“I will not kill you.”
Unexpectedly, Alvain gave up on executing Elaril.
“Why?”
Winnidith couldn’t help but ask.
Could it be that he was getting soft at a time like this?
No way—if Elaril survived, the most dangerous one would be her!
“Father, if you cannot bear it, then let me do it.”
Leah spoke up voluntarily.
Like Winnidith, she also thought Alvain was going to spare her because of a soft heart.
“You misunderstand.”
Facing the misunderstanding of the two young women, Alvain explained with a wry smile.
“I’m sparing her life because after a Dark Elf dies, their soul returns to the Sacred Tree and becomes a part of it. The seal is about to break. If I allow Elaril, who has been deeply blessed by the Sacred Tree, to return to it now, it will cause a huge problem for us.”
I see.
Elaril is more useful alive than dead.
Winnidith understood the situation, and her body instantly relaxed.
According to Alvain, once the Sacred Tree was dealt with and there was no more worry, they could dispose of Elaril however they pleased.
She could accept this outcome—after all, as long as the Sacred Tree lived, she would never be safe.
“You said there’s still about an hour left, right? Then let’s take this time to discuss how to deal with the Sacred Tree.”
An hour was a bit tight, but they could still roughly set a strategy.
Especially with a living Elven King to help, Winnidith’s pressure immediately eased.
But at this moment, Alvain suddenly spoke.
“No. I will sacrifice myself early to open the seal.”
“What?”
“Father, why would you do that?”
Winnidith and Leah both questioned him at the same time.
The former, in particular, had gone through great effort to rescue Alvain precisely so she could shift the burden of decision-making onto him, only needing to act as a secret weapon in the final battle.
And now, right after being saved, he decided to die—it made her almost frantic.
But Alvain hadn’t come up with this on a whim.
From the very beginning, he had intended to sacrifice himself to actively break the seal.
“Before we possess a true divine essence, we cannot harm His divine body from the outside. So even if I stay alive, the only one who can harm the Sacred Tree is Winnidith. And Winnidith’s strength is not enough to contend with the Sacred Tree. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t even have a chance to wound Him.”
“Therefore, the only way is to take advantage of the moment when He has not yet fully awakened. I will interfere from the inside, creating an opportunity for Winnidith.”
“An opportunity to kill a god.”
After hearing this, Winnidith finally felt relieved.
All her Spiritual Power could only transform into a single kitten, while the Spiritual Power possessed by the Sacred Tree could form a towering tree above every elf’s head.
With such a vast gap, what gave Alvain confidence that she could kill the Sacred Tree?
Just because she was an outsider like it?
So Winnidith had always believed Alvain had other preparations.
She just never expected those preparations would cost his own life.
But just because she could accept this reasoning didn’t mean Leah could.
“Then let me do it!”
She clenched her silver teeth and spoke with determination.
“With your strength, Father, you would be more useful alive!
The Elf race needs you, an experienced Elven King, more than it needs me!”
“No.”
Alvain refused her request without hesitation.
“You are still too weak now. Entering the Sacred Tree’s body would have little effect. Besides, there is something else that you must do.”
“What is it?”
Leah couldn’t figure out where she surpassed her father.
Whether in strength or will, he was far stronger than her.
Then, from her father’s mouth, she heard a name that made her body shudder.
“Vilda.”
Alvain ignored his daughter’s shock and continued.
“On my own, it’s not enough. To make the Sacred Tree reveal a fatal flaw, I must borrow Vilda’s power.”
“Vilda? But she’s already…”
Leah wanted to say that Vilda was dead, but she suddenly recalled the reason her father had spared Elaril.
Shocked, she looked at the increasingly active Sacred Tree.
“Vilda’s soul is sleeping inside the Sacred Tree. We must make her want to survive, so that she will try to resist the Sacred Tree’s will. Only with both Light Elf and Dark Elf rebelling from within can the Sacred Tree possibly show a single opening. That opening may only last an instant, and then it will depend on Winnidith’s judgment.”
Winnidith felt the burden on her shoulders grow heavier, but running away wouldn’t solve the problem, so she accepted it calmly.
“And Vilda cares most about you, Leah. Only you can give her the desire to live. So you must stay alive outside.”
Alvain’s tone grew increasingly serious, leaving almost no room for argument.
“This is the optimal choice among all options!”
“But…”
Leah’s mind was reeling from his words.
She muttered softly.
“But Vilda deliberately destroyed the bond between us. Does she really care about me? Can I really awaken her?”
Vilda’s betrayal had always been Leah’s greatest pain.
She had always regarded their past feelings as Vilda’s disguise, using deep suffering to numb herself.
She thought that once the wound formed a scar, it wouldn’t hurt as much.
But Alvain’s words tore open the newly formed scab, telling her that “she is the most important person to Vilda.”
Her wound was still bleeding.
When she heard those words, the first thought in her heart was doubt.
“Of course you can. You are both children I raised. I know very well how deep your feelings are for each other.”
Alvain also knew how much pain his daughter was in right now.
He rubbed her head and gently comforted her.
“You have to believe that Vilda’s actions were only the result of being led astray. Having been by Elaril’s side, her views may be skewed from normal.”
“I merely told Vilda how to realize her dream.”
Elaril, who had been mentioned, interjected.
“That child only wanted to be with Princess Leah forever. So I told her that if she returned to Mother, they could be together forever. That’s all.”
Forever together.
Leah lowered her head.
She had always thought those words were just a childhood joke, but she never expected they had become Vilda’s obsession.
When faced with Vilda’s request back then, what had she answered?
“But I will return to the Sacred Tree sooner or later. That way, we can’t be together forever.”
The distant memory appeared clearly in Leah’s mind.
She was shocked to discover that Vilda’s current state might have been partly her fault.
If she hadn’t mentioned the Sacred Tree back then, would everything have been different?
She wasn’t sure.
The past wouldn’t change because of her alone, and she and Vilda couldn’t go back.
But the Elf race shouldn’t lose its future because of this.
“I understand. I will stay and try to awaken Vilda’s will.”
She wiped away the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes and spoke with confidence and determination.
‘Leah, you’ve really grown up.’
Alvain nodded in satisfaction.
In truth, there was another reason in his heart.
What father would be willing to let his daughter die?
Since Leah had been comforted, it was time to say his final words.
“After I die, the Sacred Fruit will fully ripen. Once you eat one, both your Mana and Douqi will break through to the Saint Realm, making you a true Elven King. As for the other one, you must give it to Isabella. That was the reward I promised to the Empire’s Emperor from the very beginning. But that young lady’s innate condition is far too poor. The violent power of the Sacred Fruit might directly destroy her body. So after she eats it, you must immediately seal the power inside her. As for when to unseal it, leave it to her own choice.”
Alvain recalled the father-daughter relationship between Victor and Isabella during their trip to the Empire—seemingly close yet actually distant—and sighed inwardly.
Truly, imperial fathers and daughters had it hard.
Leah’s eyes suddenly became shy and reproachful.
They had been talking about serious matters, so why had he suddenly jumped to her love life?
But she still sat quietly by her father’s side, like an ordinary father and daughter discussing emotional issues.
“Your lifespan will be very, very long. If you fall in love with someone, make sure they can stay with you for a long time. I’ve heard many stories of long-lived races falling in love with short-lived ones and becoming extreme after being unable to accept their lover’s death. I don’t want my daughter to become one of them.”
‘You’ve been reading too many novels, haven’t you?’
Winnidith thought wryly.
But then Alvain’s next sentence mentioned her.
“In this regard, you can ask Winnidith or Isabella for help. After this, you’ll be friends. Discussing relationship matters is an eternal topic among friends.”
“And also… hmm…”
Alvain wanted to say more, but realized he had already said everything he needed to.
He trusted that the grown-up Leah could handle the rest perfectly.
“That’s enough. Rest and recover your stamina and spirit. In half an hour, I will break the seal.”
Leah’s eyes dimmed, but she knew this moment would come eventually.
She just wanted to savor the feeling of having a father by her side one last time.
Winnidith, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.
She could finally say what she had been wanting to say.
“Then I’ll notify Bella and the others to start the performance. Oh, besides you disrupting the Sacred Tree from within, strong emotions can also affect its behavior.”
Seeing Alvain’s confusion, Winnidith remembered he didn’t know about this and explained her discovery.
“If that’s true, it’s good news.”
Hearing this unexpected pleasant surprise, Alvain was also delighted and immediately told Winnidith to send the signal.
whoosh
Under Winnidith’s control, a meteor of fire quickly shot into the sky, then exploded into a beautiful blue flower of sparks.
“Your Highness Isabella, what is that?! How beautiful!”
Evian gazed infatuated at the blossoming fireworks in the sky.
She had seen many strange phenomena today—the colorful storm, the rising daylight, the towering pillar of light.
But none of them had made her feel so fascinated, because they were too dangerous, nowhere near as beautiful as fireworks.
“Just the opening bell.”
Isabella said with a hint of a smile.
She looked at Evian and remembered her own expression upon seeing fireworks for the first time—also so shocked and mesmerized.
But now was not the time for that.
She snapped Evian out of her daze and directed the envoys serving as musicians to play.
As the opening music began, Evian, who had been panicking just moments before, instantly got into character and stepped onto the center of the stage in perfect form.
To be honest, these pampered nobles truly had remarkable talent in the arts.
Even without hearing the original opening piece, they could recreate it to about seventy or eighty percent just by improvising based on the requirements.
Isabella herself took on the role of narrator.
Her clear voice spread throughout the temporary theater, drawing every audience member’s attention to the opening stage.
“A thousand years ago, the Elf race faced a challenge of life and death.”
“Time has come to say goodbye.”
***
Half an hour later, Alvain stood up from the grass and walked calmly toward the Sacred Tree, which was emitting a strange fragrance.
Watching his figure being torn by the vines, the reluctance and sorrow in Leah’s eyes nearly overflowed.
But she didn’t cry out.
She only clenched her fists, watching alongside Winnidith as her father made his hero’s final exit.
“A thousand years—it’s been long enough.
For this day, eight generations of Elven Kings and two generations of Elf Twins have given their lives.
Heaven be blessed—in my generation, this mission is finally complete.”
When he reached the Sacred Tree, Alvain’s body had been torn beyond recognition by the vines.
He looked up at the canopy.
There, two full fruits were about to ripen and fall.
‘I hope the final outcome lands as smoothly as them.’
Alvain sincerely wished.
He placed his hand on the trunk of the Sacred Tree and actively sacrificed his life to the crumbling seal.
He felt his life force rapidly draining away.
In his last moment, he turned his gaze to his daughter.
“From now on, everything is in your hands.”
His body completely turned to ash and scattered.
At the same time, the seal Elwin had used to restrict the Sacred Tree shattered entirely.
As it fully awakened from its slumber, every living being in the world fell into paralysis in an instant.
Countless creatures mechanically repeated the actions of the previous second.
The world became as grotesque as if a mischievous child had pressed the loop button.
“Slaanesh!!!”
In the Orc tribes, the entire War God Peak shook violently.
Gurgle gurgle
In the deepest part of the Demonic Abyss, the Troll stirring a thick potion in a giant cauldron stopped its iron rod and turned its gaze eastward.
“May the Lord open our minds, so that when we hear the holy words today, the flame of love may burn in our hearts.”
In the Empire’s cathedral, during the weekly mass, the Pope in his white-gold vestments faced the congregation with numb expressions, reading the scriptures smoothly and naturally.
But on his face, a strange smile could not be suppressed no matter what.
Ah.
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