◈ Episode 458: Battle of the Seven Roots (2)
Bentmin Leafre lay down as if submerged in a pond and connected to the World Tree.
Now, through the eyes of the World Tree, she was looking down at the battle situation at a glance.
On the eastern wall are three nobles.
Neutralists are on the western wall.
Looking at the state of the troops, the opponent was already perfect.
They knew that this side was plotting something, and it must have been prepared for a long time ago.
‘From now on, it’s purely a race against time. The moment either side gets caught up in a trivial mistake, everything is over.’
Junghwang was raising his hand on Bentmin’s side.
What you need is a situation that is already in place.
And since the main forces were all pushed into the inner wall, there was no need to worry about the outer wall being breached.
Rather, considering the complex structure, resistance was much easier to defend.
I didn’t have to block it completely. Just take the time and victory will be hers.
If the power of the world tree is fully occupied, then there will be no need for seven families in this kingdom.
A tall tree.
The King of the Elves is born.
‘How long have I waited for me to come here?’
Bentmin still closed his eyes and scanned the entire situation.
Among them, the most notable was the neutral faction.
Standing at the head of the ranks of soldiers, she was clearly visible, exuding the appearance of a general.
Quite a few years have passed, but rather than getting old, his appearance has improved and his momentum has grown stronger than before.
Even if you put it next to a savage beast tribe warrior, it looks like it’s going to be together.
It is said that one eye cannot be seen because of an eyepatch, but it was full of guns with a normal eye.
It was an opponent that could never be overlooked.
That’s what it looks like right now.
As if he knew that this side was watching him, he was smiling brightly, full of provocativeness.
‘okay. You also continued to be irritating like a thorn in the eye.’
Bentmin hoped that Burke would be completely swept away by the phone during the race war.
However, those tenacious tribes became stronger through war.
Now, it even actively interacts with the outside world.
In a sense, it was the disgrace of the elves.
So it must have been possible to stick together with the evil Plante.
‘But it bothers me that Burke made such a sudden move. Is it because of Dentis?’
In order to check such Dentis, he deliberately leaked Plante’s information to the three nobles.
They want each other to get tired of fighting each other.
However, he coped better than Dentis thought, and even attracted Burke.
At least to Bentmin’s knowledge, there was no contact between Dentis and Burke.
Because she regularly accesses the World Tree, there was no way for information to be omitted in this area.
In addition, he used the three nobles to keep Dentis in check, and Dentis’ handling was so outstanding that it bothered him.
‘Vierano Dentis. Was that man such an excellent head of household? no. I understand that he is a very strong man. But under these circumstances, he wasn’t quite capable of producing results of this magnitude.’
This was not the judgment of Bentmin alone.
It was a conclusion that was reached after careful consideration over and over again by synthesizing opinions and data through Shade Warden’s reports periodically.
However, that expectation was significantly off.
Bentmin felt a tickle in his temple.
It feels like a tiny bug crawling somewhere on your body.
‘How did the head of Dentis come into the forest?’
She tried to read it using the authority of the World Tree.
However, no matter how much I searched, there was no sign of Vierano Dentis entering through the forest entrance.
as if it fell from the sky.
‘Dropped from the sky?’
Not long ago, the guards of the Shade Wardens guarding the borders of the Dentis family’s territory were annihilated.
All traces of the body were from the sword.
At that time, I thought Dentis’ soldiers did that.
A slight sense of incongruity when I received the report and the current situation.
‘Vierano Dentis is a professor in Ceorn. And Plante’s lineage was also John Doe’s subordinate. She was sure that John Doe would come to her rescue. Now, John Doe’s external status is that of a professor in Ceorn.’
Scattered puzzles gathered in one place to form a single picture.
Why did he think that all of this was only done by elves?
The spotlight on the stage was so strong that even Bentmin forgot about it.
That the person who made this stage is hiding in the dark shadow beyond the curtain.
The person who orchestrated this situation was in the forest.
This method of escalating the situation by indirectly instigating people and organizations without revealing itself.
Isn’t that the method most often used by John Doe, the First Order of the Black Dawn?
‘It was you. You’re here.’
Maybe I was too impatient with the big business right in front of me.
I shouldn’t have overlooked trivial things, but I made a mistake.
Fortunately, it was noticed before the moment of complete irreversibility arrived.
‘Where are you? Where are you hiding, John Doe?’
If it was him, he would surely come in looking for an opening.
At the most secret and sharp moment, it will quietly stab the vital point.
Bentmin, who scanned the entire area through the World Tree, smiled inwardly.
‘It must have been there.’
He was caught between the forces led by Ambella and Vierano.
Beside him, he could see the figures of human men he had brought with him.
When the war started, was he thinking of sneaking in?
It was the best choice in the given situation, but unfortunately it was not the right answer.
‘Wherever you can come, you can come. Because this place is already my domain.’
As soon as that thought was over, the legion lined up outside the castle began to move.
The war was about to begin.
* * *
Sedina was unknowingly nervous at the ominous smell she felt from outside.
Looking through the only window, I saw an army lined up beyond the vaguely white walls of the castle.
‘What is going to happen now? Maybe a war?’
It was easy to see that an army of that size was not just gathered.
The forest is afraid now.
Sedina could feel the emotion of the forest intact.
It was a mystical sensation.
I vaguely felt it when I was growing a small flower bed in the training room, but after coming to the forest of elves, that feeling was even more maximized.
The vitality felt in plants.
Emotions beyond that were conveyed.
This familiar sense was not much different from when he used origami magic.
It is as if the cut paper is folded and moved with magic and a request.
I had an incomprehensible certainty that if I asked the plant, it would listen.
‘If you use this, maybe… … .’
Right before something happens.
Sedina seriously contemplated whether she should try to escape on her own even now.
Just then, the door opened wide and soldiers rushed inside.
Standing in the lead was the taciturn, gray-haired elf we had seen before.
He stared at Sedina with cold eyes.
“… … .”
Sedina was troubled.
Of course, I don’t know why he is calling me at this moment, but it will never be in a good way.
If it is original, it is right to reject it.
‘But is that possible?’
She had virtually no actual combat power.
On the other hand, the opponent is a well-armed force.
Even if this side resisted, it was easy to draw a picture of being dragged by force.
Sedina pondered for a short time.
And, it was almost instinctive that her gaze, lost in where to go, turned toward the window.
The figure of a crow staring at us while flying in the air.
“… … great. I’ll go. So please guide me.”
“… … .”
The gray-haired elf put on a surprised expression, as if he hadn’t expected Sedina to say such a thing confidently.
What are you thinking, or are you just going to go without knowing anything.
However, the question did not last long.
Even if Sedina had plans, there was nothing she could do.
At the man’s command, Sedina escaped the spire under the watchful eye and escort of the elven soldiers.
* * *
“I found it.”
At Hans’ words, Alex and Bellaluna nodded.
She finally figured out the location of Sedina, who was imprisoned somewhere in Serendel’s capital.
“Currently, she is moving inside the castle under the surveillance of the Leafre family elves.”
“Did you check where you were going?”
“It’s hard to figure out with crows anymore, and now I’m checking with the little beasts and birds that live inside. First of all, if you look at the approximate location, it seems that you are heading to the depths of the castle.”
“Summarizing what we’ve said so far, it seems like we’re trying to contact the World Tree.”
Bellaluna cautiously expressed her opinion.
“World tree. Isn’t this the world tree where we are?”
Alex smiled and looked around.
The place where they are is underground where sunlight does not reach.
A place full of black rocks, wet mud, and a strange stench.
It was a huge cavity that existed beneath the roots of the World Tree.
They were moving by stepping on the roots of the world tree like stairs in the common area.
“There really is no such thing as a three-dimensional maze. Is this a labyrinth that existed in the past?”
If you make a small mistake, you will fall down.
It is said to be an underground cavity, but it is impossible to guess how large it is.
Even if I just looked down right now, I couldn’t see anything but pitch-black darkness.
At that time, Bellaluna, who was moving from the lead, stopped.
The rest of the group also stopped moving and held their breath.
With the sound of something crawling, a huge shadow passed through the dim darkness.
Six legs and black carapace scales. And even a sharp lower jaw.
It was a grub parasitic on the underground roots of the World Tree.
In a way, it was natural for insects to live on a tree the size of a world tree.
But if the bug is the size of a bear in the woods, then the story is different.
The bugs that had been sucking the sap from the roots of the world tree were no longer ordinary bugs.
It was no different from a beast that evolved with the mana of the Cassar Basin, or a cryptid created from the combined power of denial.
The reason why the underground cavity of the World Tree was so dangerous was because of these insects.
In a dark and humid environment, it is a dangerous place where you can even fall down an endless cliff if you sprain your foot.
In such a place, bear-sized bugs were crawling all over the place and making noises, so ordinary mental strength was absolutely impossible to withstand.
Besides, those bugs weren’t just suckers of the World Tree’s sap.
They are omnivorous, eating both humans and elves.
Unsurprisingly, it was the risk factor to be avoided the most in this root cavity.
“I’m really nervous. If it had not been for the reassurance of our guide, we would have been in trouble right away.”
Hans trembled as he watched the giant grub disappear through the darkness.
It was all thanks to Bellaluna that they were able to find their way safely through this complicated maze of roots.
“Yes, I’ve been there a couple of times before, so you don’t have to worry.”
At the time, even when Bellaluna ran away from the castle, she could easily escape through this root cavity.
“But what the hell did you think of coming all the way to a place like this?”
Now, Bellaluna is said to be an experienced person, but even for her, there must have been a beginning.
I wouldn’t even think of crawling into this hellish place on my own feet unless my real brain was messed up.
“Well, I just wanted to get closer to the World Tree somehow, so I wandered here and there… … lol.”
“… … .”
ah. This elf was already messed up.
Hans shook his head.
Still, thanks to Bellaluna’s eccentricity, wouldn’t she be able to move without being noticed by anyone?
However, there was one thing that bothered me.
“Brother, why did you make us move alone?”
Rudger was not here.
Currently, Hans, Alex, and Bellaluna are all moving.
“I can’t help it. Leaders are busy as leaders. Let’s think about getting to our destination first.”
“Then let’s go right away. I want to get out of this horrible space as soon as possible.”
“I agree with that part.”
Even as a fairly strong-hearted Alex, the environment of these subterranean roots and the gigantic worms left him feeling devastated.
The only thing that was fine was Bellaluna, who was excited and took the lead.
“But don’t forget. The role we play is very important.”
Hans muttered that, sneaking a glance into his arms.
In his inner pocket was Youngsoo’s tooth, given to him by Ludger.