Episode 48
About a month has passed since I left Andril.
The humid air made me sweat even if I sat still, and I guessed that the distance to the rainforest was not far away.
As he accompanied the elves, his movement speed was quite fast, which must have had a big impact.
Just imitating their unique gait seemed to make their bodies lighter, and they took on miscellaneous tasks such as killing monsters they encountered, so they had plenty of stamina.
As he moved, the Demon King's words suddenly decreased.
The guy who used to sneer and laugh whenever he had a chance, but if he didn't care, he became so quiet that he forgot that he was with him. I didn't really care about it because he was a guy who couldn't catch it from the beginning.
The elves who moved with me were also not very talkative. Even if you add up all the conversations you've had with the elves, it's less than half of what the Demon King usually does.
As I glanced to the side while lighting the bonfire, the elf, who had been holding on to the bow and watching the surroundings, bowed his head with an emotionless face.
I feel like I'm being escorted rather than accompanied. The reason why I am treated so harshly is probably because of the branches of the World Tree that have been absorbed into me.
However, until now, I had no idea how to handle the power of the World Tree. If it weren't for the soul contract, I might have thought that the Demon King had lied to me.
"I'm arriving at Daewoorim tomorrow."
A female elf approached next to her and said in a dry voice.
A familiar face. This is because it was the elf who broke into the Master's dungeon to find the branches of the World Tree.
It seemed that there was a separate leader among the elves, but most of the communication with me was handled by this elf named Viruta.
“… Already?"
I had been traveling for quite a while, but I didn't understand that I would arrive today.
It is none other than the Great Rainforest.
The realm of the elves, where humans are not allowed to walk, is said to be a jungle of trees over ten meters long.
Even when I looked around, I couldn't see such a huge tree. However, Viruta nodded without any explanation and withdrew.
The question was resolved around lunch the next day.
The moment one of the leading elves put his hand in the air, the space shook and the jungle appeared.
“…!”
Literally, it was a scene where the word Daewoorim fitted.
The appearance of the rainforest where the elves lived was very different from what I had expected.
There was no fantastic city that was green and beautiful, something that would only come out of a fairy tale.
The tall trees obscured the sun and were as dark as night, and the insects hovering nearby boasted a large size that reminded them of those of the demon world.
In addition, the humid air, which gave the illusion that it was underwater, was on a different level from the world outside the barrier. Even though he knew it couldn't be, he even asked Viruta if it was not an intrusion from the outside, but a barrier that prevented the humidity from escaping.
“….”
Of course, Biruta looked at me with an expressionless face, and then just turned her head.
I hesitated for no reason and looked around silently.
You can feel the gaze everywhere. Even so, the only elves I could see were the tree searchers who had been with me so far.
-It's a tree.
'Tree?'
At the voice of the demon king, which I hadn't heard in a long time, I narrowed my eyes and looked at the nearby trees.
It was as if several old trees were entangled in one place. It was a strange type of tree that was hard to find anywhere else, but surprisingly, there were a lot of such trees growing around here.
‘…!’
I struggled with the tree for a while, and then I noticed a flash of eyes through the gaps in the tree.
It would have been quite an eerie sight if I had seen it at night. After a while, a humming voice echoed from somewhere.
"The tree searchers are back."
"It's human."
"Familiar... I feel a familiar aura."
"Why did you bring a human?"
Viruta said as he stood.
"I found a piece of a great tree."
In an instant, the entire rainforest seemed to vibrate.
'Earthquake? No, this is...'
All the plants growing in the rainforest are shaken. It is not because the earth is shaking, but because the plants tremble and move to the earth.
"Where is the piece?"
"Alas, finally."
"Familiar energy... The Great Tree..."
It was a phenomenal and terrifying sight at the same time.
How powerful their power is that all these vast lands tremble.
"This man has a great tree in his body."
"He is a human who handles spirits. Not a crude replica, but a real spirit."
"The time has come to fulfill our wishes."
* * *
Long lifespan and beautiful appearance. A voice that sounds like listening to music. Even fresh harvesting.
Humans who learned about the mysterious beings of elves have wanted to own them for a long time.
The nobles enslaved the elves to show off their wealth and power, and there were many magical attempts to take away their time.
Therefore, the elves were hostile to humans.
Therefore, I was convinced. In history, there are only a handful of humans who have been treated so harshly in the rainforest, the realm of elves.
At most, it was the first hero or his colleagues.
I picked up a fruit from the basket and put it in my mouth.
The smooth surface is tangy and bursting, and you can feel the sweet taste in your mouth. At the same time, a satisfying feeling of fullness began to rise.
'I can't believe that one small kernel is so full...'
I feel like I can replace one meal enough.
But on the contrary, it felt regrettable. This is because I wanted to feel the sweetness I felt when I first put the fruit in my mouth again.
Do elves replace meals with just one fruit like this? I thought I could understand why all the elves I had seen so far maintained their skinny bodies.
As I walked with a small realization behind, I looked down at the endless jungle through the gaps in the trees.
The place where I am now is the tallest tree in the rainforest. It was a huge tree that reminded me of the legendary World Tree.
It was just a space between the cracks that grew up over the years, but it was enough for me to live alone. Even if the trees I saw in the rainforest were thicker than other trees, it was thick and thick.
-It's the result of their own research. Of course, I don't have any ideas.
The Demon King, who had been keeping his mouth shut, said.
"What?"
-You must have guessed enough? Think about it. What is the secret of the elves?
There was no way he knew. The elf race itself was like a phantom species that was hard to find in human society. But it wasn't hard to guess.
The reason why tree hunters left the rainforest and wandered around human territory. It was to chase the traces of the World Tree. This tree, which immediately reminded me of the World Tree, is also one of the efforts to restore the World Tree somehow.
Although it is said that it is impossible for the demon king to see.
- The resurrection of the World Tree and the restoration of complete animalism. This is what the elves have been hoping for ever since the World Tree withered and the curtain of the Age of Mythology fell. As you can see, both of them are terrible.
“….”
I don't know if it's bad, but I didn't understand the word it's bad.
I remember the elven tree giant who was not pushed back by the branches of the World Tree and the master who fused with it. This tree, which cannot be compared to other trees, is also nothing short of amazing.
-The embodiment of the law of magic. Reproducing phenomena that have already occurred is also one of the magic.
In the past, the Demon King's words would have been thought to be the sound of catching floating clouds, but he was able to recognize them thanks to absorbing his master's soul and experiencing some of the memories. That short sentence was the core of the core that runs through the study of magic.
-That's why the spiritism of the elves is insignificant. Just because it's powerful doesn't mean it's great magic. Since it does not contain the essence in it, it is only useless in the end.
If it was simply to create powerful magic, it would have been a successful result, but it was a failure because it did not reach the goal of resurrecting the World Tree at all.
"By the way, if spiritism is a by-product of research to revive the World Tree..."
-Ok. The World Tree is one of the beings that coordinated Middle-earth. It is a real spirit that existed in ancient times.
“…!”
Real spirits. I've already heard of it. The elves saw the Ice Spirit and called it that.
So, does this little guy next to me mean that he is the same being as the ancient transcendentals who orchestrated Middle-earth, including the World Tree?
It was impossible to simply pass it on because the elves had studied spirits more deeply than anyone else.
Only now did I understand that the elves reacted with astonishment when they saw the ice spirit.
It will prove that the goal that has been studied for thousands of years exists in reality, even if it is in a different form.
Perhaps the role of the Ice Spirit in the elves' hospitality to me was as great as the branches of the World Tree.
However, if the Ice Spirit and the World Tree are on the same level, then the rest of the ingredients that the Demon King prepared as materials for the Holy Sword are also on the same level...
-So what do you think about it now?
From the kingdom of Balaich, he headed to the royal capital to meet his subordinates arranged by the Demon King, and he headed to Andril to find treasures scattered everywhere.
I managed to pass another ordeal in the middle, but it wasn't what I intended.
Originally, I would have had to leave to find other treasures. The power of each treasure is enormous, and trials will come from anywhere.
Nevertheless, there was one reason why I came to Daewoorim, which had no treasures.
"I'm going to increase my strength."
To be precise, I needed a time and place to reflect on my power.
I was originally just an apprentice warlock, but suddenly I was given a lot of power. Therefore, I needed to find out exactly what kind of power I possessed and learn it in my body.
What if you have a capable minion like an ice spirit? What if you gain magical knowledge through your master's memory and absorb the branches of the World Tree? If I don't handle it properly, it's meaningless.
I definitely realized it in the battle with my teacher.
Among the lieutenant magic, I was able to use the powerful explosion, but what I did was run with a scythe.
I'm not a knight. Even if it can absorb the souls of Holy Templars and imitate Aurora.
-Well, I don't think that was bad either. It was quite a pleasant sight.
“….”
In that sense, Daewoorim was chosen.
I thought that if the elves were more knowledgeable about spiritism than anyone else, it would be enough to get a clue to how to properly handle the Ice Spirit. The method of using the branches of the World Tree that I have absorbed will never be obtained anywhere other than the rainforest.
It would have been impossible if it weren't for the friendly attitude of the elves towards me, but it was clear that there was a place where I could grow faster than anywhere else on the continent.
"Then, shall we go out now?"
-Where to?
"Of course, out there..."
As I approached through the gap that was open like a window, I had no choice but to stop.
Slurp.
This is because the tree moved and blocked the gap.
“….”
-Wow, puff...!
In the end, the demon king couldn't stand it and burst into laughter.
-Now that they have become mad, you thought it was too easy to think of the elves' tenacity. Love it.
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