The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 169



Only Krnovel

Episode 169. Guardians of the World Tree (4)

The interior of the World Tree, a space covered in poisonous moss and thorny vines.

The Mother World Tree that the elves revere does not only have a gentle side. Nature sometimes takes away freedom and peace from those who go against its will. This place was a ‘place of confinement’ that clearly showed one aspect of the World Tree.

A blonde elf boy crossed the hallway.

Although his appearance was not enough to be considered a full-grown adult, his position was by no means low. He was a second-tier guardian, just below the top, among the ‘Guardians of the World Tree’, the ruling power of elven society. Thanks to that, he was able to secretly enter and exit this confined space, which was strictly off-limits to those who were not involved.

The place where the boy stopped was in front of the bars in the far corner. Beyond that, I saw an elf girl whose limbs were tied to the black roots of the world tree.

The girl’s appearance was different from an ordinary elf. Her thin cheeks were pale purple, her hair was bleached, and her eyes were as dull as if they were covered in white. At first glance, she looks like a dead body.

But she wasn’t really dead. The girl felt a presence and raised her head. The boy called her name softly.

“Lilia.”

“… … .”

“Well, I was fine… … ? “I’m a little late coming back from patrol.”

“… … .”

“… … Today, I went out and found a cluster of white jade flowers. They were truly beautiful, just as you said, and their fragrance was so dizzyingly fragrant. I almost got stuck in the flower buds like a butterfly. Oh, when my subordinates approached, all the colorful butterflies flew away at once, and the sight of them fluttering like a spring shower of flowers… … .”

The druid boy, Parneo, tried to describe vividly what the girl could not see. The imprisoned girl, Lilia, listened silently to his story.

The two were neither siblings nor lovers. Up until a few months ago, the boy and girl had no relationship. This strange encounter began when the boy accidentally entered the asylum.

When Farneo first discovered Lilia, he wondered why a girl of his age was so tightly confined in a place like this. However, no matter how much she asked, the girl did not answer, and the girl became obsessed with her. She kept coming to her persistently until the girl opened her mouth, and eventually she became attached to the girl to the point where she came and went every day and talked to her.

Perhaps that sincerity paid off, and Lilia has now opened up enough to say my name and talk to me occasionally. Although she still brought up the topic and it was Farneo who mainly spoke.

But today was an exception.

“Mr. Farneo.”

“… … Lilia, if you come out from there someday, come see the white jade flowers with me… … .”

“Mr. Farneo.”

“… … If I become a first-tier guardian, I will be able to meet the World Guardian in person and ask for a favor… … .”

“Farneo, I had a dream today too.”

“… … Uh, dream? W-what dream?”

Parneo swallowed hard.

I still didn’t know the exact identity of this girl. However, I knew that the dream stories the girl occasionally shared were frighteningly accurate.

Lilia muttered in an unfocused, distant voice.

“The Great Druid… … I had a dream that the Great Druid came. It was probably this afternoon… … It was south of here, ‘Hesiliad’… … He was very large, and his entire body was covered in the bark of a golden tree. With his arrival… … a great change occurred throughout the Great Forest… … I too was released from here… … .”

“… … !”

Once a prisoner is locked in this place of confinement, he can never be released. Unless the order of the ‘World Tree Keeper’, who acts on behalf of the will of the Mother World Tree, is given. Therefore, Parneo’s lifelong goal was to become a first-tier guardian who could directly meet her.

But is it so easy to be released just because someone came?

“Well, is that true? “Are you really going to let us out of here?”

“Yes, but… … there’s one thing you need to keep in mind… … .”

“Wait, oh, you said south this afternoon? I’m waiting for you! “I’m going to go out and get him right now!”

“Hey, just a moment, Parneo-sama… … !”

Farneo rushed out without even listening to the end.

My heart was pounding in two places. Her mind was filled with only thoughts of giving the girl her freedom back. I generously offered a large sum of money to the gatekeepers of the prison who were secretly requesting bribes, and I made my way to the guardian who was on his next patrol.

“Sir Bellio! This turn, no, today, I will be doing all the patrols!”

“… … yes? “Wasn’t it Sir Farneo who was in the last turn as well?”

He looked at him with a puzzled look, but there was no reason to refuse since his superior was doing the annoying work for him. The 4th-rank guardian nodded and stepped back. Parneo led the patrol south with an unusually bright expression.

As expected, Lilia’s precognitive dream was right this time.

An unfamiliar figure appeared at the foot of the forest. At first I thought they were just intruders. Although preemptive fire was immediately fired according to patrol rules, Farneo repeatedly looked at the other side with an uncomfortable look.

Wedge – liquid! Wedge – liquid! Wedge – liquid!

Then, as soon as he saw Shinyoung, wearing a tree bark, appear beyond the rock, almost as if it was a spinal reflex, he let go of his bowstring and shouted to his men.

“He is not human! Not human! He is the great Druid! The great Druid! The noble has arrived, so put down your weapons and pay your respects immediately!”

“… … Great, great Druid?”

“Grand Druid… … . Oh, Grand Druid… … .”

Before they arrived, the patrolmen had been told that they might meet a nobleman while on patrol.

Most of them were impressed that the leader’s prediction was correct and immediately put down their bows. There was little room for doubt as he wore a ‘golden neck’ that was extremely difficult to imitate. Even those who were skeptical and could not let go of their bows eventually gave in to external pressure and showed courtesy.

A living golden tree trudged this way. Farneo was in a state of despair. He should have checked his identity first instead of just blindly shooting… … . He knelt down on the dirt floor with his men, praying that the nobleman’s judgment had not been hurt too much.

Finally, when the Grand Druid arrived in front of the breathless patrol, the first words he spoke were… …

“What the hell, what the hell is this? It’s a red, shiny thing.”

““… … .””

… … Of course, I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

*

It was also cumbersome to continue using Duncan as an interpreter. Kadim himself chewed the leaves that Ilenia had left, crushed them, and applied them to her ears.

“… … So, why do you call me ‘Grand Druid’?”

“Hmm, how could you suddenly say what we said…” … .”

“Bluetongue leaf… … ! Isn’t that the bluetongue leaf you just used? It’s the legendary plant that allows you to communicate with all things just by picking a leaf and drinking it… .”

“Wow, I heard that the spirits in the forest were almost extinct after they disappeared, but you managed to find a handful of them… … . As expected of a ‘tree druid’, your detection skills are amazing… … .”

“… … .”

The elves made a fuss while looking at the green leaves. Thanks to this, I was able to roughly understand the identity of the leaf, but the sudden misunderstanding only deepened.

It was after meeting face to face with the leader that I came to understand the situation. He bit his men and bowed politely, but unexpectedly, his face was that of a boy who had not yet taken off his youth.

“I sincerely apologize for the unintentional inconvenience, Grand Druid. My name is ‘Black Panther’ Farneo, and I am a second-level guardian belonging to the Guardians of the World Tree. I definitely had no intention of harming the Druid, but it was just a patrol rule that stated that if an outsider was discovered, a preemptive attack must be made immediately… … .”

“… … .”

However, one should not judge based on appearance alone. Elves are a long-lived species that live several times longer than humans. Kadim crossed his arms awkwardly and began a conversation with the leader, who was presumed to be a young man.

The reason for their misunderstanding was simple. I thought he was a great druid when I saw him wearing ‘geumcheolmok’ all over his body, la… … . I would be shocked if I found out that it was actually the power of the devil. In any case, it was a convenient misunderstanding, so I didn’t bother to correct it.

The important thing was this. Where can I go to see Melissa? The chief asked me the reason for my visit, so I answered directly.

“Huh? Me, Melissa… … So, you came to see the World Water Keeper?”

“Yes. He’s my old colleague, and I have a lot to talk about when we meet.”

“… … .”

“Why is Melissa away right now?”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that… … .”

By then, the tattoo had worn off and the tree bark had peeled off. After removing his mimicry, Kadim looked like a large human being.

The patrolmen were confused. The leader, Parneo, was even more confused.

The ‘World Guardian’ is the pinnacle of elven society, and only the 1st-rank guardians can meet him. Even he himself cannot meet him, so there is no way he would be allowed to meet someone who looks like a human. Furthermore, even the members who have seen the Golden Iron Tree’s disguise are shaken, and those who haven’t seen him will continue to doubt whether he is really the ‘Great Druid’…

However, I couldn’t give up the only hope that would free the imprisoned girl like this. Parneo, after much deliberation, proposed this:

“That, Great Druid. First, I will take you to our city, Hesiliad. The Mother World Capital, the World Tree Keeper, who assists us, is also there. The World Tree Keeper is not someone you can easily meet… … If you wait a little, I will somehow devise a way… … .”

Then he turned around and persuaded his subordinates to shut up. Kadim stared at Parneo’s back.

It wasn’t a trap. If he was going to kill them, he would have continued to attack earlier. He wouldn’t have resorted to such a troublesome trick. Of course, he had already broken the branches of the World Tree and slaughtered the Elf Investigation Team. There was no way to know what kind of problems would arise later…

‘… … If you want to catch a dragon, you have to enter its nest.’

Soon I decided to follow the patrol. The patrol members eventually gave in to the leader’s pressure and persuasion. Elves who build a camp to guard the king in perfect order. Thanks to this, Kadim and Duncan had the unique experience of being the first humans to go to the city of the elves, escorted by elf patrols.

How far has it progressed like that?

As the sun was slowly setting, I crossed the barrier that secretly concealed the scenery and entered the elven city.

Kadim and Duncan witnessed the ‘God of the Elves’ descending to earth, standing tall in the center of the city.

“Huh! My lord, I, that tree… …!”

“… … .”

It was literally the tree that supported the world.

Its circumference was thick enough to encompass the forest and cover the horizon. Its height was so high that it pierced the sky and reached the dwellings of the gods. The mists flowing with the sunset were like waterfalls pouring down from the heavens. Even if all the trees in the great forest were cut down and an altar built, I was convinced that it would never be able to compare to the majesty of that tree.

I finally understood. That giant tree that was dozens of times taller than a person was just a ‘branch’.

No, it wasn’t just a ‘tree branch’ either. Among the branches, only the thinnest twig at the end could be claimed as a ‘part’ of that sacred tree.

“Oh my god… … Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Remillion… … .”

Duncan’s jaw was as worn out as a man with a worn-out jaw. He had seen many magnificent sights while following Kadim, but none of them combined could compare to that one tree.

… … Except for one thing, when I saw the enormous gold and silver treasures collected by the arena king, Ubik.

Meanwhile, Kadim was also surprised, although his reasons were somewhat different from Duncan’s.

I had fully expected that the tree would be so huge. But even that was completely unexpected.

“… … ?”

That world tree was set up ‘upside down’.

Branches are earth, roots are sky. Looking again, the world tree seemed to have grown upside down. The scale of the reversal was so vast that it seemed as if the entire world had been turned upside down.

Looking closely, it wasn’t grown like that for no reason. The roots that spread out into the sky were choking and blocking something. It’s hard to see because they’re covered by clouds and mist, but… … familiar… … eerie… … the whole body turning dark… … this feeling… … .

As I narrowed my eyes, Farneo cautiously intervened.

“Um, Grand Druid… … ? I apologize for ruining your first experience of seeing the World Tree, but it would be better to go to a place with few people first. Since the druid’s visit was not reported in advance, it seemed like it could cause great chaos in the city… … .”

“… … .”

I looked around. I saw patrolmen trying to hide themselves, and other elves loitering around. It certainly wouldn’t do any good to attract more attention. I decided to look at the World Tree later, but for now, I followed the leader’s words.

Parneo dismissed the patrolmen only after they reached a place where there were no eyes watching them. Then he led Kadim and his party to a certain place.

A building made by digging out a large tree stump. As I entered, the delicious smell of old wood wafted through me. Farneo repeatedly apologized for bringing her to such a shabby place. The two people, who had a daily routine of sleeping with forest bugs, didn’t care at all.

Before leaving, Parneo promised to come back tomorrow and find a way to meet Melissa. Duncan came out to the doorstep and saw him off, asking:

“Well, anyway, thank you for taking the time for me in so many ways… … By the way, what should we call you from now on?”

“Ah, just call me Parneona Guardian. I’ll place a sentry as a contact person later, so if you have any inconveniences after that, feel free to call me.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for your kind words… … Oh my, but, you can’t just call me like that. Even though you look young, I’m sure you’re much more mature than us… … .”

Duncan also had some basic knowledge about elves thanks to the rumors he had heard along the way. What, even elves who had not lost their baby fat yet easily lived to be over 100 years old?

But when Parneo heard that, he tilted his head.

“No, it’s okay. If you count the number of sunsets and sunrises over 300 as one year, then I’m only 17 years old. I’m sure you two are older than me, so please feel free to call me by my first name.”

“……yes?”

Duncan makes a puzzled expression. Kadim gives a puzzled look.

Only Farneo, a 17-year-old elf boy, blinked as if he didn’t know what was wrong.