I am back – Chapter 183

“Right. I heard that the clothes you’re wearing are made from the leaves of the World Tree. Strictly speaking, they’re not flower petals.”

After the welcome ceremony ended, Arna, now changed into different clothes, said that.

My sister and I had also changed into new outfits. The clothes we wore while coming here were gone; instead, we were dressed similarly to what Arna was wearing.

Since the clothes were prepared by the Elves, it was only natural that they were styled like the outfits Elves would wear.

“Is it really okay to use the leaves of the World Tree like that?”

“Those leaves can’t just be picked because we want to.”

Arna replied with a smile at my question.

“They’re things that can only be obtained if the World Tree wants to give them. The same goes for the leaves, the fruits, and the tree bark. And because of that, everything is extremely valuable, yet the Elven Council used them for you.”

“So… does that mean the leaves started falling only after we arrived here?”

“More precisely, they said it started falling after you came to this world.”

Ah, I see.

Certainly, since it took some time for the leaves to fall, we could gather that much. No matter how many leaves were falling, it wouldn’t be enough to collect in just a day or two.

“Don’t worry. The World Tree is healthier now than it has ever been since the war. You can clearly see that by the light pouring down from above. Also, Elves can feel what state the World Tree is in.”

I had heard about that before. It was a story I learned from Arna while camping. Elves are connected to the World Tree, and because of that connection, they can transfer their power to others through the World Tree.

Arna had said she had received the power of all the Elves when she entered the party as their representative. Of course, she couldn’t just use that power recklessly. It was power meant to withstand the tainted land. Without that power, Arna wouldn’t have been able to endure even a few minutes on that tainted ground.

“Still, that’s amazing. They must have saved everything while thinking that I would come here and prepared those clothes and this road.”

The place we were staying in was a house dug into a giant tree. Just because it was dug out of a tree didn’t mean the inside was cramped. Sure, it was smaller than a flashy brick house, but Elves typically didn’t build big homes. Usually, a family could live comfortably in one tree, and many Elves preferred to live alone.

Since they were long-lived, they probably found living with many people a bit exhausting.

Anyway, it was spacious enough for the two of us.

“It really feels like a world out of a fairy tale.”

While looking out the window, my sister happily said that.

Indeed, this place where the Elves lived had a different atmosphere than the Kingdom.

It felt a bit like a medieval city. There was a marketplace, and residential areas clustered together. The Council’s meeting hall was high up in the trees, which in some ways reminded me of a castle.

However, most of the houses were dug into the trees. Even if a house was built directly, it was made from cut logs. The vibe was very different from the brick houses in the Kingdom.

The streets were generally quiet. Rather than being deserted, it was more like there were hardly any loud voices. People spoke quietly, in whispers. This was also characteristic of the long-lived Elves. Even for Elves who lived for a long time, moving around seemed tiring. So, many preferred to settle in one place, which naturally led to long durations of living amongst their neighboring Elves.

Hence, from the start, they were careful to avoid causing any conflict. They kept their voices low for that reason.

Even when making friends, they took their time and approached slowly, which could take years or even decades by human standards. At this point, it almost seemed excessive.

My sister’s gaze shifted upwards from looking down.

The view of the sky was magnificent.

The thick branches of the World Tree spread out like a canopy, and the blue sky peeked through. The white leaves appeared as if they might completely cover the sky, but due to their unique bright color, it didn’t feel particularly dark.

In fact, the World Tree… well, of course, no ordinary tree could ever be that big. But if the World Tree were truly a typical tree of that size, other beings wouldn’t be able to survive beneath its shade. The vast branches would have blocked almost all sunlight.

But this tree was the World Tree. If the shade was like that, Elves wouldn’t have gathered to live beneath it.

The leaves of the World Tree emit a gentle glow. That light has properties similar to Divine Power, allowing beings that live beneath the World Tree to gain significant benefits. The falling leaves and fruits are all precious items in this forest.

It is said that the roots of the World Tree extend far beyond, even beyond the forest. The World Tree absorbs the magic from the earth with its vast roots to generate this power. However, just like a person can die if they drown and a tree can rot if overwatered, if magic excessively erodes the land, the roots of the World Tree can rot as well.

Thus, the Demon King was also a calamity for the Elves.

“The World Tree was also protected by Siyun.”

Before I knew it, Arna had come close to my sister and was gazing out the window with her.

“This place, the people here. And this peaceful atmosphere.”

“….”

In a broad sense, that might be true, but hearing such direct words still felt a bit embarrassing.

“So you like it here, huh?”

“Of course.”

Arna nodded with a smile in response to my sister’s words.

“That’s only natural. This is where I live, and my birthplace. It’s a place I absolutely don’t want to lose.”

“….”

At Arna’s words, my sister seemed lost in thought, silently gazing out the window.

She had supposedly protected not only the Kingdom but also Arna’s hometown. Perhaps she had even protected lands across the sea as well. What the Demon King coveted was not just the Kingdom but the world itself. Knowing that, the Elves had taken a gamble, stake everything.

But in the meantime, my old hometown was gone.

Of course, I was merely a hero in Irrelaysia, and on Earth, I was just an inconsequential twenty-something. If I had tried to protect my village as a newly-minted adult, I would have undoubtedly failed.

Wait, was there even a reason to protect it?

It was a place filled with memories of my sister and me, and I might sometimes think of it and want to see it again.

But did everyone who lived there feel the same way?

Wouldn’t they have thought about wanting to go somewhere better if they left? With redevelopment, land prices would increase, and they might have wanted to quickly receive their money and move elsewhere.

And I understood that mindset. After all, if you were going to live in the middle of a city, it would be better to live in an apartment with more amenities and better security.

Even if one claimed to like their neighborhood, it was just the heart of a child. As their bodies grew, they would continuously realize, “Ah, this alley is so narrow, my house is this small, and there wasn’t even enough space for me to run around.”

My mom, whom I saw at the wedding, at least looked a bit more at ease than when I was little and she lived in a semi-basement.

If I were living in a posh apartment in the middle of Seoul now, would I have been able to live contentedly if I was still in that place?

“Right. Everyone must have something they want to protect.”

At Arna’s words, my sister nodded.

“And everything ultimately comes from the heart, right?”

“The heart.”

Arna murmured at my sister’s words.

“Yes. Where am I, and where can I truly be happy? That’s what the heart decides. Even if the place where I was born and spent my childhood disappears, if there’s someone who shared that time with me, no matter where we go, we can remember that place together.”

As my sister said that, she turned to look back.

The light pouring in from the window created a glare, but my sister’s expression appeared rather bright.

“In that sense, I think Siyun has protected my hometown as well. He didn’t give up and came back to me. He made a place where I can belong, a place that brings me peace.”

“Ah….”

But I…

I had given up.

At the last moment, I was satisfied just saving my companions. Even when the goddess told me she would give me a new life, I had said there was no need for that.

My heart raced.

Does my sister know? That I thought that way?

Looking at her smile so bright, maybe she doesn’t.