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Chapter 100: The Guardian (2)
The place where Signard led him to was an empty lot right behind his house. As he looked around at the spacious vacant lot, Eugene shrugged in bemusement.
“If we’re going to do something like this, shouldn’t we at least head out a bit further from your house?” Eugene suggested.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Signard asked.
“If you get beaten up here, won’t that leave you feeling a bit embarrassed from now on whenever you see the other elves who’ve witnessed your defeat. I’m sorry, but I’m also not in a position where I can be considerate about your reputation. If we do end up fighting, I’m going straight to full force without any probing or holding back,” having given his warning, Eugene began operating the White Flame Formula.
However, the reaction he received was different from what he had expected. Signard stood there woodenly, blinked his eyes, and then let out a sigh of exasperation.
“Even though you’ve died and been reborn, it seems that your true nature hasn’t changed,” Signard lamented.
“What does that mean, you bastard?” Eugene demanded.
“In any case…. Hamel, I didn’t bring you here to fight with you,” Signard explained.
“...Is that so? Well, in my defense, you asked me to follow you all of a sudden, so I thought that we were going to rumble,” Eugene mumbled.
“There’s no reason for us to fight,” Signard said as he turned to face Eugene. “...Hamel, if you had just thoughtlessly found your way here to ask me about Sienna, I wouldn’t have anything to say to you. However, despite your rudeness, you’ve come here with a clear cause.”
He was talking about the leaf of the World Tree.
“Since you’ve come here with that in your hands, then I can’t just stay silent about Sienna. However… Hamel, I don’t know as much about everything that happened as you may have been hoping for,” Signard warned him.
“If that’s the case, then just tell me what you do know,” Eugene stated.
“First of all, why don’t you take a look at what’s right in front of you,” Signard said with a grin as he turned back around.
“...In front of me?” Not understanding what Signard meant by these words, Eugene tilted his head in confusion.
Then he slowly peeled open his eyes and scanned his surroundings. They were in a large, open space. Signard was standing there unmoving. There were also a few trees, but that was it.
“...Hoh.” Eugene suddenly noticed something.
As an elven village in the middle of the forest, it was only natural for there to be many trees. However, one species of tree in particular seemed unique. Unconsciously, Eugene began walking over to these trees.
It had been over a month since he had entered Samar. When it came to trees, he had seen enough of them day after day that he had become sick of them. It wasn’t like he had just been seeing the same type of trees either. There were more than a hundred different species of trees growing in this vast forest.
Eugene wasn’t a botanist, nor did he have enough interest in trees to memorize the subtle differences between each tree’s characteristics. But now, looking at the trees that stood next to Signard, the interest that had previously been lacking was starting to sprout.
“...They’re fairy trees,” Eugene realized.
In all of the vast Samar Rainforest, this species of tree grew solely in the elven domain. The fairy tree was the most valuable tree in the world and was considered to be the best material for making magic staffs.
“They’re not just simple fairy trees,” Signard claimed with a sorrowful smile as he looked at the tree. “These trees are seedlings of the World Tree.”
“...So that was it,” Eugene muttered.
He had now understood something. Eugene slowly looked up at the sky.
For an ordinary village where only about a hundred elves were living, the barrier that protected this village from the outside world was something that far surpassed what a decent wizard could even begin to imitate.
“...Could it be… they’re casting a spell?” Eugene asked in disbelief
“Hamel, you might be able to understand the spells of the ‘current’ era, but you won’t be able to comprehend this spell,” Signard stated confidently.
“...Ancient magic,” Eugene realized.
“Even among the elves, it’s rare for anyone to successfully cast this spell. Even Sienna wasn’t able to completely understand the ancient magic behind it,” Signard said, as he stroked his hand down the trunk of a tree. “...As for someone like me, who’s not too enlightened on the mechanics of magic… I can only think of this ancient magic as the divine favor and miracle of the forest. After all, isn’t that truly the case? These few trees are able to protect this village, just like how the elven territory is protected beneath the leaves of the World Tree.”
Was this some kind of formation? Eugene examined the trees with narrowed eyes.
These three fairy trees were just saplings of the World Tree and they didn’t appear to have any magic formulas engraved onto them. Nevertheless, they were able to independently maintain the barrier. As expected of ancient magic, it had a truly different foundation from modern magic.
“...Did Sienna arrange this?” Eugene eventually asked.
“I’ve already told you. Even Sienna wasn’t able to fully comprehend this ancient magic,” Signard reminded him.
“If that’s the case, then is it as you said just now, a divine grace or miracle of the forest?” Eugene asked.
Signard nodded. “Hamel, I don’t know what happened to the elven domain.”
“....” Eugene listened silently.
“I’m not the only one, either. Haven’t you ever thought that it’s strange? There are about a hundred elves living in this village. There must surely be even more elves still living outside the forest,” Signard pointed out.
Two hundred years ago, the Wise Sienna had suddenly disappeared from Aroth and had gone into seclusion. The most plausible theory thrown around about her seclusion was that she had returned to the elven territory that was hidden somewhere within the Samar Rainforest.
But that was two hundred years ago. As a person who was greatly revered by all in Aroth, her sudden disappearance had Aroth assign tracking down Sienna’s movements as a matter of national importance.
Aroth didn’t simply choose to respect Sienna’s seclusion. This couldn’t be helped. If Sienna had just properly left a letter behind explaining the situation before going into seclusion, Aroth would have respected Sienna’s withdrawal from the world. However, Sienna’s seclusion had been too abrupt, and Aroth at that time had been plunged into chaos by the sudden proposal to establish the Black Tower of Magic, with Sienna having taken the lead in opposing this Black Tower of Magic.
Perhaps it was the black wizards, or perhaps it was Helmuth’s demonfolk and its Demon Kings who had somehow managed to assassinate Sienna. Although such words were just treated as spurious claims these days, that hadn’t been the case two hundred years ago.
As such, Aroth had devoted all its resources into tracking Sienna’s whereabouts. They had even sent a delegation to the Samar Rainforest to make contact with the elves.
However, the delegation hadn’t been able to find anything. Let alone finding Sienna, Aroth hadn’t even been able to make it to the elven domain.
This was just absurd. No matter how tightly the elves kept their mouths shut, the Aroth of two hundred years ago would still have done everything that it possibly could in order to find Sienna. For them to not be able to find her even after all that, there had to be a deeper reason why they were left with no results other than failure.
Signard began to explain. “Not all of the elves in the world were born in the elven domain. However, many elves, including myself, were born within the elven territory.”
Eugene held his tongue.
“Hamel. I can still vividly remember the scenery of that place even now. I remember how magnificent the World Tree was, and how beautiful the elven city that surrounded it and stretched in all directions looked. However… strangely, I can’t remember ‘how’ I got in and out of the domain,” Signard confessed.
Elves who lived outside the forest would still often return to Samar. However, all of these elves were unable to return to their hometown, and were instead forced to wander the forest.
“So it’s because of a spell,” Eugene muttered in a low voice.
Something interfered with their memories. It wasn’t just one or two people — it interfered with the memories of the entire elven race. That kind of magic had to have serious aftereffects. No matter how careful one was with magic that touched on the mind, it was still easy to destroy the brains of those they were trying to manipulate.
“Were any other memories clouded?” Eugene asked.
“No, none,” Signard simply replied.
A mental manipulation magic with no aftereffects… was such a thing even possible? Was it really possible to interfere with the memories of an entire race and conveniently delete only a selected portion of their memories? Within the bounds of magic that Eugene knew, such a thing was impossible.
However, if it was Sienna….
“...In the end, this just means that you don’t know anything useful about Sienna,” Eugene said resignedly.
“That’s right,” Signard replied with a wry smile. “I returned to this forest decades ago. I… I had been wandering around Helmuth, trying to get my revenge, but I failed. All that I managed to do there was catch the disease that has been eating away at me.”
He was talking about the Demonic Disease.
Eugene flinched at this news and stared at Signard. On the surface, Signard didn’t look like someone who had caught an illness. Sensing Eugene’s gaze, Signard smiled wryly and pulled up his clothes to offer a better look.
From the center of his chest, black spots could be seen spreading out like a drop of ink on a white page.
“...Are you okay?” Eugene asked in concern.
“I’ll be fine as long as I don’t leave this forest,” Signard assured him.
If they lived outside the forest, an elf who had caught the Demonic Disease had a life expectancy of five years at the most.
“This too should be a miracle bestowed by the divine grace of the forest,” Signard sincerely declared.
“...Is it because of the World Tree?” Eugene probed.
“That’s right,” Signard confirmed.
Things were different from three hundred years ago, when all five Demon Kings still lived. Even if the elves were afflicted with the Demonic Disease, as long as they returned to Samar, they would be able to keep their lives. No other forests would do. Only the Samar Rainforest, where both the fairy trees and the World Tree grew, could preserve the lives of these elves.
“...Don’t even think about using sentimentality to change the subject,” Eugene said as he glared at Signard. “You called those fairy trees ‘saplings of the World Tree, didn’t you?’’
“To think that you would dismiss someone’s sad past as mere sentimentality. Whether it’s in the past or the present, you’ve always had a vulgar personality.” Singard huffed.
“What are you saying all of a sudden? I just wanted to make sure of the situation,” Eugene argued.
“I have no intention of hiding it,” Signard said with a sniff as he stroked the trunk of the fairy tree. “...All I want is to die in my hometown.”
“Again with the sentimentality.”
“Listen until the end, you son of a bitch.”
“Elves really do benefit from such a well-constructed public image. They’re always seen as a race with beautiful appearances, who live in the forest while being peace-loving, and everyone knows that elves only use kind and pretty words to speak,” Eugene noted sarcastically.
“We really are such a race,” Signard insisted.
“Don’t bullshit me, you motherfucker. If elves really were a race who only use kind and pretty words, why was Sienna, who was raised by the elves, able to out-curse common mercenaries?” Eugene asked challengingly.
“...Because we’re beautiful and peace-loving, we happen to have sharpened our tongues so that we don’t need to resort to spilling blood in fights,” Signard said defensively.
Eugene snorted dismissively. “Hah, fine, you long-eared bastard. Just keep trying to play up the sentimentality.”
Signard had wanted to die in his hometown. While harboring such a desire, he had returned to Samar. However, no matter how much he wandered, he wasn’t able to return to the hometown that he so fondly remembered.
Signard resumed his tale, “Even back during those dozens of years ago, the natives of this forest were as savage as ever. If an elf was spotted, their eyes would light up and those sons of bitches would race over like dogs in heat. Even though I was dying from the Demonic Disease, it wasn’t difficult for me to deal with any one of those barbarians. While I was trying to find my way back home, I rescued other wandering elves who were in crisis—”
Eugene interrupted, “Hah, so what’s with these fairy trees being saplings of the World Tree?”
“—then I had a dream,” Signard resumed, with a frown at the interruption.
At the word ‘dream,’ Eugene recalled the dream that he had been visited by not so long ago. The dream that the Holy Sword had shown him. The dream that might just be a revelation from a god.
Eugene’s eyes shone as he stepped closer to Signard and asked, “Could it be that you saw Sienna in your dream?”
Taken aback, Signard paused before answering. “...No, Sienna didn’t make an appearance.”
Eugene showed a blatantly disappointed expression at this reply.
Seeing this expression, Signard clenched his fists tightly in anger before continuing to speak, “...Instead of her, I saw the World Tree.”
In his dream, Signard saw the roots of the gigantic World Tree diverging to grow into a few smaller trees. It wasn’t just a simple dream, though. When he woke up from his dream, there were three young seedlings planted in front of Signard.
“...Hmm…” Eugene hummed thoughtfully.
Indeed, after having dreamt such a dream, it was certainly possible that the barrier protecting this village was truly a miracle bestowed by the divine grace of the forest.
While suppressing his surprise, Eugene looked at the saplings of the World Tree. In fact, they had already grown so large that they couldn’t really be called saplings, but these fairy trees were definitely still too small to be called World Trees.
“...Damn it,” Eugene spat out a curse as he scratched his head in frustration. “So what? In the end, this just means that you don’t know anything about Sienna or the elven domain.”
“It’s not like I don’t know anything,” Signard denied as he raised a finger and pointed at the leaf of the World Tree that Eugene was currently holding. “Hamel, what you have there is the genuine leaf of the World Tree.”
“What, did you think that I might be holding onto a fake leaf of the World Tree?” Eugene scoffed.
After a pause, Signard ignored his rudeness and continued, “...I’m not able to confirm the exact location of my hometown, nor am I able to find my way there, but I do remember those leaves.”
No matter where you were in the world, if you used the leaves of the World Tree, you would be able to warp back to the elven territory. Eugene was well-acquainted with this fact.
“But this leaf has already been used,” Eugene pointed out.
“However, it hasn’t disintegrated yet and still remains perfectly intact,” Signard countered. “If you manage to get close to the World Tree, that leaf should be able to lead you to the territory.”
“...Really?” Eugene asked, his eyes blinking in astonishment.
However, Signard’s expression showed that he wasn’t all that certain about the circumstances that he had just described, “...That’s how it would be under the usual circumstances, but… I can’t be sure of that now. All of the elves, including myself, have had our memories erased by some form of magic. Not only that, but I wasn’t able to find the elven domain no matter where I went in Samar.”
“...A seal.” As Eugene muttered these words, Signard nodded in agreement.
“If the elven territory truly has been sealed away, that must mean that there was a reason that left them with no choice but to do so. However… considering the fact that the leaf of the World Tree still remains intact and that you have it with you, it might just become the key needed in order to open that locked door.”
He had no choice but to give it a go. Without saying anything, Eugene stared at the tree leaf in his hands. Even though it looked like it might disintegrate at just the slightest touch, the leaf wouldn’t crumble no matter how tightly he held it in his hands. Eugene felt an incomprehensible ‘power’ coming from within this leaf. It was a power similar to mana, but packed with more vitality.
“...Hamel,” Signard eventually called out.
“Don’t call me by that name any more,” Eugene said as he spun a leaf of the world tree in his hands. “That name is from three hundred years ago. Right now, my name isn’t Hamel, it’s Eugene.”
“Is that really important?”
“Of course it’s important. I don’t want my reincarnation to become the talk of the town.”
“Aren’t you at least planning on revealing that you’re Hamel to that woman who resembles Anise?”
“Nope. The only ones to know that I’ve been reincarnated are… Tempest, Sienna’s familiar, the Demon King of Incarceration, and you.”
“...Did Sienna have a familiar?” Signard asked curiously.
“You didn't know? If you ever get the chance, you should go to Aroth and take a look. In their Royal Library, they’re keeping hold of Sienna’s familiar named Mer, she really looks just like Sienna in her youth,” Eugene teased
“But you’ve never met Sienna when she was young,” Signard protested.
“Even if I didn’t, just by looking at her, you can tell that you’re looking at a young Sienna,” Eugene claimed.
Signard’s eyes shook slightly. He was brought back to hundreds of years ago, when a young Sienna was still toddling around the village. As he recalled this distant past, Signard’s shoulders drooped for a moment.
“...I can’t go to Aroth,” Signard realized.
Eugene nodded. “I’m aware. Since you’ve caught the Demonic Disease, you aren’t able to leave the forest.”
“If you’re aware, then why did you even tell me that?”
“I just wanted to annoy you.”
Signard’s eyes widened in shock. After glaring at Eugene for a few moments, his shoulders slumped in disbelief.
Changing the subject, “So you said that the Demon King of Incarceration is also aware of your reincarnation?”
“I can’t be certain of it, but he’s probably aware,” Eugene confessed. “That’s why I need Sienna’s help. Well, it’s not really all that important of an issue for right now. I don’t know what that guy is scheming, but even though he knows it’s me, he has no intention of killing me.”
‘That cheeky bastard.’
Eugene ground his teeth as he remembered what happened in Hamel’s grave. The more he thought about it, the more irritating and shitty the situation felt. He was almost killed by Amelia and Hamel’s corpse had been made into a Death Knight, but while this was all very annoying….
The most annoying thing of all was that the Demon King of Incarceration hadn’t even done anything. Even though he knew that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel from three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Incarceration hadn’t done anything to Eugene. Instead, he had actually forced Amelia to back down when she tried to kill Eugene.
‘...For him to say that it’s not an important issue…’ Could something like that really be described as unimportant? As Signard inwardly marveled at Eugene’s composure, he shook his head in amazement.
Finally getting to the point, Signard admitted, “...Eugene, I have a request to make of you.”
“I thought you might. If you want to follow me to the World Tree, you can do as you please,” Eugene said, not caring too much about Signard’s ‘request.’
Wasn’t it only obvious that Signard would make such a request? He must still desire to somehow return to the hometown where he was born, and the only way to enter the elven estate, which had probably been sealed away, was the genuine leaf of the World Tree that was in Eugene’s possession.
“No, my request isn’t about that,” Signard said as he shook his head. “I’m not in a position where I can leave the village unguarded. Although the barrier does protect this village, the barrier is not absolute. If you’re determined to find it, you can discover this village.”
“So what is it then?” Eugene prompted.
“I want you to take the elves away from this village.”
He hadn’t expected such a request. Unable to reply immediately, Eugene stared blankly at Signard’s face.
“...I can’t give you a definite answer,” Eugene eventually replied. “There is no guarantee that this leaf will absolutely lead us into the elven domain.”
“...If that’s the case, then I want you to take the elves living here to a safe location other than Samar and protect them,” Signard said, as if he had been prepared for such a response.
“I understand your feelings, but isn’t it more dangerous for these elves to leave the forest?” Eugene asked as his eyes went to the three fairy trees. “I’ve also become familiar with the fact that this forest is a hellhole for the elves. Both outsiders and the natives worked together to hunt the elves, then they sell them outside the forest as slaves. Even if that’s the case, the elves should have no other choice but to live in this forest.”
“You just need to transplant these fairy trees,” Signard proposed.
“Are fairy trees really the type of tree that could so easily be dug up by the roots and transplanted?” Eugene asked doubtfully.
“As long as you have the leaf of the World Tree, it’s possible.”
“How?”
“You just need to transplant the fairy trees in soil where that leaf has been buried.”
Without replying right away, Eugene stared at Signard. He knew what Signard meant by these words. Signard was asking Eugene, no, the Lionheart clan to become the guardian of the elven race.
In a lawless place like Samar, the treatment of elves was terrible, but there were other countries on this continent that didn’t treat the elves with such blatant cruelty. At that very moment, the Northern Kingdom of Ruhr treated the elves as respected personages and the Holy Empire took the enslavement and persecution of elves very seriously. In the first place, it wasn’t just about the elves — slavery itself had already been treated as an evil practice that was supposed to have been abolished three hundred years ago.
However, it was difficult for the elves to trust the Ruhr or the Holy Empire to protect them. It was because these two countries were too close to Helmuth. Since the Demonic Disease afflicting the elves was caused by proximity to the demonfolk and Demon Kings, the spread of the disease inevitably increased the closer a location was to Helmuth.
Kiehl was quite far away from Helmuth. On top of that, the Lionheart clan had taken the entire southern Uklas Mountain Range as their domain and their main estate at the capital encompassed a huge forest that surrounded their mansion.
“...I am sincerely making this request,” Signard said with his head bowed.
“Ha, as if you even needed to make it a request.” Eugen smirked and smacked Signard on the shoulder. “Why are you acting like it’s such a hard thing to do? We just need to transplant these trees back to the forest at the main estate and release about a hundred elves into the forest there as well.”
It wouldn’t be as easy as Eugene made it sound. However, he still willingly gave his word.
It wasn’t really for the sake of Signard. It was more that he knew it was what Sienna would have wanted, so Eugene could at least do that much.