Night had fallen.
The night sky, without a single cloud, was filled with brilliantly shining stars.
It was thanks to the air, entirely free of pollution unlike in Rederbelk—so clean it almost felt refreshing.
Looking up at the starlight, Ambella Burke lit a cigar.
At the sound of footsteps trampling grass behind her, Ambella asked without turning around.
“You came? A little late.”
“To call me out here separately without an escort—what would you do if I tried to assassinate you?”
At Ludger’s calm, even voice, Ambella let out a small laugh, the cigar still between her lips.
“Don’t provoke me. I haven’t lived this long for nothing.”
“So what is it? Just get to the point.”
“Let me finish this first.”
With that, Ambella continued smoking.
Watching her, Ludger couldn’t help but ask:
“Is it really fine to smoke in a forest like this?”
“Why? Do you think it’ll start a fire? Humans really worry about everything.”
Ambella chuckled, puffing on her cigar.
“If something like this could set the forest ablaze, this place would’ve long since been nothing but ashes. Don’t underestimate the Forest of Life where elves live. It stayed untouched even under a storm of artillery fire.”
From the way she used her thumb and forefinger instead of index and middle, to how she let the cigar burn down on its own without flicking it—all the etiquette of smoking a cigar seemed ingrained in her.
She must have picked it up through exchanges with humans.
“Humans really are fascinating. To take plants that grow commonly in our forest and make something like this.”
When she had finished, Ambella stared blankly at the stub that remained.
“To cultivate something no one cared about and then remake it like this... It’s something we elves would never have done.”
“I trust you didn’t call me out at this hour just to give a sermon on humanity.”
“You really are a man without a shred of romance.”
Ambella shook her head and finally turned around.
Even in the darkness, one of her eyes gleamed vividly.
“The Burke family will march on Serendel Castle tomorrow.”
“For a rebellion just decided, you move quickly. Did your retainers all approve?”
“They had long suspected something like this might happen. Perhaps they’ve been secretly yearning for it. After all, hasn’t our family carried too much resentment for far too long?”
“You didn’t call me here just to boast. You must have something else to say.”
“This time, calling it a war wouldn’t be an exaggeration. The kingdom is entering a civil war in truth. How long it will last is uncertain. It could be over in a day, or drag out endlessly.”
This was the reason Ambella had summoned Ludger.
“In the end, the key to all of this... is you.”
“......”
Two families that had stayed neutral were now joining hands.
It had become a three-way battle of moderates, radicals, and neutrals.
The kingdom was splitting into three and preparing to fight.
And yet, the outcome of this war did not rest on elven command, but on the hand of one human.
“The others may not see it, but I can. No matter how neatly you dress, I can clearly sense the extraordinary power writhing inside you.”
“You speak favorably of me, a human.”
“Because you are not an ordinary human. And that black attire you wear—it’s no ordinary clothing, is it?”
Ambella knew of Ater Nocturnus.
Perhaps he hadn’t expected her to notice, for Ater Nocturnus twitched and trembled violently.
Ambella watched with interest.
“So that’s what humans call a magical beast, isn’t it? Fascinating. If you can control such a thing, then you must indeed be strong.”
“Even so, it’s no reason to overestimate me.”
“And why not? Even spirits are so terrified of you.”
Ambella had noticed from the audience chamber.
When she summoned a fire spirit to light her cigar, its reaction had been strange.
Incredibly, the spirit had been afraid—of the human sitting across from her.
It had sparked her curiosity.
Just who was this man? What could he possibly have done to inspire fear even in spirits?
“Besides, I can faintly sense the power of a spirit on you. Not your own, but something you carry close to your chest.”
“......”
Ludger was inwardly surprised.
He currently held Quasimodo’s spirit stone against his chest.
Could she really have seen through that at once?
‘She truly isn’t an elf who’s lived this long for nothing.’
Contrary to her bold, boisterous appearance, Ambella possessed deep insight and the ability to see to the core of things.
“......Yes. A power I obtained by chance.”
“Well, I don’t blame you for that. I only mean—if you’re a human of such caliber, then perhaps entrusting you with our fate isn’t so bad.”
Ambella laughed at herself.
“To say it out loud stings my pride a little. That we must entrust the fate of our homeland to human hands.”
“If you wish, I can decline.”
“Hah. Saying you don’t need the glory, is that it? Sorry, but I know my place. Every being has its role. Mine is to lead and command a force. I cannot act recklessly.”
“And conversely, I’m free to move in secret.”
“Exactly. If I borrow from your human stories—call you the joker card in a game, perhaps? Something like that.”
Ambella laughed brightly.
“So I ask one thing. The battle is inevitable now. Please end it quickly, with as little sacrifice as possible.”
“You know what I intend to do?”
“Rescue the Plante child, and kill that vicious bitch of the Lifret family. What else could there be?”
Ludger nodded—she wasn’t wrong.
“Whether or not you determine the victor, the pace at which you move will change everything. The faster you act, the fewer will die.”
“You mean the enemies’ lives?”
“If I brag, I might say so—but our side will suffer casualties too. No matter how strong we are, they have Serendel Castle and the full protection of the surrounding forest. Once they dig in, we’ll bleed ourselves on a war of attrition.”
“And that’s why my role matters.”
“Yes. We will draw their attention. Most of the elves’ eyes will be on us. Striking them is your task.”
Ambella’s eyes burned like fire as she stared at Ludger.
“We’ll keep to your rhythm. On this well-prepared stage, we’ll gladly dance.”
But then—
“Failure will not be tolerated. You understand?”
The words dripped with threat and warning.
Of course, if he failed, Ludger would die as well. The weight of his role was no lighter than hers.
Ambella knew this.
But to phrase it so was her way of venting her own frustration.
After all, she should have been the one to save Sedina.
But she couldn’t. Until just yesterday, she hadn’t even known of the child’s existence.
If worthiness were to be considered, then Ludger Cherish, who had known Sedina closely, was the rightful one.
“Of course.”
Ludger knew well how dangerous this ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ was.
Even with newfound allies, his task was to infiltrate Serendel Castle in secret.
To move with only a handful and cut down the enemy’s leader.
It sounded simple, but what could be more perilous?
And yet, he had resolved to do it.
“I didn’t come this far with any naive thoughts.”
“Words alone don’t give me certainty.”
At her remark, Ludger looked at her questioningly.
Just when their talk seemed to flow smoothly, she pointed this out.
“One person will go with you.”
“So that was the real purpose.”
Ambella laughed low.
“Come now. Could I really place full trust in someone I met today? Especially with something this important? It’s best to minimize risk.”
“So you’ll assign me a watcher.”
“Watcher? That sounds so cold. Think of it as help. Since you’ll be moving with only a few, what’s one more?”
“If that one hinders my command, the situation will turn serious.”
“That won’t happen. He isn’t a rigid fellow—he’s from outside, after all. You’ll find him easy to talk to.”
“Outside? Who is he?”
By “outside,” she meant beyond the forest.
So the one she was sending was no elf, but someone else entirely.
To bring in an outsider at a time like this?
Rather than suspicion, Ludger first felt curiosity.
If Ambella vouched for him, he wouldn’t be ordinary.
“That’s why I called you here now.”
Even as she spoke, the new guest appeared.
When Ludger looked at the one Ambella had brought, his eyes widened.
“You...”
At his reaction, Ambella brightened.
“Oh. You know each other? Then things will be much easier.”
* * *
Deep within Serendel Castle lay the Throne of Roots.
Called the Cradle of the World Tree.
A vast, dim chamber, directly connected to the World Tree itself.
The floor, walls, and ceiling were all covered in roots.
At its center was a small pond formed by tangled roots.
The pond glowed faintly, clear and transparent like a mirror.
From within, water surged upward as someone emerged.
Splash.
Water streamed down her body, but the roots absorbed it instantly.
Ventmin.
Wearing only a white ceremonial robe, she summoned a water spirit to draw away every drop of moisture from her skin.
At that moment, the gray-haired male elf who had escorted Sedina to the dining hall approached, holding out a coat.
Ventmin accepted it wordlessly.
They moved with such ease, as if this had happened countless times before.
Normally, no further words would have passed between them.
But today was different.
“How did it go?”
“It’s unusual for you to ask.”
“The situation is becoming grave. The moderates grow bolder by the day.”
“Hmph. I even gave them a chance to swallow the Dentis family, and those worms couldn’t manage it. Now they’ll use the Plante survivor as leverage to pressure us instead?”
Ventmin scoffed at their pathetic maneuvering.
Her proud face showed not the slightest concern.
“Fools. To think they could plot in secret when I can observe the entire forest through the World Tree.”
“They know. They act regardless. A kind of protest, perhaps... or...”
“Or they hope to seize the Plante child and use her to threaten our standing.”
The gray-haired elf remained silent.
But his silence did not mean disagreement.
“And the child?”
“She’s locked away in the spire.”
“No chance of escape?”
“You know better than anyone that it’s impossible.”
“True. Just idle words.”
There was something subtle in Ventmin’s tone.
The gray-haired elf caught it immediately.
“Does it trouble you?”
“Trouble? Hmph. I dislike the word. But it isn’t wrong. Yes, it troubles me—that a child of that bloodline yet lives.”
Ventmin had long harbored enmity toward the Plante family.
After emerging from the pond that connected her to the World Tree, her hostility had only deepened.
“I still cannot reach the depths of the World Tree. To awaken it is forever beyond me.”
That pond was no ordinary water.
It was the sap of the World Tree.
Immersing oneself and concentrating there allowed the fastest, safest connection to the World Tree.
It was the reason the Lifret family wielded greater authority than all others.
Even as head of her house, Ventmin found it difficult to connect through the Tree’s surface.
“And that is why I need that bloodline.”
But there were those unlike her.
The Plante family.
Their lineage had always shared a profound resonance with the World Tree.
Even without direct contact, they heard its voice and drew on its mysterious power.
It was unfair.
She had poured in every possibility, only to skim the surface of its consciousness.
Even so, it granted powers akin to those of a god.
But her unquenched desire screamed for more.
There was too much power locked away still. How could she stop here?
With just a little more, she could extend her influence not just over the castle, but across the entire kingdom.
And further—she could rule the entire forest.
Beyond that, even the world outside could fall under her sway.
And that wasn’t even the full power of the World Tree.
If she could awaken it completely—
And make that power truly her own—
Then turning the entire continent into a Sea of Trees would be possible.
“The ritual must begin soon. Prepare.”
With her coat swirling around her shoulders, Ventmin strode forward.
“From here on, it is war.”