Seed of the World Tree
by Afuhfuihgs
It’s a dense forest. Trees that have grown thickly, intertwining their roots, obscure the sky. The sunlight that streams through the thin gaps scatters like jewels, illuminating the beauty of nature.
The sound of birds chirping, the sound of small animals running, even the trees conversing with the wind. The great forest welcomed us with its untouched, natural appearance. There were no grand structures, not even paths for people or animals to walk on.
As Luna and I were blankly staring at the great forest, Canyon spoke.
“Are you perhaps thinking of going further inside? Actually, there are no paths, and there are many monsters and beasts, so usually, people just look around here and go back. The further you go inside, the less sunlight there is, and there are many poisonous insects that can be life-threatening, you know.”
Canyon thought we had simply come to see the great forest. The reason he volunteered to be our guide was because he was worried that if some dumb couple with the status of a great noble from the East and a golden identification badge wandered around not knowing the dangers of the great forest and something happened, the blame might fall on him.
“You don’t have to follow us. We have a place to go.”
“…You had a destination. Can you tell me where it is?”
At Canyon’s question, I hesitated for a moment. To be honest, I didn’t know where the elves’ village was located in the great forest. So I was wondering how to explain it. Not knowing how to interpret that brief silence, Canyon sighed and muttered.
“…Damn it, the higher-ups never tell you anything.”
Canyon, who grumbled quietly, scratched his head and said.
“Still, it would be more convenient to have a guide, right? After being here for a few months, I’ve become a bit more suited to the great forest. If you don’t mind, I’ll join you.”
I exchanged glances with Luna, then smiled and replied.
“Alright.”
***
Because there were no paths, we tied the horses at the entrance and moved on foot. As we went deeper into the forest, as Canyon had warned, the densely grown trees obscured the sky, making it dark and humid.
Canyon, who was walking ahead, stopped, raised his hand, and warned us.
“Do you see the ground next to you?”
“Yes.”
The place Canyon pointed to was the ground covered with old fallen leaves that could be seen anywhere in the great forest. I looked closely to see if there was anything different, but I couldn’t feel anything special. But Luna figured out the answer before Canyon could even explain.
“…Is it a swamp?”
“Oh, that’s right. It’s not easy to distinguish from the ground, so even the soldiers get confused, but you’re amazing.”
Canyon, giving Luna a thumbs up, picked up a rolling stone and threw it. Then, ripples appeared in what looked like the ground, revealing a swamp that had been disguised as ordinary ground. At that moment, a strong stench and heat were felt. It had been hiding the stench and heat until something was dropped into the swamp.
“It looks like ordinary ground, but if you accidentally put your foot in it… it’ll end up like that.”
The place Canyon pointed to had the corpse of a huge monster that had fallen into the swamp. It was almost just bones left, and all sorts of things were gathered around the corpse. It seemed to be the swamp’s cleaner.
Canyon looked around, picked up a broken branch, dipped it deep into the swamp, shook it around, and pulled it out.
“The mud in the swamp has the effect of repelling poisonous insects. Of course, if it touches bare skin, it will cause hives and inflammation, but if you apply a moderate amount over your clothes, there will be no problem. It has the disadvantage of smelling bad, but it’s better than getting bitten by poisonous insects.”
As I watched Canyon familiarly smear the mud on the branch onto his armor, I glanced at Luna. I was worried that I might be making her suffer by bringing her to the great forest, but Luna smiled brightly as if she had anticipated my thoughts.
“I’m happy to be in the great forest. It’s even better because I’m with Ross.”
I smiled and nodded at Luna’s pretty words and waited for Canyon to apply the mud. Once all the mud was applied, I was sure that even poisonous insects would hate this smell. The smell coming from my body was worse than the smell of a rotting corpse.
We continued to move forward. I told Canyon that our destination was the elves’ village, but Canyon didn’t seem to know exactly where the elves’ village was located in the great forest either. Canyon, who was swinging a branch to cut off the invisible threads of insects, said apologetically.
“Originally, when you enter the great forest, the elves approach you first by shooting arrows. They say that humans have dared to set foot in the sacred great forest. Even if the misunderstanding is resolved, they hide in the trees and continue to monitor your actions. But the fact that they haven’t appeared even though we’ve come this far… it seems like the elves are busy today.”
“Could the reason they’re busy be because of the Grand General?”
At the answer I threw out without much thought, Canyon stroked his chin and groaned.
“Hmm… maybe. Still, since he’s the Grand General, the elves wouldn’t neglect their hospitality.”
While I was half-listening to Canyon’s words, who was praising me for being great, saying that he hadn’t thought that far, Luna suddenly opened her mouth.
“I see something like smoke far away.”
Following Luna’s gaze, Canyon and I turned our heads. Sure enough, a small black smoke was rising into the sky in the distance. It seemed like they had lit a fire to eat food.
“Let’s go there.”
Even if the place we arrive at isn’t the elves’ village, we will be able to head to the elves’ village with Ian’s help. Thinking that, we moved our steps and soon found a place that looked like the elves’ village.
At the place full of rose vines that seemed like the entrance to the village, there were soldiers armed with iron swords and armor, not elves with pointy ears. I quickly examined their condition, but there were no traces of battle anywhere.
As we approached, a knight came up to us. He seemed to know Canyon, as he lightly exchanged greetings with a nod, then turned his head to me and said.
“Are you Ross-nim?”
It was as if he had been waiting for me to arrive at the village. Feeling a strange unease in my heart, I replied.
“That’s right.”
When I took out my identification badge from my pocket and showed it to him, the knight, having finished the verification, nodded and turned his body to open the way.
“The Grand General is waiting inside.”
I followed the knight’s guidance and headed inside. Canyon, who seemed to be curious, also followed us. As we went around a huge tree that was blocking the entrance, the elves’ village came into view at a glance.
It was a village created in a way that didn’t harm nature as much as possible. There were huge vines connecting the trees and things that looked like houses even under the roots that came up through the ground. The expression ‘fantasy-like’ would be the most accurate analogy.
While I was looking around the village, following the knight, Luna suddenly stopped walking, groaned softly, and hid behind me.
“Are you okay?”
Looking over my shoulder, Luna’s expression was dark. Her face was full of anxiety. Luna pursed her lips and didn’t answer. Feeling worried at that sight, I was about to turn around when I heard Canyon muttering.
“Is this… a sculpture?”
I followed Canyon’s gaze and looked inside the house under the tree. And I froze. In the place where my gaze reached, there was a delicate elf sculpture that looked like it would come to life at any moment. Not just one. There were several elf sculptures all over the village. On the streets and on the trees.
A delicate stone sculpture in an elf village that lives in harmony with nature was a very incongruous sight. I felt a sense of unease. The strong sense of unease added certainty to my anxiety.
“No way….”
Luna said with difficulty to me, who trailed off.
“It hasn’t… been long.”
At Luna’s words, I realized. This isn’t just a sculpture. It was an elf who had turned into a sculpture due to petrification. I know someone who can do this. I handed over the data on the Stone Thorns disease as a weapon for him to use with my own hands.
I bit my lip and swallowed my emotions. As I took Luna’s hand and silently followed the knight, Canyon noticed that the atmosphere had suddenly become heavy and closed his mouth.
Ian was seen sitting on a tree and resting. The sight of him wearing red armor reminded me of his former title of Red Paladin. Ian, who found us, got up and ordered the soldiers who were resting around him.
“When the carriages are all made, load the selected sculptures. As soon as the preparations are finished, we will return to the capital.”
After finishing his words, Ian gestured for us to follow him and entered an elf’s house. Canyon smiled faintly and slipped away with the knight.
Luna and I pushed open the half-closed door and went inside. The elf’s house was bigger and neater than I thought. In particular, the design that used a lot of curves caught my eye. It could be said to give the viewer a sense of comfort.
Ian, who was fiddling with a box smaller than his palm, which didn’t suit his large body, spread his magic power to check if there was anyone eavesdropping around him, and then said.
“His Majesty ordered me. He said that if you come, I should hand this over to you.”
Ian held out the box to me, telling me to take it quickly as if the box was a heavy burden. I took the box and turned my body slightly so that Luna could see it, and opened the box.
Inside the box was the Seed of the World Tree, pulsating like a living heart.
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