Chapter 116 - When the world tree blossoms (1)

A cry spread from somewhere in the mansion.

The voice of a woman crying sorrowfully is heartbreaking.

Although she could no longer breathe, only dry tear marks remained around the eyes of the woman who cried bitterly.

It seems that the sadness contained in the tears alone was not enough to rid her of all the pain of losing a child.

"Lord August."

A broken window.

Tea items scattered everywhere.

However, unlike the dizzying surroundings, the tea in the cup had a bright green color.

"From now on, we will manage the site ourselves."

The commander of the imperial guard turned around upon hearing a voice.

Armor with golden engravings.

That armor was armor that only the emperor's guards could wear in the empire.

"…The crimes that occurred in the capital are the responsibility of our knightly order to manage."

"Of course, I know."

The middle-aged man standing in front of the commander of the imperial guard pulled out from his arms a piece of parchment rolled up with a small smile.

Edict with a golden seal.

The middle-aged man, holding a golden edict that only the emperor of the empire could issue, nodded and opened his mouth.

"But it's something His Majesty directly ordered, so I can't do anything about it."

"Everyone in the empire knows he's bedridden."

A middle-aged man wearing royal guard armor.

He just shrugged with an exaggerated gesture after hearing August's words.

"What kind of blasphemous talk is this? Apparently, I went to see His Majesty this morning."

"…"

August bit his lip as he looked at the man spouting nonsense.

The commander of the guard, who was supposed to protect the emperor, was actually waving his name around.

The mood of the imperial knights, who noticed August's anger, began to sharpen.

"By order of His Majesty the Emperor, transfer the investigative authority immediately. August, Commander of the Imperial Guard."

However, even as the situation became more heated, the middle-aged man simply rolled up the unfolded parchment.

With a slight sneer on his lips.

"From now on, our Imperial Guard will take charge of the scene here."

A cause heavier than a sword.

Facing the commander of the guard wielding a noble golden sword, August could only bow his head with a feeling of resentment.

The still dark mansion was filled with the mournful cries of a mother who lost her son.

***

"But how are you going to stop him?"

Snow up to their ankles.

The group wandering deep into the forest dismounted their horses and moved forward, holding onto the reins.

However, even as their steps progressed, Vlad's eyes were focused on the man in the gray hood.

"If we keep raiding wagons, won't the tea be sold? I heard it's doing very well."

I don't know exactly what he was doing, but it was related to the imperial family.

Furthermore, since he was someone who recognized the sound of the voice, it was natural for Vlad to express curiosity towards him.

At 18, he was still young enough to crave experience and knowledge.

"…As you said, we couldn't prevent it from being sold."

The man in the gray hood looked at Vlad with a bitter smile.

As Vlad said, the imperial guard, who had been crippled, couldn't remove the cobwebs deeply entrenched in the empire.

"That's why we cut it off immediately."

"What?"

"Hive. I need to find out what's inside."

If you can't unearth what's hidden at the bottom, you have to pull it out.

August, who knew this, used himself as bait to steal Vitskaya's carriage.

"…By the way, you said the Count had asked for help from the Dragon Slayer Knights, right?"

"If they said so."

Although it was only a young knight named Vlad who was dragged against his initial intention, the youth in front of him still asked for the only information he wanted.

It was information about a fallen dragon huddled in a hive.

'Asking for help directly from Dragulia instead of resorting to the imperial family…'

It wasn't unusual for a local lord to ask for help from the Dragon Slayer Knights to solve a difficult task.

However, there was an order and a procedure in everything, and August had never heard that the Vitskaya family followed that procedure.

"Why the Dragon Slayer Knights?"

"No."

The young knight in front of you may be curious about everything in the world, but sometimes it's better not to know.

If the fallen dragon is gnawing at its leash as you think, then just knowing about it will make you very angry.

"Look over there, Captain! I guess it's over there!"

"…So."

Vlad, who had been conversing with August for a while, inadvertently opened his mouth when he heard Goethe shout.

"What's so big?"

There was a forest.

A forest that doesn't lose its green color even in winter.

Although it was tinged with white by the falling snow, a warmth that not even the cold snow could control was felt in the forest before me.

"That's the elves' forest."

An elf forest that hides in the depths and doesn't easily open the door to anyone.

Vlad couldn't close his mouth as he looked at the seemingly endless green horizon.

"So that's the World Tree?"

"Yes."

Elf forest. Ausurin.

A massive tree towered above the green sea, looking down at Vlad.

***

The brightly lit office of someone.

In a place completely covered with brown trees, the platinum blonde hair of the girl gleamed in the sunlight.

"Brother."

"Yes. Lady."

There was a chair, but the platinum blonde girl sitting at the desk frowned as if she didn't like Varadis's response.

"…Okay."

She said it as if pouting, but she knew it was something she couldn't avoid.

Still, I couldn't help but feel disappointment growing in my heart and puffing up my small cheeks.

"Take this with you when you go."

"Yes?"

Varadis had a puzzled expression on his face as he looked at the basket the girl was handing him.

Before I knew it, a basket full of fruit had piled up around the room.

The girl's golden eyes gleamed with the brightness of the shiny fruit.

"It seemed like you were hungry."

"…Who's hungry?"

Varadis couldn't hide his puzzled expression as he accepted the basket.

Even when she was young, she had a peculiar side, but after becoming a priestess of the World Tree, she became even harder to understand.

"Lord Varadis."

"Hmm?"

However, the answer to the question came from someone other than the girl.

"During the reconnaissance, we found humans wandering nearby."

"Throw them out."

A report you don't have to worry about.

However, the elf who came to report seemed concerned and continued speaking.

"That's…"

"What."

Varadis's expression was completely different from when he faced the girl.

Varadis's expression had transformed into that of a firm-hearted, cold-hearted leader without anyone noticing.

"The intruders are looking for Varadis."

"…What?"

"To be exact, they say they were invited by Varadis."

Varadis frowned and looked at the informant in front of him.

The elf, who recognized the question with his eyes even though he didn't say it verbally, brought forth a name he had brought before him.

"The intruder introduced himself as Vlad of Soara."

"…"

After hearing the informant's words, Varadis looked at the basket he was holding unconsciously.

"You said you were hungry?"

"Yes?"

Varadis turned his head and looked at the girl.

The girl laughed and tapped her feet as if telling him to go ahead.

***

"Elves have prisons too."

"It's also my first time coming here."

"Do they not use nails? There's no trace of anything related."

Unlike Goethe, who was crouched in a corner with a gloomy expression, Vlad wandered through the elves' prison.

"Captain. Are you really invited?"

"I heard it's true."

"So, is it good etiquette for elves to shoot arrows at all their guests?"

"…But it wasn't right."

Vlad looked at the gray-hooded man and Goethe staring at him and scratched his cheek with his finger as if embarrassed.

As they had been invited, he thought they could enter confidently, but in reality, what greeted them were only deadly arrows and a cold prison.

"You still haven't paid for your life."

"You went in first."

"Are Northerners really so brazen?"

Vlad pretended not to notice the criticism and resentment coming from him and gripped the bars with both hands.

'If you're going to do this, why did you invite me?'

Vlad has an idea about the voice.

August has a clue about Absilon.

There was no reason to doubt because what both wanted was here in the elf forest.

Even if he knew it would end up like this, it was a place he had to come to.

'…It was subtly sharp.'

However, what was putting Vlad on edge wasn't his current situation in prison.

A feeling that only people who live in the alleys and are sensitive to crises can smell.

The elves who found them sensed that familiar feeling.

Rumble-

Vlad leaned his face against the bars when he heard the sound of the door opening in front of him.

"I'm sorry."

Dark blue hair and navy blue eyes.

A cold-looking elf had mobilized his lieutenants and was approaching with a basket in one hand.

"Vlad of Soara. Welcome to our forest."

"Do elves say welcome in prison?"

"Well. Let's take this first."

Varadis was superior to Vlad in ignoring people's words.

"Are you going to get me out of here?"

"Just eat that and wait a day. There are procedures we have to follow to get you out."

Vlad's eyebrows narrowed when he was told to wait another day.

"I hope you understand. Nowadays, it's time for everyone to be smarter. Once people are in prison, the process to get them out is complicated."

"But why is everyone so cautious? When I arrived here, it seemed calm nearby."

The elves' overly sharp attitude.

Vlad felt a strange wariness in their cold demeanor, as if they mistrusted something rather than hostility towards humans.

"…The dragon is coming."

It was a story that didn't need to be told to humans, but Varadis calmly explained it.

Blue eyes staring at you.

Because those eyes were what the World Tree priestess was paying attention to.

Varadis thought there must be a reason they arrived in Ausurin at that moment.

"It will soon be time for the World Tree to bloom."

"Bloom?"

After hearing Varadis's words, Vlad unconsciously touched Alicia's amber stone.

In the amber landscape shown by the girl, the red maple was clearly in bloom.

"If. Bloom."

The name of a single God.

And the young World Tree that managed to take root while avoiding imperial ambitions.

However, humans were not the only ones focused on the young roots and fragrant flowers.

"The sharpest dragon has always aimed for the World Tree's flowers."

Young petals are fragrant, and young roots are desirable.

However, there were countless beings all over the world who coveted fragrant and desirable things.

Although all young and delicate things in this world definitely deserve to bloom.

"I'm sorry to welcome you at a bad time."

"…No."

How remote is the possibility of a world taking root and blooming safely.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Then you must protect that moment.

And I swore before my discipline that I would do so.

"Thank you for saying something."

Men's souls are light, and their mouths rotten.

Beings that can never be trusted.

But now the spirits surrounding the blue-eyed knight were speaking.

This person is the one who was protected.

The white serpent on the armor and the mole beneath the sword said so.

"…"

The memory of an amber-carved tree reflected in Varadis's eyes.

A nostalgic World Tree that can no longer be seen and blooms bright red.

The knight below clearly held a familiar sword.

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