Under the World Tree, a crack between its massive roots revealed a hidden path leading to its core.
Fwoosh!
Purple-black flames—unnatural and forbidden in the Elf Forest—roared to life.
“Undine!”
High elves summoned water spirits, directing them toward the fire to suppress the heat. They had hastily gathered to defend the forest and the World Tree, their expressions grim as they focused on spiritual communion.
Fwoosh!
“Kyaaaaaak!”
But the sheer disparity in firepower rendered their efforts futile. The water spirits burst like firecrackers on contact with the flames, then evaporated without a trace.
Fwoosh…
At the heart of the inferno stood a dark elf clad in a black leather military uniform, wearing a gas mask-like helmet and wielding magical weaponry in both hands. She aimed the devices forward.
Sparks jumped from the power lines attached to the weapons.
FWOOSH!
The alchemically-forged flamethrowers spewed dark purple fire—like a dragon’s breath—consuming everything.
“Urgh, everyone, evade!”
At Queen Asteria’s command, the elves retreated swiftly. The Queen raised her jade-colored staff.
From the ground, a massive trunk erupted. It stretched to shield the World Tree, forming a natural barrier to block the flames—a living shield of the forest.
But then—
“Kihihihi…!”
Beyond the barrier, the dark elf grinned twistedly as she continued firing.
“You tree-loving hypocrites! Burning spirits and trees just to protect yourselves—isn’t that a contradiction?!”
“Silence, you corrupted apostate!”
“Corrupted? Me? You’re the ones imprisoned by your worship of nature—blind to the passage of time, ignoring your kin’s suffering in the name of non-interference, even as they’re enslaved!”
Her words struck the elves like a whip. Queen Asteria and the others clenched their teeth.
“Yes… We were wrong. But—”
“Shut up and die!”
Cadencia poured more magic into the flamethrower, intensifying the flames.
“Burn and vanish with your precious World Tree, you filthy hypocrites!”
It was unthinkable for the elves—especially the Elf Queen herself—to be driven back by a single dark elf. But if one looked closer, they would see the three tragedies weighing upon the elves.
“Protect the World Tree, everyone!”
One: The World Tree.
It is the cradle of life—where all elves are reborn. Any damage to it spells irreversible loss for their kind.
“Keep communing with the water spirits! We mustn’t let the flames reach the World Tree!”
Two: The Flames.
Elves, bound in harmony with nature, are deeply vulnerable to fire. It is why their kingdom isolates itself from humans.
Three:
“Kyahahaha! Buuurn!”
Cadencia had connected her flamethrower not to a magic tank—but to her own body, using her life force as fuel.
“You… the Empire’s Master…!”
She wasn’t just a dark elf—she was a Master, wielding alchemical might and personal power alike.
“Forest Guardians! Kill the Empire’s Master, the dark elf!”
From behind, high elves sprang forth, bows drawn.
Wind arrows flew like hawks toward Cadencia’s back—but she swung the flamethrower behind her.
Clang!
The arrows disintegrated midair.
Seizing the moment, elven warriors lunged with spears—
Clang!
“?!”
“Kihihi…!”
Cadencia caught the spearhead between her teeth. Aura glimmered from her fangs. The enchanted spear ignited and crumbled.
The attacker screamed—
“Aaaaah!”
“N-no…!”
She was set ablaze. Even as spirits doused her with water, the elf’s body glowed a scalding red.
“Why are you screaming? You’ll be reborn in the World Tree’s fruit anyway… though your memories will be gone! Ahaha!”
“You…! What about the armistice agreement?!”
At Queen Asteria’s cry, Cadencia momentarily paused and shrugged.
“Armistice agreement? I don’t care. The Emperor who signed that isn’t my Emperor.”
“Madwoman…!”
“I am Cadencia, a dark elf! I will burn this hypocritical forest and force your kind to open their eyes to the real world!”
With wild eyes, she aimed her flamethrower skyward.
“Because of the World Tree, you suffer—”
“Bullshit.”
“!!”
The flamethrower, now aimed at the canopy—
“You…”
A man stood balanced on one of the World Tree’s thick branches, a greatsword resting on his shoulder.
“Hans Wilhelm?! How—how are you here?!”
“You said you came from the Empire, right? Then you should’ve known I was already here.”
“Ugh… Damn it! So that’s why they were only leaving women officers here—!”
Realizing the threat, Cadencia tore off the flamethrower and bolted into the forest.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
She leapt from branch to branch like an elf—but—
“I’m the type who spares pretty women, you know?”
Whee—
“But someone who commits arson in someone else’s house is an exception.”
The greatsword flew like a boomerang, slamming into Cadencia’s back.
“This—!”
“Even if they’re virgins.”
Thwump.
The blade embedded into a tree, straight through her chest.
Cadencia—the dark elf—died without a final word.
“You said you spare pretty women…”
“What are you talking about.”
Thud.
One Master who betrayed the Empire perished with no last words.
“Just being pretty doesn’t save you.”
With one attack—from Grand Master Hans Wilhelm.
—
* * *
“You truly are the continent’s shield.”
“It’s nothing.”
I calmed Queen Asteria, her palms soaked with tension. I poured mana into my greatsword to extinguish the last embers.
“Thank you, Sir Wilhelm. Without you, we’d never have survived this surprise attack.”
“Indeed. I didn’t expect her to go berserk with the Empire’s magical weapon—Fafnir.”
I nudged the discarded weapon with my foot.
Though it resembled a mere dual-arm flamethrower, it was actually a marvel of alchemy and magi-tech.
Click.
Cracking it open, I revealed a geometric magical circuit board inside.
And at its core—a glowing red gem.
A pseudo-dragon heart.
A synthetic magical core forged by human hands.
This was the power the Empire used to fuel its wars—and it was the reason they had conquered five kingdoms in a single week at the start of the conflict.
And if a Master-level being used it…
The damage was unimaginable.
“Tsk. I should be relieved this wasn’t a violation of the armistice.”
“Pardon?”
“Exactly.”
Queen Asteria’s face darkened—but she quickly understood.
This wasn’t an act of the Empire.
It was an individual aberration.
“The Empire’s intelligence agency is no fool. They’re tracking me. If this was a real plan, they wouldn’t have sent her. Unless they’d gone insane.”
“You’re saying… this was Cadencia’s personal deviation?”
“Exactly. But…”
I kicked the weapon toward an approaching figure from the woods.
“What bothers me is that the Empire let it happen.”
“My apologies.”
A woman with black hair and red eyes, dressed in uniform, caught the weapon and bowed.
“Sorry I’m late, Sir Wilhelm.”
“You weren’t intentionally late, were you?”
“……”
“These warmongers within the Empire are trying to use me to eliminate her. Am I wrong?”
“It’s not like that.”
She snapped her fingers. Black-robed individuals stepped out from the shadows.
“As you can see, we came to apprehend the renegade who stole the weapon.”
“Wait… Are those—”
“Wow. You must be serious.”
Empire Masters.
I recognized them. And they knew me.
“You’re here to assassinate me?”
“Never. We’d rather not die. We came to ensure the armistice remains intact.”
“Is that so?”
“If I’m lying, I’ll offer myself up.”
“…Tch. Damn it.”
It’s not a lie.
Regrettably.
—
“Hey.”
Because it really isn’t a lie.
“You guys. Let’s do one job together.”
“…?”
I drew my greatsword.
“No matter how wicked the deed, the world forgives as long as war doesn’t break out. So—”
Clank.
“We’ll coordinate our stories.”
Now.
“Today, I will be assassinated by you… and go missing. Got it?”
Wilhelm’s Death [1/1].
To be continued.
—
