Chapter 91 : Chapter 91

Chapter 91: Beneath the Branch of the World Tree (4)

Bea spoke of the elves with a sense of detachment, yet she couldn’t fully conceal the subtle affection that seeped through her words.

At the same time, she seemed to harbor guilt toward the fairies.

Bea touched her severed ear with her fingertips and let out a short sigh.

“Why were you fighting the fairies there, Bea-nim?”

“I tried to stay out of the war as much as possible, but I ran out of food. I went to gather some tree fruits and ran into the fairies.”

Hearing that, I noticed Bea looked a bit gaunt.

I pulled some jerky and fruit from my pocket and handed them to her.

She silently picked up an apple.

The jerky, unchosen by Bea, went into Nihel’s mouth.

An apple and a piece of jerky wouldn’t fill their stomachs, but both seemed quite satisfied with food they hadn’t had in a while.

While they filled their bellies, I sank into thought.

I had to stop the war.

But I had no clear idea how to do it.

The death of the child was undoubtedly horrific, but it was merely a spark igniting the fuse.

Beyond the triggering event, there was a deep-seated hatred between the fairies and elves.

The relationship between elves and fairies was fraught with tension, ready to explode at any moment.

But what could I, a human who wasn’t even part of this, and Bea, an exiled elf shunned by her kind, do to stop the war?

I asked Bea, who was savoring her apple:

“Do you know what happened to the elf who was sent to the fairies with his eyes gouged out?”

“…His limbs were severed. His corpse was hung across Kipaso.”

“A gruesome story. Is there a corpse nearby?”

“It’s not far, but I wouldn’t recommend looking.”

But I ignored her advice and stood up.

For now, the best course was to investigate the incident that caused the war more thoroughly.

By examining the details, I might find a way to approach both races.

“Seeing it might clarify what to do next.”

“…Follow me.”

Bea let out a heavy sigh at my refusal to heed her advice, but she stuffed the rest of the apple into her mouth and stood up, as if she had no choice.

* * *

Leaving Bea’s dwelling, we walked through Kipaso’s forest.

“Exterminate the elves!”

“Exterminate them!”

Whenever fairies shouting menacing slogans appeared, we hid and made our way to where the elf’s corpse was.

“…There it is.”

At the tip of Bea’s finger, an elf’s corpse hung from a thick tree branch.

To be precise, it was only the upper half of the body.

‘It’s horrific.’

I instantly understood why Bea had advised against looking.

Not only were the limbs severed, but the torso was riddled with large and small wounds.

As if that wasn’t enough, the corpse was pierced with multiple arrows.

Seeing it mangled like a porcupine revealed the depth of the fairies’ rage.

With a faint hope, I examined the corpse using [Ghost Eye] and soon noticed something unusual.

“Could you… bring it down? I want to take a closer look.”

Bea seemed reluctant but shot an arrow to dislodge the corpse.

I caught the falling elf’s body.

“If the fairies find us, it won’t end well.”

“I’ll check it quickly.”

Examining a corpse wasn’t pleasant, but I had to endure it to confirm my suspicions.

It was clearly a body dead for some time. [Ghost Eye], an ability to sense life’s energy, should detect nothing from a corpse.

But I saw color.

A thick, black aura—Demonic Energy.

“Do you need more time? I hear fairy footsteps nearby.”

I couldn’t hear anything, but Bea’s hearing seemed exceptionally sharp.

I had no intention of lingering here and I’d found evidence to resolve the situation.

I collected a small piece of skin tissue from the elf’s corpse.

“I’m done. Let’s get out of here.”

Gathering fallen leaves to cover the elf’s corpse, we slipped away.

* * *

After escaping far from the fairies, Bea asked me:

“What did you find? It looked like you were just scanning the corpse.”

“Demonic Energy was detected in the elf’s corpse. If I’m right, demons are behind this war.”

“Demons? Are you saying they controlled the elf?”

“I don’t know that much. What’s certain is that the elf was affected by Demonic Energy.”

“Demons…”

Kipaso is far from Myeolji.

Naturally, encounters with demons or demonic beasts were rare.

That didn’t mean fairies and elves weren’t wary of demons.

As races that protect nature, they harbored a deep aversion to demons who destroy nature and aim to turn the world into a land of death.

But having never faced them directly, they lacked knowledge of demonic powers.

“Whether the demons controlled the elf or drove him to madness, it’s clear they were involved.”

“So what now?”

“The fairies are driving the war, so we should head to their territory.”

I needed to find out if the fairies knew the elf was tainted by Demonic Energy.

But Bea hesitated, unable to respond easily.

“It’ll be dangerous.”

“I know. But it’s better than letting the war continue.”

“Why are you so determined to stop this war, Polarin-nim? This conflict between the two races isn’t a human matter.”

“The enemy of humans isn’t elves or fairies—it’s demons. And the enemy of elves and fairies isn’t each other—it’s demons.”

“You think this war is a waste of strength.”

Bea let out a deep sigh.

“This didn’t happen overnight. It’s a clash of long-buried emotions.”

“Old grudges can be resolved. But if Myeolji’s seal breaks, there’ll be no turning back.”

Bea’s eyes wavered.

While she grappled with her thoughts, I quickly added:

First, appeal to her emotions.

“Don’t you want to apologize to the fairies, Bea-nim?”

“I don’t have the right.”

“Does apologizing require a right?”

“To stop the war, someone with authority must apologize.”

“Are you saying that because you’re an exiled elf?”

Bea couldn’t respond easily. But her silence was an answer in itself.

Her intentions were clear.

Yet she only repeated vague responses.

“The elves made their stance clear. They punished the elf who killed the child and sent him to the fairies.”

“That’s not an apology.”

Proud beings never know how to apologize.

A conflict so deeply entangled it seemed impossible to unravel.

I knew it wasn’t a problem that could be solved instantly.

But refusing to start was no different from closing the door to reconciliation entirely.

If I tackled the problem step by step, I might find a clue to untangle the knot.

“The important thing is your heart, Bea-nim. I’ll work to clear the fairies’ misunderstandings. It’d be a great help if you stood by my side.”

Things might not go as planned.

Even revealing that the punished elf was tainted by Demonic Energy might change nothing.

Calming the fairies’ boiling emotions was separate from revealing the truth.

That’s why I needed Bea.

An elf not bound to the elves, someone who could persuade both elves and fairies.

As Bea said, she might lack the authority to represent the elves, but she could convey her sincerity to both races.

The path to the fairy territory would be treacherous.

Even if I knew the truth, I had to be able to deliver it.

To fully convey the truth, I needed Bea’s help.

“Why not think less grandly?”

“What do you mean…?”

“You said you can’t represent the elves, right? That’s fine. I can’t represent humans either. I can’t even represent the Adjak family.”

“…”

“You don’t have to represent a group to act. You’re going to apologize to the fairies as Bea, an elf.”

Bea’s expression was complex.

Her face shifted from a frown to a brightening, then crumpled subtly in a myriad of changes.

“The elves aren’t likely to offer a sincere apology to the fairies anytime soon, are they?”

Bea was the only elf I’d met in this world.

But having played as an elf in Tune World and based on Bea’s stories, I couldn’t expect much from them.

They’d likely remain holed up at the World Tree as they were now.

The fairies hadn’t attacked the World Tree yet, so the status quo held.

But if the fairies grew bolder, the elves would’ve been burned along with the World Tree.

“…”

Bea must have thought the same, as she only moved her lips, unable to respond.

She, more than anyone, knew the elves would never bow to the fairies.

“Let’s not represent the elves. Just focus on the fact that an elf wronged the fairies and a child died.”

“…Then.”

“We’re going as individuals to apologize for the unfortunate incident between elves and fairies.”

Bea lowered her head.

It seemed I’d persuaded her enough, but she didn’t immediately agree to go.

I couldn’t force her. That would only backfire.

What she needed now wasn’t my persuasion but her own resolve.

“The journey will be rough. The deeper we go into fairy territory, the more fairies we’ll face—far more than those who attacked us earlier.”

“…”

“Both you and I will have to risk our lives.”

“…”

Bea wasn’t the only one who needed resolve.

I was steadying my own heart by voicing the dangers aloud.

“…Let’s go.”

Finally, Bea made her decision.

I was glad but didn’t show it yet.

There was still more to say.

“We’re going to apologize, so while we can’t avoid fights along the way, we must not kill any fairies.”

When I first met Bea, she was fighting fairies.

She had kicked a fairy down and shot an arrow into its head for a killing blow.

Nihel, too, had bitten and swallowed a fairy with its sharp teeth.

“Only subdue them.”

“It won’t be easy. The fairies aren’t that simple…”

“Even if we reveal the truth, there’s no guarantee the war will stop.”

I cut Bea off firmly.

This was a moment for unwavering resolve, not compromise.

“But we have to try. And if we’re going to do it, we do it right. We can’t go to apologize while covered in fairy blood.”

Bea let out a deep sigh but finally nodded.

“Understood. Let’s do it.”

“Thank you for listening. You’re strong, Bea-nim, so I know you can do it.”

“And you?”

“Of course, I’m strong too.”

Our resolve was mostly set.

Now it was time to boost confidence.

Bea grabbed Nihel’s large muzzle and looked it straight in the eyes.

“Did you hear? Are you coming with us? Or staying here?”

Nihel bared its teeth and growled.

I had no idea what it meant.

But Bea seemed to understand.

“Good. You’re a sacred beast of Kipaso, so you’ll definitely be a help.”

Just in case, I warned Nihel too.

“Thanks for coming along. But you absolutely must not bite and kill any fairies.”

Grrrr…

Nihel growled at me.

Of course, I couldn’t interpret wolf speech. So I looked at Bea.

“Did Nihel understand me?”

“‘Be polite, young human.’”

Bea said in a low voice.

Then, awkwardly, she added:

“…That’s what it said.”

“…Let’s go.”

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