Chapter 137: Elven Village (2)

An unexpected stillness descended upon the forest!

Kai enjoyed the silence like a singer enjoying the afterglow of a performance, and met the eyes of each elf one by one.

"W-what...?"

"That’s true?!"

"What is going on...?"

The elves who met his gaze all showed expressions of disbelief as they recognized that Kai's words were true!

"Well, this is bewildering, human," the highest-ranking elf who had questioned Kai said. "But as it turns out, everything you've said is correct. Luna?"

"...

Hmph

."

The woman who had been holding onto the back of Kai’s neck swiftly drew a dagger and cut the vines that had bound him.

"It’s been hundreds of years since an apostle has visited. What is your purpose in coming to the forest?"

"I’ve come to visit the village where the elves reside. I’ve heard that there is an item left by my predecessors."

"

Hmm

... so you're here to retrieve a relic."

Even though Kai had shown no change in expression when he learned he was an apostle himself, the mention of the relic made him look melancholic.

"Since the rightful owner has come... I guess there's no other choice." Muttering to himself, the elf extended his hand to Kai. "My name is Elduin. Let’s go. I will escort you to the village. We also have questions about the power of the Blue Plague."

"Yes, then I gratefully accept..."

"Wait, Boss!" the woman named Luna suddenly knelt before Elduin, calling out to stop him. "Even if it’s certain that he’s an apostle, now is not the time. The relic is currently..."

"Luna." Elduin, with a stern expression, rebuked her. "Elves do not covet what is not theirs. That is why we can purely resent those who covet our forest. Don’t forget that."

"But..."

"I will hear no more. Stand up."

"Y-yes..."

Taking Elduin's hand, Kai stood up and began to move along with them, observing his surroundings.

What’s going on? Everyone’s face darkened as soon as the relic was mentioned.

Even Elduin, who had been so blunt, showed a melancholy expression, so it was easy to imagine how the others felt.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Well, I guess I’ll find out once we get there.

With the elves escorting him, Kai went deeper into the center of the forest.

After walking for some time, the group suddenly came to a stop.

Is this the entrance to the village...? But there’s nothing here.

There was only a large clearing.

As Kai blinked in confusion, Elduin turned to him and said, "From here on, follow my footsteps exactly as I tread them. If you make a mistake, you might get lost in an illusion, so do be careful."

"Understood."

Then, Elduin began to walk forward with strange steps. His steps were so bizarre that even professional models wouldn't attempt such a walk!

As Kai focused on following the footsteps, he suddenly realized that the surroundings had changed.

"Oh..." admiration escaped his mouth.

It was a pure expression of awe without any embellishment!

I can’t believe such a place exists in this world!

Dozens of fireflies floated peacefully, illuminating the village. In the center of the village stood an ancient tree that was thousands of years old, with enormous branches stretching out, boasting its magnificence. And the unique elf houses, unlike any human construction and unseen anywhere on Earth, also caught his eye.

Did they use trees and vines to build their homes? I kind of wanna go in and try sleeping there.

To put it bluntly, it was a sight too precious to witness alone. Hundreds of handsome men and beautiful women roamed freely in this eco-friendly living space!

Kai finally understood why players sought out the Elven Village. It was to capture this mysterious scenery in their own memories.

"Welcome to the Elven Village, Luteria."

"Thank you for having me."

"Wait here. I’ll be back after I report to the higher-ups."

As Elduin and a few warriors left, Kai found himself the center of attention, like a monkey in a zoo.

"Is that a human?"

"How strange-looking!"

"Their ears are small and round. Can they even hear properly like that?"

"His body proportions seem a bit off too."

Sometimes, pure curiosity could be the most devastating attack!

As Kai made a pained expression, the surroundings suddenly grew noisy.

"The Queen is here!"

"Everyone, step back!"

Amidst the murmuring, the elves who had been watching Kai took a step back. At the same time, a group of elves began approaching him.

Wow, she looks so benevolent.

Even though she was a complete stranger, her kind face suddenly reminded him of his mother! Yet, she still had the inherent beauty of an elf.

Kai instinctively realized that she was the queen and knelt on one knee to greet her. "The fourth Solaris Cleric greets the Queen of the Elves."

"Please rise. An apostle and an elf are sworn friends by covenant. Such formalities are unnecessary."

"Thank you for your kindness."

As Kai stood up, the queen stared intently at his face. "My name is Elania. I am the only queen of the elves and a child of the World Tree, Luteria. What is your name?"

"My name is Kai, Your Majesty."

"Alright, Kai. Could you answer a few questions for me?"

"Of course."

"First, have a seat."

As Elania made a light gesture, a stone chair rose from the ground.

W-we're going to have a conversation here? In such a public place?

It felt like an interrogation, but Kai had no choice.

As he sat down, Elania asked in a soft voice, "First, Kai, could you tell me how you became an apostle of the sun?"

"It's actually a trivial story."

Kai explained in detail about the shrine where he had become an apostle of the sun.

"So it’s true. You are indeed an apostle, Helik’s beloved envoy on earth."

"Well, I don’t know about beloved... But, does this prove my identity, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, but there are still some questions remaining." Elania hesitated for a moment before gathering the courage to ask, "Kai, did you use the power of the Blue Plague in the western clearing of the forest a few days ago?"

"Yes, I did."

There was no point in lying to the elves.

When Kai confidently nodded, the surrounding elves grew agitated.

"Th-the power of the Blue Plague is..."

"The cursed nightmare of the Church of Muldine!"

"

Eeeeek

!"

"How could the envoy of the Solarian God wield such power?"

As they panicked, Elania raised her hand to calm them down, saying, "Everyone, calm down. Nothing has been fully revealed yet."

She then gave Kai a look that demanded an explanation, to which he calmly responded, "The Blue Plague Aosa. I defeated it with my own hands. Thanks to that, I gained some control over its power."

"Over Aosa...?"

"So the blue nightmare no longer exists in this world?"

"

Huh

... That’s incredible."

The elves reacted with a variety of expressions!

Well, it’s better for me if they ask these questions publicly like this.

Elves couldn't be deceived by lies, so all he had to do was speak the truth since he had nothing to hide!

"...I see. Understood." Elania sighed softly and gestured, "You came to our village to retrieve a sacred relic, correct?"

"That's right. The relic kept by the elves is..."

"The Holy Pauldron Nike. It was a robe that Shimizu loved to wear."

"I see, then may I receive it now?"

"Well, that is..." A shadow as dark as a storm cloud fell across Elania's face. "Could you delay the retrieval of the relic just a bit longer?"

"...Pardon?"

Kai tilted his head in confusion at her earnest expression.

Come to think of it, the elves' faces have been suspicious every time the relic was mentioned.

Their expressions looked as if the weight of the world’s worries had been dropped on them!

"I’ll listen to your reasons and then decide."

"Well... I'm not sure if you're aware, but we elves are the children of the World Tree, Luteria."

"Oh, just like the name of the village."

"Yes. Without the World Tree, the elven race could not exist. Most elves are born from the fruit of the World Tree."

So... elves are kind of like cordyceps?

Kai tilted his head, puzzled. “Are you saying that because you are born from the fruit... you cannot have children naturally?”

“It is biologically possible, but since we lack sexual desire, we usually pray to Luteria. Then, she blesses us with children.”

“Wow...”

They were such a wholesome race!

“But Luteria is not in good health at the moment.”

“Is something wrong?”

“... It’s all because of the dark elves.” Elania let out a sigh that seemed to come from deep within her. “The dark elves were once part of our tribe. But a thousand years ago, as the Devil descended upon the continent and the Church of Muldine brought nightmares periodically, our tribe became divided.”

“Divided, how?”

“A faction of elves emerged, believing that we needed to gain even greater power.”

“But aren’t elves already strong?”

The strength of the demi-human races was generally powerful. Even the merfolk Kai had encountered, though unable to exert their full power against their natural enemies, the nagas, had an average level of at least 200. Moreover, the king of the merfolk, Karius, was a giant among giants, boasting a level exceeding 400.

And from what I can see... neither Elduin nor the queen seem to be lacking in strength.

In other words, the elves were already quite powerful!

However, Elania shook her head. “But the dark forces that spread across the continent always surpassed our expectations. Our current power was just barely enough to struggle against them.”

“That’s unbelievable...”

He wondered how high the levels of those monsters were for such a thing to be true.

As Kai’s expression also grew serious, she continued, “The extremists wanted even greater power. In the end, they abandoned their identity and severed their bond with the World Tree, and in exchange, gained cursed skin and great strength.”

“Oh, so that’s why their skin color is different.”

“But they couldn't understand our moderate faction. Eventually, while the conflicts in the Elven Forest persisted, the dark elves launched an attack on our village."

“Then what happened?”

“They poured the poison given to them by the Church of Muldine at the base of the World Tree. As a result, Luteria has ceased all activity and is focusing solely on recovery.” Elania’s voice sounded notably sorrowful. “For now, the power of the sacred relic is maintaining the barrier that conceals our village, but if you were to take the relic now...”

“The barrier would fall, right?”

“Can you please reconsider?”

Her large eyes seemed ready to spill tears at the slightest touch!

Kai stared at her for a moment and then stood up. “I would like to see Luteria first. Perhaps the power of the Solaric Cleric can find a way to heal her.”

“But it’s dangerous. She is currently emitting a powerful poison, so even getting close could be...”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Kai threw back his shoulders and straightened his back confidently. “Poisons are my specialty.”