Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Part 53

"They all died. I'm the only one who came back alive."

"..."

The five elders' expressions darkened.

For a while, no one spoke.

Then one of the elders slowly shook his head.

"Their deaths are a terrible tragedy."

Another elder quietly continued.

"But that doesn't mean surviving was a sin."

"We're grateful that at least you made it home."

Eilen bit her lip.

Then she turned to look at Yugeon, who was standing behind her.

"I'm alive because of that human."

All five elders immediately turned their attention toward Yugeon.

"Han Yugeon."

Eilen introduced him by name.

"He killed the humans who imprisoned me and experimented on me. Then he rescued me. If it weren't for him, I would already be dead."

"..."

The five elders silently examined Yugeon.

They were still wary of him.

However, they couldn't simply dismiss Eilen's testimony.

After a moment, the elder in the center spoke.

"Human."

"We are grateful that you saved Eilen."

"I didn't do it to receive your gratitude."

"That does not make your kindness any less deserving of gratitude."

The elder's gaze briefly moved across Mincheol, Hwarin, and Woojin before returning to Yugeon.

"However, there is one thing I don't understand."

"What is it?"

"Why have you humans come all the way here?"

"..."

It was a reasonable question.

If their only objective had been to send Eilen home, they could simply have allowed her to leave the Tower on her own.

There was no particular need for four humans to enter Alvheim.

Yugeon took a step forward.

"There's a reason."

All five elders focused on him.

Yugeon looked at each of them before speaking.

"I want Alvheim and Earth to form an alliance."

We absolutely have to establish an alliance with the Elves.

Before his regression...

What had he regretted over and over again?

Failing to obtain Mythic items in advance?

Being unable to stop the Monster Waves?

No.

Neither of those things.

Failing to establish an alliance with the Elves.

That had been his greatest regret.

Back then, the governments of various countries had wanted to entrust him with diplomatic negotiations involving the Elves.

After all, he had belonged to no particular organization, and he had been the strongest.

However, he had refused.

It hadn't been because he found the responsibility troublesome.

At the time, he had genuinely disliked Elves.

One of his companions had died in a battle against them, and humans and Elves had clashed several times inside the Tower.

As a result, he had opposed the very idea of establishing diplomatic relations with them.

Of course, plenty of people around him had argued that humanity needed outside assistance as the world moved closer to destruction and its strength continued to decline.

But Yugeon had believed that accepting help from outside forces might actually put humanity in even greater danger.

And I came to regret that decision.

He had made an incredibly self-indulgent choice.

A foolish one.

By the time children's corpses were lying in the streets and even the underground shelters had ceased to offer safety, he had come to regret it bitterly.

For humanity's survival, he should have been willing to crawl through filth if necessary.

Yet he had continued clinging to his meaningless pride until the very end.

That's why I have to establish an alliance with the Elves before relations between our races deteriorate.

And Yugeon knew exactly what the Elves truly wanted.

He had only learned about their real objective after nearly all of humanity had died.

"An alliance, you say..."

The five elders stroked their chins.

They certainly hadn't expected the first human to visit Alvheim to suggest an alliance.

They had assumed he would simply look around and perhaps request a reward for rescuing Eilen.

"We have no reason to do that."

"We know human nature very well. We haven't had any major conflicts with humanity yet, but as time passes, those conflicts will inevitably become more frequent. Why? Because humans are selfish. The moment they decide that something threatens humanity or works against its interests, they attempt to eliminate it without hesitation."

"..."

Yugeon couldn't argue with the elder.

After all, he wasn't wrong.

Humanity rarely left something alone if it believed that thing posed a threat.

Yugeon himself was no different.

He intended to destroy Genocide because the organization was a danger to humanity.

"So tell us. Why should we form an alliance with humans? We possess more than enough strength to protect our race without your assistance."

Elves were fundamentally much stronger than humans.

Their physical capabilities were approximately twice those of ordinary humans.

Strength, speed, senses, and more.

In practically every aspect, Elves were superior.

That was why the elders saw no need for an alliance.

"We are truly grateful that you saved Eilen."

"However, that alone is not a sufficient reason to establish an alliance."

"And surely you don't believe we govern all Elves?"

"We govern only this city. The only one with the authority to rule our entire race is His Majesty, our king."

"Even if we accept your request for an alliance, it will never happen if His Majesty refuses."

The elders spoke frankly.

It wasn't because they were particularly kind.

Nor was it because Yugeon had made a favorable first impression.

They were simply grateful that he had rescued Eilen.

Sharing this information was their way of repaying that kindness.

They didn't want him to develop false expectations.

However, Yugeon remained calm as he listened to their explanations.

Then he spoke.

"I'm not asking for an alliance as a reward for saving Eilen. Forming an alliance with us will benefit Alvheim too."

"And why would it benefit us?"

"Because I can fulfill the Elves' greatest wish."

"?!!"

"!!!"

At Yugeon's calm declaration, the five elders' eyes trembled violently.

Meanwhile, his companions and Eilen merely tilted their heads, unable to understand what he meant.

Their greatest wish.

The moment those words were spoken, the elders' expressions changed.

He hadn't merely claimed that he could grant them something they wanted.

He had specifically referred to their race's greatest wish.

That meant he knew a secret that only those in positions of great authority were supposed to possess.

"Judging by your expression, you've said that knowing exactly what you're talking about."

"That's right."

"..."

"I know why the entire Elven race is climbing the Tower. I also know that you intend to use the wish to ask for that thing to be removed."

As Yugeon continued, the elders bit their lips and exchanged glances.

The more he spoke, the more certain they became.

This human knew about the suffering they had been hiding.

"Very well. I understand that you know our secret. However, that only makes your proposal even harder to comprehend."

"If you know what it is, then you must also know that it cannot be killed."

"Elders, what exactly are you talking about?"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Eilen finally interrupted.

It was considered disrespectful to interrupt the elders while they were speaking.

However, she needed to know what they were discussing.

After all, she was the one responsible for training the Elves who would be sent into the Tower.

She had a right to hear the truth.

"This is something you do not need to know."

"But...!"

"We've kept it hidden to prevent chaos. So even if you're curious, you must simply..."

"Father!"

Eilen finally lost her temper and shouted at one of the elders.

His name was Erlad.

He was one of the five elders, but before anything else, he was Eilen's father.

"..."

"Haa..."

When Eilen fixed him with a sharp stare, Erlad eventually let out a deep sigh.

He nodded.

The other elders looked at Erlad and nodded as well.

They were giving him permission to tell his daughter.

Snap!

BZZZZZZT!

One of the elders snapped his fingers.

An enormous amount of mana erupted, and soundproofing magic instantly enveloped the entire room.

"Wow..."

"That's incredible..."

Hwarin and Woojin couldn't help expressing their admiration.

Both belonged to magic-related classes, so they could appreciate just how refined and powerful the Elf's magic had been.

"Ren."

Erlad, no longer speaking as an elder but as a father, addressed his daughter by her affectionate nickname.

"Do you know how Elves were originally born?"

"I was told that we were originally born from the World Tree."

"That's right. But how are Elves born now?"

"Through childbirth."

"And what do you believe is the reason for that?"

"I was taught that the World Tree fell asleep after using too much of its power to create this world."

"That is a lie, my dear."

"?!!!"

Eilen's eyes widened at the shocking revelation.

It wasn't just her.

Every Elf grew up receiving that same education.

And now her father was telling her that it was a lie?!

"The World Tree is currently being corrupted."

"Pardon...? Th-The World Tree is being corrupted?"

Eilen was thoroughly shaken by Erlad's words.

After all, the World Tree radiated such an incredibly sacred aura that it was difficult to imagine it could be corrupted.

Every Elf underwent their coming-of-age ceremony before the World Tree.

That meant they had all seen it from up close.

And Eilen had never sensed even the slightest trace of corruption.

"To be honest, calling it corruption isn't entirely accurate."

"Please explain properly. Is it corrupted or not?"

"It would be more accurate to say that something is attempting to corrupt it, and the World Tree has been continuously resisting that corruption."

"What do you mean...?"

"At the place where the World Tree's roots lie, there is a Remnant of an Evil God."

"..."

As the elders groaned and tightly shut their eyes, everyone except Yugeon was overcome with shock.

Not only Eilen but also the three companions who had been listening stared with their mouths open.

"Do you remember when Elves stopped being born from the World Tree?"

"...I was taught that it happened ten thousand years ago."

"Ten thousand years ago, a war took place that was never recorded in our history. It was the invasion of the demons."

The demons had set their sights on Alvheim.

More precisely, the Demon Kings had possessed overwhelming power.

With the blessings of the World Tree, the Elves had somehow managed to defend Alvheim.

However, as time passed, it became increasingly clear that they were losing the war.

"In the end, the king of that era made a choice."