Ludger gripped the Crown of Thorns tightly.
He strengthened his body with mana and once again wrapped himself in Ater Nocturnus to bolster his power.
At this moment, Ludger was strong enough to tear steel apart with his bare hands.
But the Crown of Thorns did not budge.
On the contrary, the crown gave off a violent resistance, as if trying to push Ludger away.
The Crown of Thorns—more precisely, the World Tree that had placed it—did not wish to hand over Sedina.
Ludger clenched his teeth against the colossal force pushing him back.
“Fine. Let’s see who wins.”
He tightened his grip on the Crown of Thorns.
Though the crown had left Sedina unharmed, the moment Ludger applied strength, its sharp thorns dug into his palms.
Drip. Drip.
Blood trickled down from his wounded hands.
The torrent of mana surging from his body clashed with the repelling force of the Crown of Thorns, tangling violently like a storm.
Leaning weakly against the entrance wall, Ambella faintly caught sight of the scene with her eyes.
‘The World Tree is rejecting him.’
At first, she had thought it was Ventmin’s trick. But it wasn’t.
The one desiring Sedina was none other than the will of the World Tree itself.
Because she was the last blood of Plante.
Because she was the final surviving heir of the Plante family, the one who understood the World Tree more deeply than anyone else and could wield its power.
The World Tree refused to let her go.
‘It’s over.’
If the will of the World Tree wanted Sedina, then no one could deny it.
Ambella acknowledged Ludger’s greatness as a mage.
Even though he was human, he carried pride, and his mental fortitude was close to that of a superhuman.
But still, in the end, he was only human.
A feeble individual, unable to resist the colossal will of the World Tree.
The difference was inevitable.
The years lived, the power accumulated—there was no comparison.
How could a firefly ever win against the sun?
Realizing that, Ambella felt a wave of futility—was this not meaningless from the very start?
‘That human must know it too.’
And yet—
Ludger had not given up.
Like a mantis throwing itself against a carriage, he was grappling with the World Tree without yielding even a step.
Crack. Craaack.
The protective artifacts covering his body split and shattered one by one.
The Crown of Thorns’ resistance was the World Tree’s resistance.
With the World Tree determined to push Ludger away, he received the full recoil of withstanding it by force.
Even if his exterior appeared intact, inside his body must have been wrecked from the relentless shock.
It would be right for him to let go now, step back, heal his wounds, and stabilize his insides.
But why—
“Why won’t you give up?”
Had he lost too much blood after an arm was severed?
Before Ambella could even be startled at the question that escaped her lips, Ludger’s answer came.
“Because I’ve already lost too much.”
He replied as he gripped the Crown of Thorns.
“I’ve lost again and again. Repeated regret, repeated sorrow.”
That was why he had made a vow to himself.
“I’m sick of it.”
That was why he could not give up.
Once you let go of one thing, you begin to compromise with everything else.
It starts with something small, but as it grows, eventually even what is truly important gets abandoned.
And when you keep letting go one by one, you no longer realize it—
That you’ve changed.
That you never used to be like that.
This wasn’t simply about saving Sedina.
It was Ludger’s struggle not to lose himself, even while being swept about in this world.
“You...”
Ambella’s faintly closing eyes opened wide.
Cough.
Blood spilled from her lips.
But in that moment, her eyes burned with more intensity than ever before.
“You speak well.”
Ambella braced her body.
Her missing arm threw her balance off, making her stagger constantly.
She spat out the blood gathering at her mouth with a “Ptoo.”
Get up, damn body.
You’ve survived bullets, shrapnel, and sword wounds before.
And now you think you’re done? That you’ve done all you could, so you’ll collapse?
Blood vessels bulged on her neck as she used her remaining hand to push herself up by the knee and forced her body to stand tall.
“Yes. Losing things is sickening. So I’ll help you.”
Stumbling forward, Ambella grabbed the Crown of Thorns on Sedina’s head with her one remaining hand.
Crackle!
Pain pricked through her hand as enormous power tried to push her away.
For her already heavily wounded body, the recoil was nearly unbearable.
Yet as she felt that force rejecting her, Ambella looked anew at Ludger.
So this human had been withstanding such a power alone?
She clenched harder, pulling on the crown with force.
“To resist the will of the World Tree... can an elf even do that?”
At the voice beside her, Ambella gave a mocking smile.
“I’ve already lost my right to be called elf. At this point, I’ll resist the World Tree or anything else as much as I damn well please.”
Crack.
The Crown of Thorns gave a sound.
Like a great pane of glass splitting.
That immovable crown began to shift—slowly, but surely.
The Crown of Thorns flared violently, lashing out as if it could not allow it.
Soaked with blood, it turned crimson, resembling the symbol of a curse.
Ludger squeezed out every last drop of mana from within.
There was no time to draw new artifacts now.
He had to settle it with all his remaining power.
“Just a tree, and nothing more.”
A beastly growl rumbled from Ludger’s throat, and an ominous aura began to gather.
As his mana drained at rapid speed, his blue eyes turned red.
“You...”
Ambella felt a chilling dread run down her spine.
Above Ludger’s head—
There appeared a black halo, and within it, a tiny hole formed.
Ambella instinctively averted her gaze.
She felt with certainty that she must never look into that black hole.
And it was the right choice.
The Crown of Thorns reacted even more violently.
‘The repelling force... it weakened?’
Something had changed within Ludger.
Ambella, startled, realized this was the chance.
She poured every last ounce of strength into her remaining arm.
Crreeaak.
The Crown of Thorns began to pry itself free from Sedina’s head.
Just a little more.
Just a little more—
The hole above Ludger’s head widened, and the crown’s screams grew louder.
As two unknown forces wrestled against each other, Ambella wrung out her final strength.
“Uaaaaah!”
With a thunderous cry, the Crown of Thorns tore away from Sedina’s head.
“Now!”
At Ambella’s shout, Ludger immediately grabbed Sedina’s hand.
* * *
Sedina’s consciousness had sunk deep, deep below.
She could not remember why she was here.
At first, she had flailed, suffocating as ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) if trapped in the depths of the ocean. But that faded, and a scene began to reflect around her.
“This place...”
A world painted pure white by gentle light.
A blue sky, a yard blanketed with grass.
Fragrant flowers, the smell of greenery.
There, Sedina overlaid a scene so familiar to her.
It was a place from memory.
The garden she had so often played in with her mother as a child.
—Mom!
At that moment, a child’s voice rang out, and a small brown shadow ran past Sedina.
Short brown hair, a petite frame—
Even the joyful figure as it dashed away, step after step.
Sedina knew instinctively.
That child was her younger self.
Her gaze followed the child’s path—
And when she saw the longed-for figure of a woman there, tears welled and spilled from her eyes before she even realized.
“Mom...”
Ella Plante.
She lifted the young Sedina into her arms and spun her around.
The child version of herself laughed gleefully, as if the world were nothing but joy.
Sedina watched the scene in silence.
She had wanted this.
She had yearned for it so much that she wished for it over and over again, even in her dreams.
But she had despaired when she realized she could never see it again.
So she had thought she had let it all go.
‘This... this is an illusion. This is fake.’
Sedina repeated that to herself.
At that moment, her mother’s eyes met hers.
Though she should have been nothing but an illusion, Ella Plante set the little Sedina down, held her hand, and walked toward her.
—Sedina.
The gaze of Ella Plante, speaking directly to her.
The scent of spring brushing her nose, the sweetness in that voice—
—You’ve really grown so much.
Sedina could no longer deny the reality of the figure before her.
Clutching her aching chest, she forced herself to speak.
“Is it really... you, Mom?”
—Sedina...
Ella Plante looked at her tearful daughter as if at a loss for words.
Instead, she cupped Sedina’s head in both hands and pulled her into her embrace.
Feeling that warmth against her skin, Sedina could not stop her tears.
It should have been a moment of joy, yet she could not suppress the emotions overflowing from her heart.
“I... I really missed you. I wanted to see you so badly, again and again, over and over. But still, I couldn’t. I never could.”
Her voice, thick with tears, barely formed words.
But her heart was conveyed, and Ella embraced her even more tightly.
—I’m sorry. For not protecting you. For not being there with you.
Beside them, the little Sedina looked up at her grown self.
—Don’t cry.
Through the haze of tears, Sedina looked down at the child she once was.
That cute, innocent girl who laughed more brightly than anyone.
But the present Sedina... had changed far too much.
A child abandoned by Roschen.
Discarded trash of the Black Dawn Society.
A half-blood—neither elf nor human.
“I... I want to stay here. I want to be with you, Mom.”
—Sedina...
“I want to eat your cooking again. I want to walk through the flower fields with you again. I want to fall asleep in bed, hearing your lullaby. I want to stay here forever.”
Ella’s gaze turned sorrowful as she looked at Sedina.
Sedina raised her tear-streaked face to look up at her.
“The world without you is so scary. So cold, so lonely. Everyone hates me. Why? All I ever needed was just you, Mom. Why does it have to be so hard?”
—It must have been so hard for you.
Ella stroked her daughter’s head with a gentle smile.
That longed-for touch stilled Sedina’s tears.
Sensing her daughter had calmed a little, Ella asked softly—
—Are you all right?
“......”
Instead of answering, Sedina shook her head.
At her grown daughter’s childlike stubbornness, Ella smiled tenderly.
—You’ve been through so much. And yet, you still grew up this wonderful.
“No. I...”
—I know it’s hard. How could a mother not know her daughter’s heart? But Sedina, that isn’t all there is, is it?
“......”
—The world outside is frightening and painful, but still—there are others, aren’t there? People who are precious to you besides me.
“That’s...”
Suddenly, an image flashed through Sedina’s mind.
The teacher who had come all the way to the Elven Kingdom to save her.
Seeing her daughter’s expression, Ella smiled mischievously.
—My daughter’s all grown up.
“W-What?”
—I was the same, you know. There were times I wanted to give up on everything, when life was unbearably hard. And then I met him.
“Father...”
—That man... he must have stayed away from you on purpose, to protect you. I know how much he loved me, and how deeply he cherished you. Even though he never showed it, I know he always carried it in his heart. But one thing is certain, Sedina—love changes everything.
Sedina began to realize she was being pulled away.
Her sunken consciousness rose, and her body too began to float.
“M-Mom? Mom!”
—It’s time for us to part. You can’t stay here. If you do, you’ll never escape.
“No! I’ve only just gotten to see you again! Why?!”
—If there is meeting, there is parting. And if there is parting, there is meeting again. So don’t worry. We will meet again.
Ella smiled brightly, her face filled with love.
Surely, leaving was as painful for her as it was for Sedina.
—So until then, my daughter, live strong. Meet good people. Don’t cry. Be bright again, just like you once were. All right?
The distance between them grew.
Even the hands they had been holding slipped apart.
—I will always be watching over you. Always, forever.
Ella Plante said this as she took the little Sedina’s hand and led her away.
Where she was headed, scarlet energy writhed like thorny vines.
And Sedina understood in that instant.
Had she stayed here, she would have been caught by those crimson thorns.
Tears fell as she watched her mother’s receding figure.
The world was once again swallowed in darkness.
Sedina sank into blackness, just like the moment she had first lost consciousness.
Where was this? What was happening outside right now?
Even when she struggled, nothing could be seen.
It was cold.
So lonely.
She hated being alone.
Loneliness was agony.
She longed for her mother’s touch.
She regretted not staying there.
But still, Sedina had not forgotten one person.
The precious one her mother had spoken of.
The one waiting for her outside.
[Wake up, Sedina!]
At that cry, Sedina’s eyes flew open.
At the same time, she felt someone grasp her hand tightly and pull her.
Drawn by that force, Sedina fell into someone’s arms.
In that strong and warm embrace, she carefully raised her head.
A man with long black hair, sculpted like a statue, was looking down at her with a faint smile.
“Teacher?”
“You’re awake, sleepy princess.”