Chapter 104 - Damn Reincarnation

Senya

They had been traveling west for several days, just as Siknard had instructed.

Nothing particularly troublesome had happened since they left the wandering elves’ village. They had encountered monsters several times and discovered traces of nearby tribes, but they had not run into any natives.

“... Ah.”

He felt the leaf of the World Tree tucked against his chest twitch. He was not imagining it. For the past several days of travel, Eugene had kept most of his senses focused on this dry leaf. No matter how eagerly he had been waiting, he was not so inept that he would mistake his own wishful thinking for a sensation.

Eugene immediately took out the leaf. He stilled the breeze and stared at the leaf resting on his palm.

It twitched again. Kristina, who had come up beside him, brightened. The leaf began to move little by little across his palm, advancing as it made small adjustments to its direction.

“It’s like a compass.”

Murmuring this, Eugene tucked the leaf back against his chest.

“Why are you putting it away?”

“It’d be a nuisance to keep carrying it around on my palm. I can feel where it’s pointing even inside my clothes.”

Its direction was... slightly off from due west. Siknard’s memory had not been wrong. There must have been some other reason he had been unable to find the domain. Feeling his heart race, Eugene quickened his steps.

The farther they traveled in the indicated direction, the stronger the leaf’s reaction became. At first, it had only twitched to point the way. Now it was thrashing as though it would burst out of his clothes.

As its reaction grew stronger, Eugene walked faster. Kristina followed, keeping pace with every movement.

“Sir Eugene.”

“I know.”

His voice trembled a little. Even as he pressed forward, Eugene noticed the changes around him. The stirring wind was different from an ordinary breeze. And it was not just the wind. The earth and the trees, too, were different from the forest he had grown familiar with over nearly two months of wandering.

But he could not tell exactly what was different. Eugene drew Wynnyd from inside his cloak.

[“... This is astonishing.”]

Tempest’s voice sounded inside his head. Without needing any explanation, Tempest immediately grasped the situation.

[“Primal spirits... No. Spirits of the World Tree?”]

‘What are those?’

[“Do you know what primal spirits are?”]

‘Of course. They’re the lowest-order spirits, without wills of their own.’

Tempest gave a low chuckle at that answer.

[“The lowest-order spirits... Yes. You could see them that way.”]

‘Am I wrong?’

[“Primal spirits are the pure essence of spirits. They are weaker than sylphs, the lesser wind spirits, and cannot resist the winds sylphs raise... But even within a sylph’s wind, primal spirits do not lose themselves.”]

‘...’

[“Even I, a Spirit King, and sylphs, lesser spirits, were once primal spirits.”]

‘... Are they like mana?’

Eugene asked after considering it for a moment.

[“Yes. Primal spirits are similar to mana. You might call them... another form of mana. Just as mana exists everywhere, so do primal spirits. All wind, earth, fire, water, and the like consist of mana and primal spirits.”]

‘You just said you used to be a primal spirit. Why is your answer so vague?’

[“Hamel. Do you remember being a fetus?”]

‘... I remember the moment I was born.’

[“But you do not remember being inside your mother’s womb. And you only remember the moment of your birth because you were reincarnated with your previous life’s memories and personality intact, do you not? No matter how good their memory, ordinary people cannot remember the moment they were born.”]

‘Of course not. So what are these spirits of the World Tree?’

After contracting with Tempest and coming to Samar, Eugene had wondered whether he might be able to find the elves and their domain through him. Tempest was the Wind Spirit King. And elves were born with an affinity for spirits, a race capable of contracting with them without ever studying spirit arts.

But things had not worked out so easily. Contracts were absolute to spirits. Even as the Wind Spirit King, Tempest could not make spirits under his command divulge information about their contractors.

[“Exactly what the name suggests.”]

There was unmistakable excitement in Tempest’s voice.

[“Just as spirits dwelling in the wind are wind spirits, those dwelling in the World Tree are spirits of the World Tree. They are different from tree spirits, too.”]

‘... Isn’t the World Tree just a really old fairy tree?’

[“Are you serious?”]

‘I was just saying. I know the World Tree is special.’

A tree whose young saplings alone could create a barrier and halt the progression of demonic sickness could hardly be called merely an old tree. Fairy trees themselves were rare and used as powerful magical materials.

[“... Elves place their faith in the World Tree. Their dead ancestors. Their own selves, when they die... They believe the souls of all elves will be guided to the World Tree and protect their race.”]

‘That faith isn’t universal. There were elves who worshipped the God of Light.’

[“That cannot be helped, can it? Faith is something one chooses for oneself. At any rate, the World Tree is a spiritual and powerful enough being to be an object of worship for an entire race.”]

The forest, and space itself, shook. The ground gradually shifted, and the trees leaned back.

[“I am the Wind Spirit King, but I cannot control the wind here. And it is not just me. No Spirit King could interfere with the spirits in this place.”]

The leaf against his chest vibrated. When he took it out, it was emitting a brilliant light. Then it floated into the air of its own accord. Eugene did not try to catch it.

The space before his eyes suddenly warped, opening a path. The leaf flew inside, and Eugene held out his hand to Kristina. After a moment’s hesitation, she took it.

“... Might it be dangerous...?”

“Surely not.”

With that murmur, Eugene pulled Kristina close. Then he kicked off the ground and leaped into the opening. As soon as the two passed through, the space closed again.

The forest, which had writhed to create a path, returned to its original form.

A little later.

THUD!

A man who had leaped from far away landed on the ground. Brushing dust off himself, he looked around. The trees that had bent this way and that to open a path had returned to normal, and the overturned earth was flat again.

The path had closed.

“Missed them.”

The hooded man grumbled and sniffed the air. There was no scent, either... They had definitely disappeared here, yet not a single trace remained, as though it had all been an illusion.

“Damn it.”

His mouth twisted as he swore. He had wanted to be led there peacefully. He had never expected this. It was all because that little brat was too sensitive. Following by scent from a considerable distance had made him a little too late.

‘Is it... around here?’

He could not tell. They must have been right here until a moment ago... Yet no scent remained in this spot. The scent drifted in a completely different direction... No. It was scattered throughout the surrounding forest. Was that because the trees had bent to make a path and the wind had wandered through them?

‘Like a maze.’

The man stopped trying to track the scent.

Now, then.

What should he do? Wait here blindly? Who knew when they would come out? And was there any guarantee they would come out here again? He might end up waiting for ages and getting nothing for his trouble. The man loathed that sort of thing.

In that case...

Wouldn’t it be better to wait somewhere they were certain to return?

* * *

“... Wow...”

So she could make sounds like that, too.

Eugene turned at the clear exclamation beside him. Kristina’s expression was so pure that he could have called it the most unguarded face he had ever seen her make. Without pretense or affectation, she was marveling at the sight before her.

How could she not? Eugene tucked the leaf of the World Tree back against his chest and turned to look. He was marveling at the sight himself.

“... Like an umbrella.”

Eugene murmured under his breath. It was an inadequate comparison, but the sight before him really did resemble an umbrella. A colossal tree. The World Tree. Its countless, luxuriant branches and leaves covered the sky like an umbrella.

“Rather than an umbrella... it looks like a ceiling.”

“Same difference. Either way, it’s covering us.”

Eugene answered as he looked up at the sky. No, it was not the sky he was looking at. Everywhere he looked, there were only branches and leaves.

Beneath them lay a city. It must have existed for well over several hundred years. Looking down at it like this, it resembled ancient ruins.

‘No. At that age, it really is an ancient site.’

With that thought, Eugene glanced behind him. The path that had brought them here was nowhere to be seen. Roots, vines, and earth were tangled together, blocking the way.

“How are we supposed to get out?”

“Not sure.”

Eugene walked forward as he answered.

“For now... I know this much. This place is beautiful, but it isn’t somewhere anything can live.”

“... So it seems.”

Kristina nodded in agreement.

“Everything here is connected to the World Tree. But that is all. Contrary to how it looks... there is almost no mana.”

It was strange. To the eye, the majestic World Tree looked as though it was brimming with mana, like the Lionheart forest and its spirit vein. Yet there was almost no mana here. Even those green leaves, so full of life in appearance, somehow seemed as though they would crumble to nothing at a touch.

‘What in the world is this?’

He recalled Vermouth’s tomb, the space filled with artificial flowers. The trees and grass here were not fake. They were real, but lifeless.

[“Is the mana concentrated in the barrier?”]

‘What about the spirits?’

[“... Hmm... How strange. The spirits are quiet. They are here, but they are not showing themselves.”]

Tempest murmured. Eugene shrugged and jumped off the cliff. Kristina unfurled her Wings of Light and followed him.

Having descended the cliff, they walked through the city. Old buildings stood around them. Roots rising from the earth connected to the buildings and wound around them.

“... There seems to be no one here.”

They had thought there would still be elves here. But there were no elves in this city. This place was beautiful, yet no one could live in it. Mana was far too scarce, and the necessities of life were absent.

As they passed through the city, they saw withered trees. The World Tree’s roots wound around and connected to them, but they were not fairy trees. They were various kinds of fruit trees. Eugene approached one and touched it.

‘... Dead.’

A mere nudge brought the tree down. It was not just the trees. The soil was dry, too. The wells scattered throughout the city had no water left.

‘We won’t be able to move the wandering elves here.’

Could they cultivate the soil and plant various seeds to make it habitable?

[“Impossible. The earth here is dead, and has been for quite some time. Without supplying an enormous amount of mana, reviving this place is impossible.”]

‘An enormous amount... How much?’

[“The spirit vein of the Lionheart main family. You would need several times that amount, at the very least.”]

‘What about a dragon heart?’

[“... Are you thinking of stealing Senya’s staff?”]

Akasha. A magical staff made from a branch of the World Tree and a dragon heart.

‘If I have to.’

[“Even a dragon heart would not be enough. And... I suspect mana alone would not suffice. Hamel. I feel an inexplicable unpleasantness in this space.”]

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

[“This feeling... It is almost... reminiscent of a Demon King’s sinister presence.”]

‘Don’t be ridiculous. This is the elves’ domain. The World Tree is right there.’

Eugene walked forward after that retort.

“... Where could the elves have gone?”

“Maybe they’re all hibernating. Or they moved somewhere else.”

“Are you joking?”

“No. I’m serious. This land can’t support anyone. There are no elves, either. Surely all the elves living here weren’t massacred? The city’s too intact for that.”

It was empty, but it had not been devastated.

They crossed the city and approached the World Tree. It had looked enormous from a distance, but the closer they came, the more its size sank in. The World Tree was as immense as a mountain.

Beneath it lay a vast lake bordering the tree. Though the wells had not dried up, the lake still held its water. Eugene looked down at its still surface.

At the bottom of the deep lake, he could see the World Tree’s roots. The roots spread throughout the city connected to the World Tree through the earth and the lake. Eugene crouched and touched the surface of the water.

“... Well, now...”

It was not that mana was scarce.

The mana that should have existed throughout this space was concentrated in the World Tree. Like blood vessels, the roots carried mana into the tree like blood. Eugene focused, sensing precisely where it was flowing.

He found it.

Eugene straightened up. Without a word, he stepped out onto the lake. The surface supported his foot without a ripple.

“Sir Eugene.”

“Wait here.”

Though the instruction came abruptly, Kristina did not question him. She gave a small nod and remained on the shore.

He walked across the vast lake. Before long, Eugene reached the World Tree itself. The location... did it not matter where? He took the leaf from his clothes and held it close to the tree.

The World Tree’s surface split open, revealing a path. Trying to keep his composure, Eugene stepped inside.

A long passage.

Eugene walked through it in silence. He was inside the World Tree. Mana had been scarce outside, but within, it was more abundant than in any place he had ever visited.

[“... So quiet.”]

“You mean the spirits?”

[“Yes. The primal spirits... the spirits of the World Tree. They should have no sense of self, but they are watching you.”]

“What do you think? Do they seem welcoming?”

[“It seems so.”]

Eugene gave a faint smile and turned his gaze.

He could see elves.

Their faces were peaceful, their bodies wrapped in woody vines. Elves were embedded in the walls of this broad passage. They were not... dead. They had merely fallen into a long sleep. Their faint breaths and heartbeats resonated together. Beat after beat. The unified sound made the place feel like a vast cradle.

“... Ah.”

After passing the elves lost in their long sleep, Eugene stopped.

“... Found you.”

What expression should he make?

He did not know himself. Should he smile because he was happy to see her? Or... should he weep uncontrollably, as she had?

“Senya Merdein.”

Like the other elves, she was deep in a long sleep.

With a great hole in her chest.

Half her body had been swallowed by the World Tree’s vines.

Eugene reached out with a trembling hand to touch Senya. In the end, he could not. He was afraid that touching her carelessly might make her crumble, like the dead trees he had seen and knocked down before coming here.

‘... There’s a hole through her chest.’

The World Tree’s vines were woven through that hole. That was how Senya was connected to the tree.

‘... She isn’t dead.’

Senya was breathing, however faintly, and her heart was beating.

Eugene tried to smile.

“Hey.”

He could not manage it. Eugene sank helplessly to the floor and stared at Senya.

“Senya.”

No answer came.

“Why are you like this?”

Eugene covered his face with his hands and cried.