CHAPTER 118

Cloudy eyes that look like white fog.

Green eyes that were barely retaining their color were looking closely at Alicia's amber stone.

"You are a rare guest indeed," remarked the old elf, recognizing the landscape contained within the amber stone and beginning to smile faintly.

The elder of the elves.

In that moment, Geronimo, an old elf who had survived the era of calamity, could recall a distant memory through the amber stone brought by Vlad.

"Where did you get this amber stone?"

"I heard it's a Hainal family heirloom."

The gaze of the elder elf meeting the boy's blue eyes became welcoming.

Truly, it had been a long time since they had received such a distinguished human guest.

"Hainal, Hainal..."

The wrinkles around the old tree's eyes trembled as it reminisced about the past verdant days.

With the feeble strength of old age, it was not easy to dredge up memories buried under layers of time.

"Swordmaster."

However, there were names that one could never forget, no matter the weight of the years.

People whose every step had become history.

The current era was built upon their footprints.

"...It seems one of the knights who followed him had such a last name."

Augustee stood silently behind Vlad, quietly listening.

So quiet, as if he were holding his breath.

For a knight who had dedicated his life to the empire, hearing about the traces of the founding king was still an exhilarating experience.

"I would like to know where the maple tree inside is located, Great Elder."

The old Geronimo opened his eyes at the voice coming from the front.

Bright blue eyes that could be clearly recognized even with cloudy eyes.

The young knight's earnestness was evident from the fists he clenched without realizing it.

"You want to know where the maple tree inside is located?"

"Yes. That's correct."

The sparkling blue eyes were like starlight.

It felt as if the possibility that had finally taken shape was writhing within him.

"How did you know that the landscape contained inside is a maple tree?"

"...Pardon?"

However, no matter how it sparkled, how could a human glimpse into a world not permitted to them?

At the sudden question from the elder, Vlad's breath caught in his throat, leaving him speechless.

"..."

There were excuses he had thought of just in case.

But somehow, in front of the old elf, it seemed like bringing out lies wouldn't be appropriate.

It was a warning born not of experience or knowledge, but solely from instinct.

"Well, what does it matter anyway?"

The elves looked at Vlad with suspicious eyes as he remained silent, unable to answer.

But the old elder, as calm as ever, simply closed his eyes again, with a faint smile as if nothing mattered.

Geronimo was someone who knew that the reality in front of him was more important than minor flaws.

"······The maple tree that was carved inside was on the west side."

"To the west?"

Finally, the answer from the elder.

In excitement, Vlad inadvertently asked again in a restrained voice.

"Yes. To the west. A place with the greenest forest on the continent."

But as Vlad heard Geronimo's words, he began to feel something strange.

"Is there such a forest to the west?"

To the west, there was only a vast wasteland.

In the western part of the empire, full of rough soil and dry winds, there was no such thing as the green forest the old man spoke of.

"There used to be."

A wrinkle appeared on the face of the old tree as it answered Vlad's question.

It was a wrinkle that looked like a deeply engraved wound.

"Our forest existed a long time ago."

A scene that even appeared in dreams.

But just recalling it brought back painful memories from that day.

There used to be golden fields of wheat.

Rows of wheat swaying in the wind, a vast forest stretching to the unknown.

Children frolicking along the reddish twilight.

And atop a jagged hill, there stood a maple tree, its leaves tinted red, overlooking everything.

Such landscapes existed.

"Before the dragon set it ablaze, that is."

The most perfect dragon.

A cursed being that could incinerate all of that with just a breath.

Now, his eyes, wandering through the ashes of memories, were dizzyingly shaking.

"But... how..."

"How can I find something that no longer exists?"

It seemed as if black ashes were flowing from the old man's mouth as he spoke of old memories.

"It's been a long time since everything turned to ash."

The autumn scenery captured in the yellow amber stone.

What was engraved there were memories now reduced to ashes, like a heap of burnt remnants.

The eyes of the young knight, seeking something that no longer existed, were restless without respite.

※※※※

The room provided by the elves.

There, Vlad leaned against the window frame, gazing outside.

The forest of the elves. Ausrina.

It was said that the green light that extends to the eastern end is connected to the blue sea that Vlad has never seen before.

"Then I'll go examine the leaves of the Tujon."

Auguste, wearing a gray hood, hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming here.

A thorough investigation into the origin of Absilon.

Only irrefutable evidence could stop the madness unfolding in the empire.

"He said it's here?"

"He said it used to be."

Vlad owed Auguste his life, and in return, he led him to the elven forest, where humans could not easily enter.

Thus, Auguste's actions now were akin to Vlad's inherent right, one that Vlad couldn't stop even if he dared.

"The atmosphere seems oddly restless."

"Don't worry. I've done this countless times in my heyday."

Auguste, who had told him not to worry because he would come back quietly without being seen, grabbed the window frame instead of the door and looked at Vlad.

"Indeed, your teacher seems to be someone related to the imperial family."

".....Is that so?"

"That's what it seems to me."

Upon hearing those words, Vlad let out a deep sigh.

The imperial sword, which had maintained its original shape.

And now, even the landscape of Elvenheim, which had burned down long ago.

Now, it wasn't just a matter of contract, but pure curiosity that made him wonder who the voice was.

"Founding King Frausen himself stepped down from the imperial throne to become the lowest of the low."

The lowest of the low.

Knights who throw away all the titles they have accumulated so far and prepare for retirement by completing the tasks they could not accomplish as just an individual.

The glorious beginning was none other than the King of Knights, the founding king Frausen.

"As befits the beginning of a legend, the end is also shrouded in mystery. I even thought perhaps you might be connected to the last moments of Frausen, which have never been properly known."

The last moments of the founding king Frausen were a dignified retirement.

However, there were only rumors about the last days of Frausen, the lowest of the low, and no one knew for sure.

If one were to listen to the elves, perhaps the young knight leaning against the window frame in dismay might be a trace of that glorious end.

"So, what do you do now? The clues seem to have ended here."

"Ended? From what I see, it's just the beginning."

Auguste put his feet up on the window sill where Vlad was sitting and looked down with a smile.

The ground seemed dark and obscure.

Though the surroundings were growing darker and obscuring Auguste's view, he didn't hesitate.

Sometimes, to find the truth, one had to push oneself into the darkness.

"Now, it's the beginning?"

To Vlad's question, Auguste, with his hood put on, placed his foot on the windowsill.

"If your teacher is the one who followed in Lord Frausen's footsteps, then you can follow in his footsteps."

If you don't know the end, start from the beginning.

Since Vlad's teacher was closely linked to the Swordmaster, following Frausen's last trace would eventually reveal the identity of the teacher.

"But no one knows what happened to Lord Frausen in the end, right?"

"True for humans."

Auguste smiled as he looked at Vlad.

Between the hidden features of his face, today's twilight was beginning to settle.

"But the elves might know."

With those words, Auguste jumps outside as the dusk falls.

Watching him gracefully land on the ground without making a sound, Vlad was surprised.

"He is not even a cat."

As a former pickpocket and thief, Vlad could recognize agile movements.

Silently landing on the ground, the old knight walked away as if nothing had happened, disappearing into the elven forest.

"...Well, then I suppose I'll have to stay here a bit longer."

Alone in the room with neither Gott nor Auguste present, Vlad found himself immersed in contemplation, leaning his head against his knees.

'I'm sure I saw it.'

The voice clearly stated that it had seen the landscape within the amber stone. 

However, his memory was uncertain and vague, so perhaps the voice had only witnessed the scene through the amber stone, much like Vlad himself.

Moreover, considering the hundreds of years that had passed since he supposedly saw it firsthand, the timeline didn't add up.

"What a mess. Seriously."

It would be easier to keep the 7-year contract with Josef.

The further he followed the traces of the voice, the more he felt blocked by a massive fortress wall. It felt like hitting a dead end.

Knock, knock.

"······?"

As Vlad pondered for a while, he heard a gentle knocking at the door.

"Come in······."

Creak—

Before he finished inviting the person in, the door opened cautiously.

Through the slightly ajar door, a faint platinum hair was visible.

An unknown girl who dragged him into a fantasy.

"Do you have a moment?"

The girl, who only poked her head into the room, smiled as soon as she recognized Vlad.

It was as if they had known each other for a long time.

※※※※

If possible, Vlad wanted to ignore it.

After all, there had been warnings from the elves not to venture outside.

However, the girl's words carried a strange, irresistible allure, much like the gaze of the elven elder.

"Where are we going now...? Are you scared?"

While the girl smiled brightly, Vlad's expression remained stern and rigid.

It was inevitable, given that the two elves still following behind were giving Vlad disapproving looks.

"I have something to show you."

"What do you want to show me?"

Vlad decided to proceed cautiously.

He had known from the start that she was no ordinary person, but to have guards trailing her was unexpected.

The girl, still smiling as if thrilled, must hold a significant position even in the world of elves.

"That amber stone."

"The amber stone?"

"Yeah, that one."

The girl pointed her finger at Vlad's sword.

"Yeah, that one! I really want to show it to you."

Looking at the girl who still didn't say the subject properly, Vlad sighed softly inwardly.

"They want to see their mother. They have not seen their mother since they were born."

"Mother?"

It was an incomprehensible statement, words jumbled as if something were missing, but there was no hint of hesitation in the girl's eyes.

"....Who are they?"

In response to Vlad's question, the girl began pointing silently with her finger.

At the end of the direction she indicated stood a towering maple tree with fresh green leaves, untouched by autumn's colors.

"The World Tree?"

Confirming the direction indicated by the finger, Vlad turned his head to look at the girl.

"They says they really wants to see their mother."

"..."

Although the words were incomprehensible in his mind, they resonated deeply in his heart.

Maybe it was because of the girl's attitude as if she was talking to a person, but when Vlad saw the World Tree again, it looked different.

The branches of the green maple tree seen in the distance were shaking.

As if beckoning to him to come closer. Like that.