Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Chapter 112

"Come on, lead the way!"

"Hmph."

The leader of the Elf Guards, the white-haired elf, walked beside me with a displeased expression.

I stuck close to him, holding Astaroth in my hand to keep an eye on him.

The rest of the Elf Guards had returned to their duties. I had instructed them to do so.

Now, it was just me, Chris, and the white-haired elf, who seemed to be the head of the elves, guiding us through the forest.

"Growl!"

I heard the sound of a beast nearby.

I glanced behind me.

"Huff, huff!"

Chris was growling, her breath steaming in the cold air, her body tense. The ominous onmyoji beads swirling around her indicated that if the elf next to me made any sudden moves, she was more than ready to put a hole in his gut.

"Hey, Sis, I think it’s okay. You know I’m strong, right?"

"But he’s handsome!"

"Huh...?"

What does that have to do with anything? Since when is being good-looking a reason to be cautious?

The white-haired elf looked uncomfortable too, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he made a request.

"I apologize for attacking first, but could you ask her to calm down a little?"

"Sis, he says to calm down."

"Tell him to say it to my face!"

"Uh, she says you should tell her directly."

I puffed out my cheeks in frustration. Why am I stuck playing mediator between them when they can hear each other just fine?

I slapped my palm against my thigh, deciding to ask the elf something important. Proper introductions are key.

"What's your name?"

"...Palman."

Palman, a strong-sounding name.

Unlike the other Elf Guards, who appeared slender and delicate, he had a solid, muscular build.

"Oh, Palman it is. I’m Rain, and my sister here is Chris."

"Could you drop the 'mister'?"

I shook my head.

"A mister is a mister."

---

[Elf Kingdom Favorability: 0]

After the fight with the Elf Guards, the favorability rating with the Elf Kingdom reset from negative. This was because I hadn’t killed any of the elves.

Thanks to that, Palman was willing to share his name.

"Thank you for not harming the elves. The Elf Kingdom is in a difficult situation right now, so I hope you can understand. Our protocol is to subdue any visitors who break through the magical fog surrounding our territory."

"Hmm, is that so?"

I clicked my tongue.

When we visited the Dwarven village, I had an advantage thanks to my connection with Ain, but it seemed like I wasn’t getting any special treatment in the Elf Kingdom.

I had a lot of questions, but the conversation didn’t go any further.

Blocking our view were towering trees with thick branches and dark green leaves. And then, something overwhelmingly large began to fill the horizon.

"What... what is that?"

Chris stared in awe at *it*.

Her gaze moved from left to right, then upwards. It looked like her neck was about to snap from craning so far back.

I chuckled.

"Sis, your neck’s going to hurt."

"Huh? Aren’t you surprised, Rain? Is this really the world of *Astria Online*? It’s incredible."

"Yeah, it’s amazing."

I hadn’t seen it before either, but I knew what *that* was.

It resembled a towering skyscraper stretching to the sky.

But no, it wasn’t artificial. It was natural.

What stood before us was an enormous tree of staggering proportions.

I whispered softly.

"I have a request. Please save the World Tree."

That’s... sudden.

---

Thud, thud.

I followed Palman deeper into the World Tree. Chris was now walking close beside me, clearly excited.

"It feels like a world straight out of a fairy tale! We’ve been fighting for so long, but adventures like this are what make the fantasy world fun!"

"Hehe, Sis, you’re acting like a kid."

"Am I? Aren’t you enjoying this too, Rain?"

I gave a small laugh and nodded.

But I couldn’t fully enjoy it.

Why?

Thump, thump.

The closer we got to the core of the World Tree, the more my heart raced.

"By the way, Palman, are you some kind of elder? I thought you were just the head of the Elf Guards."

"There is no hierarchy among the elves. We are all equals. I am simply the strongest among the Elf Guards. In the past, the World Tree used to grant wisdom to the elves, but now we must solve problems amongst ourselves."

Democracy? I guess it’s a bit different since they don’t elect representatives.

Anyway, it's an interesting society.

Palman stopped in front of a mass of tangled roots.

The roots were twisted and interwoven, forming a barrier in front of us.

It resembled a massive door.

Palman turned to face us.

"It has been nearly a thousand years since the connection between the World Tree and the elves was severed. During that time, the elves have grown weaker. We’ve concluded that we can no longer fend off external threats on our own."

"And so you turned to adventurers from the stars."

He nodded, running his hand over the massive root-made door.

"For generations, only one elf could enter the innermost part of the World Tree. That elf was the only one capable of communicating with the World Tree. But the line of those elves was lost a thousand years ago. Some force even erased their names from memory."

"The Priestess of the World Tree."

Palman’s eyes widened.

His shock was palpable.

With a trembling voice, he managed to

speak.

"How...?"

I let go of Chris’s hand and stepped forward.

Thump, thump.

I clutched my chest as my heart raced.

"Rain...?"

Chris’s voice sounded distant.

Step, step.

The dwarves, the humans, the elves—they had all lost their histories.

Even the names of my former comrades were forgotten.

Was it the will of some supreme being that had shaped this world into a game? No, that being had been benevolent.

This was clearly the work of malice.

Little by little, I was beginning to see the fragments of the evil I needed to defeat.

Step, step.

I remembered something the elf who had been part of the hero’s party had once told me.

---

Rain, when the Priestess of the World Tree dies, she becomes a spirit of the World Tree.

For a Priestess to share her name with someone means that one day, she wishes to invite them to our sacred space.

When everything is over, would you visit that place with me?

---

Standing before the door, I ran my hand across its surface and said her name.

"Igraine."

The World Tree opened its path.