Episode 176:
Where are we going now?
Not only did the elves not tell us where we were going, they never spoke to us privately or publicly.
We kept a certain distance and moved around as if we were patients with a terrible contagious disease.
‘It feels more like being transported as a criminal than receiving an invitation…’
The atmosphere of the elves surrounding us was very harsh.
They were showing such fierceness and hostility that it was surprising that they didn’t attack us right away.
We didn’t know where they were taking us.
That place could have been an execution ground to kill us.
In that life-threatening situation, Count Warrug and Lanos were very nervous.
Since I had already witnessed the power of the elves once, it was no wonder that I was wary of them.
But unlike them, I was extremely calm.
“Oh, this is fascinating. “The tree moved out of the way on its own.”
I looked around very calmly, as if I were at an amusement park.
Everything was amazing.
A tree that wiggles its roots like a living creature.
For a moment, I thought it might be Trent, a plant-type monster, but upon closer inspection, that wasn’t the case.
The roots moved, but not naturally.
It creaked as if it was being forcibly controlled.
Above all, there was no Trent’s characteristic crying sound.
When Trent discovered a living creature, it made a sound similar to an elk’s cry.
So, when he was walking around alone at night and came across a trent, he mistakenly thought it was a person screaming and went to rescue him, but he often died.
Trent was friendly to elves, never friendly to humans.
Rather, they were hostile to humans who harmed nature, which was their friend.
“This is my first time seeing something like this… Oh, that looks delicious.”
“You…”
Count Warrug was tired of me being so calm.
It must have been absurd to see myself looking so innocent while not knowing when a weapon would be thrust at my neck.
But what can you do?
That’s a serious thing in its own way, but this is interesting in its own way.
Isn’t there a law that says I shouldn’t watch something just because it’s dangerous?
I decided to enjoy my current situation to the fullest.
Even if I take the mood seriously, it doesn’t mean it will change, but as the saying goes, if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it, I decided to do that.
It’s my first time meeting an elf, so I can enjoy that much.
“Because we arrived. “Can you shut up that loud mouth?”
The green elf is glaring at me, as if I was making too much noise.
Even in their cruel eyes, I kept smiling.
After seeing the place we arrived with them, I was confident that they would not attack us.
The place they brought us to was none other than the elves’ nest, or, in our words, a village.
A village made entirely of trees.
Maybe that’s why it felt even more mysterious.
If there was a fantasy village where fairies lived, it would feel like this.
“Wait here. “I’ll call the elder.”
After saying those words, the green elf entered the village.
My companions and I stood at the entrance to the village and waited for them to return.
“Those are the humans, right?”
“Wow… look what it looks like. “It looks like a bear.”
“It looks really ugly. They said that humans are bad guys who should never be trusted or talked to. “Why are humans here?”
It was not normal to be in a village of elves.
First of all, the elves’ gaze was too hostile.
They were looking at us as if they were the worst criminals in Fushun.
It was absurd to look at us that way simply because we are humans and because we are a different species.
If you think about it, it is not surprising that humans also enslave other races or kill them for being different.
“Ugh… But I think it’s uglier than I heard.”
“Are all humans that ugly?”
“But the human in the middle over there is okay?”
“Ugh… why on earth are you exposing your upper body? “I hate it because it feels like I’m looking at battle fanatics.”
Their evaluation of us was the worst.
It was inevitable that the elves’ appearance was so beautiful that they easily surpassed those of humans.
That’s why they can pour out negative reviews against us.
And it’s strange to expect good things to come out of it when you hate humans themselves in the first place.
“When do you think it will come out?”
“Um… I guess we’ll have to discuss it, so it won’t take a while, right?”
That’s what I said, but to be honest, I didn’t think it would take that long.
Because you can tell they’ve already finished talking from the moment they brought us here in the first place.
There is no way they, who hate humans more than death, would bring us in without any consultation.
There was a certain amount of disagreement between them, so they probably brought us along.
What was more urgent than anything was them, not us.
We could go back like this, but they didn’t.
We must somehow find a cure and cause for the World Tree.
If they continued like this, they were going to lose their source of strength and their home.
“Come in. “The elder is calling.”
As I expected, it didn’t take long before the green elf came out to get us.
A group of elves followed behind him.
Among them, an elf with a beard all the way to the solar plexus steps forward.
Just from their atmosphere and actions, you could tell that he was an elf elder.
Otherwise, there would be no way other elves would look at him with respect and bow their heads.
“Is it you?”
The Elf elder spoke to us.
A brilliant green light rose from the staff he was holding and circled around us.
Lanos reflexively clenched his fist.
On the other hand, Count Warrug and I were calm.
This is because there was no sense of hostility or murderous intent from the elder emitting that green light.
Rather, I felt like I was trying to check something, so I quietly accepted the light.
“Hmm… they are definitely different from those barbarians.”
The green light disappears in an instant and the elder nods as if he sensed something.
And looked at me intently.
“So you know how to treat your mother?”
Before I could respond to his words, an explosive reaction occurred around me.
“How can humans know our mothers!”
“Humans are fraudsters! “Don’t believe what they say!”
“Why on earth did you let them bring you here!”
“How could that person know about my mother! “Absolutely not.”
I was dumbfounded when I saw their reactions.
The elder did not ask for a treatment method or offer to see the World Tree.
I was just asking questions to check if I knew how to treat the World Tree, but they were accusing me of being a fraud trying to see the World Tree.
I was able to learn two things from their reactions.
How much they hate humans.
A rumor has already spread among them that I know the cure for the World Tree.
Still, I thought there would be secrets among the elves, but now I see that there are none at all.
And I felt quite offended by their reaction.
We haven’t committed a mortal sin and we are here to help. How long do we have to be treated like this?
I understand if we attacked them or if the methods I gave you didn’t work.
However, it was my preference to be treated this way after directly verifying the effects.
When the desire to go back became stronger than the desire to help them, the elder stamped his staff on the ground and shouted.
“quiet!”
The heavy voice overwhelmed the audience.
The energy emanating from him silenced the elves who were spewing out evil remarks.
“We are grateful to these people who came to help us. “Are you trying to ruin things when it’s not enough to be considered a benefactor?”
“But doesn’t the elder know! “Humans…!”
“So what did we see? We were able to discover something in his words that we couldn’t find no matter how much we searched. I even saw my mother’s strength come back. Are you really trying to deny that?”
“That’s…”
The elves fell silent.
You can’t refute his words.
Because they saw it too.
As I said, the puddle full of black sediment was removed, and the world tree began to recover.
Maybe that’s why they’re trying to ostracize me even more.
Because I, a stranger, did what they could not do.
“But… but a stranger. “They’re humans!”
“So what are we going to do? So can you find a way? “Can you figure out the cause?”
“Hmm…”
The elf, who had been scolding me as a stranger, gaped.
I can’t answer because I can’t.
The elder looked at him pitifully and then turned his head to me.
“I’m sorry. “I ask for your understanding as these children have lived very ostracized lives and do not know much about the world.”
“yes. it’s okay. We don’t hold grudges over trivial things like this. It’s like child’s play. It may be childish, but it didn’t cause any direct harm to me. “You don’t have to worry too much.”
I looked at the elf who was swearing at the ‘child’ part.
The elf, who turned into a childish child in an instant, widened his face and glared at me as if he were going to kill me.
What are you going to do if you stare at me?
How could they attack me when the elder is taking my side?
I shrugged my shoulders at him.
“Kkkkkkkkkk. That’s right, something like this can be easily overlooked.”
The elder smiled and stroked his beard as if he liked it.
Then he turned around and said.
“Follow me. You can’t leave a precious guest standing like this. “I’ll even treat you to my delicious tea.”
“thank you.”
He looks around as he walks behind the elder who tells him to follow him.
The elves began to gather one by one, and before we knew it, nearly dozens of them were gathered in one place and were glaring at us.
I think they were trying to threaten us in some way.
To be honest, their behavior was laughable right now.
It may have been before, but now that they have been invited by the elder, their threat cannot be a proper threat.
Unless they go crazy, how can they attack us who have been invited by an elder who is no different from the leader?
All I can do is just stare like I do now.
Count Warrug must have felt this as well, as he let go of the sword he had been holding and looked much more at ease.
Only Lanos was still clenching his fists with a look on his face that did not understand the current situation.
It was only when Count Warrug said that he could relax his guard appropriately that he released all the strength he had placed in his hands.