Chapter 187: Wizard of Wizards (7)

Chapter 187: Wizard of Wizards (7)

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People often say that elves are closer to trees than humans.

Branches that extend from a giant tree called the World Tree.

A custom that prioritizes the consciousness of the World Tree and the community connected to it over the happiness of the individual.

Living a life close to a still life, not rushing due to their nearly century-long lives, and not enjoying stimulation.

Therefore, change is rare among elves, and once it occurs, it is said to significantly impact the life of that elf.

Just as a small scratch on a young tree becomes a large knot in a giant tree decades later, an event engraved in an elf's life becomes inescapable.

Therefore, Professor could not easily speak.

Her right arm and left leg were loosely empty. Around the one remaining eye, there were irregular scars intertwined like a child's scribbles on a drawing paper, and of the remaining hand, only three fingers were intact.

[Ah, child blinded by the light. Try telling me in front of me that humans and elves can live together amicably.]

Considering the meaning of her words, it wasn't hard to guess where those wounds had come from.

Human it can only be seen as wounds inflicted by humans. And inflicted quite viciously. Considering what that deer bastard said before, if elves are treated too harshly as slaves, they wither away and die. That an elf has survived in such a state up to now could it be spite? A grudge that takes priority over her own life?'

The atmosphere in the village wasn't so hostile, which he was internally grateful for, but an unexpected complication was present here.

Persuasion might be difficult.'

Elves do not change. If one wishes to force change, they must either deliver a shock significant enough to carve away past turning points or elicit empathy How can one surpass memories that have reduced a person to this state?

Plan B, that is, initially kidnapping and then persuading them to serve as a guide, also seemed quite unsatisfactory.

That elf matriarch, judging roughly, looked well over 65.

Those kids lingering around me earlier, who looked about 5 to 7 years old, were said to be 25. If I consider that to be about five times their apparent age Madness. Isn't that a demon over 300 years old. That's why this village in the middle of the Blueline can remain intact.'

She hadn't shown any great abilities yet, and if one were to ask if there was any reason to be so nervous just because she was old, it would be because they didn't understand this town.

In GG, regardless of time and place, if there's an old man who looks like he can make a difference, it's a common saying to be cautious.

If he's a swordsman, he'd be almost a separate being in the game world, having succeeded in detaching himself from the world through decades of trial, wielding a delete key' known as an aura;

If he's a wizard, even if he remains in a low hierarchy with crappy visualization, he would have accumulated mana worth decades, and his output alone would be on par with wizards two steps higher;

As for the spirit master, it's like learning through each other' where the spirit master learns from the spirit and the spirit from the life of the spirit master. As this relationship continues over a long time, the spirit can read the spirit master's thoughts and react without any commands or directives. When they become as one in such a way, the spirit affinity increases rapidly, making it easy to summon higher-level spirits

If an elf is 300 years old, they could probably communicate with a spirit king from a distance.

Kidnapping such an elf?

Probably the entire nearby mountain range would rise and bury our party in a spectacular display.

Petty issues like rights or a sense of crisis won't have any effect. Something big is needed, at least something significant enough to surprise the matriarch'

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with a way to persuade an old elf who had been imprisoned and tortured simply for being an elf.

As the silence dragged on, deep furrows formed on the matriarch's wrinkled forehead.

"You seem troubled."

".The weight of the matter is as heavy as the years that have accumulated. Its not easy to speak lightly of it." for new novels

"It has always been like that with your kind. Instead of simply saying you have come out of necessity, you twist and turn your words hundreds of times, enjoy speaking at length, and in doing so, often fall into confusion. If you have brought some thoughts, lay them out plainly. Do not try to deceive with a slippery tongue."

Damn. If I play games, Im out. Now I can only act as a mere messenger.

But with such a stern demand from the other side, I couldn't just ignore it and start unraveling tales. Reluctantly, I pulled out a piece of fancy paper sealed with preservation magic from within and handed it to the matriarch.

".What is this?"

"This is a personal letter from the archbishop, called the emissary of light. He is looking forward to a day when the ancient past will be corrected and the light will shine anew on all humanity."

"The church wants to correct the past. Who?"

".Excuse me?"

"Who is the emissary of light you speak of? Ashelion? Dematis? Or is it Cornelius?"

Who are those people? I'm not sure about the last two. Ashelion was. perhaps one of the hero units in World 2 who went around bashing undead with a staff?

".Its Saint Norman."

"Norman, Norman Ah, yes. Twenty years ago, when children arrived here, there were those among them who mentioned that name with tears of blood. When our children fled to the guards from slave traders, it was he who made the guards hand them over to the merchants, wasnt it? That man now he talks of reconciliation? How dare?"

Crack! Crunch!

RUMBLE!

As if in sympathy with her emotions, thick tree trunks grew inside the small wooden house, shaking everything around.

"No matter how much you bow your heads and speak of repentance, the branches that have already perished cannot sprout anew! Do you really think we can forget that blood-stained past and laugh and chat with you again? If thats the conclusion the most thoughtful race' has come to, its not just funny but utterly ridiculous! Elves do not forget! A piece of paper, a few drops of ink may hold power in your human territories, but to us, they only appear as an insult, trying to evade a gruesome past!"

Whoosh!

The personal letter from the bishop, held in the matriarch's remaining hand, burned to ashes before its seal was even broken.

Damn it! What should I do? What should I do! At this rate, I'll end up as fertilizer for this village!

"No, just a moment ago the house itself was alive, moving, and the glare and killing intent in your eyes were so intense it was suffocating"

"Then, as a hero of the grand Ro Haram Order, shouldn't you be able to handle at least that much? If it were a test, and they had sent a mere weakling overwhelmed by that extent, would it not mean that the Order's will is just thatfeeble?"

Ssshhkkk

Naturally, wooden limbs grew and attached themselves to the Matriarch's empty arms and legs, and she rose smoothly to stand before me.

"Shall I tell you an interesting fact?"

".It doesn't sound like it will be very amusing."

"Elves do not easily exile their kin. No matter how much disgrace they might bring upon themselves with humans, or even if they bear a child with them, the Mother Tree always embraces its branches. Like new shoots on a wounded limb."

Huh? What? Wasn't this a gathering of elves who had been captured by humans and had suffered greatly, only to be rejected even by their homeland?

"Then, why."

"Our essence has undergone too many changes to mix back into the Mother Tree."

Shrrrrr

With a wave of her hand, the house's wooden tendrils dispersed, and the ceiling and walls were absorbed into the tree's trunk.

What unfolded before me was the vastness of nature as seen only from the treetops, with the forests life awakening to the rising sun.

The vibrations earlier seemed to have been caused by lifting the tree-based house upwards.

"Elves share each other's emotions and consciousness. We have become too entangled with humansas enemies, companions, and loversand so we've become impurities that cannot blend into the consciousness. They may beckon us to return, but if we did, we would bring the unique chaos and unrest of humans to the other branches, hence we had to leave and settle elsewhere."

.My head was spinning strangely. This feeling. This infuriatingly familiar sensation. The mix of frustration and awe when I realized I had been tricked by President Young's schemescould it be?

".Just to ask, where did all those injuries come from?"

"Ho ho ho. This one? I've roamed the world for nearly 300 years; do you think a scar originates from just one place? This eye was damaged by an arrow when I was with the eighth prince who cried out to correct the empire. My arm was given to one of the seven deadly knights, the black undead knight, 70 years ago. And this leg that I lost is my pride! It was taken in place of the life of the great hero of the Princess family who quelled the uprising of the dead! She was such a dear fellow. Human lives burn out as quickly as they shine bright."

".Well, among those injuries, were there any from imprisonment or torture?"

"Me? I am an elf who left the forest of my own accord. I had enough skills to earn the branches' non-worry. I've never once said that I suffered unjust hardships at the hands of humans, you thoughtful child?"

.I got played! Because it's a village of exiled elves, I unwittingly thought all those injuries were due to humans!'

The Matriarch approached with a surprised expression and patted my shoulder with her wooden prosthetic arm as if it were alive.

"It's been decades since we had a visitor, and I apologize for being so fierce all of a sudden. I'll make amends."

"No, someone who doesn't hold a grudge against humans. Why would you act like that towards me? I mean, from what I've heard, you seem to rather like humans?"

At my bewildered words, the elder, with a face full of deep scars and wrinkles, smiled broadly.

Well, it's an opportunity I've been waiting decades for; it can't end with just a small promise, can it?

Yes?

The elder, in response to my question, stretched out both arms made of skin and wood toward the vast rainforest.

You clearly said it yourself. To create a world where elves do not shed meaningless blood as they do now. You spoke of that priest who poured out his personal feelings and beliefs to protect the believers within his fold; it means youre offering the same level of effort and dedication. Isnt that right? Dont even think it was just something you said in passing. Though its a small branch, the ground we stand on now is part of the real Tree of Life, grown from a branch of that very tree. Every rooted being in the world was listening to your words. Sometimes, words themselves have power.

!!!!

Shhh

I felt it. An unfamiliar mana that I had never experienced before seeped into every corner of my body and then dispersed without a trace.

Covenant?

Its more like a vow to oneself. Dont worry too much. It doesnt force much, nor does it have negative effects. But if you find yourself lost in such confusion that even you cannot fathom your path todays vow might just gently take your hand. Ah, take this back. It will be more useful in your hands than in mine. As you said, though its just paper and a few drops of ink, it can change the world.

Whoosh!

As flames erupted from the elders fingertips, the air wavered, and the archbishops letter, thought to be nothing but ashes, reappeared.

You seem very confused, let me explain properly. I, El Farna, an ancient branch of the Tree of Life, standing at the end of the Mother Tree, swear. The branches of Caneran, after a long wait, will not reject the hand of man. We pledge to root ourselves in every land without discrimination until the day the Champion of Light seeks refuge with the Tree of Life, and until then, we will cooperate.

As she finished speaking, the wind whirling around the tips of the giant trees branches twirled around her. A sensation similar to what had penetrated my body earlier. This too was a covenant. The exiled elves here, without any need for negotiation, had been waiting from the start for someone like me to reach out to them.

It was both ludicrous and incomprehensible, prompting me to ask.

Why are you so favorable towards humans? After all, its the changes they caused that drove you from your homes to live in such harsh places.

Havent I said? Elves are beings of memory.

Nostalgia filled the face of the elder, El Farna.

Those who are hurt and bear grudges have returned to their homeland. They have grown deeply affectionate towards the Mother Tree and their community through the years of loss. Theres only one reason elves exile other elves. Its when something becomes more important to them than even the Mother Tree or their precious other branches.

Really?

Yes. All elves born in Caneran are half-elves. Weve already deeply embraced human passions in our hearts and keep those companions in our memories. Now do you understand why the village branches have been so welcoming to you?

With a playful smile on her face, Professor could only nod dumbly.

Dont try to understand everything. Sadness, joy. Resentment, nostalgia. Its too complicated to entangle. Even for elves, its overly complex. Just think of them as elves who have come to love humans and can no longer break away, hiding here in this remote place but unable to forget their affection for humans.

Now that I think about it, this elder, this elf, didnt seem to have a single elf-like trait. From her manner of speaking, to her way of thinking, to her actions.

They had already become more human than elf. More complex than any other race, just like humans.

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