A vast and ancient forest untouched by human hands.
Even as science advanced, this place preserved the primordial shape of the world. It was the woodland where the elves resided.
At the center of this realm, where everything was dyed in clear, refreshing green, a pitch-black dot floated into existence.
The black hole that opened by forcing itself through a seam in space soon expanded, growing large enough for a single adult to pass through.
From that smooth mirror-like shadow, a man slowly emerged.
A splendid black frock coat fitted neatly to his body, a swordstick cane embossed with a raven, long hair cascading down his back.
The way he stood upright on both legs, his sculpture-like beauty as he surveyed his surroundings—ironically, it all suited the forest perfectly.
“It seems I’ve arrived correctly.”
Ludger closed the gate created by Ater Nocturnus.
The shadow shrank into a single point, then sank back into Ludger’s body.
For a moment, Ludger recalled the magic he had just unfolded.
‘The distance between coordinates has increased. The accuracy improved. Above all, the movement is smooth.’
Until now, the spatial movement coordinate magic Ludger used had been a sort of loophole—moving through shadows as a medium.
Because in this world, the act of crossing space itself was forbidden.
It was one of the measures taken by Lumenis to prevent the birds in the cage from escaping.
Inside that cage, Ludger created coordinate magic while evading the god’s eyes, testing it again and again with countless failures.
‘If it were before, moving such a long distance at once would’ve been impossible.’
The last time he came to the elven forest, Ludger had no choice but to board the military airship provided by the Roschen family—because spatial movement was impossible.
But now things were different.
The oppression of the cage had vanished, and many of the restrictions on the coordinate magic he wielded were lifted.
He could now travel enormous distances across the continent in an instant.
‘Of course, it’s limited to places I’ve visited and remember the coordinates of.’
But to Ludger, who had traveled across the continent, that restriction hardly mattered.
Before, he avoided using it in forests out of fear of overlapping with trees or rocks.
Now, that concern no longer existed.
‘In many ways, this is convenient. I can drastically shorten travel time across the continent.’
The process of traveling to a place held meaning too.
Skipping the entire journey at once diminished the value of “seeing the world.”
But the purpose of this visit was to meet a connection from his past and search for his own identity, so the loss was acceptable.
‘More importantly, even though it’s been a while, this place is still dense.’
Despite being midday, the sunlight barely reached the ground under the colossal trees.
But in return, perhaps, clusters of light reminiscent of fireflies softly illuminated the space between the moss-covered trunks.
“A walk after a long time isn’t bad.”
Ludger began walking leisurely through the forest.
There was no path to speak of, yet nothing hindered him.
Walking on his own two feet in the heart of nature brought old memories back to life.
The incidents that happened in the elven forest.
The time when Ventmin Lifret, one of the First Orders, abducted Sedina.
‘That really was something terrifying.’
Ventmin had tried to use the World Tree to turn the entire continent into a forest.
From a macro perspective, her actions were extremely pro-nature—but to the living beings in that land, they were not.
More precisely, to humans.
‘If her plan had proceeded, humanity would’ve been reduced by over ninety percent.’
The same fate would’ve applied to other demi-human races—beastkin, dwarves, and others.
The elves would’ve ended up dominating the continent.
But even then, things wouldn’t have gone entirely her way.
If such an event had truly begun, the Bretus Theocracy would have intervened.
‘Well, in the end, none of that happened.’
Ventmin’s ambition and the Bretus Theocracy’s designs all crumbled like sand.
The world welcomed peace and the possibility of transformation.
The seeds of possibility planted long before were now sprouting and growing at dazzling speed.
How long had he walked while entertaining such thoughts?
Ludger stopped and surveyed his surroundings.
Yes. After wandering alone in the heart of the forest for this long, they must have noticed him by now.
Above all, this region belonged to the elves.
As long as plants existed, there was no way to escape their eyes here.
Yet the reason they had taken no action until now was not because they were wary of an intruder who appeared suddenly.
“Welcome to our forest.”
One by one, elves appeared before Ludger and greeted him with disciplined bows.
They had seen him arrive—they knew who he was and where he came from.
That was why they showed him courtesy and treated him with utmost respect.
The man standing before them was one of the saviors of the elven nation, and the human most cherished by their queen.
“Did I keep you waiting too long?”
“Not at all. Seeing you enjoying the embrace of nature actually satisfied us as well.”
“Right. There’s nothing more unsightly than a guest wasting time wandering around. And I did come here with a purpose. Please lead the way.”
The elves bowed and opened a path.
Crack—crack—crack.
Trees shifted aside on their own to clear a road.
Some trees even used their roots to flatten the earth, making it easy for them to walk.
Anyone who saw this would be astonished.
This tightly packed space where even a person could barely move was, in truth, the most automated pathway imaginable.
Moving at more than five times the speed he had expected, Ludger soon saw a massive fortress rise before him.
The homeland of the elves.
Their most impregnable citadel.
Renar─Tyrone.
The fortress, once destroyed, had been rebuilt even stronger, now exuding majestic splendor.
Where it once felt beautifully stone-hewn, now—combined with thriving plant growth—it radiated a far more pastoral atmosphere.
As the colossal gate opened on its own, someone walked out.
Firm, wide strides.
Despite being an elf, she possessed more charisma and ferocity than most seasoned warriors.
“Wow. I heard you’d returned, but I didn’t expect to actually see your face again.”
“It’s been a while, Ambella Burke.”
Ambella Burke.
Once a vassal family serving the Plante line, later exiled to the forest outskirts by the Lifret family.
But now, she had long since regained her former glory and returned to her rightful place.
“You haven’t changed one bit since I last saw you three years ago.”
“Hearing that from an elf feels... oddly complicated.”
Ambella curled one eye with a sly grin.
“Hahaha! I’m not teasing you—it’s a sincere compliment!”
“If you put it that way, I’ll take it gladly. And considering such an honored figure came all this way just to greet me, I should be grateful.”
“Heh. For someone speaking like that, you don’t seem nervous at all. Well, don’t worry too much. ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ The queen holds you in high regard—so of course we must treat you carefully.”
“The queen, huh.”
Hearing Ludger mutter, Ambella gestured for him to follow.
“Rather than explaining, it’s better to see for yourself. Come.”
Ludger walked through the elven capital guided by Ambella.
Every elf he passed stared at him curiously.
To them, the sight of a human—just one human—being personally escorted by Ambella was extraordinary.
Not even high nobles or royalty would receive such treatment.
Naturally, their gazes brimmed with curiosity about who this man was.
Soon, Ludger entered the inner city and lifted his gaze toward the towering World Tree.
The World Tree.
Or rather, the Elemental Lord of Plants.
It was just as vast and magnificent as before, radiating gentle beauty.
‘But I can’t be deceived by that appearance. If it wanted to, it could destroy an entire nation.’
There was a reason Ventmin had attempted to submerge the whole continent using the World Tree’s power.
She acted because it was possible.
That was how powerful the World Tree was—worthy of being called a strategic living weapon.
Remembering how hard it had been to face that thing back then almost made him laugh out loud.
But in the end, everything had been resolved.
The dangerous figure no longer sat upon the World Tree’s throne.
Now, the throne was occupied by the assistant he had personally trained.
The inner city was even more splendid than it appeared from the outside.
The treasures placed within were so impressive it was exhausting even to describe them.
But Ludger’s attention, from the moment he entered this place, had been fixated solely on one being.
“Last time I went down, but this time we’re going up.”
“Well, something like that.”
Ambella, who had dismissed even her subordinates to guide Ludger alone, looked out the window as she answered.
“It’s a pity to keep her buried down there.”
“Is that your opinion, or the opinion of the one who was moved?”
“Let’s say everyone was in agreement.”
At last, Ludger reached a high place within the citadel—the place where the Cradle rested.
The top of the fortress was woven with countless vines.
At its center lay a spring connected to the World Tree.
The spring was no ordinary water.
It was the World Tree’s sap.
A young woman stood there with her feet dipped into the sap, her back turned.
Her disheveled hair was long.
Once, she couldn’t even grow her brown bob past her neck, but now it reached her waist.
The color was the same as before, yet from the neck down the hair gradually shifted from brown to silver.
“Hey, Your Majesty. A rare guest has come—are you going to keep acting like this?”
When Ambella spoke, the woman who had been lightly splashing her feet in the sap slowly turned her head.
“Honestly. I was finally setting the mood—don’t ruin it.”
“Please. You were watching from the very beginning, acting like you didn’t know.”
At her loyal retainer and godmother Ambella’s retort, Sedina glared, eyes wide.
“Oh dear, I suppose this is my cue to leave. The rest is up to the two of you.”
As if avoiding incoming sparks, Ambella hurriedly left the Cradle.
Watching her go, Sedina stepped out of the sap with a small sigh.
“It has been a while, teacher.”
“Yes. It has.”
Sedina Roschen.
No—now she had to be called Sedina Plante, the Queen of the Elves.
She stood before Ludger, more mature than ever.
“Well, it hasn’t really been that long, has it? We met just recently.”
“The day I returned.”
“That’s right. But we didn’t really get to talk, since you were detained right after. Still, it seems everything ended well. Considering you’ve come all this way.”
“Yes. I’m finally a free man again.”
“So you came to see me? Curious about how your old assistant is doing?”
Sedina stepped close—far closer than before.
Once, she hadn’t even reached his chest, but she had grown since then.
Her gaze was noticeably higher than the last time he saw her.
“So, how is it? My changed appearance?”
With her hands clasped behind her back, Sedina asked, her expression subtly flushed with expectation.
Indeed, the change in Sedina was dramatic enough for her to ask so boldly.
She had always been beautiful thanks to her elven blood, but now that beauty had fully blossomed.
Her appearance was lovely, her long hair with its two-tone gradient strikingly attractive.
And as befitted an elven queen, her attire—simple yet embodying the full grace of their culture—suited her perfectly.
If someone were to photograph this moment, they would surely give it a name like “Forest and Fairy.”