"Come on, guide us quickly!"
"Hmm."
The leader of the elf guards, the white-haired elf, walked beside me with a displeased expression.
I was sticking close to his side with Astaroth drawn out, as a means of keeping watch over him.
The remaining elf guards returned to their original duties. I told them to do so.
The person guiding us into the forest interior now is only the white-haired uncle who seems to be the elves' leader.
"Grrrr!"
The sound of a beast's cry was heard.
I glanced back.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
"Huff, huff!"
Chris was growling while blowing air from her nose and mouth.
Judging by the yin-yang jade ominously circling around her, she seemed ready to punch a hole in this elf's belly if he tried to do anything untoward to me.
"Unnie... I think you can relax. You know I'm strong, right?"
"He's a handsome man!"
"Hmm...?"
What does that mean?
Is being handsome a reason to be wary?
The white-haired uncle seems uncomfortable with Chris too. He also asked me while sweating profusely.
"Um, I'm sorry for attacking first, so please tell her to calm down a bit."
"Unnie, he says to calm down."
"Grrrr, tell him to say it directly!"
"Uncle, she says to tell you directly."
I puffed my cheeks for no reason.
It's within hearing distance, so why do I have to relay the conversation between these two?
I clapped my hands and asked him something I was curious about. Introductions are important.
"What's your name?"
"...It's Palman."
Palman, a name that gives a sturdy feeling.
Unlike the other ethereal-looking elf guards, his body was also solid.
"Oh. So it's Uncle Palman. I'm Rain, and the unnie behind is Chris."
"Can't you drop that 'uncle' thing?"
I shook my head.
"An uncle is an uncle."
[Elf Kingdom Friendliness: 0]
After the battle with the elf guards, the Elf Kingdom's friendliness was released from its negative state. It's because I didn't kill a single elf.
Perhaps thanks to that, Palman willingly told me his name.
"Thank you for not harming the elves. I hope you understand, the current situation the Elf Kingdom is in isn't good. It's a principle to subdue visitors who break through the outer magical fog first."
"Hmm, is that so?"
I clicked my tongue.
With the dwarf village, we went easily thanks to the message from my companion 'Ain', but it seems we don't get any advantage with the Elf Kingdom.
I had many questions, but the conversation with him couldn't continue any further.
Because through the large trees obstructing our view, their thick branches and blue-green leaves, something overwhelming that filled our sight started to appear.
"Wh... what is this?"
Chris blankly stared at 'that'.
Her gaze moved from left to right, then soon upwards. Her neck seems like it might break.
I chuckled.
"Unnie, your neck will fall off."
"U-um? Rain, weren't you surprised? ...So this is the world of 'Astria Online'. It's really amazing."
"Yes. I'm amazed too."
Though I haven't seen it before either, I knew of 'its' existence.
What it reminds one of, a giant building soaring as if to reach the end of the sky?
No. It's not artificial. It's natural.
What filled our sight was.
An overwhelmingly large, 'giant tree'.
I murmured softly.
"World Tree."
Palman nodded.
Something I hadn't seen even in the past.
I quietly looked at the World Tree.
The World Tree was truly of an unimaginable size, stretching as if to reach the end of the sky.
Its top pierced through the clouds and soared even higher, looking like a giant pillar connecting heaven and earth.
The endlessly spread branches of the World Tree extended across the entire sky. Wherever you look up, it's all branches.
Even circling the World Tree once didn't seem easy. Its thickness was even greater than Earth's wide circular stadium.
In front of it, I felt as if the flow of time had stopped.
This is the origin of the world.
The foundation of the Astria continent.
How far do the invisible roots of the World Tree extend? The range those roots reach must be greater than the size of the empire's capital.
The roots not only extend deep into the ground, but also rise enormously above the earth.
Between those roots, intricately built elven dwellings could be seen. The elven houses nestled here like a part of nature were naturally intertwined between the roots of the World Tree.
This is the 'Elf Kingdom'.
Elven society centered around the giant World Tree.
It was worthy of being called a kingdom.
Considering the very small elven population, this much is a kingdom.
Trusting the patrols of the elf guards, the boundary between the forest and where the elves live was vague. Rather than a residential area, it was in a form naturally blending with the trees.
The dreamy and overwhelming nature of this world, my admiration for its mysteriousness was brief.
I tilted my head.
"This World Tree, something's strange."
I noticed that the state of the World Tree was not normal.
Should I say its vitality seems somewhat dim?
Of course, I haven't seen a World Tree before either.
But if it's a World Tree in a fantasy worldview, I know there's usually some description of it being more sparkling and green, its leaves being a panacea, and such.
Palman, who was walking in front, looked slightly surprised at my words.
"You noticed? You have good intuition. As you say, the current World Tree is not in a normal state. It seems to be at its limit just protecting the surrounding environment and the elves from the extreme cold."
"Hmm..."
"What? What's going on?"
Chris approached me and chattered.
"I'm not sure either... We'll have to listen to the story first."
Lost in thought, I walked between the roots, heading towards the giant pillar connecting ground and sky, the center of the Elf Kingdom.
As we walked, other elves also revealed themselves from between the roots of the World Tree.
They looked at us with eyes mixed with curiosity and fear. Judging by their reactions, this elven society seemed to have lived in seclusion for a long time.
Is it been a long time since they've seen outsiders?
Or maybe it's the first time in their lives.
At some point we were climbing the giant roots of the World Tree.
And soon, we entered a place that could be called a cavity pierced between the stems tangled messily on the pillar of the World Tree.
In the center of that cavity, there was an arrangement of stems reminiscent of tables and chairs. It looked very natural, seemingly not cut with knives.
As if the World Tree itself had made a space for the elves.
"Oh."
It totally feels like a meeting room.
Palman, sitting astride one stem, soon opened his mouth.
"Today is the first time the Elf Kingdom has welcomed outsiders. Lost travelers can't break through the magical fog. Even if a non-hostile being breaks through the fog, they end up being subdued by elf guards and driven out."
"Hmm...? Then if we were subdued, would we have been driven out too?"
"Until now. But recently, the story has changed."
Palman's eyes shone sharply.
"Adventurers from the stars, we heard news through elves of the kingdom who went outside. Otherworldly beings who repel evil have started to be active. You must be among them?"
I nodded.
Chris also nodded following me.
Palman straightened his posture and bowed his head.
"There is something I want to ask. Please save the World Tree."
That's out of the blue.
Tap tap.
I walked inside the World Tree following Palman. Chris had already stuck close to my side and was walking together.
Chris looked very excited.
"It feels completely like a world from a fairy tale! We've been fighting so much until now, but this kind of adventure is also one of the joys of a fantasy world!"
"Hehe, unnie you're totally like a child."
"Really? Aren't you enjoying it too, Rain?"
I smiled slightly and lowered my head.
I couldn't just enjoy it.
Why?
Thump thump.
As we approached the core of the World Tree, my heart pounded.
"By the way, is Uncle Palman like an elf elder? I thought he was the leader of the elf guards."
"There's no hierarchy among elves. Everyone is equal. I'm just the strongest among the elf guards. In the past, it's said the World Tree lent wisdom to the elves, but now elves discuss and solve things among themselves."
Democracy? It's a bit different since they don't elect representatives?
Anyway, it's an interesting society.
Palman stopped in front of a mass of stems.
Tree stems were tangled messily, blocking the way ahead.
That appearance was reminiscent of a huge door.
Palman turned his body in front of it and looked at us.
"It's been a thousand years since communication between the World Tree and elves was cut off. During that time, elves have slowly become weaker. So we judged that with our power alone, it's difficult to fend off external threats."
"So, to adventurers from the stars."
He nodded and stroked the huge door made of tree stems.
"Throughout generations, only one elf could enter this deepest part of the World Tree. The only being who could communicate with the World Tree, that lineage was cut off a thousand years ago. Some will made even their names be forgotten."
"The priestess of the World Tree."
Palman's eyes widened.
His agitation was clearly conveyed.
Palman opened his trembling lips and barely spat out words.
"How...?"
I let go of Chris's hand and walked forward.
Thump thump.
Clutching my beating heart.
"Rain...?"
Chris's voice sounded a bit distant.
Crunch crunch.
Dwarves, humans, and elves all lost their history.
Even the names of my companions weren't passed down.
Is it the will of the absolute being who made this world in the form of a game? No. That being is friendly.
This is clear malice.
Little by little, fragments of what I need to defeat started to appear.
Crunch crunch.
What the elf companion of the hero party once told me.
-Rain, the priestess of the World Tree becomes the World Tree's spirit after death.
The meaning of the World Tree's priestess telling her name.
It means I want to invite you to our space someday.
-After everything is over, will you stop by there with me?
I stood in front of the door, caressing it with my hand, and said her name.
"Elaine."
The World Tree opened the way.