**Chapter 436: The New Elf Queen**
—
No matter how you looked at him, there was nothing special about him.
A frail body, a young human.
This was the first time a human had ever been allowed into the Primordial Forest.
And to let one wander about so freely, like a drifter at that, was something that simply should not exist.
Had it not been for the Druid of the Golden Scale, that tiny human would have been executed the moment he set foot in the Primordial Forest.
Elves did not particularly like humans.
Why, then, had they gone so far as to bring him all the way to the *Primordial Forest*?
“···You may stay here, Druid of the Golden Scale.”
They had offered him the finest mother tree.
A place that once had an owner, but no longer did.
Not all the elves abducted by the Black King had returned alive.
“Um······.”
“Do you have something more to say?”
When he asked, Auril hesitated and shifted her gaze.
“Do you intend to stay in the same room? If you wish, we can prepare a separate room for him.”
“Hic!”
At that moment, Dietrich let out a hiccup.
Already tense to begin with.
To a human, elves were monsters that must never be touched.
To be alone in the Primordial Forest—where such monsters gathered in droves—was nothing short of suicide.
*If I’m left alone, who knows what they’ll do to me!*
Dietrich had heard countless stories about elves.
Pirates roamed the seas and traveled the world, so they knew more tales than any wandering bard.
And there was one story pirates told without exception.
The tale of the *Sirens*, who lured people with songs and then devoured them.
Sirens and elves were said to be distant relatives.
In fact, pirate crews that had kidnapped elves were rumored to have vanished without leaving behind a single corpse.
They were eaten.
Eaten after the elves had gathered others of their kind and devoured them together.
Otherwise, how could an entire crew disappear overnight?
“Do you want a separate room?”
Shake, shake!
Dietrich desperately shook his head.
There was no way he could be left alone in a land of monsters.
“He says he doesn’t want one.”
Hearing this, Auril glanced briefly at Dietrich.
*Why is she looking at me like that?*
That gaze was strangely vicious.
At the very least, it was far removed from goodwill.
A chill ran down Dietrich’s spine.
As expected, she must have planned to leave him alone and pull something suspicious.
“······Very well. If you experience any inconvenience, please call for us at any time.”
After pausing for a moment, Auril replied and left the room.
Dietrich let out a sigh of relief.
At the very least, as long as he stayed beside Phantom, there was no chance of being murdered without a trace.
Still, it was too early to relax.
Dietrich deliberately kept his distance from the entrance.
Then, carefully gauging the situation, he settled himself within Phantom’s radius.
*
*
*So this is the Primordial Forest.*
There had been interactions with elves for a long time now, but this was his first time actually coming here.
Of course, the route leading to the Primordial Forest was absurdly complex.
A place that could only be reached by passing through dozens of warps according to a precise formula.
*This is thanks to Priest Andrew properly opening the path.*
To rescue Elder Aruwen, Priest Andrew had prepared the route in advance. Thanks to that, they were able to arrive without getting lost.
The relationship between the two had still not grown closer, but Priest Andrew seemed satisfied simply knowing that Elder Aruwen was alive.
After all, love between a human and an elf…
More than that, Elder Aruwen did not even remember Priest Andrew.
*Her memories were forcibly erased.*
The child born between the two, Andassar, had become a guardian protecting the labyrinth.
Revived as an eldritch being, but ultimately undead.
If she were to learn that her child had died and become undead, her mind might shatter.
It was better for her to live without those memories.
And there was already a rough guess as to who had erased Elder Aruwen’s memories.
*The Elf Queen must have erased everything related to Priest Andrew.*
There was no way the queen would have allowed the fruit of a human–elf union to remain.
If Priest Andrew was content with the current situation, there was no reason for him to interfere further.
Still… from the perspective of someone watching, it was frustrating.
After all, hadn’t Priest Andrew gone to desperate lengths—wandering far, even falling into corruption—to save Elder Aruwen?
It was Priest Andrew who had gone as far as the Black King’s territory to guide the elves back.
If only that effort were acknowledged.
He shook his head.
*The trees are dying.*
Turning his gaze, he surveyed the surroundings.
The place Auril had guided him to was inside a massive tree.
But the mother tree, having lost its owner, was dying.
No—this wasn’t limited to just that tree.
*···The entire forest is dying.*
The forest was groaning.
The Primordial Forest was gradually drying up.
The reason was painfully clear.
*Something is wrong with the World Tree.*
Though it was not a World Tree under his dominion, having already possessed several of them, he could tell with certainty.
The World Tree was losing its power.
And the cause of it…
*The cause of the World Tree withering lies solely with the queen.*
…specifically, the current queen of the elves.
She might not want to admit it, but the queen herself must know.
Wasn’t that why she hadn’t asked for help, even though he had arrived?
Druids were beings who carried the seeds of World Trees.
Naturally, they were professionals when it came to matters concerning the World Tree.
And he was the Druid of the Golden Scale.
Even without seeing it directly, he could roughly tell what the problem was.
*The queen has lived too long.*
Just as life cannot grow when the land loses its vitality,
the queen, bound to the World Tree, had lived too long and lost her vitality as well.
The fact that she was still alive despite far exceeding an elf’s natural lifespan was solely due to the World Tree.
A body that should have already died. Though the queen’s authority should have been passed on to a new candidate, she refused to relinquish her position.
She had stagnated—far too much.
Was it due to a desire for survival?
Or because there was no suitable alternative?
Given that she had said nothing even after seeing him, it seemed to be the former.
*What should I do?*
This was an internal matter of the elves.
It had nothing to do with him.
If he interfered needlessly, there was a high chance of falling out with the elves.
However… the World Tree was involved.
If it had been Druid Albino, he would never have turned a blind eye to this situation.
*I should see the World Tree first.*
Having sorted out his thoughts, he rose from his seat.
He couldn’t simply rest just because he was told to.
“W-Where are you going?”
As he moved, Dietrich—who had been lying down—jumped to his feet.
“I’m going to see the World Tree.”
“Uh… I-I’ll come too!”
“You must be tired from the long journey. Stay and rest.”
“N-No! I’m totally fine! I really want to see the World Tree too!”
Dietrich spoke passionately.
*Why all of a sudden?*
His face showed accumulated fatigue.
He looked like he might collapse at any moment, yet he was overflowing with enthusiasm.
Did he really want to see the World Tree that badly?
Well, hardly anyone ever got to see the *Primordial World Tree*.
He couldn’t fault that curiosity.
Shrugging his shoulders, he nodded.
“Then follow quietly.”
“Yes, sir!”
*
*
As they headed toward the World Tree, several figures blocked their path.
“···We’re sorry, but you may not approach the World Tree.”
Petal-like blossoms sprouted from their ears.
High Elves.
The strongest and most authoritative beings in the Primordial Forest.
“A druid cannot see the World Tree?”
“It is the queen’s command.”
As expected.
The queen did not want him to see the World Tree.
That made it certain.
“And if I insist on seeing it anyway?”
“No matter that you are the Druid of the Golden Scale······.”
“You would fight me if necessary?”
“······.”
The corners of the High Elves’ eyes trembled slightly.
They knew who he was.
More than anyone, they knew he was not merely a ‘Druid of the Golden Scale.’
Naturally, they also knew what would happen to this forest if a battle were to break out.
Rattle, rattle, rattle!
Dietrich was now shaking beyond mere trembling—he was practically convulsing.
But he had no intention of fighting them either.
If they insisted on blocking him and attacked, he would respond—but that was all.
Still… their desperation to stop him was puzzling.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
At that moment, Elder Aruwen approached, raising her voice in anger.
“Elder Aruwen. This is the queen’s order. Please do not interfere.”
“Do you truly not know what kind of person he is—?!”
“It is the queen’s order.”
“Silence!”
“······!”
Elder Aruwen, who was gentle to a fault under normal circumstances.
When she grew angry, even the High Elves hesitated.
Aside from the queen, there was no one in the Primordial Forest who could stand against Elder Aruwen.
“W-What’s going on? Why is the druid here, and why are the High Elves blocking him…?”
Soon after, Auril appeared as well.
She had guided him to his room only moments ago.
She clearly hadn’t expected such a confrontation to erupt in that short span of time.
Her flustered expression made that obvious.
“What? Why are the High Elves stopping him?”
“Are they… fighting?”
Hearing the commotion, elves gradually began to gather around.
It seemed this was indeed a unilateral decision by the queen.
The elves looked utterly confused, as if they had no idea what was going on.
“Have you forgotten? The Druid of the Golden Scale is the benefactor of our people. Lower your weapons at once!”
Elder Aruwen shouted firmly, veins bulging in her neck.
She wasn’t the only one reprimanding the High Elves.
“The queen said nothing to me either. What is the meaning of this? If you don’t lower your weapons immediately, I won’t stay idle either.”
Auril stood on his side as well, facing off against the High Elves.
In terms of raw power alone, Auril had long since surpassed most High Elves.
Within the Primordial Forest, Auril was an exceptional existence.
Despite not being an elf, she had received the World Tree’s blessing and been granted the same rights as the High Elves.
This was something unprecedented since the Primordial Forest’s creation.
Naturally, Auril had no reason to fear the High Elves.
A hair-trigger situation.
“······Step aside.”
From afar, the queen arrived.
*
*
After the brief commotion, he was able to reach the World Tree.
With all the elves watching.
Had he gone alone, it would have ended quietly.
It was the queen who had escalated matters by blocking him.
And…
*My suspicions were correct.*
The condition of the World Tree was far worse than he had expected.
At this rate, the World Tree would soon die.
The cause, too, was exactly as he had thought.
As the queen’s life neared its end, the World Tree was using its own vitality to sustain her.
But vitality was not infinite.
Even a World Tree would eventually wither and die.
He pondered for a moment.
Whether to speak the truth plainly—or not.
If he said it here, would the queen calmly accept and acknowledge it?
To say that the World Tree would live only if she died—there was no way she would accept that easily.
More than that, she was the one who had ordered the High Elves to block him.
Who knew what she might do to survive?
Thus, before the queen, the High Elves, and all the elves watching, he spoke clearly.
“A new queen must be chosen.”
