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Chapter 302

“Wow….”

I thought time would be wasted getting caught by the guards, but I was able to step into Yggdrasil surprisingly easily.

“This is all thanks to me. Ahem.”

Claire puffed out her chest as she spoke, and the group chuckled warmly in response. Her need for praise was incredibly cute. Was it just me, or did she seem to regress to her childhood now that we were back home?

It was quite natural, really. If there was an elf in our group, entering the land of elves would be a piece of cake.

Yggdrasil was an incredibly beautiful city. The scenery on the way here was lovely, but the city’s view was even more breathtaking. It had a distinctly unique charm, with an exotic flair that was palpable.

One of Yeon-woo’s biggest curiosities about Yggdra was the living spaces. Claire didn’t care whether houses were made of wood or earth, but surely not all elves felt that way.

To confirm that notion, the elven residences were in truly unique forms. It wasn’t even the concept of building homes; it was more about hollowing out dead trees to live inside.

The shape of numerous ancient trees surrounding the World Tree featured windows and doors. Among them, especially massive trees seemed to house multiple families, as different elves were seen coming and going from the entrances.

“Is that like an elven apartment?”

“More like a townhouse if you want to get technical. They don’t really live super densely.”

“Oh, interesting.”

Claire, who had been grumbling about how boring the country was before arriving, showed a flicker of patriotism as she said that with pure delight.

As they walked towards an inn that suited travelers, the group suddenly had to stop.

Claire, who was supposed to lead the way, ran into a figure cloaked in black robes and began chatting.

It was easy to guess what they did, just by looking at the luxurious fabric of the robe.

‘Could it be a queen’s aide?’

[That person smells super fragrant! Is that how all elves are?]

‘Dragons also have a fantastic scent, you know.’

[Hehe!]

At Yeon-woo’s casual compliment, Shar twirled in delight. What a cute little cutie.

Of course, it wasn’t a lie. Shar had a faint scent reminiscent of milk, soft and comforting. Nea carried a refreshing aroma that reminded one of a cloudless sky.

[Dad, what about Tae-oh!? What does Tae-oh smell like?!]

With sparkling eyes, Tae-oh asked earnestly, and it felt awkward to say he didn’t smell like anything, so I stroked his head and chose my words carefully. How could I phrase it to sound like a compliment?

[What are you pondering? Tae-oh smells clean!]

‘Ah, that’s it.’

[Woah, a clean smell…! I don’t know what it is, but it feels nice!!]

Tae-oh beamed brightly at Dawn’s adept response. Though Nea couldn’t jump in, she had been listening and smiled like a blooming flower.

Meanwhile, the conversation ended, the robed person stepped away, and Claire approached the group with a serious expression.

“Um, we don’t need to go to an inn anymore. There’s a decent one available.”

“Anywhere with a roof is fine. You will lead us, right?”

“I hope you won’t be surprised….”

Claire mumbled as she thought Yeon-woo didn’t know her background. Yeon-woo desperately pretended not to know.

Claire turned and started to lead us into the city’s heart. That meant we were heading toward the World Tree.

‘It’s tough to pretend not to know….’

*

“Whoa, the nun was royalty!?!?”

Despite it being blatantly obvious that Yeon-woo was acting, Claire bowed her head apologetically, fidgeting with her fingers.

“I’m sorry, that was surprising, right…?”

“It was very surprising.”

That was a fact. Not today, but last time. It’s a bit awkward to say, but she didn’t give off a royal vibe at all. Maybe that’s one of my biases.

The royal palace of Yggdra resided at the base of the World Tree. Not beside or in front of it, but literally at the World Tree. It would be better to understand that they were renting a tiny portion of it.

“Still, I won’t be going into Yggdrasil right now. My sister told me to come elsewhere.”

“Aha.”

Saying that, Claire veered away from entering Yggdrasil. Honestly, I wanted to go in, but it seemed that would be postponed.

Before long, the group arrived at a cabin.

Yeon-woo thought it was quite a nice cabin, but apparently, wooden houses like this were the least appreciated in Yggdrasil.

“This would be a fine place to live in retirement….”

“Already worrying about retirement, huh?”

Oh dear, those old habits from before my regression. Living a life where one never knows when they might die, I unconsciously started planning for old age.

Inside the dark cabin, flowers emitted a soft glow. Under that tiny light stood a figure draped in a flamboyant robe.

‘Is that the current elven queen?’

As the queen turned, she slowly lowered her hood, revealing hair like leaves that fluttered in the air.

“…Chloe.”

Claire called her name in a complicated tone upon seeing her. The queen, looking at her with a cold expression, let out a deep sigh.

“Why did you come back, sister? You said this country was hopelessly dull.”

“I… I missed you so much, Chloe. It’s been too long.”

Upon Claire’s honest confession, the queen chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. Was she actually crying? She didn’t seem cold-hearted at first glance, but wow, she was crying so soon?

“Well, you came back, so what now? Come in, sister.”

However, Chloe didn’t cry. She merely relaxed the tension she had in her shoulders. Speaking in a much more at-ease tone than before, Chloe opened her arms and approached Claire. Tears welled in Claire’s eyes at the sight of her.

“Chloe…!!”

The nun Claire and the flamboyant robed Chloe hugged each other tightly. They clearly looked like sisters who loved each other dearly.

As the emotional family reunion unfolded, Yeon-woo’s group awkwardly watched.

“Should we clap or something?”

“Don’t do anything.”

Cautiously asking, wondering if that would be appropriate, Nea stopped him. Hmm, I guess it wasn’t that kind of moment. Stopped, Yeon-woo quietly watched the two.

They were incredibly alike. Leaf-haired and tall. While Chloe had a more assertive vibe, Claire exuded a kind demeanor.

‘The mid differences are intense….’

But beyond just appearances, a colossal difference existed. One side clearly soaked up all the nutrients. Having pondered that far, Yeon-woo cautiously turned his gaze away.

The intuition of a Sword Master sometimes picked up on thoughts like these.

“Can you introduce your friends, sister?”

“Ah, yes!”

At Chloe’s kind statement as she gently stroked Claire’s head, the two partook in introductions. Then their eyes shifted onto the group. Even counting others, besides the Claire sisters, there were just a few more.

Well, she was the queen of a nation. It made sense to have some guards around. With that thought, Yeon-woo nodded.

“This is Yeon-woo. Remember the letter I sent about the orphanage? I’ve raised him thinking of him as a son for eleven years, and look how much he’s grown!”

“He has grown this much in eleven years? The growth rate of humans is amazing… Hello, I’m Chloe. I’ve heard a lot about you. Although most of it wasn’t from my sister.”

“Hahaha… Hello. I’m Choi Yeon-woo. It’s an honor to meet the queen of Yggdra.”

“You can dress nicely when you want, huh? Good job raising him, sister.”

“Though, I can’t say for sure, he seems to have grown up on his own….”

Embarrassed by Chloe’s compliment, Claire turned away. She did well raising him, but I wonder why she’s so flustered. It must be her own form of bashfulness.

“These kids are Yeon-woo’s children. Shar, Tae-oh, and Dawn.”

“At such a young age, I was wondering if you had kids, huh? I see, that’s the case. Nice to meet you, little friends.”

“Hello!!”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Greetings.”

Shar greeted cheerfully, Tae-oh stiffly, and Dawn politely. Just through greetings, they showcased their respective personalities. Did these kids know how to introduce themselves?

“This is Yeon-woo’s girlfriend, Alkeinea. She’s Shar’s mother.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Hello. …The relationships here are quite complicated. He’s Yeon-woo’s child, but also Alkeinea’s child, and you two are lovers? I suppose it’s like common-law marriage?”

“I’ve been wishing we could just marry already, but the laws don’t allow it.”

Claire sighed softly at Chloe’s somewhat tough-to-answer inquiry, with her palm resting on her cheek.

It felt a bit like watching a morning drama, and both Yeon-woo and Nea couldn’t help but blush, being the subjects of that conversation.

“Everyone? This is Chloe. The queen of Yggdra, my proud little sister. Hehe, she’s the greatest mage of the elves!”

“Why do you have to introduce me? If you mention that, I’ll introduce you too. This is my sister Claire. She’s the best swordswoman among elves.”

Their banter was quite sibling-like. Without realizing it, Yeon-woo clapped his hands. Oops, I wasn’t supposed to clap.

““Ahem.””

The two puffed out their chests proudly at Yeon-woo’s clap and struck a pose as if to show off. The group burst into laughter.

*

“Yeon-woo, can I talk to you for a moment?”

As Claire greeted the guards that Chloe brought along, Chloe called only Yeon-woo aside. I wonder what’s up? I thought, moving toward the corner where Chloe had wheeled herself.

“You mentioned you need a prosthetic leg.”

“Yes. It turned out that way.”

“What? You caught a Demon King, and losing one leg is a small price to pay. I imagine my sister would’ve lectured you, but I understand. Of course, I will do my utmost to help.”

“Wow, thank you. I never thought I could receive help from a queen.”

Chloe chuckled at Yeon-woo’s humble words. Claire and Chloe shared many traits, but there was a crucial difference. Yeon-woo instinctively understood that fact.

Chloe’s demeanor and approach made it clear she was deeply involved in politics. If Claire’s principles were based on goodwill, Chloe was undoubtedly working with conditions and transactions.

“I’ll need your help in return. Is that okay?”

“No Demon Kings or anything, right?”

“I won’t put you in an impossible position. I came here to get a prosthetic after losing my leg in the fight against a Demon King, so asking you to kill one would be utter madness.”

After saying that much, Chloe took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully.

“I want to restore my sister’s authority. Help me.”

“They say to stay out of foreign politics….”

“You came to fetch prosthetic materials, right? Isn’t the branch of the World Tree rather tempting?”

“Kugh, Sister…! Why have you endured such unfair treatment all this time…!!”

“You’re surprisingly easy to understand.”

I am pursuing the thin line of life.

(To be continued in the next chapter.)

 

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