Chapter 129 : Chapter 129

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

***

Chapter 129 – The Elder (2)

For a moment, time itself seemed to stop.

“The mountains are high,” the old elf said softly. “Long ago, explorers told me that conquering mountains was their dream. Yet none have ever conquered one—because a mountain belongs to no one. Do you wish to see the highest heavens? Then, I shall send you to the mountains.”

In that frozen world, only the old elf spoke.

“The forests are vast,” he continued. “No one knows them better than I. I was born in the oldest of forests and have lived there longer than any creature of this world. Within the forest lies life itself. If you wish to know the truth—that the lives of the small and the great are no different—then I shall send you to the forest.”

His voice was gentle.

“The sea is like a mother’s embrace, and the plains are like a father’s back. Every piece of nature holds truth—in a single leaf, in the boundless sky, in the sun that hangs above it. So tell me: what kind of world do you wish to face?”

As he spoke kindly, the old elf stepped closer. With each step, his figure shifted— and when he finally came close enough that our noses nearly touched, I no longer saw a man before me, but a tree. A tree so vast and ancient that I couldn’t even lift my eyes high enough to see its top.

Before I could stop myself, I muttered,

“...Who are you, elder?”

He smiled and answered,

“I am the High Elf, Nadin. All who know me call me thus.”

High Elf. A name I’d never heard before. But I had no time to ponder it. From the moment he came near, my body had gone stiff—I couldn’t move. My mind felt hazy, distant, as though this were all a dream.

“Have you no place you wish to go, no sight you wish to see?”

Before I could answer, the old elf slowly raised a hand to my chest. I felt the dry, ancient texture of his palm against my skin.

“Then allow this old man to choose for—”

Thud— My heart pulsed, violently.

“—you?”

With that one beat, a shock ran through my entire body. My clouded thoughts cleared, my eyes flew open. The haze shattered—and the old elf was suddenly far away, as though something had flung him backward.

“……?”

His expression shifted. Surprise filled his emerald eyes, as if even he couldn’t understand what had just happened.

「A troublesome old man has appeared.」

Liam clicked his tongue.

「Focus, young descendant.」

“What… was that?”

「He used the World Tree. One of the oldest powers in existence. All living creatures bound to nature cannot resist it. The pointy-eared ones use it often.」

“……”

「You almost got sent flying to the opposite side of the continent, boy.」

The opposite side of the continent. Even hearing it sent a chill through me.

“Who the hell is that old elf?”

「You heard him—he’s a High Elf. A fairy that’s existed since the age when this continent was still called the First Land. A creature older than most gods—ancient and weathered beyond measure.」

“……What?”

「Nadin, huh? It's been a long time since I’ve heard that name. A stubborn old trickster, that one.」

The old elf—High Elf Nadin—looked straight at me.

「Still, his tricks are child’s play to a Karavan.」

Nadin’s eyes gleamed green, and again the haze washed over me. My body dulled, my vision blurred, the world swaying as if I were underwater. But then—

「Steel conquers wood.」

Thump. My heart pulsed once more, and the haze vanished.

「No matter how grand the World Tree may be, before Steel Blood, it is nothing but a large piece of wood.」

Nadin’s gaze sharpened. The warmth vanished from his face.

“……Karavan?”

“……”

“So one of their blood still lives?”

His once-kind tone turned to cold disgust.

“Then I was wrong. You, too, are a sinner. If Steel Blood flows in your veins, that alone is sin. How could it not be? You are the descendant of those who stood atop the blood of the world—existences that should never have returned.”

A dreadful pressure surged from him. Every instinct screamed danger.

And then—

“High Elf Nadin!”

A thunderous shout rang out. Knights clad in ashen armor appeared— the Ashen Knight Order, the royal guard of the Iron Kingdom, defenders of Blade City itself. Their grey blades gleamed under the sun.

“Leave this place at once, Elder of the First Forest! You have no right to stand upon the soil of Iron. You are forbidden to cross the Blade Walls. Depart now, and we will not hold you accountable for trespassing. Return to your forest—tend to your World Tree, as you have for centuries. By divine law, no High Elf may leave the Great Forest. Will you defy the gods’ decree? Will you abandon your duty, as Hugo Rhapsody once did?”

Their voices thundered, shaking the air. Yet even faced with the Ashen Knights’ power, Nadin did not retreat.

“Do you know this?” he asked quietly.

“Leave. Now!”

“An innocent elf was slain. By your standards, she may have seemed old—but by the measure of the Great Forest, she was but a newborn. Let me put it in your terms: because of your precious Ian Cherville—the arrogant fool who believes himself the finest on the continent—a child beloved by all elves was murdered. Her head was severed and displayed on a beach, like a trophy of art. She was the first elf born in a hundred years—the child, the sibling of every elf—”

“Do not speak His Majesty’s name with that mouth! You—”

“Careful. Don’t interrupt me. Ever.”

Nadin’s eyes turned toward the Ashen Knights.

A suffocating silence fell before he continued.

“I’ve heard the whispers of the world—rumors and fools bickering in every corner. Some speak of the Idler’s duty, others curse the Rhapsody line, and many praise Ian Cherville. They fight and slander one another endlessly. Chaos, everywhere. Did you truly think this old man could not see the truth beneath it?”

He let out a low, bitter laugh.

“I’ve lived through the Age of War. This is all too familiar. In times like these, no one seeks truth—only someone to blame. There’s an old saying: those who forget history have no future. And I, old as I am, have not forgotten.”

“……”

“In the age I lived, it was always the same—the ones who profited from chaos were the true sinners. You’ve worked hard to hide it, but do you think this old man can be swayed by the voices of those who’ve never known war? By the chatter of the young?”

The air thickened as his power began to manifest.

“Whether you destroy the Free Cities, summon another Age of War, or expand this pitiful Iron Kingdom, the Great Forest does not care. But harm our child, and the story changes. A single seed can become a forest. All elves understand the law of nature. You have harmed the forest—and thus, you have harmed us all.”

Roots burst from beneath Nadin’s feet, twisting and writhing like living serpents.

“Stop him! Don’t let him summon the World Tree!” someone from the knights shouted.

A deafening cry tore through the air. The tension was at its breaking point.

Then Nadin’s eyes shifted—to me.

“So you know your own sin. Good. Then I need not hold back. This place is full of sinners anyway. Whoever dies in this storm will die rightly judged.”

Cold dread crawled down my spine. The force radiating from him was overwhelming, tangible.

Could I cut that down? Could I even try? My hand instinctively went to my sword—but before I could draw it—“Reach out your hand!”

A sharp voice rang out. A voice I knew.

Turning toward it, I saw a hole in the air— a shimmering warp gate. And through it—Audrey.

“Grab my hand, now!”

Magic? In Blade City? Impossible—magic was banned here! The thought flashed through my mind, but there was no time to question it. A door had opened in the collapsing sky—I wasn’t going to waste it.

I reached out. Our hands met, and I was pulled through. Nadin’s expression twisted as my body was swallowed by the gate.

“Elder,” I said.

“……”

“When I’m stronger, let’s meet again.”

I remembered him well. That damned old tree.

***

When I’m stronger, let’s meet again. Those were the last words the descendant of Karavan left before vanishing like smoke.

High Elf Nadin quickly called upon the World Tree, trying to trace him—but found nothing. Nothing at all.

‘…Was there a Tower Master or a Witch among his companions?’

That level of teleportation magic was impossible otherwise. Frowning, Nadin gave up the chase.

There was no trace left—and he had more immediate problems.

“Scatter! The damned old man has summoned the World Tree!”

The knights shouted in panic.

‘The most dreadful words I’ve heard in a century,’ Nadin thought.

“Let’s meet again.” An empty threat— but when spoken by one bearing the name Karavan, there was no threat more chilling.

He knew what the Karavans were. They always started small—but their endings were monumental. He knew their legends, their myths, their power. He had seen it himself.

If that boy survived, he would grow into something terrible— something the world might not survive.

Still, for now—

“Retreat!”

“Fall back!”

The future could wait. The enemies before him could not. Nadin closed his eyes. The World Tree responded. Its roots surged, granting him power beyond mortal reach— a power permitted only to the High Elves.

“Gah—!”

Roots erupted from the ground beneath the retreating knights, thick and serpentine. They tore through armor, crushing men like insects. Flesh and blood soaked into the soil, feeding the ravenous roots. Those who escaped vomited blood and fell. From their corpses sprouted violet shoots— and soon, every fallen body was swallowed, transformed into trees.

Blade City was painted green.

And then—

“High Elf Nadin.”

A voice cut through the air like a blade.

The sharpest sword guarding Blade City had arrived.

“Return to your forest.”

Swordmaster Carlos, the Prince’s Executioner, had come. As the roots of the World Tree reached the Blade Palace, he appeared— to eliminate anything that dared threaten his lord.

Nadin smiled.

“So, the gods’ beloved Swordmaster has come.”

“……”

“They call you the Executioner, don’t they? What a fate.”

“……”

Carlos did not respond. His expression remained unreadable.

“Your ancestors were not like this.”

Until Nadin spoke the next words—

“What happened to you, Sword of Heaven?”

The instant those words left his lips, Carlos drew his sword.

The world split in two.

The World Tree’s power, the roots that devoured Blade City, the spirits’ magic— all were severed and erased in an instant.

When Carlos sheathed his blade, Nadin’s head rolled to the ground.

Carlos walked forward and looked down at it.

The old elf’s head—eyes still open—crumbled into leaves, vines, and branches, scattering into the wind.

Nadin was not dead. A High Elf’s soul was bound to the World Tree; death merely sent them back to the Great Forest to be reborn.

Carlos stared coldly at the space where Nadin had vanished, and murmured,

“That name was discarded long ago.”