Chapter 183
Limit
The High Elf elder took Ferda and Erika beneath the World Tree, to a prison enclosed by bars woven from its roots.
Prisoners were rare in the elves’ insular society, so the place was effectively empty except for the two of them.
“What are you planning to do with us?”
Erika asked the elder.
“What do you think? That human finally caused exactly the sort of disaster we feared.”
The elder jerked his chin toward Ferda.
Now that he had an excuse, he had immediately dropped all courtesy. Erika found the sight irritating.
“You’re imprisoning us without even determining what actually happened. Are you trying to start a fight?”
“The Great Chieftain is in critical condition, Tower Master. Surely you understand that we cannot simply stand by and do nothing.”
High Elves were akin to the nobility of all elves, and the Great Chieftain was effectively their emperor.
And that emperor had suddenly fallen critically ill for reasons no one understood.
That was why Erika and Ferda had followed them without resisting.
“Remain here quietly until the Great Chieftain awakens.”
The High Elf elder turned and walked away.
No other measures were taken.
Two mages had been imprisoned, one of whom was even a member of the expedition that had saved the continent, yet the elves had not restrained either of them.
It was not out of respect for their status.
There was simply no need.
Whenever they released mana in an attempt to construct a magic circle, it was immediately sucked away somewhere.
The roots composing the prison absorbed it as though it were nourishment.
Erika gripped the bars.
She wanted nothing more than to smash them apart and leave, but doing so would only put them at a disadvantage.
“Haaah.”
Erika sighed.
Then she glanced sideways at Ferda.
Ferda sat silently without saying a word.
“Haaah…”
“HAAAAAAAAAH!”
“…You’re being noisy.”
“Hah? How am I supposed to stay quiet in a situation like this?”
Erika crossed her arms and glared at Ferda.
“Start talking. What happened between you and the Great Chieftain?”
Her brows drew together.
“Princeps Regent, I don’t know what happened, but the Great Chieftain of the High Elves is dying after spending time alone with you. If I’m going to defend you, I need to know what happened. Do you understand?”
Ferda wondered how he should answer.
For now, he decided to reveal as little information as possible.
“The Great Chieftain was interested in my mana, so he examined it.”
“Your mana?”
“Yes.”
“If it was because of your mana…”
Erika suddenly realized something.
Her face turned bright red as she cautiously asked,
“Don’t tell me you drove that old man to the verge of dying in bed…?”
“…That is not what happened.”
She really did think like an adolescent girl sometimes.
Apparently realizing that her assumption had been absurd even by her standards, Erika quickly changed the subject.
“There certainly was something unusual about your mana, Princeps Regent Ferda.”
“You let out quite a ghastly scream when you felt it.”
“Yes, well, it was an extremely sudden sensation, so I was startled, and there was absolutely no other intention behind it whatsoever. Anyway, we’ve gone off topic. Shall we focus?”
She rambled on at high speed, then became flustered all by herself.
“Your mana may be strange, Princeps Regent Ferda, but there’s no way that old man would have been helpless against it… And if it was powerful enough to shake the World Tree, then there’s a high probability that he acted of his own free will…”
Erika was right.
Ferda recalled the Great Chieftain’s eyes.
The man had stared at Ferda with a face overwhelmed by fear.
‘How could you…?’
What had the elder seen to make him say that?
No, Ferda could actually guess what he had seen.
The version of Ferda that was filled with rage and hatred.
Ferda simply did not want to believe that the Great Chieftain had witnessed that side of him.
‘Was it a mistake?’
The Great Chieftain had brought it upon himself, but Ferda had given him the opportunity.
Impatience always caused people to act automatically, without careful thought.
That thoughtlessness had led to this outcome.
In that sense, it was Ferda’s fault.
“Hello?”
“Yes?”
“Could you answer me now? Tell me exactly what you did.”
Erika glared at him sharply, demanding an explanation.
“How much do you know about the Demon King, Tower Master?”
“You’re answering a question with another question? I don’t particularly like that.”
“It is relevant.”
Although her expression made it clear that she was displeased, she answered.
“Not much. I know that he appeared without warning, that he became one of Godwin’s descendants, and that he was the first to attempt to rule the world through beings known as demons. That’s all.”
“I see.”
“Once we gain access to the Far East, we may finally be able to investigate him in earnest. But what does that have to do with any of this?”
Since she had answered him sincerely, Ferda responded in kind.
“I cannot answer that.”
“…Are you joking?”
“It is better for both of us this way.”
Erika glared at Ferda in displeasure.
Her furious eyes bored into him before she puffed out her cheeks.
“Oh, come on! You’re really starting to piss me off!”
“Why has everyone been treating me like this lately?! I’m the master of the Blue-Eyed Magic Tower! I’m a child favored by Lord Iorga! Why do I have to suffer this kind of humiliation?!”
“To hell with this! I seriously feel like crying!”
“Please do not cry.”
“Why? Because it would annoy you?”
“Yes.”
Ferda covered his ears.
Erika’s eyes widened furiously at the sight.
“Oh, is that so?! Fine! I’m going to pour out every last bit of my frustration right here!”
“…”
“I’m going to bawl my eyes out! I’ll let the tears and snot run everywhere!”
“P-Please don’t do that…”
While Erika was shouting at the top of her lungs, someone suddenly interrupted their conversation.
They turned their heads and saw someone standing beyond the wooden bars.
It was Lize.
The reason Erika had been about to abandon barely returned to her.
“Are you all right?”
“…Do we look all right to you?”
Erika replied curtly, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Lize lowered her head.
“I apologize. My father was attacked, and under the circumstances, Ferda was the most likely suspect. There was little choice but to respond this way.”
“Forget that. Tell us what’s happening. What’s the atmosphere like out there?”
“For now… everyone is deeply concerned because the Great Chieftain remains in critical condition.”
“They must be furious with Princeps Regent Ferda.”
Erika placed particular emphasis on Ferda’s name.
Lize quietly nodded.
“Fortunately, however, the Great Chieftain briefly regained consciousness.”
“Then the misunderstanding must have been cleared up.”
Erika assumed that everything was over.
But Lize shook her head.
“No. Father did not reveal his condition to anyone. Instead, he left me a message.”
“What message?”
There was something unusual in Lize’s eyes.
In a voice that was barely audible, she said,
“He ordered me to secretly take the two of you and escape from this place.”
Erika frowned.
“Wait a moment. Isn’t he telling us to become fugitives?”
“It would seem… that way.”
“A descendant of Iorga fled from the elves. Is that how he intends to humiliate me?”
Lize looked troubled as she tried to persuade her.
“Please. He earnestly insisted that this had to be carried out in secret.”
“You can spare me the pleading. I asked him to bring me the High Elves’ records so I could translate them. I’m not leaving without getting anything in return.”
“The Great Chieftain said you would say that…”
Lize carefully opened the bag slung over her shoulder.
It was stuffed with disorganized bundles of paper.
“He also instructed me to give these to you once you left the World Tree.”
“That old man…”
Erika disliked how thoroughly he had anticipated her every move.
“Are you certain these contain what I asked for?”
“I haven’t read them, so I can’t say for sure…”
“What are you going to do if there’s nothing useful in there and we’ve been deceived?”
Erika was in such a foul mood that she clearly had no intention of doing what the Great Chieftain wanted.
In the end, Ferda sided with Lize.
“This is hardly the time to be making unreasonable demands. Why don’t we leave?”
“Isn’t this entire situation your fault?”
“Yes, it is. But we can obtain what we need while avoiding an unnecessary confrontation. Is that not the best possible outcome?”
Ferda trusted that the Great Chieftain would not have given such an order without good reason.
Erika crossed her arms, bit down hard on her lip, and ruffled her hair.
“Argh! Fine! As long as I can find out everything I need, I’ll trust him!”
“Th-Thank you! I’ll open the door.”
Lize inserted a wooden key and unlocked the prison door.
Only after it opened did a question occur to Ferda.
Just in case, he asked her,
“By the way, Scribe Lize, are you not a High Elf?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then won’t everyone already know what is happening?”
High Elves were a race who shared their minds.
The one who had imprisoned them was a High Elf elder. Even if Lize secretly released them now, it should already have been discovered.
“I am a High Elf, but…”
She scratched her cheek as she answered.
“Unlike the others, I was born unable to link my mind with theirs.”
***
The interior of the World Tree resembled a magic tower.
That was only natural, since magic towers had originally been modeled after the World Tree.
The World Tree possessed the most ideal structure in terms of magical efficiency and convenience.
Highly condensed mana shone with white light, illuminating the interior. Green moss and vines nourished by that light covered the walls.
Branches and thick roots formed stairs and pathways, creating places where people could walk.
The three of them carefully ascended those stairs.
A waterfall flowed down from the crown of the World Tree, yet despite its height, it was not violent. It remained strangely tranquil.
“It is quiet.”
Ferda deliberately broke the silence.
“It certainly is.”
Erika deliberately answered him.
“People normally do not enter this inner region.”
Lize assured them that there was nothing to worry about.
Ferda and Erika exchanged glances.
No matter how they thought about it, her confidence felt suspicious.
“I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“How did you make it all the way down here?”
Still unconvinced, Erika questioned her.
“I carefully made my way down while sensing for anyone nearby.”
“So you came down here relying entirely on your instincts?”
“Yes! I may not look like it, but I’m quite confident when it comes to sneaking around!”
Their suspicion became certainty.
Erika stopped crouching awkwardly and straightened, looking upward as she shouted,
“Stop hiding and come out!”
At her words, the interior that had been as quiet as death was instantly filled with signs of life.
They were Wood Elves clad in elven armor.
More than a hundred Wood Elves surrounded them in an instant, eliminating every blind spot.
Lize could not hide her panic.
“H-Huh…? How…?”
“What do you mean, how, you idiot?”
A familiar voice rang out.
The High Elf elder emerged from among the Wood Elves.
His eyes were filled with disgust.
It was not the gaze one would direct toward a member of one’s own race.
“No matter how stealthily you move, did you truly believe you could escape the eyes of every elf who has devoted their entire life to this World Tree?”
The notion of escaping in secret had been impossible from the beginning.
It was enough to make one sigh.
“What is inside that bag?”
When the elder asked, Lize instinctively hugged the bag to her chest.
Whatever it contained, it was undoubtedly important.
“As an elder, I command you. Bring that item to me at once.”
“Th-This must be delivered to Princeps Regent Ferda and Tower Master Erika. The Great Chieftain personally ordered me to do so.”
“The Great Chieftain has fallen unconscious. Even those of us connected to his mind heard no such order. How could you possibly have heard it?”
“He told me directly.”
“Do not speak nonsense!”
The High Elf elder roared.
“The reason we stand above the other elves is because our minds are one! Do you expect me to believe that he went out of his way to speak aloud to someone like you, who cannot even join our minds?!”
Lize trembled in fear.
Even so, she did not stop speaking.
“As you said, I cannot link my mind with the others. But I am only telling you what truly happened, Elder.”
“I do not believe you.”
The elder pointed at Lize, then at the ground before him.
“If you wish to prove your loyalty, bring that item to me immediately!”
“You continue to overstep your authority, Elder.”
The one who spoke was not Ferda.
It was Erika.
“I have told you repeatedly that this is not your concern. The scribe is acting according to the Great Chieftain’s command. If you disregard his message, how is that any different from disregarding your own traditions and authority?”
“You say such carefree things because you know nothing about us, Tower Master.”
“…Carefree?”
“Return to your cell at once! If you go back quietly now, I will still take your cooperation into consideration, Head of Iorga.”
Crack.
Ferda heard it clearly.
The sound of something hard and resilient shattering miserably rang out from inside Erika’s head.
At that moment, highly condensed mana began to ripple around her.
“Hoo…”
What escaped her lips was—
“Hohohoho…!”
—laughter bordering on madness.
“Every last one of you… The moment I show you some manners, you always start thinking I’m an easy target, don’t you?”
Erika swept back her hair and looked up at the elder.
Her blue eyes, once as clear as a river, had lost all light and resembled the dull eyes of a rotting fish. The corners of her mouth curved unnaturally upward.
She began muttering like Echidna.
“Why bother with reason? When bastards keep yanking out your nose hairs and kicking you in the ass, you’re supposed to smash them to pieces…”
Erika reached toward her waist.
What she pulled out was a small bottle of water.
“I’ve been far too nice until now, haven’t I?”
She casually tossed the bottle into the World Tree’s waterfall.
A deep reverberation sounded beneath the roar of falling water.
At the same time, the previously tranquil sound of flowing water ceased.
It was an astonishing sight.
The falling water stopped in place as though it had been frozen.
For it to cease obeying the natural order meant that it had been brought under someone’s control.
At that moment, Erika was controlling the water of the World Tree.
Rrrrrumble—
A vibration rose from beneath the ground.
The tranquil spring began to ripple, then churned violently as five columns of water erupted toward the sky.
Rooooar!
The streams twisted around one another as they rose, gradually being carved into distinct shapes.
Their upward-facing tips began to take the forms of dragons, as though shedding their old skins.
The five columns of water became five Water Dragons.
Erika stepped onto the head of one of them.
The Water Dragons carrying her rose gracefully into the air.
Unlike the elegant dragons, Erika’s face was covered in a heavy shadow.
Beneath that shadow was a murderous smile.
With a casual wave of her hand, Erika said,
“Why don’t we all die together?”
The water dragons unleashed ferocious roars and surged toward the elves.