For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Chapter 328: Yggdrasil (2)

The scenery of Yggdrasil was just as I knew it.

While not all buildings were made solely of wood, like at the Great Forest’s entrance, most here were made of wood as well.

Well, there was at least some iron and glass used.

If other races assembled houses by cutting down trees, here it felt like they’d grown the trees into the shapes needed from the start, minimizing cutting.

Overall, the outlines of the buildings were round. Upon closer inspection, some trees still seemed to be alive.

It was like a giant garden model made of wood.

In fact, it was the garden model of the Circulating Life.

While all Good Gods had affection for their followers, none poured everything into them as the Circulating Life did.

Why else would she have split her power in half to create the World Tree?

At the time, it was considered madness, but thanks to this, the elves could safely develop within the Great Forest.

After the War of the Gods, she became the only god who could remain on Earth, so in hindsight, it was foresight.

Well, there were quite a few other races among the believers of the Circulating Life, but as long as they became official priests, they enjoyed the same rights as elves, so there was no significant issue.

These settings naturally came to mind upon seeing this familiar scene. How long had we been walking while I sorted through these thoughts?

Eda, who was leading the way, glanced back at me with a curious tone.

“Come to think of it, you don’t seem very surprised, Count. Usually, newcomers are amazed by the grandeur of the World Tree.”

“I’m quite surprised, even if it doesn’t show.”

“I see. If it’s okay with you, may I give you a brief explanation about Yggdrasil?”

“That would be nice, but… do we have to walk all the way there?”

“NO!”

Reacting to my light-hearted comment with exaggerated concern, Eda pointed to a pillar a little ahead.

“We’re almost there. If you board this, you can fly straight there!”

“This is…?”

At first glance, it looked like a large pillar, but upon closer inspection, it was different.

It was made of cylindrical, solid, and smooth wood stacked in sections, resembling an enormously swollen bamboo.

This bamboo-like structure stretched high, naturally connecting to the World Tree.

…Is this it?

As if confirming my suspicion, Eda continued proudly.

“This is Ratatoskr. It’s one of the paths connecting the World Tree to the ground, created by the Circulating Life out of pity for us who had to travel back and forth with difficulty.” Ŗ𝖆ƝỘ฿Εṡ

“Huh. It’s even more impressive in person.”

“Have you heard of Ratatoskr?”

“Roughly.”

No matter how much I didn’t know about other cities, Yggdrasil was well-implemented in H&A, so I had to know about it.

To put it simply, it was like a two-way slide made by the power of the Circulating Life.

Thanks to Ratatoskr, even though spatial movement wasn’t possible in Yggdrasil, our side could gain overwhelming mobility.

…But the fact that it would still occasionally get conquered was quite annoying.

Remembering the past when I had to give up and start a new game because of this pattern made me smirk bitterly.

But Helena, seemingly interpreting this differently, puffed her cheeks and whispered in my ear.

“‘If I had enough divine power, I could do this too…’, she says to convey.”

“???”

What’s she on about?

“Did you think I was thinking, ‘Why didn’t Solaris have something like this? It would have made the last defense much easier’?”

“No. I was worried you might think, ‘Isn’t the Circulating Life more impressive, should we switch allegiance?’”

“That’s ridiculous… This only has meaning because there’s the World Tree; what’s there to be envious of?”

Shaking my head with a chuckle, Helena blinked her golden eyes.

“Then why did you make that face?”

“I felt a bit bitter thinking that even this place could fall.”

This city was where the Circulating Life poured out her powers without reserve and where the long wisdom of the elves converged.

But even such a place as Yggdrasil could fall.

Of course, I planned to prevent it from falling…

The very fact that even millennia of wisdom and the deep love of a god could vanish in an instant was somehow unsettling.

Hearing my words, Helena gave me a warm smile and took my hand.

“Then there’s no problem, right?”

“Eh?”

“You said you would stop it. The wisdom of thousands of years will continue as it has, and the love of the god will still shine warmly on the earth because you will make it so.”

“…”

It was quite fascinating. Was it because she’s a cleric? Helena’s words struck me with a particular sense of truth. Her unwavering certainty made even me feel at peace.

In front of me, still stunned, Helena gently clasped my hands together.

“I trust you, Brother.”

“Ah.”

It was an affection close to faith rather than mere trust. Without realizing it, the tension in my lips eased.

“Now you’re smiling nicely.”

“Thanks to you, Helena.”

As we chuckled together, Eda, who had been discreetly ignoring our conversation, quietly spoke up in front of Ratatoskr.

“Shall we depart now?”

“Yeah. Let’s go. It’s not right to keep the host waiting after arriving.”

Shrugging as I said this, Eda bowed once more and opened the door to Ratatoskr.

---

We arrived at the interior of the World Tree in no time.

This place was both the royal palace of Alfheim, the sanctuary of the Circulating Life, the center of the Great Forest, and the homeland of Elisha and Iris.

Though Alfheim had abandoned its traditions to survive, the World Tree, more than anywhere else, retained its past form untouched.

This was why they still maintained the living arrangement where only the inside of the tree was hollowed out, a style you might see in an elven folk village.

The only difference might be the scale, which was absurdly large.

When we got off Ratatoskr, what we saw was a wide-open square and hundreds of elves bustling about in it.

It wasn’t just wide but also tall, divided into three levels, and even this was just the lower part of the World Tree.

Considering the middle part, where the Elven Queen lived, and the upper part, accessible only with the permission of the Circulating Life, it was truly a mind-boggling size.

Faye, who was momentarily stunned to the point of holding her breath, perhaps because she was short or for some other reason, was met with Iris’s mock coughing, but unfortunately, we had somewhere to go before exploring the inside of the World Tree.

After giving them each a gentle pat, we started climbing the stairs under Eda’s guidance.

First floor, second floor… and finally to the top of the lower part, the third floor.

On the third floor, there was nothing but a long corridor and one room, which was Chancellor Milone’s office.

Eda, standing in front of the door with a heavy design, knocked lightly.

“Chancellor, I’ve brought the guests.”

“Come in.”

As the hinges opened smoothly, the interior of the office was revealed.

The overall white interior with touches of green for accent. Books filled the walls, and a thick carpet covered the floor.

Though the space exuded an elegant atmosphere, the same could not be said for its occupant.

A woman rose shakily from behind a heap of paperwork on a desk larger than a bed.

She was as tall as me, with green hair cut neatly at shoulder length, and her uniform hugged her body, looking more cool than pretty.

However, the deep fatigue on her face, which even the inherent beauty of an elf couldn’t mask, completely reversed the impression.

The woman, who looked like she hadn’t been home for about three days, spoke.

“Thank you for accepting the invitation, Count Lindelheit. And to your companions. I am Milone, serving as the Chancellor of Alfheim.”

“Pleased to meet you, Chancellor Milone.”

“May the Light shine upon our meeting.”

Surprised by the fact that this haggard woman was the Chancellor, Helena reflexively made the sign of the cross, and others had similar reactions.

Well, I was also taken aback the first time I saw Milone.

I had heard that the position of Chancellor was given to the most capable elf regardless of status.

I expected someone more decisive and sharp. No one would have anticipated this near-zombie state.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

The position of Chancellor was given to the most competent person in Alfheim, which also meant they were the one who worked the hardest.

How much work must she have done for an elf under the protection of the World Tree to be this exhausted?

I don’t want to know…

Suppressing my sympathy with a business smile, I said,

“Thanks to your consideration, we could arrive comfortably.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Milone responded by forcing a smile, but her expression was truly pitiful.

Just as I was about to get teary-eyed despite my resolve, Milone pointed to a reception table a bit further away and continued.

“If you’re not too tired, would you like to have some tea and hear about the war situation? By the way, I am tired.”

“???”

“I am tired…”

“…”

You look it, even without saying so.