“Sure, is this about the time when Eve was a queen?”
“…?”
Eve, who had lost her lead, froze as if someone hit the pause button.
Right, this was supposed to be a secret, wasn’t it?
Well, it’s not like it was an ultra-secret that no one should know, but it did feel like high-class information only for those in the know.
I’m not sure how exactly to track the years, but it’s set that quite a bit of time has passed since Eve retired, even from an elf’s perspective.
After messing around in the labyrinth, Lemon and Apple said they didn’t need a king who couldn’t bring in money, and that Elven Forest had been a republic since 400 years ago.
So, we can assume Eve quit her queen job a little over 400 years ago.
To humans, that’s a long time for a kingdom to fall, but for elves, it’s probably just a generation or two.
Pieces of memories fitting together. While organizing information in my head like that, Eve straightened her disheveled posture from the shock.
She squared her back, lifted her chin, and neatly folded her hands in front of her belly.
Just a change in posture, but the aura and feeling emanating from Eve completely transformed.
Indeed, is this the sensation of someone born to be a queen, not just someone appointed as one?
I couldn’t even draw a clear image, yet the setting I scrawled is standing perfectly before my eyes.
Isn’t this thrilling?
A smile crept onto my face without me realizing it. Eve looked at me with her sparkling green eyes, seemingly caught by my smile.
The Eye of Truth.
The legacy of the World Tree gazes deep into my being, probing and uncovering everything without leaving anything behind.
The unsettling and powerless feeling, as if someone were trampling on a sacred ground no one should invade… or perhaps a feeling of awe.
With the miracle of the new age nearing its end, Eve finally spoke up.
“When did you know?”
“I should have handled this sooner (X)”
“No elf wants their age, in the thousands, to be found out (O)”
With a cute chuckle at my inner turmoil, I rose from my seat and slowly headed towards Eve. Little sprouts blossoming from my footsteps.
This was a final production pulled together by squeezing out all the divine power, and… it looks better than expected.
I came to a stop just in front of Eve, standing close enough to almost touch her queen-sized chest, then subtly clasped my hands behind my back and looked up at her.
“From the very beginning. Would you believe that?”
“…….”
The difference in the intensity I felt from Eve. The pressure intensified.
It wasn’t just a fragment of power barely salvaged from the distorted time of the labyrinth; it was the true miracle of a god left intact in the world.
When I had encountered it briefly before, it sent chills down my spine… but this time, it didn’t feel as intense.
How do I put it? It felt a bit more familiar, maybe?
Perhaps I got stronger in the meantime, or maybe it’s the power of the Goddess of Love transmitted through the perfect goddess statue… or maybe it’s just the bond between those who hold the same divine power.
Anyway, it might look like I’m confessing the truth to Eve, but since her past is part of the setting I created from the moment we first met… or rather, since before that, it’s only natural I know, right?
“…It’s the truth. How exactly did you know? There’s no such thing as a perfect secret, and my past isn’t one either… but it’s not something just anyone should know. More importantly, Jonah, I heard you come from the same background as Lemon and Apple?”
“Are you a spy sent from some organization?” (X)
“Ah! It must be destiny!” (O)
Even amidst this chaos, that ancient virgin vibe is so consistent.
Anyway, if I’m being asked such a question, I gotta show something that’s at least somewhat convincing.
The ash wood crown I just got may lack persuasive power. That means there’s only one thing left.
I didn’t think I’d show this to Eve first.
I reached into the subspace of the bracelet.
Woosh—
A strange resonating sound and ripples spread into the air. I plunged my arm in up to the wrist and pulled it back out.
Holding the soft, stretchy, irresistible, warm mini statue of the Goddess of Love.
Whoosh—!
Just pulling it out warped the space ruled by Eve in an instant.
The divine power of the Goddess of Love pushing through and expelling the might of the World Tree.
It clearly reacted violently now that it met another god’s power, even though it had initially emitted a gentle divine light like a night lamp.
As if it were throwing a tantrum, not wanting to be taken from me.
…Wait, no? Could it really be that the divine artifact is pouring out more power for that reason?
I tried to hide the sweat trickling down my back while maintaining a calm smile.
“It’s just that I have a knack for being loved by a rather high-ranking individual. Not exactly a divine presence… but I just happen to know various things.”
“The World Tree…”
It’s hard to accept that someone inheriting the powers of the World Tree is a messenger of another goddess… (X)
Does this mean the great plan set for a hundred years is going down the drain? (O)
???
What on earth does that mean, Eve Eve…
What’s with this unsettling statement about the hundred years plan? Does that short sentence really pack that meaning?
Even a broken clock is right twice a day… so is this translation engine really broken and I just happened to hit the mark earlier?
Just for a moment, while I tried to deny reality, Eve’s widened eyes closed once again, returning to her usual half-squinted gaze. The pressure I had been sensing also vanished.
“Haah… I understand. The Goddess of Love must have had a plan all along. After all, she is the one who has shown unwavering love for us elves even as we still cannot forget our patron, the World Tree.”
If it weren’t for the love of the Goddess, I would’ve been disappointed… (X)
Even if I did inherit the World Tree’s power once in a thousand years, I was anxious as a human… but as a saint, everyone would be convinced, right? (O)
I don’t know the exact reason, but Eve has been eagerly sipping from her kimchi soup since a while ago. Watching her is amusing, but if I keep just watching like this, it feels like something big might actually happen.
She might have turned into a fish after living a thousand years as a virgin… but even with that considered, Eve’s reaction feels a bit excessive.
Given that, there are two choices I can think about.
1. Eve is a dangerous pervert excited by a small boy.
2. There’s a significance to the power of the World Tree that I don’t know.
The first one can’t be right. It shouldn’t be. It better not be… right?
To resolve the growing anxiety within me, I decided to ask the most crucial question.
“So? Could you continue from what you were saying earlier? The meaning of the World Tree’s power for elves, I mean.”
“Oh dear. I got too startled and lost my train of thought. To go back a bit, let’s revisit the story right after the Godslayer War…”
Eve’s next words were intriguing yet pitiable, if such a thing exists.
The World Tree had died, but traces of it remained in the first level of the labyrinth. And other marks and pieces of power from other deceased gods began to surface in different levels.
The elves, still grappling with their sense of loss, raised a question there. What if someone were to emerge who held the world tree’s power?
And if Eve, who was bestowed with that power, were to co-rule the elf kingdom… the Elven Forest, after they lost their god?
For those elves who desperately wanted to sense remnants of the World Tree, it became an urgent task.
Of course, no matter what they did, they couldn’t summon the Guardian of the First Floor, so it all fell through anyway.
“…Is that still important now?”
Eve shook her head with a look of resignation at my question.
“It still is, but not as thrilling for all elves as it was back then. Except for me, of course.”
“Pardon?”
“To govern Elven Forest with me simply means marrying me and becoming king and queen together.”
“Right?”
“So, no matter how much I’m a woman, I can’t carelessly mingle with other men.”
“Ahh….”
In my setting, Eve isn’t a heroine. I initially thought she was a heroine, but due to some reason, she darkens and meets her end at the hands of the protagonist as a mid-boss.
However, I did include the fact that she’s still a virgin, simply because I thought it would be amusing…
That something as trivial as wanting to have fun could come hand in hand with such backstory.
As I patted her shoulder in sympathy, Eve’s long ears flushed a deep red as she stumbled over her words.
“T-This part is fine, at least. I can retract my stance if the situation changes… but back then, I was young and full of vigor.”
“Excuse me? I’m starting to feel a bit anxious.”
“You’re quite perceptive. It’s no surprise that I swore my name to the World Tree back then; I promised I wouldn’t get close to any man other than one who possesses your power.”
“Goodness.”
The World Tree has passed, but its strength and authority have not entirely disappeared.
It was quite an impulsive oath, but nevertheless, Eve is the natural-born queen birthed directly from the World Tree.
If she violates an oath sworn before a god, her power would likely turn against her.
And if she holds a divine power as strong as Eve’s, merely having the divine energy run rampant could threaten her life.
“Die or live my life as a virgin. That’s the fate assigned to me—a folly’s price. I believed that… until you, Jonah, brought the impossible into the realm of possibility.”
Finishing her sentence with a pitiful expression, Eve took a half-step back.
“Jonah, I can’t marry anyone but you. Perhaps I spent all this time waiting to meet you.”
“Pardon? What does that…”
“I was originally supposed to take more time to get to know you, explain my situation properly… but since we’re here, I’ll muster more courage.”
Then, kneeling down, she took off one of the rings placed on her finger and offered it with both hands.
“Will you marry me?”
“Become my political scapegoat.” (X)
“Come on! Strike me!” (O)
The dizzying line from the translation engine suddenly popped up once again, and I flashed a big smile.
“I’d prefer not to.”
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