It’s my turn to show you my disgrace.
“Don’t even think about running away, Yujin.”
“……”
“Anyway, you can’t go back without Shia.”
“Haa. Fine.”
With those words, Olga stood in front of the fake World Tree with Shia and Yujin.
“I told Shia that this is a fake World Tree. Even though we elves know it, we can’t escape the trauma of losing our Mother World Tree, and we long for the old Great Forest, treating this fake as a substitute.”
Shia already heard that much.
But elves aren’t fools either.
They only turn a blind eye to reality because the trauma is too painful to bear, and everyone remains quiet, pretending everything is fine because they think this fake is better than nothing.
Instead, their animosity towards outsiders and humans reached unprecedented levels in the history of loving nature and life, resulting in decades of living with extreme restrictions on interactions with humans from Earth.
And when Olga touched the fake World Tree, a certain part of its wood rotted away, creating a hole big enough for the three of us to enter.
“Looks like the World Tree has such a function?”
“It’s only possible for me. Other elves probably don’t know.”
It was more like an entrance than a hole.
As Olga hopped in with a leisurely gait, Shia and Yujin followed carefully.
“In the previous world, we were betrayed by the humans, and the Great Forest was burned. We lost the World Tree.”
“….Yeah, that’s all my fault.”
“No, it’s not your fault, Yujin.”
Shia tilted her head while looking at Yujin.
She didn’t know the details of what had happened between them or Yujin’s circumstances in the previous world, but even considering that, the negative feelings of guilt and inferiority emanating from Yujin seemed quite severe.
It seemed that the façade of being an S-grade Hunter and the rough words shared with her were all just an act.
And Olga continued to speak to Yujin, as if reassuring him.
“I know Yujin did his best.”
“No. You don’t understand.”
Yujin’s reflection, following behind Olga, momentarily shook.
It wasn’t because the mana had run out.
It was because his emotions were in turmoil, making it difficult to maintain his ability.
“Olga, it’s the first time you’ve seen me directly, right? If you had seen my actions in the previous world, you wouldn’t say such things…”
“What if I had seen them?”
“What?”
In an instant, Yujin’s expression hardened at what young Olga said.
He was so flustered that his male form flickered away for an instant, reverting back to his original form as a dark-haired beauty.
Shorter in height, somewhat lacking in maternal characteristics, but the light muscles and scars scattered across his body gave off a rough yet captivating beauty.
“Oh my, aren’t you pretty, Fake Hero? Wouldn’t it be better to keep going around like that? Your fans would love it.”
“Shut up! And Olga…! What do you mean by that just now? Seeing me directly, what does that mean?!”
Having returned to his actual form, Yujin approached Olga and grabbed her arm.
Olga, who turned her head slowly, was looking at Yujin with an unreadable expression.
When they first met Shia, she had a pure, naive demeanor that matched her appearance, but the current Olga had a slightly strange atmosphere.
Shia felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen that gaze somewhere.
“Yujin.”
“Could it be that you…”
In Yujin’s eyes, there was urgency and even a glimmer of the small hope he had long since discarded.
Of course, it wasn’t just hope that was visible.
Guilt, despair, sadness, and self-loathing as well.
Despite it not being directed at herself, Shia felt Yujin’s emotions.
“It hurts.”
“….I’m sorry… I…”
Finally, Yujin released his grip on Olga’s arm.
He must have moved his body instinctively when his emotions flared up.
“Don’t worry, Yujin. You’ll soon understand.”
“………..”
Thus, Shia and Yujin resumed walking through the darkness of the World Tree, guided by Olga.
The World Tree was fundamentally larger than most gigantic buildings. Inside was dark, but lights that could either be spirits or fireflies faintly illuminated the interior, indicating to Shia that they were descending underground.
After a while, they spotted a small pupil.
It was smaller than the Elf Great Hall’s pupil that had swarmed Antamia, but it was still about the size of an average soccer field.
And….
Smell of malice… It’s incredibly foul.
As soon as they stepped inside the pupil, Shia frowned at the nauseatingly pungent scent of malice that pierced her brain.
It had been a long time since she encountered such intense malevolence.
It was on a scale comparable to the concentration she felt when facing the Demon King at close range.
“It’s rotting.”
Inside the pupil, pitch-black sludge, reminiscent of dark blood, was pooling everywhere.
What should have been the radiant and sacred interior of the World Tree was filled with decaying black sludge and malice.
And something was crawling within that liquid.
“…Chaos Ants?”
“That’s right. They are ants.”
Of course, they were far smaller than the original size of the 3-meter-tall Chaos Ant.
But those tiny ants were slowly swelling in size with each passing second, disappearing into a hole somewhere in the pupil and into the earth.
“The elves still don’t know where the Chaos Ants came from. At first, they thought the queen was hiding somewhere, digging into the ground… but it was futile. So the Lotus Lake Knight Order commander, Elanar, changed the strategy to stop the relentless assault of the Chaos Ants instead. After all, the commander alone could handle the Chaos Ant army.”
Yeah, now I understand how there were so many Chaos Ants in the Great Forest.
“The queen of the Chaos Ants… this must be it.”
“Exactly.”
Olga turned to face Shia and Yujin, somewhat calmly, yet as if she already knew.
No, it was beyond mere knowledge.
Antamia is merely a princess ant that strayed and rebelled.
Well, to put it bluntly… one could argue that it wouldn’t be strange to consider Olga to be the hidden figure behind this.
“Shia, actually, I haven’t told you the reason I invited you to the Elf Great Forest till now…”
At Olga’s words, Shia lifted her head.
Come to think of it, even a week after Shia started staying in the Great Forest, Olga still hadn’t formally stated the purpose of her invitation.
She only vaguely asked for her help, and Shia declared she would do everything in her power to assist, as she couldn’t bear to see her beloved Mangja Seongnyeo saddened.
However, she had never clearly mentioned what she needed help with or why she was sad.
Initially, she thought it was purely about healing an unknown plague that was going around between the Chaos Ants and the elves. In reality, letting that illness linger long-term would have weakened the elves as a whole eventually.
“Among the things you thought, there’s one thing that’s completely wrong.”
“What is it?”
“The disease that the elves suffered from wasn’t caused by Antamia polluting the waters or soil of the Great Forest. Antamia probably did release some of that ant venom into the lake… but the Blessed Lake of the Great Forest can’t be tainted just that much.”
Well, it probably wasn’t completely unaffected.
After saying that, Olga placed her hands on the rotting tree roots inside the pupil.
“But this is the real issue.”
And from Olga’s touch, a thick black liquid filled with malice began to rise.
“Olga?”
“I won’t apologize for deceiving you.”
“What could you possibly have to hide?”
Well, that could be the case.
This was a matter too complex to ask for help from others or even other elves.
It transcended the level of sociocultural taboos that the child of the World Tree, Olga, would find hard to admit — an unfathomably shameful dark history.
And since they entered the pupil, Yujin hadn’t been able to say anything.
“Ah, ah…”
Yujin’s gaze wasn’t directed towards young Olga.
He was fixated on the upper section of the pupil, where the decaying roots and the small space saturated with thick black liquid flowed and pooled.
“Olga… Olga. Olga…”
At Yujin’s call, the thick liquid that had been pooled in space slowly began to flow down.
And the form of someone began to emerge gradually.
From the pooled space emerged an elf that appeared to be seated.
Long ears, but pale skin.
Thick black liquid flowed from her body, and her eyes had transformed into malice.
Most notably, her arms and legs twisted into something neither human nor elf.
And she looked remarkably like Olga.
If Olga were to grow up, would she take on such a form?
Oh right, that was an ant.
The queen of the Chaos Ants must have been that.
Now, I can see the insect antennae sprouting from her forehead clearly.
“My name is Olganiaparchelotis, the last child of the World Tree.”
The young Olga looked up at the decaying and corrupted elf with tear-filled eyes.
“And she is another me, the child of the former World Tree, Olganiayraenierbeld… the child of the World Tree whom Yujin’s teammate was.”
“Ah, ah… ahhh…”
At those words, it felt as if the world collapsed beneath Yujin’s feet, and he fell to his knees.
“We are named Olganiya, children of the World Tree. We are one yet separate, the last flower left by the World Tree. Though the World Tree cannot bear flowers, we alone exist, and the fruit of that is the existence of Olganiya.”
Creak, creak!
At that moment, the decaying elf, the fallen Olganiya began to move slowly with a creaking sound.
With lifeless eyes, akin to those of a doll, she swayed from side to side before fixing her gaze on Shia, Yujin, and young Olganiya right below her.
Simultaneously, decaying branches began to slowly grow.
“Shia, Yujin, I’m sorry. Actually, this isn’t a fake World Tree. It’s the real World Tree… the fallen Word Tree.”
The rotten branches began to ensnare Olga’s legs.
“Olga!!”
“Please don’t come. I beg you.”
“What do you mean by that?!”
“Shia, please stop Yujin.”
“What!?”
At those words, Shia stepped in front of Yujin and protected Olga.
“Get out of the way this instant!”
“Olga doesn’t want that!”
“What the hell kind of nonsense is that! Are you still a Seongnyeo?!”
“I’m the one who accepted Olga’s request. And the dead need a method of consolation unique to the dead.”
Whether it was Shia or Yujin, they could charge in and tear away the branches obstructing them at that moment.
However, Olga held them back, allowing the rotting branches to slowly climb her up from her feet.
“Thank you, Shia. As expected, you are the streamer I loved. Hehe.”
“O, Olga, Olga…!”
“Yujin, and Shia, please don’t be sad. I beg you.”
On her face, there was no fear or pain.
Rather, she wore a smile that seemed fitting for this moment.
“The former Olganiya has died. You must have seen this with your own eyes, Yujin.”
“….Yeah.”
The liquid oozing from the decaying branches began to flow slowly onto Shia’s body.
“And unfortunately… beneath the World Tree where Yujin buried the former Olganiya’s corpse, there was a single ant.”
“……”
“In a land blessed by the curse and grace, it shouldn’t have been possible for a malice-infested ant to exist, but unfortunately, many circumstances came together. The Great Forest was burned by the traitorous kingdom, and the World Tree had long been consumed by the Demon King and rotted away. If it continued like this, it would have been an unusual situation for the World Tree to cast an unexplainable curse upon the elves instead of a blessing.”
“So that’s why you told me to burn the World Tree…?”
“The elves would rather die than set fire to the World Tree.”
The rotting branches and roots began to entwine the two Olganiya’s bodies.
And as young Olganiya got more entwined by the branches of the corrupted World Tree, the decayed former Olganiya began to move more violently.
Crunch, crack!
“The hungry ants feasted on the former Olganiya. The ants had the characteristic of partially manifesting the abilities or elements of whatever they consume. Thus, Olganiya was reborn through an incomplete union with the queen ant.”
“Impossible. Only one child is supposed to be born from the World Tree… So, you are…!”
“That’s why I couldn’t receive the former memories in full, and I’ve been born in this insufficient body, unable to receive the blessings of the Great Forest. When the former Olganiya died, I started to bloom, but since I was born incompletely, an unprecedented incident occurred.”
With a sorrowful smile, Olga reached out to Shia.
“Does it hurt?”
“I’m fine. In fact, it feels comforting. It’s like returning to where I once belonged.”
Shia caressed her cheek, and Olga held Shia’s hand as if giving her reassurance.
“To continue my story… that would have been fine. The Olganiya reborn as an ant would eventually decline, and if the former Olganiya disappeared, I would have become the complete Olganiya. Sure, somewhere in the underground of the Great Forest, there would be an unknown swarm of Chaos Ants appearing, but the strength of the elves had no problem repelling the army of ants. That was not a problem. But… someone embedded a fragment of the Demon King into the World Tree.”
“……!”
“You said the fragment that dwelled in Antamia had disappeared? No, it hadn’t vanished. The true fragment was here, with Olganiya.”
At those words, Shia and Yujin’s faces contorted.
“A fragment of the Demon King?”
“When did it happen?”
“I don’t know. Whether it was when the Demon King first tainted this place or if it was inserted when we came to Earth, I am not sure. However, it all began from here. The original plan of the former Olganiya, who was reborn as an ant, was merely to slowly pass away.”
“That way, the elves would return to their original state.”
The last child of the World Tree, Olganiya, was meant to grow properly and could grant blessings to the Great Forest.
Even without the World Tree, as long as Olganiya existed, she believed she could lead the elves.
“But then the Demon King’s fragment began to corrode us.”
“Aren’t you resentful?”
“No.”
“Aren’t you filled with hatred?”
“No.”
“Let’s be together.”
“No.”
Those questions and doubt, along with temptation and whispers, continued ceaselessly…
“In the end, I… Olganiya completely forgot who I was. When I was consumed by the ants, I accepted it without blaming or hating anyone, merely thinking that it was a natural process. Yet we, who could withstand even being devoured by the ants, were ultimately corrupt due to the Demon King’s fragment.”
Rotting branches.
Rotting roots.
With bloody tears spilled, Olganiya moved.
“Shia.”
“Yes.”
“Can your miracle or great healing… save the World Tree?”
At that question, Shia hesitated for a moment, placing her hand on a rotting branch.
Then she shook her head.
The malice was too deep.
At this point, it was at a level where she could have become another host for the Demon King.
If given time… it felt like the Demon King could truly resurrect.
“It’s already too late. If you perform great healing here on the tainted World Tree, the malice will only deepen, hastening the Demon King’s emergence.”
“I see. I thought so.”
Before long, the rotting branches began to climb over the entire pupil.
And slowly, a black flower bud began to blossom.
“Yujin… and Shia.”
“…Yes.”
“Alright.”
“The former Olganiya may be one for me, but she may also be a sister or a mother-like existence.”
This must happen.
We must die.
Now, we must… vanish.
“Hehe, you see, the World Tree was merely revered as sacred for providing blessings and spirits to the elves. But long before the World Tree lost its blessing, it had already transferred the rights over those spirits and blessings to all elves, didn’t it? Now the elves must truly gain independence from the Mother World Tree. You’ve arrived in a new world called Earth, right?”
“Ah, Olga! Olga!”
“Hehehe, don’t cry, Yujin. It’s alright. Truly.”
So please. I beg you.
“Shia, Yujin. I beg you. Please… please kill us.”
[Please, kill, me.]
With those words, Olganiya’s body was completely swallowed by the rotting branches.
However, there was no pain. Rather, Olganiya smiled as she was consumed by the black branches and liquid.
Returning to where she was originally supposed to be, becoming one again.
And behind them, the decayed Olganiya slowly rose.
“Ah, ahh… ah…”
It’s my fault.
It’s because of me.
Yujin was crying.
He couldn’t even think of using illusions to cover his body. He merely sank down in despair and self-loathing.
Seeing that scene, Shia sighed.
Regardless of how young she was, it wasn’t fair to compare him against my hero.
Sigh, no matter how dirty it got, she had to guide him, as a saint.
“Haa….”
Thud!
“AHHH!?”
“Get up, you idiot Hero!”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Shia slammed her fist down on Yujin’s head with all her might.
The incredible force made it sound like his skull cracked.
“What the heck… Cough…. It hurts….!”
“Hero, snap out of it and get up!”
“Snap out of it?! You think that kind of comment makes sense seeing this situation here?!”
“You seem to be misunderstanding something…”
Shia forcefully grabbed Yujin’s arm.
“When did I ever say I would kill Olga?”
“….”
“When did I ever nod when Olga said, ‘Please kill me’?”
Shia loved happy endings.
She disliked bleakness. She hated frustrating or open-ended conclusions.
She wanted a conclusion where everyone was happy.
At least in her eyes, and specifically in front of a saint, there would be no bad endings unfolding.
“Get up, Hero.”
“…….”
“You have to save someone, right?”
“…..!”
“If you’re a hero, if you’re a saint, you must save the one you want to protect.”
Finally, it seemed like Yujin regained his focus as he clenched his teeth and took hold of Shia’s hand to rise.
Yeah, finally, he had eyes worthy of a hero.
Shia felt for the first time that Yujin had eyes that resembled a hero, along with their ascent.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
“Thank you.”
And together, they looked ahead.
Before them, Olganiya had stood up.
[The last flower of the World Tree is tainted.]
“The last flower of the World Tree is engulfed in darkness.”
Rotting branches, flowers, blood, and malice intertwined.
However, the sight was eerily beautiful.
A flower blossoming from decaying malice began to bloom with awe-inspiring brilliance.
[Though it may be a tainted petal…]
“Even if it’s a rotten branch, its beauty shall not fade.”
The voices of the two Olganiya sang as if they were one.
[You, the twisted false hero.]
“You, the twisted Mangja Seongnyeo.”
The two Olganiya prayed earnestly to the Mangja Seongnyeo and the false hero.
[Behold, relay, remember.]
“Guarantee us, remember us, feel us.”
Us.
[Our existence]
“Our existence.”
[Until the very last moment]
“Until the petals of this flower wilt.”
[Blooming with an ethereal beauty.]
“Blooming alone in darkness.”
