Silence fell, heavy and absolute, as if time itself had ground to a halt.
“The mountains are high. The explorers this old one once knew said that conquering those peaks was their dream. But no one has ever truly conquered a mountain, for the mountains belong to no one. Do you wish to see the highest heavens? Then I shall send you to the mountains.”
In that frozen world, only the old Elf spoke.
“The forests are vast. This old one knows the woods better than anyone. I was born in the oldest forest, and of all the lives upon this land, I have dwelt within it the longest. Life is contained within the forest. Do you wish to know the truth—that the lives of the small and the great are no different? Then I shall send you to the forest.”
The old Elf’s voice was benevolent, yet it carried an undeniable weight.
“The sea is like a mother’s embrace, and the plains are like a father’s back. Truth is woven into all of nature. In a tiny leaf, in the blue expanse of the sky, and even in the sun hanging at the zenith of the heavens, the world is reflected. So, tell me—what kind of world do you wish to face?”
Speaking with such kindness, the old Elf slowly approached. With every step he took toward me, his appearance shifted. By the time he was close enough for our noses to almost touch, the old Elf reflected in my eyes looked like a single, primordial tree. It was a tree more massive than any I had ever known, one so vast I dared not even look up at its peak.
I found myself muttering, “…Who are you, Elder?”
The answer came immediately.
“High Elf Nadine. All who know me call me by that name.”
High Elf.
It was a term I had never heard before.
But I had no time to dwell on the unfamiliar word. From the moment the old Elf drew near, my body had stiffened, refusing to move. My mind wasn’t right, either. Everything felt hazy and blurred, as if this situation weren’t reality, but a fever dream…
“Is there nowhere you wish to go? Nothing you wish to see?”
While I struggled to regain my senses through the crushing lethargy, the old Elf slowly raised his hand toward my chest. I could vividly feel the texture of his withered palm.
Then.
“Then, this old one shall choose for—”
Thump—
My heart gave a powerful, singular beat.
“—you?”
With that one beat, a tremor surged through my entire body. In the next instant, my clouded mind snapped awake, and my eyes flew open. The moment I broke free from the haze, the old Elf’s body recoiled. The Elf, who had been pressed right against me just a second ago, was suddenly blown back as if repelled by an invisible force.
“…?”
The old Elf’s expression turned subtle.
Perplexity flickered in his eyes. He looked like a man who couldn’t comprehend what had just occurred.
「An unpleasant old man has appeared,」 Liam clicked his tongue. 「Keep your wits about you, young descendant.」
“What was that just now…?”
「He used the World Tree. It is one of the oldest authorities, a power that no living creature dwelling within nature can resist. It’s a trick those knife-ears love to use.」
“….”
「You were nearly blown to the other side of the continent just now, young descendant.」
The other side of the continent. The mere thought was terrifying.
“Just what is that old Elf?”
「Did you not hear? He is a High Elf. A fairy who has existed since the days when the continent was called the First Land. A living being who has walked this earth longer than almost any other. He is an ancient thing, older than even some of the gods.」
“…Excuse me?”
「Nadine, eh? That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. An old man who performs the most troublesome of feats.」
The old Elf—High Elf Nadine—stared at me.
「Though, no matter how grand, those feats are nothing more than child’s play to a Caravan.」
High Elf Nadine’s eyes took on a deep green glow. Immediately, the lethargy tried to claim me again. My vision blurred, and even when I tried to move, everything felt faint, as if I were flailing underwater.
However.
「Steel defeats wood.」
Along with the sound of my heartbeat, the haze vanished once more.
「No matter how magnificent the World Tree may be, before the Blood of Steel, it is merely a large tree.」
The gaze High Elf Nadine fixed on me grew sharp. The old Elf was no longer smiling.
“…Caravan?”
“….”
“Does their bloodline still remain?”
High Elf Nadine’s voice was no longer benevolent.
“This old one judged incorrectly. You, too, are a sinner. If the Blood of Steel flows within you, that alone is a grave sin. How could you be anything but a sinner? Descendants born upon the blood spilled by the world… beings who should never have appeared in this world….”
An ominous aura began to radiate from High Elf Nadine. My instincts screamed that this was dangerous.
And then.
“High Elf Nadine!”
With a thunderous shout, knights clad in gray appeared. The Ash Knights. The strongest knight order of the Iron Kingdom, protectors of Blade City and the Royal Guard directly under the crown. Their dark blades glinted as they reflected the sunlight.
“Leave this place at once, First Elf! We did not grant you permission to be here. You have no right to tread upon the Land of Steel, nor the authority to cross the Blade Walls. If you return now, we shall not hold you accountable for your trespass. So leave! Go and fulfill your duty. Tend to your World Tree in the depths of the forest as you have for centuries. According to the Law, a High Elf must not step outside the Great Forest. Will you defy the command of the gods? Do you intend to abandon your duty, just as Hugo Rhapsody did?”
The voices of the Ash Knights rang out powerfully. Their arrival immediately dominated the atmosphere. Yet, even before the momentum they projected, High Elf Nadine did not back down.
“Do you know?”
“Leave, at once!”
“An innocent Elf has died. By the standards of humans, that Elf might have been old, but by the standards of the oldest forest, that child was a mere infant. Let me put it in your terms. Because of the deeds of the foolish and arrogant Ian Chervil, who believes himself the greatest on the continent, an infant cherished and loved by all the fairies of the Great Forest has died. That infant was decapitated, and the severed head was impaled on a pike to decorate a beach—as if displaying a work of art. That child was the first Elf born in a hundred years, the child and sibling of every Elf—”
“Do not speak His Highness’s name with that mouth! How dare you—”
“I am warning you. Do not interrupt me. Ever.”
High Elf Nadine’s eyes turned toward the Ash Knights. A horribly uncomfortable silence fell before Nadine spoke again, his lips trembling slightly.
“I have heard all the rumors drifting through the world, the voices of those who chatter incessantly. There are those who harp on the duty of an idler, those who condemn the Rhapsodys, those who praise Ian Chervil, and those who bite and claw at one another. It was confusing. But did you think this old one would fail to perceive the truth? I lived through the Age of War myself. The current situation is much like it was then. Instead of seeking the truth, everyone was too busy blaming and fighting one another. There is a maxim that says there is no future for those who forget history. This old one has not forgotten.”
“….”
“According to the era I endured, in times of such chaos, those who reap profit from the turmoil are the true sinners. You have put in much effort in various ways. But did you think this old one would be swayed by the voices of others? Did you think I would heed the words of those who have never even experienced the Age of War?”
High Elf Nadine’s voice continued to rise. As he spoke, an intense aura began to swirl around him.
“Whether you destroy the Free Cities, bring about another Age of War, or expand this insignificant Iron Kingdom, the oldest forest does not care. But if you harm our children, the matter changes. A tiny seed can also become a forest. Every fairy knows the truth of nature. You have harmed the forest, and thus, you have harmed us all.”
Something erupted from beneath High Elf Nadine’s feet. They were roots—the roots of a tree that writhed with a will of its own. In that moment, one of the Ash Knights shouted.
“Block him! Don’t let him call upon the World Tree!”
The thunderous shout exploded. The situation was on a hair-trigger.
High Elf Nadine’s eyes turned toward me.
“It is fortunate I realized you were a sinner. Now I need not worry about my surroundings. For in this place, there is nothing but sinners. No matter who is caught in the crossfire, it will all be a righteous judgment.”
The moment the old Elf’s chilling voice poured out, goosebumps erupted all over my skin. The intense energy radiating from High Elf Nadine’s body began to manifest. It was an overwhelmingly powerful force. Could I escape this? Instinctively, my hand went to my waist. Could I cut through that with my sword? I couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
And then.
“Reach out! Your hand!”
A sharp, clear voice rang out. It was a voice I knew.
Turning my head toward the sound, I saw a hole. A hole punched into thin air—a magically created warp gate. On the other side of the gate, I saw Audrey.
“Grab my hand, hurry—!”
Magic was supposed to be forbidden in the Blade City of Cherny, so how? For a split second, my chronic habit of suspicion flared up, but there was no time for questions. While the sky was falling, a hole had opened up to crawl through. The moment I saw the exit, I reached out without hesitation. As I grasped Audrey’s hand, my body was pulled into the warp gate. Seeing this, High Elf Nadine’s expression twisted. I looked at the old Elf and spoke.
“Elder.”
“….”
“Let’s meet again after I’ve gotten stronger.”
I’ll remember this. You damn old geezer.
*
Let’s meet again after I’ve gotten stronger.
Leaving those words behind, the descendant of the Caravan vanished like smoke.
High Elf Nadine hurriedly borrowed the power of the World Tree connected to him to track the descendant. But he could find no trace. What is this?
‘…Was there a Tower Master or a Witch among his companions?’
Otherwise, magic of this level was inexplicable. Frowning, Nadine abandoned his lingering attachment to the vanished Caravan descendant. Since no trace could be found, tracking was already a lost cause. Besides, he had enemies right in front of him to worry about.
“Scatter! That cursed old man has summoned the World Tree—!”
Listening to the knight shouting at the top of his lungs, Nadine slowly closed his eyes.
‘That was the most chilling thing I’ve heard in the last hundred years.’
Let’s meet again.
It was a common enough threat. But if the person uttering that threat was a ‘Caravan,’ nothing could be more terrifying. Nadine knew the characteristics of the Caravans. Their beginnings were humble, but their ends were magnificent. Nadine knew countless legends of the Caravans, knew their myths, and had even seen their greatness with his own two eyes. Therefore, he knew all too well how terrifying that currently insignificant descendant would become, provided he survived to the end. Truly, all too well.
Well, for now—
“Get back! Get back—!”
“Retreat!”
Dealing with the enemies at hand was more pressing than the future.
Nadine slowly closed his eyes. With that, the World Tree granted the old Elf transcendental power—a power permitted only to High Elves.
“Gah—”
The moment the power granted by the World Tree awakened, thick roots erupted from beneath the feet of the retreating Ash Knights. The surging roots began to devour every living thing upon the ground. The bodies of those caught by the roots were crushed and broken. Their blood and flesh became nourishment for the greedy roots. Those who narrowly managed to flee suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed one by one. Sprouts began to grow from their sprawled bodies. Purple sprouts. The corpses, losing their original forms as they were dismantled, were soon swallowed by the growing sprouts and transformed into trees.
Thus, the gray city began to be stained with green.
Yes.
“High Elf Nadine.”
Until the sharpest sword protecting the Blade City appeared.
“Return to your forest.”
Swordmaster Carlos.
The moment the roots of the World Tree reached the Blade Palace, Ian Chervil’s Executioner appeared to eliminate anything that posed even the slightest threat to his master.
Seeing Carlos, High Elf Nadine laughed.
“The Swordmaster loved by the gods has appeared.”
“….”
“I heard the world calls you the Executioner. How did you end up in such a state?”
“….”
Carlos’s expression remained unchanged at Nadine’s words.
“Your ancestors were not like this.”
Until Nadine mentioned that word.
“How did you fall so far? O, Sword of the Heavens.”
The moment those words left Nadine’s mouth, Carlos’s sword was drawn. The instant the blade was revealed, the world was cleaved in two. The power of the World Tree granted to Nadine, the roots that had been devouring the Blade City, and the spirit arts that had been claiming countless lives—all were cut away and extinguished.
By the time Carlos’s sword returned to its sheath, Nadine’s head was rolling on the ground, separated from his body.
Carlos walked slowly and looked down at the old Elf’s head. Nadine’s head, eyes wide open, soon scattered into leaves, vines, and branches. Nadine was not dead. Because a High Elf’s soul is bound to the World Tree, even if they meet death, they are reborn within the Great Forest.
With a dry expression, Carlos looked down at the spot where Nadine had vanished.
Then, he muttered.
“I abandoned that name long ago.”
