Chapter 108
The others excused themselves to explore the temple with Orion, leaving Caron and the regent alone to walk through the temple gardens.
"You don't seem particularly surprised, Caron Leston," the regent said with a warm smile, her gaze steady on him. She added, "I thought you might be at least a little startled."
"Well, you're not the first to recognize my reincarnation," Caron replied calmly.
"The Demon King of Slaughter. He realized it, didn't he?" the regent asked.
"Yes," Caron admitted.
As he had expected, the regent already knew about his reincarnation. And yet, unlike the Demon King, her reaction lacked astonishment. Caron thought that the first encounter with such knowledge was always the most disorienting. Still, the regent's noble demeanor made even this unusual situation feel oddly natural.
"I'm afraid my grandfather will find out about this someday," Caron said.
"You still haven't told Duke Halo the truth, have you?" the regent asked.
"Just a playful prank between friends... Let's call it that. But, how did you manage to figure it out?" Caron replied.
The regent nodded gracefully, her smile radiant. She said, "Mother told me."
"I see," Caron responded.
"How was your stay at Galad?" the regent asked.
"It was good. It was different from what I imagined, but it's certainly a remarkable city," Caron answered.
The black cat perched on Caron's shoulder let out a contented meow. Caron stroked its sleek fur before turning to the regent with a question. "Do you know much about this spirit?"
"It is a spirit born from within the darkness that descends upon the world," the regent explained.
"I was wondering if it was a bad little guy?" Caron asked.
"Trying to categorize spirits as good or evil is, by its nature, a futile effort," she said gently.
The regent reached out and lightly patted the spirit on its head. Caron watched in surprise as the cat, which had rejected Orion's touch, accepted the regent's hand without protest.
"Living beings always fear the darkness," she continued. "Elves are no exception. It's natural for them to dread a spirit born from darkness."
Darkness obscured sight, and living creatures instinctively feared what they couldn't see, as the thought of things lurking beyond the veil filled them with unease. It was natural to fear the unknown, and thus, darkness evoked fear.
"However, light awakens life, while darkness grants it rest. Darkness is one of the essential elements that sustain the world's cycle. It is neither good nor evil, merely dual in nature," the regent explained. Her gaze rested on Caron, quiet and penetrating, as she continued, "And so are you."
A faint blue light shimmered in her eyes as she asked, "Isn't that right, Caron Leston?"
Caron met her gaze in silence. He felt as though her eyes were peering directly into his soul, unraveling layers he didn't even know existed. He was wondering what exactly she was seeing.
"In your previous life, you were plunged into a darkness as deep as an abyss," the regent said softly. "I can still see the shadow cast over you."
Her words stirred something within Caron—an uneasy sense of exposure. It was unpleasant, and yet he couldn't deny her statement. After all, the memories of his previous life still lingered within him, as vivid as ever.
"One thing you should know is that the spirit medal cannot summon a Spirit of Darkness. Such spirits are among the primordial beings that have existed since the dawn of time. They rest within Mother's embrace but do not belong to her," the regent said, her tone calm yet unwavering.
"But I summoned it using the spirit medal," Caron replied, his brow furrowed.
"That is because the Spirit of Darkness chose you," the regent explained, stepping forward with measured grace.
Caron followed her quietly. Before long, they arrived at the edge of the garden.
"Ah..." Caron exhaled softly.
A colossal tree stood before them. It was the source of the Great Forest, the wellspring of life that infused the land with boundless energy. It was the World Tree.
And yet, something about it was unmistakably wrong.
Crack.
A gust of wind swept by, peeling away the tree's bark as if it were brittle paper. But it wasn't just the bark. Once-vibrant leaves hung wilted, and its roots appeared shriveled and lifeless.
The World Tree was...
"...It's dying," Caron said quietly, his voice heavy with the weight of realization.
The regent gave a bittersweet smile, nodding, then admitted, "Yes, it is."
"But the forest seemed fine," Caron said, glancing at her. "The mana there was... abundant."
"Mother spares nothing for her children. She always thinks of them before herself," the regent replied.
The World Tree was sacrificing its own life force to sustain the forest and its inhabitants.
Caron drew a slow, deep breath, his expression grave. He asked, "How long has it been like this?"
"Fifty years ago, the Demon King of Havoc appeared in the Southern Great Forest," the regent said.
"That's around..." Caron trailed off, realization dawning on him.
"Yes," the regent confirmed. "The same time the Orias Empire nearly fell into the hands of the Malevolent Emperor. Due to the sacrifices made by many elves and Mother herself, we were able to stop them, but we lost far too much in the process."
She extended a hand toward the lifeless bark, channeling her own mana into it. And yet, nothing changed.
"All I've been able to do was watch as Mother slowly withers away," the regent murmured. She turned to Caron, her gaze piercing, then said, "The one you seek resides where the southern seas meet the forest."
This was the information Caron had been searching for. Still, he couldn't ignore the heavy weight that hung in the air. He thought of the elves he had seen that morning—their cheerful faces. It led him to an unsettling conclusion.
"...The other elves don't know the World Tree is dying, do they?" he asked.
That was the only explanation for their bright smiles. If they knew, they wouldn't be able to smile so freely... No, it would be impossible to smile. If the World Tree perished, the Southern Great Forest would wither, and the extinction of the elves would follow.
"Why are you sharing this secret with me, something even your own kind doesn't know?" Caron asked.
The regent offered a sorrowful smile and replied, "Because you must know."
"And why is that?" Caron asked.
"Because Mother was involved in your reincarnation," the regent answered.
Caron's expression froze.
***
The silence that followed hung in the air.
Caron's gaze shifted between the regent and the World Tree. Some time passed before he finally spoke, his voice steady yet edged with curiosity. "...So, what you're saying is, if I want to understand why I was reincarnated, I need to help save the World Tree. Is that it?"
"I won't deny it," the regent replied.
Caron's mind raced with conflicting thoughts. Reincarnation was an inherently supernatural event, so it had to have involved some transcendent force. But he had never considered that the World Tree could be part of it. After all, his previous life had no meaningful connection to the World Tree.
Caron spent a long moment sorting through his questions. When he finally asked one, his voice was low and deliberate. "Why me?"
"Because only you can do this," the regent replied.
"Are you saying that it's something like fate?" Caron asked with a faint edge of skepticism.
"Yes," the regent admitted, her expression tinged with bitterness.
Her gaze lingered on Caron, who looked dissatisfied. She could understand why he was struggling. The weight of fate was no easy burden for any mortal to bear. Even for those who had lived through reincarnation, to suddenly be tasked with such a monumental responsibility...
Of course he'd feel overwhelmed, she thought.
But her expectations were shattered by his next words.
"You're saying that saving the World Tree is something only I can do. Is that right?" Caron asked.
The atmosphere shifted, his tone no longer one of frustration; instead, it was sharp, almost calculating.
"Yes, Caron Leston," the regent said.
"Well," Caron began, a faint sparkle in his eyes, "I'll admit I'm curious about why I was reincarnated. But honestly, it doesn't matter that much. Isn't it better to focus on what I can do now that I'm here, rather than the reason for my reincarnation? A forward-thinking mindset seems more important, don't you think?"
His voice picked up energy as he continued, "Besides, this is basically a job request, isn't it? You're asking me to help save the World Tree. Am I wrong?"
"But surely you're curious about your reincarnation—" the regent began, but was cut off.
"Of course I'm curious! But I can probably figure it out after I crush the Demon Kings. Or maybe I can just ask the Guardian Dragon of my family up in the North Sea. There are plenty of ways to find out about that," Caron said with a grin.
The regent stared at him, her expression conflicted. She was wondering if the pressure had driven him to madness. But no...
His eyes are gleaming and he's definitely thinking clearly, she realized.
"Maybe it's because you're not human, but emotional appeals don't work well on us. If you really want results, you need logic. And in this case, we would call this a job request," Caron said.
"A... job request?" the regent asked, almost incredulous. "Are you suggesting I offer you compensation?"
"Exactly!" Caron said, sound pleased. "I see you catch on quickly."
The regent exhaled a small sigh, then asked in a quiet voice, "What is it that you want?"
"Well, before we talk about compensation, we need to assess the difficulty of the task. What exactly do I need to do to save the World Tree?" Caron asked.
"You'll need three things. A Glacier Crystal from the North Sea, spring water from Ali Oasis, and a Spirit of Life from the Eastern Great Forest," the regent explained.
"Ali Oasis? That's in the Pajar Sultanate, isn't it?" Caron asked.
"Yes, that's correct," the regent answered.
"So, all three are in dangerous, remote locations. Ah, that definitely raises the difficulty level," Caron said, his tone almost cheerful as he weighed the challenge. He was already doing the math in his head.
I have to visit the North Sea for my Coming of Age anyway, he thought.
Glacier Crystals were exceptionally pure and found only in the glaciers of the North Sea. Caron recalled Halo mentioning them in his previous life. Extracting a Glacier Crystal was already a monumental task, but transporting it all the way to the Southern Great Forest would be impossible. The Glacier Crystal would simply melt the moment it left the North Sea.
"There's a storage vessel infused with Mother's power," the regent explained, as if reading his thoughts. "If you place a Glacier Crystal inside, it won't melt."
"Well, that simplifies one part of it," Caron remarked, nodding. "But as for the spring water from Ali Oasis and the Spirit of Life from the eastern Great Forest... Those might actually kill me."
The Pajar Sultanate and the empire were on the brink of open hostilities, their relations nothing short of disastrous. And reaching the Eastern Great Forest required crossing all the way through the Pajar Sultanate, a task that was even more perilous. Much like the Southern Great Forest, the Eastern Great Forest was strictly off-limits to humans.
"There are elves in the Eastern Great Forest too, aren't there?" Caron asked. "Can't we ask for their help?"
"They parted ways with us long ago. It's a long story, and not one worth delving into now," the regent replied.
"Hmm," Caron sighed. It seemed like there was a complicated situation hidden behind the scenes. His brows furrowed slightly as he tried to gauge the difficulty of this job.
"This is the worst kind of job," he muttered. The mission was so demanding that even two lives wouldn't be enough, so it seemed that the compensation could be practically anything.
He eventually said to the regent, "Ah, this might be a bit complicated."
It was clear the elves had reasons for not undertaking the task themselves. And if the World Tree's condition didn't improve soon, their downfall seemed inevitable. The World Tree's ability to endure this was a mystery, but one thing was certain. It had to be saved.
In the long war against demonkind that loomed overhead, the elves would undoubtedly be invaluable allies. But no matter how crucial the mission, Caron wasn't about to volunteer his efforts for no cost.
I'll at least get compensated generously, he thought.
Having reached a decision, Caron flashed the regent a cheerful smile and said lightly, "You see, I tend to be a bit on the expensive side."
The regent's expression faltered. "Do you mean you're expecting gold or silver?" she asked hesitantly. "Our economy is entirely different from that of humans..."
"Oh, I wouldn't ask for something so crude as gold or silver," Caron replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Believe it or not, I'm pretty well-off myself."
Caron had no interest in such things as treasure and wealth. From the start, his attention had been fixed on one prize. It was the rarest of resources that only elves could provide.
"I was hoping for the Dew of the World Tree," he said.
"...But that's—" the regent began, but was cut off.
"It's a dangerous request, after all," Caron interrupted. "Ideally, I'd like an advance payment. With it, I'll be stronger, and the chances of success will be much higher, don't you think?"
The Dew of the World Tree was a legendary elixir capable of healing even the gravest injuries and enhancing the strength of allies.
At Caron's demand, the regent drew a deep breath and slowly nodded. She offered, "I can give you one drop—"
"Five drops," Caron countered immediately.
"Caron Leston," the regent began.
"You said it yourself. I'm the only one who can do this. Five drops," Caron demanded. His unyielding stance left no room for negotiation.
The regent clenched her fist and bit her lip.
Mother, are you certain this man was the right choice? she thought.
Across from her, a thief disguised as a human smiled.