Chapter 102 : Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Beneath the Branch of the World Tree (15)

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

The sudden sound of drums echoed through the forest.

It was the ceremonial drumbeat of the elves, well-known even to the fairies.

“Form ranks!”

The fairy territory erupted into activity.

Led by the spirit Raldetun, the fairies moved with precision.

Fairies, each wielding their weapons, lined up around the territory.

They drew their bows taut, awaiting intruders.

Fairy King Frude stepped forward with a stern expression.

In a voice too soft for others to hear, he whispered to Raldetun.

“Did Polarin fail?”

“…We’ll need to wait a bit longer to know.”

Frude nodded, his expression resolute.

Boom, boom, boom!

The drumbeat grew closer to the fairy territory.

Until now, the racial war had followed a pattern: fairies attacked, and elves defended.

The fairies had never fought to defend their territory, but that posed no issue.

“Strengthen the defenses!

If the elves want war, we will not back down!”

At Raldetun’s shout, determination settled on the faces of the fairy warriors.

The flames of war, which had seemed ready to burn all of Kipaso, had just been extinguished, but signs of reignition brought tension to all.

Owooo!

Nihel, lingering in the fairy territory, let out a great howl and bolted outside.

The fairies’ throats dried at Nihel’s sudden dash.

Soon, the elves’ formation emerged from beyond the forest.

Countless elves parted the woods, appearing in droves.

It seemed nearly every elf had come.

The elves approached the fairy territory gracefully, without so much as a sound of footsteps.

Confirming the elves’ advance, Frude raised his voice to the fairies.

“Lower your bows.”

The fairies, puzzled, obeyed their king’s command.

Soon, they too could see the elves’ procession clearly.

At the forefront, atop Nihel, was Bea, followed by Polarin Adjak and numerous elves.

The elves’ demeanor was different from before, with Bea’s transformation standing out most.

A crown symbolizing the Elf King adorned her head.

With the divine bow Elinger slung across her back, she held the elves’ flowerpot in both hands.

“It seems Polarin and Bea succeeded.”

Watching the elves’ dignified march, Raldetun chuckled heartily.

* * *

Bea, at the forefront, dismounted Nihel before entering the fairy territory.

The timid elf who had once entered the fairy territory cowering was gone.

A sense of majesty emanated from Bea, newly crowned as the Elf King.

Holding the elves’ flowerpot reverently in both hands, she stepped into the territory.

The racial war between elves and fairies was finally drawing to a close.

Bea, now Elf King to resolve the conflict between the two races, had entrusted me with a task.

‘Why did she give me the fairy flowerpot?’

This was a pivotal moment to mend the long-standing rift between the two races.

The fairy flowerpot, offered by Frude as a gesture of peace, carried no small weight.

Though there were elf elders qualified to carry it, Bea insisted I hold and carry it.

- If not for Lord Polarin, the fairies and elves would still be wishing for each other’s destruction.

You’ve achieved a great feat, so please carry the flowerpot and march by my side.

Indeed, a position shapes the person.

Bea’s tone hadn’t changed since we first met.

Her formal speech, once perceived as stiff, now sounded noble and authoritative since she became Elf King.

As she said, I had played a significant role in this war, so I accepted the flowerpot without objection.

Though many elves entered the territory, the tension of before was absent.

To clearly signal peace, they had left their weapons in the forest before entering.

The fairies, understanding this, also sheathed their weapons.

“Lord Frude, we meet again.I am Bea, the Elf King.”

Bea greeted Fairy King Frude.

Her expression held no joy of reunion.

Bea merely bowed with a serious face.

Frude, briefly surprised by her introduction as Elf King, soon regained his composure.

“I am Frude, the Fairy King.”

“I cannot presume to fathom the sorrow the fairies have endured.

I offer my apologies for the actions of an elf tainted by demonic energy and for the disrespect the elves have shown the fairies.”

Compared to her apology during her first visit to the fairy territory, this one was far more concise.

Yet, as the Elf King, it was an apology that maintained her dignity while clearly acknowledging responsibility.

Even Raldetun, who usually jested, kept his mouth shut, watching the reunion of the Fairy King and Elf King.

Frude, well aware of the atmosphere, glanced at the elves’ flowerpot Bea held and the fairy flowerpot I carried.

Then, with a gentle smile, he looked into Bea’s eyes.

“I said I wanted an apology from the elves’ representative, and you’ve returned as the Elf King herself.”

Frude lightened the heavy mood with a jest.

The elves’ apology was to end the long war, a proposal made at the fairies’ request.

Thus, the elves carried some burden, fearing the fairies might demand excessive reparations.

Knowing this, Frude softened the atmosphere in response.

“I, Fairy King Frude, accept the elves’ apology.”

Then, Frude bowed as well.

“During the racial war, the fairies slaughtered many elves.As Fairy King, I apologize for failing to restrain their anger.”

The representatives of each race bowed to one another.

The fairies lined up behind Frude and the elves following Bea also bowed to each other.

The Elf King and Fairy King slowly raised their heads.

Without prompting, they extended their hands and shared a firm handshake.

“Let’s get along moving forward.”

“Yes, with effort, things will be different from before.”

As the two kings’ hands clasped, the tension among those gathered eased slightly.

Some laughed, others wiped tears from their eyes.

Owooo!

Nihel’s high-pitched howl pierced the Kipaso forest, resonating widely.

Though I couldn’t understand Nihel’s words, his joy was clear.

* * *

All the fairies and elves gathered beneath the World Tree.

‘It’s quite lively.’

I was the only human among them, yet I didn’t feel out of place.

On the contrary, I stood at the center with key figures of both races, including Frude, Raldetun, and Bea.

An agreement between the kings didn’t erase the conflict between fairies and elves overnight.

Some avoided eye contact, awkwardly coughing as if the atmosphere felt strange.

But neither fairies nor elves believed their longstanding feud would resolve instantly.

“Henceforth, fairies and elves will freely move between each other’s territories, living differently from before.”

At Frude’s declaration, Bea nodded.

Soft applause rose from among the elves and fairies.

If apologies for past wrongs were exchanged in the fairy territory, a festival unfolded beneath the World Tree in the elves’ domain.

“Try this!It’s liquor brewed with a fairy recipe—it’ll make your ears burn with delight!”

“Thank you…Would you like to try our pudding…?”

Slowly but steadily, fairies and elves began to mingle.

The leaders of both races watched the scene with satisfaction.

“My friend became the Elf King!What a joyous occasion!”

Raldetun, in particular, seemed thrilled by the festival.

When he greeted Bea loudly, she responded firmly.

“You’d best be cautious, Lord Raldetun.There are plenty of elves who’d like to take a swing at you.”

“That was because of the demon!Could you explain that to the elves?”

“I will.”

While the two races bonded, their leaders discussed stabilizing Kipaso.

Neither side insisted solely on their own interests.

They made concessions, sought understanding, and drafted an agreement.

Now, with all that complete,

The highlight of today’s festival remained.

Raldetun, grinning broadly, gathered both races.

“You’ve waited long enough!”

Some elves glared at Raldetun as he stepped forward.

Slightly embarrassed, he lowered his voice a notch.

“To commemorate this gathering of harmony, we shall combine the symbols of friendship once shared by elves and fairies.”

This was the centerpiece of the festival.

Bea and Frude stepped forward to applause, each holding a shovel.

They waved to the gathered crowd and began digging.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of digging echoed in the silence.

It would be a rare sight to see Bea and Frude, kings of their races, personally digging.

Though extraordinary, everyone watched in silent reverence, focused on the two kings.

The solemnity stemmed from the flowerpots before them.

About thirty steps from the World Tree, a pit of suitable depth was dug.

As if by agreement, Bea and Frude stopped shoveling simultaneously.

Carefully, they poured the contents of their flowerpots into the pit.

Two golden seeds from each pot gently fell into the hole.

The kings covered the seeds with the freshly dug, loose soil.

World Tree Spirits, fluttering their mystical wings, landed on the soil before moving to Bea’s shoulder.

As Bea and Frude stepped back, a reaction came from the soil.

The two seeds, dormant for centuries in their pots, sprouted instantly upon being buried together.

“Wow…”

The sight couldn’t help but draw gasps.

The two sprouts grew rapidly.

Leaves emerged, then they transformed into saplings.

The two small trees didn’t grow straight.

Instead, they began to spiral around each other’s stems.

If the beanstalk reaching the sky from Earth’s fairy tales existed, it might look like this.

Raldetun and Bea shook hands again.

“These trees will symbolize the harmony of elves and fairies.”

“I hope one day these trees grow as tall as the World Tree and until then, may fairies and elves can live as good neighbors in Kipaso.”

Hearing their words, I clapped until my palms turned red.

Elves and fairies would no longer be confined to their own territories but would live together across Kipaso.

With the flames of war extinguished, the Kipaso forest was as beautiful as in the game—no, even more so.

‘I did it.’

I stopped the racial war between elves and fairies.

I saved the Kipaso forest from the flames of conflict.

It was undoubtedly the greatest event I’d influenced since arriving in this world.

The feeling of accomplishment.

That sensation kept a smile on my face.

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