#160
After the Invasion of the Capital (4)
Finally, as the delegation arrived at the outskirts of the Elven Kingdom in the Enamel Continent, the different races exchanged brief greetings before parting ways to their respective lands.
‘Come to think of it, the Elven Kingdom is at a transportation hub in the heart of the continent, making it an ideal gathering place.’
Saying this made it seem like the High Elves were some sort of transportation service.
Still, they were supposed to be the leadership of a race.
“Hek, hek— This is harder than I thought. Even with Laforey’s assistance, this is tough··· How did you manage to cross the sea like this…?”
Cecily, who had been practicing ‘The Path of the Forest’ alongside Laforey, kept wiping away her sweat while groaning.
While others simply walked the forest path, she had to stick by Laforey the entire time to receive training related to it.
On the way to the Ion Continent, she learned theoretical aspects like how to use energy, and on the way back, she helped him lead the path and completed practical operations.
And once they entered the continent, Cecily took charge, completing practical training, but···
“Wait, if I’m struggling like this, how did you maintain it for so long? Laforey, you’re truly amazing!”
“Hahaha, it requires some skill, you know. You’ll get the hang of it soon!”
At his encouragement, Cecily beamed and gazed at the towering World Tree in the distance, her voice tinged with nostalgia.
“By the way, I feel something strange. The first time I crossed the sea, I awakened, but this time it was Harris. It feels like there’s a jinx or something. I wonder who it will be next? Uhuhuh.”
“Ah, it’s my turn next! I’ll reserve it right away!”
Seizing the opportunity, Shapiron’s eyes gleamed.
Although she hadn’t shown it, it seemed she was quite frustrated about being surpassed by Harris, whom she considered a rival.
With their brief conversation wrapping up, the delegation immediately set off toward the World Tree.
After several days of walking toward the massive tree that defied perspective, Harris felt the changes in various music genres from the villages they passed, realizing his cultural erosion plan had only met with half success.
‘…Impressive. They absorbed it and created an entirely new genre. I suppose it’s successful since it did influence them.’
Truly, a race passionate about music.
After all, his goal was to collect karma in a different way, so this was a satisfactory outcome.
‘Finally.’
But right now, that wasn’t the important issue.
After repeating their travels, they had finally arrived.
At the base of the magnificent tree that seemed to support the sky, where the branches of the World Tree reached.
“Ah!”
And Harris realized.
《The World Tree is watching over its child.》
More than ever— he could vividly sense the presence of the World Tree.
The Holy God was so vast that he couldn’t feel its fragments, but the World Tree wasn’t to that extent.
Of course, it was still utterly overwhelming.
Its trunk soared as if reaching for the cosmos, its branches entwined as if to envelop the world with stars instead of fruit, and its roots grasped the planet he stood upon.
A presence so overwhelming that it evoked awe without him even realizing it.
In comparison, he felt like a tiny tick parasitizing the tree.
Whiiiii—
Overwhelmed by the awe-inspiring imagery, Harris suddenly realized a small, fist-sized red fruit was approaching right in front of him.
It was accompanied by colorful spirits flitting around, supporting the branch that held the fruit.
He had seen a similar scene before.
As he took a deep breath, refreshing air filled his lungs.
At that moment, he had to merely take in that abundant air while watching as Cecily underwent her awakening ceremony outside, but···.
Without hesitation, Harris brought the ‘fruit of the World Tree’ to his lips.
Crunch—
‘Ah!’
What he thought was just a single bite soon had the entire flesh sliding down his throat.
The high-density energy condensed within the fruit spread out through his body in an instant, transforming every part of him from head to toe.
And the destination of the energy swirling around him was his eyes.
A piercing pain was felt throughout his eyeballs.
Once that series of processes finished, he truly grasped why being ‘awakened’ as a High Elf was said to be called ‘opening one’s eyes.’
It was as if a filter was removed, and the world peeled back a layer of its veil.
《The entity achieves its conditions and undergoes growth. Acquires the special skill「Observer of the Stars」.》
《The entity attains enlightenment through conditions. The skill「Spirit Magic」evolves into the special skill「Nature’s Call」.》
It wasn’t just a broadening of vision.
He could perceive his surroundings as if viewing from a third-person perspective, and the world reflected in his eyes was far more dreamlike than usual.
As if it was the scenery he had seen through ‘The Path of the Forest’··· no, far beyond that.
「Observer of the Stars」… So this was the essence of the various abilities High Elves had shown thus far.
The ability to move through spaces beyond the forest path, the power to bestow blessings upon others, and the skill to detect targets through the forest.
All of these feats were done through this skill, borrowing the power of the World Tree.
Wooooo—
At the same time, a brief but intense will of the World Tree shook his consciousness.
Though more distinct than what he had felt from the Holy God, it still couldn’t be defined in any particular language.
Yet, Harris instinctively grasped its meaning.
– I will watch over you, my child.
A mix of curiosity, anticipation for something, and a hint of doubt.
That brief will ceased to convey more direct intentions, but he certainly felt a strong connection between himself and the World Tree.
[Entity Information]
-Entity Name: Harris
-Race: High Elf
-Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Persona」, 「Super Recovery」, 「Clear Mind」
-Entity Traits: 「Descendant of the World Tree」, 「Nature Affinity」, 「Observer of the Stars」, 「Nature’s Call」, 「Fairy Justice」, 「Harmony Melody」
-Special Notes: Has become an awakened High Elf priest of the World Tree, allowing him to borrow its power through the spiritual link. His affinity with nature has rapidly increased, causing all spirits to be on the verge of evolution. He receives infinite love from all flora and fauna.
Perhaps due to the swift changes he underwent, he felt his body losing strength and his mind becoming hazy, slowly closing his eyes.
“The awakening ceremony for Harris has finished…”
“Let’s carefully move him inside…”
Finally.
The child born from the World Tree, who had entered this world as an orphan, was now officially adopted and proudly registered.
*
Hoo—.
The beautiful blonde woman with turquoise eyes, the 5th princess of the Azerion Empire, Riley Carte Azerion, let out yet another sigh, having lost count of how many she had released.
It had been over a week since she had been kidnapped and imprisoned by the Undead King.
‘Surprisingly, the environment is clean, and the treatment isn’t bad.’
Her living quarters were arranged around a large garden with several small lodging buildings.
This was quite unexpected compared to the prison-like environment she had imagined, and each lodging house was spacious enough for her to live alone comfortably.
‘I get the feeling that the guards are somehow considerate. ···At least towards me.’
Meanwhile, she couldn’t help but observe the seemingly diligent and exhausted Andrew, who treated the Crown Prince like a slave while…
The woman named Lilith, who was in charge of her, treated her with remarkable care as if she were her own maid.
Of course, there was a distance due to her role as a guard, but compared to Simon, who was constantly venting his stress by harassing her, she was an angel.
‘That’s somewhat poetic justice, I suppose. I guess I got lucky.’]
However, she couldn’t let herself be too happy as her current situation was still quite grim.
No matter how good her treatment was, she was still a prisoner without freedom.
Thus far, her activities had merely involved wandering around her designated living area, getting into verbal altercations with Simon, or quietly meditating alone to practice magic.
‘It’s a perfect environment for training. I’ve used being busy as an excuse to neglect my training, but perhaps it’s time to take it seriously again. ···Not that I really have anything else to do.’
Though she had learned magic as part of her education since childhood, she possessed some degree of proficiency.
After all, she was the one who first taught Isea the basics of magic.
‘Although, she surpassed me in less than a month after that, which is quite infuriating, isn’t it?’
She herself hadn’t crossed the threshold into the intermediate level even since then.
As she was lost in thought about Isea, a small smile appeared on her lips as she gently closed her eyes.
The only reason she could maintain her composure now was entirely because of her trust in Isea.
There was no telling when she might escape this place, and perhaps the Undead King’s fickleness could lead her to a fate worse than death.
The only support that kept her enduring such a hopeless situation.
‘As long as I’m alive… I believe Isea will definitely come to rescue me.’
However, for now, she could do nothing but wait.
Overwhelmed by her helplessness, Riley buried her face in her hands while squatting down.
A father who prioritized the selection of heirs through competition over love for his children.
Her mother, the 4th empress, had left the world early, only leaving Riley behind, while the emperor’s other wives and concubines saw her as an eyesore.
And siblings she had fiercely battled for the throne from childhood.
‘Isea… sister.’
The closest of her family members were the very ones who made her feel this way, while her small family on the outskirts barely seemed to care for her.
The servants who had tended to her shared her unfortunate state, leading her to distrust everyone in this world.
‘…I should have called her sister long ago. What’s so hard about that?’
In that environment, her true sense of familial love had come solely from Isea.
To be honest, it felt a bit like bringing home a pet at first…
Woooo—
At that moment, while she was sulking alone in the corner of the garden, the watcher Lilith appeared, opening the ‘invisible door’ in the center of her living quarters.
One hand was gripping the neck of a seemingly faint man, dragging him in.
“Hah— Is Andrew at it again, tormenting the Crown Prince? Honestly.”
She glanced towards Riley but soon didn’t seem to care and activated her magic to summon him.
“Si— I mean, Lilith, did you call for me? What’s the matter all of a sudden? Uh? That, that person is?”
As Andrew approached, who had been berating Simon and forcing him to clean, he looked astonished seeing the faint man.
After all, he had been treated in a way that was far from normal, unlike his usual exhausted demeanor; he had an excited expression as he surveyed the man’s garments.
“He suddenly appeared near the castle. Apparently, undead nearby were about to attack him, so he fled inside the castle. It’s strange that spatial movement wasn’t possible around here.”
“Lady! He’s from the same world as I!”
His clothing, which was rarely seen in this world, along with protective gear.
Hearing her words as if barely registering anything, he suddenly chimed in with an enthusiastic tone.
‘The same world?’
Riley, who was still squatting in the corner and eavesdropping awkwardly on their conversation, perked up her ears.
“Oh, I thought he might be, but it seems I was right. The King had also surmised in advance, ordering this one to manage him separately here. Anyway, this is a precious sample, so if we keep him here, he can’t escape.”
“Hah— What a strange new guy, showing up in a place like this··· Puhuhut.”
Andrew, seemingly having thought of something bad, began to snicker, but that laughter didn’t last long.
“Oh, right! Andrew? You no longer need to come here. That’s why I called you here in the first place.”
“Uh, yes? Then what about all this work…”
“Whew— From now on, I’ll take care of things in this area. So you can focus on the tasks you were doing before.”
“Uh, uh, then what about the working hours…?”
“With this job gone, it’s entirely up to Olivia now, isn’t it?”
As if he had heard an unbearable truth, his face turned pale in an instant.
“Oh no! Please let me work here, sister! If you do this, I’m really going to die!”
“The King’s orders can’t be helped. Oh, and in the future, your quarters will be in that area, so don’t get confused.”
“Y-you mean the area with those ferocious fellows…?”
With Andrew pleading ferociously and Lilith shaking her head in resignation, Riley’s curious eyes remained fixed on the faint man.
‘An individual from another world… just like Isea…’
It was surprising that a watcher like Andrew was an individual from another world, but what truly caught her attention was the ebony-haired youth who seemed newly arrived.
Upon looking at his attire, it reminded her of the situation when she had first met Isea.
Though she had met Isea in the garden of an aristocratic family her maternal side belonged to, this time it was near the Undead King’s stronghold.
‘Thinking about it, this guy really seems unfortunate. How on earth did he end up here of all places?’
Having learned about the dimensional transport through Isea, Riley looked at the newly arrived young man with a sympathetic expression.
While Isea would have been in trouble had it not been for her suggestion, it wasn’t like this was the only place to face such a fate, was it?
“Your Highness? You’ve heard the situation, but this person will be staying here from now on as well.”
“Ah!”
While she was caught up in her thoughts, Lilith suddenly looked down at her, quietly speaking as if she had approached without her noticing.
“…As you are uncertain when you will be able to leave here, it would be beneficial to have someone besides the Crown Prince to converse with, right?”
“…”
“Oh, by the way, I think this man introduced himself first— if I recall correctly, his name was what? Hesperon?”
After pondering for a moment, Lilith glanced down at the faint man held in her grasp with a slight resemblance to Isea, then continued.
“…He said Hesperon, right? Well, you can hear a more detailed introduction from him directly. For now, I must take him to his quarters.”
The awakened individual from Earth had just become the prisoner of the Undead King.
