CH 88.2

“My lady, what is your name?”

The Elven King approached and gently asked Katarina her name.

“Me? I’m Katarina. Why?”

“Katarina, you have the rare talent of an Elementalist.”

“Elementalist..? What in Goddess’ name is that?”

“I cannot let her talent go to waste.”

“Hey… what is an Elementalist?”

“Unfortunately, the elementals here cannot leave the World Tree by virtue of the contract. Still, it’s not like there’s no way. There are still some ancient elementals that didn’t make a contract with the World Tree.”

“Excuse me?”

“Follow me.”

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“Excuse me?!”

The Elven King swept his steps toward the World Tree.

I also took Katarina’s hand and pulled her up.

“Let’s go.”

“Help me, Cloud. What are these Elves? What is an elemental, and what the heck is an Elementalist?”

“Is that important now? He said he would make you an Elementalist. Let’s go before he changes his mind.”

“Heck, but what is an Elementalist?!”

“How do I explain Elementalist when you don’t know elementals? Just close your eyes and become a hosh-whosh Elementalist. Then you will find out by yourself.”

“To do something I don’t even know?”

“If you don’t know, just follow me. Yes? Am I going to pull you into something harmful?”

Katarina squinted her eyes and looked at me.

I know that gaze.

The gaze of ordinary people before they fall in for something.

Alright, not a great example but the best I can do now.

As I tightened my hold so as to reassure her, she reluctantly followed.

The Elven King brought us right up to the base of the World Tree. He flicked his hand once towards the ground. A big hole appeared in the ground as if he had used a giant shovel as he floated off down into the hole.

“OMG..?”

Katarina was shocked at the feat.

Shedia was also slightly startled as she looked at the heap of dirt.

It was only natural, for the clod of soil was taller than most of the skyscrapers.

“Don’t be too surprised. After all, he’s the king who represents a race. This much is natural.”

“Why isn’t the king of our kingdom capable of such feats?”

“You can’t put humans and elves, who live thousands of years on the same line.”

“H-Hell, thousands of years…”

“Learn being surprised. You’re going to see a lot more than that in the future, so what are you going to do then? Oh, let’s get going.”

Where the Elven King had dug, there was a staircase.

He went down first and we followed, but there was another stone gate at the bottom of the stairs. The Elf king opened his palm gently.

Then another staircase appeared beyond the opening gates.

“Down here are the ancient elementals who refused to sign a contract with the World Tree. Katarina, since you have a high sensitivity to the elementals, you may form contracts with all four elementals. Make the contract, then come catch up with us outside.”

Listening to the Elf King, Katarina looked over at me.

“Cloud. If I’m going to be with you in the future, it won’t do good if I remain as I am right now, right?”

“You cannot participate in my fights even now.”

She frowned.

“Couldn’t you have made it less hurtful?”

“It is a matter of life and death. Clumsy kindness is worse than literally nothing.”

“And you still brought me…”

Catarina grunted, pouting her lips.

I said looking at her.

“If you really don’t want to travel with me, I’ll send you back. You came to travel with Cloud, not with the Hero Cloud.”

Katarina stared straight into my face, and then she let out a deep sigh.

“Goodness. Even if I go back, I won’t be able to live without you. So even if I don’t feel like it, I’m not going back without giving it a chance. I will be back.”

She swayed her shoulders and ambled for the stone gateway.

“It might be dangerous, take Shedia with you.”

I looked over at Shedia with eyes wondering if she agreed. Shedia nodded her head curiously. When the two women entered, the stone gates closed.

I looked at the closed stone gate and asked.

“It’s safe, right?”

“Don’t worry. They can be a bit eccentric, but they’re not bad-natured children. At the very most, it would be some pranks.”

“I hope that is true.”

“It’s true, I assure you. Let’s go upstairs.”

The Elf King came up the stairs and invited me to sit down at the table.

“Which one do you prefer, black tea or green tea?”

“Black, please.”

“Sure, then.”

As soon as the Elf King snapped his fingers, elementals floating in the sky came down to brew me tea.

The water elemental absorbed the black tea leaves of a wood elemental, the fire elemental heated the mixture and the wind elemental stirred it. The finished black tea flowed into a teacup and was placed in front of me.

What the f*ck!

That was so…. natural.

Why are you guys so proud again? Your friend was turned into black tea.

Oh, the woody is alive.

I accepted the black tea with shaking hands.

Should I drink this, or not?

‘If I drink this, I’m afraid of wooden claws worming out of my stomach.’

A whole new type of elvish assassination.

Just when I was in deep contemplation.

“Hero, why do you think I invited you?”

“I don’t know that, that’s the reason I asked when I first saw you.”

“Because I’m interested in you. There is one thing I really want to ask you. Can you answer that?”

“That depends on the question.”

“Is that so… Okay. Then…”

“And before you ask.”

I cut off the Elf King.

I said looking him dead in the eye.

“I’m the only one left here, so you don’t have to hide it anymore. No, I hope you don’t hide it. Talking to fake dolls is a little unpleasant.”

The Elf King opened his eyes wide. He suddenly burst off laughing as if I had triggered some funny joke.

“Since when did you know?”

“I knew the instant I saw you.”

“You’re a good child.”

The Elf king who was drinking tea across me instantly turned into a statue made of twisted tree trunks.

“A strange child too.”

A graceful voice followed.

When I turned my head in the direction from which the sound came, this time a beautiful elf was looking at me with her hands behind her back.

“What do you mean strange?”

The World Tree smiled.

“You have unusual eyes. Eyes show me the inner side of intelligent life. And I see the inside of you.”

“What do you see?”

“Chaos.”

The World Tree cut it right to the chase.

“Your inner side, which my eyes see, is full of darkness and twisted as much as possible, in any semblance. It feels like an endless abyss, swirling. You are a broken man. Too broken..”

Enthusiasm was flashing in the voice of the World Tree.

“Even in that twisted abyss, light and goodness clearly exists. Yet, they do not affect each other as if they are in a different dimension from the bottomless pit. I’ve never seen a creature with such an inner world in my entire life. You’re broken but not broken. I am so curious and perplexed about you.”

The beautiful female elf instantly turned into a piece of tree trunk.

“So tell me.”

An elf in the shape of a small girl pulled my arm.

“How is that possible? How did that happen?”

The child’s eyes were full of curiosity.

What should I answer to appease the curiosity of this old tree?

I thought about it, but nothing came to mind.

So I just told the truth.

“It’s just because without that… there’s nothing left.”