Hell Mode: Volume 7, page 15
“Soon. Soon, this tree will grow enough to be worthy of being called a World Tree.” The elder’s voice had a pleased ring to it.
“How wonderful.” Though Sophie merely spoke her mind, when Elder Jiamnir heard her words, he looked sad and dejected. “My apologies. That was a thoughtless remark,” she continued.
“Don’t worry about it,” the elder replied while hanging his head. “It’s not your fault. However, please be careful how you speak in front of the others. Anyway, we will now take you to the king’s shrine.”
A cart pulled by two small, bipedal dragons was waiting at the end of the walkway.
Chapter 9: Team Sophie (Part 2): The King and Queen
About an hour after boarding the cart pulled by the bipedal dragons, Sophie’s team arrived at the shore of a lake where the trunks of giant trees stretched out as far as the eye could see. The water of the lake was so clear that they could see the trees’ roots at the bottom of it. A cool breeze blew in from the lake, and when Sophie took a deep breath, she felt her chest lighten.
From the shore, a wooden bridge stretched across the water to a large tree, which Elder Jiamnir led the group over. Looking down at the lake from the bridge, the shadows of fish of various sizes were visible, and at the base of the giant tree at the other end, the terrace of a shrine had been built. The wooden shrine sat on stilts, with pillars extending from the roots of the tree. The terrace stretched across the width of the shrine, and a large number of dark elves were gathered there to offer their prayers to the giant tree.
Sophie paused as she felt a sense of déjà vu at the sight. She soon realized that this was a replica of what she saw every day at the base of the World Tree in Fortenia.
“Everyone wishes for the World Tree to grow as soon as possible.”
Sophie nodded in response to the elder’s words, then she urged him to continue to move forward. They entered the shrine and walked down the hallway, where they heard various voices as they moved. It sounded as if the voices were arguing about something, but Sophie could not tell if it was because they had been battling daemonic incarnations and monsters or if it was due to the decision to let Sophie inside.
“I assume King Olvahs will arrive shortly.”
The elder nodded in response to Sophie’s statement. “Of course. In fact, he’s already here. I wouldn’t dream of keeping Lord Rohzen waiting.”
Upon hearing that the king of the village was on the other side of the sliding door in front of her, Sophie finally took off her overcoat, which she had been wearing to protect herself from the sun.
“Good idea. I’d hate to be rude.” Meruru followed suit and also took off her cloak.
“That attire...” the elder said, freezing in place when Sophie took off her cloak. He was sure he had seen the garment she was wearing, which looked like the national dress of an ancient South American empire from Allen’s previous world, somewhere before. Despite his loss for words, though, he continued to guide Sophie.
Many dark elves were waiting in the hall, sitting in rows on either side. Sophie wondered if the armed ones were commanding officers. In the back of the room, there were people in robes who looked like elders. They followed Elder Jiamnir and watched Sophie and Volmaar as they entered the hall.
Sophie soon realized from their silent gazes that she was not welcome. Some even glared at her with open hostility. There was a tatami room at the back of the hall that was one step higher, where a male dark elf with jet-black skin and silver hair was sitting cross-legged. His golden eyes had been staring at Sophie for some time now.
While most dark elves had brown skin, gray hair, and reddish-brown eyes, the one with a different appearance was Olvahs, the king of the high dark elves. He ruled over the dark elf home of Fabraaze.
“Welcome, Princess Sophialohne. It’s rare to have a guest in my village, much less a high elf.” Olvahs’s voice echoed throughout the hall. He opened his hands, clenched his fists, and thrust them out past his cross-legged knees. “And, of course, I would be remiss to not welcome Spirit God Rohzen. On behalf of Fabraaze, I would like to offer my sincere greetings.” The king bowed deeply to the Spirit God held tightly in Sophie’s arms.
A creature stared at the Spirit God. Sitting next to Olvahs was a boy with jet-black skin and silver hair—seemingly the son of the king—and curled up on his knees was a shiny, jet-black weasel. It raised only its face and was glaring at the Spirit God on Sophie’s chest. Sophie realized that this weasel was Fabre, the Sovereign of Spirits who protected Fabraaze.
Fabre’s and Rohzen’s gazes met. Sensing this, the hall suddenly fell silent. Neither side said a word for quite some time.
The king suddenly opened his mouth to speak. “All right, have a seat over there. Now, I can tell by the battle garb you’re dressed in that Rohzenheim still looks down on our village.”
Reaching out his hand, he pointed toward the front of the tatami room. There were three rugs of a similar design to the one on which the king sat.
“I’m sorry. Due to the urgency of this matter, I didn’t have time to change. It’s a pleasure to meet you, King Olvahs and the people of Fabraaze. I am Sophialohne of Rohzenheim. Thank you for your warm reception.”
Sophie glanced around the room as she gave her introduction, then stepped forward and sat on the provided rug. Meruru sat cross-legged on the rug next to her, while Volmaar knelt behind Sophie, ready to move if anything happened.
However, much of the room refused to remain silent. Many of the dark elves here, including village leaders, elders, and generals, sustained the existence of the dark elf village.
“What?! H-How dare you speak so rudely?! And you say it is urgent?!”
“That’s right! You come in here all high and mighty without even introducing yourself?! Are you planning on invading and destroying our village?!”
They seemed angered by the arrival of a princess from Rohzenheim in the garb of a priestess—the outfit that a priestess wore when she had once led the elves to victory in an age when the elves and dark elves were at odds with each other.
The elder was so angry that his jet-black skin took on a bright red hue, while the general tried to grab the sword at his waist. However, it seemed that it was forbidden to put one’s hand to their sword without the king’s permission, as the general cast an appealing glance in Olvahs’s direction seeking such permission. As soon as he got permission, he planned to lower his center of gravity to cut through the impudent visitors. He looked prepared to pounce on Sophie at a moment’s notice.
“Whoa, what’s wrong?”
Volmaar stood up to protect Sophie from the hostile elders and generals. “Miss Meruru, let us leave this to Princess Sophialohne,” he said in hopes of calming Meruru down.
Sophie seemed to have foreseen that the elders and generals would behave in this manner. It was hardly surprising.
The Spiritualist’s Cloak, which she had obtained just before leaving for Elmahl, had special meaning to the elves and dark elves. Thousands of years ago, when the elves and dark elves were at war on the continent of Rohzenheim, the dark elves had occupied every city and fortress, leaving only the city at the base of the World Tree.
The current God of Spirits, Rohzen, had appeared in front of an elven girl who was desperately praying to the World Tree. The praying maiden made a contract with Rohzen, a spirit god at the time, and the elves made rapid progress. All cities and fortresses held by the dark elves who did not give up their stance of total resistance fell, and the dark elves were driven out of Rohzenheim. No one here had been alive at the time, but it seemed that they were nonetheless familiar with the cloak Sophie was wearing.
One of the dark elves in attendance glared daggers at Sophie, but she had been prepared for this. He went on to remark, “She could have taken it off, couldn’t she?”
Sophie bowed deeply to Olvahs. “King, I am not in any way responsible for my own history. However, I am truly sorry for any rudeness in my actions. I apologize from the bottom of my heart, so please forgive me.”
The king stuck out his palm and tried to pacify the angered elders and general. Anyone could tell at a glance what his gestures meant. With a piercing gaze that carried with it an order for his men to shut up, the king made his attitude clear. In response, the elders and generals reluctantly sat back down on their cushions.
“So, I hear you have something you want to tell me. Is it about the monsters that have been attacking this village for the past few days?”
Sophie watched as the king, keeping a close eye on her group, returned to the topic at hand. His eyes shifted from the Spirit God in her arms to Meruru at Sophie’s side, then up a little to the Bird A atop Meruru’s head. The Spirit A who had accompanied them to allow the party to communicate with Allen was not present, as she was exterminating the remaining monsters outside the village. This also indicated Allen’s willingness to leave the interaction with the dark elves to Sophie, the princess of Rohzenheim.
“Yes. I’m here to fight those monsters. We just killed the ones surrounding the city, but we haven’t able to destroy the root of the issue that causes them to appear. And so, I would like to tell you about the causes and what is currently going on.”
“Hmm. So you, an elf, are proposing to give us advice?”
The king narrowed his golden eyes as he said this. In spite of his gentle tone, the contrast of his sharp gaze stood out. However, Sophie had no intention of backing down.
“It’s up to you how you judge our story. I just don’t want to cause any trouble between us due to neglecting to tell you.”
She figured it was best to be honest about what she thought and let the king decide. Beyond that, she had no idea what options were available to her.
“Hmph. So, the condescending nature of Rohzenheim remains unchanged, I see. But if it’s that important, Princess of Rohzenheim, let us gamble on the history between us. You may speak to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you. First off, I want to inform you that this incident was part of a plot by the Demon Lord Army.”
Sophie told those in attendance that Teomenia, the capital of Elmahl, had been set ablaze. While the fire raged, monsters disguised as humans had suddenly appeared as a result of so-called holy water distributed to followers of the evil Church of Gushara. Humans who were bitten by these monsters, known as daemonic incarnations, would transform into them as well, causing the tragedy to spread farther across the land. In addition, when Sophie and her friends had received a distress signal from people who had escaped from Teomenia, they had found once they arrived there that a Demonic Deity had taken up residence in the church. Though they had been able to defeat their opponent, it was proof of the Demon Lord Army’s involvement.
She then went on to explain the existence of an island floating in the sky, which led her and her companions to infer that the south, east, and west of the Union were experiencing similar situations to the one that had occurred in the north. That inference had guided her here, where they had spotted an oasis town. She concluded that the pillar of light they had followed was likely the cause of the disasters taking place in the Muharino Desert region, as well as in Teomenia.
After Sophie finished speaking, the dark elf elders and generals who had been listening quietly raised their objections in hushed tones.
“Don’t be deceived, Your Majesty!”
Some were so outraged that they immediately took to their feet. The millennia-old feud between the elves and the dark elves was still unresolved, and even in spite of the fact that she had saved the village from an enemy attack, they refused to listen to Sophie due to her status as the princess of Rohzenheim. Their actions were purely reactionary.
However, the king remained silent and continued to stare at Sophie. He finally spoke only after the clamor subsided. “So, what do you want us to do after telling us this story?”
“As I said earlier, it is up to you to decide how to react.”
Sophie’s response led to another round of gasps of astonishment and angry objections from the dark elves.
“What the hell?!”
“So the elf princess just throws all her problems down at our feet?!”
It seemed as if they had a hard time accepting that she would explain so much and yet offer no solutions.
King Olvahs, who continued to hold Sophie in his golden-eyed gaze, let out a sigh before speaking softly. “I heard that you are the new queen of Rohzenheim, but it seems that it will take some time before you can become one. I don’t know what your true intentions are. But for the time being, at least, I acknowledge your message, Elf Princess.”
“Thank you, King Olvahs.” Judging by the king’s reaction, she doubted that he believed her completely, but if nothing else, she had managed to say everything she had intended to. Her only desire was to help the people living in this village and the Muharino Desert.
She would do whatever she could to those ends, but she doubted that would be enough. That was why she wanted Fabraaze to cooperate with her. But she could not force them, nor did she want to. She wanted to pass on what information she knew, and she had done just that. However, she had no idea what to do next.
Sophie remained silent for some time before King Olvahs, who continued to closely inspect her face, spoke again.
“Then, I have something to tell you. You fought against the monsters that were attacking our village. I believe it would only be proper for me to thank you on behalf of the village. What do you think?”
Sophie blinked. This, she figured, was King Olvahs testing her and giving her a chance. The dark elves remained silent, and she took a deep breath. As the leader of the team, she summoned up the courage she needed to do what she had to do.
“I have a few requests.”
The king, who had maintained the same posture throughout their entire interaction, finally leaned forward. “Speak.”
“First of all, I would like a map of the Muharino Desert. As I said earlier, the monsters that were once humans are attacking towns and villages, and they are only increasing in number. If you have a map, then even those of us who are unfamiliar with the lay of the land may be able to hurry and provide some assistance.”
When Sophie thought about what Allen would ask for, the first thing that came to mind was a map.
Allen liked analyzing situations and was interested in figuring out as many things as he could. He was particularly interested in making his own maps before taking action. As Cecil had once remarked, “Allen is made up of maps.” She could think of countless examples where this was true, such as back when she had first met Allen in Academy City, their battle to save Rohzenheim, and even their time in the Rank S dungeon.
“Hmm. You assume we have a map. Why?” the king replied, asking a question of his own.
“Because while this village must be supported by Lady Fabraaze’s power and protected by your dark elf warriors, I don’t think that’s sufficient for anyone to survive in the desert. For example, there are undoubtedly times when you need assistance from other settlements. In cases like that, I believe there must be a person with a map who goes out of the village for such purposes.”
With the help of spirits, they could draw water from the veins that flowed beneath the desert, allowing them to grow grains and vegetables. However, there were times when they needed more than crops alone—things such as salt and minerals. When they did, there had to be people who came to sell those goods, and there had to be people who went out to trade crops from this village in order to obtain the funds to buy them. In that case, there almost certainly had to be a map of the desert.
“I see. And you have other requests?”
“Yes. I would like to be granted a place to keep those who have managed to escape from the monster attacks.”
“Are you asking me to provide them sanctuary in the village?”
“No. For example, I assume there must be a market outside the village where you conduct trade. I would like permission to expand that area or build a refugee camp nearby.”
After listening to what Sophie had to say, King Olvahs leaned back.
“To prepare land for outsiders... Hmm, I heard that Rohzenheim was attacked by the Demon Lord Army last year, but even so, unlike us, it looks like you have some leeway.”
“I’m sorry. I just want to save as many lives as possible.”
The king remained lost in thought. It was unclear whether he had even heard Sophie.
“I see. Judging by what you said earlier, I believe the strange half-human monsters who attacked our village today are probably the people of Rukoaque. I suppose that means they fell to the Demon Lord Army.”
Upon hearing the king mention the city’s name, the other dark elves began murmuring about Rukoaque among themselves.
“What kind of city is it?”
“Rukoaque is the closest city to our village,” Elder Jiamnir said in response to Sophie’s question. “Long ago, there were no lakes or springs around here. With the help of the spirits, we drew underground water veins and created lakes, and until recently, we did not have any need to invite other races from beyond our borders to exchange crops for what we needed. We were able to be self-sufficient. But about twenty years ago, an oasis suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and humans began to gather.”
Somehow, by the power of some pontiff, water began to be produced there. Even with the power of spirits, it was practically impossible to create water from nothing. Were such an act to occur, it would be a miracle of God, so nomads and travelers who heard rumor of this place had migrated. This settlement, which had initially started as a small village, grew into a large city.
“They would occasionally come to our village and ask to come inside, but we never let them in. Not even once. Come to think of it, I suspect this must have been a part of the Demon Lord Army’s plan.”
Hearing the elder’s story, Sophie also became convinced that the name of the oasis city where the pillar of light stood must have been Rukoaque. This “pontiff who created water” whom the elder spoke of was likely the Pontiff of the Church of Gushara. They had set a trap using the water people needed to survive. Just the thought of it caused a sense of anger to well up in her chest.
