◈ Chapter 338: Traces of the Holy Kingdom (3)
It was purely coincidental that Rudger met Catherine.
It was midnight.
Rudger, as usual, couldn't sleep and roamed the castle secretly.
Being someone who always had to endure the risk of assassination, Rudger had more sleepless nights in his own bed than anyone else.
During those moments, he would seek solace in a secluded courtyard within the castle, untouched by anyone's presence, and silently crouch there.
But that day, the starlight was unusually bright, and there was someone in the place he considered his own sanctuary.
At first, he thought it was an assassin targeting him.
However, the open act of crouching down did not match the behavior of an assassin, and it completely dispelled his suspicion.
More than anything, the petite figure similar to his own and the occasional whimpering sound completely washed away his doubts.
No, I shouldn't let my guard down. That person might be setting a trap.
Rudger approached the girl slowly without letting his guard down.
The girl was rubbing her reddened calves and shedding tears.
Seeing that sight, Rudger immediately realized who this girl was.
'One of the children brought from the Kingdom.'
The Kingdom brought these children to be raised as their own under the pretext of sponsoring them through the church.
Most of them were orphans without parents, but there were also children who were sold by their parents.
Or there were children who were forcibly brought against their parents' will while being preached the teachings of the religion.
He hadn't seen the entire process, but Rudger knew very well that it wasn't happening in a humanitarian way.
The very core of the Kingdom, embodied in its headquarters, exuded an unmistakable odor of conspiracy and corruption.
An organization led by individuals of such nature, and even more so, a nation, showed no genuine intent to provide adequate support to the children in orphanages.
In reality, they were forcibly brought and subjected to rigorous education.
Perhaps this girl was one of the countless children in that situation.
Even so, to come all the way here in the middle of the night...
Did she try to run away, perhaps?
Or maybe she didn't want to show her crying face to anyone.
Regardless, it was certain that an uninvited guest had come to his secret hideout.
"...Who are you?"
The girl looked up at Rudger with her reddened eyes.
Rudger greeted the girl, Catherine.
-Get lost. This is my place.
The girl's eyes widened at his words.
And then she rushed at Rudger and grabbed him by the hair.
That was their first encounter.
* * *
'Come to think of it, our first meeting wasn't that pleasant.'
Initially, he had assumed she was a delicate child, seeing her in tears. However, the moment he uttered a word, she swiftly seized him by the hair.
The reason she had been crying in solitude wasn't due to concern for others' judgments, but rather, she simply wished to conceal her vulnerabilities from the world.
Catherine wasn't someone driven by an overwhelming sense of pride.
Afterwards, they grew closer and started meeting frequently, exchanging various stories.
Surprisingly, Catherine wasn't intimidated by the fact that Rudger was of royal lineage.
She neither showed favoritism nor hostility towards him.
Perhaps that's why Rudger was comfortable with her.
To Rudger, who had been reborn in this world, Catherine was much younger than him, but he could genuinely become close to her because of her innocence.
When Catherine became upset because of the priests who were in charge of her education, Rudger comforted and supported her.
At the same time, he received solace from Catherine.
In a castle that was like a prison where everyone wanted to kill him.
Catherine was the only child who treated him as a friend.
Rudger suddenly had that thought.
Twenty years ago.
When his teacher accidentally discovered him and asked if he wanted to leave together.
What if he had asked if he could bring only one person with him?
Or at least, he should have bid farewell, he regretted.
'No. It's a foolish thought.'
If he had escaped with Catherine back then, her life would have been threatened by all the assassins sent by the kingdom.
It was a much better path for her to stay in the kingdom and become ordinary priest.
'I'm sure she is doing well.'
Since she had a stubborn side that didn't want to depend on anyone, at least she would have become a priest.
It had been a long time, but Rudger couldn't forget the year he had spent with Catherine.
"Hey, apprentice. Are you lost in nostalgic memories all of a sudden?" Grander's sharp remark snapped Rudger out of his reverie.
Indeed, now was not the time to be captivated by such memories.
"...No. I was just worried about how things would unfold in the future."
"Yeah. The kingdom has started moving again, which means the long process of succession to the throne has come to an end. Who do you think has taken the throne in your opinion?"
"I don't know. Since everyone wanted to kill me anyway."
"It's better to keep an eye on it. Because they will be your enemies in the future."
"Yes. I guess so."
"Surely you're not going to say it's difficult to fight against your siblings, right?"
When he thought about the future, the kingdom would be Rudger's biggest obstacle.
The leader of that kingdom was a blood relative who shared the same blood as Rudger, and it was clear that he had to defeat him/her.
"Do you think so?"
Rudger asked, staring into Grander's eyes.
He felt no fear or sadness about fighting against his siblings.
He never had any attachment to them, nor were they such good people.
"I have things I must do, so I have no intention of stopping. Even if my siblings get in the way, I will smash through them."
"Hahaha! You've become quite a tough guy. With that, I can worry a little less."
Grander chuckled satisfactorily and peeked outside the door.
Rudger also followed her gaze and looked out the door.
They had been waiting there, ready to continue their discussion.
"You can come in now."
At those words, two figures flinched from behind the door.
But they still hesitated and looked around, so Rudger commanded more forcefully.
"Come in."
As he gave permission, the door opened, and Hans and Bellaruna entered.
Hans had returned to his original form, likely due to the antidote.
Although Hans pretended not to notice Grander's gaze, Bellaruna's attitude was unexpected.
Rudger looked at Bellaruna, who bowed her head deeply, and realized the reason.
"You gathered a lot of samples of chimeras and experimental subjects."
"H-Hehe."
Bellaruna tried to brush it off with a laugh, but she sensed that it wouldn't work when she saw Rudger's expression and quickly bowed her head again.
Rudger pressed his temples with his fingers, feeling the throbbing pain.
It had been a long time since he had felt such a headache, even though the seal was still intact.
While it was a headache, Rudger thought it was a fortunate coincidence.
"Bellaruna."
"Yes, yes!"
"Do you know anything about the elven clans?"
It was natural for ordinary elves to be unaware of such things.
But Bellaruna, who had hacked into the World Tree and peeked at its contents, couldn't possibly not know.
"I'm curious about the clans that once protected the World Tree."
"W-Why would you ask me about that...?"
"If you have the ability to hack into the World Tree, there must be something you know, no matter how insignificant."
Rudger questioned, his gaze piercing.
"Is that true?"
"W-Well, um. That's... I mean..."
"Quite a evasive response."
Bellaruna appeared embarrassed and struggled to find a suitable reply.
"Could it be that the Penata clan is one of the elder clans of the Elven Kingdom? Is that why you can't speak about it?"
"What? No. That's not it. I'm just from an ordinary family."
"Or is there a death curse placed upon you if you disclose the information? Some unique elven magic?"
"I don't have anything like that on me."
"..."
Rudger clenched his teeth in silence.
"Then, why in the world are you acting like this?"
Wow.
Hans, who had been observing the scene from the side, opened his mouth and sincerely admired.
It was the first time he had seen Rudger genuinely annoyed like that.
Bellaruna, who made Rudger genuinely annoyed, felt remarkably significant to him.
'She didn't even mean to. It's just that she lacks her own thoughts, and that's what frustrated you, Brother.'
What a natural talent it was.
Hans became concerned afterward.
Rudger didn't seem to be simply irritated. He wondered if Bellaruna had noticed as well and hastily spoke up.
"Well, I hacked into the underground waterway this time and, um, hacked into the World Tree."
"Is that so?"
"At that time, I couldn't read it because of the dormant demon's energy inside, but after I fainted in the fight, I was the first to wake up."
"I see. Go on."
Now that an interesting topic finally emerged, Rudger urged Bellaruna with his anger subdued.
"Coincidentally, I saw the roots of the World Tree nearby, so I made contact again, just in case... and it connected."
"It connected? What do you mean by connected?"
"I mean... it connected to the original World Tree that serves as the source for this World Tree. As the demonic power disappeared, it seems some kind of connection formed between the two."
"And then?"
"Well, it didn't last very long, just a moment. But in that moment, we encountered each other."
She could finally say what she had been holding back all along.
Bellaruna closed her eyes tightly and confessed.
"The World Tree in my homeland. The one who manages it noticed my existence."
"...."
Bellaruna peeked at Rudger with one eye half-open, gauging his reaction.
Contrary to her expectation that he would erupt in anger, Rudger remained calm.
In fact, he was pondering Bellaruna's words with a rather serious expression.
Bellaruna anxiously waited for Ludger's next words.
"Just one question."
"Yes, yes!"
"That manager must be a member of the family responsible for caring for the World Tree, right?"
"Yes, yes. Normally, only authorized individuals can access the World Tree. Even if you're a member of the family, unless you hold a high position, you can't touch it."
He decided not to ask her how she managed to touch it at this moment.
"That being the case, did that presence fully recognize your identity?"
"Well, that's not likely. The time was so short, and I didn't recognize them either."
In other words, they only became aware of each other's existence in that brief moment.
"The problem is that they realized the location where you accessed the World Tree, right?"
"...Yes."
Bellaruna replied with a trembling voice.
If it weren't for that, she wouldn't be so tense.
Rudger crossed his arms and tapped his forearm with his finger.
"Bellaruna, what do you think?"
"W-what, what do you mean?"
"I'm asking how they will react. Since they are elves, you should know much better than me."
At that moment, Hans cautiously offered his opinion.
"Perhaps sending an envoy? They must know that this is the capital of the Empire..."
"Well, I don't think so."
Bellaruna sharply cut off Hans' opinion.
"The elven kingdom is extremely isolated. They would never engage in any exchange or conversation with the human realm, let alone an empire."
"So, are you saying they'll simply let the presence that stealthily infiltrated the World Tree go?"
"It's not that either. Those who worship the World Tree above all else won't simply overlook this situation."
"Meaning they will take action, but it won't be apparent."
"Yes. The elven kingdom will probably send pursuers. They may not be numerous, but they will be powerful elves."
Ludger chuckled.
"Elven assassins, huh?"
"Well, if you consider it in this context, they're like special forces."
"Elven Black Ops, one might say."
"They are the ones who eliminate the traitors of their kin. You can't underestimate them. They are not only skilled in assassination but also proficient in elemental magic and swordsmanship."
"Very well. To freely roam the perilous outside world like their own home, one must have the skill."
Rudger said so, his gaze sharpening.
"Are there any likely candidates? It doesn't seem like the noble family responsible for the esteemed World Tree would personally intervene."
"...There is a family that swears absolute loyalty under that family's command."
While the elven families are composed of seven roots, not all roots are equal.
"The clan of the Lesser Root, responsible for guarding the central root and overseeing the outside of the forest. Unlike the Dentis clan, which is friendly to other races, they are a clan dedicated to eliminating external threats for the sake of elves only. We call them Shade Wardens."
"Can they come directly to this side? Specifically, are they targeting you?"
"Well, they probably are."
"Returning to Ledervelk as it is wouldn't be a problem then?"
"Well, that might be difficult. Once they catch a trace, they can capture you no matter where you flee on the continent. I don't know the details, but it seems they can launch a special pursuit through spirits."
"It's becoming troublesome. However, I suppose it won't take them too long to mobilize. Isn't that right?"
"Yes. It seems so. The Shade Wardens can only move when the head of the root gives a direct order. So, there is a grace period until the news reaches the head and a decision is made."
Bellaruna smiled reassuringly, as if to say not to worry.
"It will probably take quite a while!"
* * *
The Elven Kingdom .
At its center stands the towering World Tree, and around it, like a natural fortress, exist various clans.
Among them, if you were to name the clan that undoubtedly holds the highest power, it would be the [Leafre] clan, which directly manages the World Tree.
Recently, the Leafre clan has become increasingly chaotic.
A massive assembly hall.
Elven elders sat side by side around a long, white wooden table.
They were all members of the Leafre clan or key figures serving under the clan.
And soon, the one who had summoned them revealed themselves.
It was a beautiful elf with long, golden hair akin to the sun.
However, the face displayed a harshness that did not match its beauty.
Even on ordinary days, it couldn't be described as particularly pleasant, but today, anger was even more evident on it's face.
"Do you know why I called you?"
Everyone fell silent at the voice that was beautiful but piercing like a dagger.
"While I was managing the World Tree, some deranged individual dared to make contact with the World Tree."
Gasps of astonishment erupted throughout the hall at those words.
The owner of the Leafre clan.
Bentmin Leafre spoke in a cold voice.
"Now you understand why I summoned you? Under the authority of the clan head, I command you. Gather the Shade Wardens."
"R-Right now?"
"Yes. Immediately."