Round 390

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Ahem! Ahem!

At the top of the World Tree.  

Frey, who had everyone’s attention, cleared her throat.  

Soon, with a clear voice, she began to sing the same song she had performed the day before.  

“Carried by the eastern winds, the honey is so sweet! The moment you wrap honey strings and place them in your mouth, it’s pure bliss! Surrounded by forgotten flowers and trees, we dance an eternal dance! ”  

No matter when I heard it, it always sounded like a cute children’s song.  

But the tone was oddly old-fashioned, like something from a historical drama—a strange hybrid.  

“Ahhh.”  

“Ah!”  

As Frey’s song ended, Dorohan and Janya looked at her with moved expressions.  

Was this… really a spell?!  

“That was truly a beautiful song.”  

“As expected of the Fairy Queen.”  

So… can we first confirm whether it was a spell or not…?  

“Shall I sing it again? If you want, I don’t mind.”  

“Please, sing it once more!”  

The top of the World Tree had somehow turned into a mini concert stage, and in the end, Frey didn’t stop until she had sung five times.  

“You’ve become so thin.”  

Ara, supporting Frey who had sung with great intensity, spoke with concern.  

Frey’s round body had actually changed into a slightly oval shape.  

“Oof.”  

Apparently, singing really burned a lot of energy.  

“Do you think it’s really a spell?”  

At this point, I thought it was okay to ask the elves directly.  

They tilted their heads and responded.  

“Not sure.”  

“No idea.”  

“…”  

Wait, then why did you make our Frey sing five times?!  

Maybe feeling my glare, Janya awkwardly scratched his head and replied.  

“The Queen’s voice was so beautiful… we just got completely captivated.”  

“Well, our Frey is a good singer.”  

“My song is sweet, so I get it.”  

Even trembling from fatigue, Frey proudly boasted about herself until the end.  

Ara gently patted her to calm her down.  

“There’s a way to check.”  

“Oh? How?”  

“Have the High Elf verify it.”  

“Ah!”  

Then we should’ve just gone to the High Elf from the start!  

After distributing ingredients to the elves and climbing to the top of the World Tree to hear Frey’s song five times, quite a bit of time had already passed.  

But wasn’t the High Elf sick right now?  

“Let’s go see Lady Ninya, the High Elf, first.”  

Following Janya’s lead, we moved deeper into the World Tree.  

Fortunately, since the High Elf’s quarters were also on the top floor, we just had to head inside.  

Step.  

Elven guards stood at the entrance to the High Elf’s residence.  

Other places hadn’t been this heavily guarded, so it was a bit surprising.  

Even the World Tree’s core is just out in the open…  

Anyway, once the guards confirmed Janya, they opened the door, revealing a room filled with mystical scenery.  

“Whoa!”  

Ara gasped in awe at the view.  

Everywhere sparkled with mysterious trinkets, and objects that seemed to hold magical powers filled the ceiling and walls.  

Rather than being scary, the scene was dreamlike and enchanting.  

On one side of the room stood a small bed.  

Even the bed was adorned with all sorts of decorations.  

And lying at the center of that bed was an elf with a pale complexion.  

A High Elf.  

Oh, you could just tell right away—she looked different.  

The first thing that stood out was her pure white hair.  

It wasn’t due to age, but a natural, shining silver, like the Milky Way.  

Seeing her made me think of someone.  

“Ryu Cheon?”  

He also had white hair.  

His didn’t feel quite as dreamlike, but the vibe was similar.  

Could this elf be Ryu Cheon’s mother?  

“…probably not.”  

They had said they checked, so she shouldn’t be here.  

Maybe all High Elves had this hair, and Ryu Cheon’s mother was just another High Elf.  

I’ll ask Janya or Dorohan about it later.  

Zzz…  

“She’s sound asleep.”  

Ara whispered quietly to me.  

Her attempt to not wake the sleeping High Elf was so thoughtful and cute.  

And then—  

“Hmm.”  

The High Elf woke up.  

Ara, who had tried so hard to be quiet, jumped in surprise and looked distressed, thinking she had caused it.  

I patted her head to calm her and waited for the High Elf to fully awaken.  

“We have guests, I see.”  

When she opened her eyes, they shimmered with countless lights, just like her hair.  

I was momentarily mesmerized by those mystical pupils before I managed to respond.  

“Ah, hello. I’m Lee Kyu-seong from another dimension. This is my daughter, Ara, and this is my companion and the Fairy Queen, Frey.”  

“Greetings! Did you sleep well?”  

“Hmm! What a fine appearance. I like it.”  

As Ara and Frey each added a greeting, the High Elf smiled warmly and chuckled softly.  

“Hoho. Such delightful people. I had already heard about you from Janya. When I learned you were delivering food to us, I really wanted to thank you properly. I’m glad we got the chance to meet like this.”  

“I heard you’ve been unwell.”  

“It’s part of nature’s cycle.”  

Despite her smile, the expressions of Janya and Dorohan, who watched her, looked heavy.  

“I heard from Janya that you’re not just providing food, but also helping with the World Tree’s resonance…”  

“We actually have a World Tree on our side too, and it’s in need of resonance. It seemed mutually beneficial, so we thought it would be good to try.”  

“That’s wonderful news. It’s a perfect way to mark my final moments.”  

“F-Final…?”  

What did she just say?  

Janya added an explanation in response to our confusion.  

“A World Tree that hasn’t resonated before requires special preparations for its first resonance.”  

Elven magic, fairy spells, awakening elixirs, and sacred elven relics.  

And the High Elf’s ancient blessing.  

“After the first resonance, the rest don’t require any preparation. But for the first one, you need a lot. And among them, the High Elf’s blessing consumes an enormous amount of life force.”  

“T-Then that means…”  

I looked at Ninya with surprised eyes, but she shook her head as if to say not to worry.

“It was simply the natural cycle approaching. If this frail body can help with the World Tree’s resonance, then it’s actually a good thing.”

I was so shocked I couldn’t speak.

So she’s saying she’s going to sacrifice her life for the resonance?

That’s not what I wanted at all…

“What does that mean?”  

Ara asked, confused.

I didn’t want to explain it to her, but Dorohan was faster.

“When the ancient blessing is performed, Lady Ninya will return to the forest.”

“The forest?!”

“It means she will exhaust her life.”

“Gasp! Ninya is going to die?!”

Ara stared at the High Elf with wide, stunned eyes.

Then Ninya comforted Ara with the same kind smile.

“It’s not something to be so shocked about. I’ve lived for 1,200 years. When you consider that the average lifespan of an elf is around 500 years, I’ve lived quite a long life.”

“I’m 3,501 years old! So you’re younger than me!”

“Wow. So our dear Miss Ara has lived for 3,501 years. Thinking of it that way, I’m just a child in comparison.”

Ninya accepted Ara’s words without hesitation.

But even in that moment, I was still deep in thought.

“Hmm…”

–You’re worried, aren’t you, Grand Lord?

“Yeah.”

Then Ninya, who had been chatting with Ara, turned to me with dreamy eyes.

“You needn’t worry. This is a natural thing—neither sad nor negative. It’s something to be celebrated.”

“Hm, the thing is… at first, I heard that you were ill. I didn’t hear anything about your lifespan being at its end.”

“That’s true. It’s not that my time has come. We High Elves typically have a life expectancy of around 1,500 years. But this illness is to be expected. At my age, it’s a common chronic condition.”

“What exactly is the illness?”

“It’s called ‘Starlight Sickness.’ To explain simply, the older we elves get, the stronger our mana becomes. For High Elves, because our lifespan is much longer than regular elves, the oversaturation of mana ends up breaking down our bodies.”

“Ah.”

So they’re a race that accumulates mana inside their bodies just by aging.

In the case of High Elves, their bodies couldn’t withstand the buildup because their lifespan was three times that of normal elves.

“Then wouldn’t releasing the mana solve the problem?”

“To be precise, it’s an issue of the vessel’s capacity rather than the amount of mana. Once your mana vessel expands, it’s difficult to shrink it back.”

“Right, if mana was the only issue, it could be resolved just by spending a lot of it.”

But I couldn’t stop thinking.

Wasn’t there something I could do to help?

‘The mana vessel keeps expanding. Is there a way to stop or even reduce it?’

Perhaps noticing my thoughts, Ninya chuckled.

“Lord Kyu-seong, you’re truly a kind person.”

“Eh?”

“It’s rare to see someone worry so much for a stranger of a different race.”

“Ah, well, hmm…”

Regardless of what Ninya said, I kept thinking.

Surely with my abilities—and the kids’ abilities—there had to be a way.

For instance, I could ask Belle to make an item.

Something that could suppress the mana buildup and even reduce the vessel size.

It might actually work…

If not, I could analyze the properties of different crops and ask Ashu to cook something using them.

Her dishes often had magical effects, so with the right ingredients, a dish that solves this problem could be made.

‘I’m curious about Levi’s ability, too.’

I hadn’t fully understood Levi’s powers yet—it would be good to check.

Also, I should take another look at Mammon’s panacea…

“Lady Ninya, the reason we came today was to confirm whether the Fairy Queen’s magic was real.”

“I see. Would you kindly sing it for me?”

By that point, the conversation had progressed.

Frey cleared her throat again to sing the song she had already performed five times.

Ahem! Carried on the eastern breeze…

Frey’s clear voice filled the room, and the mysterious items hanging throughout began to respond.

Jingling.

Clinking.

Beautiful instrumental sounds harmonized like a chorus.

Stunned by the amazing sight, I completely forgot what I had been thinking and just admired it in awe.

“A-Amazing.”

Ara also watched the beautiful harmony with wide eyes.

When the song ended, we naturally applauded.

–Thank you, thank you.

Frey bowed politely and accepted our applause.

“It’s indeed a real spell.”

“That’s a relief.”

Now that I looked again, all the objects scattered throughout the room must have been related to the World Tree resonance.

“Now the only remaining ingredient for the resonance is the Fairy Queen’s Awakening Elixir…”

Janya trailed off mid-sentence.

I could tell she was looking at Ninya.

Because beginning the resonance also meant Ninya’s final moment, it was only natural to tread carefully.

“Is the resonance urgently needed?”

At my question, the elves turned their eyes toward me.

“It’s not urgent, but the sooner the better.”

“Hmm, then may I ask you to give me a little time?”

Perhaps guessing my intent, Ninya gave a sad smile.

“I just hope I don’t end up hurting someone as kind as you, Lord Kyu-seong.”

Ninya seemed to be saying that my efforts might ultimately be in vain.

But the abilities I possessed were not something to be dismissed lightly.

I couldn’t be sure, but it was worth trying.

“I’ll help too! My new friend Ninya should live much longer!”

“Thank you, Miss Ara.”

“Mm! Just trust in us!”

Perhaps sensing the mood, Ara shouted passionately, her eyes shining.

Seeing her, Frey also clenched her fist.

–Lord! Let’s try it together!

“Yes! I believe in Frey!”

–Wait, not just me—you too, Lord!

“Yes! I believe in Frey!”

–No, that’s not what I meant…

Once we get home, I’ll begin preparing right away to cure Ninya’s illness!

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