Chapter 70 – The Right Posture (5)
“So what was the gift that kid said he would give you?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know if it’s something of great value to humans.”
Eluria showed a glass orb. It wasn’t just any simple glass orb; it was what they called a snow globe.
Surprisingly, this glass orb wasn’t something she made herself; it was an artifact from the Mythical Era that had purified negativity. The proof was the alphabet etched inside it. It seemed to be made as a Christmas gift.
Looking at the faces of the people around, it appeared to be a truly precious item. Could it be that she secretly brought it out without discussing it with her subjects?
‘If I bring it up, it might take a few years to get a response.’
It was clear that the young king Mikail was smitten with Eluria, but unlike Mikail, who was drawn to the beautiful and mature woman Eluria, to Eluria, Mikail was simply an immature boy.
Elves have a sense of age that is completely different from humans, but still, it seemed that a few years had to pass for Eluria to see him as a man.
And before those few years could come to pass, first, they had to deal with the disaster occurring right now.
“Then is it true that the High Elf will truly return there?”
“The work with the World Tree is not yet finished. We will return, so let’s just go back as we are.”
Eluria seemed surprised by my words about leaving again, but the reason we came this far was to fight the enemies lurking here.
I hadn’t harvested the seeds I had planted, so for the time being, I planned to act outside.
To begin with, the elf city wasn’t my home.
Eluria and the elves seemed to unconsciously think that I would live with them, but honestly… I didn’t want to live that closely with them. It would be too awkward.
“We’ll go back and join the Church. Let’s receive the true holy water and see what it can do.”
Patrick, Rina, Lila, and even the elf representative Arisa.
After sending the elves away, I took out the seed of the World Tree that I’d been carrying around. I had to revive this shriveled seed.
It didn’t matter what kind of miracle it took.
“Then, we are just confirming that and returning to Su’an?”
“Perhaps that is the case. There are some concerns, but it’s not like I’m completely uninterested.”
I replied somewhat vaguely to Lila’s words. As things escalated this far, I became interested in other matters as well.
For example, the seed of the hero. Long ago, a descendant of my kind who could potentially be an important asset.
*
“I was waiting for you, High Elf from ancient times.”
“Don’t call me that. It makes me sound incredibly old.”
In a secluded and hidden place, Leber bowed even more respectfully upon seeing me. The reason for his newfound respect was obvious—he had resolved the internal faction disputes in the Church with our help.
Now, the Church could move as one body again. It was only natural that we, who had given him strong grace, would be able to share a portion of that.
“As long as we both get what we want, isn’t that enough?”
“Indeed. The true holy water, a sacred artifact. If it can save the world, how could one refuse?”
There was no reason for him to back out of the deal. I wasn’t wanting much; I just wanted what I desired.
As if it wouldn’t be a problem even if the other members of the Church found out, he showed me something he had brought.
“This is the true holy water, an artifact made by the first Saintess. I hope it will effectively revive the sacred tree of the elves.”
At first glance, it seemed like nothing more than colorless and odorless water, but I sensed something from it.
“No, could this be…?”
I looked down at the holy water with a surprised expression. The strength of the spirits was overwhelmingly strong in that water.
“—!”
The other spirits began to stir. They were urging me, excited at the prospect of meeting their friend, with one wind spirit bouncing on top of my head.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“…What?”
“Guide me to the ‘source’ of this water.”
Leber’s eyes widened, but there was nothing he could do. This was an opportunity I couldn’t let slip away.
While I could surely meet an ordinary water spirit someday, this was perhaps an opportunity to compress the time and effort it would take.
I didn’t want to stew in that water like a boiled chicken for a long, indefinite period.
“Ah, you can’t! That place is heavily guarded by other priests and paladins! You won’t be able to avoid their eyes!”
“You’re the second-in-command of the Church now and the real power next to the young pope! Can’t you do this?!”
Thanks to that, there was a small upheaval between Leber and me.
I grabbed his collar as he slumped down under pressure and shook him back and forth, causing him to stutter in shock.
“T-the Saintess awakening ritual.”
“What’s that?”
“During the awakening of the Saintess, that sanctum opens. At that time, you could enter.”
What he muttered in daze was a type of compromise. It was the only way to access the sanctum without confronting the Church directly by force.
It was precisely when the new Saintess awakened and was being baptized there.
“But isn’t there already a Saintess there?”
“There’s no rule that there can only be one Saintess. At times, there can be up to five. Since the star of the hero has appeared, a Saintess must have emerged too.”
To find and bring a Saintess whose existence might be uncertain. Then, there could be an opportunity. That was Leber’s proposal.
“That’s for sure. The Church personnel are already scouring the continent.”
“That makes sense. I’m not completely oblivious.”
Since I had a hunch about who they were referring to as a Saintess, I nodded as well. They were just like the hero. Some of the climbers I knew could be called heroes due to their exceptional strength.
The Saintess that modern people spoke of was also a descendant of such climbers, just like the hero.
‘It’s not impossible to find.’
Even if it would be easier to search for the hero because they had a star floating above their head, the Saintess wasn’t that easy to find.
However, while listening to the explanations about these so-called Saintesses, I thought maybe I could find one. I knew something they didn’t about the heroes who had once thrived in the towers.
“Let’s head back for today.”
“Are we really just leaving?”
“I’ve gotten enough to wake the World Tree.”
Eventually, I made the decision to return with the small amount of holy water I had initially promised to bring back.
First, I decided to solve the World Tree issue, and then we would look at the subsequent problems.
“It’s not that difficult, is it? Let’s just pour it right away. If this revives it, we can take it straight to the elf city.”
In a safe place where everyone could see, I began to pour the holy water onto the seed of the World Tree.
It was a tense moment for everyone. Even the usually playful spirits remained still, watching.
“Did it really succeed?”
Though the water simply flowed over the surface of the shriveled seed, we could all predict the result.
The seed began absorbing all the holy water, drawing it into its own body. I didn’t stop at that; I also began channeling my mana into it, as the seed desired.
“Ah… the seed of the World Tree finally!”
Arisa, moved to tears, covered her mouth with her hands.
The World Tree, which had become extinct thousands of years ago, was coming back to life, from the holy water I saved, from within my own arms.
“Iriliana!”
Due to the mana that the seed was absorbing, I felt my strength drain and I staggered, though I wasn’t losing consciousness yet.
With Rina’s help, who was holding onto me, I picked up the seed. Its shriveled appearance was nowhere to be seen as it ‘shouted’ at me to plant it in the ground immediately.
‘The High Elf is the guardian of the World Tree.’
The elves’ testimony echoed in my mind, stating that communication and management with the World Tree were all the responsibility of the High Elf.
For this fellow, who had barely come back to life, to sprout its seed properly in this era, it absolutely needed my help.
“We’re going back to the elf city. I’ll go myself. Patrick, you take the two of them and return to Su’an first.”
It had already been weeks of relentless marching. Even bringing the group back to the elf city would mean I would hit my physical limits.
Having decided to go with Arisa, who also had to return anyway, I resolved to send the other companions back to our base.
“If that’s what you mean.”
Patrick nodded without complaint. The weary Lila did the same, while Rina hesitated, seemingly worried about me, but she too had reached her limit.
“And Rina, you’ll deliver this to Ethan when you get there.”
I gave Rina one more special mission. A note I had given her contained clues on how to find the Saintess.
If my guess was correct, we could find the Saintess before the Church did. If that happened, I intended to boldly demand the source of the holy water from the Church.
