Chapter 100: Tending the Garden (3)

After that, I visited Adele several more times.

Each time, the Elves greeted me politely, and Adele welcomed me with a bright, cheerful smile.

But today was different from usual.

“Mother said she will move her vessel today.”

“Is that so?”

Tasar approached and explained as Adele lay atop the green magic circle.

He said it was because the framework of the Garden was nearing completion and they needed to prepare.

I had only come to bring good news, but the timing had gone awry.

Well, knowing Adele, she would find out soon enough anyway.

As I looked at her, I found myself glancing over at the Elves.

Their appearances caught my eye—each one looked pale, as if they’d been worn out by the magic circles.

It was a little pitiful…

“The Southern World Tree, Mar Garten, has awakened.”

Thud—

At those words, the Elves didn’t even notice the magic circle slipping away from their fingertips like a mirage, their expressions instantly stiffening.

And then—

“How many…”

A trembling voice came from right beside me.

It was Tasar, leader of the northern Elves.

“How many are still alive? Our southern brothers…”

In the distant past, when the Elves were split between the Northern Continent and the Southern Continent,

It wasn’t only the northern Garden Keepers who had to spend long, patient years watching the World Tree wither.

Regrettably, the southern Garden Keepers could not escape decline either.

“Around eighty.”

I recalled the Elves I’d seen through Faith.

They looked no different from when I first visited Adelgarten, having lost all their former vitality.

At my words, Tasar and the Elves bowed their heads.

It seemed the memories of those harsh times had surfaced, and now they were worried about their southern kin.

Surrounded by the somber mood, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

Knowing that the Elves’ decline was caused by the absence of the divine, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

“O Horus, please watch over Mar Garten and our brethren.”

Was that a plea or a prayer, soaked in sorrow? It was hard to tell.

The bitter taste in my mouth only deepened.

***

The Elves dislike humans.

No, they are hostile to all other races living on this continent.

They see them as greedy, selfish, and barbaric.

They despised those who cared only for their own safety and comfort.

Humans coveted the Fruit of the World Tree.

The Orcs wanted to make the lush, vibrant Garden their home.

The Dwarfs saw the World Tree as an eternal, burning ember.

But—

The greedy human armies could not obtain the fruit.

The Orcs, ignorant of restraint and manners, could never settle in the forest.

And the selfish axes of the Dwarfs could not harm the World Tree.

In all the long history of the Elves, spanning thousands of years, there was never a time without conflicts, great or small.

Invasion and plunder.

The Elves were always the ones under attack, always the defenders.

All they wanted was to protect their own land, but to them, the other races were no different from the Demonic Realm.

Yet, even so, they continued to guard the Garden.

Clinging to the withering World Tree, bearing the lifeless Garden on their backs.

Until they withered away, forgotten by the continent.

『We are the Guardians.』

Tasar recalled the tradition passed down from his ancestors.

『No one shall trespass here.』

『Even in death, the Guardians will protect this place.』

When the divine power of the World Tree finally slumbered, their bodies wracked by relentless pain,

Tasar’s ancestor had spoken those words in the dying Garden.

It was as if tears had fallen on a piece of hard, dry bread.

“We are the Garden Keepers.”

As Richard observed the Garden preparations, his gaze shifted to Tasar.

Whether or not Tasar noticed, he continued to draw the magic circles, murmuring to himself.

“Where the Great Mother resides is Sanctuary.”

“Even in death, the Garden Keepers will tend this place.”

It was not a mere mutter.

It was the resolve of a whole race, the manifestation of their Will.

As the chieftain voiced the ancient tradition, the atmosphere in the chamber shifted.

The Elves’ expressions changed in an instant.

A shine of renewed faith even sparkled in their eyes.

Just hearing those words was enough to steady their wavering hearts and calm their breathing.

The subtle change, which happened almost unconsciously, was like watching a worshipper bathed in the light of Faith.

Ha.

Leaning against the wall, Richard let out a soft chuckle.

The Garden Keepers, whose very existence had teetered on the edge, still upheld tradition even in such dire circumstances.

Ziiing, ziiiing—

With thoughts of Duty and Will, the Elves devoted themselves once more to their tasks.

The speed at which the colorful magic circles were drawn quickened.

“Saint.”

Ziiing—Tasar, his fingertips spinning a magic circle, finally spoke. His voice was heavy, as if confessing something.

“We despise humans. From ages ago, they have never hidden their greed.”

The raw emotion in his voice was in stark contrast to the determination of the tradition he’d just recited.

The ancient grudges against the other races—the very reason why the Elves clung to their land as Duty and Will.

Hate, hate, and hate again.

It was a feeling too deep for mere words.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you that.”

Richard, too, was well aware of the Elves’ tragic history.

Which is why it made even less sense to him.

This is a fortress built by humans and protected by humans.

So why did the Elves so willingly give up the Garden?

Even if it was in accordance with the World Tree’s will, it was abnormal to see them create the Garden day and night, without the slightest hint of resistance.

“Just because you fought alongside the humans here a few times doesn’t mean your grudge would disappear.”

The wound was simply too deep.

And what filled that chasm was red blood and the corpses of kin.

“For so long, countless kin have had to shudder before lowly greed. Even if we were to stand on the same battlefield a hundred, a thousand times, this hatred would not disappear.”

“Then why are you doing this here?”

“It is the will of the Mother.”

Richard clicked his tongue inwardly.

The Elves averted their eyes from their own true feelings, simply following orders.

Their burnt-out souls seemed white and transparent.

It truly was an ironic thing.

Elves, who loved peace and nature, had been forced into war; and even now, while claiming to hate humans, they were building a Garden within a human fortress.

From the days of their distant ancestors to now, having always defended the Garden against other races—how must it feel to give up their sanctuary with their own hands?

Richard couldn’t even begin to fathom their hearts.

“If you all opposed it, Adele would have changed her mind.”

“We may express concerns out of worry, but we would never oppose the Mother’s will.”

“That’s not the answer I wanted.”

“…………This is the only answer we can give you.”

Ziiing—Tasar traced another magic circle on the floor, sending the previous one flowing away.

It was as if he were a machine.

Suppressing emotion and simply following orders.

Richard quietly turned away, silently watching the Elves.

***

“Even after centuries, one cannot escape anguish, it seems.”

I reclined on the sofa, replaying the earlier conversation in my mind.

The expression on Tasar’s face as he spoke of humans—

Unbefitting of a chieftain, his face was a storm of jumbled emotions.

Today’s talk confirmed it for me.

Elves and other races could never truly come together.

Out of necessity, they might join hands for a moment, but forming a genuine bond seemed impossible.

For the Elves, who valued community above all, history was no different from yesterday, and their ancestors’ grudges were their own.

That bitterness built and built, finally triggering the Grand War of Saints and Demons. Such hatred could never be easily erased.

And it wasn’t only the Elves.

Among the four great races living on the continent, none were free of old grudges.

They merely regarded each other as uncomfortable neighbors.

Intertwined, complicated relationships.

But it was not a major problem.

The solution was simple.

The races living on this land had once united before.

The Grand War of Saints and Demons, which now only the World Tree and I remembered, was proof of that time.

It was an event even older than the ancient grudges between the races, but we could always return to that time once more.

“Hor Church will become the link for all.”

Tap, tap—

I drummed my fingers on the armrest of the sofa.

Then I used Faith.

Regardless of all the connections or links, first I needed to check on the newly awakened Mar Garten.

My vision soared high above, and in an instant, the forest came into view.

Through Faith, I gazed beyond the strict barrier of the southern Garden.

“Ah, ahhh!”

“Mother has awakened!”

Elves knelt, gazing up at the massive tree.

Tears streamed down faces as thin as dry snakeskin.

Sssaaa—

The World Tree’s branches embraced them.

At the ends of those withered branches, a faint tremor ran through the air.

Standing with his arms crossed at the edge of the Garden, Alan clicked his tongue.

Whatever he was dissatisfied with, he kept grumbling under his breath.

Following Alan’s gaze, I saw a glass cup lying forlornly beside the World Tree.

The Faith I had poured so generously into that cup had already been sucked dry by Mar Garten.

I quickly understood the source of Alan’s sour mood.

“That was my light… it was mine…”

He seemed genuinely upset over the Faith Mar Garten had drawn from his glass cup.

The lingering sense of loss and regret in his eyes was the exact opposite of the fierce pride he had shown before the divine.

He even looked a little heartbroken.

Why is he like that?

He had prepared it for Mar Garten from the very beginning.

“Damn tree brat. Do you even know what that debt means?”

I turned my gaze from Alan, who was grinding his teeth.

Mar Garten and the Elves were still lost in the joy of reunion.

The Elves at Riot Castle would surely be glad to see this sight.

They had felt great guilt that only their own people had regained the light.

Tasar’s earlier plea to watch over their kin came to mind.

I had declared to them—

That from now on, only the path of prosperity would await them.

I could not change the years that had already passed, but I could make their coming future abundant.

And that future would be a world where Elves and humans met and regarded each other as followers of the same faith.

“Well, then…

In any case, now the stage of the Southern Continent was ready.

With Alan and the Elves gathered in one place, it was time to proceed.

‘Revelation’

The glass cup that had been rolling on the ground.

Into that narrow vessel, divinity flowed.