Vol 5: Chapter 61
I was taken to a particularly large tree while surrounded by soldiers. The tree didn’t feel like it was thousands of years old… but rather dozens of nearby trees fused together to evolve into a single large tree.
There were more than 100 dwellings up on that treetop. A donut-shaped public square was formed around the circumference of the large tree. You could see a few children running around, elves singing while playing instruments, some were sitting on the ground just chatting with each other, while some others were playing card games, and etc.
However, the noise stopped when the soldiers arrived with me in tow.
「We will be heading to the High Elf-sama’s residence. Make sure to be respectful.」
「Don’t you have to tie me up or something?」I asked.
「Hmph, tying up an unarmed kid would sully the name of Elven Guard.」
Apparently the elf soldiers were confident in their martial abilities.
Since elves have a much longer lifespan than humans, their fighting ability may actually be quite high. I wanted to shake hands with one of them and activate my【Orb-See】skill, but as it would be a bit suspicious I decided against it.
A number of stairs were built around the large tree to climb up. There were no handrails but each and every elf climbed up the stairs quickly without any fear. The elves were probably used to it. The up stairs and down stairs were clearly separated so that movement would be smoother.
After climbing about 20 meters up, we came to a spacious landing stairs, and then took a separate set of stairs from there.
I was taken up a spiral staircase made by carving out the trunk.
While climbing up those stairs, the view suddenly opened up.
This tree seemed to be one of the tallest in the entirety of the Third Forest.
「Wow……」
As I looked down from the top of the tree, a carpet of green leaves spread as far as the eye can see. The direction I came from was divided into grassland and forest, as if a clear line was drawn between them.
Even deeper in the forest, more than 10 km from where I was, a conspicuously enormous tree was visible.
There were of course other trees that stood out like the tree which I was climbing, but that enormous tree was completely exceptional.
The trunk pierced through the carpet of trees, with huge branches and leaves spread over the carpet of trees, boasting its influence over a vast area.
Whoa….. What a gigantic tree…
「Don’t look.」
The blue jewel elf moved in front of me, blocking the view.
「Ehhhh~? How can I not see it when it’s that big?」
「There is a story that the World Tree will be polluted when seen by humans.」
「!」
World Tree! It’s called the World Tree, after all!
「It’s called the World Tree, huh.」I murmured.
「!? Y-You’re trying to collect information, huh! I won’t let you do that! Hurry it up!」
The blue jewel elf’s face turned bright red, and he pushed my back.
As we climbed up a slightly sloped area, a single house came into view.
「Wow…」
The width was about 8 meters, which is not so big, but there was no doubt that it was a house.
The area, which looked like a veranda, was wide open towards our approach, and a single table was placed on the floor covered with wooden boards.
That was all there was, you could even call it a room.
The blue jewel elf and all the soldiers kneeled at once. The bow elves were not here, only the spear elves.
There was an elf sitting at the table – a High Elf, cupping his cheeks with both hands and looking at me with an amused look.
「—You? You are the human who kidnapped Asha?」
The man said.
His platinum blonde hair was shoulder-length, tied intricately, with a number of jewels braided in. His surprisingly well-proportioned appearance and long, stretched ears clearly showed that he was an elf.
His smooth skin and sapphire blue eyes reminded me of someone.
(Same as Asha!)
There was no doubt that this person was a High Elf and a relative of Asha.
「Hmm… you are quite calm for a child of the human race. Do you think being acquainted with Asha would keep you safe?」
「No, that’s not it.」
「Then, are you counting on those unpleasant lizards to protect you?」
「Are you perhaps talking about the Lev Magic Empire?」
「That’s right. Thanks to you showing off your ID, I knew immediately that Reiji, the criminal who had kidnapped Asha, had come.」
There is no internet or telephone in this world. However, there is a magic tool for ultra-long-distance communication, so he probably received my information through that.
In other words, it was both a correct and incorrect choice to present the ID card issued by the Empire.
「…………」
「Oh, what’s wrong? Are you angry? Did you get angry on your lizard friend’s behalf?」
「Yes, I am angry. But rather than you mocking the honest-living Levs, it’s more of a resentment that an elf like you is a relative of Asha.」
The High Elf squinted his eyes as I glared at him.
「So… what are you going to do about it? Are you really going to hit me here and now?」
I felt tension running through the bodies of the elves behind me. They were still kneeling, though.
「No. More importantly, let me meet Asha. I only came here to talk to her.」
As I said so, the High Elf placed a hand over his mouth.
What does that gesture mean? I readied my guard, thinking it meant something.
「——Puh! Kuku, ahahahahaha!」
He started laughing. He laughed while smacking his knees
……Huh?
What? Did I say something funny? He’s laughing so simple-mindedly, though.
「Y-Your Highness…?」
The elf behind me called out to the High Elf of the royal family nervously.
「Ah, I couldn’t control it. You’re so weird. I am impressed. Hey, Elven Guard, you can leave.」
「Eh!? B-But we are the High Elf-sama’s guards…」
「And this is a High Elf’s command. Or what? Are you saying you won’t listen to the commands of the royal family’s “failure”?」
「N-Never!」
All the armed soldiers stood up in a hurry, turned right and went down the spiral staircase.
「Ummm……?」
As I was looking confused, he beckoned to me and said,
「Come and sit here. I am Asha’s older brother, Matvey. Among the 10 heirs to the High Elf throne, I am dead last on the line. I am called the “failure Matvey”.」
「Failure…?」
「You don’t have to look at me so suspiciously. You and I have one thing in common.」
Matvey displayed an incredibly well-proportioned smile.
「——I want to release Asha from this country.」
