Chapter 31: Adelgarten (3)

“What did you just say?”

Richard von Bartenberg frowned and asked again.

“‘Dad’…? Wait, did you just talk?”

From his perspective, the idea of the World Tree speaking was impossible.

After all, ‘Lee Ji-hoon’ never set a personality for it.

Ever since the Holy Grail was created and the System Window of Adelgarten appeared, he’d always wondered about it.

“Who… what are you?”

Richard growled in a low voice.

The Elven Forest, commonly called the Garden, was in ruins.

The Elves who lived there had withered, drained of their vitality.

This was another calamity that everyone had experienced after learning the gods had been forgotten.

Events like this were among the things Richard most disliked.

After all, knowledge about this world was one of the most powerful weapons he possessed.

“Why don’t you try answering?”

Surely, the tree before him knew everything that had happened.

Did his sharp question frighten it?

Srrrt— The tip of a branch trembled.

Then, one of the branches that had touched Richard slowly reached toward the Holy Grail in his hand.

It looked as if a dying person was barely stretching out their hand for a lifeline, struggling desperately.

***

Unable to watch any longer, Richard brought the Holy Grail to the tip of the branch.

[Adelgarten requests dignity and faith inherent in the Lowest-Ranked Paladin imitation Holy Grail.]

He frowned as the phrase appeared in front of his eyes.

‘Dignity and faith, huh.’

It was just an imitation to trade with the Elves anyway.

Richard thought for a moment, then nodded.

Crack—

Like the Grail was sucking up blood, it rapidly dried up.

As if that wasn’t enough, the wooden cup was absorbed through the branch into the World Tree itself.

Clatter—

The thirty-odd Mana Stones he had painstakingly collected tumbled to the ground.

[Adelgarten has recovered a small amount of vitality.]

Suddenly, the branches surrounding Richard gently pushed at his back.

It felt like a child asking to be hugged.

—Come here…

He heard a voice, sounding stronger than before.

“Haa.”

There was no hostility from the tree before him.

Richard quietly stepped closer to the World Tree.

Soon, his palm touched its trunk.

“Six, one…”

The clock was reversed.

Before he knew it, Richard was standing in a vast meadow filled with tens of thousands of blooming flowers.

When he looked up, the warm sunlight pricked at his eyes.

“This is… the Elven Forest I remember.”

At the center of the meadow stood a giant tree, the healthy form of the World Tree he once knew.

He was startled by the sudden change, but only for a moment.

Next to the tree, a young girl appeared with a bright smile.

“Welcome to my inner world!”

She had light green hair like fresh leaves and golden eyes that seemed to hold the sun.

“Are you Adelgarten?”

“Mhm!”

Her immediate answer made Richard let out a laugh.

This little girl… is the World Tree?

‘I don’t remember making something like that.’

Still, Richard decided to accept it for now rather than deny it.

After all, the fact that he had entered the game world itself was already beyond belief.

“I missed you, Dad.”

The girl walked toward Richard as she spoke.

Longing and sorrow filled her voice.

“Where have you been all this time…”

Her voice soon trembled with tears.

“Everyone forgot about you, Dad.”

Richard closed his eyes at those words.

For some reason, her emotions were transmitted directly to him.

“But I never forgot you.”

She stood before him, blinking as if asking for praise.

“You didn’t forget me?”

“Mhm!”

He brushed his face with his hand.

Not forgetting… that could only mean one thing.

“You created this world, Dad!”

The only being in the game who remembered him.

The girl before him was a being entirely different from the believers or worshippers living in Snowfall.

***

The story Richard heard from Adelgarten after that was shocking.

It was by no means a short tale.

He needed to organize his thoughts.

“So, you’re saying I disappeared after the Grand War of Saints and Demons?”

Long before the conflict between Knights and Wizards began, even two hundred years before the Sword Emperor and the Archmage were born.

In other words, more than a thousand years ago from now—the Grand War of Saints and Demons.

All these calamities had occurred over that endless span of time.

“Yeah. After the Grand War of Saints and Demons ended with the Church’s victory, your miracles stopped.”

That can’t be.

Lee Ji-hoon only played the game.

The Grand War of Saints and Demons was an event so far back in the game’s log, it was listed near the top as ancient history.

Yet, everything that happened after his arrival in this world had been neatly severed from memory.

As if someone had deliberately manipulated their memories and history.

“What the hell is going on…”

His head throbbed.

But there was still so much more he needed to hear.

“Then what are you?”

“I’m obviously the World Tree!”

That wasn’t what he meant.

“I never gave you a personality.”

Adelgarten looked at Richard with upturned eyes.

She looked about ten, her large eyes glistening.

“My personality was born out of necessity.”

“Necessity?”

“Yeah… Without your power, I had to maintain the world on my own, so I needed to make autonomous decisions.”

At her words, Richard avoided her gaze.

For some reason, he felt like he was bullying an innocent child.

“If you want, Dad, I can erase it. Now that you’re back, I don’t need it anymore.”

She bowed her head and mumbled, and Richard let out a sigh.

He truly felt like the worst person in the world.

“You don’t have to. More importantly, why did the Elves and the Garden end up like that?”

“Ah…”

Adelgarten bowed her head even lower.

She looked like a child admitting her mistake.

“I struggled for hundreds of years… and the children’s ecosystem collapsed along with me.”

Apparently, the World Tree’s nourishment was faith.

But as people stopped believing in gods, a serious problem arose.

But she said that wasn’t even the main issue now.

“The foundation of the world is shaking. Who knows what kind of calamity may have occurred in places I can’t see or hear…”

Muttering gravely, Adelgarten suddenly brightened.

“But things will get better now, right? Because Dad is back!”

Richard couldn’t say anything in response.

After all, the so-called ‘god’ had only twelve followers left.

“This is insane.”

Who knew how many more calamities would appear in the future?

As an ordinary human, Richard couldn’t even begin to guess.

While he was lost in thought—

“Don’t abandon me again…”

“What did you say?”

“Please, don’t leave me. I’m begging you.”

The girl clung to his sleeve, pleading.

And then—

[Adelgarten requests affection.]

[Adelgarten requests stability…]

[Adelgarten requests comfort…]

Countless System Windows filled his vision.

[Adelgarten has met the qualifications for Divine Beast.]

But the message that stood out the most was the last one.

Divine Beast…?

Does that mean a beast of the gods?

This was another twist he never could have imagined.

Still, at least it didn’t seem to be a disadvantage for him.

“You’re not going to abandon me, right…?”

Richard found himself nodding unconsciously.

Then, something huge filled his entire field of vision.

[You have subdued a being of Great Will.]

[Achievement Progress 1/3]

[Adelgarten] [North World Tree], [Divine Beast]

ㅁ Abilities – [Foundation], [Essence], [Life], [Great Tree], [?], [?]

ㅁ Notes – [Clingy], [Anxious], [Restless], [Frail]

Even at a glance, the System Window was extraordinary.

The abilities were impressive, but the notes were a mess.

‘Well, it’s the World Tree, after all.’

He hadn’t realized it in the chaos, but the hyperactive girl before him was the World Tree.

And what did that mean…?

‘It’s the pillar that supports the world. Next to the gods, it’s the closest thing to divinity.’

Of course, in her current state, it was hard to imagine that.

“You’re not going to abandon me, right? Right?”

“I won’t.”

Richard stroked Adelgarten’s hair.

Suddenly, she looked beautiful.

“This is the greatest opportunity ever!”

With a variable like this, he’d welcome it with open arms.

Unaware of his inner thoughts, Adelgarten smiled as if she owned the world.

“From now on, I will call you Adele!”

“Adele… Adele… I love it!”

Adele threw herself into Richard’s arms.

***

“Oh, Mother…”

Adele danced in the midst of the crowd, holding tightly onto Richard’s hand.

“The World Tree has manifested!”

This commotion broke out the moment Richard escaped from Adele’s inner world.

Adele whispered,

“This is my spirit body. I was able to manifest it thanks to my connection with Dad.”

She waved her arms, appearing just as she had in the inner world.

The Elves erupted in a frenzy at the sight.

“A… ah, Lady…”

Led by Tasar, all the Elves bowed their heads.

They recognized her at a glance.

The girl radiating green light was the World Tree.

To the Elves, the World Tree was both god and parent.

Adele stepped forward and spoke.

“My children… you’ve all become so thin.”

Heh.

Richard let out a laugh.

The way Adele addressed the Elves was completely different from before.

That was the posture of a true mother.

“I’m sorry. As the World Tree, I failed to care for you.”

“No! Not at all, Mother!”

Adele’s gaze was filled with sorrow.

She had watched helplessly as her children withered.

That pain was dozens of times worse than any hunger.

But now, she had Richard.

Such things would never happen again.

“You can rest now, even just a little.”

The Elves looked puzzled at her words.

“My poor children. The Garden hasn’t been able to embrace you until now.”

Step by heavy step, Adele walked toward them.

“Recover the lost vitality in my embrace. Let the withered flowers bloom again.”

Swoosh—

Her small hand stroked Tasar’s night-dark hair.

Overcome with emotion, Tasar trembled, but at the same time, he felt a sad premonition.

Why did it feel like the World Tree was about to leave?

His gaze shifted to Richard, standing quietly behind Adele.

“O Great Will… by any chance, are you and…”

“You’re as sharp as ever.”

The Elves were shocked to see Adele giggle.

“This must not be! The world outside the Garden is filled with countless dangers!”

“It’s just my spirit body. Even if I die, it’s not really death.”

Adele seemed to have expected their reaction.

She stamped her foot lightly.

And then, a miracle occurred.

Swaaah—

Flowers and plants covered the Garden.

The Elves looked on in stunned amazement as the greenery rose up around them.

“No one will be able to harm you. Just sleep and, when you wake, all will be well. Then, let’s meet again.”

Soon, their figures disappeared behind the plants.

Richard clicked his tongue inwardly.

In an instant, the entire Garden had become a lush forest.

“Well then, Dad!”

Adele, having resolved everything in a flash, suddenly turned to Richard and shouted.

Compared to her dignified appearance just moments before, the difference was astounding.

“Let’s go! Just the two of us—on a journey!”