Ella’s gaze toward Sedina was complicated.
There was the heaviness of knowing her daughter had returned to this dangerous place.
And there was also the joy and delight of seeing her beloved child once again.
—Why did you come back? You could have just gone.
“Because you’re here, Mother.”
—My daughter is so admirable. You’ve really grown so much.
Let me hold you again.
Ella spread her arms, but Sedina did not run into them as she once had.
Instead, Sedina hesitated, as if worrying about something.
—My daughter, have you grown too old now, embarrassed to be held?
“......Are you really leaving?”
At Sedina’s meaningful words, Ella’s eyes widened.
With a faint smile, she shook her head.
—Where would I go? I’ll always remain here.
“But you’re......”
—Dead? And yet here I am, speaking with you.
“How... how is that possible?”
—Normally, the souls of the dead vanish at some point. But the World Tree is different. The souls of us elves remain here. Ventmin may have called it nothing more than memory and data, but no. The World Tree is not something so simple.
The wood zombies brought forth by the World Tree—
They were not mere reconstructions based on stored DNA of dead elves. They were true embodiments of the elves’ souls, given form as wooden bodies.
Unbelievable, yet real.
That was the power and mystery of the World Tree.
—Ordinarily, I too would have vanished and lost myself as Ventmin did. But it seems that in this event, the World Tree has suffered a great wound, and so it has chosen to leave me here specially. It must need a guardian to protect this place.
“T-then... does that mean... I can still see you again?”
—Yes. As long as you are one with the World Tree, you will be able to see me. Not often, but sometimes.
Ella had work to do.
The World Tree had been gravely damaged by Ventmin, and she had to stabilize it and erase the malignant codes planted deep within.
That process would take a very, very long time.
It was not something Sedina could simply call forth whenever she wished.
Still, the mere possibility of being able to meet her mother again filled Sedina with joy.
“I, I...”
—You don’t have to say anything.
Ella said this as she stepped forward and embraced Sedina tightly.
Sedina squirmed like a child throwing a tantrum, then gave up and sank quietly into her mother’s arms.
—Your hair has grown longer since I last saw you. And the color is strange, too. Your original hair resembled his, but the new growth looks more like mine.
“Does it look weird?”
—Not at all. If anything, it’s beautiful. You are truly our lovely daughter, his and mine.
“Father...”
Sedina’s expression darkened as she thought of Walter.
She had been rescued by Ludger, and those who had helped along the way had surely been sent by Walter.
But it was hard to feel gratitude, given the way their relationship had been.
After Ella’s death, Walter had cut himself off completely from Sedina.
Knowing this, Ella spoke to comfort her daughter.
—Yes. He can be terribly frustrating in such matters. He must have thought it didn’t matter if you hated him, as long as he could keep you safe. I can see it clearly. I often fought with him about that very thing.
“......Really?”
—Of course. I scolded him often for being so oblivious.
Ella stroked the long silver hair that now flowed down Sedina’s back.
—But still, he truly does love you. He only acted that way because he couldn’t be honest. I should have been there at his side, always.
“Mother...”
Sedina wanted to speak words of comfort.
Just as she herself had grieved, Ella too had been grieving.
For she too had been torn away from her family.
Ella carried guilt in her heart.
Though it had not been her intention, she had left her husband and daughter behind, and that absence had been the very cause of their broken bond.
But even knowing this, there was no way to repair it.
She could exist only within the World Tree, while Walter, being human, could never meet her again.
Sedina understood this too, and bit her lip.
“Mother. I’m all right.”
—Hm?
“Even though... Father hurt me a lot, and I suffered deeply...”
Sedina thought back.
What if her father Walter had treated her kindly?
At the very least, to the grieving child who had lost her mother, it would have been some small comfort.
Her personality might not have turned out the way it had. She might have grown into a brighter child.
She would have carried scars, but they would have healed.
Together they could have endured the sorrow, comforting each other.
Perhaps someday, they could have rebuilt a happy family.
Such a future might have been possible.
But—
“I... I like things as they are now.”
Indeed, Sedina’s past life had been nothing but hardship and pain.
She had hated her father, resented her family.
She had even lost her dearest friend and entered the Black Dawn.
Even there, she had never fit in, always living on the fringes.
She had thought she might spend her whole life alone and isolated.
“It still hurts when I think of those days...”
Then one day—
She met the man who would change her fate.
The man she now called teacher.
At first, she had been terrified.
He was a figure whispered about even within the Black Dawn, one said to bring death to any who approached.
She had been forced into his presence, driven from behind.
“But now, I’ve met so many good people.”
She had met Ludger, and through him, the members of Owens.
Hans, who was prickly but always answered when she asked.
Alex, playful and sly, but considerate all the same.
Phantos, silent but always willing to grant her requests.
Arfa, pure and childlike, who treated her with innocence.
Bellaruna, odd though she was, in whom Sedina still felt the kinship of her race.
Seridan, who oddly shared her sense of stature.
Even Violetta, who showed familiarity simply by standing at Ludger’s side.
All of these bonds had become precious to Sedina.
If she and Walter had reconciled, she would never have entered the Black Dawn.
She would never have met Ludger.
Having endured hardship and come through it to these connections, Sedina cherished them all the more.
“So I’m fine now.”
—......Truly, you’ve grown so much I hardly recognize you.
Ella hugged her daughter tighter, as if brimming with pride.
The two stayed like that for a long time, quietly sharing each other’s warmth.
After a while, Sedina spoke first.
“What should I do now?”
—What do you mean?
“Ventmin Lifret is dead. The kingdom has fallen into chaos. And now I’ve connected with the World Tree and gained its authority.”
The seat of the World Tree’s guardian now stood empty.
Though she had not sought it, the most fitting successor was none other than Sedina herself.
She had been placed in a position where she must bear the burden.
Rationally, it was something to rejoice over.
It meant more than merely serving as an assistant at Seorn Academy. It meant she could become the new leader of the elven kingdom.
For elves, the authority to wield the World Tree’s power was immense.
Even Ventmin, who had used only a fraction of that power, had raised Lifret into the foremost house.
With far greater authority, Sedina could do more than restore the fallen Plante family—she could unite all seven houses into one absolute monarchy.
She could become the queen of a unified elven kingdom.
There would be no opposition.
Lifret and the Shadewardens were gone, and the Three Noble Families had been devastated.
The relatively intact Dentis and Burke would surely support her.
—And yet, your heart does not welcome it.
Sedina nodded silently.
—Do you think you are unfit for that seat?
“Partly that, but... if I take that seat, then... I won’t be able to see those people anymore. And I don’t want that.”
Sedina knew it in her heart.
The power she had awakened with was something of immense importance to the elves.
Inevitably, she had become their focal point.
Even if she wanted to cast it aside, she could not. Nor could she pass it on to someone else.
Sedina was not yet ready in her heart to bear the heavy duty that had been granted together with that power.
—Then why not simply give it up cleanly?
“W-what? H-how could I possibly do that!”
—If you force yourself to do something you hate, that too becomes a problem. I was the same. People around me always kept forcing, nagging. So I always hid and ran away. Still, sometimes I regret it. Perhaps I should have given everything up and left earlier.
“Wasn’t it hard outside the forest?”
—Of course it was. There were times I thought I’d suffered for nothing, that maybe it had all been a mistake.
Ella met Sedina’s eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.
—But still, it was out there that I gave birth to you.
“......”
—You don’t have to do things just because someone else forces you. What I want is for my daughter to do what she truly wants.
“What I... want?”
—Yes. Sedina, what is it that you want to do?
“I...”
Shaken by hesitation, Sedina soon opened her mouth as if she had made a decision.
* * *
“Ah.”
Sedina opened her eyes.
As she sat up, the sap of the World Tree flowed down her body with a wet sound.
She looked around.
Everyone was watching her around the small pond formed by the collected sap.
“You’re awake.”
Ludger spoke to her.
Sedina staggered to her feet and raised her head toward the sky.
The World Tree, whose branches had spread out in all directions to form a cage, had now returned to its original form.
Though parts of it were damaged and deeply wounded, its vitality made it certain that recovery would come swiftly.
Beyond the World Tree, the blue sky and white clouds stretched out, beautiful and unconcerned with the affairs of the ground.
The war was over.
And it had ended in their victory.
“You’ve done well.”
Ludger grasped Sedina’s hand, pulling her out of the pond.
It was then Sedina realized how long her hair had become.
Perhaps because it was drenched, it felt much heavier than usual.
But as she stepped out of the pond, the newly grown silver hair gradually shortened, returning to its usual length.
Sedina touched her hair again and again in wonder, marveling at her state.
“So it’s really over? Whew! I’m exhausted!”
Alex collapsed on the ground with a thud.
No one rebuked him for being improper.
They were all just as drained.
“It isn’t over. There is still far too much to resolve. Even the aftermath alone... where do we even begin?”
Vierno looked bitterly upon the ruined Serendel Castle, the wounded World Tree, and the shattered outer walls.
His proud homeland had been reduced to ruins.
The kingdom that had symbolized Renar Tyrone was destroyed, and the Forest of Life would inevitably fall into turmoil for a long while.
Especially with what had just occurred—the World Tree itself awakening and acting—the memory would ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) remain forever engraved in the minds of elves.
How long would it take to return to what once was?
No, could they even return at all?
“Do we not also have something to deal with?”
Lutus’s business was not yet finished.
His sharp gaze, like a well-honed blade, turned to Sedina.
“The witch has vanished, but now it seems a new maiden has taken her place.”
Lutus sensed that Sedina had become the new caretaker of the World Tree.
Moments ago, he had learned firsthand how perilous the World Tree could be.
That someone capable of wielding it had appeared again was not something he, as one responsible for the Empire’s safety, could simply ignore.
Sensing his intent, Ambella stepped in front of him.
“Hey, Lutus. Must you dampen a moment of relief with such words?”
“Please move aside. No matter who it is, I do not wish to harm an old benefactor.”
“Hah. The pup has grown bold. Do you think you can?”
“Facing one who is already so gravely injured, I doubt I would lose.”
The atmosphere grew heavier, more serious.
Ludger and Hans, Alex and Vierno all heightened their guard.
They were ready to join Ambella in battle at any moment.
At that tense instant—
Contrary to everyone’s fears, Sedina stepped forward.
“I have no intention of opposing the Empire, so please stop.”
“And why should I believe that? A greater threat than before has just arisen, and I should retreat simply because you say so?”
“......The kingdom has already suffered too much. The World Tree as well. From now on, the World Tree must devote itself solely to recovering until it returns to its former state.”
“So you claim it is safe? Even a tiny fraction of that tree’s power would be enough to threaten the Empire.”
From Lutus’s view, the World Tree was something that ought not to exist.
If it awoke again, and if Sedina harbored reckless intent—
The continent would be engulfed in calamity.
“I am certain that will not happen.”
“And why is that?”
“Because, I am still half a person of the Empire.”
At the wholly unexpected reply, Lutus’s eyes widened.
“Despite how I look, I am also a student of Seorn. How could someone like me ever fight against the Empire?”
“Heh. Hahaha.”
Seeing Sedina stand firm and speak without wavering, Lutus could not help but burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! So, it’s fine because you are half human and a citizen of the Empire? What an absurd argument!”
Everyone around stared at Sedina with faces asking if she truly thought that was persuasion.
After laughing for some time, Lutus stopped, his face refreshed.
“If you put it like that, then once at least, I should believe you.”
He slid his sword back into its sheath.
“......!”
The tension that had gripped the air so tightly shattered in an instant.
Those who had expected battle looked at Lutus in surprise.
They had not thought he would back down so easily.
Not that Lutus truly believed Sedina’s words.
But sometimes, a single flash of spirit outweighed a hundred explanations.
When he had looked into Sedina’s eyes, Lutus had decided: once, at least, he would trust her.
“Yes. At the very least, I cannot deny that you are a comrade who fought to prevent war.”
“Ha.”
Ambella, relieved, slumped down on the spot.
With one arm gone, even though it had been bound, the dizziness lingered.
“That arm...”
Sedina approached, gazing at Ambella’s severed limb.
“There’s no need to worry. Losing just one arm is a cheap price.”
But of course, it was not fine.
For a swordsman, the arm that held the blade was as precious as life itself.
To say there was no regret would be a lie.
Yet Ambella did not wish to place such a burden on Sedina’s heart, so she chose to think of it lightly.
“This isn’t something you need to trouble yourself with.”
“No. I also bear responsibility, so let me help you.”
Sedina spoke in a voice full of conviction.
Ambella stared into her eyes, searching for meaning.
“How?”
“I can restore your severed arm.”