[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 128

    “W-Who is that...?”

    Irene’s voice trembled as she looked at Deluna, who was following behind Kaylen.

    Her translucent, ghost-like form, combined with her beauty—so breathtaking even by elven standards—left Irene in awe.

    [My children.]

    Unlike her tone with Kaylen, Deluna addressed the two elves with a gentle yet dignified presence.

    The moment they heard her voice, Eldir flinched in shock.

    This voice—no elf could possibly fail to recognize it.

    “C-Could it be... the World Tree?”

    [I am the seed of the World Tree. I will accompany Ern... King Kaylen and take root in the royal capital.]

    “Ah...”

    “A new World Tree... in the royal capital...?”

    So this was the reason the World Tree had summoned the king.

    A new World Tree was about to take root.

    Faced with such an unexpected revelation, the two elves widened their eyes in disbelief.

    “Since I’ll be traveling with Deluna for a while, make the necessary preparations.”

    “W-Wait... Deluna...?”

    “Hm. You two may recognize her. She is also Melvria’s mother.”

    Eldir’s face twisted in shock as he repeated the words.

    “Melvria’s... mother? Why is she here...?”

    “Well, it seems that reviving the World Tree required the sacrifice of a High Elf. Isn’t that right?”

    [It’s not quite that simple... but if you remove all the details, that’s more or less accurate.]

    Eldir couldn’t hide his surprise.

    He recalled asking Melvria about her mother in the past.

    Her response had been cold and sharp.

    —Mother? Don’t ever ask me about her again. I don’t even want to think about it.

    Only after their relationship deepened and they had gotten married did he hear a brief explanation.

    —She left me alone in the imperial palace... The only person I could rely on was my father.@@@@

    Seeing how much pain Melvria felt whenever the topic of her mother came up,

    Eldir had deliberately avoided bringing it up over the years.

    And now, to learn that she had been merged with the World Tree all this time...

    [Eldir. Thank you for being there for my daughter. I’ve always wanted to say that.]

    As Deluna gave a warm smile, Eldir lowered his head.

    “It was nothing, Mother-in-law... If anything, I failed to protect Melvria.”

    [That was not your fault. The Helmeier family was simply too powerful. Don’t blame yourself too much.]

    At Deluna’s gentle words, Eldir’s expression eased slightly.

    Kaylen, watching the two, turned his gaze outward.

    “The rest can be discussed outside. We’ll take the drakes back, just like we did on the way here.”

    “Yes, Your Majesty Kaylen.”

    [Ah... Ern... Kaylen. The drake... would be a problem.]

    Unlike her composed demeanor when speaking to the elves, Deluna’s attitude completely shifted when addressing Kaylen.

    She hesitated before speaking.

    “Why?”

    [I need to travel across the land, gathering mana from the earth as I go.]

    “Hm. There’s a lot of work piling up in the royal capital...”

    [A-Are you really that busy?]

    Deluna’s expression fell.

    [Then... you can go ahead first. I’ll follow on my own.]

    She forced a smile, as if trying to appear unbothered, yet her demeanor resembled that of someone heartbroken.

    ‘What’s going on? What kind of relationship do these two even have...? And Ern? Why is she calling him Ern?’

    Irene’s eyes darted between the two, observing their dynamic with interest.

    These two...

    For people who supposedly just met today, they seemed far too familiar with each other.

    Meanwhile, as Kaylen looked at Deluna’s expression, he changed his mind.

    ‘Once she becomes the World Tree, I won’t even be able to face her like this anymore.’

    In a way, the journey to the capital might be his last chance to spend time with her.

    Besides, the royal palace wasn’t that far away.

    Spending a few days with her wouldn’t be a bad idea.

    “...Eldir. Take the drake and head to the palace first. I’ll give it the command.”

    “I should go first?”

    “Yes. Tell them training in the Sword Domain will be on hold for three days. In the meantime, spar with the knights.”

    [Oh, then... could it be...?]

    “Protecting the seed of the World Tree is the top priority right now.”

    Even after a thousand years, he was still getting nagged by his wife.

    Kaylen let out a dry chuckle.

    “I had too much energy back then. But after seeing the fall of the Meier Empire, I regret living so indulgently.”

    [...]

    “Caius, Baldrix... and all the other conflicts among my children... I thought none of them would dare act while I was alive. But the world is unpredictable.”

    [Who could have imagined you would disappear? You were the great Grand Sword Master who even cut down the Demon King.]

    “I should have set things in order properly... but I foolishly thought I’d live forever.”

    As the sun set and night fell, their conversation continued without pause.

    [Ern. How much progress have you made with the Six Swords?]

    “I’ve completed four—Flame, Water, Life, and Shadow.”

    [That leaves Earth and Wind.]

    “Yeah. So far, I’ve been lucky. But completing the last two won’t be easy. They have to be mastered almost simultaneously.”

    [The Wind Sword and the Earth Sword...]

    Deluna repeated the names of the two remaining swords before speaking.

    [Should I start gathering Earth mana? I can store it inside the World Tree’s fruit.]

    “Huh? That’s possible?”

    [Yes. Now that I’m independent, I can use a certain amount of mana at my discretion. Besides, the stronger you become, the safer the World Tree will be.]

    “That’s good. Then all that’s left is solving the issue of Wind mana.”

    When Kaylen had first awakened in this body, the thought of ever completing the Six Swords had seemed like a distant dream...

    But things were progressing much more smoothly than expected.

    [As for Wind mana... there’s a lot stored in Eldir’s Spirit Stone. But if you take it, he’ll die.]

    “You mean the Spirit Stone embedded in Eldir’s eye? No matter how urgent it is to complete the Six Swords, it’s not so urgent that I’d gouge out my son-in-law’s eye.”

    Once the World Tree took root and stopped the red moon’s mana plundering,

    it would become far easier to gather mana than it was now.

    [Right?]

    “Yeah. So don’t worry.”

    [Ern. But haven’t we been walking for too long? I’m getting tired.]

    “You’re tired? I can feel an overwhelming amount of life energy coming from that seed.”

    [Still, walking for 36 hours straight is too much! Let’s rest for a bit, okay?]

    Rumble—

    Before Kaylen could even respond,

    the ground trembled as mounds of earth rose up, forming a small house.

    [Let’s sleep together for old times’ sake.]

    The earthen door opened on its own.

    From inside, Deluna gestured for Kaylen to enter.

    “Haha, this brings back memories.”

    With a small smile, Kaylen stepped into the house.

    Once she became the World Tree, this would likely be the last time they could do something like this.

    Even if it was just for a few days, he wanted to grant her every wish.

    —

    Rumble—

    As the entire Sanctuary shook from the violent tremors, Theresia frowned.

    “What’s happening?”

    “Astella Bridge is shaking.”

    “Again?”

    Astella Bridge.

    One of the four bridges that supported the Sanctuary.

    Sustained by the power of the Holy Sword Astella, it had been unstable ever since that day.

    “He still insists on going to Lord Kaylen?”

    “Yes... It keeps shaking the entire bridge, saying it must return to its master.”

    Ever since Kaylen had used a fragment of the Holy Sword, Astella had refused to continue stabilizing the bridge.

    It had been constantly trying to move, demanding to return to its rightful master, the Hero.

    Because of this, the Sanctuary had been forced to divert all efforts to suppress it, unable to focus on anything else.

    “It seems impossible to stop it without the Saintess’s power.”

    “...Sigh. Alright, I’ll go.”

    Just as Theresia, exhausted, stood up—

    Boom!

    A deafening explosion echoed through the Sanctuary, loud enough to be heard even within the Saintess’s quarters.

    “...No way.”

    Theresia rushed out of the room in alarm.

    But—

    “L-Lady Saintess... We’re too late! The Holy Sword—it has fallen!”

    It was already too late.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]