The Strongest in the World Doesn’t Want To Do Anything

50 – Gears Turning Together

“Huh? A world tree?”

Raelle, puzzled by the sudden word, wore an expression of incomprehension.

“Why does that come out from our… no, from Wolfgang-nim’s backyard?”

Even with Raelle’s repeated questions, Wolfgang didn’t respond and continued to observe the mysterious sapling in his hand.

“Yeah. Because of this, the elves almost faced extinction.”

“No! Master!”

Despite Raelle’s protestations, Wolfgang mumbled to himself.

The story entwined with elves and the world tree was an ancient and obscure history dating back to ancient times.

Only now, with the population of non-human beings significantly reduced, they were surrounded by humans. However, in the beginning, various races, including humans, lived in balance in this land.

Among these diverse races, the elves, with their long lifespans and beautiful appearance, stood out as the dominant force in shaping the world.

They had a giant tree called the world tree, a kind of entity they revered like a god. The elves cherished it more than their own lives.

Humans, compared to other races, have always been physically weaker and had shorter lifespans, enduring constant persecution. After centuries of oppression from other races, humans rose in rebellion against all races, eventually emerging victorious. Following human domination, many non-human races faced genocide, earning them the label “non-humans.”

In the process, the World Tree was incinerated by humans.

“…That’s how it happened.”

Wolfgang provided a basic history lesson to the puzzled Raeli.

“Ah… so, that’s the story.”

“You, a mage with talents, don’t know this basic history, Master? It means you haven’t studied… But what I’m curious about is why the World Tree resurrected here.”

Wolfgang continued speaking while planting mysterious saplings in the ground.

“The elves claim to be the children of the World Tree, but in reality, only tree spirits can be called its children. They truly carry something akin to the soul of the World Tree.”

“Oh, I see.”

Raeli listened with interest to Wolfgang’s narrative.

“What that is, even the tree spirits themselves don’t know. Anyway, that’s that… When demons first appeared underground, and the Order was just forming, there was a village of elves not far from here. In that village lived a remarkable elf archer named Adrien. I wanted to recruit her into the Order, so I visited the village. And what happened?”

“Well, it didn’t go well, I suppose? I’ve never heard the name Adrien among the members of the Order.”

“Exactly. They rejected me completely. Disappointed, I told them that demons would soon attack, and it would be wise for us to stay for a few days and offer support. I hoped to subtly bring Adrien along. But even that was rejected. They believed they could survive on their own.”

Wolfgang lightly tapped the leaves of the mysterious sapling planted in the ground.

“But the elves didn’t know one thing. Despite being mystical and sacred, the World Tree is still just a tree. Just like other trees pollinate by releasing pollen, the World Tree was doing something similar.”

“Could that be the tree spirits?”

“Exactly. Only the successors who could directly converse with gods knew that. So, I know it too. Anyway, I brought up that story to seek their help. Ha-ha-ha. Arrogant elves…”

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Wolfgang glanced at the sky, lost in old memories for a moment.

“I didn’t like the idea that humans, of all things, inherited the power of gods. And especially since the god they believed in wasn’t even their god. They treated me as a heretic. Moreover, how blasphemous was it for them to think that the World Tree, which they thought was the only one of its kind, could reproduce? It was so outrageous that I had no choice but to give up. Still, whenever I had the time, I diligently searched for a tree spirit with the seed of the World Tree…”

“But in the end, it became meaningless. The elves…”

“They all died at the hands of demons. The Order couldn’t even intervene.”

“Oh no…”

“Among the elves, those involved with the Forest were lucky. Even now, there might be one Tendrial left.”

With an indifferent expression, Wolfgang dryly mentioned the name Tendrial.

Raeli sensed bitterness from Wolfgang’s emotionless face.

“In this world…”

In the city of Nostesa, where Jans’ battalion had been assigned the grim task of handling corpses, the wails of people echoed incessantly.

“What in the world… is this some kind of epidemic?”

The streets were filled with people mourning, holding the lifeless bodies of their family and friends, crying out in agony.

Having traversed through this hellish scene to reach a makeshift tent, Jans had no energy left to endure any more hardships.

In just one day, he had witnessed too many shocking scenes, leaving him drained of all vitality.

Clutching his aching head and shaking it, Jans took a deep breath, hoping that all of this was just a dream.

“Some sorcerer is saying that…”

In Jans’ ears, another soldier’s voice was heard. It was the soldier who had mentioned yesterday that numerous casualties had occurred not only in Tesa but also in other cities.

Judging from the current situation, the soldier’s words didn’t seem like mere exaggeration. Jans listened intently to what he had to say.

“There’s a forbidden magic that sacrifices the lives of many people.”

“So what? Are you saying someone used that magic, and that’s why people died?”

“It’s just speculation… but unless people suddenly start dying for no reason, this kind of thing doesn’t happen.”

“Then who’s saying someone used that magic? If it’s forbidden magic, not anyone can use it.”

“Exactly… Well, who could be capable of such a thing?”

“What the hell. Useless speculation.”

For some reason, the soldier seemed to deliberately avoid mentioning a certain target. Disregarding the small talk, Jans approached him and asked.

“Who could be capable of such a thing?”

Suddenly faced with the question, the soldier seemed a bit flustered. Unperturbed, Jans pressed on.

“The person who cast a spell that sacrificed so many people. Who is it?”

“Oh, no, I just heard it somewhere… I don’t know.”

“Speak up. Even if you’re just guessing.”

“I, I don’t know… How would I know?”

Jans grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up from his seat.

“What are you doing?”

“Speak up! Who said that?”

“Damn it, why are you bothering me… Who in our country would be capable of using such magic?”

After pondering the soldier’s words for a moment, Jans mentioned a person that came to mind with a skeptical expression.

A person who could easily access forbidden magic books.

Among the magic users who had withered away in the prolonged war against demons, one of the few capable of freely wielding advanced magic.

A person who can pay for countless lives without guilt.

“… Queen?”

The intersection of all the clues pointed to the highest authority in the country.

“I don’t know. It’s what you said.”

Jans released his grip on the soldier’s neck. The soldier, who had been held by the neck, glared at Jans and then sat back down, whispering softly.

Jans stood there absentmindedly until the lieutenant came in and gave him his mission.

***

Allen covered the sleeping Yulia, who was completely curled up, with a blanket.

It was completely different from when they had escaped from Hagnes together in Rome ten years ago, now known as the holy priestess of blood.

“Time really flies…”

As Allen observed Yulia’s grown appearance, he himself had undergone many changes.

The aspiring knight, whose face began to break out with acne, had now become a respectable young man.

Since the day Allen lost his parents to the demons and was taken into the hands of the Genict priests, he had faced countless hardships, developing a stronger heart than any seasoned soldier.

In his hand, which woke up from an early morning sleep, was an old map.

Allen turned his head and glanced at the map.

“If we had known it was this close, Yulia wouldn’t have suffered so much.”

Recalling the days when Allen and Yulia traveled around on their expedition to find Wolfgang, Allen let out a bitter laugh.