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The corpse before me was a brutal sight, marred by sharp objects and viciously mutilated. Every inch of its body bore wounds, and one eye was hollowed out, surrounded by scattered fingers and toes. It was undeniably a gruesome scene. Whoever the perpetrator was, they likely had a penchant for gore, suggesting they were a depraved individual.

The body that seemed like it might violate some regulations was probably an elf, stationed to guard the seal in the evening. Gideon, who had arrived late to check the seal, was taken aback at the sight of the corpse.

“What a hobby you have.”

“True enough.”

Ah, that’s not how you deal with an elf. Bratty elves shouldn’t be killed that easily. They need their pride crushed first, like how I did it. In that respect, the perpetrator is a terrible mortician.

“But you all seem surprisingly calm? It’s not often one sees a body like this while adventuring.”

While adventurers might see corpses, they wouldn’t often encounter ones so brutally torn apart.

“Not really? It’s actually quite common.”

“This is what you’d call common…?”

“Oddly, I tend to get into disputes with people quite often.”

Honestly, since crossing over into this world, I’ve fought more people than monsters. I don’t know why, but somehow I end up in conflicts. Do I look that easy to pick on?

“Anyway, it seems we have to turn back right after arriving.”

“Such a hassle…”

Grumbling about the inconvenience, we had no choice but to return to Alvheim. We were merely going back and forth for the sake of informing the World Tree about the traces of the attack on the seal. And after arriving back in Alvheim, it turned out there was more than one incident.

Evangeline, the elf who guided us, rushed over as soon as she spotted us at the entrance.

“Oh, you’re all here.”

She seemed relieved to find us quickly, as if time was of the essence.

“You are summoned by Yggdrasil.”

“How timely. We had business to attend to as well.”

“And that… Mr. Luke behind you as well.”

Since we had to go anyway and she found us, I didn’t question it further. I gathered up the rewards I might receive later in my mind. As we arrived at the audience chamber, Evangeline promptly took her leave, and the World Tree welcomed us.

[Thank you for coming.]

The voice of the World Tree resonated in my head, sounding nothing like the gentle tone from our first meeting. This voice was deeper and more muted, representing its current mood.

“I heard you called for us, what’s the matter?”

[First, could you take a look at this?]

The World Tree pointed to a wooden coffin on the table. I leaned down to get a better look, expecting to see a treasure, but instead, the body of an elf lay within. Well, it was a coffin after all, what else did I expect? Was it because I’ve watched too many anime? The corpse was missing one arm, with innards grotesquely spilled from an extended gash.

[This morning, a child discovered the body while patrolling outside the village. It was found lying in the middle of the forest.]

“So it wasn’t just one dead…?”

Gideon swallowed hard. I mean, who would do patrol alone at night during such an unpredictable situation? At least two guards should be assigned. The question lingered as to why there was only one corpse near the seal. The meaning behind Gideon’s heavy statement raised eyebrows from the World Tree.

[What do you mean?]

“Actually, we were also on our way to find you. Luke, can you take that out?”

“Oh~, is that a housewarming gift?”

“Not quite, but.”

I retrieved a housewarming gift from my inventory and placed it atop the coffin.

[……]

“We just came from the seal. There were traces of an attack there.”

[I see… ]

“You’d think the one who cares for this child would be a bit more emotional.”

[Well, I am currently in a commanding position… It would be irresponsible to act purely out of emotion.]

But the World Tree fell silent, clearly working to contain its rising anger. The more we spoke, the thicker the tension grew. The fact that two elves had died signified various problems, as well as pieces of crucial information.

The first piece of information was that the culprit was clearly a skilled individual. Even a low-ranking elf possesses the capability of a B-Rank adventurer, so to kill two means the assailant either had the ability of an A-Rank or there were two of them. Secondly, the goal of the perpetrator was to break the seal. The murder of the elves was merely a means to an end.

Now the first pressing issue related to the raid. We were supposed to have a raid soon, and losing elves means losing combat power. Given the elves already have a sparse population, every single one counts. The second issue was concern over future attacks. We would need to bolster defenses around the seal, as it was possible further attacks could occur even like today. On top of that, there was the risk of the hidden perpetrator launching a surprise attack during the raid.

Amid the heavy atmosphere, Yui seeming inquisitive spoke up softly.

“By the way, how did the perpetrator get past the barrier?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

I was curious myself, but since they had already entered, I was letting it slide. Suddenly, a voice echoed in my head.

[They entered by taking an elf’s arm. Did you not hold the elf’s hand while entering Alvheim?]

The World Tree gazed at the arm of the dismembered elf with wistfulness. As it had said, we did hold the elf’s hand upon entry. I don’t know how it worked, but it was said to be necessary for entry.

[The barrier I spread throughout the forest is a dual barrier of recognition hindrance and consciousness alteration. It prevents those wishing to enter Alvheim from recognizing it and makes them unconsciously feel that they should avoid this place.]

A dual barrier, it sounded impressive right off the bat.

[The efficacy of the barrier strengthens the closer one gets to Alvheim, but that doesn’t mean there’s no way to enter. The simplest method is through the help of an elf, such as holding hands or possessing a body part.]

A body part. Just hearing that gives me an idea of how they managed to get in. Yesterday, the elf mentioned that the Volcano Dragon’s seal was located outside of Yggdrasil’s barrier. With no barrier in place, the location of the seal was accessible. This is likely why the elf was left near the seal.

The culprit killed the elf guarding the seal and took a body part for themselves. This allowed them to wander freely inside the barrier. It’s no wonder the corpse was missing an arm. The perpetrator must have it. I assumed there were strict limitations on entry, but looking into it, there seem to be plenty of gaps.

“So, one arm must still be with the culprit?”

[Most likely.]

“But we went to the seal today without any help from the elf?”

[That was because of the tea you were given on the first day. It’s a kind of mark. A sign that lets the barrier recognize the traveler.]

What seemed like an unnecessary detail turned out to be revealing.

“Why wasn’t the seal guarded with a barrier?”

[Because I don’t know what might happen if my barrier were combined with that of the seal. The seal itself is a type of barrier. If two barriers were to merge, at least one would lose its efficacy. Had I constructed the seal myself, I would have willingly tried it, but regrettably, the human who created that seal is no longer present in this world.]

Sigh. The plot thickens and just makes matters more bothersome.

“By the way, does the World Tree’s foresight reveal anything about the future?”

[…Unfortunately, no. I’ve tried a few times, but all I see are dark visions.]

It’s like occasionally pulling a prank on a friend, looking at the black screen of a turned-off phone while saying, “Oh, this is your future.” And it turned out to be real.

‘This is what happens with vague powers…’

Powers like time travel or foresight might seem incredible, but if they’re vague, they are among the weakest abilities there is. For example, how relevant is a time stop if it’s only for 0.1 seconds? Or if a time reversal ability inadvertently shortens the user’s life span? Such abilities can be more burdensome than practically useful.

The same goes for the foresight the World Tree is currently using. If the only visions seen are screams of elves in darkness and naught but darkness itself, then it holds little meaning. Thus, the perpetrator must be hiding during the day and only acting in the evening. The forest’s evenings, with moonlight obscured by trees, provide the perfect cover for concealment.

Furthermore, the inability to see only the desired futures plays a part. I suppose it only shows the future in times of necessity. If that’s the case, it explains why there was no preparation for incidents like this. Well, if that person were always looking at the future, then for them, the present would effectively cease to exist.

“So, moving forward, how will the guards operate? Acknowledging the enemy targets the seal means we ought to beef up security.”

[There are a few things we’ll have to try out, but for now, raising numbers is our only option.]

While the World Tree and Gideon began deciding on subsequent actions, Luna seemed to have something on her mind and questioned me.

“Mr. Luke, if I may ask, do you think this was the work of a demon?”

“To my knowledge, it’s not; though judging by the method, it must either be a demon or a demon-like creature.”

Who else but a demon or demon-like being would commit such an act? If it were a Beastman or human, it would immediately lead to war with the elves, which doesn’t seem likely. Luna, following my answer, wore an expression as if she had expected it.

“If it has to come out, I’d prefer it be a demon rather than a demon-like creature.”

Demons provide better experience points when defeated. Plus, they drop skills. The more skills, the better.

“But what will you do if one actually shows up…?”

“Fretting is pointless.”

If one appears, I’ll just kill it. Those precious experience points of mine.

*

Since then, we’ve tried various approaches. This morning I stationed elves while planning to lure out the enemy in the evening with Gideon, but regrettably, it ended in failure. In fact, aside from Gideon, no trace of the perpetrator has been found since the first murder.

After attacking the seal, it seemed the culprit concluded they couldn’t break it with their powers and switched to a waiting strategy until the raid commenced. Yet, calling off the raid wasn’t an option. Leaving the seal untouched would ultimately allow it to break on its own. To halt the raid would mean relinquishing the opportunity to strike first. Thus, we decided to proceed with the raid, and if the culprit appeared in the meanwhile, I would confront them alongside the ‘Toilet’ character.

Time passed, and by the fourth day since we arrived in Alvheim, I began preparations for the raid. The first thing I did was seek out Evangeline.

“What? A cart…?”

“Yup, I’ve got preparations to make.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any carts available.”

“Make one.”

“Uh, pardon?”

“I said make one.”

 

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