Bird Strike: LOL LOL LOL LOL

Me: Don’t break it!

Bird Strike: How can you not laugh at this? LOL (link)

Yumin Yumin: What’s that?? Is it a virus??

Bird Strike: Just take a look, it’s seriously hilarious.

Me: Hey, don’t click that weird link!

Yumin Yumin: HAHHAHAHAHAHA

Me: Seriously…

Bird Strike: “I wasn’t afraid to dedicate this body for the people,” they said, LOL HAHHA.

Watching the situation in the group chat on my smartphone, Yeon-woo buried his face in his hands.

Honestly, it wasn’t something that embarrassing. It was just that the sight of Namgung Seong cackling didn’t sit well with him.

The laughing link in the chat was a video of Yeon-woo’s press conference. The conference held a few hours earlier had surprisingly moderate content.

What could you say to the person who was the first in the world to defeat the Demon King?

And what his friends found funny were Yeon-woo’s comments from that very conference.

It felt a bit embarrassing to have his friends catch on to the fact that he genuinely thought like that, rather than merely lying.

Yeon-woo tossed his smartphone onto the bed and lay flat. His lower body was still in a paralyzed state.

Although he had improved a lot since just a few days after his discharge, it was still obvious to anyone that he was uncomfortable.

The trip to the Grand Duchy had been postponed for several days for that reason. There were bound to be various matters to deal with, and if he were still in a paralyzed state, it would be difficult to respond.

Respecting Yeon-woo’s will, Claire’s travel plans, which had been proceeding smoothly, were adjusted accordingly. That was fortunate.

In the meantime, Yeon-woo studied the elven society.

The elves, particularly the forest fairies forming the Grand Duchy, have a matriarchal society.

There wasn’t much significant difference in abilities or appearances between males and females, but the social structure skewed heavily towards females due to an imbalance in gender ratios.

That being said, they didn’t treat men like slaves; it just felt like women were treated with a bit more regard because they were precious.

Yeon-woo studied various elven cultures, but he had no choice but to focus on those related to the queen. From the first queen to all the significant events that shaped the current monarchy.

Fortunately, the concept of inheritance through the first-born daughter was not much different from earthly monarchies, so it wasn’t too bad as an interesting read.

However, knowing the succession framework made him realize that visiting the Grand Duchy was indeed a risky endeavor.

What if the former sword master, who had abdicated the throne to his younger sibling and went into hiding, brought not just anyone but the world-renowned Dragon’s contractor back with him?

It might appear as if he had secured a support base and returned.

Of course, neither Yeon-woo nor Claire wanted such a thing to happen, but wasn’t it typically the case that politicians tend to interpret things according to their own advantage?

While Claire was excited at the prospect of seeing her sister after a long time, she also had a lingering worry about whether this homecoming would cause her sister to harbor any resentment towards her.

It was entirely possible, and Yeon-woo couldn’t help but be concerned.

‘Do I have no choice but to confront this situation too…?’

The fact that Claire was the secluded sword master was something he hadn’t known before his regression, and in the first place, Claire had never showcased her powers before his regression, so there was no way she would have returned to the Grand Duchy.

“Things are getting more complicated as I learn more about the future.”

“Hmm, it can’t be helped. Dad is actively trying to change the future rather than just sticking to the same actions as before his regression.”

“It’s difficult, very difficult.”

With a puff, the mattress bounced as Shar jumped in beside Yeon-woo, who could only scratch his head in response.

The future was bound to become even more unpredictable.

Fortunately, major events seemed to repeat the past to some extent, but there would eventually come a time when small differences would arise, causing these memories to deviate.

Until then, becoming strong enough to withstand any variables was the only thing that could be done.

*

Many adventures awaited on the road to the Grand Duchy, but it was too much effort to detail every single one of them, so I decided against it.

When asked about the Grand Duchy by the novices, Yeon-woo answered and then turned off his smartphone screen. It wasn’t a time to be leisurely on his smartphone.

“Ah, we’ve arrived! Do you see that over there?”

“You didn’t need to say that; it was already visible from a while back.”

Yeon-woo replied, interrupting Claire’s bright exclamation. Claire let out a soft whine, “Hiiing,” her spirits dampened.

Perhaps he had snapped back a bit sharply without meaning to, but he figured it was unavoidable.

‘I don’t even know how many times I’ve heard ‘almost there’.’

This elf had truly become Korean, either for better or worse. Thinking that, Yeon-woo reassured Claire, who was pushing his wheelchair.

“Honestly, I feel fine. Hehe, just thinking that I’ll see my sister soon makes me happy!”

“But really, is it okay for us to go too?”

Nea, leaning on her staff, questioned Claire with a slightly anxious look. She must have heard the details from Yeon-woo beforehand.

“Of course it’s okay. As long as Nea and Yeon-woo are fine, it’s all okay. The elves… well, what will they do if they’re not okay?”

Hmm, that sounded a bit scary. Just listening made it feel like it wouldn’t be surprising if some people died on this trip.

I heard the leader of the knights was quite strict, so would the elves show their true colors from that time?

Anyway, the group moved closer to the gigantic World Tree, which now appeared much nearer than thirty minutes ago.

Even if Nea, who was using her staff, and Yeon-woo, who could walk somewhat but was still in the wheelchair, were moving slowly, they kept a steady pace.

Regardless, the surrounding natural scenery was so exceptionally beautiful that it made them forget their fatigue.

“Isn’t it because you’re just sitting in a wheelchair alone?”

“Is that so?”

Normally, if there was a single giant tree, the surrounding plants wouldn’t be able to thrive and would wither away, but the World Tree was different. Unlike ordinary trees, the World Tree was like a natural system all on its own.

With a density dense enough to be called a jungle, it possessed flora and a landscape unlike anything seen anywhere in the world.

The Grand Duchy had its own primeval forest that could only be found there. To compare it to Earth, it would be like having a forest as large as Australia on the continent of Alkeon.

“It can’t even be compared to the Tree of Life….”

Yeon-woo thought the western forest was quite large, but compared to the Grand Duchy’s great woodland, it felt like a toenail clipping. No matter how far they traveled, there were no small trees in sight.

“The Grand Duchy relies heavily on timber for its main exports. They could probably supply all the timber for Alkeon by themselves.”

“That’s rather fascinating. They say they revere the World Tree and love nature, yet they cut down trees without hesitation.”

“It’s mutualism. Only the World Tree is believed to house a life spirit in each tree, while all others are regarded as part of the forest as a whole.”

“Oh. They certainly differ from elves in our world. I’ve heard that even a small scratch on one tree would drive them into a frenzy.”

“How else would they survive?”

“That’s probably why they didn’t go extinct.”

At Nea’s humorless remark, Yeon-woo chuckled. Someone had to laugh; otherwise, the atmosphere would turn awkward.

“Haha, so we did arrive, right, sister?”

“Uh, yes, we are here. Just wait a moment, you’ll see it soon.”

What on earth could be seen in this dense forest? Yeon-woo thought as he glanced around, soon noticing something strange. Wasn’t the density of the trees even thicker than before?

“Whoa…”

“Wow!”

“What’s that!? It’s huge!”

“It’s amazing….”

Nea and the children gasped in unison.

Yeon-woo felt the same way. It was something that could better be described as a wall. The trees were clustered together, transformed into a fortress-like structure.

Seeing that made it understandable how they could concentrate on the forest as a single entity rather than each individual tree.

In that scenario, Claire puffed up her chest and stepped forward, clearing her throat.

“Welcome, to the capital and heart of Igrdals, ‘Yggdrasil’!”

“What a refreshingly literal name.”

Wanting to make a splendid introduction, Claire puffed her cheeks and frowned at Yeon-woo’s playful jab. My bad.

*

“…What did you say?”

“Unknown visitors are approaching from the main gate. There are six in total, and one seems to be Lady Claire.”

At those words, a dark-haired woman with a faint green hue creased her brow.

This country operated in such a way that information and stories flowed centrally without any action on her part.

Thus, she was able to hear the visitors’ conversation without moving an inch.

Dressed in a flowing dress and seated on an old tree branch crafted throne, the woman’s green eyes gazed into the void.

“What will you do, Your Majesty?”

“…Let them be.”

“Are you sure? The council elders are still shouting that you aren’t the first-born daughter…”

“It’s fine. Welcome them, but be sure to bring them to the palace as soon as they arrive.”

“Understood.”

The Forest Ranger vanished at the queen’s command in an instant. The queen, Chloe, sat there for a moment, her serious face scanning her surroundings before her shoulders suddenly relaxed.

“Hehe, I’m so excited to see my sister again~”

It was a face so silly that it was hard to believe she was the queen of a nation.

Just moments ago, she had been a stunning beauty, but losing her strength transformed her into a little animal-like appearance in an instant.

Unbeknownst to her, a series of complex events were unfolding behind the scenes.

(To be continued)

 

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