"You, how did you get on."
Before turning the carriage around, I asked Linmel, who was kneeling, what I was curious about. The key has never once left my possession. Of course, there was no way Linmel could have gotten her hands on it.
Lately, with Tide Sense, I could even read the path of Brimdal’s sword, so it seemed unlikely that a squire like Linmel could have touched it. Looking like she knew she had done wrong, a crying Linmel explained the situation.
"I, I tailed you."
"What?"
"I saw you, Jern, buying travel supplies. And you bought a carriage on the way..."
She hadn't stolen the key to get in; she had been in the carriage from the very beginning. I had left it to the shop owner to put the luggage in the workshop, so I hadn't noticed.
She's quick-witted.
As I was marveling, I soon realized this was not the time for that and narrowed my brow.
"You should have said something. You must know how worried Gwalan will be."
"Ah, I left a letter! Saying I'd be going somewhere with Jern."
"No." Just as I was about to say we had to turn the carriage around immediately and drop Linmel off, even if it meant being a little late.
Linmel grabbed my robe.
"I'm sorry! But, can't I go with you this time...?"
"We're not going on a trip for fun, you know. We have to be away from the capital for a whole month."
As I sighed and tried to push her away, Ciel, who was watching from behind with a smile, added.
"Don't be too hard on her. It's pitiful."
"It could be dangerous, you know? It's not right to take Linmel."
It was a place I was going to for the first time. It wouldn't be right for my decision to cause harm to Linmel, who everyone acknowledged as a talent destined to become the greatest knight. But Ciel shrugged and disagreed.
"I can get one child away to safety. And it seems a bit much to turn back just to drop her off, especially since we just changed the wheels."
"... I'll never be a bother! I'll be quiet!"
Linmel looked at me with desperate eyes. I let out a sigh, then asked the last member of our party, who was standing outside the carriage with his arms crossed.
"What do you think, Sir Brimdal?"
"Hmm, well. It won't hurt to have her. That child is more than capable of pulling her own weight."
For Brimdal, it was a very favorable assessment. Well, I suppose it's natural. The reason he agreed to teach me in the first place was with the goal of taking Linmel on after my training was finished. ...
But thinking about it that way, his reaction was rather lukewarm. Shouldn't he be making a fuss about teaching her even a little bit right now?
"The decision is yours to make."
With those words, Brimdal disappeared into the carriage. I gave that a suspicious glance for a moment, then looked back at Linmel.
"Please... huh?"
In the end, I let out a sigh and nodded my head.
"... Promise me one thing. If I say it's dangerous, you will immediately enter the workshop and not come out, no matter what."
"Okay! I will!"
Just how torn apart must Gwalan's heart be right now. I couldn't even begin to imagine.
Although we had gained an unexpected guest, the journey itself was smooth. In less than five days, we reached a dense forest path where it was impossible for a dragon carriage to pass. My head ached just looking at the forest, which was so packed that a heavyset person might get stuck trying to pass through.
"How far do we have to go on foot?"
"We've arrived. This is the habitat of the elves."
"?"
I looked at the forest once more. There were no borders, no roads, no citizens, no one. No, more importantly, what did Ciel just say.
"Habit...at?"
"Ah, my apologies. That was a slightly discriminatory word."
"No, I'd like you to explain in that regard. What is the name of the country?"
"There is no such thing."
"... Pardon?"
It seemed there was some misunderstanding in my perception of elves. To be honest, I didn't know much about elves either. I only knew that it was Dersia's hometown.
"Though it's called a country, it's actually just a massive forest barely a week's distance from the capital. If you go further from here, it's still the Empire."
"Then what is there?"
"There is a forest and elves."
"What about the currency unit? What kind of system have they chosen?"
"They pick and eat the plants that grow in the forest. They don't really have occupations, and they are divided into a chief priest, a Council of Elders, and the general citizens."
So— "...
If I had to put it one way, it's like a minority tribe, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's right."
I wasn't expecting anything grand, but I thought they would at least have the semblance of a country. This wasn't a country or a city, but the level of a village. A rather large village.
Dersia was so intelligent and refined I thought she was from elven nobility, but it turns out she was just from a tribe. As I was swallowing my rude thoughts and looking at the forest.
"...!"
Suddenly, Linmel frowned, pulled me, and placed me behind her.
"Jern, stay behind me from here on out."
"What is it?"
"Look at the tree."
On the tree Linmel pointed to, there were man-made marks. Nicks and cuts. As I tilted my head, wondering what it was, Brimdal frowned.
"There was a battle nearby."
"?"
Linmel, on guard, approached the tree and ran her hand over the wound.
"The sap has hardened, but it's not solid, so I think it was two or three days ago."
"Where did you learn something like that?"
"Tracking? A Divine Punishment Knight has to chase down fleeing knights."
"But it's dangerous if you get ambushed while chasing, so you need to know where they are fleeing to and for what purpose, so you don't die."
Linmel, who had nonchalantly uttered those dangerous words, expertly drew her sword.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you, Jern!"
"Th... thanks."
Was it because she had entered her element? Linmel had become very serious. Though with Brimdal here, it didn't seem likely it would even get to Linmel's turn.
We tied the dragon carriage nearby and pushed our way through the forest. It didn't seem to be complete wilderness, as there was a path we could somehow walk on. Curious along the way, I asked Ciel.
"What kind of reaction will the elves have when they see us?"
"They probably won't be very welcoming."
Ciel answered as if it were nothing.
"With me here, we should be recognized as companions of my Master, that is, Dersia..."
"Because there's no way my Master didn't do something strange."
"That's right."
So it all depends on Dersia's actions. After walking for a long time, preparing for the worst, we came upon a clearing.
"Oh."
There were no magnificent buildings. But it was mystical. Trees dozens of meters tall intertwined to form a giant nest, and I could feel faint movements from its rooftop.
It was too far to see clearly, but I could tell that the speed was incredibly fast.
"... Wow..."
"Hmph, it's nothing special."
While Linmel was marveling and Brimdal was making a sullen face.
"... What is this?"
Ciel looked at the trees with a bewildered expression.
"Is something wrong?"
"There are no sentries. Originally, there should be lookouts in those watchtowers watching 24 hours a day, ready to fire arrows..."
Ciel scanned the tall trees, searching for elves—but there was no one.
"... We shouldn't be able to enter here this easily."
"Hmm, I'm not sure."
"You can think of it as if we, as intruders, walked from the capital's main gate straight into the Imperial Palace."
"What?"
"It doesn't seem like Master caused some terrible incident..."
Ciel looked up at the wooden city and tilted her head once more.
"And the leaves are even purple."
"What's with the purple?"
"It's a color used for auspicious occasions, festivals, and the like. Even so, it's not to the extent that they would allow an intrusion this easily."
Hearing the situation, something did feel strange. It seemed we had entered the heart of the elven territory far too easily.
"Should we go further in?"
"No. No matter what, that would be dangerous. I should send a signal."
Ciel went to a nearby blooming tree, took out a dagger from her pocket, and lightly cut it. White sap flowed from the tree. Before that sap could slowly flow down and touch the ground, someone jumped down from a tree dozens of meters high.
It was an act that could only be seen as suicide, but the landing was light. —Thud. With only the sound of a stone lightly dropped on the ground, a handsomely sculpted male elf looked at us with a smile all over his face.
He wore clothes made from a single piece of cloth and had a small stick on his back. He spoke to us in a tone full of goodwill.
"Hmm, for a guest to arrive on this auspicious day. It might be fate."
"A pleasure to see you, Sedrak. It has been a long time."
Ciel offered a handshake to the elf called Sedrak. He accepted it readily and burst into a hearty laugh.
"What brings you here, Dersia's maid, and the travelers who follow her?"
"I've come looking for my master, Dersia. She said she would be stopping by here."
"Oh? Dersia? Then it seems our paths have crossed. She has not yet come to this place."
"... Ah, is that so?"
"But we have many empty rooms. If you wish, you may stay until she arrives."
"We are grateful for your kindness."
"I will go up and lower a rope for you, please wait a moment!"
After saying so, Sedrak lightly climbed the tree. Ciel, who had been conversing normally, turned to us as soon as Sedrak disappeared, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"... Something is really, really wrong. I think it would be best to prepare yourselves."
"What? The atmosphere seemed great."
"That's the problem. Sedrak is a die-hard pure-blood supremacist who insisted that humans should be shot on sight. That's why he considered my Master his lifelong enemy."
"If Master had just made a mess, we could have beaten them up and gone looking, but since we don't know what's going on..."
"Beaten them up?"
"The elves, aside from the shamans, are very weak. Even you, Jern, could probably deal with them easily."
I didn't really want to do that. As I was thinking that the maid was just like her master, long vines descended from the top of the tree. One for each person.
I grabbed one just in case and tugged it a few times.
"They're not going to cut this midway, are they?"
"Hmm, I can survive."
"I can do a breakfall too!"
"Sir Brimdal will of course survive. And as for me..."
I am a body that cannot die from falling. Everyone is safe then. I shrugged my shoulders and climbed the vine.
And it was never actually cut. When I reached the top of the tree, a new world unfolded. I don't know how they made it, but there was a solid floor, and on it, geometric houses made of woven wood, and beautiful plants.
"Wow...! It's like a world from a fairy tale!"
It was just as Linmel had described. Above all, the purple leaves glittering in the sunlight were quite beautiful. The elves, each wearing similar clothes, were heading somewhere with happy expressions, balancing pools of water on their heads.
"Come, this way! I will show you to some good lodgings."
"Thank you. But um... is there a festival going on?"
When Ciel asked indirectly, Sedrak burst into a loud, hearty laugh.
"A festival? Hahaha! Yes, a festival, how could it not be a festival!"
"What is happening?"
"The long, long wait has ended, and the time etched in history has finally arrived! What need is there for more hatred, for more loathing!"
Was Dersia's cryptic way of talking a racial trait? Ciel also tilted her head, seemingly not understanding most of it.
"My apologies, could you please speak a little more simply?"
"The World Tree has finally moved!"
"?"
"Everything is as the prophecy foretold. He has given us the scripture, and said that if we act according to it, we will all receive eternal salvation!"
Sedrak pointed to a massive stone tablet placed in the center of the village.
"What a glorious thing this is! Ah, do you need it interpreted?"
"A little."
"Accept the blessing of the gods that is around you, that which the humans call magic! Those who refuse it are all minions of evil!"
"Dersia was right, magic was not a bad thing at all! It is the mercy of the gods, beneficial to learn, and we were merely deluded by false words into shunning it. What reason is there to fight..."
Ciel and I looked at each other.
"It has to be, right?"
"Yes."
It was definitely Dersia.
"It seems my Master's goal is to impersonate the World Tree and turn all the elves into mages."
The lodging Sedrak had guided us to. As soon as we unpacked our things, Ciel made such a statement with a dumbfounded expression. I tried to deny it, even though I knew my words lacked conviction.
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? It's not certain yet, after all."
"It is certain."
Ciel shoved a notebook at me, on which was written the contents of the stone tablet she had interpreted by asking the village elves one by one. Most of the elves were so cooperative that it took less than five minutes to make. Even though I was a human they were seeing for the first time.
"It says that if you consistently drink the sap from the World Tree for a month, you will develop an aptitude for magic."
"... Can a mage be made this easily?"
"No. It's absurd. And the only one who can pull off such an absurd stunt is my Master."
"What about the possibility that the World Tree really did issue an oracle?"
"That's just a big tree. Above all, the fact that my Master visited her hometown for your sake, Jern, leaves no room for doubt. She intends to turn all these numerous elves into mages."
It was hard to strongly deny it, because it was Dersia. She was the kind of person who would do something like this.
"And if elves learn magic, due to their infinite lifespan, they will one day fall. Without talent on the level of my Master, it is certain. What do you think about sacrificing innocent elves?"
"Of course I don't like it. Even more so if it's for my sake."
To be a fallen one is the same as falling into hell. The idea of casting all these elves into hell was a fact I couldn't possibly accept. Even though they were hostile to humans, they had never harmed me.
I couldn't agree that they deserved such treatment. And Dersia wouldn't do something like that either. While she might be chaos-aligned, she wouldn't make the decision to turn all the elves into fallen ones just for me.
"I agree that we need to find her and get an explanation as to why she's doing this. But how?"
"First, we have to find my Master. Persuasion and all that is only possible after we find her."
In the end, we have to find Dersia. But how are we supposed to find Dersia when she's deliberately hiding?
"We have no clues..."
I looked back and forth between Linmel, who was excitedly jumping on the bed, and Brimdal, whose thoughts I couldn't guess, and let out a sigh. There was no obvious way forward for now. The only thing to do was to walk around the village and listen for any testimony related to Dersia.
As I was thinking that, Linmel, whose eyes had been sparkling as she watched a procession moving outside, grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
"Jern! I think they're having a fireworks display in the village square, they're holding torches!"
"We don't have time for th..."
I, who was about to scold Linmel, abruptly turned my head.
"What? Torches?"
"Yeah! Look at the people over there!"
Elves were heading somewhere, holding torches. It looked incredibly dangerous at a glance. It's all wood and leaves; wouldn't a single spark give them a taste of the burning heart-realm?
"Is it okay to use fire on top of the trees?"
"Absolutely not. Fire is only used in very special cases, but I don't remember what those were..."
"Um, just a moment."
I spread my Tide Sense and listened to the shouts of the passing elves outside.
[How dare they misinterpret the will of the World Tree and make a fool of us!]
[What's so dangerous about learning magic? What are you going to do if the World Tree gets angry because of you!]
[Burn them! Burn the shamans!]
As my expression hardened, Ciel asked curiously.
"What is it?"
"Well... it's not a festival, it's a funeral."
"?"