Chương 62: Child of the World Tree

Even after the orcs had vanished beyond the forest, the elf village could not move for a while. Wet mud pooled between the broken stone markers. Several low fences lay on their sides, and the wooden supports that had propped up the young branch were twisted on one side. On the upper paths, torn leaf cloth swayed, and on the ground, wounded elves were laid on litters woven from leaves. In that gap, Kichan quietly pulled back.

His wake-up rod was on his shoulder, and the water drop at the end of his sleeve was looking toward the World Tree. Dust was eyeing the fruit from a short distance away. More precisely, it was eyeing the water drop guarding the fruit, and each time the water drop popped up, Dust backed away one step. Kichan watched the scene and spoke quietly.

"It's over, right? I'm going." What blocked his way was not a bow. The elder lowered his head. This was the old man who had just been planting his staff and signaling to the bow-wielding elves with his eyes. This time, he did not even thrust out his staff. He brought his hands together over the wet ground and lowered his back toward Kichan. Kichan found that more uncomfortable.

"What now." The elder could not answer right away. His gaze moved from Kichan to the water drop at the end of his sleeve, then down to the World Tree fruit placed before it.

"That fruit, and that child of water, must be confirmed."

"Another meeting?" The corners of the elder's eyes grew wearier.

"This time, we ask the World Tree." Before those words even finished, the elves opened a path from inside the village. The hands moving the wounded paused briefly, and the young elves hiding on the tree railings poked their heads out. From beneath the largest root deepest inside, one old elf slowly walked out. He was shorter than the elder. But the way the surrounding elves treated him was different. No one passed before him, and even the elves raising the broken markers stopped their hands.

His white hair fell below his shoulders, and on his forehead, faint golden patterns like leaf veins remained. Riphiel lowered herself on the sabertooth tiger.

"That is the chieftain."

"How is that different from the elder?"

"The difference between one who starts meetings and one who ends them." Kichan immediately looked at the chieftain.

"Nice." Riphiel opened her mouth, then closed it. The chieftain paid no attention to that exchange. He looked at the water drop before looking at Kichan. The water drop was halfway out from the end of the sleeve. It was not sharply torn as before, nor spread like a shield. It had curled its small body round and was trembling quietly toward the World Tree. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The chieftain's eyes wavered very slightly.

"That child is one of the children born of the World Tree." Kichan looked down at the water drop.

"This one?" The water drop went pop. Seeing that reaction, Kichan's face grew more suspicious.

"Did you know?" The water drop tried to hide back inside the sleeve.

"Don't hide. It makes you more suspicious." The chieftain slowly extended his hand. His fingers did not touch the water drop. Only the leaf-vein patterns on the back of his hand brightened very faintly.

"Long ago, the World Tree gave birth to many small lives. There are children born of water, and children scattered on the wind. There were children who remained in the shadows of leaves, and children who went far following the light." Kichan was listening. He was listening, all right. But unlike the elves who listened while even holding their breath, fatigue steadily piled on his face. The chieftain continued.

"Most remain within the forest. Some children go outside the forest. Even we do not know all the reasons."

"Then this one ran away from home." The ears of several elders stiffened simultaneously. Riphiel said hastily.

"A more reverent expression would be independence."

"It's running away from home."

"Since it is a child of the World Tree, calling it running away from home—""It left home. That means it ran away." The chieftain did not get angry. Instead, he looked at the water drop for a longer time. The water drop was half-hidden inside the sleeve, but it wrapped around Kichan's wrist very weakly. The strength was small. But the direction was clear. Toward Kichan. Feeling that, Kichan shut his mouth for a moment.

"Then is this one's home here?" The water drop immediately hid deep inside Kichan's sleeve. Kichan looked down at his wrist.

"It says no." The elders' faces grew more complicated. One young elf's eyes widened, and an older elf pressed the tip of his staff harder into the dirt. A child of the World Tree was following an outsider. And it would not come out from the sleeve of the human who had stopped the orcs that had broken through the village boundary. Whether it was a good omen, a bad omen, or an annoying omen — no one could say right away. Kichan hated that silence.

"Why are you all making those faces again?" Riphiel answered carefully.

"It could be a good thing, and it could be a very troublesome thing."

"Just pick one."

"World Tree matters are usually both." Kichan sighed. Just then, Dust moved. The World Tree fruit was placed in front of the water drop. Two elves were guarding it, and three elders were watching. Yet Dust ignored all those gazes and, from the shadows behind Kichan, very slowly stretched a leg toward the fruit. The water drop immediately popped up. Dust stopped. Without looking back, Kichan said.

"Don't even try." Dust paused one beat, then hid behind Kichan as if nothing had happened. Kichan turned his head. The stem of the fruit was already in Dust's mouth. It hadn't been able to bite the whole thing. Still, the fruit was half a hand-span closer to Kichan than moments ago.

"Don't hide. I can see everything." Dust flicked a leg. Riphiel said seriously.

"It appears there is intent to return it, but the location has merely been temporarily adjusted." Kichan looked at Riphiel.

"Are you defending it now?"

"I was also slightly surprised."

"Then be quiet." The chieftain crouched before the fruit. His fingers stopped just before touching the fruit's surface. The ripple patterns inside the green skin moved faintly. The water drop gave a small tremble in front of it, and Dust hid one more step behind Kichan's heel. The chieftain's face became one of long thought. His gaze passed over the water drop, the fruit, Dust, and Kichan in turn.

"A child of the World Tree follows you, and the World Tree's fruit was bitten by your party." Kichan said immediately.

"It didn't bite it. It carried it here in its mouth." The chieftain nodded.

"That makes it more complicated." Kichan closed his eyes. Riphiel said very quietly beside him.

"A fourth agenda item has arisen." Kichan's eyes opened again.

"I said don't call it an agenda item."