124. The Elf Nation — The World Tree
The Elf Nation, the Kingdom of Amatias.
A country located northeast of the Magical Academy Kingdom, nestled deep within a vast forest. The current king is Ray Amatias—Sophia’s biological brother.
“Long time no see, Brother,” Sophia said.
“Ah, Sophia, you haven’t changed,” he replied.
Shiro only learned Sophia was of Elven royalty when they arrived in the Elf Nation.
The Elf Nation was protected by a powerful barrier. Not unlike the barrier surrounding the capital, but far stronger—so strong it blocked even humans. Entry was permitted only through a single gate, where border inspections took place. Without official permission, no one could pass.
The Silphid I came to a halt before the gate. The border guards, startled by the unfamiliar, massive vessel descending from the sky, immediately raised their alert.
“Hey! Ship, the commander—come forward!” called a border guard.
Sophia led Shiro and the others down the main deck’s stairs, approaching the guards and presenting a knife bearing a crest.
The guard gasped, then froze again upon recognizing Sophia’s face.
“Princess Sophia! My deepest apologies! It’s been so long! Welcome back!” the guards saluted.
“We’ve come to see the king, as emissaries of Princess Firumia, Lord Shiro of the Hainzworth Kingdom, Princess Miradia of the Hainzworth Kingdom, and the Saintess Emilia Filidia. We were to have notified you earlier?” Sophia said.
“Yes! We’ve been informed! Forgive us—we were startled by the sheer size of the unfamiliar vessel, and the troops reacted out of instinct…”
“Ah, no matter. Please proceed with the formalities and customs inspection,” Sophia said.
“…Sophia-san, are you someone important in the Elf Nation?” Shiro asked.
“Aria said, with a triumphant grin, 'Sophia-sama is of the Elven royal family—she’s the younger sister of the current king.'”
“Eh!? Really!? ……But, Aria, why are you so happy about that?”
“Fufu. It’s rare to see Shiro surprised,” Aria said.
“Though, to be honest,” Shestia added, “Grandma ran away from that position because she hated it.”
“Hahaha. Well, I’d prefer to skip the formality,” Sophia said.
Shiro and the others returned to the ship and passed through the gate. The gate—used for barriers and customs—was an ancient artifact, with larger ones built specifically to accommodate ancient dragons. They hastily opened that one and passed through. Though, it had been decades since the gate had been used, so it took a little time.
Back to the matter of the audience.
“So, brother,” Sophia said bluntly, “I’m asking you directly: to join the Saintria Federation, and to open the magical ship route, for the sake of Elf Nation’s development and crisis management.”
“……Sophia-san, you’re as direct and to-the-point as ever,” Shiro said, but
“Understood,” King Ray replied immediately.
“Immediately?!” Shiro blinked.
“Ray’s just soft on Sophia-obāchan,” Shestia said.
—Huh. Feels a bit like someone else’s relationship… genetics, maybe? Shiro thought.
“Hahaha. Well, I’ll admit it—I am soft on Sophia-obāchan. But there’s no reason for the Elven Kingdom to refuse. We’ve always been isolated, hard to trade with. But with magical ships, more exchange means more benefit. Also, if possible, I’d like to request that the high-speed transport vessels be used to export the various medicinal herbs gathered in the forest. Some of them only stay effective for a short time after harvest,” Ray said.
"Understood. Work out the details of joining the Federation and exchanges with Sophia and the others," Shiro replied.
Then, he continued.
"By the way, I'm looking for reports on dragon sightings. If you could gather any information, I'd appreciate it," Shiro asked.
"Dragons? I haven't heard anything like that... No, wait—let me have the Adventurer Guild and the guards collect reports and relay them to you," Ray agreed.
Shiro and the others then reported on the stampede and discussed the mushrooms.
"Mushrooms? I've heard about that report. They've been increasing lately in the Elven Forest," Ray said.
"Is that so? In any case, please avoid getting near those mushrooms," Shiro said.
◇
The next day, Shiro and the group were scheduled to visit the World Tree. Biologically, its size was impossible on Earth. But in fantasy terms, it was a perfectly plausible form.
Yet when Shiro and the Hero's Group actually saw it before them, they stood gaping, stunned into silence.
"Ah... you know, seeing it in person really is different from reading about it," Shiro said.
"Senpai, you look like you're daydreaming," Kotone said.
"It's truly amazing. I was overwhelmed the first time I saw it," Shestia said.
"Whoa, the size of this thing," Makoto said.
"...Hard to put into words," Masaki said.
"It's incredible. I've never seen anything like it," Emilia said.
"Me neither. It's amazing," Firumia said.
The Elven nation was far removed from other countries, and the roads weren't safe enough to travel casually. Most people had never seen the World Tree before.
"Haha. Impressive, isn't it? Our elven people live by the protection of this World Tree, and we exist solely to guard it. They say the World Tree holds the world together," Ray said proudly.
The World Tree stands roughly 1,000 meters tall, with a diameter of about 100 meters—its sheer size is staggering. Imagine a Skytree in Japan, twice as tall and twice as wide. And it’s not just a tower. It spreads outward, like a kusunoki pine. Its branches stretch at least 500 meters in radius.
The World Tree stands on a small rocky hill in the elven forest, atop what resembles an open plaza. From the hilltop, the entire forest unfolds beneath you.
"Shiro, the World Tree is the world’s root node. If anything happens to it, the world collapses. Its physical form is—like me—manifested through magic. So despite its massive appearance, it has no real physical impact," Mitoka explained to Shiro.
"Yeah, makes sense. Otherwise, this size wouldn’t make sense. So the World Tree’s also a spirit king, right?" Shiro asked.
"Yes. Shall I call it forth?" Mitoka asked.
"Ah, please," Shiro replied.
At that moment, a translucent female figure appeared before them all.
"Wha—! The World Tree’s spirit?!"
Ray instantly recognized the divine presence and overwhelming aura, dropping to his knees in awe.
The World Tree’s spirit king is normally formless. But since Mitoka has taken form as the spirit king, the spirit king decided it wanted a shape too—and chose to model itself after her. Just with different eye and hair color.
The spirit king of the World Tree had green eyes and hair.
"King Ray, ruler of the elven people. Thank you for guarding the World Tree," said the spirit of the World Tree.
"Such kind words," Ray replied, bowing his head.
The spirit of the World Tree looked at Shiro. Then, it exhaled—fuh.
Time across the world froze. As usual, only Shiro, Mitoka, Shestia, and Kotone continued to move through time.
"Wait—can the spirit king of the World Tree stop time too?" Shiro asked.
"Yes, only in exceptional circumstances. And please, call me Yurashil," said Yurashil.
"Yurashil... I've never heard a name before," Shestia murmured.
"Fufu. I decided to give myself a name, just like Mitoka did," Yurashil replied with a smile.
"Yurashil, we finally meet. Thank you for all the information. Managing the Spirit King Network must be exhausting," Mitoka smiled, conveying her gratitude.
"Not at all. I’ve learned so much from you too—truly, we’re quite the pair," Yurashil smiled back.
"Now, the reason I stopped time is simple. I wanted to deliver a message to Shiro."
"I know the past was rewound. It’s my duty to record all of existence. But discussing prior futures is forbidden. Still, the present has changed drastically for the better. So, old information no longer matters. Everything—this new world—was made possible by you, Shiro. Keep believing in what you know is right. Fight alongside your companions. And trust in Mitoka, Shestia, Kotone. That’s all."
And with that, Yurashir spoke, offering a smile—different from Mitoka’s, softer, more mature, brimming with affection—as she looked upon the four of them.
"Then, I’m off. Do your best, everyone."
With that, Yurashir reversed the flow of time, wished them well, and vanished.
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