Chapter 30

“It’s an honor to meet you for the first time, World Tree.”

Although it didn’t exude the same overwhelming pressure I felt when first encountering the Grand Duke, there was an undeniable sense of grandeur far surpassing that.

At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary tree. Yet, instinct told me that no sword could ever sever its branches, and no fire could ever scorch its leaves.

As I greeted it, a single leaf fell from the World Tree, transforming midair into the shape of a woman.

“Forgive me for not meeting you in my true form, Emperor.”

I gave a slight nod and replied, “You resemble the elves—or perhaps it is they who resemble you?”

“That is correct.”

The answer came not from the woman but from Areubo.

“The first generation, those whom the elves call High Elves, were personally crafted by Regina. 
Naturally, their descendants, the elves, came to resemble her as well.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Is that so? Well, it’s been a long time since humans and elves had much interaction,” Areubo said casually. He mentioned that there used to be significant exchanges in the past and that there were even half-elves in key positions within elven society.

The World Tree, appearing lost in thought as Areubo spoke, soon turned its gaze back to me.

“You’ve come for the Elixir, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must meet Seren.”

Seren—the current, or perhaps even the first, Queen of the Elves.

I had encountered her a few times during the Anti-Demon King Alliance meetings.

Though there hadn’t been any significant conflicts, there had been moments of disagreement, and our relationship had never been particularly warm. This, naturally, made me tense.

If she considered Xian’s defeat of the Demon King a favor, negotiations might proceed smoothly. However, I couldn’t shake the worry that her daughter had also been part of that journey.

“Where is she?”

The World Tree pointed toward an opulent palace nearby.

The palace was a dazzling spectacle of intertwined, multicolored trees forming columns and radiant, jewel-like leaves adorning its exterior—so magnificent that it seemed almost out of place in the forest.

“… An extraordinary palace. Save for the imperial palace, it surpasses any human structure in grandeur.”

“That’s Seria’s taste. Originally, it was just a modest residence, but after that child was born, I spared no effort in enhancing it,” Areubo remarked with pride.

Judging by the palace’s magnificence, his boastfulness seemed justified.

Like Artemia’s palace, I wondered if dragons shared a natural talent for aesthetics. Rumor had it that the imperial palace itself bore the taste of its guardian dragon, making this theory plausible.

As I began to approach the palace, a voice, familiar yet long unheard, echoed in my ears.

“There’s no need to come closer.”

Then, stepping slowly out of the palace, appeared Seren, the Elf Queen.

“It has been a while, Emperor of the Empire.”

“… Indeed, it has, Elf Queen.”

The ruler of all elves, daughter of the World Tree.

Compared to the last time I saw her, back when I was still a mage, she seemed entirely different.

The elves couldn’t have changed so drastically in such a short time, so I must now be seeing what I had missed back then.

She wasn’t the transcendent being Areubo had spoken of. More precisely, she had no need to be.

The laws of the world were already in her favor, so why would she bother defying them?

What I struggled to grasp even after ascending as a transcendent, she had likely been capable of since birth.

At least within this forest, her words would carry more weight than even my imperial command.

Not that it mattered—I had ascended as a transcendent elemental mage. Even if a conflict arose here, I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. However, with a dragon and the World Tree watching closely, brute force was not an option.

The real question was, what could I offer her?

“Let me get straight to the point. I need the Elixir.”

“The Elixir…”

At my words, Seren wore a troubled expression.

I recognized it immediately—it was the same look she had worn countless times during the Anti-Demon King Alliance meetings. She wasn’t genuinely troubled; this was simply part of her negotiation strategy.

“I am willing to pay any price. My vault rivals even that of a dragon. Whatever you desire, you may have it.”

“We elves of the Great Forest  place no value on worldly possessions.”

What nonsense.

The bracelets, necklaces, and rings she wore—each was an artifact of the highest order.

Since none bore the aura of the World Tree, they must have originated from the continent. Yet here she was, feigning indifference.

“If not for you, then perhaps others? Surely not all elves are free from greed.”

For instance, your arrogant daughter.

I swallowed the latter part of my thought, but it seemed my intent was clear enough.

Whenever she visited the imperial capital or other kingdoms’ capitals, I’d heard reports of her accepting countless jewels from the nobles. Surely, she couldn’t claim to have no desires of her own.

“Hmm… That may be true,” Seren replied, “but I wonder if there’s anything that could truly match the value of the Elixir.”

She added that in the past, people were willing to go to war with other factions just to acquire an Elixir.

“Well, if you’d like, I could wipe a kingdom or two off the map for you.”

“No, thank you. That wouldn’t benefit us in any way.”

Several more rounds of meaningless verbal probing followed.

If she truly had no intention of giving it up, there wouldn’t even be this conversation. But it was frustrating not knowing what she wanted. Finally, Seren posed a question.

“Who is the Elixir for, Emperor?”

“Perhaps you remember, Duke Fael.”

“Duke Fael… Of course, I remember. It was hard to believe a human with so little training could become that strong. I’m surprised to hear he’s been gravely injured.”

“Well, he had his reasons.”

Truthfully, even I found it surprising.

Just how strong was that Roderon fellow to reduce Duke Fael to such a state?

Sure, a grand mage who has lived for 300 years shouldn’t be weak, but to push Duke Fael to the brink? That was shocking.

Unlike masters, who maintain a consistent level of combat ability regardless of location, grand mages’ power skyrockets in environments where they have the advantage. Considering this, I was still astonished that Rodaron had displayed such strength in a neutral territory like the Daman Kingdom, far from Edelvine’s ruins.

“It seems you’ve faced quite the formidable enemy.”

Tch, she was fishing for more information.

“That’s nothing for the Elf Queen to concern herself with.”

“Is that so? I only ask out of worry for an old comrade who once fought the same enemy as I did.”

“If you’re so worried, I’d appreciate it if you’d just hand over the Elixir.”

“Unfortunately, my position doesn’t allow me to hand over the treasure of my people based on personal feelings.”

“I figured as much.”

The continued meaningless banter made my tone grow curt.

Dealing with someone who could negotiate as an equal—it reminded me why I disliked the elves.

Suppressing my inner frustrations, I spoke again.

“Queen, you’ve come out to negotiate personally. Surely you don’t mean to say you won’t give me the Elixir. I’m not skilled at such negotiations, so I ask you to be clear about what you want.”

“And if I were to say I came out merely to pay respect to the Emperor who took the trouble to visit, with no intention of offering the Elixir?”

“Then it’s war.”

At my response, Seren’s eyes widened in surprise, and Areubo pointed at me, exclaiming, “Would you look at this guy?”

“… Surely you know the odds of victory are not in your favor,” Seren said after a pause.

“That doesn’t matter. I’ll mobilize my entire mage corps to turn the Great Forest  into a sea of flames. Maybe the core would remain untouched, but the outskirts? I could burn every inch. Then, while resting safely outside the forest’s borders under the protection of the Grand Duke, I’d unleash relentless magical bombardments.”

I outlined a hypothetical strategy I’d considered during my journey here—methods to wage war against the elves.

Of course, this was a worst-case scenario.

Leaving the Empire for an extended period with the mage corps and imperial knights to counter elves breaking through the forest would invite trouble. Nobles could rebel, kingdoms might rise in revolt, and with no heir to oversee the Empire, chaos could erupt.

Moreover, moving large-scale troops through space magic was impossible since Areubo could interfere with it. Troops would have to march for days after teleporting to a distant point, costing valuable time.

And even if these hurdles were overcome, victory was not guaranteed.

If remnants of Edelvine were to strike, the situation could become precarious. The World Tree or Areubo might also display unexpected power beyond the forest’s borders.

Still, all of that was preferable to returning empty-handed after personally coming here to negotiate.

The Emperor must not fail. I could use such justifications to explain my resolve. But honestly, it was my damn pride—I couldn’t bear to retreat with my tail between my legs.

“… Just a joke,” I added.

Though my words were meant to defuse the situation, Seren realized I wasn’t joking and adjusted her posture before speaking.

“There are a few conditions that must be agreed upon. First, the one who consumes the Elixir, as well as their descendants, must never become enemies of the elves. We cannot risk healing a potential future adversary.”

“… That’s a condition I didn’t expect.”

So, the elves also kept the Empire in check, just as I kept an eye on them.

My puzzlement was evident on my face, prompting Seren to explain further.

“The reason I’ve survived from the distant past to this day is because I’ve known my limits. If I had viewed the world the way my parents did, I would have died during the Great War.”

She added that while the World Tree and the Green Dragon were indeed powerful, the elves, herself included, were not on that level.

True enough. Having met beings like Kiriya , gods, and dragons, my perspective had become skewed. But humans, and the Empire, were not weak forces by any means.

It was natural for the leader of a race to practice caution.

While her words weren’t entirely pleasant, I couldn’t help but smirk at the thought that even the elves didn’t look down on the Empire like those transcendent beings did.

Trying to manage my expression, I asked one final question.

“Does that condition apply even if the elves are the ones to initiate hostilities?”

“To think we would attack the Empire is…”

The Elf Queen was about to say such a thing would never happen—but then she faltered.

She must have remembered the nameless kingdom that had vanished at the hands of the elves not long ago.

“… If such an event were to occur, how about leaving the judgment to a third party? If our attack is deemed justified, Duke Fael and his descendants will refrain from participating in the war. If not, they may join the conflict.”

“And who would this third party be?”

A third party in such a condition would need the authority and power to enforce their judgment on whoever broke the agreement.

Who could possibly fulfill that role?

“My mother has a long-standing relationship with Kiriya, so if we were to ask her, she wouldn’t refuse.”

Her mother’s friend was Kiriya, the continent’s Supreme Deity.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how unbelievably privileged this elf standing before me was. Still, I nodded in agreement.

“According to ancient records, Kiriya goes by many names—one of them being the Arbiter of Justice. That makes her trustworthy enough.”

The negotiations continued for some time.

Discussions covered the elves’ right to travel freely within the Empire, the treasures of the ancient elves stored in the Imperial Vault, and finally…

“So you’re saying you want me to lend you the Hero ?”

Has this elf gone senile?

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