failing to plunder the World Tree, he moved on to Basel.

Although Basel suffered almost no damage.

The complete barrier that covered Basel was so huge that it could be seen from the northern continent.

The alien being landed in our world.

He possessed such a powerful force that he could easily wipe out a city.

This fact spread publicly.

It was a secret that could no longer be hidden from anyone.

And the second prophecy.

– The priestess of the World Tree will fall into sorrow and regret.

A bit eerie.

Perhaps it was a curse-like prophecy.

No matter how many times Mia asked what it meant, the World Tree remained silent.

Mia was getting increasingly frustrated and on the verge of going crazy.

“Why would I fall into sorrow and regret? What is happening…”

She had no family.

It was definitely not a prophecy about losing family blood ties.

So, does it mean that several elders or elves will die?

Or is it a story about Mia getting seriously injured?

Or maybe Eugene will undergo some kind of transformation?

There were many thoughts running through her mind.

As time passed, Mia became more and more anxious.

She knew that whatever was prophesied would definitely come true.

But she had to try everything she could.

Something big was about to happen, that much was certain.

Efforts had to be made to avoid it.

But what that was, Mia still had no idea…

After the second prophecy came down,

Mia immediately sent a letter to Eugene, but there was still no reply.

Could it be that man she was thinking of…?

“It seems like you’re ready.”

And finally, the long-awaited third prophecy.

As if preparations were complete, fireflies filled the eyes of the World Tree and flickered in unison.

The priestess calmed her mind and stopped tapping her feet.

Then Mia, placing her hand on the wooden wall.

Aligning herself with the World Tree and her emotions, she began to resonate.

And soon, a flood of unprocessed information poured into Mia’s mind.

Mia uttered the first words that were interpreted.

“The priestess of the World Tree…”

Another. Another one.

Another prophecy about the priestess.

At this, Mia flinched and trembled.

But she had to interpret everything to the end.

“The priestess of the World Tree will… bring Elvengard to ruin…?”

But the moment the prophecy was fully revealed,

Mia had to doubt her ears, her mind.

But confirming that this was a flawless and professional interpretation,

Mia was shocked and speechless for a while.

“Me… me?”

Am I going to destroy Elvengard and fall into despair and regret?

It was truly unbelievable.

Why would I betray and destroy the World Tree that nurtured and cared for me?

Why would I do something to regret?

It was hard to understand.

It was hard to believe to the point of considering that the World Tree’s prophecy might be wrong this time.

No. She didn’t want to believe it.

“Oh? Wait a minute…”

The moment she fell into panic and her mind went blank,

Mia quickly calmed her breathing and cleared her mind.

Her mind became refreshed.

And her thoughts went in a direction she had never imagined.

“Could the priestess of the World Tree be… perhaps…”

The possibility that the priestess of the World Tree mentioned in the prophecy might not be Mia.

And a person with such deep hatred that they would want to destroy Elvengard.

All of this pointed in one direction.

“Are you talking about Yulia?”

The former priestess.

Yulia Petenbourg.

Could it be that the priestess mentioned in the prophecy so far might be referring to her?

“What should I do, what should I do?”

The problem was that this was just a simple guess.

Even if it seemed to point to Yulia based on the circumstances, it was still too early to conclude.

Moreover, if this story reached the ears of the elders who supported Yulia, they would already be ready to condemn and punish her.

“We need someone to consult with…”

Although the prophecy would be conveyed to the elders, sharing such speculative stories as a priestess was not something Mia could do.

She needed someone to talk to openly.

How nice would it be if Eugene was by her side at a time like this.

With such futile thoughts, Mia moved her heavy steps back to her residence.

“Oh, you’re back?”

“Eugene…?”

And as the door opened,

A familiar voice sounded, and Mia’s eyes widened.

It felt like a dream.

To think of someone and have them appear right in front of you.

Mia didn’t realize that Eugene had intruded into someone else’s house.