Chapter 101

The place where Ariel reappeared was in the middle of the thicket.

There, an elf was lying down, pulling the bowstring.

Slender yet firm body.

A slim waist and long limbs, typical of an elf.

It was the same attacker who had just shot an arrow at Ariel.

The elf was rolling their eyes around while pulling the bowstring.

They seemed to be searching for Ariel, but they didn’t seem to notice that Ariel was right beside them.

Ariel reached out and snatched the elf’s bow.

As easily as taking a toy from a child.

And without giving the elf a chance to react, Ariel grabbed the back of their neck and threw them out of the thicket.

The elf, who flew through the thicket, rolled gracefully on the ground and stood up.

As they stood, a sharp dagger appeared in the elf’s hand.

They looked like a skilled warrior, but it didn’t matter.

There was nothing the elf could do anyway.

“?!”

The elf made a panicked expression as they felt their body floating in mid-air.

Their hand was forced open, and the dagger clattered to the ground.

Then, their limbs stiffened and stretched out in all directions.

It was as if they were held by an invisible giant hand, unable to move.

Thud, thud.

Ariel, who had fixed the elf in mid-air with telekinesis, approached them.

The elf’s pupils had turned black, and a sinister aura was flowing from their skin.

The same symptoms as the corrupted Ents.

“Grr… grr…”

The elf let out strange groans.

If their mouth hadn’t been fixed by telekinesis, they might have screamed, “Kyaa! Kyaa!”

“Oh, it’s Riana!”

Silvan ran over and shouted.

Silvan looked at the elf floating in mid-air with a shocked expression.

“Why is Riana like this? She’s like a corrupted Ent…”

At that moment, Riana’s body was enveloped in light.

Ariel had cast Purification Magic.

Riana’s blackened pupils returned to normal, and the sinister aura flowing from her skin disappeared.

Ariel released her telekinesis and let Riana down to the ground.

Riana groaned and staggered.

“Ugh… where is this… why am I here…”

Riana looked around, confused. Then Silvan spoke up.

“Riana! It’s me, Silvan. Do you recognize me?”

“…Silvan?”

Riana squinted her eyes and looked at Silvan.

“Silvan, what are you doing here…? You shouldn’t leave the refuge. The forest is dangerous right now.”

“I know. But, staying in the refuge is just so boring and suffocating…”

Silvan mumbled while glancing around, and Riana gave him a stern look.

“What if you run into a corrupted Ent?”

“…I already did. No, more importantly, something big just happened. Riana, you just attacked me.”

“What?”

Riana’s eyes widened.

“I attacked you?”

“You suddenly shot an arrow at me from the thicket. If it weren’t for this silver-haired lady here, I would’ve been dead for sure.”

“…….”

Riana’s expression turned serious.

“But I don’t remember… How could I attack you…”

“You seemed corrupted, just like the Ents. Your eyes were black, and a dark aura was flowing from your skin. This silver-haired lady used Sacred Magic to bring you back to normal.”

“…….”

Riana’s gaze turned to Ariel.

“…Thank you for saving Silvan. By the way, I haven’t seen you before. Do you not live in the Elf’s Forest?”

“No.”

“Then you probably don’t know what’s happening in the Elf’s Forest right now. No, this isn’t the time. I need to go. If I was corrupted, the other elf warriors might be in danger too.”

Riana picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground and attached it to her thigh.

Then she took her bow from Ariel’s hand and slung it over her shoulder, her expression turning thoughtful.

“…By the way, you said you used Sacred Magic to bring me back to normal?”

Ariel nodded in response to Riana’s question.

*

Riana is the most outstanding warrior in the Elf’s Forest.

Her position is that of a warrior captain, leading a specialized elite combat unit, and her unit is considered the greatest force protecting the Elf’s Forest.

Although it’s a peaceful time now, with the war over, and all Riana and her unit can do is patrol and guard, Riana never neglects her duties.

She believes that being prepared at all times is crucial to keeping the Elf’s Forest safe.

Riana and her subordinates patrol every corner of the forest daily, looking for any signs of danger.

Then one day, one of her unit members who had gone to scout the opposite side reported something strange.

“It was definitely an Ent. But black smoke was flowing from its body. It even attacked me, but it seemed sad inside. As if it didn’t want to attack…”

Hearing the report, Riana’s expression turned serious.

An Ent attacking an elf is something that should never happen.

An Ent is like a caring mother who would warmly embrace an elf no matter how much they misbehave.

And black smoke flowing from its body? It felt ominous.

And that ominous feeling soon became reality.

Similar incidents began happening all over the forest.

Ents were attacking elves, animals, and even humans while emitting black smoke.

Humans might not understand, but the elves knew.

The Ents weren’t attacking of their own will.

They were being controlled by something.

That’s why the elves didn’t fight back against the Ents, instead avoiding them.

They didn’t want to hurt the Ents.

Something was clearly happening to the Ents.

At a meeting of the elf elders, they decided to call this phenomenon “corruption.”

Because the black smoke made it look like they were being corrupted.

For some reason, the corrupted Ents were gathering toward the elf village.

The elves planned to either lure the Ents away or build palisades to block them, buying time.

Then, they would figure out what was happening to the Ents and resolve the situation.

But that plan didn’t last long.

It turned out that it wasn’t just the Ents that were corrupted.

The World Tree.

The heart of the forest and a symbol of the elves.

The World Tree was being corrupted.

The World Tree was emitting black smoke and dying, just like the Ents.

Even the trees and flowers around it withered, and the fruits rotted and fell.

Seeing this, the elves were filled with terror.

The World Tree, which could be said to be everything to the elves, was being corrupted.

They thought it was truly the end.

And the reason the corrupted Ents were gathering toward the elf village was revealed.

The corrupted Ents were being drawn to the World Tree.

Like children searching for their mother, the corrupted Ents gathered around the World Tree and violently attacked all life nearby.

In the end, the elves left the World Tree and the village, taking refuge in the surrounding forest.

For the elves to leave the World Tree was nothing short of a disaster.

Nameria, the wise leader of the current elf tribe, sought out the ‘Eternal Archive’ to resolve this disaster.

The Eternal Archive is a sacred repository where the ancestors of the elf tribe have stored wisdom and knowledge for ages.

It is a sacred place that cannot be entered lightly unless the elf tribe faces a dire crisis.

There, Nameria searched through countless ancient texts and finally found something related to the current disaster.

It was a prophecy left by ‘Althea,’ an ancient elf hero, which read as follows:

…From the distant darkness, the time will come when the power of the evil god Nakshis awakens.

The World Tree will turn black, and the forest will wither and die, placing the elf tribe on the brink of extinction.

But do not fear.

When the day of destiny arrives, an elf hero will appear, who will save the elf tribe and fight against the dark power.

Though they may not carry the blood of the elves, their power and courage will be enough to lead the elf tribe.

They will bring light and hope, restoring peace, and the fate of the elf tribe will rest in their hands.

Do not fear.

Wait for the day when the elf hero appears to defeat the darkness and save the elf tribe.

When that day comes, the World Tree will turn green again, and peace will return to the land…

*

“…….”

While hurrying along, Riana glanced at Ariel.

According to the ancient prophecy, the hero who would save the elf tribe from crisis did not carry the blood of the elves.

So the current elf leader Nameria and the elf elders speculated that the hero might be the ‘human hero.’

After all, there had been news recently of a hero being born in the human city.

The elves, who had abandoned the World Tree and the village to take refuge, decided to quietly wait for the human hero.

They firmly believed that since the prophecy was coming true, the hero would appear and save them.

However, they had no idea when or from which direction the human hero would come.

That’s why Riana and her unit were spread out across the forest, waiting for the human hero.

To guide the hero to the Elf’s Forest as soon as they arrived.

‘But what if, this child…’

Riana’s expression was troubled.

Riana also believed in the prophecy, but for some reason, Ariel kept bothering her.

The thought that Ariel might be the ‘elf hero’ mentioned in the prophecy wouldn’t leave her mind.

The fact that Ariel had come to the Elf’s Forest at such a time, the large sword on her back, and most importantly, her ability to purify ‘corruption’ with Sacred Magic.

Moreover, if the human hero was supposed to save the elf tribe, why did the prophecy specifically say ‘elf hero’?

Wouldn’t it have been simpler to just call them the human hero?

Doesn’t that mean the hero who will save the elf tribe is an elf?

Of course, this was just Riana’s thought, and she wasn’t entirely sure.

She just couldn’t help but feel a little curious about Ariel.

So, just in case, Riana was guiding Ariel to the World Tree.

Perhaps, Ariel might be able to purify the corruption of the World Tree with her Sacred Magic…