"We have kept you waiting. Her Majesty has agreed to meet with you. Please, this way."
"Right, lead the way."
"Sir! Leave it to us!"
Led by the now-completely submissive security guards, we ventured deeper into the forest until we encountered a massive tangle of overlapping roots.
The intertwined roots were piled high, layered with branches and leaves so thick that the sky was lost from view. It was a literal wall.
"So this is where it was hidden. No wonder no one can find the Land of the Elves."
"Indeed. At a glance, it looks like nothing more than part of the forest. Their intruder countermeasures are flawless."
It served as both camouflage and a defensive barrier. The mist was thick as well; no one would ever think to try passing through here unless they already knew the way. By the way, I flew over it last time, so none of this had mattered then.
One of the security guards held his hand against the wall and chanted something, causing an entrance to slide open. We were invited inside.
Passing through the wall, we found a city stretching out before us.
"Whoa... so this is the Land of the Elves! It’s so exotic and wonderful!"
Ren of the Poison Moth darted about, her head spinning as she took everything in. I warned her to watch where she was going before she ran into someone. Even so, while the scale was small, the place was just as lively as Saloom. The atmosphere had been much darker when I visited before, though...
"For a place Master Lloyd burned down, the streets are looking surprisingly pretty, aren't they?"
"The people's faces are bright as well. It hardly looks like a city that was subjected to the limits of Master Lloyd's destruction."
Hey now, I wasn't the one who set it on fire. Being treated as the root cause of all their problems is quite upsetting.
"Look, look, Lloyd! There’s a huge tree over there!"
Ren pointed toward the center of the city, where an impossibly large tree grew. Its trunk was as thick as dozens of houses lined up together, an overwhelmingly massive pillar of wood that stretched so high its canopy was lost in the clouds.
"That's the World Tree."
The World Tree—a Divine Tree that has existed in this land since ancient times, nurturing all life within it. This tree in particular, situated in the center of the continent, is said to have been growing since the beginning of the world.
"So that is the legendary... This is my first time seeing it from such a distance," Sylpha whispered, her voice filled with admiration. Come to think of it, when I visited before, the forest was burning, so I didn't have time to take a proper look at it.
Seeing it like this, it really was something; it emitted a massive amount of mana. This thing was likely...
"Um... would you mind if we headed toward the castle?"
"Sorry, sorry. We're in your hands."
Oops, my bad. That takes priority for now.
Led by the security guards, we headed toward the base of the World Tree. The castle was nestled right there, built into the gaps between the massive trunks.
"So that's the castle. It’s built in a strange spot."
"More importantly, the way everyone is staring is quite annoying," Sylpha muttered, sighing as she looked around.
Ever since we entered, the passing elves had been casting strange looks our way.
"Hey, look. It's real humans."
"Heeh, so those are the rumored..."
"My goodness. Their ears really are short."
The elves whispered among themselves while casting curious glances at us. However, I didn't feel much hostility. They were much more wary when I came here before. Even considering we were being guided by their own kind, the lack of tension felt a bit strange.
"I thought elves hated humans, but they seem surprisingly accepting," Sylpha noted.
"At the very least, they should be highly cautious. That's why they've avoided contact with people until now, right?"
Sylpha and the others seemed to have their doubts as well. In the midst of that, Ren pointed toward a nearby park.
"Hey... doesn't that statue look like Lloyd?"
Looking over, I saw a statue of a boy built atop a fountain. It was about the same height as me and dressed in similar clothes... or so it seemed.
"There's something written under it. Let's see... 'Hero of the Nation: engraving his noble figure here.' Lloyd, did you maybe come here before?"
"W-What are you talking about?! There's no way~ ahahaha..."
Ren stared intently at me. This was bad. I felt like I was being subjected to some very pointed suspicion. As I stood there bewildered by the cold stares, Sylpha shook her head as if the idea was beneath her.
"Don't be ridiculous. Look closely. Master Lloyd possesses a far more noble countenance. See, his eyes aren't slanted like that, and his expression isn't nearly so vacant. It is clearly a different person entirely."
"Ehh... I think it looks a lot like him, though..."
Ren looked back and forth between me and the statue. Please stop, it's embarrassing.
"...But still, isn't that weird? Based on what I've heard, the elven folk are supposed to resent Master Lloyd. Would they really build a statue like this for him?"
"Treating him as a hero after everything that happened is indeed strange. The gazes of the people on the street were all fixed on Master Lloyd as well, and even the guards' attitudes changed halfway through..."
Was that so? Now that she mentioned it, it was a bit odd that they'd let sudden visitors meet the Queen just like that. Hmm... just who was this boy who looked exactly like me...?
"No, it couldn't be anyone but Master Lloyd!"
"You did say you visited several years ago!"
Receiving those retorts from Grimo and Jiriel, we entered the castle. The structure was built into the hollow of the World Tree and made entirely of wood; the scent of it was incredibly calming. The interior wasn't very large, and we reached the throne room in no time.
"Well now, people of the human race, welcome. I am the Queen of the Elves, Vivian Leelia Elfrieden. It is a pleasure to meet you."
The one who greeted us was the Queen, surrounded by her soldiers. She was quite beautiful... or so I could say, but to be honest, elves all have such similar faces that it's hard to tell them apart. Because they are a long-lived race, their ages all feel about the same, too. I’d have to distinguish them by their clothing.
"I am the Seventh Prince of the Kingdom of Saloom, Lloyd di Saloom. The pleasure is mine."
"Oh, you are the one... I have heard the rumors. A genius mage who is the pride of Saloom, and though you are only ten years old, you have been named as a succession candidate. The rumors have reached even this country."
She said it with a smile, but... seriously? I knew that elves visited the castle town in disguise, but I didn't think information traveled that far.
"You flatter me too much. Those are baseless rumors. I have no Right of Succession, and I'm just a carefree Seventh Prince who's been told to live as I please. You likely have me confused for one of my more excellent siblings."
"Hehe, let us go with that then."
Vivian gave a meaningful smile. Even Sylpha and the others were nodding along. I felt like some massive misunderstanding was spreading, but there was no use worrying about it.
"...By the way, Lloyd, I feel as though I have seen you somewhere before... Did you not visit here in the past?"
My heart skipped a beat. So that statue really was me. Vivian stared intently at me. I had to play it off somehow.
"N-No way! There's no way that's possible! You're just imagining it! It's your imagination!"
"Hmm... You are right. My apologies. To us, the faces of the Human Race all look quite similar. It seems you are a different person from the one who visited before. Please forgive my rudeness."
"Yes, please don't let it bother you. Haha, hahahaha..."
Good grief. It was a relief that our difficulty in distinguishing faces worked both ways. However, if that statue was me, it raised one question. For some reason, the elves didn't seem to hold any ill will regarding my past actions. I was shot at with so many arrows, so what exactly happened? I decided to ask.
"Um, by the way, was the person who visited before the boy from the statues decorated around town?"
"Yes. That boy is the hero who saved our nation. Three years ago, we elves were struck by an unprecedented famine. The forest stopped producing fruit and grain, and because there was no food, the beasts left as well, leading to a shortage across the country. Whether we should abandon the forest or wait for death together... We debated day after day without finding an answer. It was when we were at our physical and mental limits that the boy appeared. Having avoided humans since ancient times, we were bewildered and showered him with attacks. However, the boy paid them no mind and simply stood there, enduring the onslaught."
Yup, that was definitely me. But so that's what was going on. The reason they suddenly attacked me might have been because they were so on edge.
"In the midst of the battle, the forest suddenly caught fire and began to spread. To avoid damaging the woods, we never used fire arrows or magic. The boy likely used it through some method... though in the end, we still do not know exactly what he did."
—Ah, I remember now. Come to think of it, when I was suddenly shot at, I got surprised and accidentally countered with a Fireball. At the time, I wasn't yet at the level where I could keep a Magic Barrier active at all times. I meant to extinguish it immediately, but it didn't go out completely and ended up spreading. Man, what a blunder.
"So it really was Master Lloyd's doing after all!"
"It was exactly as I imagined. As expected of Master Lloyd, he never fails to meet expectations."
Grimo and Jiriel were shocked and exasperated, but part of it couldn't be helped. It's not like I can do everything perfectly. Especially back then, I still had a lot of immature spots. Yeah, let's call it a youthful indiscretion. This was another bitter page of my youth. I've certainly grown since then.
"By the time the fire had gone out, the boy was gone. ...Faced with the ruins of our city, we could do nothing but stand there in a daze."
Oh, I remember that part well. I went around extinguishing the fires that had jumped to the rest of the forest with magic. ...Well, a lot of it still burned, though.
"However, from that moment on, life returned to the forest. The grain grew thick, the fruit bore abundantly, the beasts increased in number, and the country returned to its original state in the blink of an eye. ...Wondering why, we investigated and learned of a certain disease in the human countries. Death Tree Disease. A sickness that primarily affects trees, causing them to become unable to bear fruit and turn into trees of death. Its spread is extremely rapid, and if treatment is delayed, the life of the forest itself is lost. It is a terrifying thing whose only treatment is to burn the forest. Signs of the disease were found in the wood that had burned. That boy likely knew everything and set the forest on fire on purpose. Making himself out to be the villain all alone...! Thanks to him, we are able to live in this land once more, and we decided to worship the boy who saved our country as a hero."
"H-Heeh... so that's how it was..."
Good grief. I had no idea such a situation was occurring when I visited the Land of the Elves on a whim.
"Now that you mention it, Death Tree Disease is a sickness that occurs in old forests when the ancient trees suck up all the nutrients, preventing new growth. It's a scary disease where the entire forest will die unless you clear out the old trees periodically," Sylpha noted.
"I have heard that when you burn wood, it becomes fertilizer and serves as a source for new life. If he burned the forest after calculating all that, he is quite the individual. He truly is worthy of resembling Master Lloyd."
Sylpha and the others were nodding in agreement. It was completely a coincidence... but it looked like I wouldn't be blamed for my actions back then. All's well that ends well.
"Thanks to that boy, we learned that there are good people among the humans as well. And we realized the danger of closing ourselves off from the world... That is why in recent years, a movement to end our isolation has been spreading. We welcome you as well."
I nodded in response to Vivian's smile. I see. So that's what this welcoming mood was about. In any case, since my reputation had gone up on its own and made things easier for us, let's just consider this a win. Now then, since I'd heard what I needed to, I should move the conversation along before any more strange things got pointed out.
"Ahem. To get straight to the point, we have visited this place to learn the secrets of health from the long-lived elves. Would it be alright if we were allowed to study various things?"
"Yes, of course. We elves have also been learning various things from the Human Race. Please, feel free to take your time."
"Thank you. This is a gift of our gratitude. Please accept it."
I spread out the gifts I had brought with a thud. There were magic swords I made a long time ago, small golems I put together with whatever was on hand, magic tools Connie gave me because she didn't use them anymore, and so on.
"Oh... these are all wonderful items that take one's breath away. Thank you so much."
Vivian and the other elves' eyes widened in surprise. It looked like they were happy with them.
"I mean, this is just a total inventory clearance sale, isn't it...?"
"Even so, they seem to be surprised. It is only natural, as these are items crafted by Master Lloyd."
Calling it an inventory clearance sounds bad. I just brought along a bunch of idle assets that turned up during a warehouse cleanup.
"We are deeply grateful for your kindness. I promise to provide you with the best guides and lodging during your stay."
"I am honored that you are pleased. ...By the way, there is one thing I would like to ask. Do you know this girl?"
I pushed Fiona forward, but Vivian shook her head.
"I am sorry, but I do not..."
The Queen didn't know her either. Fiona's abilities were quite something, even for an elf. I thought that maybe she was of royal blood since they often possess strong mana, but it seems I missed the mark. Well, I was sure we'd meet someone who knew her eventually if we stayed here. There was no use overthinking it.