Chapter 187
Trap
Meanwhile, at the World Tree.
After several major incidents erupted one after another within the span of a few hours, preparations for the festival were ultimately postponed.
The High Elves began a serious discussion about the current situation.
“The Blue-Eyed Tower Master came through and caused complete chaos. What are we supposed to do about this?”
“It is… difficult to determine who was at fault. She may have acted violently, but while there were many injuries, there were no fatalities.”
If even one of the Wood Elves had been killed, they would have gained the authority to seal Erika within the World Tree.
Erika had gone on her rampage while keeping that fact in mind, so the strength of the Wood Elves and a handful of High Elves had not been enough to stop her.
“In fact, it was we who fought back with the resolve to inflict serious injuries. If we insist on assigning blame, we may have to give up our rest.”
To them, rest was as essential as water and salt.
Eventually, someone let out a sigh.
“This is a disaster. How could everything have fallen into such a mess…?”
“Do not drown yourselves in sorrow.”
Cypress, an elder of the High Elves, finally spoke.
He had changed into fresh clothes and groomed himself neatly, but his left sleeve remained empty.
“The task we must accomplish is to obtain Mother’s Seed through joy.”
“But in a situation like this, how can we possibly…?”
“Do you intend to tear down everything our ancestors built merely because of one personal grievance?”
The High Elves fell silent.
“Stop worrying about the Great Chieftain. When sorrow comes, one must believe that an even greater joy will follow. If everything follows a cycle in the end, what difference does it make if we discard a few things along the way?”
“We understand.”
“Everything is for Mother…”
And with that, the High Elves’ meeting came to an end.
Cypress did not return to his room.
Instead, he made his way toward Mother’s Heart.
Upon entering, he saw Threads flying through the sky as though it were a vast lake.
The scenery was much the same as always.
The only difference was the Great Chieftain.
Instead of sitting, he was lying down.
He had already regained consciousness, yet he did not even acknowledge Cypress’s presence. He merely lay there with his back turned.
“Great Chieftain, your own flesh and blood has left.”
“Is that so?”
The Great Chieftain replied bitterly.
He remained lying there with his head turned away, while the elder stood where he was.
“This is now the second time a High Elf has deserted us. I said Rinne would be the last, yet your own blood has gone and created a second precedent.”
“What could I have done? Though she is my child, she could not connect to the mental network. She was little different from a long-lived human…”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“…”
“When did you notice?”
“…”
“The others may have accepted everything without suspicion, but you have always been perceptive, so I watched you closely. From everything I observed, I was certain you knew nothing. Or was I simply too arrogant?”
“As you said, I did not know. Had today never come, everything would likely have continued exactly as you intended forever.”
“What did you sense from that human?”
The Great Chieftain answered.
“I realized that I had forgotten something very important. Whenever there is a meeting, a farewell will eventually follow. Whenever joy arrives, sorrow will one day take its place.”
“We have wasted more than a thousand years because of that antiquated way of thinking.”
Cypress pointed outside.
“Look. Magic was meant for superior beings like us, yet somehow even monkeys have begun wielding it.”
“They are polluting pure mana. They do not understand the true nature of the crystallization created by a unified mind.”
Cypress’s expression grew even more vicious.
“I do not care if they use magic and parade themselves around as saviors. But we must obtain Mother’s Seed before those inferior, short-lived races.”
“…”
“Do you know what they call Mother’s Seed? They call it a ‘wish.’ They divide magic into something they call nine circles, and now they arrogantly seek to obtain it without even understanding its origins.”
“And so you decided to trample upon purity?”
The Great Chieftain carefully pushed himself upright.
His already feeble face looked even more haggard than before.
“Do you truly believe that will allow you to obtain Mother’s Seed?”
“Of course.”
“Think carefully. What you are doing will lead us into nothingness. Our undertaking is something that will continue swelling without knowing when to stop, until it ultimately bursts.”
The Great Chieftain recalled what he had seen within Ferda’s mind.
The mannerisms and experience that did not match his age.
The emotions that had existed before love took root.
The rage and hatred accumulated over thirty-two years.
And the sheer quantity of emotion that overwhelmed even the High Elves, who had accumulated their feelings over thousands of years.
“That is something no human—no, no being who sets foot upon this continent—should ever possess. We are no exception.”
It was practically a declaration that he intended to give up.
“Is that so?”
Cypress’s face appeared resigned.
Yet contrary to that expression, his hand moved swiftly and drew a rune.
Whoosh!
A blade of wind shot toward the Great Chieftain’s head.
However, a Thread moved even faster and blocked its path, causing the sharp wind to scatter.
“But what else can we do?”
“…”
“We are already approaching the source. Telling us to stop now… would not be for everyone’s sake.”
“Do you truly believe you can stop me?”
At the Great Chieftain’s will, the Threads gathered and formed enormous white hands.
Their little fingers alone were nearly as tall as a grown man.
One of the hands vanished in the blink of an eye.
When it reappeared, it closed around the spot where Cypress had been standing.
“Urgh…!”
The hand that had attempted to seize him recoiled.
Half of the white Threads composing its palm had been blown away.
It was an exceedingly ominous power.
“I am well aware that I cannot do it alone.”
Something black and viscous was clutched in Cypress’s right hand.
It was a black grimoire.
Sinister, sticky mana surged from the book, growing stronger by the moment.
“A demon?”
“Do you truly believe I would sell us out to creatures like demons?”
If it was a being similar to a demon, then only one possibility remained.
“The demon race. Have they lent you their power…?”
“You do not seem to believe it.”
Cypress gave a cold, twisted smile.
The Great Chieftain shook his head.
“No. Given your current state, it would hardly be strange for you to do such a thing.”
A power he desired so desperately that he would reduce everything to nothingness in order to possess it.
To Cypress, that was what Mother’s Seed represented.
“Do not act so composed, Great Chieftain. In your current condition, I am more than capable of defeating you.”
Cypress raised a finger.
Mana poured from its tip and began drawing a rune.
However, unlike the forms and colors of the runes he had previously wielded, this one gradually became stained black.
“I will cast you into the farthest reaches of the void and take the position of Great Chieftain for myself.”
He could not assume things would unfold as they had before.
The Great Chieftain steeled himself.
Even if it cost him his life, he would stop Cypress here.
Every Thread in the room gathered together, forming dozens of enormous hands.
“As with everything in this world, it will not be so easy.”
***
Eastern Cerdes Continent, Valdrova Castle.
It had been decided that Lize, who had fled from the World Tree, would stay at Valdrova Castle.
The very first thing he did was introduce himself.
“Hello. My name is Lize. Starting today, I will be in your care.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. It is nice to meet you…?”
When a beautiful young woman suddenly approached and greeted them warmly, everyone, men and women alike, could not help but be flustered.
Unaware of their reactions, Lize went around meeting every person one by one and greeting them politely.
Eventually, Ferda approached him.
“Former Secretary Lize.”
“Yes?”
“There is no need to greet every single person.”
“But according to human etiquette, I may be considered an uninvited guest. Would it not be proper to greet each person individually so that no one takes offense…?”
An uninvited guest…
Who could possibly treat Lize as one?
His innocent appearance was matched by impeccable manners and courtesy. A person only needed to exchange a few words with him to find him likable.
Ferda still found himself questioning whether Lize was truly a man.
“It is enough to greet the master of this castle.”
“Y-you mean Lady Valdrova.”
Lize swallowed nervously.
“There should be no need to be nervous.”
“Ah, I apologize! I was not nervous in a bad way.”
“Is that so?”
Most people reacted that way because of Valdrova’s fearsome reputation.
Lize was different.
“Yes. As you can probably tell from the way I behave, I am not particularly old by High Elf standards. This will be my first time seeing a dragon in person, so…”
Lize’s eyes sparkled as though insisting that he was telling the truth.
“I suppose I am rather excited.”
One thing was certain.
He was an extremely curious person.
After seeing his reaction, Ferda answered,
“She will feel the same.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
What Lize felt was probably exactly what Valdrova would feel.
Ferda had a feeling the two might get along surprisingly well.
Lize behaved even more like a proper young lady than Penelope or Lyudmila.
If only he were not a man…
Ferda found himself pointlessly blaming the heavens.
“Former Secretary Lize.”
The one who called his name was the maid, Luri.
“Y-yes!”
Lize was slightly taller than Luri, but under the pressure of her presence, he somehow looked much smaller.
“It is admirable that you are introducing yourself, but perhaps you should take care of the spirits you brought with you.”
“Uh… d-did they happen to cause some kind of trouble?”
“Yes. They are causing trouble ‘again.’”
Luri pointed toward a nearby location.
There was a garden there, and three spirits were playing around.
—Kya-ha-ha! It looks like poop!
—Mine looks the best!
—It looks exactly the same!
They were arbitrarily reshaping the ornamental trees.
“And they are doing it right now.”
A terrifying vein bulged on Luri’s baby-like face.
“Kyaaa! I am so sorry!”
Lize turned pale and ran toward the garden, where he began scolding the spirits.
“How did he even manage to pick up creatures like those?”
“Indeed.”
Ferda gave a vague reply before asking Luri,
“Where is Lady Valdrova?”
“She has shut herself away. Feminine squeals have been spilling out of her room without pause.”
Luri glared at Ferda.
Her expression seemed to say that everything was his fault.
All Ferda had done was mention the name “Eleanor.”
After that, Valdrova had staggered away from him like a drunkard.
“Was the name really that bad?”
Perhaps he should ask later whether she wanted to change it.
“Regent!”
Just as he was thinking that, a man approached with an exceptionally cheerful voice.
It was Zed, his brown hair tied into a short ponytail.
“I heard the news.”
“What news?”
“I heard you brought back an incredibly beautiful girl. An elf, no less…!”
Instinct truly never disappeared.
Ferda gestured toward the garden with his chin.
The moment Zed saw Lize, his eyes lit up.
“Wow. She is not just a woman who looks like an elf. She is an actual elf. The real thing is on a completely different level.”
“Do you suffer from some kind of illness that prevents you from controlling your lust?”
“I have no idea what you mean. I may flirt, but I stop when someone says no. I am a gentleman.”
“I sincerely hope a witch causes the flesh between your legs to rot away.”
Ignoring Luri’s curse, Zed turned to Ferda.
“So, about that. May I try seducing her just once?”
Ferda stared at him with contempt before answering,
“Go ahead.”
“Huh? You are really allowing it?”
“Why would I bother joking about something like this?”
“What is this? Do you think I cannot win her over? I suppose I will have to show you what I am capable of.”
Zed slicked back his hair and checked his most affected smile.
Ferda silently watched him.
Luri, who had remained quiet, leaned closer and asked,
“Does that womanizer also like men?”
“Of course not.”
“Then this should be entertaining.”
Luri crossed her arms and watched as well.
Zed approached Lize warmly and introduced himself.
Lize greeted him with a smile.
The two exchanged several pieces of idle conversation, creating a cheerful and friendly atmosphere.
Ten minutes later, Zed, who had been talking without pause, waved goodbye to Lize.
When he turned around and returned to Ferda, his expression was certainly worth seeing.
It was the first time Ferda had ever seen Zed’s face turn that red.
Zed came to stand beside him and asked,
“…You knew?”
“Of course.”
“You son of a…”
He could not bring himself to swear at his superior.
Luri raised a thumb toward him.
“Do not worry. I will make sure to spread the word about your fondness for men.”
“No, I did not even try to seduce him. That means I was neither rejected nor did I flirt with him.”
“And who exactly do you think will believe you?”
“Regeeeent!”
While Luri continued threatening Zed, a frivolous voice shrieked Ferda’s title.
It was Penelope, Zed’s kindred spirit.
Ferda had been wondering why she had not appeared yet.
“I heard a ridiculously hot beauty just arrived.”
“…Yes.”
Ferda gestured with his chin, and Penelope turned around.
She made an even more animalistic noise than she had while running over.
“Whoooa! She really is gorgeous!”
“What? You interested in her?”
“Obviously! So, Regeeeent~ may I humbly inquire as to whether I may request approval to use her as my daily nourishment?”
Penelope rolled her eyes around while attempting a form of polite speech she clearly did not understand.
Her shamelessness existed on an entirely different level from Zed’s.
While Ferda was left speechless, Zed answered in his place.
“Go ahead. I grant you permission.”
“Oh, yeah! I am going right now!”
Penelope ran off like a child going to buy a new toy, and Zed snickered as he watched her go.
“I refuse to be the only victim.”
“…”
Ferda was dumbfounded.
Neither the man nor the woman had bothered waiting for permission from the person who was actually supposed to grant it.
“Come to think of it.”
“Yes?”
“Did that demon not sleep with you as well?”
“She did.”
“Then Lize being a man should not really be a problem for her, should it?”
“Come on, as if that could be true. She is always going on about how she hates men, so why would she—wait. What? That crazy bitch! Where is she dragging him?”
Penelope had taken Lize by the hand and was trying to lead him somewhere secluded.
Zed immediately rushed over, knocked her unconscious, and managed to protect Lize’s chastity.
For the time being, Penelope was issued a restraining order forbidding her from going anywhere near Lize.