Chapter 97 : Chapter 97

Chapter 97 : Under the Branch of the World Tree (10)

It was a day when long-awaited events unfolded one after another.

Not only had I ascended to the Sixth Rank, but Nofen and Derix had arrived in Kipaso.

First, I comforted Raldetun, who was clutching his axe and crying like a child.

“I’ll buy you a really good axe later.”

“It was made by dwarves… an ancient artifact!”

Wapuhugun was a decent artifact, but it wasn’t an endgame item.

At best, it was an axe you’d use until the Sixth Rank and then discard.

But I understood Raldetun’s heavy heart, having lost his beloved weapon in a single spar.

Still, he seemed to be crying a bit too much…

“It wasn’t something you’d use forever. It got chipped before, didn’t it?”

“That was because of you too!”

I accidentally let my true thoughts slip out.

Startled, I quickly added a promise.

“I’ll get you an axe even better than Wapuhugun. I’ll raid the Dragon King’s Vault if I have to!”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course, Raldetun-nim is my friend, isn’t he?”

Only then did Raldetun calm down, grinning broadly.

“Bea-nim, let’s go.”

After confirming Raldetun was stable, I left the fairy territory with Bea.

Raldetun quickly followed behind us.

He glanced at Bea, who was walking with a stoic expression, and suddenly spoke.

“Is that elf Polarin’s friend? Then she’s our friend too.”

“Uh… yes, that’s right.”

Bea suddenly gained several friends.

Raldetun treated Bea without hesitation, but she still seemed awkward.

Still, this was significant progress.

When I first met her, I could barely hear her voice.

The days spent training together in the fairy territory and dealing with the kids had paid off.

“Hmhm.”

But Bea still seemed uncomfortable with Raldetun, giving me a subtle look.

“Bea-nim, how’s your training going these days?”

“I’ve been training diligently, but…”

I had encouraged Bea to train to shoot intangible arrows like Gawen.

Light Arrow was a secret technique only Gawen could use.

Could Bea, Gawen’s descendant, use it too?

“Oh, really? Can you shoot Light Arrow now?”

“No, not yet. It’s a realm only my grandmother could achieve among elves.”

Bea’s spirits sank again.

Not wanting to discourage her, I hurriedly comforted her.

“You’re right, it’s an incredible realm. But if you keep trying, Bea-nim, you’ll achieve it someday.”

Bea glared at me sharply.

Just keep trying.

I was living proof of those words.

But it didn’t seem to be what Bea wanted to hear.

Gawen’s Light Arrow was truly powerful.

She didn’t carry a quiver.

There was no need.

She simply formed an aura in the shape of an arrow on an empty bowstring and shot it.

A skill unique to Gawen, unusable by other elves.

When Gawen, the divine archer of the elves, drew her bow, Light Arrow pierced the demons’ foreheads.

Though it was in a game, it was an incredibly beautiful skill.

Seeing Bea, Gawen’s descendant, use it in reality would be moving.

“Everyone has their own way of trying. From what I saw, that elf trains as hard as you do.”

Raldetun, sensing the awkward mood, chimed in.

“Raldetun-nim, she’s not just an elf, she’s Bea-nim.”

“Hm, right. Bea, I’ll call you that from now on.”

The journey of me, Bea and Raldetun moved forward with some creaks.

But soon, I smiled brightly. My awaited friends came into view.

“Polarin-niim!”

Nofen ran over, waving his arms wildly.

When he nearly tripped over a tree root, Derix quickly caught him.

“Hehe, thanks, Derix-nim.”

Derix and Nofen, along with me, Bea and Raldetun, gathered in one place.

“Let’s end this war together.”

At my words, everyone nodded with determined expressions.

* * *

We had to join forces to end the racial war.

But the journey faltered before it even began.

An unexpected conflict arose.

“You must be a demon.”

Fairies naturally despised demons.

Moreover, Raldetun had recently been infused with demonic energy by an unknown demon.

Having suffered madness because of it, Raldetun harbored even deeper resentment toward demons.

But Derix had faced demon-haters more than once or twice.

“I was a demon. Not anymore. I’m just Polarin-nim’s loyal servant.”

There wasn’t a trace of demonic energy left in Derix’s body.

Unfazed by Raldetun’s pressure, Derix approached him and asked in a low voice,

“You. I sense a familiar aura. Are you Polarin-nim’s servant too?”

“Se-servant? No way. I’m the future Fairy King. Raldetun, the evil spirit!”

“A servant, then. I became his servant first, so you should treat me as your senior.”

“…Khm.”

Their standoff ended surprisingly easily.

No matter how much of a Sixth Rank fairy Raldetun was, he couldn’t match Derix’s level.

Demons didn’t rank by tiers, but as a mid-level demon with over 300 years of experience, Derix’s power was likely far greater.

‘Honestly, Derix is probably stronger than me.’

I felt anew how fortunate it was that I didn’t have to fight when I made Derix my servant.

Bea, feeling uneasy in this situation, frowned and asked me,“As expected. It’s not brainwashing, but making them servants?”

“It’s not like that.”

I firmly denied it, but she didn’t seem to believe me.

“Now, let’s handle the important stuff first.”

I took out the [Intangible Armor] containing demonic energy like a balloon.

Nofen rubbed his hands together, eyeing the Intangible Armor.

“Now it’s my turn to shine!”

“You got it. I’m counting on you.”

Like letting air out of a balloon, I released part of the [Intangible Armor].

Raldetun grimaced.

The demonic energy that had lingered in his body seeped out.

Nofen touched the demonic energy.

Closing his eyes, he muttered incantations.

I’d seen Nofen use his tune before, but since it was new to the others, they focused on him.

“Done! I’ll share the vision I see with everyone!”

As Nofen muttered again, a purple thread appeared.

It was much thicker and more ominous than the one that led to the desert before.

“It’s thick.”

“Yup… It’s the strongest demon I’ve ever tracked.”

Tension settled over everyone.

I looked up, gauging the direction of the demon.

“If we follow the thread, what’s there…”

But I couldn’t finish.

The thick purple thread stretched toward the towering World Tree.

Even in the dense forest, the World Tree’s majestic presence made the thread’s direction clear to everyone.

“I thought it’d be hiding somewhere, but it’s at the World Tree.”

The unexpected result threw me off for a moment.

Then Raldetun let out an angry shout.

“…Those elf bastards were hiding a demon at the World Tree! This isn’t the time to stop the war. We need to press harder!”

I restrained the furious Raldetun.

“We don’t know for sure if the elves are hiding the demon.”

But I felt just as devastated.

Even if demons were involved in the racial war, the elves were largely responsible.

Whether the elves knew about the demon or not was unclear.

If they knew and hid it, they needed to be held accountable.

“We’ll have to check to be certain.”

* * *

We returned to the fairy territory right away.

And we reported our findings to Frude.

“I understand it’s not certain yet. But if the elves deliberately hide a demon, we’ll march to the World Tree.”

“I’ll go find out.”

Frude was firm but more rational than Raldetun.

“But I don’t think all elves would do that. They hate demons as much as we do. Take this.”

Frude handed me a flowerpot.

But nothing was growing in it.

It was just neatly packed with soil.

“It’s a seed of friendship shared long ago between the Elf King and the Fairy King. The Elf King likely has a similar pot. If they want to stop the war, mixing the two pots will make flowers bloom.”

“Showing this to the Elf King will make him understand your intentions.”

“Exactly. I hope they bloom flowers instead of drawing swords.”

The Fairy King’s face was full of concern, but his desire to end the war was clear.

I bowed to Frude and left his cabin.

Then I spoke to the group.

“Derix-nim, Bea-nim, and I will go to the elf territory.”

“Take me too!”

Raldetun huffed.

Derix gave him a look, but the enraged Raldetun didn’t care.

“Raldetun-nim, you’ve killed too many elves. It won’t go well if you come. We’re not going to start a fight.”

“Urgh…”

Fortunately, Raldetun was capable of reason.

Though we weren’t going to fight, unavoidable battles could arise on this journey.

That was why I was leaving Nofen, who wasn’t a combatant, behind.

“Raldetun-nim, please take care of Nofen-nim instead. He’s my mentor at Tello.”

“Your mentor… I’ll protect him with my life.”

“What’s there to protect with your life in the fairy territory? Just make sure he’s comfortable.”

Nofen had done his part.

He came all this way to activate a tune once.

Thanks to him, we pinpointed the demon’s location.

I’d make sure his help wasn’t in vain by stopping the war.

“Thanks to you, Nofen-nim. Rest easy.”

I left the territory with Derix and Bea.

My mind was tangled with worries and things to consider.

‘Bea-nim must not be at ease either.’

She had to return to the elf territory she’d left of her own accord and not for a pleasant reason.

I looked at Bea, concerned, but surprisingly, she seemed calm.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“I thought you’d be uncomfortable going back to the elf territory.”

“It’s fine. I steeled myself when I started moving with you, Polarin-nim. You seem to have more worries than I do.”

I tried to hide my unease, but Bea had noticed.

“You can tell me. You’ve listened to my worries plenty of times.”

“It’s funny to say this now, but…”

I gave a wry smile and spoke.

“Am I overstepping? I’m just a third party, neither elf nor fairy.”

The war was triggered by demonic energy, but the fairies suffered tragedy because of the elves.

The fairies’ anger, sparked by this, brought great harm to the elves too.

You couldn’t divide it into good or evil, victim or perpetrator.

No, since the war began, both were evil and perpetrators.

“That’s exactly why you can help, Polarin-nim.”

Bea spoke calmly.

“Both races have faults. That’s why only you, unbound by their grudges, can stop this war, isn’t it?”

Her calm, even tone brought peace to my mind.

“Thank you. That cleared my head.”

“No big deal.”

I gave a faint smile at Bea’s stiff words and so, we headed to the elf territory under the World Tree.

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