Chapter 43

My defeat was practically assured the moment the leaves shattered into pieces.

Never before had I lost to anyone, yet here I was, kneeling before a mere piece of firewood─.

There could be no greater humiliation than this.

“I’m not following because I don’t trust the children. I was just curious about what you were doing.”

At my blunt remark, the World Tree gently shook its branches.

“And this isn’t overprotection. I think it’s a natural behavior as a guardian.”

– Rustle

“It’s only natural to worry about children who have just begun to crawl.”

– Rustle

As my conversation with the World Tree lengthened, an inexplicable sense of self-loathing began to swell within me.

Despite the branches shaking in response to my words, occasionally dropping something, I felt embarrassed to be conversing with a tree rather than a beast.

Moreover, having lost in the tussle compounded my discomfort beyond words.

“…I’ll just use the portal for a moment.”

I muttered softly to myself as I weakly got up from where I’d been slumped over on the weeds.

At that moment, the World Tree lightly shook its branches, expressing its confusion.

“I really can’t do without that large leaf; it would be quite problematic. I’ll just quickly stop by the Roen Forest to retrieve that leaf and come right back.”

– Rustle

“We could have resolved this smoothly through conversation without needing to tear it apart, so why…?”

– Rustle

“…Tch.”

I brushed off the dirt on my clothes and took a calm step towards the portal that opened at the center of the tree.

Stepping into the portal, I found myself back in the Roen Forest, a place I didn’t think I would visit again for a while.

As soon as I sensed a cold presence on my foot, I met the gaze of an elf resident who blinked at me with a puzzled expression.

In her hand was a water pouch, from which a stream of clear water was gently flowing to the ground.

“Um…?”

The situation went beyond bewilderment and was almost concerning.

Moreover, behind her stood a long line of elves, which made me tilt my head in confusion.

“I-I’m so sorry…!! Please forgive me…!!”

Suddenly, a female elf prostrated herself before me, bowing her head deeply.

I was unsure what to make of the situation until I looked down and saw my foot drenched with cold water, which slowly helped me understand what was going on.

“Ah, were you watering the World Tree?”

“Yes, yes… But I never expected Lady Levynia to come…!”

“I’m fine, so please get up. It wasn’t intentional.”

“N-No… I have truly committed a grave sin…”

“What? Suddenly, what does that mean…? Just because I got my foot wet doesn’t mean it’s a grave sin…”

“I shall accept any punishment you give me… but please, forgive my children…”

“Well, I said it’s fine, didn’t I? Why are you reacting this way…?”

Before I even finished my sentence, all the elves standing in line behind her prostrated themselves before me and began to speak in unison.

“I have committed a grave sin. Please forgive me─.”

The fear and dread palpable in their voices were overwhelming.

It felt as if those who had done something terribly wrong were desperately begging for forgiveness as their last chance, creating a scene so absurd it made my head spin.

“Huh…?”

There wasn’t enough time to grasp the entire situation.

I could only stiffen my body and stare blankly at the elves who were all lowering their heads.

It seemed as though the incident of purging the bad elves left an indelible shock upon the residents of this place.

“I’m just here to get a gigantic leaf that the elves use as an umbrella…”

“Huh…?”

“As you know, I’m a vampire, so I can’t walk around during the day. I apologize for dropping by suddenly, but could you help me get that gigantic leaf?”

As the situation continued to worsen rather than improve, I tried to speak gently to the elves, hoping to ease the tension.

However, despite my efforts, the elves continued to tremble like aspen leaves.

“Y-Yes…!! I will fetch it at once…!!”

“Haha… thank you.”

Several elves quickly broke away and began to rush somewhere.

Seeing that, I felt relieved that I might not have to wait long here.

I thought that was a good thing for now─.

“But how long will you keep lying on the ground?”

“I will remain prostrated until Lady Levynia forgives me….”

“……”

The fear deeply rooted in the hearts of these residents towards me showed no signs of fading.

In this situation, no matter how gently I acted, I could only realize that I would only instill greater fear in them.

Therefore, what I could do right now was to leave this place as quickly as possible and keep my presence hidden from the elves.

“I forgive you. Is that enough?”

“Hii─!!”

For that reason, I hastily tried to wrap things up and thought to hide somewhere until the giant leaf arrived.

However, it seemed my sincerity hadn’t conveyed to the elves at all.

Instead, it had the opposite effect, making them tremble even more.

“…In the name of Goddess Paelia, I will warmly embrace and forgive all the little lambs who have wronged me. You are innocent.”

When I spoke at length, the elves finally began to rise, one by one, as if they felt saved and started to clasp their hands together.

“Ah, thank you…. Thank you so much for showing such great generosity to us, who are pointless and useless….”

“Chosen by the World Tree, the Demon Tribe…. May we show our lifelong loyalty to Lady Levynia….”

“Please be our bright light, for we are ignorant and foolish….”

Then came an uncertain phrase from the elves.

It didn’t seem to stem from fear or dread, but rather words that genuinely came from their hearts.

“…….”

Just a moment ago, the elves had been recognizing me as an object of terror, unable to even make eye contact.

Why had they suddenly changed their attitude and began to behave as if they were lifting me up?

I couldn’t discern the reason behind it.

Everything felt utterly confusing.

“Lady Levynia, we have brought the gigantic leaf you mentioned….”

“Ah, thank you. I will…”

At that moment, still dazed, I was absentmindedly looking around when the elves who had rushed out to fetch the gigantic leaf returned, momentarily easing my concerns.

However, the moment I saw the multitude of leaves they were holding, I immediately dropped my earlier sense of relief and let out an absurd chuckle.

“One would have sufficed….”

“We brought as many as we could to ensure you wouldn’t have to make this journey unnecessarily.”

“Ah, I see.”

They must have taken as many leaves as possible to prevent me from visiting the Roen Forest frequently.

Though I didn’t harbor any particular ill feelings towards them and didn’t plan on coming often either, I brushed it off.

Yet an inexplicable sense of unease continued to loom over me.

I didn’t think I had done anything to warrant such treatment…

Was it because my race was that of the Demon Tribe…?

“Well, anyway, thank you. I won’t be showing myself here for a while, so please rest assured about that.”

With that final remark, I gathered the numerous leaves gifted by the elves in both hands, and just as I was about to calmly re-enter the World Tree’s portal—

“That’s not true!! We actually hope that Lady Levynia will visit often…!!”

The voice of an elf rang out, making me doubt my ears.

“…?”

“Please come to the Roen Forest often and take care of us; we earnestly ask this….”

“Isn’t it inconvenient for you if I come?”

“Not at all?! Lady Levynia, you are a noble being chosen by the World Tree….”

“And I’m a member of the Demon Tribe, you know?”

“The World Tree does not bestow power upon those who are unjust… We simply believe in and follow the World Tree’s choice….”

Fear and dread, faith and trust.

These two words, which could not coexist, were strangely intertwined, producing a chaotic situation.

Feeling a strange sense of being exalted even beyond the elders, I frowned.

“No, I won’t be coming often.”

I let all the leaves, except for one, fall to the ground.

Immediately, the elves who had upright bodies and were praying looked horrified.

Then they once more pressed their foreheads to the floor and began to loudly plead with teary voices.

“We are sorry for making you uncomfortable─!! Please forgive us─!!”

Seeing that chilling scene unfold once more, I didn’t look back and immediately thrust myself into the portal of the World Tree.

Were they afraid of me or did they worship me…

The conflicting emotions in their expressions only deepened my confusion.

“I went to get a single leaf, and this is the result….”

When I returned to the church, the sun was already beginning to set.

An overwhelming sense of emptiness surged over me.

The sudden tranquil atmosphere surrounding me felt strangely unfamiliar.

“…I wonder what the children are doing now.”

I quietly muttered to myself as I gently laid the gigantic leaf I had brought from the Roen Forest on the ground.

At this moment, my greatest concern was whether or not the children had managed to build a proper base camp.

If they made it poorly, they would surely struggle at dawn….

“……”

As I was lost in various worries, repeatedly pacing the same spot, suddenly came the sound of footsteps rustling at the entrance of the church.

“Sister─!!”

A very familiar voice rang clearly in my ears.

It was Ellie and Rune.

“We can’t build the house─.”

“Please, help us─.”

Though their actions were in complete contradiction to the essence of camping, there they were, coming straight to me for help without any second thoughts.

I began to think that they might as well have come along with me from the start, but I chose not to voice it.

After all, they were still just children.

“Hehe, oh my, what to do? I have to go check on the children for a moment, so World Tree, please stay here and keep watch over the church.”

As I spoke this with a smile, a large fruit unexpectedly fell right above my head.

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