Northern Grand Duke (8)

It was the moment I was escaping the graveyard.

Baseurak.

The leaves rustled. On a night without a single breeze.

My spine tingled. This sensation was familiar. The feeling of someone’s gaze watching my every move.

“Why don’t you come out now, Queen-nim.”

I threw the words into the empty air. The surrounding leaves shook even more violently.

Swish-

A long shadow fell under the moonlight. Emerald hair fluttered in the wind.

“Haru…”

Silvia’s green eyes glinted in the moonlight. It was an icy voice, completely different from her usual cool tone.

The wind swirled all around at once. Green spirits revealed themselves one by one.

Is there… no way to escape?

“Please answer me. Why did you leave me?”

Her long ears twitched. She, who usually didn’t show her emotions well, was now struggling to hide her trembling voice.

Another step.

“That day… do you remember? You promised… you’d become the King of the Forest.”

Woong-

The surrounding spirits rippled as if responding to her emotions.

“I said I could even eat meat for you… that I’d throw away all the traditions and rules of the Elves!”

Tears welled up in Silvia’s eyes.

“I really can do anything… for you…”

Silvia’s long ears twitched even more violently. Now, she didn’t even try to hide her emotions.

“Queen-nim…”

“Stop calling me Queen…! I don’t care about the blessing of the World Tree, or the Queen’s position! I’m just Silvia who loves Haru!”

A trembling voice.

“After meeting Haru… I realized for the first time. That the world outside the forest… could be so beautiful.”

Her gaze turned to me. Deep obsession was contained in her unstable eyes.

“So… don’t run away anymore.”

The spirits swirled even more violently. They created a perfect encirclement that even blocked the moonlight.

It was the moment when pure love twisted into madness.

‘This is… a big problem.’

“Let’s go back together, to the forest.”

But I wasn’t really cornered at all. Rather, it was all according to plan.

‘Perfect.’

There was no way I wouldn’t have known that the spirits were watching me. I had felt a strange gaze ever since arriving in the North.

And it was obvious who was watching me like a stalker. I knew very well how much Silvia was obsessed.

“If you refuse…”

Silvia’s voice trembled.

“Even by force… no, it’s not force.”

She shook her head as if trying to compose herself.

“Haru will want to be with me too. This is… helping Haru make a choice.”

Luring Silvia was all intentional.

A place full of vengeful spirits and the energy of death, where the power of the spirits is weakest.

The Necromancer King’s tomb was a dungeon to obtain the artifact to save Kirua, but at the same time, it was also the optimal battlefield to confront Silvia.

“By force, huh… Go ahead and try it your way.”

At my words, Silvia’s eyes sharpened.

“But are you sure it’s okay? The spirits seem to hate it here.”

The surrounding spirits trembled slightly. They were gradually fading in the energy of death.

“Ha, anyway, the arrogant Golden Dragon and… the saintess with a flower garden for a brain aren’t here, are they?”

Determination flashed beneath her cold expression.

“Then it’s enough to get Haru.”

As her hand sliced through the air, high-level spirits appeared as if they had been waiting.

A lion made of flames roared. A hawk made of lightning tore through the sky with a sharp screech. A rock serpent forged from the power of the earth writhed along the ground.

‘Indeed… the spirits she contracted directly are different.’

Even in this graveyard full of the energy of death, their power was not shaken at all. Rather, they resonated with Silvia’s emotions and emitted an even more intense energy.

Silvia’s hand reached behind her back. A bow shining with green light appeared in her palm. The SSS-class artifact made from the branches of the World Tree, Yggdrasil.

“The World Tree’s blessing is valid even in such a dark place.”

As she plucked the bowstring made of light, dozens of spirit arrows floated in the air. Each arrow was imbued with the blessing of nature.

Swoosh-

The arrows rained down. I hurriedly drew the holy sword ‘Dawn’.

[Haru-nim, I’ll show you my power!]

A sacred aura bloomed along the blade. The brightly shining Dawn blocked the spirit arrows.

The fight was just beginning.

Koong-

The earth trembled. The rock serpent charged along the ground.

This time it was the demon sword ‘Dusk’s’ turn. The sacred light faded and the energy of darkness bloomed.

[Oh my, is that all you’ve got? Let me show you what true power is.]

The blade wrapped in black energy pierced the rock serpent’s head. The body made of rock shattered into pieces.

“What is that sword?”

Silvia’s eyes wavered.

“Did you want to get away from me so much that you even obtained such an ominous thing?”

She drew the bowstring again. This time, even more spirit arrows floated in the air.

The undead aimed for my left, and the thunder hawk aimed for my right. It was a perfect encirclement from all sides.

[I’ll block them! With the light of Dawn!]

[No, I’ll take care of it~ Like a demon sword!]

The two swords alternated, batting away the arrows. The light of the holy sword and the darkness of the demon sword decorated the sky.

[Everything that gets in the way must be eliminated…]

[The two of us are enough, right? It’d be even better if it was just me!]

[What did you say?]

I freely switched between the holy sword and the demon sword, blocking the spirits’ attacks. I absorbed lightning with the sacred energy and extinguished flames with the energy of darkness.

It was a new feeling. No matter how advantageous the battlefield was for me, the battle with Silvia was going too smoothly.

It wasn’t in vain that I had been running away from the party members and building up my strength.

Koong-

“Okay. Then I can’t hold back anymore.”

The earth trembled. As Silvia’s fingertips touched Yggdrasil, an explosive life force erupted.

Life awakened in the graveyard that had been full of the energy of death. Light green vines sprouted between the black marble tombs. Sprouts burst forth from the ends of the bare tree branches.

The entire graveyard was overflowing with life force as if welcoming spring.

The spirits’ forms became clearer and clearer. The spirits that had been fading in the energy of death regained their complete forms with the power of the World Tree.

“Don’t worry.”

Silvia’s green eyes glinted in the moonlight. A cold smile hung on her lips.

“If you get hurt… I’ll take care of you dearly.”

The sound of the bowstring being drawn echoed.

“For the rest of your life…!”

The arrows flew. This time it was different. Each arrow was imbued with the power of the World Tree.

I absorbed the first arrow with the holy sword. I split the second with the demon sword. The third with the holy sword again.

Silvia’s attacks became increasingly fierce. Each time she drew the bowstring, the power of nature exploded. The energy of life spread further, driving out the energy of death.

[Haru-nim, it’s about time….]

[Master, the opportunity has come~]

Her movements became slightly erratic. Her breathing was becoming labored as she struggled to maintain her connection with the World Tree. The further she got from the Elven forest, the more concentration she needed.

‘Now.’

I intentionally took an arrow to the body. Thanks to the durability enhanced by Dawn, I could easily withstand one arrow.

“Haru!?”

Silvia was flustered. I guess she didn’t think I’d actually get hit even though she was the one shooting?

Taking advantage of that gap, I instantly switched to the demon sword. Gathering the purplish-black energy, I charged forward.

Swish-!

The demon sword sliced through the air. The moment Dusk collided with Yggdrasil, two opposing forces clashed.

Bang-!

The energies of darkness and life intertwined, causing a massive explosion. The World Tree’s bow left Silvia’s hand and flew into the air.

Silvia’s body, caught in the shockwave, rolled across the ground. I aimed the demon sword at her neck.

[Hehe. It seems the match is over, a great victory for the demon sword!]

“It’s over.”

‘I did it…’

Joy bloomed from the depths of my heart. The first victory I had achieved against a party member who was obsessed with me.

Finally, I too had the power to stand against them. I had gained the power to forge my own path as a runaway.

‘I’m sorry, Silvia. But this is the best way.’

“Haru…”

Silvia’s voice echoed coldly like moonlight.

“Do you know… how long I’ve been waiting? Do you know how much I like Haru?”

Her long ears twitched violently. The surrounding spirits swayed uneasily.

Yggdrasil, which had fallen to the ground, vibrated as if pulsing. Green magic dyed the surroundings.

“Every day… I looked for your traces. My heart pounding with the news the spirits brought me…”

[Haru-nim, that elf… something’s wrong!]

[She’s finally revealing her true nature!]

The World Tree’s bow created a huge tree illusion. Silvia’s obsession was twisting even the laws of nature.

‘This is really dangerous…’

A chill ran down my spine. The moment the elf’s obsession reached its peak, the World Tree’s Garden would unfold.

But that was when it happened.

“…Hiccup.”

Silvia’s shoulders trembled. Tears streamed down from her eyes, which had been flashing with madness.

“Sniff…”

Suddenly, Silvia collapsed to the ground as if crumbling. The elf’s long ears drooped powerlessly.

“It’s too much…”

Tears streamed down from her green eyes. It was pure sadness, not madness or obsession.

“Haru… hit me…”

A trembling voice. The dignified appearance of the Elf Queen was nowhere to be found.

“Is it… is it because you really hate me?”

The surrounding spirits seemed flustered and didn’t know what to do. The undead stopped growling and drooped its ears, and the thunder hawk circled in the air, awkwardly crying out.

‘Huh? What’s going on?’

“That’s right… you ran away because you didn’t want to be with me… right?”

Thud-

Silvia hit the ground. The cold mask was gone, and she was just crying like an abandoned child.

“You said… you said we’d live together in the forest…”

Her green eyes glistened with tears.

“Haru… I want to live with Haru…”

Silvia clung to my leg. Her usual dignified appearance was nowhere to be seen.

“Let’s go to the forest together… okay? Haru is mine…”

Now she was completely acting like a child, throwing a tantrum. The spirits also seemed confused, swaying and circling around.

“Is it… is it because I’m an elf that you don’t like me?”

Silvia’s hand touched her long ears.

“If being an elf… if these ears are the problem…”

A chilling aura swept over me.

“Wait!”

I hurriedly grabbed her hand.

“Sniff… Haru…”

Silvia hugged me. Cold tears soaked my clothes.

“Please don’t abandon me… please…”

Woong─

Silvia pleaded in a trembling voice. The surrounding spirits also resonated with her emotions, making sad crying sounds.

‘I… I really didn’t expect this.’

My mind became complicated.

I could deal with Silvia who was filled with madness. But this Silvia who was crying so purely… I didn’t know how to deal with her.

“Ha, Haru…”

Silvia raised her head. She looked up at me with a face covered in tears. Her long ears drooped down.

‘This is… a big problem.’

The surrounding spirits glared at me. Their eyes said, ‘Ugh… trash…’

What is this, did I do something wrong?