Chapter 187: To the Elven Sacred Ground (4)

“The trail leads inside.” The elven queen frowned as she gazed at the small, hidden cave in the forest. The interior was pitch dark; she couldn’t see a thing.

“Are they hiding in there? O wind, deliver the knowledge of that place to me,” She whispered softly, invoking the spirits.

The wind gathered and swept into the cave. Ketal watched, intrigued.

“ Is that elemental magic?” he asked.

“That’s right. The power of the wind,” the queen replied.

She was hoping to scout out whatever waited within the cave by using a spirit. However, the wind halted at the cave’s mouth, unable to go any further. No matter how much she tried, it was as if an even stronger wind was blocking her. Clicking her tongue in frustration, the queen withdrew her magic.

“They’ve taken serious precautions against detection. It looks like we’ll have to check with our own eyes,” the queen said.

“There’s no need for that,” Ketal said, staring into the darkness of the cave. “The passage is longer than it seems. There may be traps. I’d estimate about ten dark mages inside, split across three rooms. The elven children appear to be confined in the deepest chamber.”

The queen blinked. “...Did you just figure out the cave’s interior?”

“I did.”

“H-how? With all their safeguards against detection, I thought only someone on my level could break through them.”

“No, I just listened.”

“What?”

“I could judge by the sounds inside the cave.”

The queen was left speechless. The forest was hardly quiet—between the rustling leaves, the insects, and the sounds of wild animals, it was a cacophony of noise. And yet, Ketal had picked out the faint noises from inside the cave, through all of that.

Seriously... Who is this guy?

the queen wondered.

If he could grasp so much so easily, why had he let her waste time trying spirit magic?

Is he still angry because I attacked him earlier?

Ketal, for his part, was simply interested in watching elven techniques in action. But from the queen’s perspective, his behavior was undeniably strange.

“Judging by their numbers, this looks like a temporary hideout. What’s your plan?” Ketal asked her.

The queen snapped out of her thoughts. “The best option would be to request help from the sacred ground, but there’s no telling what might happen to the children.”

“Then we’ll need to act quickly.”

She nodded and began preparing for battle.

“I call upon you, who has gained selfhood after millennia deep within caves. Come forth, dweller of the depths—Unduru.”

A shimmer ran through the air, and water gathered to form a being. Ketal’s eyes sparkled.

“That’s a water spirit,” Ketal exclaimed.

It took on the form of a humanoid—almost comically short and rounded, as if in chibi form.

“Is that an Epic spirit?” Ketal asked her.

“No, it’s a Rare spirit. Few can contract with higher spirits. Unfortunately, that’s beyond my reach,” the queen replied.

“I see.”

It was clear that someone like Marseria, who had bonded with a Legendary spirit, was a true exception. Even so, any spirit was fascinating, and this one was no different. Ketal smiled, but the water spirit flinched at his gaze and crept behind the queen for protection.

“What’s wrong with it?” Ketal asked her.

“It’s probably frightened by your aura.”

“Is that possible?”

“It happens, though it’s rare. The pressure coming from you is enough that even I sometimes flinch. Spirits, being of nature, are even more sensitive.”

“I haven’t had that issue before with other spirits.”

“Then the spirits you’ve met were strong enough to ignore it. If a weaker one saw you, it might flee back to the spirit realm on sight.”

“I see.”

Ketal looked genuinely shocked, and the queen found it a little strange that such a powerful person would be so taken aback by a spirit’s fear.

”Well, shall we go? Are you ready?” the queen asked.

“Yes,” Ketal replied, recovering from his surprise and clenching his fists.

The queen led the way, channeling Unduru’s power. A whip of water lashed out, smashing into the cave’s entrance and shattering the magical barrier. An alarm sounded inside.

“What’s happening?!”

“An intruder!”

The dark mages inside scrambled. The queen shouted furiously, “How dare you attack our village and kidnap our children! You will pay for your crimes!”

“Q-queen? How did you find us? We hid our tracks completely!” one of the dark mages asked, stammering.

“A simple trick like that won’t fool me!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! We hid our trail perfectly! You should never have been able to find us!”

Their confusion was understandable—if not for Ketal, the queen would never have been able to follow them. Instead of arguing, the queen responded with an arrow that pierced straight through a dark mage’s shoulder.

“

Arrgh!

”

“She’s attacking! Kill the intruder!!”

The dark mages didn’t just stand by; they unleashed dark magic and summoned monsters.

Ketal stepped forward casually. Dark magic shattered against his body, and summoned beasts were torn apart. His overwhelming strength left the dark mages gaping in horror, and even the queen let out a gasp.

The battle was completely one-sided. While the queen’s strength was impressive—enough to easily outmatch the dark mages—Ketal’s presence made the outcome inevitable. They reached the deepest part of the cave in no time.

There, the apparent leader of the dark mages awaited them, shouting, “How dare you interfere with our grand rite!”

“Hah! Shameless to the end! You filthy wretch who sold your soul to a demon! It’s time to pay!” the queen retorted.

The dark mage leader was on par with the queen, but with Ketal present, he stood no chance.

Still, he sneered, “Hahaha! You think you can waltz in here alone? Did you really believe we wouldn’t have countermeasures? Darkness, arise!”

Suddenly, darkness manifested around Ketal and the queen, forming a prison. The queen’s expression changed instantly. They’d been caught in a trap. She hurriedly drew arrows and shot at the walls of darkness, but the prison did not budge.

“With your pitiful strength, you can’t break free! I’ve already called for reinforcements! You’ll die here, queen!”

“You think I’ll let that happen?!” The queen gathered all her might and struck the prison again and again. But the dark mages had prepared this prison for a long time—it wouldn’t break easily. Gritting her teeth, the queen pushed her power to its limits.

“Unduru! Lend your power to my arrow—shatter this prison!” She fired, sending waves of water crashing against the barrier. Cracks spread through the darkness, but the prison held firm. Panting, the queen stared in frustration.

“Hahaha! Impossible! You’re doomed to die here!” the leader taunted. He was so certain of victory that, only then, did he notice the barbarian standing calmly beside the queen.

“...Why is there a barbarian here?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion, but as he studied Ketal, realization struck. “W-wait. You—are you

that

barbarian?!”

“Even spirit energy can be channeled into arrows... There are all kinds of uses,” Ketal mused, watching the queen work with genuine interest. Then he raised his arm. But I think in this scenario, it’s easier to just break it with force.”

A golden light shone from his fist. Both the queen and the dark mage stared wide-eyed—divine power radiated from the fist of a barbarian, the very embodiment of savagery. With a casual swing, Ketal struck the wall. The prison, which even the queen couldn’t crack, shattered like glass.

“...What?”

“Huh?”

Both the queen and the dark mage leader were dumbfounded. A strange silence followed. Ketal turned his gaze to the dark mage.

I’m dead,

the dark mage realized. Desperate, he tried to grab one of the elf children as a hostage, but he never got the chance. A flying axe separated his head from his shoulders. Ketal reached out and retrieved the weapon.

“Are you alright?” he asked the queen.

The queen stared at him, speechless. For a moment, she just stood there, then spoke. “If you’re still angry about me attacking you earlier, I truly apologize. I’ll give you a formal apology, so please forgive me.”

***

“Huh? Why are you apologizing to me? Where did that come from?” Ketal asked her.

“Aren’t you upset with me?” the queen asked back. It had bothered her from the start. Ketal seemed to know everything, yet let her struggle and make mistakes. Even just now, he could have shattered the prison instantly, but instead let her exhaust herself trying to break it. She was convinced he was still upset about her earlier attack, and so she apologized again.

Ketal shook his head. “No, it’s a misunderstanding. I’m not angry with you.”

“Then why...?”

“Well...” Ketal trailed off. He thought about saying that he just wanted to see how she would handle things on her own, but decided it might be better for her to stay mistaken. In the end, he simply said, “Anyway, I’m not upset, so don’t worry. I’m not that petty.”

“If you say so...” The queen rose with an awkward expression. “In any case, it’s over now.”

In the deepest room of the cave, the elven children huddled together.

“If I go in, I’ll probably just scare them more, so could you take care of it?” Ketal asked her.

“I understand,” the queen replied, and entered the room. The frightened children burst into tears when they saw her.

After gathering the children, they set out for the sacred ground.

Ketal looked at the queen curiously. “Aren’t you going to bury the bodies back in your village?”

“With the children’s safety at stake, we have to reach the sacred ground as quickly as possible. Besides, we elves are born of nature and return to nature. We leave the bodies in the heart of the forest.”

“Ah, I see.”

They followed the queen, moving toward the sacred ground.

Along the way, the children kept glancing at Ketal. Whenever he met their gaze, they squeaked in fear and looked away, but at least they didn’t try to run. Eventually, one child worked up the courage to approach. “Um, Mr. Barbarian!”

“Yes?” Ketal replied with a gentle smile.

The child’s face went pale, but he closed his eyes and blurted out, “Thank you for saving us!”

“You’re welcome,” Ketal replied. It was the first time an elf had ever thanked him so purely. Ketal nodded, a strange look crossing his face, and the child dashed back into the safety of the group. Ketal couldn’t help but laugh.

“Adorable children,” he remarked.

“They’re our treasure. If we’d lost them too... I don’t even want to think about it.” The queen sighed. If the children had perished, her entire tribe would have been wiped out.

Before long, they reached their destination.

“This is it,” the queen said.

“But there’s nothing here,” Ketal observed.

They had arrived at a spot that looked like any other part of the forest—trees thick all around, insects singing, nothing out of the ordinary. Even Ketal couldn’t sense anything unusual.

“If you take out the gem, you’ll see,” the queen said.

Following her instructions, Ketal produced the red gemstone.

The gem began to glow, slowly floating up into the air.

“Oh?” Ketal’s eyes widened.

Spaces that had been separated overlapped and merged. A precious place, accessible only with permission, began to reveal itself on the continent. The ordinary forest scenery dissolved. Blossoms erupted into dazzling bloom. The stark, empty woods gave way to a gentle, rolling plain. It was a transformation so miraculous, Ketal could hardly believe it.

“Wow...,” Ketal said.

However, there was one thing above all else that truly moved him. Slowly, he raised his head, shivering with emotion. At the end of his gaze stood a tree—immense and golden, its trunk thick and towering, as if reaching to the very sky. He knew instantly, by instinct, that this was the World Tree.

He was standing on the sacred ground of the elves.

The queen spoke, her voice composed and welcoming. “Welcome to our sacred ground—Elfo Sagrado.”