episode_0126

Spirit.

It’s a being similar to a soul.

Both are clumps of energy formed by the amalgamation of magic and memories.

However.

The two are distinctly different entities.

A soul grows progressively weaker over time,

whereas a spirit grows stronger with the passage of time.

A soul has a limited lifespan,

but a spirit is practically immortal.

Because of this trait, some creatures endlessly attempted to become spirits in pursuit of eternal life.

‘The Blizzard Dragon was exactly one of those bastards.’

Dragons are a race with incredibly long lifespans, nearly immortal—

but not perfectly so.

To live even longer, the Blizzard Dragon shed its physical shell and sublimated its soul into a spirit.

Though it was once a dragon,

it was reborn as an ice spirit.

That was the Blizzard Dragon.

“…Hmm.”

Once more, I gazed at the World Tree.

A World Tree that had fully assumed the form of a spirit.

Since it had already become one,

it no longer needed a physical body to live eternally.

Things like the Tree of Light were now unnecessary.

Which made me wonder.

The evolution from soul to spirit takes an exceedingly long time.

This must have been planned far in advance,

and it would’ve become a spirit even without my intervention.

Even in Prophetic RPG, it likely would’ve turned into a spirit this way.

But then—

Why was it portrayed as having died?

‘Don’t tell me…’

The World Tree didn’t die.

It merely faked its death after its physical body perished.

But why?

…There were too many reasons it might’ve wanted to escape to even begin questioning.

‘It was practically a solo parent.’

I’d seen the term solo parent used a lot in Korea,

but this wasn’t truly the case.

If the man didn’t earn money, parenting itself would become impossible.

One earns the income.

The other raises the child.

The roles were already divided—how could that be called solo parenting?

Going by that logic, men were the ones solo laboring.

‘Well… If the woman earns money too, the dynamic changes.’

What if the man did nothing,

while the woman worked and raised the child alone?

That would qualify as solo parenting.

And.

The World Tree had been doing exactly that for thousands of years.

It had raised every single Elf child by itself.

It bore the entirety of the parenting burden.

So then—

Did it handle earning a living alone too?

‘More or less.’

Elves survive by plucking fruits and vegetables grown by the World Tree, passing their days idly.

The World Tree essentially fed the entire race single-handedly.

‘Elves are an agriculturally specialized race, but…’

Since the World Tree provides all their food,

they just grow flowers they like and laze around.

Therefore.

The World Tree did all the work alone.

At this point, one could sincerely acknowledge that the World Tree was a true solo parent,

to the extent that its desire for escape wasn’t surprising.

…With that thought, I activated Shadow Magic.

Thud!

A spell that distorts conversations and appearances, masking them as natural phenomena.

One of the first spells researched by the Shadow Clan to deceive gods.

If it works on gods,

fooling mere Elves is child’s play.

Perfect for ensuring private conversations remain secret.

…As I explained this, I voiced my earlier speculation about its motives for wanting to flee.

“Am I right?”

“Well… That’s part of it…”

“?”

“That part was manageable…”

“Manageable?”

“They’re corrupted enough to abandon their own children… but… it happens maybe once every 50–100 years… It wasn’t unbearable…”

“What about food?”

“Producing fruit isn’t particularly difficult… That wasn’t an issue either…”

“Then? Why do you want to escape?”

“It’s just…”

“Yeah?”

“I… wanted to stay by Lady Serena’s side too…”

“?”

“I want… to go to the Heavenly Realm!… I want to be with Lady Serena too!”

“So… You want to escape because you adore Serena?”

“Yes!”

“Ah…”

It finally clicked why the World Tree did what it did in Prophetic RPG.

If it could, it would’ve flown straight to the Heavenly Realm the moment it became a spirit to be with Serena.

But.

The surface world was in chaos due to the Demon King’s army.

Serena cherished the mortal realm.

Abandoning it in this state to flee to the Heavenly Realm might disappoint her.

So it pretended to be a fire spirit.

It acted as Piene’s spirit ally, annihilating the Demon King’s forces.

Then…

After the Demon King’s death, it ascended to the Heavenly Realm under the pretense of heroism.

As the key contributor who helped the Hero’s party defeat the Demon King’s army, it sought to bask in Serena’s affection.

…That was its master plan.

“Ack!…”

“Not so?”

“N-no, you’re right… Becoming a spirit was motivated by that… But hearing it laid out like this…”

“Embarrassed?”

“Yes…”

The adorable green spirit trembled bashfully.

Seriously, this kid’s cute.

Hayang was cute, Kkamang was cute—I adore them all,

but this one has a different kind of charm.

Like mascot characters in anime and games—distinct from puppies or kittens, but equally endearing.

Nice.

But.

First, business.

“So what do you want to do?”

“At the very least… Let’s say the World Tree died… and pretend I’m a spirit born from its remains…”

“Hmm…”

Not a bad idea.

However.

Following the World Tree’s script would ruin my dream of a personal ingredient factory.

Western ingredients are relatively easy to source,

but Eastern ingredients are rare here.

‘I could summon them via the Grail of Sacrifice indefinitely…’

But each summon would consume energy,

and ingredients not blessed by the goddess would suffer in flavor and quality.

Thus.

I’d prefer an alternative solution if possible.

‘Let me think…’

How could we structure things to satisfy both the World Tree and myself?

“World Tree.”

“Yes?”

“You want to escape because you crave Serena’s affection?”

“N-no!”

“?”

“Affection is too much! Just breathing the same air as Lady Serena is bliss! I dare not hope for love!”

“So your goal is to stay beside her?”

“Yes.”

“And ideally, being useful to her would be a bonus.”

“…Right?”

“And if she calls you pretty, that’d be the best-case scenario.”

“Y-yes?”

“So… Does that mean you’d accept anything so long as you stay by Serena, help her, and get praised for being pretty?”

“Saying it like that… makes me feel like I’m striking a deal with a devil…”

“Serena’s friend couldn’t possibly be a devil, right?”

“Well, no, but… It just feels that way…”

“Heh…”

As expected of the World Tree.

Its long life has sharpened its instincts.

Still.

This isn’t a devilish scheme.

All I’m asking is for it to become my private ingredient factory.

…Though,

phrasing it bluntly might sour its mood, so I danced around it.

“World Tree.”

“Yes?”

“How much do you know about our situation?”

“Lord Cain is Lady Serena’s friend, and Lady Ria is her daughter—that much I’ve heard.”

“Do you doubt it?”

“Uh… Lord Cain is unclear, but Lady Ria radiates Lady Serena’s light so intensely… It wouldn’t be surprising if she truly were her daughter.”

“So you trust us?”

“Yes. Lady Ria especially, and since Lord Cain is marrying her, he’s likely Lady Serena’s true friend.”

“You haven’t heard all our conversations, have you?”

“No. I eavesdropped through leaves… but only fragments.”

Through leaves?

So it overheard via the World Tree’s leaves?

That likely means it only knows as much as the Elf village chief.

Good.

Then this’ll be wrapped up in one go.

“Summon Hayang.”

Poof!

Hayang materialized.

“Why’d you call me?”

“World Tree says it wants to breathe the same air as you.”

“?”

Serena silently observed the Spirit of the World Tree.

Then—

The World Tree began trembling violently.

“N-no way… Lady Serena?…”

“Correct.”

“Aaaaah… This presence… This sensation… It’s really her… It’s really Lady Serena…”

The World Tree short-circuited.

“Sniff!”

Serena sat beside it, patting it gently.

“You’ve endured so much.”

“!!!!!!”

“Thank you for keeping the promise I made when I first planted you.”

“Wh-whaaaah…”

Serena’s words broke the dam.

“Lady Serenaaaaa… It was so hard… I could endure everything else, but… I was so loneleeeey…”

“Mm… I understand.”

Elves have long lifespans.

But.

They aren’t immortal.

The World Tree, however, was a practically immortal tree.

It grew up watching elves—those who never seemed to age—succumb to death.

That was its fate.

Thus, it suffered.

At first, it loved every Elf dearly,

but the deeper the love, the sharper the pain of parting grew.

So it yearned for the Heavenly Realm.

Neighbors who would never die.

Friends who would never perish.

It dreamed of the Heavenly Realm to live among eternal beings.

‘Though at least 50% of that longing was just wanting to stay beside Serena…’

Serena, too, was an immortal being.

The kind of never-dying friend the World Tree craved.

Well…

Not exactly a friend.

More like an ultimate bias.

But who wouldn’t want their favorite idol to stay forever young, unchanging in their prime?

So I dropped the bomb.

“Ever thought of being your bias’s personal chef-slave?”

“……?”

“Ah.”

I accidentally voiced my true intentions.

(Illustration of the World Tree Spirit by the author.)