Chapter 188

Alon remained silent.

“……”

As he stayed silent, Queen Magrina also remained silent.

However, unlike Alon, an unconcealed smile played on her lips.

‘What does she mean by that feeling?’

He couldn’t understand the queen’s words and expression at all.

It could just mean she wanted to smooth things over.

But to Alon, the queen’s ‘intent’ sounded like this:

‘Ah, so you want me to play along? I’ll just pretend I don’t know anything.’

“……What do you mean by ‘that feeling’?”

“Just what I said, that kind of feeling.”

“So~”

Alon mouthed his words several times.

He had no idea where to start correcting this.

What on earth was he supposed to do about this…?

“Look, I’ll say it again—I am not Primordial Elf.”

“You are not.”

Queen Magrina nodded.

Her face showed no doubt or hesitation.

Seeing that, Alon found himself even more at a loss for words.

‘She totally doesn’t believe me, does she?’

“That can’t be. I do believe you.”

“It’s funny for me to say this myself, but if I’m not Primordial Elf, shouldn’t you be treating me as an enemy right now?”

“If you want, I can do that.”

“No, I mean… even if not outright hostility, shouldn’t you have no reason to treat me this warmly?”

How did it come to this, where he was desperately trying to clarify that he was not Primordial Elf?

It was beyond bewildering, yet the queen simply gazed at him calmly.

“Well, let’s just say I wanted to see the face of Marquis Palatio at least once.”

“……?”

“I heard you’re quite famous, Marquis. Isn’t that right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Then let’s just go with that.”

Only then did Alon realize.

No matter how many times he explained, their misunderstanding wouldn’t be resolved.

No, it wasn’t even a matter of misunderstanding—they had no intention of correcting it.

‘What on earth is this?’

Alon knew very little about Greynifra.

He had never even come into contact with them.

And yet.

What could have caused the elves to fall into such a huge misconception?

‘They wouldn’t be blindly worshipping me just because I put on a single glove, right?’

After a brief moment of contemplation, Alon decided to make use of their goodwill for now.

“……May I ask you something?”

“Anything at all.”

The queen beamed as if pleased.

Seeing her expression, Alon organized his thoughts.

‘What Siyan told me was basically just to go to Greynifra, so I don’t have many questions there. That leaves only questions about the Primordial Elf who used magic similar to mine and the Root.’

He debated which of the two to ask first.

“Do you happen to know anything about the Root?”

He chose to ask about the Root.

Though he wanted to ask about the Primordial Elf first.

Given the situation, it seemed too delicate to bring up right away.

The queen immediately nodded.

“Yes, though it may be difficult to explain.”

“……Why?”

“The Root must be seen in person.”

“It must be seen in person?”

“Yes. No one can describe it as anything beyond just ‘the Root.'”

It must be seen firsthand, huh.

“Can I go see this Root?”

“If you wish, I will open the way for you.”

“Much appreciated.”

“However—”

The queen, who had readily agreed, cast a glance behind Alon.

“It is extremely dangerous, so it would be best not to bring the knight with you.”

She referred to Evan, Alon’s companion.

“For him, just going there could mean death.”

Evan flinched.

Even Alon started to feel reluctant about going.

“……Is it really that dangerous?”

“Yes.”

A firm answer.

His dilemma deepened.

Judging by the queen’s words, the Root seemed to be a truly perilous place.

However.

“Then please lead the way.”

Alon decided to descend to the Root.

He judged that the risk was worth taking.

‘Learn how to use Arrow, was it?’

Alon recalled the ‘Eyes.’

At first, just looking at them made blood pour out from every orifice of his body.

Even recently, merely glancing at them for a few dozen seconds had caused him to shed tears of blood.

Those eyes had certainly spoken to Alon.

They had told him to descend to the Root and learn how to use ‘Arrow.’

But Alon had no idea what the ‘Arrow’ mentioned by the eyes actually was.

Even when playing Psychedelia, this kind of power had never truly appeared.

However.

‘It must be useful.’

He had to face it head-on.

“Please.”

“Understood. Then let’s enter tomorrow.”

***

Shortly after the brief meeting with Alon.

Behind Queen Magrina, who was smiling lightly without saying a word, an elf stepped forward.

“Your Majesty.”

“Rim.”

The elf’s face was slightly sullen.

A member of Paggade, responsible for the Root, she furrowed her brows as if she couldn’t comprehend the situation.

Seeing her expression, the queen let out a small chuckle.

“You seem to have a lot to say, Rim.”

“My apologies, but I am unsure if I may speak my mind.”

“Go ahead.”

The queen granted her permission with a benevolent smile.

Cautiously, Rim parted her lips.

“Is that man truly the Primordial Elf?”

“Does he not appear that way to you, Rim?”

“……Forgive me, but no. He himself insists that he is not Primordial Elf. Furthermore, if we follow Philde’s words, wasn’t he not even supposed to come near this World Tree?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“And yet, he has arrived here in Greynifra…? While carrying something on his back that would send chills down anyone’s spine.”

Even as she spoke, Rim shuddered involuntarily.

Of course, as a swordswoman rather than a mage, she could only see it faintly.

The thing that lay behind Marquis Palatio’s back, in the world beyond, was only a faint fragment to her.

No, not even a fragment.

Just the faintest speck, nothing more.

But even that was enough for Rim to understand.

What lay behind him was something beyond her comprehension.

Something incomprehensible.

Perhaps even similar to what lay beneath the Root—

“Rim.”

As her thoughts reached that point, the queen’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’d like you to escort him to the Root tomorrow.”

“……Escort him?”

“Yes.”

“Are you truly allowing him into the Root?”

“He wishes to go.”

“I—”

Rim tried to protest.

But she soon found herself unable to speak further.

“You understand, don’t you?”

The queen was smiling at her.

An endlessly gentle smile.

But at the same time, it was a firm smile, one that left no room for further objections.

“……Understood.”

Rim had no choice but to comply.

The queen’s orders were absolute.

“Don’t worry too much. Everyone else will be going as well. Right, Draim?”

At Magrina’s murmuring, a man emerged from the shadows, where nothing had been just moments ago.

“……I shall obey.”

“Good, then I’ll leave it to you.”

The queen nodded.

After a brief hesitation, Rim spoke again.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes?”

“If, by any chance, he not only enters the Root but also attempts to go below it, what should we do?”

Even if they somehow allowed him to reach the Root,

Going below it was an entirely different matter.

Because ‘that’ was there.

However—

“Naturally, you should guide him.”

The queen continued to smile.

Even though she clearly knew.

That something lay beneath—something that would be extremely troublesome if awakened.

“Understood.”

In the end, Rim bowed her head.

At that same moment—

“……Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“I know you won’t give me a straight answer, but—”

Evan’s voice carried a hint of exasperation.

“Who exactly are you, Marquis?”

Alon gazed into the void for a moment.

“……That’s a good question.”

“?”

“I’m starting to wonder about that myself.”

It was a night filled with unexpected introspection.

***

The next day, after being bewilderingly dragged to Greynifra—

Although only about a day had passed, Alon had a general grasp of how he was being treated there.

‘A few high-ranking elves are under a misconception and are treating me favorably, while most of the other elves are openly hostile…’

Of course, Alon wasn’t particularly upset about it.

It wasn’t surprising—the queen’s attitude was the unusual one.

By nature, elves being hostile toward him, a human, was perfectly normal.

Even among those who were mistaken about him, some showed subtle hostility, which he could fully understand.

After spending a day roughly gauging the atmosphere—

“Well then, take care. Rim will guide you.”

With the queen’s send-off, Alon set out for the Root.

Accompanied by Rim, an elf who made no effort to hide her displeasure toward him.

“I am Rim. I will be guiding you from here.”

“……I’ll be in your care.”

Shortly after,

“This is the place.”

Surprisingly, they reached the entrance in just thirty minutes.

Alon, looking puzzled, asked,

“This is it?”

“Do you think I would disobey Her Majesty and bring you to a false location?”

Her tone was slightly sharp.

But Alon paid it little mind and examined his surroundings.

‘So, the Root refers to the roots of the World Tree itself?’